Blood 1.3

"You're a man after my own heart!"

Freed was still smiling. No words immediately jumped to my lips. I wondered when the world would start making sense again. Freed didn't care. He seemed all too happy to keep on talking, his nasal voice grating my ears. The voice was like that of some snotty teenager coming from a man's body. The slight manic tilt to it didn't do him any favors. It left me unsettled.

"I mean just look at you! You're covered from head to toe. Dohnaseek said that you tore her a new one, but come on!" rattled Freed. His mouth ran like a speeding train. His way of speaking along with my dulled senses made it hard for me to understand him. It felt like someone had stuffed cotton in between my ears.

I tried to respond, "I don't-"

"You just waltz up to some devil bitch on the South side of town and rip her head off. You're a riot man!" He laughed aloud. Slowly, Freed paced the room. His footsteps were quiet, almost graceful in their gait. He was watching me intently. His red eyes gleamed threateningly in the darkness of the church. I glanced behind him. He had put himself between me and the door. He continued his voice going low, "So tell me..."

"Who are you? Another stray from the church just palling around Japan?"

I didn't know what to say. I could lie, try to spin some tale to get me out of here in one piece. I remembered Freed. In fact, I'd say I remembered him quite well. He was a two-bit villain from the intro arc of High School DxD. The man standing in front of me was supposed to be completely fictional. This couldn't be happening.

I didn't know what the mad exorcist was going to do, but I certainly remembered what he was capable of.

He was a murderer. A depraved one at that. He cut up civilians into little pieces and made "art" out of them for fun. The only reason he even stuck out so much in my memories of the show was the shit he said on screen. Well, that and him threatening to rape and kill most of the female cast. Freed was a piece of work, a murderous one. The stray exorcist was also standing in front of me with a gun and lightsaber on his hip. I think I liked him better on my laptop screen. He was much less threatening as a joke of a villain in a shitty harem anime.

There's no way he would believe the truth, and why would I want him to anyway? If the freak actually took me at my word on it he'd probably just kill me anyway. He'd most likely just take the news that he was a fictional character as the Joker did and just find more reasons to hurt people. Was Freed Sellzen just a character anymore anyway? That was a question better left for the future. If I didn't feel like walking death, I could think about it then. I knew one thing though. If Freed didn't buy this, I was fucked.

"No, I'm jus-" I started.

He cut me off. My brow furrowed. I hadn't spoken to him for more than a few minutes, and he was already starting to annoy me. He had a very punch-able face. "Eh, I kinda figured. You didn't look the type. No cross, no robes. It was worth a shot. A foreign exchange student maybe?"

"I'm a tourist." I lied trying to keep my voice level. It came out in a scratchy growl, low and hoarse. You could hear the pain and frustration in my tone. A bit of both stayed in my throat as I continued, "I woke up in that warehouse after a night out drinking. That thing attacked me."

Freed's laughter was boisterous. I scowled as he curled over shaking. What was so damn funny? I almost died. No, I did die, before at least. He was just standing there laughing at me like some kind of clown. I'd be lying if I said it didn't piss me off. I was ready for the day to be over with. I wanted to go home. I wanted to get all of this shit off me and just go to sleep. I wanted all of this to disappear like some kind of horrid dream. I'd had enough of being the universes punching bag today. Silently, I clenched my right hand into a fist.

"So you just rip the devil whore's head off? That's fucking metal man." Freed stalked forward, putting a hand on my shoulder. If he was trying to be friendly, it wasn't working. His lips were set into a sneer, he glared out into the dark behind me. My eyes drifted toward his fingers. I wanted to move. I could hear my heart rate pick up. Why was he touching me? Freed growled, "I hope you made it hurt. Shitty devils like that deserve that much at least."

I didn't want him to touch me. I wanted him to leave. He was annoying. His words were a swarm of ants coming into my ears. I scowled. There was anger, and suddenly everything was clear. It was like a bomb went off in my head. I needed to do something. I had to move. There was a constant sense of something burning in my mind, pushing me to action. Whatever it was, it wasn't me. My left hand was on fire. The dull pain fogging my senses bled away. I didn't notice moving. My arm shot up to Freed's hand.

I snarled, "Don't touch me!"

I had a firm grip on Freed's finger as he screamed. A loud crack echoed into the night. The appendage was bent backward at an odd angle. I could see something white and red sticking through his skin. The exorcist dropped to the floor. Freed gripped his injured hand. I stood over him. My teeth were bared. He was going to pay. I reached down towards him.

As suddenly as that white-hot feeling pervading my mind was there, it vanished.

I stumbled back. What did I just do? What in the actual fuck did I just do? I numbly stared at the man in front of me. I couldn't believe it. I attacked him. Why? I didn't mean to. I was getting annoyed with him sure, but enough to do that. I've never picked a fight like that before, and I just exploded like steam coming out of a boiling pot. That wasn't me. I didn't just do things like that. I liked to think I had some self-control. Most of all, I wasn't stupid enough to attack a man with a gun.

"What's going on with me?" I muttered, bringing a hand up to my head.

"That's what I'd like to know!" Freed said. His eyes were shining with rage. I quickly stepped back in an attempt to make some distance between us. Faster than I could follow, Freed stood. I heard a clicking noise come from his hip.

Fuck. I thought.

It was hard to see him in the dark. The only things that stood out were his eyes and hair, each shimmering a different color in the low light coming in from above. I had to run. He was going to kill me. I heard thunderous footsteps behind me as I turned to flee. My ears started ringing. Dazed, I looked around from the floor.

Why was I on the floor? I thought.

Then came the pain. It felt like someone had poured an arrow of liquid fire into my left leg. My mouth was open. I was screaming. Warm blood gushed from my thigh. A fresh coat of red quickly leaked onto my shredded jeans. There was noise coming from above me. Talking? I felt something cold press up against my forehead.

"How do you like that, you little shit? Hurts doesn't it?" Freed sneered. My head limply lulled on the floor. He had his pistol pushed against my temple. It felt like my whole world was spinning, with the only constant being a red-hot pain in my thigh. I tried to speak. Nothing came out but quiet murmurs. Freed continued, "I had this whole bit planned and you just had to ruin it! You broke my fucking finger too. Fuck!"

Freed was ranting and raving at me. I could barely make out him waving his gun overhead like some kind of toy. Everything he said went in one ear and out the other. Was I going to die? Again? To some crappy one-off villain from a harem anime? Goddammit. God damn it all. I didn't want to die. I don't wanna go back. I felt cold. Suddenly, Freed turned around. I silently stared at the back of his head. Something stirred in my chest. It was hatred. It was a dark and brutal feeling, slowly crawling its way into my mind. It felt alive. I wanted to get up and do something, anything. I tried to move. My vision was fading.

I passed out on the floor.

-|-]=[-|-

Dohnaseek sighed. He just couldn't seem to catch a break. It felt like every day it was something new. He wasn't even supposed to be here, paradise on Earth his ass. He missed his old desk job. Cataloging old scrolls wasn't that bad. Some days, Dohnaseek wished he never would've listened to Azazel. Things would've been much simpler then. Thought, it would've been a lot less fun too.

The big guy was never really fond of fighting and drunkenness, Dohnaseek never really could figure out why.

Straightening his hat, the fallen angel looked down. He had been silently watching in the rafters for what felt like hours. His least favorite exorcist and a potential new recruit had been talking to each other for almost half an hour. Well, mostly it was Freed. The kid had stood there more shell-shocked than anything. If he wasn't being watched like a hawk, He'd have just pushed this job off on someone else. Unfortunately, his immediate superior wouldn't like that very much, the dirty brown-noser.

"Fucking Raynare," muttered Dohnaseek.

He'd been stuck in Kuoh for almost two months now with his only orders being to amass a good group of people who could fight. Well, that and he absolutely had to stay under the radar. It wasn't like he was going to get ganked by some school-aged devils anyway, but orders were orders. Bitch wouldn't even tell him why. Raynare had made that abundantly clear in their first meeting.

"You understand then?"

She was staring him down, her face seemingly chiseled out of stone. There was no emotion, other than a smidge of amusement in her eyes. He wanted to yell out, to do something, anything, but Dohnaseek knew better. It wouldn't get him very far. Nobody in the Grigori would listen to some no-name two-winged fallen angel. He was just another cog in the machine. It wasn't fair, but what in life was? He scoffed. She was always so boring, such a goody two shoes.

"Fine, I'll keep it quiet. No light spears for the locals." Dohnaseek reluctantly replied. Despite already having a good guess at the answer, the fallen angel had to ask. "You mind giving me any reason why I can't just go in guns a blazing? It's what I'm good at."

Raynare smiled. It was purposefully cruel. Without batting an eye, the woman answered, "No. I'm afraid that's entirely above your pay grade."

Dohnaseek scowled.

He wanted a cigarette or better yet some booze. Sighing again, Dohnaseek looked below. The two seemed to be getting to the end of their little song and dance. Freed would push him a little bit more to make sure the kid had some bite to him, then, He'd swoop down and save him. Dohnaseek had seen the aftermath of that old warehouse, but he wanted to make sure. He had to see it with his own eyes. The fact that the kid had just strolled up to their church right after made it easy. If he fought back, Dohnaseek could decide where to place him. If not, then the angel would have a body to dispose of.

Actually...thought Dohnaseek, staring down below. I'll just make Freed do it.

If he wasn't the one that killed that stray devil, then, Dohnaseek would have some bigger things to worry about. If he was, this whole charade would get the kid into his good graces, and hopefully give the fallen angel another piece on the board. Stray exorcists and the other disgraced members of the church were good as fodder, but they didn't listen to him. They listened to her. Raynare was the one with all the authority in their little operation, handed straight down from a Cadre supposedly. Dohnaseek had no clue as to which one. It didn't matter though. He wouldn't be able to do anything about it anyway.

Dohnaseek glowered down from above as Freed put a hand on his potential recruit's shoulders. That wasn't in the script. The fallen's wings unfurled. Dohnaseek let light start to pool itself from his body toward his hands. Anger bristled in his brow. Pushing the muscles down in his back, the fallen got ready to leap down. He'd better-

Freed was screaming on the ground. Dohnaseek stared. The kid had lurched forward yelling. He'd seen a hand reach up and wrench Freed's fingers off him. Blood was starting to splatter out from the stray exorcist's middle finger at a rapid pace. Cartilage and bone were sticking through the skin, and the kid's face was twisted into a thinly veiled veneer of rage.

Freed quickly pulled himself together as the kid stumbled backward. Dohnaseek could see the stray exorcist pull out his revolver from his holster before firing a shot. The fallen angel winced as arterial blood sprayed from the kid's inner thigh. It seemed like he was going to be needing to go get the nun after all. He was going to have to ask Rayanare for a favor.

Dohnaseek really wanted that cigarette.

AN: Howdy folks, that's the end of chapter three! This one was a little bit harder to get out, mainly because Freed is kind of annoying to write. I had to re-write some of his dialogue as it didn't sound like him, please let me know how it turned out. Also, if you notice any writing errors or typos I'd appreciate it if you point them out.

Other than that though, I think I'll give out another fic recommendation real quick. A fic I've been reading recently is A Game of Monsters by Adrian King1. It's a pretty good DxD fic. I will give a warning though, it's fairly slow. I liked it for the characters and the surprising slice-of-life elements for the setting. Anywho, I'll catch you all later. The next chapter will probably be up in a couple of days or so. Or you all might get lucky and get it tomorrow if I'm feeling inspired. Until then...

~ciao