Volume 1, Life 4

Within a weakly-lit room sat a man on his couch, a remote in one hand, and a glass of his finest whisky in the other. Feeling comfortable in the leathery seat, and sipping the burning liquid, he flipped through the expensive television he had been watching for the past hour. He was a man who liked to relax when he could, but with the new school year starting, he was forced to go back to that human institution to act as a science teacher as he watched over his favorite pupils and test-subjects in Sacred Gears. But Sacred Gears were the last things on his mind in the recent weeks, as on the other side of the world, something had been brewing, and he hoped that the feeling deep in his stomach was wrong.

Switching to the closest news channel, he began to watch what was happening, absorbing all the information he could before switching to another channel to do the same thing.

"-se joining us now, we bring you coverage live from a small village a few hours away from Milan, Italy, where more religious institutes seem to be coming under attack from an unknown terrorist gro-"

"-nt reports suggest that what was initially thought to be an anti-religious group is now being brought into question, as reports from Sweden are stating that the headquarters of an Atheistic group was set a blazed this past Saturday, though officials have yet to produce evidence if this attack was related to the mos-"

"-ee mosques and two synagogues over the square area of seventy-five kilometers were found to be burnt down in France this past weekend, with at least two hundred dead in the fires. Survivors were questioned by proper authorities, but so far police have yet to get answers. We bring yo-"

"-isdent Kinsley has stated that the US will be giving aid in trying to track down the group responsible for the attacks on churches in England earlier this month, after the attacks seemed to have spread to mainland Europe and to other religions as well. No new repor-"

The man sighed as he leaned back in his seat, putting the remote down next to him and using that hand to run it through his hair, trying to calm himself as he sipped on some more of his beverage.

As he continued to watch the television, the phone that had been laying on the coffee table in front of him had begun to vibrate, indicating that someone was trying to contact him. Picking the phone up, he flipped it open to reveal only one letter in the glowing screen. 'B'.

Answering the call, he put the phone up to his ear. "Baraqiel." The man stated, already knowing who he was talking to. He knew though, that the call wasn't a social one. "I assume the institute has gotten more information on what's been going on?"

Though he couldn't see it, the man could hear the nod the Fallen Angel had given him, as he grunted to give him the answer. "Shemhazai managed to get in talks with Michael over the weekend, but apparently not even Heaven know all the details at the moment, Azazel. All we've been able to gather is that the attacks across Europe are indeed the same group of people each time. That, and that the attackers all seemed to have been elite warriors from the Vatican."

The Fallen Angel Azazel sighed as he put down his whiskey glass on a coaster and used his free hand to rub his forehead as the on-coming headache he was receiving was slowly beginning to emerge. "Meaning this is our mess we're going to have to clean up." He groaned. "Do we have any leads on where these people are, who they are, or why they're doing this?"

"Not quite… We don't know how they're moving to one spot to another so quickly, but we're guessing it's some sort of teleportation system they have going on, meaning they could be anywhere at any point. As for who they are or why they're doing this, the Vatican has only been able to give us names…"

"Just names?" Azazel asked, his brow raised. "Surely they would be able to know more than that."

Baraqiel on the other end had been silent for a few moments, trying to come up with a way to tell his friend the news in a delicate manner. "Azazel, it's… We don't think they need to tell us, because the defectors seem to have a master alchemist with them. That, and… they managed to steal something from the catacombs deep within."

Now this was something Azazel needed to hear. "How? How did they get underneath? What did they get?"

"The Vatican is still investigating that, but Shemhazai managed to get Michael to promise us to tell us once something is found. As for what they stole, it…"

~~*Oppai-Dragon*~~

After serving the 'detention' he had received from Rossweisse, Issei managed to get to the clubroom without any other trouble delaying him, and by the time he had gotten there, it had been almost an hour and a half from when school had ended. He felt bad, running straight to the clubroom after such an event, but they both knew he couldn't stay for long.

As he opened the door, he saw the usual suspects sitting or standing somewhere within the main room, with only a few missing. Ravel, Asia, Koneko, and the twins had been occupying the couches, while Rias was sitting in the main chair behind the only desk within the room, with her Queen standing right next to her, and Kiba standing only a few feet away from them. Issei guessed that Xenovia wasn't there because she had Student Council duties, and Irina was more than likely trying to help her friend out of good faith, though knowing her, the boy could only imagine she was screwing things up and making them worse. The only ones he was surprised to see not there were Gasper and Valerie, as well as Azazel who would usually occupy the corner and try to listen in on what reports had to be said.

Rias, who had her eyes closed the entire time as she reflected on the day that had gone by, opened them slowly as the boy entered the room, closing the door behind him. A smile seemed to indicate that she wasn't in any type of foul mood, which brought relief to the young devil who had just came in. Now all he needed to do was not let it slip that he may have been doing naughty things with Rias' other Rook.

"I apologize for being late." The boy said in his calmest manner. Though it seemed that everything was going to be alright, he had learned from the past that even the most tranquil moments could end up becoming the most dangerous ones. He went and took a seat next to Ravel, who had saved the seat just for him for when he arrived, and continued to look towards Rias, expecting her to say something. "U-Um… I-"

"Coming to school in bloodied and torn clothes, nearly causing a riot on school property, being late for class, and getting detention, all on your first day. That's quite the record, Issei."

Issei flinched as his betrothed criticized him for the events that had unfolded during the entire day, all while continuing to smile as though none of the things she said had happened. Her smile soon faded though as she sighed, picking up a manila-colored envelope with the only thing written on it was 'For Hyoudou Issei', holding all the information on Kuroka that could be found, that had been sitting on the desk in front of her and handed it to Akeno, who delivered the folder to Issei's hands.

"You needn't worry about what you did, Issei. Rias is upset at being hit on all day by boys at the college." Akeno whispered to Issei, handing him the envelope and placing it on his lap. Needless to say, the boy was a bit jealous and annoyed to hear such a thing, internally wanting to meet the people would do such a thing, if only to confront them on staying away from his love.

"Akeno."

With brow twitching, Rias showed visible signs of being not-so-pleased with her Queen at that moment. "I'd appreciate it if you ceased with telling such slanderous lies." The King scolded.

"Ara, ara, but shouldn't it be the duty of the mistress to relieve her loved one of his stress? Ufufu."

Sighing once more at the double entendre, Rias couldn't help but feel like her closest friend was simply adding on to her own stress for that day. Ignoring the teasing, she turned her attention back to her Rook and Knight, while keeping an eye on Akeno as well, and spoke. "Akeno, Koneko, Yuuto? I'd like to ask you to leave the room for a few moments. What I have to talk about with Issei is a bit sensitive."

Without saying a word, all three members of the Gremory Peerage bowed respectfully, not wishing to go against their master's word and went into the other room adjacent to the main one. As the three left though, Asia raised her hand, a worried look on her face. "S-Should I leave too, Rias?"

Rias went back to smiling at the kind girl's words, believing her to be absolutely adorable. Though she could have said yes and have her leave the room, she didn't think it mattered much what she thought, as Asia was no longer hers. "It's not up to me to decide, Asia. Issei?" She turned to her fiancée. "You are her master now. It's up to you whether she stays or leaves for this discussion."

Seeing the girl begin to give her famous puppy-dog face towards Issei, the boy couldn't help but give in to the girl's demands. He cursed himself for not learning how to defend himself against such a potent attack. "I-It's fine! You can stay, I-I mean, it's not like what she hears is anything bad, right…? Right…?"

Rias could only shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know Issei. Being your master, I could have looked at the contents to see what's in it, as it's full within my rights to do so. I wanted to respect your privacy though, and haven't looked at what's inside it."

Issei nodded, understanding what she meant, and appreciating the honesty.

"Issei-"

He looked up at her.

"Y-Yes?"

With narrowed eyes and an unsmiling expression, which was accompanied by her most serious tone, she spoke. "Should you choose to take this path, there's no turning back. By helping her, you may end up staining your reputation, and even end up getting on the bad side of the public, or perhaps even worse. If you end up failing in the trial, not even I can help you. If you choose not to open that envelope though, we can forget this ever happened and you can go back to being Hyoudou Issei … Are you absolutely sure you wish to go forward with this?"

Issei paused, looking at the envelope, then back towards to Rias. He knew she said this not to persuade him against helping Kuroka, but rather, she said this because she honestly worried about him. She worried about the fallout of what would happen if the hero, the Oppai Dragon, ended up trying to make a Class-A criminal his Queen, of what the public would think about it. He knew though, that to turn back now meant lying to himself, and that was something he couldn't do.

Without saying another word, the boy opened up the envelope and pulled out the papers that were placed inside it. Rias, seeing Issei's answer, couldn't help but go back to smiling. This time, the smile was more than just for show, as she genuinely felt happy that he didn't run away in the end. It was his personality after all, and that was something she loved about him.

Issei shifted through the papers, quickly running his eyes through each page, before going on to the next one. He did this for several minutes, as no one inside the room said anything. The twins, who had been there the entire time, stared at the young boy as one of them sipped on tea they had received from Akeno quite a while ago, with Asia sitting right next to them and shifting uncomfortably in her seat as she waited for the news. Ravel, worried about her master, looked over his shoulder, trying to read the papers with him and pointing out important details that he should pay attention to.

Over and over, Issei looked at the papers. He needed to go over each and every one of them, as any information he could get about Kuroka in order to help her was crucial. As he continued reading though, his own feelings began to waver.

Theft, kidnapping, murder… These were simply some of the things that the papers he read accused the Nekomata of doing. Could what Ravel and Rias initially feared when he had told them the night before really be validated? After all, what besides being Koneko's sister and having a cruddy past did he really understand about the young woman? Perhaps… perhaps he was completely wrong about trying to help her…

No!

He shook his head of such delusions, and began going back to reading the papers. No matter what she had been accused of, he believed her. After all, would such a villain as these people made her out to be truly be as kind-hearted as the girl he had seen over the past year? Even in their first meeting, when she had technically tried to kill him and Rias, he could have marked that up to her being overprotective of her sister and truly wanting to become a family again. No, while she may take the extremes sometimes, he knew within his heart that the woman back at his house was not a true villain, not after all he had seen.

His reading of the legal papers was interrupted though, as everyone in the room could hear the sound of shoes running up the stairs just outside the clubroom. Within seconds, the door to the club burst open to show the Perverted Duo panting, Matsuda holding a cellphone in the air. "Objective… Complete…" He said between pants.

Issei's eyes widened at the exclamation, whilst everyone else just seemed to not be interested in what they had to say, or simply raised their brow in confusion.

"Issei. What are they talking about?"

The boy flinched once again as his main lover seemed to not know why the two 'idiots' suddenly burst through the clubroom door, claiming to complete their objective. Looking back at her, he could see she wasn't pleased at the sight. Arms crossed, eyebrow raised, it was the typical sign she wanted to know what was going on that instant.

"A-Ah, u-um, you see, um…"

"The idiots thought they could end up getting their own little harems by joining the club." Ravel explained instead. "Of course we said no, but they insisted on joining until the point of Asia-senpai telling them to get a picture of a ghost, which I'm sure they didn't."

"Your harsh words… may sting… but…"

"We did it…!"

The two perverts looked directly towards Issei, facing off the boy with gleeful smirks as they handed the device towards him. Taking the phone reluctantly, Issei almost wanted to break the thing in two before looking at it, if only to make sure that no such evidence existed. In fact, that's exactly what he did with it, as he quickly snapped the expensive device at the hinge. "Oops." Issei said, obviously happy as he put the two sides on the coffee table, the phone never to be used again. "My fingers slipped."

"That wasn't very nice, Issei." Asia scolded, obviously not understanding why he did it. Ravel could only smirk triumphantly as her master did what he did.

"Bullshit your fingers slipped!" The bald pervert exclaimed, having caught his breath by then. "You just broke my fucking phone!" It was then that he realized the dire situation that happened. "The picture!" He yelled out, tears forming in his eyes as he fell onto his knees. "You bastard!"

His companion, however seemed to ignore his friend's suffering as he began to laugh on his own. This worried Issei, as he knew the pervert may have been a little loose in his head, but to suddenly laugh when all the evidence was suddenly destroyed? That wasn't something he felt comfortable with.

And he shouldn't have, as the second pervert managed to pull his own phone out of his school jacket, and opened it up for all to see. "I thought Issei may have done something to the picture in question, so I downloaded it onto my phone when I took Matsuda's phone to check the authenticity! Behold!"

Instead of getting the excited or astonished reaction he was expecting, Motohama had gotten a very surprised reaction instead. A reaction, in which Ravel seemed to be disgusted at what was being shown to her, Issei had become excited as he felt his blood begin to rush towards his nose, Asia becoming red in the face as she seemed to be unable to pull away from the picture, and Rias falling back into her seat and putting a hand up to her forehead, bewildered at how the Perverted Duo even managed to get out of bed in the morning. The twins, having been hidden from the Duo's line of sight thanks to Asia sitting in-between them, continued to sit back in their seats and sip tea while staring into space, ignoring their surroundings.

"You two really are disgusting…" Ravel muttered as she looked away from the picture, going back to the papers that Issei was still holding in his lap.

"W-What?"

"That isn't a ghost." Rias deadpanned.

The picture in question, was of one of the girls in the Kendo club, getting undressed as something seemed to be pulling at her panties, as her pale bottom was there for all to see. From far away, if you could even make out the picture in the first place, it was nothing more than a blur. For devils on the other hand, they could see it just fine, and it was because of that, that Rias and the others could easily see the string attached to the poor girl's panties, tugging away at it.

"I can see the fishing hook from back here."

"I-Impossible! We were sure that-"

"You wouldn't get caught?" Ravel finished. "Well, you were wrong."

"Idiot."

The entire room turned to look as the newest member of the discussion joined in. Issei could feel the corner of his lips being tugged on a bit as Lilith had just finished her tea, and looked at what all the fuss was about. When she saw that it had been nothing interesting, she turned back towards Rias, holding her cup up. "More, please."

Rias smirked as the immortal dragon demanded more tea. "Sure thing, Lilith. I'll also get some treats for you and Ophis as well. Akeno!"

Calling for her Queen, Akeno came out of the adjacent room, ready to hear her King's request. "Yes, Rias?"

"I believe Lilith is out of tea, and is requesting for some more. If it's not too much trouble, could you go get some, along with some treats for her and Ophis?"

Akeno bowed, initially ignoring the two intruders in the room as she prepared to fetch the sweets. "Should I prepare two more cups for our guests?" She asked, just in case.

"No, they should be leaving soon enough."

"H-Hold on!"

Rias turned towards Motohama, obviously displeased at the sudden interruption. "Are you wanting some sweets to go?" She asked politely, indicating that she wanted them to leave immediately.

Matsuda, who had been stunned by the fact that there had been two gothic lolis in the room the entire time, had his eyes glued to the girls, ignoring everything around room while he continually chanted about their presence. Motohama, on the other hand, was displeased that the plan that they had set in motion, a plan that they had been sure would get them in, was so easily foiled.

"How…?"

"How what?" Rias asked.

"How is it that you were able to tell it was a fake?! We risked our lives trying to get this and outrun the Kendo club! There's no way somebody can see something as tiny as a fishing hook from all the way back there!"

Rias shrugged at the accusation, which was accompanied by the boy holding up his finger in similar way to a very famous lawyer. "Believe what you want, but I was able to see it. Besides, didn't you just prove that the picture was a fraudulent? Now, can you please leave the-"

"Hiiiiiiii-!"

For the second time that day, Issei managed to get a massive nosebleed as Gasper, who had been missing this entire time, came running out of the adjacent room with nothing but a skirt on and underwear underneath, covering his chest with his arms with tears in his eyes, running away from what everyone could only assume was some type of threat. Diving into Issei's arms, Gasper couldn't help but begin to bawl as Issei could feel himself getting aroused at the soft feeling of the Dhampir's skin being pressed against him, before trying to pinch himself and remind himself that Gasper was a boy. "Save me, Ise-senpai!"

"G-Gasber?" Issei managed to get through as he held both hands up his nose, trying to stop the bleeding from happening. "B-Bwat's wong?"

Trying to speak through his tears, the young boy could only manage to hiccup as he tried to answer his senpai, before going back to crying in Issei's arms again. The Perverted Duo, having been visibly aroused at the cross-dressing boy, both lost enough blood through their noses that they passed out and were dragged out of the room by Akeno while the Gasper-situation settled down. Unfortunately their chances of joining the Occult Research Club would be left for another day, as they would both be receiving rejection letters in their shoeboxes in the morning.

"Gasper~!"

At the sound of his name, the young Dhampir could feel his blood go cold and shivers go down his spine as froze up in Issei's lap. Everyone looked towards the entry way to the adjacent room to see the only other Dhampir that they knew of, Valerie. She had been wearing some revealing clothing suitable only for bed, smiling creepily as she walked towards the frightened second year. "Gasper~, come back. We aren't done playing yet~."

"What exactly were they 'playing'?" Ravel muttered to herself as she suddenly felt queasy looking at Valerie, her mind only able to come up with few conclusions. Issei on the other hand, thought he would be happy to see something like this happening if only to feel relieved about Gasper's feelings towards him, but with now seeing it in the flesh, he could only liken it as something like a fierce lioness hunting down a lost little sheep, ready to go in for the kill.

"No! I don't wanna!"

"U-Um, Valerie?" Issei interrupted, wiping the blood away from his nose. He ended up feeling a bit afraid as he stepped between the lioness and sheep metaphorically. "D-Don't you think you're taking this a bit too far…?" He asked, chuckling.

Stopping her approach towards what she considered a little brother, Valerie put a finger up to her chin, a quizzical look on her face. "Ara? But we were only playing board games." She answered happily.

"What type of board games ends up with a half-naked Gasper and a lingerie-clad woman in her 20's?!" Ravel asked out loud, not believing her ears.

"Strip-Mahjong."

Everyone in the room, besides the twins and perhaps Akeno, suddenly felt stupefied at the answer. Valerie, a woman who was supposed to have a sister-like figure, a mother-like figure to little Gasper, was smiling as she admitted to what could be considered a crime in most places.

Breaking the thin air by sighing and placing a hand up to her forehead once again, Rias decided that enough was enough. "Perhaps we should stop for now. Issei?"

"Yes?" He answered, breaking his gaze from Valerie.

"I want you to continue going over those papers in my room once we get back home where I can help you some more and tell you the court date, understood?" She asked, to which Issei answered by nodding once.

"W-Wait! Why does it have to be in your room?!" Ravel asked, suspicious of the red-headed King.

"Because there are things besides the court issue that I need to talk to Issei about, in private. Does that satisfy your question, Ms. Phenex?"

Ravel opened her mouth, ready to counter. When she couldn't come up with the words though, she felt like she had no right to butt into everything in Issei's life. She slowly closed her argument by harrumphing and crossing her arms, obviously not happy about having to leave the manager work to Rias.

"Good to see you understand. As for you Ms. Valerie, I'd appreciate it if you didn't spook my adorable little Bishop for the rest of the day."

"But we were only having fun." Valerie complained, but agreed to letting Gasper go in the end, giving up her plans to play with the boy more.

With no more interruptions, or giving any chances for such things happening, Rias called the club meeting for the day. In the end, Asia, who was technically the club president still, hadn't even been able to begin her position and would have to wait for the following day.

~~*Oppai-Dragon*~~

Within the halls of the Vatican, two people were strolling along, weary of those who were around them as they spoke of highly-classified information. The first was a man in his late fifties, wearing a red and white gown, signaling himself as a Cardinal Bishop of the Church, and a high-ranking official within. The second was a woman of younger state who looked like she hailed from Northern Europe, wearing her nun's outfit, walking side-by-side with the man. It may have looked out of place to outsiders, but the woman was more than just a sister, as she was a representative of Heaven itself. She was Griselda Quarta, and the Queen of the most beautiful woman in Heaven, Gabriel the Seraph, indicated by the 'Q' branded on the back of her hand.

Griselda was the first to speak, looking for answers that would satisfy her superior. "What do we know of the attackers…?" She asked in a low voice, aware that though the Vatican knew who it was that was doing the attacks, they had yet to release names to anyone, including those in Heaven.

The man, while silent, could only shake his head, letting two passerby's go by them and go well out of hearing range before telling her what he knew. "We couldn't figure the names of all who had betrayed the Church. From what we can tell, the defectors numbered more than two hundred, and most of them had worked in the shadows, their names to never be recorded in history." The man answered with a grim expression. "While we don't know all their names, we believe that they, as a group, have taken on a name of an organization of old as we believed that they had worked in secret for the past seven hundred years."

Intrigued, Griselda's brow raised. "How is it that the Church is just now finding this out?"

Again, the man shook his head, now knowing how to answer the reincarnated angel. "They… covered their tracks too well…" He sighed. "After what they felt was a betrayal by the Church in 1307 after their brothers were tortured and killed by the King of France, remnants of the organization seemed to have gathered in mystery. The only reason why we've found out about this now is-"

"Because they seemed to have flaunted themselves in public, now that they have betrayed the Church." Griselda answered for him, to which the man solemnly nodded.

"… I know we have done terrible things in the past, Sister Griselda. We are, unfortunately, only human. I have worked with the church since I was a young boy, and not once have I ever felt proud of the terrible things we have done!" He emphasized by a stomp of his foot, stopping in his tracks as he turned to the sister, facing her directly. "But this…! They claim to hold the virtues and values of the Knights of Old, but they burn the monasteries of the Church and the institutes of other religions! They slaughter innocent civilians as they claim they do it in the name of God!" The man whispered harshly as he became flustered, thinking of all the innocent lives that had been taken simply because of the actions of a few.

Knowing the man's frustration all-too-well though, Griselda could only sigh. "If you truly believe what you are doing is for the best of your creator, then all your actions, down to the most heinous ones, will feel justified… But we are not here to argue about whether or not what these people are doing are justifiable, but rather, I am here to gather their names, Father." She spoke in a stricter tone, trying to her best to make the Father realize his mistakes and get him back on track.

"Apologies, Sister, you are right." He whispered, turning back in front of him as he continued to walk along in the corridors. "Whilst we don't know the names of many of them, we've managed to find the names of three that were the ones who had orchestrated the revolt captured the item within the catacombs."

"Oh…?"

The man nodded. "The first, is a young woman in her late teens from France who goes by the name of 'Danette'. An excellent swordsman if our intelligence is correct, and to make matters worse, she's been called to be the modern day version of Joan D'Arc, as she's been said to have the power of Clairvoyance. It's also said that she wields a holy blade, though we don't know which."

"Making her incredibly dangerous in the art of battle." Griselda commented, to which the Cardinal Bishop acknowledged by nodding once again.

"The second, is an older man around your age, and comes from Portugal who goes by the name 'Emanuel'. Though he claims to be a man of the church, he is someone of much different standing, having gotten rid of his celibacy at the age of sixteen. He seems to take pleasure in the sadistic nature of taking advantage of women unfortunate enough to cross his path, and harming anything that lives and breathes. Because of this, he had been ex-communicated a long time ago, but he seemed to have stuck around as a freelance exorcist despite the warnings from the Church to give up his faith. As such, he's become a most proficient warrior after hunting down those who he deemed unworthy of God's love." The man spat in disgust.

Griselda flinched at the tone of which the Bishop spoke of the man. It seemed that the Portuguese man was someone that couldn't be taken lightly, though she believed not of these people could be. "And the third…?"

For the last time, the Bishop shook his head. "We don't know much about this last one besides where he came from. Coming from Austria, or so he proclaims, he calls himself 'The Sword of Lützen' or 'Ferdinand's Hand', pretty much shortening it to the Emperor's name. Other than the names indicating he may have been interested in the Thirty Years' War, he seems to have always worn a suit of armor, covering his entire body, and as such, no one truly knows what his face looks like."

This time, Griselda sighed, putting a hand up to her forehead. "So an unknown…" She said with a bit of an annoyed tone. Then again, she couldn't have very well asked for miracles to have happened and have the Church give her all the information she needed. Trying her best to smile, she turned towards the Father, and gave a small bow. "Very well, Cardinal, you have been most useful on this day. I shall go back to Heaven and report to Lady Gabriel of the changes that have happened. I'm sure that very soon, the three powers and DxD shall be going to war with these 'Black Templars'…"

~~*Oppai-Dragon*~~

Back at the house, everyone had managed to go back to their respective rooms, resting from the day that had finished in their own way. Asia, Xenovia, Irina, Koneko, and Ravel, were all sitting around in Issei's room, studying away in their own fashion as they helped one another with the homework they had received. Akeno, who had been tasked with making dinner that night, was bent over in the refrigerator, looking for some chocolate pudding she had made the night before to be used as the dessert, not knowing that a certain devious cat had devoured the entire bowl earlier in the day, and was now sleeping the fat off in her room a floor below.

Meanwhile, Issei was in what he would call an Otaku's dream, as the room he was currently sitting in had figurines, games, anime, manga, and anything else you could associate with the modern Japanese culture ranging from the early 1960's to the previous anime season. It saddened him a bit too, because he knew that despite there being so many Otaku relics around him, this was only a fraction of the things that Rias owned, with most of her goods back in her room in the Underworld. Speaking of the red-headed devil though, it wasn't the goods around him that Issei was currently unable to focus on the papers in front of him, but rather, he could hear the sound of running water within the room next to Rias'.

Yes, shortly after coming home and bringing Issei to her room, Rias had taken her clothes off in the middle of the room despite Issei's protests, threw them in the nearby hamper, and went into the adjacent bathroom to take a shower. All of this, and it was causing Issei to have problems in his lower body, as all he could focus on was the pure-blood's goddess-like body, and the fact that he had gotten glimpse of something, something that made him conclude that the only hair on Rias' body was on top of her head. He honestly never knew that such a sight could make him so happy, even if he didn't fully understand why. Perhaps it was because the only other one he's gotten a good look up close at would be Rossweisse's, and noticed that she only had a tiny strip lined up there…

He shook his head, knowing that the current moment wasn't to be thinking of such things. He knew that no matter what, the girls were all beautiful in their own way, and to be with them in bed… And there he went again, thinking of erotic things when he should have been focusing on the papers in front of him.

After several moments of fighting himself and his erotic thoughts, Issei heard the running water in the other room stop, with the sound of a metal knob being turned accompanying it. Seconds later, the goddess of Issei's harem had come out of the bathroom, rubbing her crimson hair dry with the limited edition "Switch Princess" towel she had received from her brother.

Issei, who had turned to look at Rias coming out of the bathroom, quickly turned back to the papers, trying to get his mind off the fact that once again, he had seen Rias in the nude. He heard the footsteps of Rias coming closer and closer to the desk he had been sitting at, and all that was running through his mind was trying to hold himself back from pouncing on her in her vulnerable state, and fulfilling his birthday promise right there.

As he thought that, the feeling of something soft and a bit wet landed on his left shoulder, as crimson hair draped itself into his peripheral vision. He could smell the alluring scent of the shampoo that Rias always wore, and the breath of his lovely betrothed hit his hand that had been laying on the papers.

"Have you made any progress?" She asked, placing her hand on his own, before moving it off the papers to take a closer look at them. Rather than giving her an audible answer though, the boy could only shake his head, as his peeked towards his left, looking at her supple breasts and protruding nipples. "Are you stuck somewhere? Is there something you don't understand?"

Issei opened his mouth, wanting to give her the answers she sought. He opened it, but rather than doing that, he did the unthinkable, or perhaps the completely expected, and turned the swerving chair he was sitting in and grabbed Rias by the waist, pulling her into it with him. She let out a yelp as her inner thighs landed on his leg, his head buried between her breasts, sucking on one of her nipples as he grabbed the other breast with his hand. The attack, having come out of nowhere, both shocked and made Rias feel a bit aroused as Issei continued to do his thing. She also knew, that should this go any further, she may very well end up giving him his birthday present too soon. Raising her hand weakly, she managed to get it above Issei's head, and quickly struck down, knocking the boy out of his attack.

She quickly stood up and backed away, using the towel that had fallen to the ground in the attack and wrapped it around her body, pouting towards the boy. "Mou, why did you have to do that Issei?"

"B-But! You! Beautiful! Bouncy!" It was all he could get out, as tears formed in the corners of his eyes.

It wasn't the chop she had delivered to his head that was causing him to tear up, but rather, it was the fact that he was regretting letting the chance of a lifetime slip through his fingers so quickly. Even though it was only a few seconds, it had felt like a few hours to him, as he managed to taste the sweet flavor of his darling honey.

"I told you to wait until your birthday, didn't I? It's only a couple of week away… Besides, you haven't keeping your promise, have you Issei?"

At the sound of Rias becoming more serious, Issei's eyes widened as she said that. "E-Eh? I-I have n- R-Rias?!"

This time, it was Rias who took the initiative. Even though she said she wanted to wait until his birthday, it didn't mean she couldn't tease her cute little Pawn like she usually did. Sitting down on his leg properly this time, she sat with her back to his chest, wrapping her right arm around his head and pushing it towards her own, and blew into his ear as she interrogated him on something that she knew of for not that long at all. "Tell me, Issei… What have you been doing with Rose recently?"

"… Eh?"

"I know you Issei." She pressed on, turning her body around and facing him directly, pressing her own chest up against his. If she wanted answers, she knew exactly how to get them. "I've noticed that you haven't touched your porn collection in recent days. The waste basket that used to be filled up with tissues in the one of the extra rooms hasn't been used at all lately. Not to mention, I haven't heard you screaming out our names while you're all alone in your room in the past few weeks."

Issei managed to blush on that last one, unaware that Rias had seemed to catch him in his most private times. It made him wonder a bit if she managed to pleasure herself as well when he was doing it. It didn't last for too long though, as his wild imagination was interrupted as Rias placed her hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look at her. "Issei-"

"I-I have no clue what you're talking about, Rias. Ehehehe…" Issei averted his eyes from the scorching glare that Rias was giving him as he lied away.

When it looked like he wasn't going to give the answers she wanted, Rias let out a frustrated sigh, taking her hands off his face and getting off his leg, taking a few steps away from him. Turning around to have her back facing the boy, she let out another sigh, but only because she was going to say something she was going to regret deeply. "T-That's too bad. And here I thought perhaps I could have given my adorable little Pawn a t-treat, shortly before his birthday for telling me the truth…"

The reason for turning away from the boy, and the reason for the 'treat' was because if Issei was doing what she thought he was doing with her Rook, she was going to do whatever it took to get him back, even if meant doing something incredibly embarrassing and having her face become as crimson as her hair. The Oppai Dragon seemed to take the bait though, for when she proclaimed that she was willing to give him a treat, his brain refused to take no for an answer. Even though he knew there could be large repercussions for him and Rossweisse, for the chance of being able to get some sort of pleasurable thing from Rias, there was no backing away from it. Quickly getting off the swerving chair, and immediately getting on his knees and hands, he bowed down before her, apologizing profusely.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Hearing him apologize so harshly, Rias couldn't help but be interested in what he was about to say, as her ears perked up and turned her head a bit to see the boy down on the ground. "Oh…? And what, exactly, are you sorry about?"

"The study sessions! They were originally about helping me study, b-but then, Rose! She said she wasn't feeling like I wasn't paying enough attention to her!"

"So…? What does not paying enough attention to her have to do with apologizing to me?"

"B-Because, I…! She said we wouldn't get anywhere with just going on dates, so she suggested w-we…!"

"We what…?" Rias asked, brow raised.

"Thatweexperiementwitheachother!"

That answer, while it was something that Rias had expected, definitely didn't mean it didn't hurt when she heard it. She didn't know is she was to blame herself for letting Issei run wild, or Issei, for being the massive horny teen that he was. Either way, she probably should have expected like this to happen sooner or later, considering the boy's dream was to have a harem after all, and after realizing the girls around him…

She shook her head, not wanting to dwell on things that had already happened. Although Issei admitted that the two had been experimenting with each other, it didn't exactly spell out exactly what they all had done. If she wanted to know if his precious virginity stayed intact, she would have to ask directly.

"How far…?"

Issei raised his head, thinking he had heard his beloved wrong. "Eh…?"

"How far did you two go…?" She asked a little bit louder, back still turned towards him.

The boy didn't want to answer that, in fear of what would happen. He knew he had to though, otherwise, not answering would only bring the worst out. "I… We… I…"

[He's still a virgin, if that's what you're asking.]

Both Issei and Rias turned towards his left arm, where the dragon inside resided. Since the end of school, he had been completely silent, making Issei think he was asleep. Turns out, he was just minding his own business the entire time, not exactly giving out his thoughts whenever something happened.

"What do you mean?" Rias asked the dragon, not wanting to give away that it was all she cared about.

[It's obvious you're only interrogating my partner here because you're worried he may have done it with somebody else before you. I'm telling you that hasn't happened. The idiot has only managed to seduce the Valkyrie in the art of pleasuring each other via hands and mouth.]

"… Is this true, Issei?"

Seeing that his partner was actually trying to help him out, Issei nodded once, before getting back on his hands and knees and apologizing again. "I'm sorry Rias. I should have told you what was going on. It was entirely my fault, as I was too stupid to see the damage this has caused between us."

Seeing him so regretful for the mistakes he made, it made Rias smile a bit. Oddly enough, it also reminded some words that her mother had once told her regarding the boy, which, in this context, could only make sense. Getting onto her knees as well, she brought her hand to the boy's forehead as he looked up after being told to do so, and lightly flicked it, sticking her tongue out as she saw him a bit confused at the punishment he had just received. With that done, she stood back up, walking towards her dresser as she spoke to him about more punishments to come.

"Because you didn't tell me, Issei," she spoke, "Not only do you not get your special treat tonight, but perhaps I should end up giving you your birthday present a few months from now instead of on your actual birthday as well." Hearing that, Issei had begun to break down in tears. He knew that Rias was a devil, but never in his life, did he ever imagine her to be evil. Of course, whilst he was crying and banging the floor in frustration, cursing the world for being unfair, he didn't hear her mutter under her breath, "Or, I'll just have to wait and see what you've learned in two weeks. After all, mother did say I should be the one responsible for your harem, and learning new things for it is just one of those things…"

For the rest of the night, Issei had been in a miserable mood, believing his precious gift wouldn't be waiting for him on his eighteenth birthday. He would eventually find out the truth shortly before bed though, when Rias had told him the court date, the same day as his birthday…

~~*Oppai-Dragon*~~

And there's chapter 4 of Volume 1. I should thank Naughty_Ranko for giving me the idea of the "Black Templars", as it was probably a much better idea than using the actual Knights Templar that I had initially thought of using, to which I knew almost nothing of :P