I have seen hatred personified. It burned in the eyes of a man promising retribution, no matter what the cost. I've seen the moment when a talented soldier lost all reason and gave himself over to anger. I have witnessed countless acts of vengeance, they're driven by fury. And so I realized something during this war... No, perhaps it would be more appropriate to say I remembered something I've forgotten. That I have personally experienced the Irrationalism of Humanity. I know what happens when emotions make someone unreasonable. No matter how much we believe we've modernized, no matter what social constructions we pledged to live by humans continue to be foolish creatures. We think we're so advanced, but when pushed we still prioritize emotion over logic. When a human being is overcome with hatred they'll keep fighting without concern for self-interest or reason regardless of what they might stand to gain or lose.
"Why is this happening?"
"Isn't this just fate's cruelty?"
"What could I have done differently?"
"I doubt you could have done anything about this in the end. This was her destiny after all, and he took your punishment for her fate in your place."
"All of these emotions are raging in my head, But at the same time... I'm calm. Can I even shed a single tear? Was it wrong to be human?"
"This is what you wanted isn't it? To live and feel as you do... As they do, to be something you are not. That's not you is it?"
"Oh, I get it now."
"So you are beginning to remember. I will lend you my power. All of this anger, sadness, and pain. The chains that are keeping you here, at this moment. You can save him from this suffering. Just as he has done for you. For once you can unshackle those who are trapped with your lust for power. You can have those who stand before you bow to your greed. I am your liberator. So stand tall, and above all else never forget again."
"Thank you."
(...)
Issei was waiting outside of the Staff Room, though the day had been uneventful he seemed to be in distress. Class hadn't ended yet, but this wasn't going to wait until after school. Flexing his fingers he activated the boosted gear, to a surprised yelp and the faint sound of an object being dropped on the floor.,
[Boost.]
As soon as the power faded the door opened to reveal a very worried Elizabeth. "Wha-wha-what is it Hyoudou, you scared me there. If it's about yesterday... Can it wai-" She was interrupted by Issei pushing her against the wall adjacent to the doorway she had exited with one hand. His opposite hand was slammed mere millimeters from her face. Her eyes lightening up hue and dilated, if she could she would have blood rushing to her cheeks. Misunderstanding the situation she brought her hand to his cheek before continuing with a small sad smile. "Listen, Issei, as much as I appreciate the effort, even skipping class... I'm sorry but I can-..." That's when she noticed it. He was looking down, although he didn't say anything she sensed his feelings as clear as day. A heavy load of sadness, pain, and self loathing was threatening to break loose on a sea of calmness.
"Sensei... You said I can come to you if I ever need your help. Well sensei..." he grabbed the hand on his cheek. "I need your help." Tears began to stain his face.
Elisabeth stared at him for a minute, not sure on what to do. Deciding to hear him out before promising anything, she took his hand and led him into the Staff Room. She then locked the door putting a seal on it to make sure no one could listen in. Turning to Issei she began.
(...)
A blonde-headed little girl stared unmoving at the dead bodies of a younger Issei and Reiko Hyoudou, dismembered and covered in blood. Her brown eyes were wide and lifeless, on her knees she was in disbelief. It took several minutes to recognise what she was looking at, in a shrill voice a loud ear-piercing scream escaped, tears forming in her eyes. Hyoudou Chie rarely cried, today was the exception. Crawling to the bodies of her family tears fell, shaking the lifeless pair she called out to them hoping if anything that this was some cruel sick joke. "Mama? Issei-nii? Please!" She called out, but no answer came. Not giving up and admitting that she was now all alone. "Please! Don't leave me alone. I promise to be a good girl, I won't run again. And Issei-nii you can tease me all you want ...so please."
"Don't worry Chie, If you promise that you will behave..." A girl who looked to be not much younger than her brother with raven hair said with her face half-covered by a crimson hood. "I will take care of you and you won't ever be alone. I do owe your brother a lot, you know." the teenage girl finished. She then offered a hand, Chie was surprised to see the blood covered limb come her direction. The older girl, noticing this, quickly retracted the hand. She called out to someone, and a person behind her came out from the other side of a tree in the wooded area they were in. The person was a teen, a boy with blonde hair. He had closed the distance, wiping the girl's hand clean. "Thank you, Yuuto. You are the best." The hooded girl thanked the boy. Not missing a beat she put out the hand again, her expression changed under the hood from a smile into a barely noticeable frown. Before Chie could react, a lighting bolt hit where the stranger was standing.
A woman with six white wings Chie thought was pretty came in between her and the stranger in the hood. The woman had a really big hammer strapped to her back and a stuffed animal of a cute mouse hanging from her hip on a chain connected to the belt of her one legged pants. The woman turned her head slightly, giving Chie a smile. She was wearing a metallic bronze mask with no eye holes that ended at the tip of the nose. She wasn't alone; she was with a blonde girl with short spiky hair tied in a tight ponytail, she was in light leather armor. She had animal ears near the top of her head. That girl turned around first looking at the bodies with a frown and a low growl. She then turned to Chie, when their eyes met the older girl gave her an apologetic smile. Something about the girl reminded Chie of her brother. The girl in front of her crouched down to eye level then spoke. "Hello, I'm sorry we could not save them, but if it's okay with you I want to take you to a place where you can see your family again."
You should go with her, Chie.
'Wha-what? Who is this?' Chie was startled by a man's voice in her head. Her alarm caused the girl with animal ears to pet her hair in an attempt to comfort her. Something Issei used to do for her when she was upset.
"You don't have to choose right now. You have plenty of time, but we have to get you somewhere safe. Here." The animal-eared stranger motioned for Chie to get on her back.
I am a friend, child. I will explain everything later, but for now she is right. I sense great powers at play here and you are not safe. Right now she believes what she says and is the best option for our survival.
Chie, being convinced by the voice in her head, looked at the back of the stranger and moved to get on, but before she could she was enveloped by darkness, forcing to close her eyes on instinct. A loud explosion was heard, and the sound of clashing metal. The girl spoke again this time in a feral tone. "I don't care if you were my father's closest friend, I won't hesitate to kill you If you touch my aunt again, Kiba-sama." When Chie opened her eyes the girl had enlarged canines, her fingernails grew sharper and longer. She had a green, gold, and white katana bearing down on the boy.
*Moments ago*
"So is this pocket in time supposed to scare me? Gabriel." The hooded girl questioned the masked winged woman.
The winged woman laughed earning the ire of the hooded girl. "I'm sorry Rias, I didn't think you would not recognise one of your former Bishops. Then again can you call yourself Rias Gremory any more."
The hooded Rias was angered by this but ignored the jab pulling it down, revealing jet black her, purple eyes, and black angel wings. She turned to the animal eared girl. "So much for that. You Lycan girl, should I know you as well."
"Wow rude, first off a half blooded werewolf and an alpha at that, thank you. Secondly I am pretty sure the aunt Rias I know is a redhead." The werewolf said dismissively. She then turned to the other woman. "Need a hand? Levy-Kaasama."
"No. Go look after Chie. Kasumi."
"So you want to take me on, Asia. It wouldn't be the first time I beat you, remember what I did for Issei?" She said while removing the cloak. "The last time I saw him he was warming my bed begging for me to stay." She then activated a black boosted gear. "I came back of course, and took this away from him, I took everything away."
Levy broke down laughing. "I lost? To you?...Are you kidding me? You are the one who will lose in the end. I saw it." She took off her mask revealing a face Rias did not recognize. "I am Leviathan. I see all, and for your information it was that child who called me mother that created this space. I will give you one guess as to who the father is." Levy said as her eyes turned pale blue from the all seeing eyes of god activating. She took Mjölnir from her back and readied the war hammer.
Rias was absolutely livid at what she just heard and saw. 'Who does this bitch think she is?'
[BOOST!]
'What the hell is she talking about?'
[BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!]
'What did she just say? Lose? A fucking child?'
[BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!]
'What have you done with my Issei?' All those questions bombarded her mind. "I don't care who you are." The space itself around them shattered. "I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU."
[BALANCE BREAKER!]
But before Rias could fully activate her balance breaker. Mjölnir destroyed the armor forming on contact, and sent her flying; a portion of the forest was gone, forcing the boosted gear to deactivate. Levy walked over to Rias' broken body. She crouched over the crater she had made with the faux boosted gear user. "I told you that, I saw all." she turned around not before speaking again. "Tell the real Rias Gremory to stop hiding."
*Someplace Else*
"Are you really Akeno?" A black haired Rias in glasses asked a now armless Akeno.
Akeno had an amused expression as she looked at the burning corpse of a red dragon in a hakui and hibakama, her arm regenerating. When an older Yuuma flew down next to Akeno. "Nice, Hime, but shouldn't you answer your friend?" Yuuma said, pointing to Rias.
"I don't see the point, we are strangers in the end."
"Come on, Hime. He's here for Chie and her after all."
Akeno looked at the confused Rias, her dark red eyes trained on her, Displeased. "Fine." She said with fangs on full display. "Hello Rias," she knelt down to Rias who was getting up from the ground, offering her hand she continued. "I am Hyoudou Akeno, your former queen." She finished.
"Wait... Hyoudou? As in..." Rias Asked bewildered. Grabbing Akeno's hand, getting up she dusts herself. "Hyoudou Issei? The kouhai Nii-sama asked about?"
"Well not the same person, but yes..." Akeno answered. "That aside, I am here to save you." Her eyes flickering to the burning dragon. She then turned to Rias with a smile. "Don't worry we are here to save you."
"Speak for yourself, Hime."
*Back with Chie*
Chie was in disbelief that the teenagers were currently in a sword fight. The voice in her head was doing running commentary, and the weirdest part out of everything that happened today she felt the calmest she had been. The girl with animal ears pushed the boy back then took off running in her direction.
She is in trouble, shouldn't have taken her eyes off of her opponent.
"Onee-san, look out!" Chie yelled at the girl, reacting she jumped out of the way of a slash aimed at her back. Off balance it took her a second to notice that Kiba Yuuto was not paying her any mind. His full attention was on Chie. Yelping the girl barely reacted to several swords sprouting out of the ground, dust was kicked up creating an artificial smoke screen. A barrier surrounded Chie, words in a language she did not recognise littered the barrier. She looked down and the lower half of her left arm was a white gauntlet with a large blue gem on the back of the hand. Feeling exhausted, the barrier dematerialized and the world around Chie faded away.
(...)
"So I have to just visualize what sacred gear I have to use and it just comes to me, right Issei." Raynare asked him. 'Why are you asking him when you have me?' She ignored the voice inside her head. Issei was at the desk in his room, and she was sitting on his bed. Ever since they met four days ago she has been coming everyday. She found it calming to be around him, and learning about her new sacred gear from the previous user was a bonus.
"Sounds about right. That's what I did." Issei said matter-of-factly, he had his eyes on his homework and did not look away.
Raynare, getting confirmation, closed her eyes thinking of him. When she did her eyes open now a shade of blue, a pure white katana at her side. With a smile she got up and walked over to the boy. "Homework is so boring we should go out and test out my new sacred gear, or better yet." She was behind him, hugging him. Two magic circles appeared on the pair's clothes. "We can play here." her voice taking a more seductive tone.
[Dress Break!]
Issei, feeling a sudden breeze, got up from his chair with surprise clear on his face. Looking at a very naked Raynare, only with an active white boosted gear covering the lower half of her arm and a katana at her hip. Giggling, Raynare closed the distance between them, taking Issei's arm and pulling him towards the bed. "Lucky you, having such a beautiful willing girlfriend, and something tells me you would know what you are doing." Before she could finish Issei's body was covered in static and disappeared. Her smile only grew larger, she put a hand on her katana. "Coward... I guess we are going to play a little hide and seek." She had a mischievous smirk when she followed suit.
Hours later they were back in Issei's room fully clothed. Issei was not too pleased with Raynare. The disguised Raynare had a side hug much to issei's chagrin. Issei was sitting at his desk finishing his homework with Raynare right beside him trying her best to distract him. Though it took a lot of effort, he was able to get his work finished doing so to the glee of his guest. "You finished, Issei?"
"No thanks to someone." Issei said, mildly irritated.
"Oh come on, I was bored and learning to use Kaihō-sha seemed more fun." She said dismissively. She then took his hand and started dragging him out of the room.
Not resisting, Issei followed behind her. "But did you really have to strip us naked to do that? I'm pretty sure being able to use the Boosted Gear at all would count as a success. You didn't have to use dress break on us."
"Says the pervert who came up with it." They were both at the front door and Raynare was putting on her shoes. "Don't just stand there, you owe me food." When she said this Issei began with his shoes.
"I can't believe you talked me into treating you." Issei spoke thinking of his poor wallet, which has been taking a beating the past couple of days.
The girl in front of him just shrugged, shooting a dismissive look. "It was your idea... not having your mother home was the perfect opportunity for us to get closer, but you shot me down." She said, taking his hand in hers intertwining their fingers, both exiting the front door, Raynare couldn't help but notice the pained expression on Issei. There and then she made a promise to herself that the expression and any pain and sadness can only show themselves because of her.
A/N: Edit 2022-04-27: Quality of life update.