Light in a Bottle

Synopsis: A decade ago, Tiamat broke through the Crust, bringing forth chaos and monsters. The age of Gods returned. The Supernatural rose from the ashes of men and fought back waves of Khaos or those infected on every realm, losing more and more ground every day. Life had retained semblance of normal by then with Gods among men. However for Issei? It was another day to play hero.

Note: everyone's a little over a year younger unless changed because I'm an indecisive fuck or stated otherwise since Issei is almost in his freshman year of high school. Last time I made a similar change, it wasn't enough to say as such in the summary. I would rather not have confusion if I can help it.

—[†]—

"...Hey, what's a pretty girl like you doing on the street?"

Honestly, Issei, a rather bland-looking 15-year-old if it wasn't for his spiky hair, had no idea what came over him, but he wasn't the type to question his actions! Nope. Not now. Not ever. May the intrusive thought win, always!

Kidding.

Mostly.

...He couldn't help it.

Though, he couldn't remember ever trying a line like that before. There wasn't even anything to see with the whole white cloak covering her body. The only reason he knew her gender was because the entire alleyway and surrounding abandoned buildings smelled like sweaty woman. Damn. He sounded like a bigger creep than usual.

He swore it wasn't on purpose! His nose was very sensitive. It took him a month or so to get used to normal smells.

Recognizing the smell was only because his mother often came home like so, just not as strong.

"I-I'm sorry?" Her Japanese was delicate but felt perfect to his native ears. Her purple eyes peered up at him. Deeply innocent and shone brightly. He found it impossible to pull away, captivated immediately, totally, and wholeheartedly.

"Er—"

"Have we met before?" Her beautiful eyes sparkled in almost unbridled joy as they scanned his features. The hands just peeking from her untarnished cloak rose up, clutched together, as if preparing to pray, and he had interrupted her. She rose slightly from her seated (or kneeling?) state, almost allowing the hood to fall back.

The way the small glance of her chestnut hair looked in the light of the setting sun sucker-punched him. It was unique and just as "holy" as the blond nun image he was imagining, if not more so. Maybe that was his heart talking because it was pounding rapidly. Much more than it did while he did anything strenuous. It was laughable.

But, he was too busy having an internal debate to fear for his life.

A major part of him wished to lie. He really did, if just not to see how the floodgates would crumble. Holy duck on a grill, he was this close. It would be so easy. He could play it off as a joke even. It was the first time he had gotten this far with the opposite gender around his age, too! It was much too perfect of a chance to pass up.

However, Hyoudou Issei was no liar.

Awkward on the other hand? In spades.

"No," he barely grumbled out.

She blinked, repeatedly. The light of her purple eyes now edged with disappointment between the rapid flutter. "Oh."

It disappointed him that he couldn't give the answer she obviously wanted. He really didn't try to kick this 'puppy,' but he had no other choice! His mother didn't raise a liar!

"I uh-" Ah, maybe, he should've checked for his wallet in his pocket first because he didn't know if he had it on hand. But he never backed down! Not anymore!

"I just thought you could use something to eat." He could figure this out. He had been in spots worse than this! "It's starting to get late and..." Issei trailed off, getting the rest of his point across with a thumb fanning to the bloodied alleyways.

Sadly, his assumption did little to temper the slight dim to her eyes. "Are you certain?" She stood up, nearly reaching eye-to-eye at full height and stepped up to him, leaning forward slightly before clarifying, "are you sure I don't know you?"

He couldn't help himself. His chocolaty eyes trailed down. And to his credit, it helped to answer her question. He was more than sure he'd recognize a pair like hers. Never mind all these new and unique pheromones that radiated off of her.

"I don't recognize them—" his eyes widened in the middle of his mindless muttering as he hurried to salvage his statement, "you! Sorry!"

Instead of growing more disappointed or losing more hope, the girl, who seemed to be his age, simply smiled. It was blinding just as much as it was enthralling. Because of that, he missed the slight mischievous glint in her eyes.

—His nose twitched.

A Khaos monster had fallen from the sky, literally materializing from nothing. Its impromptu landing pad was the street behind them.

He moved to protect the girl in front of him. However, the girl caught him off guard.

He had tried to turn around, emulating the speeds of those from his gym class. Instead, the unnamed girl stepped in front of him and lunged forward in the same instance. "Change!" She yelled in a language he vaguely recognized as English. A bright flash emitted from under her cloak. When it died down, a pair of chakram reflected the dying evening light.

More importantly, the cloak of the chestnut-haired girl fluttered back to reveal her tight black leotard. The edges of the suit lightly bit into her skin around the neck, just before the shoulders and lastly, upper thighs, hiding very little. It perfectly capitalized on the growing frame of the girl, who seemed to be his age. Her long gloves stopped only for her shoulders, highlighting the pale skin there. A peek lower would see the glance of thigh just betwixt the bodysuit and thigh highs.

Beneath even her feet laid a blue and black ogre/tiger monster, cut down into fourths. It still radiated the unnatural energy of Chaos, a deep, dark purple surrounded by ethereal pink, inching into the surrounds. It was sucked into the pair of bladed rings, completely removing any traces of it and eliminating any further infection. With it gone, the monster became dust then nothing.

That whole sequence was new for him.

He had a totally different way of dealing with the noxious energy.

"Sorry about that!" The brunette turned his way, dusting off her hands with her pair of weapons gone. "Are you okay?" He didn't care about any of that. Her chest heaved in every breath. Whether because she was trying to show off, getting the issue out of the way, or whatever, he was trying to help her.

Her wasted energy...

Instead, all he did was stand around, too engrossed with her to help. "It wasn't necessary," Issei mumbled unconsciously. He only realized when her eyes widened. "Sorry- it's just, uh- well—"

"Oh!" Her body language screamed foreigner seemed to be as forthright as he was. His honesty was nothing like his fellow Japanese, he knew. She must be American or something... "Was this your target for the Kouh High Entrance exam?"

Good Gods above, her body was awesome! But...

"N-no, so don't worry about that. I know my way around but-" he hid a frustrated fist, clenching invisible power behind him, no longer able to hold back the question anymore, "are you okay?"

Her suit was drenched in sweat. The back of her suit, he barely spied as her cloak fluttered up in her initial leap, was mostly burnt away. It revealed red skin that couldn't heal properly with the exposure and constant movement. Her shoes were clinging on to her feet by tied on rags.

All in all, the girl has put far more care into upkeep for the cloak than anything else.

Her eyes watered slightly as her throat dried. "YoU," her voice cracked, "noticed, huh? Darn it..."

Issei cracked a sheepish grin, "Kinda hard to not notice the girl on the streets for the past couple of days. I would've come by earlier if my mom mentioned it before. Lots of people thought you were an illusion, actually. Either way, it's not safe out here and—"

"I can handle anything my way, I promise." The girl stood her ground with a slight glare. He stepped on a nerve.

Pretty girls shouldn't have a look like that.

He said that aloud, apparently. However, her response was a little unexpected. The mischievous glint returned. She loosened her stance, her fingers interlocked before stretching. There was a wince midway through. Probably from the burn acting up again.

This girl, which he was pretty darn sure he didn't know, was completely relaxed in front of him. It completely threw him for a loop.

Did he know her?

Because she seemed to know him—or complete relaxed in his presence. He figured girls wouldn't like to be approached in alleyways...

"Could I get your name?" he asked, hesitantly.

"Hm~?" She did a little twirl, tossing her hooded cloak back over her shoulders. "I'm Irina." Only a first name, he was pretty sure. So, Irina was definitely an American or some other kind of social westerner. Only they could wear such 'clothing' in public. That or she was into cosplay. Her Japanese was immaculate. Much too good for a simple foreigner, with the local accent down to a point! "And you?"

Issei felt his vein alight with shyness, but she asked an honest question. He had no choice but to answer with the same. "I'm just Hyoudou Issei."

An eyebrow of Irina's rose. "'Just' Hyoudou Issei?" Before he could say anything else, she poked his bicep, pausing once before repeating a couple more times. "Wow, Issei-kun," he blushed deeply at that. It came natural to her, and that was much more endearing than it should be, never mind the honorific! On top of that, his first name! "Why are you hiding all of this?" She poked him in his torso, unknowingly giving him chills. "Woah! You're hard all over!"

His mind wandered.

Until her touches began tickling him.

"H-Hey! Haha—stop it, Irina-san!"

"Sorry sorry," she clapped her hands together for forgiveness, "couldn't help it." Man, she was very physical, if so. "You were just so... confident to run, I guess."

Issei couldn't help but emulate some of her social energy as well, despite his void of meaningful friendships. "Ahem. Anyway, as I was saying, would you like something to eat?"

The girl froze, then swallowed. "Are you sure you wouldn't mind? I kinda eat a lot." Sounding more and more American as the conversation went on...

This time his eyebrow rose, "haven't you been down here all day?" He gestured towards the public street, "some of the locals doubt you were still alive with how little you moved."

"A-Ah, about that..." her stomach practically growled angrily at them. She promptly gave up, blushing slightly, "If- If it wouldn't be too much trouble, Issei-kun."

The said boy shook his head softly. "It seems like you've been culling the chaos monsters too. I should be thanking you for making the streets safer."

For the first time during the interaction, Irina seemed sheepish and embarrassed. She moved to say something but closed her mouth a moment later. The brunette put on a fake smile and said, cheerfully, "don't sweat it!"

Issei made a point not to pry. "My treat, come on." He could understand. They had just met, after all. A first time meeting in a dank alleyway was pretty poor to say the least. "I wouldn't be able to stand idly by much longer if I knew some girl was stuck here." He paused in thought. "You're not stuck here, are you?"

Irina giggled into her cloak-covered hand, "No Issei-kun, I'm not." She bumped shoulders with him. "That would be very silly."

Almost awkwardly, he grinned back. "Yeah, I guess so."

And so, they were off to a local café. As they left the alleyway, her presence entered the range of his senses. Issei brushed it up to his senses, acting weird for once. He was still kinda new to being a dragon and all.

He wouldn't trade it for anything. Because of it, Japan was much more peaceful. He would protect it just so his mother could worry about making enough to eat and sleep easily.

Never again would he be caught off by the Khaos monsters. This was His domain. It was safe enough that he could waste time prowling the rest of Earth. A wry smile took over his lips. He had become the overpowered hero he had always dreamt about.

It felt good.

—[†]—

Luckily, his escapade from before the alley saw his pocket fisted with a few thousand yen. It was double lucky since he had totally forgotten his wallet in a rush. The money was basically free for the taking (it was a mini shrine dedicated to him, the Crimson Streak!), and he was sure no one would mind. His "job" was normally non-profit.

However, his mother certainly didn't need to deal with his increasing diet, among other things. He didn't want to worry her. That was the absolute last thing he wanted. She worried enough about skittering to and from work and him heading to middle school and back. She was never the same when the monsters killed his father.

And, to be fair, neither was he.

Irina seemed to notice a change, pausing from her ravishing. "Isshei-kun?" She tried with a half full mouth. She quickly went to swallow and repeat herself.

However, Issei smiled, waving off her concern, "I'm okay. Just waiting for you to eat some more before I say some more." He shrugged. It seemed like a decent plan. "I still have some more to eat as well."

The girl seemed like she wanted to say something more but nodded and turned back to her food. Honestly, he was kinda surprised at how much she ordered. Maybe she felt open after seeing him order a ton as well.

He followed suit, returning to his food and his thoughts.

He could only afford it because he knew the owners. It helped that he was on great terms with all the locals. They all knew about his tragedy and helped out in their own small ways. He was forever grateful for it. Their section of town was always under his careful senses. Day or night. Whether he was in the Middle East or the Americas. If he recalled correctly, it had been nearly two years since he got proper rest. He no longer felt the need to sleep after dreaming about the woman, Nyx, who had later learned was the Primordial Goddess of the Night.

Thanks, Google.

Normal people coming into contact with Gods or Godlike beings were an almost normal occurrence now. If humanity wanted a chance against those infected and transformed by Khaos, they would have to gain those Godlike figures' favor and then their blessing. Issei, however, wanted no part of them, even though he had taken Nyx up on her offer.

Hers was unlike the ones he had heard about from other people, the radio or TV.

Many of the people who made deals or contracts were whisked away from their families to defend small sections of Earth or the other Realms. As selfish as it sounded, he wanted to stay with his mother. He was more than strong enough to forgo training at school. The chain-bound, red dragon within his soul said as much. Nyx had mentioned he could climb to such strength quickly.

And, he had.

It might be cocky of him to say, but the only reason he had broken a sweat was solely because of the amount of Khaos beings he tore down each day throughout the globe.

Issei chomped down on a steak, hiding a grin.

He was that guy, through and through. His control over the [Boosted Gear] was absolute. Having undergone complete dragonification a summer ago, he could handle any load thrust onto him with scary ease. [Balance Breaker] felt as natural as breathing.

His stats?

Speed? Nah. Try near Lightspeed. Only took a couple of moments for [Boost] to collect and a cast of [Jet] to reach such speeds, which were amplified in the night with Nyx' blessing. Not like he needed it often. Only so he wouldn't be traced back home. Though, it was the most draining aspect of his usual routine by far.

Power? Unstoppable by anything thus far. Be it with dragon energy or physical might, any monster went down in a single blow. Or the rare two. There was nothing he couldn't handle nor penetrate.

Durability? The only times he's been hurt, he had scratched himself a little too hard after changing races. Nothing bypassed his BxB armor. He was sure he hadn't gotten to that level with his skin, which had minor scales of their own. It would only be a matter of time, according to Ddraig.

Stamina? Sadly, not quite on par with his other stats—which is to say, not completely off the charts. It was still pretty high. His downtime was also relatively short as it only took a couple of hours as well. Blitzing waves of monsters in various sections of the world at supersonic speeds was a lot in his opinion. It was enough to bring humanity as a collective from the back foot to making decent efforts to regain land in the past year. Sadly, he was only one man.

Intelligence... Well, sadly, his mind didn't quite move at the same speeds his body could. Dragonification had mostly left his brain untouched for now. Mostly, it made sure he couldn't get completely overwhelmed by his senses after a few weeks and gave him new instincts. Issei would allow the latter to completely take over with the role of getting rid of the corrupted, so he wouldn't have to deal with the speed he was moving at himself. They were very intuitive. Coupled with his senses and his unstoppable body, he was a lean, mean, red machine!

"—Issei-kun? Issei-kun, hellooo?"

"Oh sorry!" He racked his mind for an excuse, "I just got caught up in my thoughts." That didn't really give anything away, nor was it a lie. But even he could admit, it was an awkward excuse nonetheless.

"Mmh," she peered into his soul through his chocolaty eyes. Thankfully, said soul was protected with an impenetrable shadow thanks to Nyx! Obviously, he was playing up the look, but it helped distract him immensely from a very cute girl looking at him intensely. Else, he would have done something embarrassing like blush or freeze up. As an untouchable dragon, he definitely didn't do either of that.

"Okay!" Irina interlocked her fingers for a faux stretch and nodded towards him. "So, whatcha wanna know?"

"Huh?"

At his honest confusion, she tilted her head slightly, causing some of her hair to spill from her hood. "You're not looking for information for Kouh High's entrance exam?"

This again...? "Why would I do that?" he asked.

"W-well, why else would you pick up an exorcist in this distinguished city?"

"You're an exorcist?" He couldn't help it. He never knew they could be cute girls like Irina. His assumption was that they were boring grown men or something. But he ignored that, frowning. "I already said I should be thanking you. This is my way of showing it."

It allowed him to be more proactive elsewhere in the world, after all. Kouh Academy was completely useless in this regard until the school year returned. With it being 'summer break,' he had very little time to fulfill his usual pattern.

Even then, most of the time, they spent their time culling in Hell. Whatever. If they wanted to use his safe territory to their benefit, that was fine. They rarely overstayed their welcome anyway.

He bit back a snort.

The schools were very ineffective. Slow. All these godlike figures should be able to end the infection in their section of the world and then help the rest.

Should.

Issei wasn't smart enough to guess why they couldn't. But they sure as well bragged a ton. Kouh Academy even boasted the powers of Devils, being progressive enough to allow anyone to join with a joint agreement with the Youkai and Japanese Gods.

His eyes drifted to Irina. He hoped she wouldn't be going there, but those chances were very low. Although, she smelled distinctive, much different from those from the school. Like, the opposite of that, if that made sense.

A deep but feminine voice entered his mind, ['Exorcists hunt devils.']

Oh- that made a lot of sense. He knew he had forgotten something! Thanks, Ddraig! And good evening!

Issei didn't get a response from the dragon, but one from Irina.

"O-Oh," again, she was bashful, twirling a lock of hair. It was entirely too cute. Too much really. She had to be an Angel or something. "It wasn't much, y'know..."

He shook his head. Nyx' blessing wasn't perfect. His masked aura still attracted wild monsters his way. Irina had taken most of them down by her lonesome. He may not have watched it, but he could feel it. He didn't know how to explain it. Nor why he had let her do it by herself. In order words, he let the safety of those under his direct care fall into the hands of a complete stranger.

Why did it take him this long to check in?!

"It was the right thing to do, after all," she ended off, puffing her growing chest and nodding inwardly.

A 'kindred spirit,' she was, he decided then. She completely slipped his radar because she wasn't a threat. However, unlike he who mostly kept to himself, couldn't she seek shelter with the school or at the very least collect the bounties for the kills even as an exorcist? "Why stay out though?"

The girl shook her head. "Not yet. The brokered peace between the three major factions is very fragile and new." The stress on the 'very' was heavy, and the boy really didn't like the politics it suggested. "I don't want to walk into a den of people who won't like me by myself. That's just asking for trouble."

Discrimination was stupid. So was letting a girl by their lonesome figure out to live in a foreign nation.

"If you don't mind me asking," he started hesitantly, unable to fight his curiosity, "where's your family?"

She paused to tilt her again. "My group, you mean?" Geez, it was almost so cute, he had nearly ignored her words, nodding dumbly. Hopefully, the correction didn't mean anything nefarious happened to her family. "We got separated when our transportation was attacked."

So it must've happened when he was out playing 'hero.' Either way... "Sorry to hear that." That was just another reminder that he couldn't be everywhere, even near his territory.

"Don't sweat it! You're just a normal boy." The chestnut-haired girl waved him off. "If I can survive it, the rest of my group definitely did." It was very refreshing to see her optimism. "I'm the weakest of the bunch by a long shot." So taken aback by her bright tone, he nearly missed the split-second grimace of her smile. Doubt. In herself, he guessed. "Anyway! What about you, Mister 'Just' Hyoudou Issei?"

"Nothing special," he replied simply.

"Mmh, if you say so~" a sudden yawn cut her off. Something within her wavered and waned. That snapped him from his thoughts to give her his full attention. "Oh geez, I'm s-so sorry about that..." Her once hyper-aware gaze drooped to the table. Her shoulders slumped forward. And, she began mumbling to herself, incoherently.

Issei opened his mouth only to close it. If he wasn't willing to open up, it wouldn't be right for him to pry—as if! He clenched a fist beneath the table, imagining a response to his question: "How long have you been out there...?"

The boy wasn't sure if she had heard him as she continued her foggy state of mind. Give or take a moment or two, the girl answered with an absentminded grumble, "...a week and a half..."

How did he miss her for that long?!

Dragon energy angrily swirled within him. His fist twitched, agitated. The only reason he didn't summon the [Boosted Gear] was because he was in public.

['Calm down, Issei.']

The brown-eyed boy didn't. He couldn't have missed a plane downing in his nation's airspace. It was one of the few things he made doubly sure to keep under constant watch. Japan was one of the safest countries left because of him alone! He wouldn't have missed it.

['You're strong, partner. Almost impossibly so. That is without question.'] There was a pause, ['Perhaps, close to myself in my prime.'] The dragon grunted, neutrally. ['You have no experience with the Supernatural. They have many means to escape your senses, even with how vast or focused as yours are. There are still many things for you to learn, Issei...']

He didn't care. Ddraig knew that but insisted he try, indirectly or not. He wouldn't. The only thing that mattered was to rid the world of Khaos, and then he could return to his normal life.

['Perhaps, you should take her back to your home then?']

The energy within him flatlined, and he blinked out of his enraged stupor. That was a pretty good idea. He guessed he would figure out an excuse before his mother returned from work.

"Uh, Irina-san?" Almost like a zombie, she turned her head to him. "Do you need a place to crash for now?" The next school year started in a month, give or take a couple days.

For a moment, she only blankly stared, nodding off. Then, she grunted a small "yes." She swayed in her seat, and mumbled, "I'm so, s-s-so tired..."

"Cool, cool." He took in the sight of the table again and grimaced. There was a stack of plates on each side and a mess on each one. His diet had increased again. Irina's wasn't anything to scoff at, either. "I'll pay for the food, then we can head out."

The boy made his way to the front to pay instead of waiting for a server. After all, he knew the person at the front desk. "Would this be enough, Oji-san?" Handing the bills, he realized something. "Oh! Sorry for the crumple. I can come back to pay if you don't-"

The owner acting as the cashier laughed boisterously. "Slow down, Issei-chan. Don't worry about it." Easily, he slipped the money from the boy, quickly counted it and handed a couple bills back. "There we go." His attention shifted to Issei's companion back at the table, "Whatcha do? Keep your girlfriend up all night long? Is that where you've been disappearing off to? Ah, to be that young again..." As the man said more and more words, Issei grew redder and redder. "Whatcha still doing here? Off you go, boyo."

The boy perked up and said, "Thanks, Oji-san!"

"I'm the employee here. It's what I do," the man scoffed, shaking his head and turning back to his work area.

With that, Issei made his way back. He was greeted with Irina with her arms on the table and head resting atop them, sleeping soundly. For a moment, he froze. She seemed very familiar. But he would've remembered a girl like her... not like he had many friends to compare and contrast to.

It didn't help that quite a few of them perished or disappeared during one of the darkest days in Japan. Otherwise, the day he became a dragon.

"I—" he paused, unsure if he should wake her, "Irina-san, I'll be taking you to my home now." She made no acknowledgement. "P-Picking you up now," he whispered.

As he tapped her shoulder, the girl flinched and shot up, only to take the sight of him in and slump back down, slipping back into dreamland. "Hehehe, Isekun took me to lunch."

Again, the boy blinked and swore he should know her. He had only offered 'Ise' as a nickname to his closest friends. He mulled it over a bit before giving up, scraping it up to western shenanigans for being overly friendly or something.

Issei turned, feeling a familiar presence approach. It was the owner's wife, a woman just as large and built as her husband, but very maternal even though she never bore any children. "Issei-chan, do you need a ride home? I'm sure it would be very awkward to 'help' her home, eh?" There was a faint glint of amusement twinkling in her eyes before she sent him a wink.

"Uhh..." he struggled to accept help, but in this case, he had Irina to think about as well. From what he heard and could guess, Irina couldn't be so public as an Exorcist in Devil territory. "Y-Yeah, that'll be very helpful. Thank you, Obaa-san!" He finished with a deep bow.

She ruffled his hair, "Don't sweat it. As a community, we gotta watch out for each other. Pick her up gently now." She waited for him to do just that with a process carry. He bit back a blush as the girl snuggled into his arms and shoulder with a blissful sigh. He shifted her cloak to wrap around her like an impromptu blanket. With a smirk, she gestured for him to follow her to her car.

At this distance, his fiercely acute senses could take Irina in her entirety. It overwhelmed him, turning the small walk into a session more sweat-inducing than his usual routine could be. Shoving down a groan, he kept his eyes on the large woman before him.

And like that, they made it to her car.

The older woman opened the backseat door for him. "Do you need help strapping her in?"

Issei shook his head. He slid the girl in with the care one would save for a child, double-checked the clip of the seatbelt, and entered on the other side. As he did so, he pretended as if he didn't hear the girl's continuous mumbles.

"Aw, not there, Isekyun!"

She obviously didn't know what she was saying.

—[†]—

A gasp broke the silence of night within the Hyoudou household.

Across the global, Issei flinched and instantly jetted towards his home. Boost collected during the most recent scuffles throughout the night empowered him, turning him into a red shooting star across the night sky. A familiar sight for all to see. It was presumed he would head into the next area to cull the Khaos.

He would feel the effects of flying so fast when he got home, but Irina was ultimately a stranger in an unfamiliar place. Who could guess what she'd do? Plus, there was the chance, she'd wake her mother. He couldn't have that.

'H-Hopefully, she wouldn't hold it against me since I had brought her back to my place..'

Issei shook his head, mentally, and redouble his efforts. He doubted the girl had a bad bone in her body, but he couldn't be entirely sure. The effects of Khaos on the world could turn some of the kindest into the cruelest or drove people to do.. less than kind things, to say the least.

In regard to the latter, it was why he favored his community all the more. Obvious bias and all. But, when it all went down, everyone had and still helped out one another to this day. His parents had shared stories about it. Their neighbors were even super cool swordsmen, who were at the frontlines. That was until they had left. They took their daughter with them. Otherwise, his best friend at the time.

Thankfully, they hadn't left the area completely unprotected when they were called back to the father's homeland.

Kouh Academy stood guard with ties to the local Youkai scenes.

However, as a school for the empowered, they cared more to cultivate power than to use it effectively. Maybe, it was coming from a place of immense luck, given his growth and Ddraig within the [Boosted Gear]. Perhaps, it was their late response to his own tragedy. He couldn't help but hold it against them.

He was sure it was a common story that only grew more and more familiar. Hopefully, he had begun to fix the blatant misdeed. It was a hard thing to quantify, especially when he couldn't help but focus on all the bad going on. He could only do what he could. It was more than what he's seen from others, but there was still so much to do.

Issei sighed, pushing his thoughts away when Japan entered his sights.

['You've cleared out your homeland in only a couple months. If that's not a lot of progress, I'm not sure what could satisfy you, Partner.']

He would've done it faster if his mother hadn't heard about him skipping school. She had ended up begging him to at least stay home if didn't want to go to school. She couldn't risk losing him too, and it physically sickened her to imagine it. He could remember her legs failing her as she struggled to clutch his pants, pleading for him to stay, asking for him to forgive her in not telling him earlier. All the while, he had frozen up, like the fucking idiot he was.

He had watched her sob for his dad or her friends, but to hear, feel, and sense them for himself? He...

Tears muddied his vision as his body moved on autopilot. The frustration from earlier left him. Never again would he make his mother cry for him, he promised himself back then. He had mostly succeeded, not for a lack of trying.

Sometimes, his mother just needed to cry. It pissed him off to no end for apologizing to him about things that didn't matter. But his feelings on the matter would fall flat on deaf ears before she tuckered herself out. Each time, she'd pretend it didn't happened and put on a smile for him.

'Fuck.'

He wiped his eyes across his sleeve, the Balance Break armor turning into pure dragon energy that fading into stardust on the way down. With that, he snuck back into his room, where Irina had left the door ajar to check up on his faux slumbering form, through his window.

—Only to stop halfway. Irina's presence became imperceptible as the door to his front door shut softly. She must've done something along the lines of Ddraig's advice to dodge his senses. Unconsciously, he drew upon Nyx's Blessing to become untraceable as he followed her. The note he had felt Irina write, which rested on the desk his dad had worked to make, could wait.

—[†]—

Did he say he didn't question his actions earlier? Yeah that was the truth up until he had to take responsibility for them. And boy, did his sense of responsibility and justice question.

Unless it was to do the right thing.

Then, it was easy. Such as now: Irina faced yet another corrupted Youkai or Khaos-borne monster she couldn't hope to defeat. It broke the concrete beneath her with a flare, shot from its foot. Seeing her unbalanced, it shot a second blast.

It would get to her in under a second.

—If he continued to stand around and do nothing.

Hopefully, Irina would get a kick out of this as a fan of his. That would be awesome! Unless she was one of the over-the-top kinds, but that wouldn't make much sense given her 'devoutness' to her religion. So basically his train of thought was a moot point...

Something crashed below him. Irina had dodged a blast from the 8ft (2.44m) monster, who gave up on crouching to fit within the abandoned building Irina led him into and began rampaging.

He couldn't have that.

In an instant, his deep red armor embraced him, feeling like a second layer of skin. It melded easily against his body, creeping enhanced dragon scales from his gauntlet in his perceived slow-mo. It breathed just as easy as he did. It shifted to his movements as soon as his instincts decided. It was him, but better.

All it took was one step to launch himself forward, eat the blast like a champ, plant a fist into the monster's face to kill it instantly and in the next, the zoomed out of the area. The world whizzed passed him as he shifted back to normal, pretending to be out of breath after chasing her down as a basic human.

With that, he called out to her, "Irina-san!"

"I-Issei-kun?" She was still shellshocked from the encounter. He wasn't sure if it was his greater self or from nearly dying. Maybe, it was because she wasn't expecting him. He didn't know. "It's dangerous here at night! You shouldn't be here!"

In a split second, rage burned within him. He barely held it back to respond, "What about you then?"

"I-" Regret and fear overtook her scents. He knew them quite well, having gotten used to the former with his mother, and the latter while saving others. What he couldn't understand, was why they radiated from her. "I can handle it," she lied, stumbling out of the building. Her suit gained a couple of extra tears, otherwise she was mostly unharmed. "But, what about you, mister—!" When her purple eyes fell upon him, she froze. Despair filled the air around her. "I-Issei-kun, you're infected?"

"What?" That would be stupid. "Of course not."

"Then.." She gulped, audibly, "what's going on with your hand?"

His eyes widened. He totally forgot the process of eliminating Khaos energy required him to take it into the Boosted Gear, bits at a time. In the meantime, it lingered around the hand as he will his dragon energy to hold it still so it couldn't seep and infect the surroundings. He'd typically do it while he was out culling at high speeds, but since he had just killed a stronger monster just moments prior, it took a while longer than normal. So familiar with the process, he unconsciously did it.

"I-," He couldn't but he'd figure out something. "I can explain." Even if he had to lie.

Irina's pheromones turned angry, much more than he ever thought possible from an angelic being such as her, as the regret grew stronger. Despite that, she brandished her weapon, a western long sword. "I-" she choked on a sob, "I-I'm so sorry, Ise." Her eyes sharpened as she steeled herself to do what she had to. "Let me put you out of your misery."

Emotions and thoughts burst within him. A part of him was angered she dare to assume he was so weak to fall prey to the Khaos energy. Another felt betrayed. She hadn't even let him try to explain as if he didn't deserve that much. Sad. It didn't sound like her first time, and she was already grieving for a stranger like him.

['Focus!']

Issei blinked out of his weird emotional stupor and didn't have the time to even thank Ddraig before he materialized the Boosted Gear to catch the exorcist's blade. It threw the girl for another loop. So shock, she released her weapon, falling onto her ass. For a moment, she scambled between raising, making distance, or bow down. She soon settled in a prayer stance with her knees to her sides as he let the weapon his armored hand fall.

"Y-You're the Red Dragon Emperor?"

—[†]—

Aes: Yup, yet another story. I can't help it. To be fair, this is more of a rewrite/reimagining than a wholly new story. The title is probably temporary.

There's not enough attention or love sent Irina's way (I'm assuming cuz I haven't been reading DxD lately). This was supposed to be an entry for a Valentine's event at the server I've been advising, but plans changed, sadly (I completely forgot about the event AND this doc). Hopefully, the cute parts were cute.

As mentioned, this was a rewrite, for "World Break" (yes, based on that shoddy anime of the same name. No idea about the source material, though). I wouldn't go look for the original story cuz it's not worth the view and doubt anyone recognized it with the changes I've made since then. Basically, this is my version of the AU scenario for "what if the supernatural became commonplace" with the twist of being outrageously strong, physically and a super aids apocalypse.

Feel free to join a discord server, where I'm forced to be an idol for moderators, by using the code at the end of a discord link or as the joining code: dxtkkFYpbJ

Be well. I'll be releasing the next chapter for my pokemon story before working on

Editing: gave up towards the end

Words: [7,117]

Alt chapter title: Picking Up a Cute Exorcist in the Middle of an Apocalypse as the Strongest