The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD
Hey everyone, it's me Hide Shinyama.
I'm really sorry guys. I meant to release this chapter last weekend but currently it has been hard for me to focus. I have exams to worry about in the coming weeks. That and I have been distracted by my attempts to draw some cover art for this story/ for my profile. Hopefully, I'll publish that soon.
This chapter is going to be a transition chapter for the new arc. It will take place at the Tengu dojo where our hero Issei had spent the night fighting Yuda and his minions.
What is going to happen there?
Find out in…
Chapter 41 – Visiting Sanma and Kasumi
10th of October, Saturday, 3:53 am – somewhere in the forests of the outskirts of Tokyo
If you were to tell Issei that he was going out at such an unearthly hour in the morning, he would have looked at you weirdly. That would have been twice as true, had you told him that he would be heading to a forest. And yet, that was what he was doing.
"Good thing I have those dragonized eyes of mine…" Issei said to himself.
[Good thing you have me] Ddraig added in a chipper tone. [Imagine what you would be doing if you didn't have me.]
"Well, I still have those glasses that Monika gave me," Issei answered.
[You wouldn't even be alive by then to receive it…] Ddraig reminded him in a sour tone.
"Well, sorry, Ddraig…" Issei apologized in an annoyed tone. "I didn't think you were still hung up over it…"
[Hung up? Who is hung up over it? Why would I be jealous over a piece of metal and glass?] Ddraig asked rhetorically and in denial.
"Becau- You know what never mind…" Issei said and decided to drop the subject.
Ddraig didn't answer and so, Issei marched through the forest to wherever in the silence of the night.
Just then, Issei received a call from his wristwatch and took it.
"Did you find it?" Issei asked the other person on the other end of the line.
"Nope," Sanma's voice could be heard speaking. "It's still nothin' but crickets – literally, too."
"Then why are you calling?" Issei asked of Sanma.
"Cuz I have no idea how they look like. Ya know, the um… the signs?" Sanma replied unsure at the end.
"I told you. It's gray and whatever you touch immediately turns into dust. Once we've found that, our target is not far away. Keep looking. It's gotta be here somewhere," Issei said as he ended the call.
Issei proceeded to sniff out whatever he was looking for but was met with a whole bunch of scents in this forest.
Yet, Issei persisted. He wouldn't give up.
He walked down a trail in the tall grass, looking for more clues.
While doing so, Issei's mind drifted back to the events of the day before. Issei smiled at what happened then.
But back to the situation at hand. Why were Issei and Sanma walking through the forest in the middle of the night in the first place? What were they even searching for? And why was Issei so strangely happy?
To answer those questions, we have to go back to the previous day.
9th of October, Friday, 5:33 pm – near the Tengu residence, Nerima Ward, Tokyo
Issei had just finished his training and was heading over to the Tengu residence to visit Sanma.
Issei had just finished another late afternoon training session with Matsuda, Motohama and Ryuga at the park. Although, he had been lying in bed in bandages with severe injuries, he was totally fine by that today. Issei was amazed at how quickly a dragonized body could recover. Not only that, but he also had improved on his exercise performance. And because of that, along with the incident at Hotel Entertainment four days earlier, Ddraig had put Issei through a new training regimen. He was to equip the Dragon Scale Mail and keep it activated for as long as possible. Ddraig had wanted Issei to strengthen himself, since the armor was a basic necessity for a host of the Red Dragon Emperor. Granted, it wasn't as bad as the last time Issei had used it, since he didn't go into Overboost mode, however, it still was torture. Issei felt like he had been put into an oven and had to sit it out.
As a result, his whole body was aching, and it looked like he had been burned or something.
Issei did not know if his training had brought him any results, but he had yet to see.
Anyway, why was Issei visiting Sanma?
Well, it was because he had been absent from their usual training ever since the hotel incident. In fact, Sanma had been spending less time with them lately. Granted, Issei, Matsuda and Motohama still hung out with each other at school, but whenever Ryuga came by, Sanma would leave, while Ryuga would shoot him a hostile glare. Even worse, Cat Fu's one-sided lover Mouse and Nakane's one-sided lover Takaki Kono would pester Sanma, resulting in them being beaten down. Nakane and Cat Fu themselves in turn avoided Sanma and treated him like air, despite all attempts of Sanma to approach them. The only girl willing to talk to them normally was Ukyu Kuongi, but even then their interactions weren't many.
Speaking of the girls, Issei himself had not gotten along with Cat Fu, but now she would treat him neutrally, unlike before when she used to snap at him or glare at him. Maybe it had to do with the fact that Issei had saved her life back at the hotel…
And therein lay the heart of the matter. That hotel incident…
"Sigh…" Issei sighed loudly.
It all came together now…
Issei may not have been in Nerima for that long, but even he could tell that the problems Sanma had with that complicated web of love long predated the hotel incident. But now, because of it, it was clear that whatever happened back there had now worsened the problem like never before. And Issei was frustrated.
So, what?
So, what if Nakane, Cat Fu were avoiding Sanma? So, what if Ryuga now was throwing hostile stares at him? That was no reason for Sanma to skip training? Why couldn't he just…?
"Argh…" Issei groaned, as a pang of pain went through his shoulder. He promptly nursed it.
Great! Just great! He had more than enough on his plate with worrying about the aftermath of the Hotel Crisis incident and his newly intensified training. Did he really need to deal with a love drama, too – and Sanma's semi-reclusive behavior?
Honestly, he really would have focused on recovering from his injuries first, had there not been a particular reason for coming.
And that reason made Issei worry for Sanma.
With that said, all that was missing was for Ddraig to force him to learn how to do the splits and the day could be one of the worst days ever.
[Good idea. Maybe, I should do it] Ddraig said cheekily.
"No, Ddraig, I was just joking about that part with the splits," Issei said with a deadpan expression, hoping that it would persuade him not to implement it in his already intense training schedule.
[Well, I wasn't… Hehe…] Ddraig chuckled.
"Oh, goodness… please don't…" Issei moaned.
"Issei-san?" a woman's voice was suddenly heard.
Issei looked up in surprise. It was Kasumi, the woman Issei had rescued from the Fallen Angels a few weeks back. It had been quite a while since then, but she looked as beautiful as ever.
"Good evening, Issei-san. What brings you here?" Kasumi asked with a lovely smile.
That smile…
No, it wasn't that she looked as beautiful as ever, rather Issei never took the time to notice how beautiful she looked and found himself staring. Her brown hair was tied to a ponytail with a white scrunchy. And although she was wearing a brown fuzzy coat, the vague outline of her breasts and her body figure screamed perfection. Her breasts… while not particularly big were ideal for the measurements of the rest of her body. It made her look tall and slim. Her clothes made her look even more dazzling. Additionally, Kasumi was wearing a blue midi-length skirt with floral patterns at the bottom and brown high-heel boots.
"Umm… Issei-kun?" Kasumi addressed the enamored Issei with the wave of a hand.
"Huh? Oh, sorry…" Issei said, as he woke up from his stupor and stood up straight. "…I was… umm… What brings you here?"
Kasumi tilted her head innocently. "What do you mean? I live here?" she pointed at the dojo entrance.
Issei looked up and saw the dojo sign of "Tengu School of Randomness" just above the entrance.
"Oh! That's right!" Issei hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. "How come I didn't notice?"
He turned to face Kasumi. "Yeah, umm… actually I came here for Sanma. Is he home?" Issei asked her.
"He should be home, last time I checked," Kasumi answered. "Do you want to come in? It is quite chilly out here."
"Oh, sure, sure…" Issei replied.
And so, they headed in. While they were taking their shoes off, Issei couldn't help but stare at the beautiful woman next to her watching her every movement, watching her unzip her boots, take them off and watch her slip into some slippers with her white-socked feet. When she took off her coat, she revealed her green sweater and with it her breast outline became clearer.
'If only her oppai could jiggle,' Issei thought perversely.
Issei subconsciously took of his shoes and coat, while staring at her. Kasumi turned to face him.
"Issei-kun?" Kasumi addressed Issei, as she caught him staring. "Are you alright?"
"Huh?" Issei shook off from his daydream and recomposed himself. "What do you mean?"
"You look like you've sustained some burns. I can give you some cream if you want to," Kasumi offered.
"Ah… no, no… it's fine…" Issei assured her. "Besides, I really need to see Sanma first, treatment comes later…"
Hearing his answer, she offered to lead the way.
"Please follow me," Kasumi said with a smile.
"Y-yeah… please…" Issei replied flustered.
Thus, Issei and Kasumi walked through the hallway.
While Issei was mesmerized by Kasumi's beauty, he also looked around. The last time he had seen this place was when the Fallen Angel named Yuda had ransacked this place and damaged it left and right. Now, though, it was as if it never had been damaged to begin with. He kind of heard that it was Hide-san who had a hand in the repairs, fixing it all in one night. He sure was good – along with mysterious. How on earth did he pull this off? Probably in the same way that he did medical treatment, he guessed.
"Is no one else at home?" Issei could not help but ask.
"My father and Sanma's father are out drinking. My sisters are spending time at a friend's place. I and Sanma are the only ones in right now," Kasumi explained.
"I see…" Issei simply replied.
As Kasumi and Issei continued on their way to the dojo, Issei could hear the sound of thumping and grunting. He recognized that voice.
"Is that Sanma?" Issei asked Kasumi.
"Yes, it is. He's practicing in the dojo. I'll lead you to him," Kasumi said.
Sure enough, once they reached the dojo, Issei could see Sanma in a karate gi practicing martial arts moves, such as high kicks and multi-combo jabs. Issei saw it and couldn't help but feel amazed every time he saw it.
"Man, I'm jealous," Issei said to himself.
[You see these high kicks? Without doing the splits you won't be able to do it] Ddraig pointed out, much to Issei's annoyance.
"Shut up," Issei said out loud. "Who cares about doing the splits?"
"Yes? What about the splits?" Kasumi asked Issei confused.
"Oh, nothing!" Issei hastily said to her.
'Dang it, Ddraig. Look at what you've done!' Issei communicated with Ddraig mentally.
[Don't blame me for your own attitude] Ddraig retorted.
"Sanma-kun! You have a guest," Kasumi called out to Sanma.
Sanma stopped his training and put up a toothy wide-open smile upon seeing Issei.
"Issei, my man! How are you?" Sanma greeted him.
"Just fine," Issei answered and approached him with a raised hand in greeting.
"Really? 'Cuz you seem like ya got burned," Sanma pointed at Issei's sore and reddened skin.
"Well yeah… it was training… Ddraig put me under a lot of stress with this one. But I'll recover…" Issei stated.
Issei walked into the dojo, admiring just how big it was. He almost considered bringing his training in here, had it not been for the fact that the Boosted Gear was so destructive.
"Where are Motohama and Matsuda?" Sanma wondered since he didn't see the two of them with Issei.
"They're at my place, playing games," Issei answered.
"Really? And what brings ya here? Not normal for ya to come here to the Tengu dojo," Sanma remarked as he wiped the sweat of his brow.
"Yeah, I know," Issei admitted and leaned against the wall. "But I've got some questions – ones that have been bugging me for the past few days."
Sanma had a look of surprise on his face. "What kind of questions?"
Issei took in a deep breath, before speaking.
"Is everything with you… okay?" Issei asked cautiously and bluntly at the same time.
Sanma became confused. "Whaddya mean?" he asked.
"Lately, you've been absent from our regular training sessions. You've also been avoiding Ryuga, too, not to mention Nakane and Cat Fu. Are things… still okay between you guys?" Issei asked.
Sanma dropped his look of confusion and took on a more neutral look. "We're fine. I mean we have our ups and downs. It'll be fine. It's happened before," Sanma explained nonchalantly.
"Fine? I may not have been around in Nerima for too long, but as far as I can tell, you and Ryuga avoiding one another isn't something you guys normally do. You may argue a lot, but now there's just… cold silence between you two. That also goes for Nakane and Cat Fu. And I'm worried, Sanma," Issei said to him in a serious tone.
Sanma also became serious and sat down on the dojo floor. Issei stared at him, expecting him to say something – anything – for he really wanted to know what was going on.
Sanma said nothing. It seemed like he didn't want to say anything. Or maybe he was still thinking. Either way Issei decided to speak up.
"Remember what you told me, back when I came to your house for the first time?" Issei asked of Sanma.
Sanma looked at Issei with an uncertain look.
"You once said…" Issei reminded Sanma of something he said in the past.
Flashback
"'Cuz whatever I do, I end up making people mad or trouble follows me. And I've had plenty. Combine that with what I mentioned before. Fulfilling their desires and wishes. I can't do that with one girl, let alone four. And then, there's also the martial artist's code of honor and my family duties laid on my lap by my folks, my life is already complicated enough. Simply put, it's impossible… Sometimes I wonder if it's better for me if I… could just leave all of it behind altogether…" Sanma said, as he looked to the sky melancholy.
Flashback end
"Oh, that…" Sanma said, remembering all of it. "So? What are you tryin' to say?"
"Do you have these thoughts often?" Issei asked.
"Huh?" Sanma replied confused.
"I mean what will you do when things get worse and worse? You already were thinking about leaving everything behind before your recent fight with Nakane, Cat Fu and Ryuga, so what are you going to do about it? You got a plan for that? Or are you just going to ignore it and hope it will go away? And what about Ukyu? Are you guys getting along? Does she know about your problems? And what about…?" Issei demanded.
"Shut up…" Sanma whispered quietly.
Issei stopped in his tracks in shock at the response.
"It's none of yer business…" Sanma said a bit louder with his eyes shadowed with his bangs.
Issei gritted his teeth and walked over to Sanma.
Sanma didn't look up, even as Issei approached him. He didn't even react when Issei grabbed him by his gi and hauled him up by the front of the gi.
"None of my business? I've been with you through thick and thin! The same goes for Matsuda and Motohama and now you're saying we're not a part of it? Aren't we friends? Don't friends help each other? Isn't that twice as true when you're contemplating to kill yourself!?" Issei shouted in Sanma's face.
Sanma growled and punched Issei in the face. Issei flew back with a bruised cheek and landed on the floor with a thud. Looking at Sanma, he could see Sanma with an angry frown and heavy breathing.
"I wasn't thinking about killing myself!" Sanma yelled at Issei. "Suicide is for cowards and I would never go for that, much less for something like that!"
"Then what? What did you mean by 'leaving it all behind'?" Issei challenged Sanma with a glare, while nursing his bruise. That punch smarted, but his training with Ddraig hurt even more, so it didn't bother him that much.
Sanma didn't reply at first. He hesitated on how to put it, trying to remember what he meant by what he said back then.
"I… I wanted to go to some other place, run away," Sanma answered quietly. "I…"
Sanma hesitated to speak. He looked at Issei, but Issei's facial expression told him to continue.
"I… I'm tired of it all…" Sanma said, as he calmed down, his anger from earlier being replaced by depression. "You've seen a bit on how my life is like. Day in… day out… it's always some squabble with Nakane, Cat Fu, Ukyu… or maybe some other girl."
Issei nodded. He mentally added the loony gymnast girl named Komachi into the list.
But wait… Ukyu?
"Don't you get along with Ukyu?" Issei interrupted with a question.
"Right now, yeah," Sanma replied. "But I know that because of some misunderstanding or because of the other girls, everything will go awry again. It has always been like that."
"How did she react to your double-date with Cat Fu and Nakane?" Issei asked this time.
"She doesn't even know about it," Sanma answered. "Or if she does, she never said a thing to me."
"Ok…" Issei nodded and Sanma continued.
"And then guys like Ryuga, Mouse and Takaki step in and try to fight me just so they can win those girls over. I fight them, but they never stop. They don't stop if I beat them or even the girls say no to them. It's like they're deaf or somethin'. And then my pop and Nakane's pop demand that I fulfill my duties in honor and martial arts, despite the fact that they're blatant hypocrites that run away from their troubles and dump it all on me. That and all the fights and then the cold shoulders from everyone… I… I'm tired of it all. I'm really tired… I just want it to end. Ya know?" Sanma said, his eyes being dull and hopeless.
Issei took it all in wordlessly, pondering what Sanma had said. Yes, Sanma had told him all his problems before, but Issei hadn't been too interested in his problems as much as he was pondering about the ups and downs of having a harem.
But this time, he was more concerned about the well-being of his friend. It was clearer than ever that Sanma was depressed and needed help. But these things couldn't be solved immediately. These things could only be solved over time.
Now, the question: Where was Sanma to begin?
Right now, his biggest conflicts were with the girls. The guys that had a grudge on Sanma followed his girl troubles. And then there was the problem with his family, which was always present in the background in that complicated love-web.
Obviously, the best place to start was with the girls. If he could solve the problem with the girls, then everything else would be solved, too. But the problem was that Sanma had to satisfy the needs of four girls, who wanted to get in his pants (to put it crudely). They couldn't take no for an answer and Sanma couldn't muster the courage to reject them either. Even if he did, Sanma's family and the girl's family in Nakane's and Cat Fu's case wouldn't allow him to break off their engagements. Cat Fu's case was even worse, since there was a whole tribe out to get if he made them angry. Come to think of it, wouldn't that be the most urgent issue?
And how does one even convince girls to give up on a guy anyway? Introduce them to other guys? The irony of it all… Issei and his buddies spent years agonizing how to win over girls and now he had to think on how to achieve the opposite.
Argh… All this thinking made Issei's head hurt! No wonder Sanma had a hard time getting out of this situation. It was just too complicated!
But slow down first… Calm down… sometimes the answer lay right before one's eyes. One just needed to think about it calmly…
And that's when Issei had an idea.
"Have you… ever considered talking to them?" Issei asked a rather banal question.
"Talk? Talk to whom?" Sanma asked Issei with a raised eyebrow.
"You know. The girls, the guys, your dad and maybe some others... Surely they can help out with whatever problems you have," Issei suggested.
"The girls don't even listen half of the time," Sanma snorted. "The same goes for everyone else. It's as I said, it's like they're deaf. They don't care about what I have to say. All they care is about is themselves."
Issei rubbed his forehead with hidden frustration. So much for that… What now?
Thankfully, Issei had an answer to that, even if it was even more banal than the first solution.
"Well, you can always talk to me at least," Issei simply said, his face reddening at how simplistic of a solution that was.
Sanma simply nodded. "Thanks. Very much appreciated," Sanma said, sounding quite tired.
Something about Sanma's tone left Issei wanting, like he wasn't convinced. If only Issei had a way to make it more convincing…
That's when Issei had an idea.
"Say, Sanma?" Issei called out to him.
"Yeah?" Sanma replied.
"I want to make a bet," Issei said as he stood up.
Sanma looked at Issei with confusion, but also with interest.
"A bet? What kinda bet?" Sanma asked, as he watched Issei take a position a bit further away from Sanma.
"Boosted Gear!" Issei cried out.
The Boosted Gear manifested itself on his left arm with a flash.
"What are ya doin'?" Sanma wondered, as he stood up.
"It's for the bet," Issei explained. "And here are the rules. I will stand here and only block. I'll only use Boosts to strengthen myself, while you try everything in your arsenal to take me down, whether by kicks, punches, throws or grapples. You can even use chi blasts if you want. If you manage to take me down within five minutes, you win."
Sanma stared at Issei for a bit and then he shook his head.
"Issei, I don't think ya should be doing it," Sanma told him. "If I go all out ya might get hurt."
"Don't worry about me," Issei said firmly, as he took a defensive boxing stance, his arms in front of his face. "Ddraig, can you call us when five minutes are up?"
[Sure, Partner, but… are you really sure?] Ddraig asked unsurely.
"Yes," Issei simply said.
Sanma approached Issei and took a stance.
"Fine! Don't regret this!" Sanma said and got ready to attack.
They readied both themselves as they both waited for Ddraig to give the go signal.
[Boost!] the Boosted Gear strengthened Issei.
[Go!]
Sanma dashed forward and threw a punch at Issei's face. Issei blocked the blow with his arms, but Sanma was not finished yet. Sanma grabbed Issei's arms, moved them aside and jumped with his knee first.
[Wham!]
Sanma's knee drove right into Issei's stomach, making Issei stumble backwards. However, Issei got right back into a defensive stance again.
"Not bad, but I'm still not down. That's not your best shot, is it?" Issei taunted Sanma.
Sanma smirked. "I hope ya really don't regret this, 'cuz…"
Sanma dashed forward.
"I always play to win!" Sanma yelled at Issei and launched a high kick against him.
[Boost!] Issei's body strengthened itself again.
The kick connected to Issei's arms, which were held in an x-formation. Issei defended against it perfectly.
Seeing that Issei wouldn't go down from brute force alone, Sanma tried something else. He launched a flurry of punches against Issei, some of which were blocked by Issei's arms. Other punches were aimed at Issei's sides, which connected occasionally, though even then Issei took them on with little or no indication of pain. Issei was determined not to go down.
Sanma finished his attack by quickly dashing to Issei's flanks and throwing a hard high kick to Issei's head. Issei was caught off guard by the blow, but he endured, nevertheless. He grunted and stumbled yet managed to stay on his feet.
[Boost!] Issei's body strength doubled itself for a third time.
"Pretty good…" Sanma remarked. "Let's one up this!"
Sanma dashed forward and threw a punch towards Issei. Issei instinctively raised his arms to block it. However, it turned out to be a feint. Sanma's real move was to grapple unto Issei and swipe at Issei's legs with his feet. Yet, Issei saw it coming. He bent his knees and planted his feet firmly on the ground. The leg swipe didn't work for as soon as Sanma's leg connected, Issei stood firm.
After some tussling and grappling in an attempt to make Issei fall, Sanma grabbed the back of Issei's head with his hands and tried to knee Issei in the stomach again. This time, Issei blocked the move by taking on the full impact of the knee kick with his arms.
[Boost!] Issei's body strengthened itself a fourth time.
Sanma backed off from Issei, now panting and sweating. Issei, on the other hand, looked like he had seen better days, yet remained calm and focused. Sanma saw the steel of determination in his eyes, like he couldn't afford to lose no matter what.
This made Sanma wonder. Why did he even make this challenge in the first place? First, there was all this talk about trust and talking to one another and now this? Sanma thought to think. Could this match possibly be a way for Issei to show his sincerity? Could this be a way for him to show that Sanma could rely on him no matter what?
"What are you standing around for? Have you given up just like you have given up on life?" Issei asked Sanma with a taunt.
Sanma could not help but feel irked by what Issei just said.
"Give up? No way in hell!" Sanma cried out and launched a flurry of kicks.
"I never give up! I always face my enemies head-on!" Sanma shouted even as he threw kick after kick at Issei, who bore it with patience. "It doesn't matter how difficult my opponent may be! I might run, I might hide, but I'll always finish it!"
Sanma dropped down and threw a kick at Issei's shin. Issei grunted in pain. Sanma may have been barefooted but it still hurt – a lot. Were all martial artists like that? Yet Issei managed to ignore the pain in order to stay standing.
"It doesn't matter how big the challenge or how troublesome my folks or my love problems bring!" Sanma backed away.
Sanma took a stance and cupped his hands together. Sparks of light began to manifest themselves in between Sanma's hands.
Issei widened his eyes. That was…
[He's readying a chi blast! Watch out, Partner!] Ddraig warned Issei.
"I'll never… GIVE UP MY MARTIAL ARTIST'S PRIDE!" Sanma screamed and fired his attack.
"MOKO TAKABISHA!" Sanma yelled with all that was in him.
[BOOM!] The blast hit Issei with full force, destroying the floor and raising a cloud of dust in the dojo.
After Sanma had calmed down, he realized in horror at what he had done.
"Oh, no… Did I just…?" Sanma thought to himself, fearing the worst.
Thankfully, the worst didn't happen.
"If you can say all that, then why *cough* *cough* were you acting all mopey earlier?" Issei called out from the cloud of dust, coughing all the while.
As the cloud of dust subsided, there stood Issei wearing the Dragon Scale Mail.
Sanma looked at Issei in shock.
"What the…?" he voiced incredulously at the sight of the Red Crimson armor protecting Issei.
"If you really don't feel like you have anyone to talk to, then why not talk to me?" Issei, the Red Dragon Emperor, asked of him.
Sanma stared at Issei wordlessly.
"Since you don't have any other way out of this mess, what other option have you got?" Issei asked of Sanma.
"I…" Sanma tried to say something but found himself tongue-tied.
"You can trust me. I'm the Sekiryuutei, the Red Dragon Emperor. Just like you, I never give up. When it comes to protecting those who I care about, I never give up. It doesn't matter what anybody throws at me or whoever wants to kill me, I'll never let myself be defeated," Issei said with determination.
Sanma looked at Issei in awe and wonder as he spoke.
"And just as you threw everything you got at me and couldn't bring me down; in the same way I'll help you with your problem. You can count on me. Always…" Issei said with confidence. "…I don't know how to solve your love dilemma for the moment, but we can work this out. You, me, Matsuda, Motohama, maybe even Ryuga – who knows? But let's do this together. Okay?"
Sanma stood there silent. He needed to take it in. Could he trust him with his problems? Obviously, Issei had proven himself over and over that he was a fighter. He never backed down no matter what enemy he came across and ended up victorious. Issei had always helped him and many others out; no matter what it took (the Hotel Incident was good evidence of that).
Maybe… just maybe… he could trust him with this…
[Five minutes are over. The winner is Issei] Ddraig informed Issei and Sanma about the time limit of the match and declaring Issei the winner.
Issei smiled within the armor. "Good… Thirty seconds with the Dragon Scale Mail Armor on… that's a record…" Issei remarked.
[But that's only because you weren't using Overboos- Partner?] Ddraig halted in the middle of his sentence, as Issei fell forward even as the Armor dismissed itself.
[Partner!] Ddraig called out.
Sanma ran forward to catch the now tired Issei.
"Ya managed to take it all head-on. Crazy guy… Ya keep surprisin' me," Sanma remarked.
"What should I say? I don't give up that easily," Issei remarked, as Sanma propped him up.
"Yeah, whatever… you were lucky I didn't throw everything I had at ya or ya would really lose," Sanma said and heaved Issei up.
"Huh?" Issei looked at Sanma in surprise. "You mean you were going easy on me?"
"Uhuh," Sanma replied. "But enough of that. Let's get ya treated…"
And so, the two boys left the dojo to get treatment for Issei's injuries.
9th of October, Friday, 5:55 pm – living room, Tengu residence, Nerima Ward, Tokyo
"Oh my," Kasumi said as she bandaged Issei's wounds. "You really look terrible with all those injuries."
"Yeah, I guess…" Issei remarked with a red face.
Currently, he was sitting on the sofa with Kasumi checking up on Issei's injuries.
After Sanma had brought Issei to Kasumi, Issei and Kasumi immediately went to the living room. Kasumi wanted to do the same with Sanma, but Sanma insisted that this wasn't necessary, saying only Issei had been injured. He left, saying he would be taking a run outside and won't be back until later. Issei wondered, given the conversation he had with him earlier, whether Sanma was using this as an opportunity to think of things over.
As for the match, Issei was quite sore from using the Dragon Scale Mail. It didn't cause him to have seizures, but it still stung a bit just using it. It was good to know at least that the Armor protected him from danger but Ddraig said he still had a long way to go.
But currently, there was another concern. The only ones left in the house were Issei and Kasumi, a beautiful woman. Issei couldn't help but feel nervous – and horny. What could he say? She just looked beautiful. The ideal woman… The perfect housewife who always took care of her family and never failed to show hospitality to strangers… That was the vibe he got from her…
Though hold it! Was that always so? No, if Issei remembered correctly, she resented staying in the Tengu residence doing nothing but chores and being a housewife. She even wanted to run away from home and live with him. That's what she told him back when they were on the run from the Stray Exorcists. So… did anything change since then?
"Umm… Tengu-san?" Issei spoke to her.
"Yes, Issei-kun?" Kasumi answered with a smile, while not interrupting her work. She was putting ointment on Issei's arm. It stung a bit, but Issei managed to bite down a yelp before continuing.
"I was wondering… How are things with you and your dad?" Issei asked her.
Kasumi looked a bit confused by the question. "It's fine, thank you very much. Why do you ask?" she wondered with a light tilt of the head.
This caused Issei to widen his eyes in surprise. "It's fine? Really? I mean a few weeks ago you were just so eager to leave the house. You even wanted to live with me, too. So, how did it go from abysmal to fine?"
Kasumi stopped smiling at this point. She sighed.
"Ever since that eventful day, yes, things weren't always fine between me and my father. It was awkward at first, but gradually we went back to normal again," Kasumi explained.
"What about leaving the house? Did you give up on that, too?" Issei asked next after massaging his chest a bit. "Ouch!"
"Oh, my! Does it hurt?" Kasumi asked as she checked up on his injury.
"No, it's fine, I…" Issei said, but Kasumi lifted his shirt to see his bare muscular chest.
"Tengu-san!?" Issei voiced incredulously, his head thinking of all kinds of perverted possibilities that were arising from this situation.
"That spot looks quite bruised," Kasumi remarked, looking at the reddened spot at the right side of Issei's chest near the armpit. "Take off your shirt."
The request sounded so inappropriate – just like all the many Hentai videos Issei had watched.
"No, really… it's fine…" Issei told her, not wanting to create a perverted situation with her.
"Issei-kun," Kasumi told him gently, but firmly. "Please."
Her words and the tone behind them felt like an order. Issei was reluctant, but he did as she said. He took off his shirt and revealed his nicely built body from plenty of workout. It felt quite embarrassing to be practically naked before her, but Kasumi was not fazed. Instead, she took the ointment and rubbed his skin gently with her fingers.
"Uuuuh! Ah!" Issei gasped in pain and surprise.
"Are you alright?" Kasumi asked worried, as she stopped moving her fingers.
"I'm fine, just… ah!" Issei let out another moan again, as she moved her fingers to spread the cream.
[Are you being pleasured by this?] Ddraig asked Issei crudely.
'Shut it, Ddraig!' Issei cursed his dragon Partner.
Issei felt uncomfortable from the pain and embarrassed from being touched. This was going to take a bit of time. What was he supposed to do in the meantime?
Perhaps, he should continue the conversation…
"Anyway, about leaving the house…" Issei started.
"My father and I haven't spoken about it honestly," Kasumi answered, as she put more ointment on her hands. "I still want to leave the house someday. I can't say that I want to stay a housewife forever."
"How long have you been doing this?" Issei asked her, as he steeled himself at the incoming pain.
"Ever since my mother died," Kasumi answered solemnly.
Her mother died? Come to think about it, she did tell him that before. That would explain why there was no other mother-type figure than her in the house. But wait…
"How long ago was that?" Issei dared to ask.
Kasumi was about to rub more ointment, but she stopped mid-action. She answered.
"It happened about ten years ago…" Kasumi said sadly, as she remembered her mother.
Issei looked at her with sympathy, but then she continued to massage his sore spot with more ointment.
'It hurts…' Issei winced but did his best to stay still.
"…ever since she died, my father hasn't been the same. He became sad and depressed. The dojo became empty because he could no longer teach the students. There were plenty of times where he would drink himself drunk in sorrow. It hurt really… to see our family break down like this…" Kasumi recalled the painful memories.
Issei listened with great interest on how the older girl dealt with her loss. It was strange, but Issei understood very well how she felt. His own parents died, leaving him alone. The pain of losing them was immense, like an unfillable hole in his heart. And to think she had to deal with this as a kid…
"From then on, for the sake of my family, I decided to take over her role as a caretaker for my family. I still went to school, but I would often spend most of my free time taking care of my younger sisters, Nakane and Hibiki – and of course my father. I did it all to maintain some sense of normalcy since my mother's passing. You could say this was our coping mechanism since that day," Kasumi reminisced.
'What!?' Issei thought in surprise. 'She did all that for ten years!?'
"And while I didn't mind doing it for all those years, over time, I watched my sisters grow. They were no longer the little girls that still cried for their mother but growing young women. And as they grew, I watched them make friends, pursue their hobbies and dreams, find love… and many other things a normal girl would do. While I did have a normal school life myself, I never took the time to enjoy my teenage years because I was so busy at home. Eventually, I felt something grow inside my heart and became… restless…" Kasumi explained, as she paused in her work.
Issei, now immersed in the conversation, relaxed his body and decided to lean back on the sofa.
"And then you met Yuda, right?" Issei asked, logically concluding that the two-faced Fallen Angel would be the one to fill the hole in her heart.
"Yuda?" Kasumi wondered. And then it dawned on her just who it was Issei was talking about. "Oh, right. That's Yona's real name. I forgot. Yes, he did all that. I met him while shopping for dinner one day about a month ago. We were waiting in line and as we did, we started a conversation and with it our relationship."
Kasumi's face became somber upon the memory of Yuda.
"He was so handsome and charming at the time, I… I fell in love with him. We went on dates and developed new feelings inside of me. At the same time, I felt the need to start a new life with him. In order to do that, I needed to leave my old one behind. Eventually, I persuaded Yona to visit my house. My father…" Kasumi paused at that part. "…didn't like Yona. My father and I argued and fought. My relationship with father became worse over time. Yet… I was determined to leave it all behind… one day I decided to leave the house… I'm sure you remember that unsightly scene…"
"Yeah, I know…" Issei said with a nod.
He knew what happened next. She shouted at her own father and made him cry like a baby. And then, that jerk of a boyfriend kidnapped her. Then, Issei got involved, rescued her and fought off the Fallen Angel and his lackeys in this house. All that happened just so he and his lackeys could start a brothel and an organized crime base.
Speaking of which, what was their goal in Tokyo anyway? Starting a crime ring was one thing, but why attack a hotel? All just for some bunker? What was in there? And what did those weird creatures from another world have to do with it? The more Issei thought about it, the more it hurt. Those Fallen Angels had too many goals at once, it was frustrating!
"Issei-kun? Are you alright?" Kasumi asked Issei. "Are you still hurt?"
Issei stopped grabbing his head in frustration and adjusted himself.
"I'm fine, just… had to think a little… that's all…" Issei answered.
Thinking about the Fallen Angels truly was a frustrating topic since he only knew so much about them. But Issei decided to put it aside for the moment. He was here to talk to Kasumi about her problems, not his own.
"But back on track, what are you going to do in the future? Are you going to remain a housewife like before?" Issei asked of her.
Kasumi put a finger to her face to think and looked away. She held that position for a moment, before looking at Issei.
"I think I'll continue this for a while. I will talk to my father about this eventually. But as for plans and dreams…" Kasumi drifted in thought. "When Yona was still around I just dreamed about becoming his wife and taking care of him for the rest of life. Now that that is out of the question, I'm not sure…"
"Do you have any dreams?" Issei asked Kasumi.
"Dreams?" Kasumi wondered.
"You know, dreams on what you want to do in life… dreams you want to become reality… even what kind of job you want to do later in life," Issei elaborated.
"I… I'm not sure…" Kasumi said with an unsure face.
Kasumi thought for a bit longer, while Issei waited for her patiently.
"I did have this dream once when I was younger," Kasumi finally answered.
"And what is it?" Issei asked Kasumi.
"Well, it's… I'm kind of embarrassed about it because it was a dream I had when I was six…" Kasumi admitted sheepishly, pulling the sleeve of her sweater sheepishly.
"Better than nothing. Let's hear it," Issei encouraged her.
"Well…" Kasumi started hesitantly. "When I was six, I wanted to become a ballerina…"
"Really?" Issei remarked with some fascination.
"Yes, when I was younger, I used to watch TV and there would be these beautiful women who could dance as if they were as light as a feather. I… always wanted to be like them. Unfortunately, ballet classes were far too expensive, so my mother bought some workout CDs for me. Thanks to them I was able to learn some ballet…" Kasumi explained, as she smiled fondly at her childhood memories. "…though what I learned was far from enough. My mother was no ballerina herself, yet she tried her best to give me the best ballet lessons. Learning ballet wasn't easy…"
"How come?" Issei wanted to know.
"Ballet not only requires good body coordination but also a lot of flexibility," Kasumi explained. "Ballet has strict rules on how to move or how to make poses. That was not easy to learn, but the challenging part was the stretching. Earlier you mentioned the splits, right?"
"Yeah, though that was in the context of martial arts. But what does that have to do with ballet?" Issei asked.
"The bare minimum of flexibility needed is to be able to do the splits," Kasumi revealed. "That was difficult for me to learn at the time."
"Oh…" Issei voiced in comprehension and a shudder. It truly must have been hard because of how painful it was. "And you… did you make it?"
"I did," Kasumi confirmed, as she looked at her legs. She bent down and rubbed her feet. "But there were plenty of times where I wanted to stop. My mother would spread my legs into the splits, which hurt a lot. I was cried so much from the pain that I almost gave up my dream within the first week. However, my mother told me at the time that to achieve beauty and grace, was to undergo through toil and sweat. In the end I made it. I could do the middle splits within a month."
"That sounds… pretty terrible…" Issei said as he cringed.
[This is going to be fun. I can't wait to see you cry. Hihihi…] Ddraig laughed in glee.
'Shut up! Don't say a word!' Issei silenced Ddraig.
"But unfortunately for me that wasn't the end of it. I had to do the splits with my right leg forward, then with my left leg…" Kasumi continued.
"Really? That, too?" Issei questioned.
Kasumi nodded.
"Even then it wasn't the end of it. I had to train my back. I had to do a backbend every day to enhance my back flexibility. Then, I had to do fold my body forward until I could my stomach pressed against my legs, while straight. Next, I had to lift up my leg as high as possible and hold it for as long as possible… I even had to train my toes… My mother didn't want to hurt me too much, so we took it slowly day by day," Kasumi described and Issei cringed with each description.
"And how long did all that take for you to learn?" Issei dared to ask, having a foreboding fear in his stomach.
"Six months," the former ballerina revealed. "And that also included learning the actual dance exercises. They were strenuous on their own."
"Six months…" Issei whispered with a pale face.
[The ideal torture] Ddraig said jokingly. [Seeing your crying face will be so fun.]
Issei simply clicked his tongue quietly at that and continued listening to Kasumi.
"The worst challenge of them all was to do the over-splits with my legs apart 270 degrees. It took me over a year and a half to learn it. I was crying so much every time my mother ranked up the intensity, but I never gave up. Every time I had to undergo it, my mother told me to think of something beautiful or sing a song that I liked. It helped," Kasumi remembered warmly at what got her through the tough times.
"Your mother was quite the woman, wasn't she?" Issei remarked, while praying – to whatever Deity, Devil, Spirit or Yokai – that Ddraig won't put him through an over-splits training.
Kasumi nodded.
"That's right. She was the best mother one could ever wish for. Even though my mother was no ballerina, she had a good idea about physical fitness and so did my father. I was able to avoid serious injuries as a result. When I was ten, my family had gotten enough money to pay for ballet classes for half a year. But then my mother turned ill…" Kasumi revealed.
"And you had to give up on your dream, right?" Issei deduced to which Kasumi nodded.
"Even though I wanted to become a ballet dancer so badly, my family came first. I was willing to sacrifice my dream so that my family could be happy, and I have never regretted it," Kasumi said with a gentle smile.
"So… so…" Issei stuttered in infatuation.
He couldn't say the words. Kasumi… that girl… she was so… beautiful… no not just that but also… virtuous and loyal. She was just so radiant. If her radiance were like light, Issei would be blind by now.
However, Issei still had a question.
"Are you still pursuing that dream?" he asked.
Kasumi shook her head. "I'm afraid not. It has been ten years since I last took ballet classes. Ballet dancers have to be scouted at a young age in order to become professionals. I'm too old now and my skills have gotten rather rusty."
"Hmm… that's too bad… Isn't there something? Anything?" Issei asked Kasumi.
She shook her head.
Issei sighed. That is a shame…
He could give Sanma something that could help him, so why couldn't he do that for her? Granted, Issei didn't solve Sanma's problem but that was something that needed time and long-term effort. Yet, as someone whom Issei had saved from a life-and-death situation, he had to help her to the end. He had been too deeply involved in her affairs to leave her like this.
Only… what could he tell her?
[While this matter is concerning, I think it is even more concerning to think that your body lacks frequent stretching exercises. I suggest we get to work soon on your flexibility with the splits…] Ddraig said, leading Issei to interrupt him.
"No way!" Issei shouted, startling Kasumi.
"Oh my! Issei-kun, you scared me!" Kasumi said as she recovered from the shock.
"Oh, I'm sorry… I… just had to empty my mind of a certain someone of doing extreme stretching exercises…" Issei apologized.
This piqued Kasumi's interest.
"Is it about doing the splits?" she asked.
"Unfortunately," Issei mumbled.
Seeing Issei's problem, Kasumi felt sorry for him. He was aspiring to learn martial arts and he had to deal with stretching exercises. They weren't easy, she understood that, and she wanted to help him.
That was when she had an idea.
"Why don't I teach you to do the splits?" Kasumi suggested.
Issei looked at her confused. "What? You? I thought you said you hadn't practiced in years."
Kasumi's face made a cheerful smile and nodded.
"That's true. I may not be able to remember all the different steps anymore," Kasumi admitted. "But I can still help you in learning the splits."
"Is that okay? I mean I'm learning martial arts and you're a ballerina… Heck, it might take away your time for other things…" Issei rambled for a while.
"It's not a problem. You can come whenever you want. I'm always willing to teach you. After all, I am still in debt to you for rescuing me…" Kasumi said as she blushed.
'Did she just…' Issei thought to himself upon seeing her blush. 'My goodness, I don't know if my ding-dong can take it…'
"I do have a condition before you start," Kasumi said, interrupting his daydream.
"A condition?" Issei asked, as he snapped back to reality.
"Yes, when you address me, don't call me sensei. Call me Kasumi," Issei's new teacher stated.
"Really!? Can I just call you that? I mean, shouldn't I at least call you, 'Kasumi-nee' or 'Kasumi-neechan'? You are older than me after all…" Issei said embarrassed at the thought of calling an older girl like that so casually. The only situation that would allow something like that was if they were particularly close. Were they that? It was only their second meeting.
"It's no problem. Besides, I'm only nineteen," Kasumi revealed.
'Nineteen? She's four years older than I am. So, it would be weird not to call her 'Nee-chan'… Wait, nineteen? She's actually younger than I expected!' Issei thought to himself in shock.
He originally thought that she was already in her mid-twenties by the way she behaved. She was still a teenager!?
Regardless, of all that. It was clear what his answer would be.
"I accept. I'll be in your care from now on, sensei," Issei bowed before her while seated.
Kasumi giggled at Issei's response. "Oh my, you don't have to be so formal… Ufufu…" she said with a laugh.
'Take this, Ddraig. If I must become more flexible, it won't be with you at least…' Issei shoved this fact at Ddraig, who was fuming.
[Womanizer. Pff…] Ddraig scoffed.
"Now, let me show you how it's done…" Kasumi said, as she stood up from the sofa.
She walked over to a place in the middle of the living room and removed her socked feet from her slippers. Kasumi took off her apron that she usually wore and then used her hands to slowly raise her skirt, bunching as much as she could in her hands.
"What are you doing?" Issei asked causing her to stop.
"I want to lift up my skirt. I don't want it to get in the way," Kasumi answered, as she continued.
"Lift up the WHAT!?" Issei yelled in surprise, becoming aroused.
"Don't worry, it won't go that high, just over the knees…" Kasumi assured Issei.
Kasumi positioned her right foot in front of her while shifting her weight on her back foot.
"Now, I hope I can still do it…" Kasumi said as she slowly slid her right leg forward.
Kasumi held onto the hems of her skirt all the while. Then her left leg slid backwards, as both her legs moved further and further apart, her body lowering itself until her pelvis touched the floor. She let her dress go and spread out her arms to the side, her legs now 180 degrees apart on the floor.
In other words, it was a perfect split. A basic physical position befitting of a ballerina.
"Wow…" Issei voiced amazed and applauded. "You're… incredible…"
"Thank you…" Kasumi said, as she got up from the floor and did a curtsey.
"Any higher and I would have seen her panties…" Issei mumbled to himself.
"You… want to see my panties?" Kasumi asked surprised.
Issei flinched in fright. "Did I say that out loud?" he asked her back in shock.
She didn't answer but the way she looked at him told him the answer to that. It was a look of surprise. Issei was wondering whether he ruined this moment. She turned her face away. And then her facial features softened, as she blushed.
"Do you want to see them… that badly?" Kasumi asked quietly.
Issei quickly denied it. "No! You don't have to show them if you don't want to…" he said, as he raised his hands defensively.
"It's alright," Kasumi whispered.
That caught Issei of guard.
"Pardon?" he voiced out.
"You can see it if you want. I mean… you are a hormonal teenager and… I do owe you for saving me from Yona and protecting my family from danger, so…" Kasumi said every word in a shy tone.
"You mean…" Issei spoke, hardly believing that she was saying yes.
She nodded. "And while I'm at it, I'll show you the splits while standing…"
Kasumi lifted her left leg up, while trying to balance herself. Once she found her balance, she grasped her foot. Then she made her bent leg straight and lifted it up with her left hand. With her right hand grabbing her ankle, she pulled her leg to make it point perfectly straight up. Her other leg was firmly on the ground with equal straightness. Her toes were now pointing up.
In other words, it was a perfect standing split, fitting for a ballerina.
Her skirt slid down her leg from the gravity revealing not only her long slender legs but also her white thigh high socks in full length. And lastly, her panties could also be seen. They were white cotton panties.
"Whoa!" Issei yelped upon seeing her talent and her panties. She truly was amazing but most importantly… she looked so sexy when doing it. Was this why Matsuda liked flexible girls? Seeing Kasumi right now, he could see where Matsuda was coming from. He was going to cry blood if he heard about this. If only she were to take off her sweater so that he could see her bra…
'Don't get ahead of yourself... What you have is good enough…' Issei thought to himself, as he started to salivate and enjoy the scene before him.
The gap between her thigh-long socks and her crotch was bewitching. Issei started intensely at her private part and her panties. Her panties weren't the sexiest, but they reflected her pure maiden-like behavior, while her body reflected the beauty and maturity of a woman… a sexy woman…
Kasumi, maintaining her balance on one leg, was blushing furiously.
"Is this to your liking?" Kasumi asked softly as she shifted her foot a little to adjust her balance.
"Yeah…" Issei said, as he started to drool. "You're really amazing, Kasumi…"
"It's nothing compared to when I was younger…" Kasumi said, as she pulled her leg even further and tilted her leg and her body about ten degrees sideways. However, she grimaced in pain from the pull and reverted to her 180-degree standing split. "I used to be able to do an over-split while doing this, I've gotten a bit rusty…"
Kasumi was very embarrassed by the situation. Normally, she would have never done this with any other man – not even her father. But when it came to Issei, she strangely didn't mind. Was it because she owed him a debt of gratitude? Or was it perhaps something else?
Was it love?
Was it because he rescued her that night that she fell in love with her? Was it his boyish looks and well-built frame? Was it maybe his heroic spirit that she fell for? Was it maybe that he had not only saved her from taking the wrong way but also helped her take the right one?
The more she thought about it, the beating of her heart quickened and not because of the physical activity she was doing.
"Please don't stare at my panties for so long... It's embarrassing…" Kasumi said, her face now completely red like a tomato.
"Sorry, I… I just can't resist…" Issei apologized but continued to stare at her and her panties.
By now Kasumi's body was getting wet, drops trickling down her entire body from the intensity of the exercise. Issei could see her exposed belly and waist from where he sat. They were perfectly slim like a model. Issei's horniness and libido intensified in arousal when he saw Kasumi's hip area and panties become wet.
"How long do I have to do this?" Kasumi asked of Issei, hoping it to end soon even as she kept her position.
"How long can you hold it?" Issei asked her in return, not even turning to face her, as he continued to stare at her panties.
How long? Come to think of it, she had been holding it for about twenty seconds now. That was longer than she had expected, and she probably could hold it for a minute if she wanted. It made her wonder if she could still practice ballet… maybe even restart her career…
That was when Issei stood up and came up close to her. They stood about two feet from each other. Both of them were blushing nervously and looking at each other with a deep sense of longing.
"Kasumi… can I…?" Issei wanted to ask her something.
Kasumi wanted to ask what it was, except…
"I'm back!"
"KYAH!" "Careful!"
Kasumi lost her balance and fell sideways. She almost hit the ground, had Issei not caught her in his arms.
"Are you alright?" Issei asked Kasumi in his arms.
"I'm alright…" Kasumi answered, as she calmed down.
Upon eye-contact they got lost in each other's eyes and were about to move in for a kiss when…
"Hey, where are ya… oh?"
Issei and Kasumi looked at the culprit interrupting their time together. It was Sanma, standing at the threshold of the living room and it looked like he was covered in sweat from his jog.
"Did I interrupt somethin'?" Sanma asked innocuously.
Kasumi didn't say a word and neither did Issei. They let go off each other and looked away embarrassed even as Sanma stared at them perplexed.
9th of October, Friday, 6:20 pm – in Sanma's bedroom, Tengu residence, Nerima Ward, Tokyo
'Damn it… DAMN IT! MY SEXY TIME IS RUINED!' Issei screamed internally.
"So, what was that all about? And is Kasumi alright?" Sanma asked Issei.
"She's… it's nothing," Issei answered him as little as possible. He didn't want to discuss this further.
Who could blame him? It was quite the perverted scenario for the onlooker. Thankfully, Sanma didn't realize this. Shortly thereafter, Kasumi excused herself, saying she had to prepare for dinner. With that, it was Issei and Sanma again.
After she departed, Issei also excused himself and rushed to the bathroom. He jerked off – for ten whole minutes – at the memory of the former ballerina showing off her skills along with her underwear in all her perfect womanish beauty.
Issei couldn't help but feel annoyed at his pig-tailed friend for ruining his time with Kasumi. Then again, he was there to see Sanma in the first place, so how could he be blamed? The only reason why Issei was with Kasumi was so that she could treat his injuries.
Right now, the two of them were in Sanma's room. Issei was sitting on a chair, while Sanma was sitting on his bed.
"Did Kasumi get ya fixed?" Sanma asked.
"Yeah…" Issei replied deflated.
All his arousal and hormones from before had been drained from him. Now, he was simply tired.
Then again, there was another reason why Issei came over to see Sanma.
"By the way, Sanma," Issei said.
"Hmm?" Sanma responded with the raise of an eyebrow.
"I wanted to talk to you about something," Issei continued.
"About what?" Sanma wanted to know.
"Remember the Metroid, the green jellyfish, that Shinyama had shown us earlier?" Issei asked.
Sanma had to think a bit before answering. "Yeah, I do. What about it?" Sanma asked.
"Shinyama gave me a mission. He told me there were reports on the media of ash-gray landscapes and dead creatures that would disintegrate upon touch in the forests outside of Tokyo. And so, Shinyama told me to catch it," Issei said, as he leaned back on the chair.
"Okay, but what does this have to do with me?" Sanma asked Issei.
"Well, the reason I asked you is because he told me to ask you to help. I needed a partner to do this anyway... you're from around here and since we are friends and all…" Issei left the sentence hanging, hoping Sanma could understand what he trying to get at.
"Well, I do know the forests. I trained there with my pop from time to time. But why are ya not ask your two bros or Ryuga?" Sanma questioned, as he rested his head on his arm.
"Because Shinyama asked them to do another mission," Issei answered.
Sanma sighed. "Who does this guy think he is? Our boss? Why can't he do it himself? I'm not his slave…"
"Yeah, about that…" Issei said, as he became nervous for some reason.
"Remember how quickly he repaired the house after the Fallen Angels attacked?" Issei asked of Sanma.
"Yeah, I do. That guy is quite something for doing it within a few hours. I wouldn't even want to imagine living out in the ruins of a broken-down house. Yeah, so?" Sanma asked, not understanding what Issei was getting at.
"He told me to tell you that if you don't take the job, he will force the Tengu family to pay the bill for the repairs…" Issei said sheepishly.
"WHAT!?" Sanma screamed in outrage. He proceeded to jump up from the bed and grab Issei by his shirt.
"Whaddya mean by that!?" Sanma demanded from Issei, who was now scared witless.
"Calm down! That was his idea, not mine…" Issei replied, as he squirmed in his grip. "Apparently, he made a repair bill of some sort after he the Fallen Angel incident. Mr. Tengu apparently signed some kind of contract about the repairs to the house. Shinyama told me that if you didn't accept the job, he would send the bill to your house and…"
Just then, Sanma's smartphone made a sound. Sanma let go off Issei to check what it was about.
It turned out it was an email. And in it was an email with an attachment of the contract about the repairs to the Tengu dojo. The one who sent it was – you guessed it – Shinyama Hide.
Sanma tossed the phone on the bed in a fury. Issei backed off in case Sanma were to explode. But thankfully, Sanma calmed down after that. He turned to Issei with a look that meant business.
"And what does he want me to do?" Sanma said, barely controlling his anger.
Issei gulped and answered. "Umm… just to help me catch that Metroid…"
"Is that all?" Sanma asked in a terse tone.
"Well, he told me that he has a total of three missions he wants you to go. But for now, it's just this one and once you finished all three of those missions, he'll consider the repairs paid," Issei told him, relaying the landlord's words.
"This guy…" Sanma fumed and did his best to calm down… which he did in the end.
"Fine, but I hope that's it. Tell that guy that I hope he keeps his promise. Got it?" Sanma asked of Issei.
"Affirmative," Issei answered and nodded.
"Good…" Sanma relaxed after saying that. "When do we start?"
"Well… at about…" Issei told him the time of the mission.
Outside the house in the neighborhood, it was all peaceful and quiet…
"WHAT!?"
…until a certain angry martial artist erupted in a fury.
9thof October, Friday, 6:33 pm – in the courtyard of the Tengu residence, Nerima Ward, Tokyo
"Are you sure you won't stay for dinner?" Kasumi asked Issei.
"Yes, I still have to make my own dinner back home. Sorry, I can't stay," Issei replied.
Issei was about to go home with Kasumi sending him off. Sanma, on the other hand, was absent due to reasons of anger management issues and taking off steam in the dojo.
But Issei was not concerned about him. Instead, his eyes were focused on the teenage woman before him and the same went for her as well.
"Tengu-sa-" Issei wanted to say.
"Kasumi," she corrected him.
"Sorry… Kasumi…" Issei addressed her correctly. "…if you want you can just call me Issei…"
"I see… Issei…" Kasumi said Issei's name with a smile.
Both of them looked at each other with tender gazes.
"Say… can I ask you something?" Issei asked her.
"Of course," Kasumi replied.
"Can I… visit you whenever I want?" Issei asked.
Kasumi smiled sweetly and nodded.
"Of course. If you want me to teach you how to be more flexible, you can always come to me," Kasumi said. "Of course, the next time I won't be wearing a skirt and panties but proper exercising clothes."
"Yeah, you should I guess…" Issei rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Can we… exchange contacts?"
"I… sure…" Kasumi replied with a blush. "Wait right here, I'll get my smartphone."
Kasumi rushed in, leading Issei alone to think.
"Exchanging phone numbers already… It's like we're a couple already…" Issei thought about it, as he looked up into the sky.
The sun was setting, and the stars were appearing.
Then the memories of someone dear came to his mind.
"Sayori…" Issei whispered her name. "It's just like then, isn't it?"
"Ise…" Sayori's voice echoed in his mind.
Issei took in the evening air with his eyes closed, simply taking it all in.
"I found it. Sorry, to keep you waiting but it takes time to take off and then put on my boots," Kasumi came and brought out her smartphone.
Issei focused his attention back to her.
"Yeah, give it to me," Issei said and took her smartphone and gave it to her.
"Where is yours?" Kasumi asked.
"Mines is here," Issei pointed at his watch. "Tell me your number and I'll key it in."
Kasumi told him her number and Issei keyed it in.
"There, now we're done," Issei said to her.
"Yes… I guess I'll see you some other time, right?" Kasumi asked.
"Yup…" Issei answered and was about to leave when something else came to mind. "Say… umm…"
"Is something the matter?" Kasumi wondered.
"Say… you and I… what are we?" Issei asked of her. "Are we friends or…"
Kasumi was confused for a moment but then she understood what he was trying to ask. She walked up to him and looked him in the eyes.
The words she said next would hit Issei hard.
"Issei… although I like you, I… I don't think the time is right…" Kasumi told him.
"I see… I figured you would like older guys…" Issei said, his heart filled with sadness upon hearing her answer. He was about to leave but Kasumi had more to say.
"Wait! How old are you now, Issei?" Kasumi quickly asked of him.
"Me? I'm fifteen. I'll be sixteen on the 16th of April next year. Why?" Issei asked of her, his despondence turning to confusion at her question.
"I see, so you're about four years younger than me… My birthday is on the 14th of May so that means I'll be 21 years old by the time you turn eighteen…" Kasumi deduced.
"What's your point?" Issei wondered.
"I'm saying that for now, we should just be student and teacher, maybe even friends... for now… But when you reach eighteen…" Kasumi looked at him with tenderly and lovingly, her eyes shimmering.
Issei's heart skipped a beat and hope was building within him. Did she just…?
"You mean… you're willing to wait for me?" Issei asked of her, as he drew near.
Kasumi nodded. Her smile was enchanting and drew him in.
"Are you sure? I mean… I did ogle at your panties and I can be quite perverted…" Issei told her.
"Yes…" Kasumi acknowledged, as she drew nearer. "…but you're also everything I want in a man…"
Issei didn't say a word. He immediately hugged her and wrapped his arms around her slender body.
Kasumi, though caught by surprise at first, quickly returned his hug with a hug of her own. They remained there for who knows how long, enjoying the closeness of the other for what felt like an eternity.
End of Flashback – 10thof October, Saturday, 3:54 am – somewhere in the forests of the outskirts of Tokyo
"Kasumi…" Issei whispered her name.
The memory still felt fresh on the day.
It didn't matter if he and Sanma had to wake up this early in the morning to do the mission (Sanma minded but that was a topic for another time). What Issei had on his mind was nothing but the warmest of feelings. Issei looked up to the sky with all its starry host. In his mind's eye, there was Sayori, looking down at him and smiling.
"This is what you wanted. Wasn't it, Sayori? You wanted me to move on and experience love and joy, right?" Issei asked the figment of his first love.
Her image disappeared from the sky, as Ddraig interrupted him.
[As much as I hate to disturb your… nightdreaming… you need to stay focused, Partner. Otherwise, you'll end up dead] Ddraig told Issei.
"Yeah, sure…" Issei answered and focused on his mission.
He walked through the tall grass, listening for the faintest of clues. It was then that Issei stopped. He saw a dead carcass of a bird. He touched it carefully and it disintegrated into dust. He immediately called Sanma.
"I found a trail. It's here somewhere…" Issei informed Sanma.
"Nice!" Sanma exclaimed. "We can get this job wrapped up and go home, eh?"
"Yeah, though we still have to catch it," Issei reminded him.
"Yeah, be careful though," Sanma finished the call and hung up.
Issei followed the trail, going deeper and deeper into the darkness of the night.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the vastness of the forest, the sound of chirping was heard. The Metroid had just finished to devour a wasp's nest and some squirrels before moving on to its next target.
What was noticeable was that it had grown bigger from the time it had hatched and thus more threatening…
And that was Chapter 41 of the Lone Vigilante Issei.
Wow… another long one… I was only planning on making this one about Sanma and Issei and how they ended up doing the above-mentioned mission. However, I ended up adding more and more content until it became as long as it did.
Now, about this chapter.
The new arc is going to be about Issei and Sanma catching the Metroid – for now. But before I delved into the arc proper, I wanted to deal with some loose ends I introduced in the past chapters, such as with Sanma's complicated relationship complex that is clearly taking a toll on him. One can only deal with so many girl problems.
Sanma – like his original counterpart Ranma – was a character with never-ending problems in that department. What was missing was a character that understood his problems and empathized with him. That's where Issei steps in. Issei is not only a hero that helps people in physical need but mental need as well.
The fight scene was meant to prove Issei's determination to help Sanma and showcase his abilities with the Scale Mail Armor.
The meat of the chapter (and that really surprised) was the conversation between Issei and Kasumi. That was where I put the most effort and heart into it. For one, I wanted to deal with the aftermath of the Fallen Angel incident at the end of chapter 33 with this character, which I didn't do properly.
Another reason was that I consider Kasumi Tengu as a potential love-interest for Issei. Now, some might not like my decision to make an OC as one of the main love interests, but I think that when a character is fleshed out and well-written, she ought to have a chance. As for the other girls from the other story, who knows? Maybe I'll deal with them later.
The third reason for Issei's and Kasumi's conversation was to flesh out her character and give her more of a backstory.
The fourth reason was to have Ddraig troll Issei some more with his already torture-like training regime. I forgot about including stretching into his training regime.
And lastly, I wrote what I wrote because there are two things missing in a fanfiction about High School DxD.
And that is: Issei being a massive pervert and fan-service.
Granted, I did write about Issei's perverted behavior before and threw in some fan-service, too. But other than that, I realized Issei was too much of an upright gentleman in this story when the original Issei clearly was not. So, I made him indulge himself with this originally written fan-service chapter about flexibility. That and I have a thing for ballet dancers and stretching…
Now, I should mention. One of the things I hated in the original canon story was how it shoves in too much fan-service and makes Issei indulge into too much of his sexual urges. Over time it got really annoying (and Issei never ended up having sex either) or unbearable. The best way how to carry out fan-service is to do it in moderation, like I just did. Otherwise, it distracts from the story, wearies the reader and makes the story completely stupid (especially when it's made into the driving point of the story, e. g. the Switch Princess).
But enough of my rambling about the original story.
As for the part where I apparently blackmailed Sanma…
Hey, don't look at me! I didn't have much of choice!
Sure, he may be friends with the Perverted Quartet but even I don't trust him to be there for them. And right now, he is needed for this mission.
And what about Ryuga, Matsuda and Motohama? Find out next time. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, what did you think about this chapter? I would like to hear from you.
And as always be sure to read and review.
Until then.
Hide Shinyama