I don't own anything. All characters and all rights belong to Ichiei Ishibumi*
M for mature topics. No children allowed. *
The Broken Boosted Gear
By Try Another Time
Great Red was analyzing him with interest. Now, he knew the backstory behind Ddraig's new freedom; it seemed all thanks to Albion, and he enjoyed every second of it. Ddraig's rival had given him the keys to freedom, but he didn't know it yet. He had many hopes for Ddraig newest vessel, but even he needed help figuring out the current situation. "So, tell me once more, who is in control here? Is it you, Ddraig? Or is it the child who is in control?"
"Both. Right now, it is me who is in control, but we can switch or take control at the same time. We are in synchronization, and the process is not over, but I hope that one day both will finally become one entity. We shared memories and emotions right now, but Issei's soul is still too young to match my own." Ddraig said as he stood up in front of the apocalypse dragon.
"So, you choose a partnership with him? I thought you would take over the body. Now is a perfect vessel, and nobody here is stopping you from doing it. What made you choose this option?" Tiamat asks.
"I never said that I was going to steal his body. He is the latest host of the booster gear. He didn't choose this for himself, nor did he ask for a giant flying lizard to take residence on his body. I have been the cause of many of my previous hosts' madness and destruction; he is my final one. I wasn't going to eliminate him or erase him from existence just because I wanted his body. From now on, we are two entities working in harmony, but one day, we will be one single dragon." Ddraig explained.
Great Red laughs after hearing this; the whole affair was far from what he expected to happen. "You have changed. All of those hosts had their toll on you. So, what are your plans now? I want to know what the great Welsh Dragon will do now. Are you going to look for Albion and his current host? Is a new war going to start?" Great Red wanted to see what Ddraig would do now that he was free. He knew he was far stronger now than back in his previous body, especially after receiving his and Ophis' gifts.
"Japan. Issei wants to look for his parent's graves, and after that, I have some business that I need to take care of before I do anything else. I won't fight Albion, not now nor in the future. I'm not going to continue with our rivalry. The endless fights and destruction of multiple hosts have become unbearable to me. War is also not in my plans. I know that conflicts might come to me even if I don't want them, but I'm not going to attack heaven or the underworld to start a new war. I don't need to prove my strength or challenge nobody." Ddraig lifts his right arm, and a deep crimson flame starts to come out of it. "But if someone tries to fight me, they will pay the highest price."
Tiamat and Great Red were amazed after seeing those flames again. The crimson fire could consume gods and will never die out until his enemies disappear. Ddraig was indeed back and didn't seem willing to offer mercy to his enemies.
"Good, but not enough, Ddraig. I need you and that child to grow far stronger. I'm telling you now, your debt to me is not something you can't easily pay. Get allies and grow even stronger Two-Headed Red Dragon of Chaos. That is your new title, so don't forget it because I'm the one blessing you with it. Now fly and keep growing stronger, my reckless child. Until the day that I require your assistance, keep growing." Great Red says before he begins to leave. "Tiamat, your debt to me is settled. You're free to go."
Both dragons watch as Great Red disappears into the vastness of his territory.
Ddraig stood in silence as he reflected after hearing Great Red's words. "Partner, it seems our future will be even more troublesome than we thought."
"We knew that this was going to happen. You asked Great Red for help, and we'll have to pay the price one day. Nothing more and nothing less. We still need to talk to Tiamat." Issei replied.
Ddraig turns towards Tiamat. It had been a long time since the two of them met. He knew this would happen, so he took a deep breath before talking. "Sorry. I know I will never replace those objects, but I'm willing to pay any price. If you give me some time, I might be able to get you some other items as initial compensation."
Tiamat stays quiet. She was thinking about how to approach this issue. Those items were irreplaceable to her, but she had allowed him to borrow them because they used to be friends, and she had a crush on him back then. It was quite a massive crush on the wild and careless Red Dragon Emperor, and now he was willing to pay any price. Maybe it was due to the long wait, her lack of any mate, or the previous suggestion of Great Red, but she went ahead and said. "I want you. I know that I might not be the only one, but I want you as my mate. I want a child with you. A child is not replaceable and has no price tag. I want one with you, the Welsh Dragon." She said just like that.
Everything went silent. Ddraig and Issei were in shock. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. Tiamat, one of the dragon kings, had asked them for a child. Ddraig had no interest in relationships since he came into existence, and Issei was still a child, although one with the memories of many adults. He had absorbed all those husks into himself during the two years they were inside the egg, but he was still eight. "You want us to become parents?" Asks the fused voice of Issei and Ddraig. "We're still a child."
"No, you're not. That appearance of a child is not your real self. You're a dragon, quite the massive one. You two are almost one entity, and you said you would fuse into one at some point. You are Ddraig and Issei, The Two-Headed Red Dragon of Chaos, so take responsibility and stop escaping from me. I have been chasing after you for several centuries, and now is my chance, so don't give me more excuses. I'm tired of waiting and tired of the chase. You can take a thousand more mates, but as long as I'm the first and number one, I don't care." Tiamat says before she transforms into her humanoid form. She then lunges forward before she grabs him and forces a kiss between each other. She had waited centuries for this stupid hot-headed lizard with wings, and now that he had gained a body. He was also more mature and seemed stronger than before; she wouldn't let him escape.
She was rash and seemed very inexperienced with her kiss, but something special was behind it. Her feelings towards Ddraig were transmitted to the pair through that single kiss.
Ddraig and Issei didn't move or back away. Instead, the pair seemed frozen in place. A thousand emotions and thoughts were going through their minds.
The kiss continued for a few more moments until Tiamat let go of them. Her eyes didn't move away from the sight before her.
The Welsh Dragon was immobile and silent. His eyes turned lighter, and before long, he began to talk. "He shut down," Issei said.
"What?" Tiamat asks.
"He is still coming to terms with your confession. He doesn't want to talk to you for at least now, but he says he accepts. I'm still unsure of this. I don't know you personally, although he and I shared memories. No matter what you say, I'm still a child, so I ask for some cooperation. We can be mates, but I can't become a parent without knowing you, so I ask for a period for us to get to know each other. Ddraig says that this would be the best for us." Issei says as he bows to her and awaits her answer.
Tiamat stays quiet and reflects on this. She had waited for him this long, and now he had him, but Issei was also in the mix. She didn't consider him and made her declaration without caring about his opinion. "Why are we so impulsive as a species?" She asked herself as she realized the mess she had created. "Issei, right?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry for all of this. I was too impulsive."
"Yes, you were."
"How long do you want us to get to know each other?"
"I'm eight, but at least three years of getting to know each other might work for us. None of this is normal, but I must adapt and stop thinking like a human. If you give me three years to get to know each other, we can make this work. Ddraig might also need that time. He has zero experience with romantic emotions, although he has seen many things through the previous hosts' eyes. He says that he doesn't find you distasteful or unattractive, but he has never thought about any kind of relationship before. Back then, it was far from possible for him, and he knew it. Fighting Albion and being strong was far more important than having a mate."
"Got it. Ddraig was far too violent and destructive for females other than me to approach him easily. So, three years of being 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend'?"
"That's the plan, and about those other mates. Do you think we will fall into that kind of relationship?"
"Issei, you're a dragon and one of the strongest. You will surely find other females for whom you might develop feelings, and trust me is bound to happen. Your instincts will tell you to make them yours once they kick in, and that will surely happen unless you gain control over them. Tannin is a dragon that lives in the underworld and has many mates. He has a clan full of his children with different females. It is part of males' nature and is not uncommon in the supernatural world for it to happen. Devils do it quite often, and dragons aren't that different." Tiamat says before she approaches Issei and hugs him. "Thank you for not denying my wish. I hate both of you for what you did, but I've been waiting far too long for this." She says before she bites his neck. The injury isn't significant, but blood still comes out.
Issei twitches a little and feels a burning sensation throughout his whole body.
"Now, do the same to me. This action is how we mark each other as mates." Tiamat says after she releases him. She licks the blood from her lips and shows her neck to him.
Issei feels a driving force pushing him to do it. His eyes grow wide and more draconic. His teeth moved to attack her neck. He is a beast enthralled by the hunt; he bites her more and falls deeper into his draconic desires.
"Do it. Make Tiamat yours." The voices of the husks were like the small devil pushing people into doing evil deeds.
Tiamat moans after feeling his teeth sinking into her flesh. Her body rejoices after feeling that he is finally hers. She smiles after he releases her. She watches as he cleans the blood off his lips. "Good. Remember to keep those instincts in check when you control your body. Your emotions can be a brutal force driving you into unpleasant situations. Now follow me."
Issei sees how she opens a rift in space. "Where are we going?"
"Underworld. You need clothes, especially if you want to go to the human world. I don't think armor and a naked torso are adequate for someone to walk around the human world." Tiamat says before she grabs his hand. "Let's go."
Issei nods and follows her. The warmth of her hand was a welcoming sensation, and the former human couldn't help but smile again.
Back in the Underworld.
The devil world was relatively peaceful that day until Lilith's citizens fell under that immense presence. Demons all around turned their sights toward where Tiamat and Issei had appeared.
"A child?"
"How is that child so strong?"
"This can't be real."
The voices of the devils' present reach Issei's ears. He had forgotten to hide his power.
"Issei, hide it now! We don't want to start a fight with whoever is in power." Ddraig advised his partner.
Issei did as told. The flaming aura surrounding him decreased and almost disappeared, reducing the area's tension just a little bit.
"Follow me and ignore them. They will relax after some time." Tiamat said.
Issei nodded before following Tiamat around. The buildings, sky, and atmosphere felt different from the human world. Devils looked similar to humans, but their wings, tails, horns, and other minor physical characteristics ensured that he never confused the two; although not many devils possessed tails or horns, they were still devils.
"Here we are," Tiamat said as they stopped in front of a clothes store. "I'm paying, so I can choose what you will wear."
Issei didn't object to it. "I trust you with it."
Time went by pretty quickly. Tiamat had fun as she chose many different styles of clothes for him. Suits, jackets, shirts, and many other clothing articles were bought for the Welsh Dragon.
"Use this chance, Tia. He looks way too good like this. He is cute enough to rock almost any style." Tiamat told herself with a cheeky grin on her face.
Now Issei was wearing a nice black business suit and a red long-sleeve shirt. "Nice choice." Instead of Issei, it was now Ddraig who was talking.
"So, you finally decide to talk. I thought Issei would accompany me for the rest of the day. I bought it for him because he looked cute in it." Tiamat said with a hint of anger in her voice.
Ddraig sights. "Tia, this is not easy for me. I have zero experience with love affairs."
"Neither do I. Do you think I had one-night stands throughout all these centuries? I'm freaking Tiamat, The Chaos Karma Dragon. I don't sleep around with any cute male that comes around. I had my eyes on you since the beginning, and no one else has taken that place. I hate you so much, but at the same time, I waited for you, and now you're hiding behind Issei instead of talking to me." A flaming blue aura surrounds her body.
"I'm sorry for not considering your feelings for all of this time. I also found you attractive back then, but my mind wasn't interested in any of it. Just don't attack me and try to rip my head off. We can work through this and make it work, but you have to give me time." Ddraig pleads.
Tiamat looks at him and thinks for a second before cooling down. "You better not run or hide behind Issei. You know what I can do to you even if you're stronger than me."
"I know, and I won't run away; just don't get physical. Issei shares all the pain with me, and I prefer evading that if it's unnecessary." Ddraig says after seeing that he evaded a landmine. "Now I think we should focus on those devils outside the store. I can feel their anxiousness and fear."
"It was bound to happen. At least the group is being cordial enough to wait until we were done with our shopping. Do you want me to save the clothes in my pocket dimension?"
"No, I have my own." Ddraig looks at the bags of clothes and makes them disappear instantly. "Now, let's see who the new person is in charge of this city."
"That would be Sirzechs Lucifer. After the previous hosts of the boosted and dividing gear died, many events occurred. There was a civil war in the underworld. The old satan faction and the anti-satan faction clashed against each other, and in the end, Sirzechs and his allies won. He and Ajuka Astaroth are the most known figures in the underworld. I work for Ajuka at the moment." Tiamat explains.
"Sirzechs as in Sirzechs Gremory? I never thought the kid would finally have it in him to kill the old farts. Well, let's see what he looks like now." Ddraig says as he moves towards the door.
The store owner, who was shivering through all of this, bows to her customers, Tiamat smiles at the devil and drops a bag of money on the table closest to her.
"Thank you for the clothes. I enjoyed the selection you offered." Tiamat says before following her mate.
POV: Sirzechs.
He was calm, but those around him were a mess. He heard the rumors and even felt the surge in power when they arrived at the city, but he still couldn't believe it. "Ajuka, if everything goes to hell, please take care of my family."
"Sirzechs, what are you saying?" Ajuka replied.
"We both know I'm the one that can prevent the most damage even if I get killed at the end. I hope Rias can forgive me and Grayfia can find happiness after I'm gone." Sirzechs says.
"Oh, you- "But the doors opened before Ajuka could say something else.
Ajuka, Sirzechs, and all the other devil soldiers accompanying them turn their sights toward the pair. They knew Tiamat very well, but her partner was a completely different case.
"Ajuka, Sirzechs, how are you doing?" Tiamat asks.
"Tiamat, who is he?" Ajuka asks, completely ignoring her question.
"I don't think we should discuss my identity in the middle of the streets. But, Sirzechs, I believe we can talk in a more peaceful place. I expect better treatment for someone who is the bright star of the Gremory family." Ddraig says.
"That voice… no... is impossible... but how?" Sirzechs asked after remembering that voice. He had met him once many years ago while the previous Red Dragon Emperor was still alive.
"Sirzechs, relax. We can talk about it once we are in a more private place." Ddraig said as he approached the current satans. "Don't worry; I will not attack or do anything against you, so just guide us to a more private place."
Sirzechs sighs. "Lower your weapons; this being is an acquaintance of mine."
Ajuka looks surprised at this but says nothing against it.
Sometime later, Gremory's residence.
Ddraig sat at a table alongside Tiamat, Ajuka, Sirzechs, Grayfia, Zeoticus Gremory, and Venelana Gremory. The tensions were still high, but not one of the devils was willing to move a finger.
"Ajuka, Grayfia, mom and dad, this person is Ddraig, the Welsh Dragon in the flesh," Sirzechs says after being unable to endure the tension for longer.
The shock on the faces of those present was less than unexpected, and their fears only increased.
"But how? None of this should be possible. You're supposed to be inside the boosted gear." Ajuka says.
"Indeed, I was, but that is the past. Please relax; I'm not going to attack any of you. Yes, I'm free from the boosted gear, but that doesn't mean I will start blasting attacks all around." Ddraig says.
But nobody truly believes it. It took an alliance of gods, devils, and fallen angels to kill him once. They didn't have the same resources to do it again, and the situation between the factions could have been better, but it wasn't.
Tiamat sees their faces and decides to interfere. "Ddraig, bring Issei out. It might be better for him to talk for the both of you."
"Sure," Ddraig says before he changes places with Issei. "Hello, members of the Gremory family and Ajuka-san. My name is Issei Welsh; I'm the original owner of this body."
"Wait, what? How? When?" Asks Sirzechs after hearing the change in tone.
"If all of you give some of your time, I will give you the answers you want. So please pay attention to my story." Issei said before he began to tell them his story.
A short time after Issie's story.
"So, you were human?" Zeoticus asks.
"Yes," Issei replies.
"And you are sharing a body with Ddraig?" Venelana continues.
"That is the case, although we're trying to become one single being in the future." Issei continues.
"Are you fine with that?" Ajuka asks.
"My body was burned alive; I prayed for salvation, and Ddraig saved me. I lost my family and my humanity and have nothing else except for him. Sharing a body with him is not something I dislike, nor do I worry about becoming one being with him. I lost far too much, and I can't go back. What's done can't be reversed." Issei explains with a somber tone.
Tiamat grabs his hand as a sign of support, and the other watches the interaction with curiosity.
"What about the booster gear? Do you have it? Or was it destroyed?" Grayfia asks. After hearing the story, she had curiosity regarding the sacred gear and its final fate.
"We absorbed it. Right now, it is no longer what it initially was. It can't even be considered sacred gear after what we did with it. Its remains had become part of this body." Issei focuses for a second before some kind of gauntlet covers his left arm. It was very different from the usual booster gear armor; this one was red and black with golden jewels. His fingers were sharp like knives.
Ajuka and Sirzechs watched the gauntlet with total surprise. The aura that emanated from the arm was strong; neither of them wanted to receive any attack from that arm.
Issei focuses once more, and the gauntlet disappears.
"So, no more humans having the boosted gear? That surely has heaven in complete chaos. Who else knows about your freedom Welsh Dragon?" Ajuka asks.
"Ophis, Great Red, and Tiamat are the only ones that know about it. I have been trapped within an egg for the past two years, and as you might expect, Tiamat was protecting it. I don't think someone else knows about it, but I can't be 100% sure." Issei admits.
"We can expect that the heavens at least know. The fallen angels might lack this information." Sirzechs says. "What are your plans now? You are free from the boosted gear, and it doesn't seem you possess any alliances. Are you open to starting a treaty with us?"
Issei stays quiet before he responds. "I want to return to the human world. Kuoh town is my home, and at least I want to find the remains of my parents. Ddraig has other places he wants to visit as well. For now, I can agree to have a relationship of no aggression between each other but nothing else, at least for now."
"You know that Kuoh town is part of our territory. If you need help finding their tomb or getting your last house back, we can help you without any additional conditions," Sirzechs says.
"Not a single one?" Issei asks. He was analyzing all of Sirzechs actions and words for any possible lies.
"None; just accepting a treaty of non-aggression with us is enough. I know that Ddraig can cause more deaths than I could ever imagine, and not having you as an enemy is a big step. I can even offer you a room within this house until you're ready to leave for the human world." Sirzechs says before extending a hand toward Issei. "Do I have your word?"
Issei looks at him for a few moments before closing the treaty with Sirzechs. "You can trust us. We will not attack the devil's faction or its members."
The other devils present sight in relief after hearing this. A heavenly dragon wasn't an enemy they wanted to have, especially now that he was free to do as he pleased.
Ajuka and Sirzechs also knew that if they played their cards right, they could gain an ally instead of an enemy.
Tiamat was happy that the current satans were smart enough not to provoke Ddraig and chose a peaceful approach with him. If they decided to attack him, she would fight with Ddraig regardless of her association with Ajuka.
The reunion was going well, but a certain red-headed girl entered the room catching everyone by surprise.
"Rias? What are you doing here? This is a private meeting, Rias." Zeoticus asked after seeing his youngest daughter.
"Sorry, I just-" Before Rias could say another word, her body froze after seeing him.
His green eyes were so scary but, at the same time, so appealing to her. She feared his presence, but it also called her to approach him. Her heart stopped for a second, and she felt she couldn't move her eyes away from him. "Who are you?" She asked with difficulty.
His face told her about the deep sadness he had to endure, but that small smile towards her was enough to capture her attention. "Issei is my name."
That was the first time they met, and it became the beginning of something she couldn't let go of for the rest of her life.