Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

AN: There's a LONG story to this. But I'm not a fan of long author notes. This will literally be the only one in the first five chapters of this thing.

I just wanted to try something different.

Enjoy.

"You…disgust me." The brunette didn't move to dodge the spear of light soaring towards his chest. He knew he didn't need to. A red gauntleted hand took hold of the head of the no doubt deadly weapon without issue before its hand clenched shut and shattered it into far less threatening shards of light.

"W-What the hell?" Rayanare, the Fallen Angel had plans to kill the Sacred Gear user in front of her but things immediately changed. 'He's supposed to just have some stupid Twice Critical?' Her eyes drifted to the still present red armored arm that remained in front of the teen she planned to kill. 'What the hell is that thing?'

Slowly more took shape, a haze seemed to leave the bulky armored figure that stood next to the teen, one arm extended and responsible for stopping her attack. A number of large green gems emerged from the armor at the chest, legs, elbows, and on the back of the armored figure's hand. Green light flashed from the green lenses that concealed its eyes.

"I never really thought I would see a woman like you…or be so disgusted when you have such great oppai." His speech would have been something worth listening to if it wasn't for the blood leaking from his nose and where his eyes were focused.

"Y-You filthy pervert!" Rayanare allowed her fury to guide her blows next, two light spears thrown down towards the teen who should already be bleeding out on the ground but was somehow still alive. "Die!"

"That's not going to work." His hands fell into his pockets as the armored figure was before him, its hands once again grabbing hold of the weapons of light, divine instruments wielded by Angels, pure and Fallen alike, to purge the Earth from filth like Devil, and they shattered into shards of light.

A third spear, thrown, was easily intercepted with one hand and shattered.

"Are you deaf or something?" Blood still trickled form his nose as Rayanare let loose a scream, expelling only a miniscule fraction of her anger at the pervert in front of her, calling two more spears to her hand and throwing herself down to the boy. She would kill him personally for what he had just said.

"I'M GOING TO TEAR YOUR HEAD OFF YOU FUCKING DOG!"

"I-" Is as far as she actually got.

"It was stupid to come so close." The blood was gone, eyes devoid of light looked past the shattered remains of her weapons, the twin armored hands responsible drawing back, fingers curling back into the palm of the hand. "King's Dragon has terrible range…it becomes useless really if you stay away from me." She couldn't move, glowing green chains emerged from the central gem and bound her arms to her side. She was drawn in closer no matter how much she tried to struggle. "It's not like you could escape from all this with the wings on your back."

He shrugged.

He lifted one of his hands free of his pockets and moved in such a way his side was facing Rayanare's bound form. He leaned forward, shifted his left leg to widen his stance and bent his right knee. One finger from his hand was pointed directly towards her bust.

"For disrespecting the divine gift given to you by your use of it to spread misfortune and suffering, face the wrath of the man who will be a Harem King!" His eyes blazed with an intensity like no other, held power few could dream of matching, his blood ran freely from his nose like a river, and his perverted grin as he looked at her breasts was beyond any other.

'What the fuck?' It was all Rayanare could think of the sight. Then she saw the armored fists flying towards her.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" With that battle cry from the armored figure, a barrage of blows, each more powerful than the last, struck against her restrained form. She could do nothing to defend herself, to avoid any strike, to try and escape the relentlessly blows. All she could feel was pain but it was, almost mercifully, short.

She crumpled to the ground when they suddenly ceased and she was freed, the teen sighing as he returned to a more normal stance with his hand in his pocket once more.

"That should about do it Yuma-chan." He turned around and towards the fountain he had been brought to by what should have been his murderer. "I'm sorry it had to come to this but…" Another sigh, one holding a deep despair the likes of which one who had discovered something great yet terrible could empathize with, moved past his lips once more. He looked to the water. "Those who misuse such a divine gift like you've been given must be punished without remorse. It is my duty to show no mercy to the likes of you."

'I-Is he serious?' She forced her body to move, at least let her look up at the disgusting human that had beaten her so thoroughly without throwing a single punch. He had only posed and let the red warrior deliver each and every devastating blow. 'HOW? How can a stupid perverted dog be so powerful? Is he a Magician instead? Did he bind some filthy Yokai to him?' Immediately such a thought was discarded.

She could not fall to such creatures. Her shining light would have made it flee in pain or be destroyed.

'What the hell kind of monster is he?' She could no longer keep her head up, darkness swam up around her, and she fell.

"It'll be a shame for beauty like that to be tarnished anymore." She didn't strike the ground, a red almost tail like appendage from the armored warrior responsible for her unconscious state snaked around her waist and drew her up into the air. Her brown haired victim looked at her for a moment before gesturing towards a bench. "I guess you'll just be at the mercy of fate." He was already turning away and walking off as she was sat down. The armored figure vanished from sight.

His hands felt a paper in his pocket then and he drew it out, one of his eyebrows raised in curiosity as he looked at it.

There was nothing on it.

"You must be behind this, right King's Dragon?" He held the piece of paper up between two fingers, the green eyes of King's Dragon locking onto it before he received a swift nod. The teen found it in himself to chuckle before he let the paper fall from his hand, ride the sudden breeze sweeping through the park, and gently rest in the water of the fountain. "You're always looking out for me, aren't you?"

He received another nod and laughed once more as he headed home.

"Now if only this date wasn't a bust."

The next day, the same boy walked into Kuoh Academy yawning. He had trouble getting to sleep that night thanks to his parent's worry over where he had been. He had told him he had gotten a date and it had ended with the girl never wanting to see him again.

His father had patted him on the back. "You'll find the right girl son, trust your old man."

His mother had hugged him with rage in her eyes. "That b-" His father had stopped her before she could continue and the two had left to bed. Issei used headphones to drown out any and all noise in the house as usual at night.

'Man…I wish Yuma-chan didn't turn into some winged girl and want to kill me.' He stopped blood from raining from his nose through sheer force of will. 'Her oppai were wonderful.' He could imagine them now actually, so round and so perfect that he just wanted to grab hold of them. 'This is just terrible.' He sighed at the lost opportunity. 'How come she couldn't let me have a couple more dates before she showed her true colors and made me have to punish her?'

He found his seat on autopilot. He sunk into it with another sigh not unlike the one he had let out upon beating the girl he thought honestly wanted to date a guy like him.

'I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It should have been obvious she was some supernatural force, no true human could have a chest so wonderful I'm depressed just thinking about never getting to see it again.' He didn't let his thoughts drag him down any longer.

The teacher had arrived after all.

It was lunch when he stood on the roof with his two friends, a magazine that shouldn't be on school ground shared between the duo while he took quick peeks at it a few times but otherwise was focused on the book King's Dragon had grabbed for him like normal.

His morning was rather simple, a five step process actually.

Step One: Wake up incredibly late.

Step Two: Rush to get ready.

Step Three: Don't look in a mirror.

Step Four: Bid a hasty goodbye to his parents.

Step Five: Have King's Dragon fly him across Kuoh and drop down near Kuoh Academy.

It was truly a miracle that he was never late.

"Hey, Matsuda, Motohama, can I ask you a question?" He failed to gain the attention of his two friends, perverted giggles escaping them in addition to their nose bleeds. He sighed before King's Dragon slammed the magazine onto the rooftop. "Are you two listening to me now?" The two weren't. Their focus remained on the magazine now pressed into the ground by King's Dragon's hand.

'You've got to be kidding me.' The red armored knight returned to his side and he covered one eye with his hand. 'These guys are seriously perverts.'

"Blow it away." Issei's whisper received a stiff nod.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" Each swing of its arms produced wind and in a blur of motion a gale ripped the magazine free from the ground and sent it flying off the rooftops to the sudden cries of dismay of the two students that were looking at it. Expert aim let it land in front of a group of walking girls who immediately destroyed it.

"Those beautiful evil beauties." Both boys had fallen to their knees, their despair too great to allow them to stand. Tears struck the ground. "How can they be so heartless and destroy a gift from the heavens themselves like that!" Issei glanced to King's Dragon, the armored knight fading away without comment on the scene. "How can they live with themselves? How can they spread such pain to a man's soul and feel nothing about it?"

"So…can I ask you a question now?" Issei now had managed to gain their attention. They both turned to him and he had a feeling they would have attacked him if the door didn't swing open at just that moment.

"I thought I'd find you up here." Yuuto Kiba stood in the doorway. His appearance had frozen the two in shock and Issei would have probably been the same if he was moving. He was only as still as a statue where he stood.

"Who are you looking for?" It was a miracle Issei didn't growl those words or add on a 'bastard'. All three of them could agree to hate the 'Prince of Kuoh' with all their heart.

"I've been sent by Rias-sama to ask that you come see her in the Occult Research Club's clubroom during lunch."

'WHAT?'

"WHAT?"

Issei may not have been vocal with his own confusion, his face somehow blank, but Motohama and Matsuda were vocal when they screamed theirs out for the world to hear. Then they turned to him, rage, hatred, and jealousy burning in their eyes.

"YOU GET TO SEE AN ONEE-SAMA!" Both threw their fists towards him, Kiba's eyes widening where he stood in the doorway, and Issei only held his hands up with his palms facing the two, curling back his index finger and laying his thumb over the nail, his other three fingers raised and spread out.

"SUFFER YOU BASTARD!"

"Flick." He struck both in their chest. King's Dragon burst to life in front of him with red armored fists cocked back.

"ECHIECHI!" King's Dragon unleashed a furious barrage of a dozen blows on both in that instant. Issei didn't want the two seriously hurt.

The two were sent hurtling back across the rooftop a second after his 'strike' to both. They skidded to a halt near the edge and groaned where they had both landed next to each other.

"L-Lucky…"

"B-B-Bastard…"

Neither remained conscious after that joint thought. Issei looked at his two friends for a moment before rolling his eyes and bent down to reach into his bag.

"You two need to stop reacting like that." He drew out a pair of magazines and threw them towards his friends before turning to the unwelcomed guest on the rooftop. He crossed his arms over his chest. "So, what did you want again?" He had forgotten.

"Rias-sama wants to see you." Yuuto stepped out of the doorway and Issei looked to his unconscious friends and then to the handsome blonde bastard in front of him. "Now."

King's Dragon appeared behind him when Yuuto took another step and Issei's eyes narrowed when he saw the blonde's eyes widen, his hands ball into fists at his side. His body was tensing, his eyes were suddenly unlike a typical high schooler and alert. All those signs and more showed he was ready to fight at a moment's notice. King's Dragon fist moved and the teen responded, taking a hasty step back.

'He can see it.' The thought didn't stun Issei like he thought it would. He didn't feel anything beyond what one would feel when someone said the sky was blue. It was nothing more than a fact of life at the moment. The Prince of Kuoh, the bastard, could see King's Dragon. 'Does he have one too? Is he trying to get me alone to fight?' His eyes flashed to the stairwell. It was secluded, isolated, and any number of things could be hidden within. 'It's an ambush.' He was certain.

"I'll pass." He jerked his thumb towards his friends. "Those two will get into trouble if I'm not around to keep them in line."

"That's a shame." Yuuto didn't step back out onto the rooftop. "Is there another time you can meet with Rias-sama then?"

"She can just come to me." Issei didn't move any closer to the doorway. He barely suppressed King's Dragon from showing itself again. "I'm here for lunch all the time you know."

"I'll talk to Rias-sama about it then." Yuuto was gone. The door closed behind him. Issei's glanced down to where his hand gripped his arm.

It was shaking.

"King's Dragon." Issei let the armored knight shot forward with a shout.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" It's fists flew in front of the door but never struck it, each blow instead unleashed a green pulse that washed over the door. The green wave moved down the stairwell, rippled over the walls, and traveled down the halls of the building. Each pulse revealed more and more to Issei, more to King's Dragon, and let the boy know how dangerous the school he thought harmless was.

'There are more of them…so many…' He felt his stomach drop, horror chilled his blood to ice, and he couldn't stand on trembling legs anymore. He fell to his knees, his body breaking out into a cold sweat, his eyes widening as more was revealed to him, more was shown to him as King's Dragon continued striking the air and releasing more energy. Everything was coming too fast, he was learning too much, and his hands took hold of his head.

He didn't know when the tears of agony began but soon his blood mixed with it. His eyes were bleeding and King's Dragon continued, the wave growing to encompass the entirety of the school.

"STOP!" He at last screamed and King's Dragon froze before the energy quickly returned. He was sobbing by that point, his body consumed by his terror, and he collapsed to the rooftop.

"Gremory-san, what did you want from me again?" Issei yawned where he stood in the doorway. "I just remembered about that talk a week ago with…" Issei's hand met his face with a sigh. "I can't remember the guy's name for whatever reason."

"That's fine and Rias is a fine." The red haired girl sat down in the chair. "You can come in, we don't bite no matter what the rumors say about myself and my club."

"I have to still meet those two before class so this can't take long." Issei dropped back onto a couch across from the voluptuous girl, his eyes focused on her face.

"I won't keep you long." The girl picked up a cup of tea placed on the table in front of her. "Yuuto-kun told me about the power you have."

"King's Dragon?" The red armored figure appeared without a moment wasted. Green eyes looked over Rias with armored arms crossed over an armored chest. "So, how long have you known about my powers?"

"I see no reason to lie about this, not myself or any member of my club knew about your power until after you'd dealt with that Fallen Angel." Rias set the cup down. "I will be honest with you Issei, I need the help of someone like you. I'm in a terrible situation that I've been trying to get out of for over a year but I just can't find a way."

"I don't see how I can help." Issei let King's Dragon vanish from sight. "I'm no good in a fight despite what you may think. King's Dragon handles all the heavy lifting."

"You have a Sacred Gear Issei. I'm sure of it and how powerful you can be with it."

"Sacred Gear?" Issei rose a brown eyebrow as he stretched his arms out at his side. "I've never heard of a thing like that."

"I'm not surprised you haven't. You have a limited knowledge of the supernatural world, don't you Issei?" Rias looked at him with eyes that didn't fit a face so young. "You didn't know that girl was a Fallen Angel, you didn't know Yuuto-kun and I aren't truly humans, and you didn't know more of us were in this school until recently." Rias hit the nail on the head. Issei wouldn't admit it but in the near week he had avoided this meeting he had found out more and more about the school. "There's nothing to be ashamed about, not many humans will ever learn about the supernatural world."

"Are you volunteering to tell me about it then?" Issei leaned his head back but not far, still meeting Rias's eyes. "I would be grateful if you did."

"I had full intentions of telling you everything I could Issei." Rias smiled at him. He didn't smile back. She cleared her throat and it did wonderful things for her chest. Issei didn't look down. "I'll be short and keep this brief, the supernatural world is divided into three main fractions. There are the Fallen Angels, the girl who tried to attack you belonged to them, the true Angels that remain in heaven, and Devils." At the last word, a pair of bat like wings emerged from behind Rias's back. She leaned forward and put them on display for Issei as they spread further out from her back. "I, and my club, are Devils."

"I still don't see why you need me for whatever it is." Issei yawned once more, King's Dragon appearing as he leaned his head back and covered his mouth with one hand while the other stretched out at his side. "I'm just a normal human."

"You are far from some normal human Issei." Rias pointed to his arm. "I can feel the Sacred Gear in your body and its power is focused on your arm."

"Sacred Gear?" Issei repeated his question from earlier and Rias' eyes widened, redness coming to her cheeks.

"I'm sorry Issei, I should have started with that." She regained her composure rather quickly, she cleared her throat once more and Issei timed his blink rather well to avoid seeing its effects. "A Sacred Gear is part of the system God created for humans."

"God?" He couldn't control himself in that moment. There was even a spike of surprise from King's Dragon as it appeared without prompt. "God's real?"

"Yes, who else do you think leads the Angels and cast the Fallen out from heaven?" Rias answered without a single change in her expression. Issei only stared at her for a moment before it was his turn to clear his throat. He leaned back on the couch and King's Dragon vanished. "May I continue or do you need a minute?"

"I'm fine." He was amazed he didn't stutter. "Keep going, you were talking about Sacred Gears."

"I remember but thank you." Rias smiled at him and Issei felt his heart quicken. "Sacred Gears were given to normal humans by God to prevent the Devils or the Fallen Angels from exterminating the human race. The system chose those humans who stood above the others and created champions to fight against supernatural forces. Many myths you know are true, their focuses are usually Sacred Gear users that went on such journeys. There are an unknown number of Sacred Gears, most are believed to be recorded but no one is quite sure. Leading experts agree that some Sacred Gears can exit the system before spontaneously reappearing with perhaps centuries between appearances. When a human with a Sacred Gear dies, their Sacred Gear either enters the system once more and passes onto a new user or vanishes."

"That's a lot of information to take in Rias." Issei yawned once more. "I'm getting tired just thinking about it all."

"I'm not even halfway done Issei." Rias picked up her tea. "I just need to drink for a moment."

'King's Dragon isn't a Sacred Gear.' He didn't even consider the idea of it. He knew how King's Dragon had come into existence and preferred not to dwell on the memory. There was a reason he avoided mirrors in the morning after all. He liked having his shirt on at least before catching a glimpse of his reflection. 'Maybe it was created by one?' Issei glanced towards his extended arms. 'She said she feels a Sacred Gear in my arm so it's not impossible King's Dragon is connected.'

What had never healed began to throb. He ignored it, ignored the dim echoes of the pain unlike anything he had ever felt. He ignored the echoes of screams, ignored it all like he did every day.

"Sacred Gears are divided into different categories but those don't matter as they are basics such as long range, combat, support, think of any fantasy game and you can understand the classes better." Issei nodded along as he snapped out of his thoughts. "What I want to discuss with you now is the class I believe your Sacred Gear to belong to, the Longinus."

"Longinus?" Issei spoke the word as if tasting it. It felt right for some reason. The power he wielded seemed to fit the name even if he didn't understand precisely what it meant. "Is there something special about Sacred Gears like that?"

"Yes." Rias set her tea down. "Any of the Sacred Gears that belongs to this group possesses the power to kill Gods. I believe you have one in you, the Boosted Gear."

"Really?" He took it remarkably well. "Don't you think that's a bit of an extreme thing to say Rias? A guy like me having the power to kill a God?"

"I can help you awaken it if you want." Rias seemed content to ignore his question of disbelief. She rose from her seat an extended a hand. "Consider it a free favor from a Devil. Usually I would charge you but I'm sure you'll repay me later Issei."

"I'll pass." Issei rose a second later, leaving his arms at his side. "Classes are going to start soon and I need to make sure those two get to them on time."

"Really?" Rias' face fell at his refusal of her offer. She looked at him in a way that made Issei's breath hitch. "Are you sure you don't want to Issei-kun?" The way she spoke his name made him want to agree.

"I'm sure." A cool head prevailed on the end as he turned away from her and raised a hand in goodbye. "I'm glad we had the chance to talk about all this but I'm fine as I am. I can live without knowing what this Sacred Gear really is with what I've already got."

"I hope you reconsider Issei-kun." She nearly made him stop with the way she spoke to him. He wanted to turn around and agree but he forced himself to keep heading towards the door.

"If I do, I'll be sure to tell you." Issei opened the door and closed it behind him.

The moment he was out the old school building, he collapsed against the side of it.

'Dammit.' He clutched at his chest, trying to calm his frantically beating heart. 'I don't think I can meet with her again and keep myself under control.'

In the end, his choice was made a few days later.

"I'll meet up with you two later." Days had passed since his meeting with Rias and he rose his hand in farewell to Matsuda and Motohama, the two hardly acknowledging him with their perverted giggling. They were on their way to buy a new adult visual novel off of some old pervert. Issei had declined their invitation in favor of heading home early.

The two had rounded the corner when he felt someone grab his hand.

"What the-Koneko?" He looked down at the middle schooler, her eyes looking up at him and for once she didn't have a sweet in hand. "What do you need?" He crouched down to be more level with the silent girl and his kouhai.

"Buchou is in trouble." She pulled on his arm with strength he didn't know she had. He nearly fell if he didn't rise and get his feet under him. "Help."

"Rias? What am I supposed to do to help her?" She wasn't letting go so he could only ask as she pulled him back onto the grounds of the school, heading towards the old school building. "Aren't you all Devils anyway? I'm just a normal human."

'With King's Dragon.' He didn't need to hear her say it. The way she looked at him told him such. He fell silent.

"I guess I don't have a choice." King's Dragon appeared behind him, he felt Koneko tense and her grip tighten, before he spoke up. "King's Dragon can get us there faster."

It did, it took to the air and took only moments to reach what would have taken several minutes walking. He let Koneko lead the way until they came to the door of the clubroom and found it already open.

"Who's this?" A blonde turned to face him. Koneko released his hand and pointed to him.

"Buchou's boyfriend."

"What?"

'What?'

The blonde and he shared their reaction, even if Issei's was silent and his was very vocal. Rage filled his words and he glared at Issei for a moment before turning to a woman next to him. Issei took note in that moment that many women were around him.

'Is this what I think it is? The women…they all fall under an unmistakable type. That man…does he have a harem?' He couldn't help but think so. Despite the situation, despite the anger that filled his face, Issei couldn't help but feel the beginnings of respect, of awe of the man in front of him.

He had achieved a dream that had long eluded the brown haired teen.

"Kill him!" The man's roared words of rage made him focus.

"WOAH! This is a misunderstanding!" The teen backpedaled just as two swords, a normal one and one he swore came from a video game just by the sheer size of it, were swung at his head and they both thankfully missed their target. "I'm nothing to her! Trust me!" He looked to Rias with desperation. "Tell the truth Rias!"

"He's lying." Rias blushed. Issei saw remorse in her eyes for only a moment before it was replaced with false embarrassment. "He's always been so modest about our relationship." A blush appeared. "We've done so many things together but he never wants to tell other people the truth."

"What are you doing?" Issei's back hit the wall and the two women swung at him with their swords. King's Dragon appeared in a burst of red and green and threw its twin armored fists forward.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" A furious barrage shattered not only the blades but the armor of one. Both were thrown back and towards a separate pair of girls that rushed to catch them before they hit the wall. Each pair failed thanks to the force behind King's Dragon blows. Both groups of three struck the ground hard and tumbled across the ground in a tangle of limbs and groans.

"She's just ma-" He couldn't say anything before he had to duck under a wooden staff. King's Dragon fist exploded forward and shattered it in half before one end was used to strike the owner of the former staff in the stomach.

"You will pay! Rias is for Riser-sama!" A woman wearing half a mask, one of several women now charging him, shouted as she attacked him with a barrage of blows he knew to avoid.

"ECHI!" King's Dragon planted its fist into her stomach and powered her back and through the doorway. Issei glanced to the armored figure that protected him and he pushed off the wall.

"Take them down." He slid one hand into his pocket and the other pointed forward as he shifted his body so his side was presented to anyone viewing from the room. He tilted his head down slightly and drew his feet back so his heels were together.

"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" King's Dragon became a blur as it charged forward and began to attack at last. The women, those still standing and part of the attacking force, slammed into various walls with punishing force. Each of them had been the victim of countless blows from his armored protector's fists and wouldn't be rising for a while.

"Impressive." The blond sneered at him as he stepped forward. The room began to heat up. "I'll deal with you myself then."

"No." Issei shook his head, a slow movement from side to side. "I'm not fighting anymore over a lie." King's Dragon vanished from sight as Issei's extended hand shifted to Rias. "She's lying about our relationship like I said earlier. She wants me to fight you for whatever reason but I refuse."

"Why can't you simply play along with it all, Issei-kun?" Rias pouted, folding her arms under her chest. "Can you honestly say you wouldn't want to be my boyfriend?" Her eyes turned almost smoldering, her lips curved into something that suggested lewd things. "Perhaps even something more later on?"

"Yes." His answer surprised everyone in the room. He let his arm fall to his side and faced the doorway. "I'm not some kind of lecherous pervert that's going to do whatever you say just because of the size of your chest Rias. I'm a teenager so I'm not innocent but I'm not some loser like that no matter what you think." He began taking steps forward. "No matter how beautiful you are, I would never date you after this."

He came to a stop a few steps from the doorway. He kept his distance from the blonde and the two women, one much younger than the other, and looked directly across at Rias.

"You're nothing but a cruel Devil in the end, hoping to abuse me, abuse whatever power you think I have, and do whatever it takes to reach whatever end you have in mind. I could never love someone with such a dark heart, with such a tainted soul, and with such a twisted mind. No matter what you try to say to me, I won't hear it because I know the truth now and forever more." His free hand slid into his pocket and he looked to Rias with something approaching pity but not quite. "I almost feel sad for you but that's the thing. Almost." He spun on his heel. "Whatever happens from now on, count me out."

King's Dragon appeared at his back in a burst of red and green and folded armored arms over its armored chest.

"King's Dragon is very dangerous to my enemies. I don't care about the supernatural. I just want to live my life peacefully and accomplish my dream."

His choice was simple: Stay firmly rooted in the normal world.

Too bad he couldn't.

"Hmm?" Issei paused in walking down a street after his short speech to Rias when he spotted a girl, obviously a foreigner, standing off the side with a bag in one hand. She was looking for directions it seemed but the people on the busy street were swift to ignore her in favor of their own business.

'I shouldn't get involved…'

'But I need to help her. She's in trouble and she's obviously a foreigner.'

'I should leave through.'

'But I can't just leave her alone.'

His thoughts made it almost like he had a Devil and an Angel on his shoulders and he refused to appreciate the irony of knowing two entire races of them actually existed now. He sighed in the end and approached the girl. She was lucky his parents had crammed another language into his head when he was younger.

"Need help?" He stopped in front of her, kept one hand in his pocket, rested the other on his thigh, and leaned forward with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, you can understand me?" The way she smiled made him think light was surrounding her in a halo. It was enough to make his heart falter for a moment.

"Sure." He kept his voice even and shrugged his shoulders as he rose back to his full height. The hand he had drawn out of his pocket was extended forward. "I can give you directions at least."

"Oh thank you!" The girl ignored the offered hand and instead threw herself forward, her arms out to her side.

She was unlucky. The sidewalk was cracked and she tripped. Her eyes widened and she cried out as she began falling but Issei was quick. He stepped forward and brought his arms up, catching her underneath her armpits, and helping her regain her balance. Her head was level with his chest for a moment while he made sure she was steady once more. He missed the scarlet blush that took hold of her face.

"Be careful." He released her and drew back. His hands returned to his pockets, his head moved side to side as he glanced down both ends of the street. He saw nothing of interest before he focused on the foreigner in front of him. "Where are you going?"

"Th-The local church!" The palms of her hands were pressed together in front of her chest and the way she looked up at him made him almost drop to a knee. The innocence in those eyes, the shining beacons of light that they were, made it a struggle to not worship the girl. "God is so merciful to answer my pray for help."

"I'm sure he is." Issei didn't know what else to do but look up towards the sky. "You're a nun, right?"

'This is a bit too much of a coincidence.' He looked down in time to catch her nod and didn't miss the flash in her eyes. Something had hurt her, made her remember it when he asked her the obvious question brought on from her clothing. 'A lost nun is ignored by everyone on the street until she meets the one person who cares and knows her language.' It was too coincidental to be pure coincidence. It couldn't be. His new knowledge, that God really did exist after all, gave him a possible answer. 'Maybe God really is up there looking out for this girl.'

"Then let's go." He held out his hand once more. "Watch the crack this time."

The girl blushed while she accepted the hand and stepped over the crack in the sidewalk. He smiled at her before he started off down the streets.

He knew where the church was but the walk was long. He took her suitcase from her and held it in his free hand while he asked her questions. From them, he learned her name was Asia Argento and she was here to become part of the church, transferred from the Vatican itself. He wanted to question why she was in Kuoh of all cities, it wasn't that religious of a city to warrant a girl like her, but he didn't pry. He figured she had her own reasons for being so far from home. It must have been something big for her to come to a place she didn't even know the language of.

"Issei, can I ask you a question?" He had told her his name in return for knowing her own. The two had come to a stop at a street corner, waiting for the light to change to cross with a group of other people.

"Go ahead Asia." The teen was almost surprised at how swiftly they had gotten to a first name basis but he shouldn't be surprised. He felt a type of camaraderie with the girl that he held the hand of. It almost felt like she carried a burden like his.

"I…" She bit at her lip. She couldn't think to ask the question that burned in her mind but she could feel the power in the hand holding hers. "I…Do you have a gift from God too?"

'A Sacred Gear?' Issei was impressed at himself. He didn't freeze or tense up at Asia's question. He offered the young girl a smile.

"I do but I don't know how to use it." He looked down at his hand, felt the power dwelling there, and did not reach for it. "God gave me power but something happened before I could ever get a chance to use it." He looked away from his hand. "It was a very bad thing at first but…I'm sorry Asia but I don't like speaking about it."

"I understand Issei." She shouldn't. She wasn't offering words of comfort, she was speaking words of experience. The pain of his past should not be the pain of hers but it was clearly the case. A weariness he knew very well entered her voice as she spoke, took hold of eyes that had once shined with innocence. A frown marred her beautiful face and Issei squeezed her hand. He had to offer her any comfort he could.

When compared to the girl next to him, what was the pain of a lecherous boy like him?

What had never healed seemed to pulse, ripple as if it was a living creature. It burned at the brief attention he had given it in his thoughts. It whispered the pains of the past to him, spoke to him, and his grip on the suitcase's handle tightened.

"The church isn't too far. Let's get going."

If he knew what awaited him at the church, he would have dragged the nun elsewhere.

'This feeling.' Issei blinked. King's Dragon burst to life behind him. The gems that dotted its form flashed with power incomprehensible to many. A green haze consumed him, bathing his form in light from the armored figure and silhouetting him to any who could see it. 'It's the same as-'

He knew this feeling. It was the same feeling that took hold of the air at the end of his first date.

"Get down!" He pulled Asia close, wrapped his arms around her smaller frame, and used himself as a shield. King's Dragon was guaranteed to protect him but such a defense came at a price he had learned of rather quickly. Any other person was expendable to the armored guardian. Anyone and anything would be sacrificed to keep him safe.

A host of spears made of the same light as the girl he now knew to be a Fallen Angel soared at him from above. King's Dragon threw its arms out to the side before bringing its palms together and drawing them apart, the gems dotting its form flashing with light and green electricity crackled across the armor. An emerald dome engulfed him then. King's Dragon remained upright within, ready to face any threat that could bypass the barrier but it was pointless. The dome was strong, too strong to be used when it was restricted.

It was a great defense, powerful enough for the spears of light to strike and shatter against it. Ripples spread from each point of impact before they all suddenly drew back. The rippled formed into a shining light before a host of replica spears fired forward, following their path in reverse.

'This almost feels unfair.' Issei wouldn't have normally allowed King's Dragon so much free reign to act but now was an exception. If he was by himself, he would only allowed King's Dragon to target each of his attackers with just its fist but this was different.

He was protecting the girl in his arms now. He was protecting innocence. King's Dragon could obliterate the entire church if it wanted to.

"Stop!" He heard the shout but it wasn't from beyond the barrier. He looked to Asia and at last felt her struggles against him, as she tried to pull away from him. "Issei, stop!"

King's Dragon looked to him and he nodded. The armored knight vanished from sight along with the barrier it had created a moment later and Issei rose from where he had thrown himself over Asia. She didn't pull away from him, didn't push him away, and her eyes didn't hold despair, betrayal, or hurt at what he had done.

She looked at him with pity. She wrapped her arms around him and held him.

"That was your pain Issei." He didn't know how she knew. Her soft quiet voice shouldn't have made him return to that day. She shouldn't feel his body begin to tremble but she did. Her hair was getting wet despite how much he wished he could stop.

"How touching." A blow to the back came.

King's Dragon burst to life with an uppercut. Its victim screamed while they were rocketed back through the air before striking the church with force that made the building tremble. From the pitch, he figured it was a woman King's Dragon had struck.

"Issei." Asia buried her face in his chest. "I…I know how it feels."

He felt something like King's Dragon in that moment. It was similar yet different and it was coming from the girl with her arms wrapped around him.

"My Sacred Gear is Twilight Healing but…" His eyes focused on the winged maiden that stood behind her. "My Stand is Star Twilight." As if activated by name, the maiden, fair skinned with eyes that held the stars within an endless black expanse, looked to him with pity. A number of star clasps kept her form concealed beneath a cloak as dark as the night sky and each flashed with a gentle light.

King's Dragon appeared at once. Two pairs of ethereal eyes looked into the other. It bowed its head. The maiden that fit the girl so well gave a sad smile. It did not bring joy to see it on her beautiful face but instead brought forth agony to one's heart to know such a maiden had experienced such pain to bring about such a thing. Wings that should have borne pure white feathers were dark like ash, showing the taint the world had forced on such a gentle soul.

"I know what it's like to feel your pain so don't hide it from me." Asia looked up at him, Star Twilight's sad smile remained. "Don't let your pain build anymore."

His tears should have stopped ages ago but he couldn't anymore. He couldn't stop himself, couldn't stop his dirty arms from wrapping around her, couldn't stop the sobs that wracked his body, or the pain that pulsed from his arm.

He was right. He had found a girl that knew his burden.

A Stand was a terrible thing.

He didn't care when King's Dragon stood on the ground at his back, didn't care that he could feel the barely contained energy within the armored being, didn't truly feel anything but an almost relief.

"Asia, please, don't leave me."

"I…I won't. I promise."

He didn't hear her hesitance. He didn't know the same girl that King's Dragon had left brutalized not so long ago was looking at her with hate, pure loathing. He wouldn't care even if he did see such. King's Dragon could destroy her if he ordered it. She couldn't take her away from him.

He would protect the innocence of the girl in his arm. She deserved to live a life free of pain, free of the misery he now knew she had known, live free of the pain they had forced on them.

"What do you want with Asia?" It had taken some time to recollect himself, to regain control of King's Dragon, and to even walk into the church. The creatures he now knew to be Fallen Angels stood before him, a force of robed men with them. He hardly batted an eye at them. King's Dragon stood behind him where he sat on a pew. Asia sat demurely at his side.

"It's none of your business human." Rayanare was the name of the Fallen Angel that had tried to kill him. The one he had left beaten in the park. A glance at the almost ludicrous amount of her exposed skin showed she hadn't fully recovered from her encounter with King's Dragon.

"Rayanare." The only male of the group of Fallen Angels was named Dohnaseek. He seemed to want to be the voice of reason with the harsh tone he took with her. "Enough. Be thankful he left you alive when he could have killed you, killed us the moment he arrived." His eyes traveled to King's Dragon armored form. A glint entered his eyes. "He is stronger than any of us without even using his Sacred Gear. He'll be unstoppable if your attack helps him awaken it."

"This Sacred Gear stuff again?" Issei rolled his eyes, his head falling back on the pew. "I feel God is punishing me with all the people who keep telling me about it…I already have King's Dragon so why do I need to have whatever Longinus Gremory said I have?" He moved his arm, his eyes turned to the ceiling made him miss the looks sent his way.

"The Boosted Gear?" A whisper cut through the Exorcists gathered. Suddenly they saw the boy in a new light. They saw him as someone to fear, to run from, to never approach if they valued their lives. The crimson knight behind him was no longer more terrifying than the boy. It was as if one compared an ant crawling across the ground to a deadly hawk searching for prey among the clouds.

"I don't care about any of this stuff, just like I told her earlier." His head moved as he let it drop forward, he looked to the Fallen Angels again. "I could care less about what any of you want to do as long as it stays away from me. King's Dragon is more than enough to deal with anything."

"So you rejected the offer of a Devil, Rias Gremory at that?" Dohnaseek stepped forward, mindful of the way King's Dragon eyes watched him. A plan came to his mind, a plan that could boost their standing within the Grigori if it succeeded.

"Yep." Issei rose his hand off the pew he stretched it out on, waved his arm through the air. "She tried to get some guy to attack me over some misunderstanding and I told her to leave me alone."

'Riser Phenex.' Rias Gremory's martial situation was well known. She complained enough and the man she was to marry boasted enough for most of the supernatural world to know about it. 'He beat him?' His eyes glanced to King's Dragon and he wasn't surprised the armored figure could accomplish such a feat. 'Yes, I can see it. That creature's power outstrips all of ours together. It would have no problems defeating an enemy, even one as powerful as a Phenex.'

He remembered the energy the boy's summon had used when it created the barrier, how it had effortlessly responded to their attacks, struck down Kalawarner when she attempted to strike him from behind, and how beaten Rayanare had been when they discovered her in the park. He remembered the power he had sensed that night, still filling the air despite the rest of the Fallen Angels arriving hours after the creature known as King's Dragon had made use of it. The power the boy held was enough to perhaps compete with Azazel-sama's own. They stood no chance against such might.

"His name was Riser Phenex and Gremory is to be his wife." Dohnaseek received a raised eyebrow from Issei. The boy wanted to know why he told him such information. "Gremory was most likely trying to use you to escape her marriage, she no doubt wanted you included into her Peerage to battle him for her. She no doubt waited for Rayanare to fatally wound you and for you to summon her in desperation, use it to her advantage and gain your power as her slave."

"Really?" His face didn't change. His eyes flashed with hate but it was gone in the blink of an eye. "Are you sure about that…Dohnaseek-san."

"I'm positive. You no doubt met the club she keeps in the school, they are all reincarnated Devils she has tricked into her service one way or another. It is a common tactic by Devils such as her, gain powerful servants to battle for her, to die for her. She would of course lie to you, say you would be like family if you were to join but that isn't true. She would be your master and you would be her slave or face only death even with your power. If you were to disobey her, flee, you would be declared a Stray Devil and be hunted." Dohnaseek stopped his urge to smile when the hate returned. "She no doubt intended for Riser Phenex to kill you today and then reincarnate you to do her bidding."

"Hmmm…that makes a lot of sense." Issei moved his hand to his chin. "So, she's going to try again?"

"She'll try until she can gain your power or, even if she stops, more Devils will come for you when they hear of your power, of the Longinus you hold. You can defeat them of course, defeat them without your Sacred Gear even, but Devils are cruel creatures. They will come after those you call friends and your family sooner rather than later. They will wager their lives for your servitude, force you to become nothing more than a slave and give them your power or let those you care about suffer." The hate returned. Issei blinked and it was still there.

Dohnaseek knew he had struck a chord when his free hand twitched. His fingers were like claws, dug into the top of the pew. The wood began to crack.

The boy cared for others more than himself. It was clear from the way he had thrown himself over the girl, protected her with his body from any attack.

"The only way to stop it would be if you ally with another fraction, be protected with the consequence of a possible second Great War if the Devils were to attack you, force you into their Peerages." He, in a very figurative way, showed Issei his entire hand with those words. Both knew what he was offering, what he was asking for from Issei.

He held out his hand. The offer was there.

Calculation entered his eyes just like he expected. Those eyes glanced to Asia, looked past any distance to Matsuda, Motohama, his mother, his father, and resolution entered them.

"I guess this is better than making a deal with the Devils." Issei rose from his seat with that said. He took the offered hand. His grip was just as Dohnaseek expected. Strong. "Heaven would probably close its gates to a pervert like me so the Fallen are my only option."

"Azazel-sama will be pleased to hear about this."

Dohnaseek had no idea how pleased the Governor of the Grigori would be.