On The Bench (AOT/DxD)

[Godfire]

I've never watched AOT, so I thought this will be boring to me. But, I'm enjoying this.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

"How are you progressing?" Sona asked her rival as she put Rias' king in check.

"Well," Rias nodded, placing her rook in the way. Sona accepted the sacrifice with her bishop, replacing the king in check. The bishop was then taken by the black knight. That was fine. "My total output has almost doubled."

Sona frowned. Rias had always been the more powerful of the pair, and it was slightly disheartening to hear that the gap had grown wider. It was for a good cause, but Sona sometimes wished she was as blessed as the redhead.

... In multiple departments.

The Sitri carefully ignored Akeno's bust as the queen refilled the King's tea cups.

She just had yet to hit her growth spurt.

"After only a few months? That is impressive."

Even as they played and talked about the situation and town, Rias hadn't stopped training. A small ball of Destruction was hovering over the chessboard as Rias kept trying to pour more and more power into it without increasing its size.

"Thanks." Rather than be buoyed by Sona's compliment and brag about it and her Peerage, Rias just pursed her lips in a frown.

"What is wrong?" Sona asked as she removed a black pawn with one of her own from the board. "You don't seem satisfied."

"It's just not enough." Rias shook her head in frustration. Her distraction cost her her knight. "Koneko felt his Ki again while she was napping with him yesterday. He's getting worse."

"How much worse?" Sona asked the white-haired girl sitting on the nearby sofa.

"... Ten percent?" It was half asked, as putting numbers on this sort of thing was always finicky. Still, for it to be that noticeable...

"Tomorrow is the year anniversary since I met him," Sona sighed. "Even with all his exercise, Ki, and the healing, he's noticeably skinnier."

A year. A short yet long time.

What had started as taking a student as practice for her dream and curiosity had turned into trying to keep her friend alive.

Some days, Sona resented that she couldn't do more. She didn't regret reincarnating her Peerage, but she did wish she had enough pieces that it would be her, not Rias, who had the best chances to bring Eren back.

As it was, all she could do was provide limited healing and keep the territory under control to give Rias as much time as possible.

"There's only so much I can do with only holding his hand," Rias pouted. "I need more skin contact. Maybe I should visit him in bed sometimes?"

"That's a surefire way to destroy any trust he has with you," Sona said wryly, well aware of how little shame Rias had about nudity taboos. It wouldn't be so bad if the entire Gremory family didn't share that same trait.

There were reasons Sona never went to any more sleepovers at Rias' place.

"I know," Rias pouted, crossing her hands under her bust. "I am just trying to find a way to get more time. I am wasting so much already. And my family has been pushing things again now that I am going to be a senior. I had to spend all of Saturday arguing with my father. An entire day gone! Just to remind him, I want to decide my own partner."

"Any luck on that front?" Just because the redhead had been focusing on growing her power didn't mean Rias had forgotten the marriage that loomed over her head.

"Maybe," Rias sighed. "There are a few promising candidates among the students. But they are unawakened, so I can't know who can help and who can't. I can't waste my Pieces. I can't."

"The longer you wait, the less time you will have to train them," Sona cautioned.

It was a dilemma all High-class devils faced when they gained their Evil Pieces.

Do you invest early, giving time to train at the cost of weaker pieces or fewer total numbers due to needing multiple for one person? Or do you wait till you are stronger and thus can reincarnate stronger people with less cost?

Every devil only got fifteen Pieces, except for rare trades; they were stuck with their choices for life.

Rias had played it fast and loose when she was younger. It had worked out for her so far, but the current situation made the dilemma even more difficult for the redhead due to the Sword of Damocles above her head and Eren's.

Sona didn't have that problem. She had a process for her selection of Peerage members. Potential was one thing she looked for, but so were group cohesion, complementary personality traits, and willingness to support her dream.

She never invited anyone to join without deep thought, investigation, and an interview if possible.

"I know," Rias sighed, and Sona took her king in a checkmate. The Gremory groaned, and Sona smiled slightly. "Enough about that. What's been going on with you?"

"Getting the situation for the new school year." It was Sona's turn to sigh. "I don't know what is worse, the Fallen requesting permission to stay for a few months or the dozen complaints about the perverted trio coming back. At least we can kill the former if they violate the cease-fire. I am seriously considering not letting those three come to Kuoh for their junior year."

"I think they're funny," Rias said with a smile. "It's refreshing to see humans so open about their desires."

"Some of us value our privacy, you exhibitionist," Sona said with a glare. "Between them, paperwork, admissions, complaints, and budgets, I am half tempted to drown the student council room in water."

"Ara? Naughty words like 'exhibitionist.' Threatening destruction of school property. Should the Student Council President be saying all that? You are setting a bad example for us, Kaichou."

Sona sent Akeno a death glare as the Queen giggled. Then her eyes turned back to Rias as the redhead also laughed.

"It's your own fault," Rias laughed unapologetically. "You are the one who volunteered for the extra work."

"I need to learn to do it all for my dream," Sona defended herself. "This will be my last year in high school, and I will be too busy during college to learn these administrative tasks."

"Uhuh," Rias nodded, still chuckling. "And it has nothing to do with your pride."

"Better prideful than a lazy nudist."

"Better a lazy nudist than a control freak."

"Better a control freak than a ginger cow."

"Better a ginger cow than a pancake."

Both teenage girls glared at each other as they devolved into familiar arguments, teasing, and needling.

Koneko watched them, munching on some sugar cookies she shared with Yuuto, while Akeno giggled like the chaos gremlin she was.

*********

"""""Surprise!"""""

Instantly, Eren shot up, hand pulling on the handle of his cane as he drew a sword and swung.

"Woah!" Yuuto muttered as he dodged out of the way in surprise. Thankfully, Eren was human, so even surprised the Knight managed to avoid the blade with his speed.

""Eren!"" Rias and Sona shouted in surprise, and the blind boy froze, blade pulled back for another swing.

"Souna? Rias?" Eren asked as he collapsed back to the bench. He kept his hand on his drawn sword. "What are you doing? What is going on?"

"A surprise party," Akeno chuckled a bit nervously. "Though I think we were the surprised ones."

"What are you doing with a sword on school property?" Sona asked severely, sending him a glare he couldn't see.

"Japan doesn't allow guns," Eren said plainly as if it explained everything before moving on to the more important part. "A surprise party? What for?"

"It's been a year since you came to Kuoh," Rias said cheerfully, entirely moving on from almost getting her head cut off. "Since you never told us your birthday, we decided to celebrate today."

Koneko blew a flat note on her little party kazoo to punctuate Rias' words.

The file didn't have his date of birth, just the day he had been left on the church's stoop. Celebrating that would probably be in bad taste.

"What?" Eren asked, completely baffled.

For the ordinarily unflappable man to be so out of it was a sight that had everyone present smiling.

"We brought cakes," Koneko said, eyeing the deserts hungrily.

There had been a candle on one of them, but that had been sliced by Eren's swing, so Akeno tossed it away.

"What?" Eren sounded like a broken record now, and a few of them chuckled this time at how flat-footed he was acting. Even Sona, who was still glaring at the sword, smiled slightly.

"It is also to celebrate Koneko's first day of high school this week," Rias continued with a note of pride. "Just a little get-together of friends before the new school year."

Koneko pumped a fist slightly as Rias ruffled her hair as she blew another note.

Her growth spurt was coming. She could feel it.

"I... see," Eren said hesitantly, finally lowering his sword. "Congratulations Koneko."

"It's cool," she said simply. "We have vanilla strawberry and chocolate fudge. Which do you want?"

"Uh... vanilla?" Eren half asked, still clearly out of it after suddenly rousing from his nap and the surprise party.

"Can I see your sword," Yuuto asked as Rias took utensils and plates from the basket as she sat on the bench.

"Don't think I will forget that you brought it onto school grounds," Sona cautioned as Eren slid it into the cane and held it out. "You could hurt yourself and those around you with that thing."

"The only ones near me are you guys, and you usually don't pull stuff like this."

There were a few nervous chuckles.

Maybe suddenly waking up the ex-child soldier with shouting hadn't been such a good idea.

"It's a good blade," Yuuto said as he examined the sword. It was a style that tingled his senses, but he couldn't place it.

It was straight to fit in the cane and flat for slashing, not stabbing. Only two fingers wide, it wasn't a weapon designed to clash with others, it would break too quickly, but it was deadly sharp. A weapon for sudden surprise attacks and cutting flesh.

The only ornamentation on the otherwise plain and flat sword was the two stylized wings, one white and the other blue, carved into the handle.

"Thank you," Eren said as the Knight handed it back. "It was a gift."

"Here," Koneko said, placing a saucer with cake in his hand and putting a fork in the other. Then she returned to her own, much larger pieces.

"It's good," he said simply as he took a careful bite. Clearly, he was still processing what was happening as he made slow, almost awkward movements.

"Fufufu, I made it myself," Akeno said with pride, and Eren gave her an acknowledging nod.

"When is your birthday?" Rias asked. "We'll throw a proper party then."

"March 30th," Eren said with a shrug. "But you don-"

"What!" Rias stood in a flurry.

"Are you being serious?" Sona asked with a frown.

"What's wrong?" Eren asked, setting down his cake after only taking a few bites.

"...Are you aware of what day it is today?" Akeno asked.

"Sunday."

"Sunday, March 30th." Akeno corrected.

"Oh," Eren said plainly. Then he picked up his saucer and started eating his cake again.

"'Oh?' That's all you have to say? 'Oh.'" Rias was gesticulating wildly. "It's your birthday! I should have gotten you a gift. Or we could have gone to a park. Or had a proper party at the clubhouse! You only turn nineteen once!"

"Eighteen," Eren corrected her simply.

"You told me you were seventeen on the day we met," Sona accused. "You never said anything about your birthday!"

"It's not important." Eren shrugged again. "It's just another day."

"It is important," Akeno chastised him. "If not for you, then for others who know you. A celebration of the day a loved one came into the world. If you do not wish to have a large party, that is fine." Rias looked like she would protest, but the Queen shot her a look. "But you should spend a birthday with people you love."

"I... suppose," Eren said reluctantly.

"Do you have something against birthdays? Or were they not celebrated in your culture?" Yuuto asked, munching on his own slice of vanilla cake.

"It wasn't unheard of," Eren shrugged. "But either I was too young to remember, food was tight, I was in training, or on a mission of some sort. With everything that happened, we never really took the time to celebrate that kind of thing. Our parties were for victories, for survival, and even then, they were bittersweet. Memorials. Too many dead."

"So you never had a real party? Just have fun and be happy?" Rias asked with a frown. Her and Sona's birthdays were usually extravagant festivals put on by their families. Their Peerage, while not to the same degree, was still doted on, so they were large affairs hosted in the underworld. "One where you can just be happy, play some games, sing and laugh?"

Eren froze, cake halfway to his mouth.

It was like all sound ceased at that moment. Like the very world was holding its breath.

"Eren?" Sona asked as the mood in the clearing shifted.

"There was... one," Eren said, his voice thick with so much entangled emotion that even Koneko paused her eating to look at him. "It wasn't a birthday thing, though. Wasn't even planned."

The group of young devils shared a look. Clearly, they had stumbled, inadvertently, on heavy ground.

Did they let it pass and hope the awkwardness faded, or did they press to learn more about their enigmatic friend?

"Tell us about it," Sona gently coaxed.

For a long moment, there was silence, as if Eren would hold this secret tightly to his chest as he did so many others.

As if he couldn't trust them yet with such a memory.

Then he spoke, words tinged with a deep longing, filled with love, affection, and nostalgia.

And guilt.

There was so much guilt it clogged his throat tight.

"I had rescued a young boy from a beating," he narrated, voice distant as the words came out in halting steps. "Ramzi. A nomad travelling with his family. A thief. He took me back to their camp. My comrades joined me. We laughed. We sang. We drank. We ate. It was so different from everything we had ever known. We were so happy. For a fleeting moment, I thought..." He trailed off as if the next words were too painful to speak.

But someone there had experience with this kind of thing. Who cared enough not to let Eren Yeager wallow in his painful memories alone.

"What did you think, Eren," Rias asked, resting a caring hand on the dying boy's arm.

"That I could run away," he admitted as if confessing a great sin. "Leave it all behind. Far from war. Far from death. Leave all my responsibilities behind. Live out the few years I had left in peace and happiness, even if I knew doing so would doom my friends without me. Four years. That was all I wanted. Four years. I didn't want to die. I didn't want to kill people. That night, all I wanted was four years with the woman I loved."

There was a collective intake of breath.

Eren had never spoken of love before.

Never even hinted at romance or experience in such. To know he once had someone like that and never spoke of it...

Eren was prepared to die alone on a bench on the other side of the world from everything and everyone he had ever known.

It didn't take a genius to know this story didn't have a happy ending.

"What happened?" Sona asked just as gently as her rival, though her hand fell on the boy's shoulder.

"Three words," Eren rasped. "That's all I needed to hear from her. Three words, and I would have left everything behind. All my plans, my revenge, my rage, my freedom, all of it. Three words, and I'd dedicate my last four years to making her as happy as possible in the time I had left. Three words, and I would have hope. She told me three words, but they were not the ones I wanted to, needed to, hear. I was trapped by my own hand and knew I would... We could never..."

Nobody said a word as Eren took a deep breath that could have been mistaken for a sob.

"I left the next day," he continued. His voice was dead. Completely flat once more as if all the emotion of the last few minutes had been an illusion. "Nothing could stop me then. My plan went off without a hitch. Everything was exactly as I wanted. I fought my friends to do it. Sasha died."

Sona gasped lowly, but her hand remained tightly on his shoulder.

"So did Hange. And others. So many others. Captain Levy was handicapped. So many of my other comrades died in the infighting. And I don't even know if most survived after... After. But they weren't the only victims. So many more innocent, guiltless lives were lost. Ramzi. His friend Halil. His grandfather. Everyone who was with us that night. Who had taken us in, laughed and sang with us. Many more whom I never knew. So many. All dead. All at my hand. Trampled under my feet like bugs into the mud. I... I killed them all."

Eren could say no more.

The Sitri report had nothing on this, this attack or plan or whatever it was. Which meant only one thing.

There had been no survivors.

Nobody else said anything, either. They just kept their hands on the blind boy, reassuring him that they were there.

They were good kids. Despite being devils, they were not murderers or soldiers. They wanted to go to school with their friends. They wanted to live their lives, grow up, fall in love and fulfill their dreams.

They had been hurt by the world, and were not normal by any stretch, but they were good kids.

Eren Yeager was a monster.

If what he had just confessed was true, then he was a murderer who had killed not just his enemies but also his allies and an unknown number of innocent lives. A killer who sacrificed countless lives for his goals.

A Devil worse than actual devils.

But feelings don't care about morality.

They stayed. They, with their silent presence, continued to reassure Eren.

That he wasn't alone.

That he, too, despite the terrible deeds done, was cared for.

There is no complete evil. There is no absolute good.

There are only people.

Even the Devil can be loved.

The cakes sat forgotten as white bandages dampened with tears.

A year was such a short yet long time for the boy on the bench.

********

Thanks to my beta: Old Man of the Mountain/Darklord331

Sometimes, something simple, innocuous and entirely mundane can change your world. It comes out of nowhere and destroys us.

A well-told story. A party with friends. A hand extended in kindness.

Something what means nothing to others can mean everything to us. That human experience unites us.

We are born alone. We die alone.

We must never live alone.

This ends the first part.

I'll be waiting for you all, next time, on the bench.

 

[Speedshot]

This was not how I thought I'd start my morning, can tell u that much. Amazing chapter.

 

[trollord3000]

Loved the Chapter and is fitting place to end Part 1 of the fic. Looking forward to the next chapter and part of the story.

 

[kz3838]

Thank you for the fantastic chapter, it was really a fitting way to end the first part to this story. The part that I enjoyed the most was how the Gremory group and Sona just stood with him and showed that they were there and not going to leave. They didn't condemn him, even though without the true context what Eren did was awful, they stayed with him. I look forward to where you take this next, keep up the good work!

 

[Godfire]

I'm waiting for that bittersweet ending where Eren died, but I think that'll never come to pass. Sorry. I'm in love with tragedy.

 

[Gwynx]

Very good chapter, I enjoyed it a lot and a very nice gesture on the part of Ginger Cow and Pancake

You know, this story reminds me a little of the story of The Fruit of Grisaia, where the protagonist is a murderer and wants to leave all that to join a school to live a more normal life.

 

[Jaron]

I'm so interested in where this story is going.

She told me three words, but they were not the ones I wanted to, needed to, hear. I was trapped by my own hand and knew I would... We could never..."

Click to shrink...

I never caught up on Attack on Titan, what three words did Mikasa(?) say?

 

[Orphus]

I have a prediction.

Rias will come to Eren to lose her virginity instead of Issei, this leads to him learning of her arranged marriage and is what finally pushes him to join her peerage, wanting to help her fight for her freedom.

 

[Adarsh]

I have a prediction.

Rias will come to Eren to lose her virginity instead of Issei, this leads to him learning of her arranged marriage and is what finally pushes him to join her peerage, wanting to help her fight for her freedom.

Click to shrink...

No I don't really think that's going to happen here. For one thing Rias is way more powerful that she shouldn't have to resort to that.

 

[Orphus]

No I don't really think that's going to happen here. For one thing Rias is way more powerful that she shouldn't have to resort to that.

Click to shrink...

I don't think rias can reach God level power in the time she has.

 

[HalfEmpty]

If Rias output is now doubled, does that translate into her ability to use her Pieces more efficiently? Can she reincarnate Iseei using less Pawns?

Also, how did Eren smuggle his sword through customs?

 

[A.K.4]

If Rias output is now doubled, does that translate into her ability to use her Pieces more efficiently? Can she reincarnate Iseei using less Pawns?

Also, how did Eren smuggle his sword through customs?

Click to shrink...

Most likely bribes and or connections, plus saying its a heirloom or something

 

[Monarchist Guy]

I don't think rias can reach God level power in the time she has.

Click to shrink...

Yes, however we've already seen how this story will end in the beginning of this story. This is honestly about developing DxD's characters.

 

[Vicentehuerta777dragon]

Why do you do this to me god Im feeling the ending hit me in the face like a two by four and I know what that feels like.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

Rias Gremory stared at the cooling corpse of Issei Hyoudou.

Crimson stained the area.

Blood had stopped flowing from the gaping wound in his chest as the heart stopped beating. Blood still pooled below his body, seeping into the dirt below in ugly splotches.

Regret welled up within the heiress as she stared at the body of her junior.

She had been so focused on training herself and her Peerage, on getting strong enough to reincarnate Eren, that she had let the task of ruling Kuoh fall to the wayside.

Issei had paid the price.

The boy had been a pervert and a nuisance to many, but he hadn't deserved this. Didn't deserve to die, stabbed to death in a public park and left to rot in the open for the morning birds to feast on.

His parents didn't deserve to stay awake at night, wondering where their boy was, not knowing he would never return home.

Rias could have stopped this.

Could have kept a closer eye on the Fallen in her territory. She might have gotten here in time if she had dedicated her forces to their appropriate duty instead of having familiars watch over Eren and focusing on training.

It was pure luck that Issei had a flyer to summon her in his last moments. After handing most of her duties off to Akeno and Sona, this was only the second time she had been summoned. He must have had an enormous desire to live in his last moments.

A part of Rias wanted to blame Sona, but she knew that was unfair.

Unlike Rias, the Sitri was fully occupied. She was busy with the Student Council affairs and the additional duties of running the school, and she also had to handle her own Peerage's training, education, and recruitment. And she was helping lighten Rias' burden when it should have been them both ruling Kuoh.

Another part of Rias tried to deny responsibility in this matter.

Yes, the fallen had shown interest in Issei, but killing him was utterly outside their standard behaviour.

For the last few decades, the Grigori had been on a hiring spree, snapping up every Sacred Gear holder they could find and recruiting them to their side. It was concerning, as it seemed like they were building an army, but the fallen organization hadn't made any hostile moves, so the cease-fire held.

For a group of fallen angels to kill a Sacred Gear holder on devil territory, one unfamiliar to the supernatural and with as little potential as Issei seemed to have, was so out of character that Rias felt it was completely reasonable to not expect this to happen.

All those reasons and more did not change the guilt and responsibility Rias felt as she looked at the unblinking eyes of a teenage boy who never got to live a full life.

With a long sigh, Rias internally cursed her kindness.

Once again, it was going to get her in so much trouble.

With a wry grin, Rias placed the pawn on the dead boy's heart and went through the motions and words of the ritual to bring him back to life as a reincarnated devil.

If there was one thing hanging out with Eren had taught her, it was to take responsibility for her faults.

And yet, nothing happened.

Blinking in surprise, the Gremory looked down at the boy.

Then she tried again with two pawn pieces.

That failed as well.

Finding Sacred Gears was in no way an exact science to the magical community. If it was, they'd know who had one of the Longinus as soon as they were born.

A big part of it was a simple 'feel.' Koneko was one of the best sensors around, and she had said Issei's aura was absolutely pitiful. Less than a devil child's.

Had she gotten lucky again? Could it be that Issei's Sacred Gear was powerful enough to make up for his absolute pitiful reserves of power? That had been the limiting factor in why she hadn't approached him before, despite seeing hints of a Gear.

Sometimes that happened, where a Sacred Gear was so unique that its abilities did not translate into power that could be felt but in some sort of utility that was extremely useful despite their low output.

The idea that Issei Hyoudou, one of the perverted trio and all-around average human, could have a Sacred Gear based on growth did cross her mind, but the most common of those types, Twice Critical, would not require multiple pawns from her after her recent increase in strength.

Rias couldn't think of others that would explain such a low beginning output yet still have enough potential to require three pawns from her.

Well, that wasn't strictly true.

There were two Sacred Gears that fit that bill perfectly, but the idea that Issei Hyoudou could have one of the Twelve Longinus was even more unlikely than the thought of Eren suddenly breaking into song.

For a moment of brief hope and a giggle at the mental image, Rias replaced the pawns with her last Knight, worth three pawns, and went through the process again.

Still, nothing happened.

Rias' mood fell back down to the bottom as she replaced the Knight piece with her last Rook.

A Rook was worth five pawns. If even this wasn't enough to reincarnate Issei, Rias didn't know what she would do.

She still had to save as many pawns as possible for Eren.

If Issei was worth six or more pawns, would she let him die to try and save Eren?

Even knowing there was an excellent chance the sickly boy would still turn her down, even if she became strong enough in time?

Issei was an innocent if mischievous teenage boy whose greatest crime had been peeping. His Sacred Gear had to be incredibly powerful to make up for his own lacking abilities. He might even be the key to breaking off her engagement. Given that she still had years before the due date, it would be plenty of time to train him to a useful level, regardless of his Gear.

Eren Yeager, by his own admission, was a mass murderer who had killed innocent and guilty alike. Even if he was reincarnated, it would be years before he was 'useful' with his Ki. Touki and Senjutsu just took longer to train than almost everything else by their nature. Her cousin had been trying for years without success.

Issei might not deserve to die, and Eren might not deserve to live. Both came from vastly different backgrounds.

The choice between the two was evident.

From a strategic standpoint.

From a moralistic standpoint.

Would Rias Gremory let Issei Hyoudou die for only the possibility of saving her friend?

Guilt reaffirmed its ugly head as the answer came to Rias.

Yes.

She would let Issei die if it gave Eren a chance to live.

The intelligent answer was Issei.

The one Rias Gremory chose, in her heart, was Eren Yeager.

Rias Gremory, for all her youthful cunning and ambition, had never chosen based on strategy or morals.

At her core, Rias Gremory was a greedy devil who would choose her family, her Peerage, and her friends over morals, herself, or even the world.

It was no wonder she got on so well with the Devil.

If the Rook piece failed, she would let Issei die.

Yet, Rias Gremory was still a lucky girl.

The Rook sank into the chest of the dead boy as he glowed red in the crimson light of the Gremory magic circle.

Rias breathed a sigh of relief as the hole in Issei's chest knitted itself together. A healing process based on Phenex tears and one of the reasons Evil Pieces were so valuable. It would see Issei in perfect physical shape in a few moments.

Picking him up quickly over one shoulder, Rias teleported him to the address listed in his wallet. A light touch of hypnosis on his parents sent them to bed early after getting directions to his room.

She needn't have bothered. Only one room was covered in anime posters and porn magazines.

Rias did spare an appreciative glance at his collection of figurines. She'd have to ask where he got that rare Goku. Most depicted either black hair Goku or post-Super Saiyan.

A mid-transformation figurine was pretty rare, and the hall at her family's home dedicated to her hobby had more than enough shelves left for one of her own.

Her job done for the night, Rias returned to her nightly training.

Only very rare cases required her direct attention regarding a summons. An hour had passed between getting called and getting Issei settled in his bed. No significant time had been lost, and now she had another cute Rook to join her little family.

A good night, despite the tragic start.

Tomorrow, she'd call him to the club room and give him a basic explanation of his new situation. She'd also need to start getting the Grigori to recall their agents. It would take a long, convoluted string of messages passed between intermediaries that Rias wasn't looking forward to.

Both factions were technically still at war, even if they were in a cease-fire.

Still, she and Sona couldn't tolerate them killing people in her territory. They might get away with it this time due to Issei not even being a contractor, but it would send the wrong message to the vultures that watched the two heiresses if it happened again.

And Issei deserved some justice.

Guilt, gratitude, and enthusiasm rose within Rias at the thought of her newest servant as she reappeared in her training grounds.

Issei might not have been as close to her as Eren was, but now he was her newest Rook. That could change as they spent more time together. They were family now, after all.

Rias didn't even want to think about how much Issei would have cost her if she had tried reincarnating him before she started training in earnest. It would have cost at least seven pawns if not all eight.

She might not have been able to at all, leaving a boy to die due to her inattention.

And yet...

The self-reflections of the night continued to weigh on her.

Rias Gremory didn't think of herself as a bad person. She hadn't been lying when she talked about being a 'good' devil. The Gremory family was famous for treating their servants well, but Rias was incredibly kind even among them.

Some chalked it up to youthful nativity that would change with age, while others saw it as a symptom of the peace the current generation faced. Either way, compared to most devils, Rias Gremory was practically a saint.

And yet...

That kindness had never cost her anything, she realized now.

It might have if her luck hadn't been so strong. Sometimes, she suspected her brother or family of orchestrating things to her benefit. Still, baring the situation with Koneko, none of her other servants had shown any sort of manipulation. In fact, in the case of Yuuto and Gasper, her family had been actively against their reincarnation.

For Rias, kindness usually came with rewards rather than costs.

But tonight, she had confronted a part of herself she didn't think she liked.

Even when she had first approached Eren, she had expected to be able to reincarnate him with one pawn. His sickness and her family's rejection of him would have hurt, but his experience would have been worth such a paltry cost to her.

At least, that was how she justified it to herself looking back.

It would have been a price, but not a large one.

Choosing Eren over Issei, when it had been partly her fault the perverted boy had died in the first place, had been eye-opening.

Words spoken a year ago floated to the forefront of her mind.

"When someone is a good person, it just seems to mean someone who's good for you. Nobody's good to everyone. So if someone doesn't help me, they're a bad person."

Did it matter if she wasn't a good devil?

As she destroyed another of the training blocks, each as dense as an entire mountain condensed into the shape and size of a human body, Rias let her frustration at herself flow out.

Things had worked out this time, too, and if she continued to work hard, everything would turn out well in the end.

Rias Gremory would make sure of it.

********

"How do you do it?"

"Hm?"

Rias took a moment to think about her words. The question had slipped out almost unconsciously as she packed up her manga for the night.

Questions about Issei, herself, her actions, and her guilty conscience had plagued her all day. She had tried to proactively address all she could to take her mind off the subject.

Sona knew about the Fallen's actions and her newest Rook.

Rias had started the process of having the Grigori either remove their agents from the town or having them declared as rogue agents.

She had introduced Issei to the club, explained the basics of being a devil, and gave him the tutorial on the new world he had found himself in.

Issei had been a bit out of it. He had died the night before, after all, but the mentions of High-Class devils getting peerages and the possibility of a harem had the boy as motivated as she had ever seen anyone.

Then, they had set about trying to manifest his Sacred Gear.

That was partially why she was so late to meet with Eren today.

It looked like a regular Twice Critical, but it couldn't be. Not with the cost of reincarnating Issei. So that left...

Had she been willing to let a Longinus slip through her hands, of becoming the first devil to reincarnate a Dragon Emperor, all so she could potentially reincarnate one dying boy? One who might reject her?

Once again, once Rias searched her heart, she had found the answer, and it continued to torment her.

"Your choices," Rias ended up saying. "How do you know when you make the right ones?"

"You don't," Eren shrugged. "Nobody does. Sometimes you make the right ones, sometimes you don't. Only after time has passed, at the end, do you know if what you did is correct. And sometimes, there is no right choice. I learned that the hard way."

"And if you make the wrong one? How do you deal with the guilt?"

"What is this about, Rias?"

The redhead sent Eren a smile he couldn't see at his showing of concern.

"I have a new club member," she started to explain. Eren nodded for her to continue. "I'll introduce him to you later. He's... lively."

The idea of the perverted Issei Hyoudou and the sombre Eren Yeager sitting and talking on this bench tickled Rias' funny bone.

"And you feel guilty towards this boy?"

"Yes," Rias admitted easily. Baring the supernatural, she had no secrets from Eren these days. "He was hurt badly due to my inattention. His invitation to the club was partly to make up for it. We are quite popular, you know?" She bragged with a smile.

Eren didn't smile.

"Do not let guilt make your decisions," he cautioned. "Taking responsibility is important, but never let it exceed your own actions. If you take responsibility for other's actions, you are absolving them of their own sins."

"Speaking from experience again?" Rias couldn't help but ask, always eager to learn more about the boy.

"Not mine," Eren shook his head. "I took responsibility for my actions in the only way I knew how. Years ago, a man felt so guilty for the crimes of his ancestors that he decided that not only should he pay the price, but untold innocent people should as well. He had options, so many possibilities, but he chose one of the worst because of his guilt. But Fritz's," Eren practically spat the name, venom lacing his voice. "Actions were his own. So are yours."

Understanding he was prodding for more explanations, Rias continued to word it as best as she could.

"I am not feeling guilty for what I actually did," she clarified. "It worked out in the end. But..." She paused, trying to find the words to put her struggle in terms Eren could understand. "Helping Issei, that's my new junior, by the way, cost me nothing. But it could have. And if it did, I don't think I would have helped him. And, I guess I feel guilty about that. And I wonder if I can call myself kind, good, nice, or anything like that if I only do those things when they don't cost me anything."

Eren was silent, and Rias appreciated that he gave her worries appropriate thought.

"I don't understand the issue," he eventually said. Rias frowned at him but let him continue. "You know my thoughts about 'good' people, but you are you, not me. If being kind or good is important to you, then yes, you will have to pay a price for that. But that is how life is. Everything has a cost, whether in time, resources, or life itself."

"I know that," Rias sighed, frustrated that Eren wasn't seeing the problem. "It's just... what if, next time, I have to pay something I am not willing to pay? Even if I want to do the right thing? Even if it's the correct choice? What do I do then?"

Eren continued to frown in thought.

"I still don't get it," he admitted but held up a hand to stop her from saying anything.

It smacked her in the face.

"Sorry," he apologized, a hint of sheepishness in his normally placid voice.

"It's fine."

It hadn't hurt at all, and it was her fault for sitting so close to him to hold his hand and press into his arm to get more skin contact to heal him. If he cared at all about her prodigious breasts pressing into him, he never commented.

"Anyway," he continued. "As I said, I still don't get the problem, but I can give you my own advice and the advice of my friend."

"Your friend?" Rias asked, hoping to get a more specific answer.

Sometimes, Eren spoke of people, places, and events they hadn't been able to track down. They had gotten a clue recently when he had mentioned 'remaining four years' during their surprise party, but they hadn't been able to link that time frame to a concrete event.

The more information he provided, the better their chance of understanding who Eren actually was and what he had been through.

"My best friend," Eren nodded. "The smartest man I've ever known. And one of the kindest. Despite that kindness, he used to have this saying. 'Someone who can't sacrifice everything can never change anything.' Only when you are prepared to sacrifice everything, even your humanity, kindness, and morals, can you accomplish your goals."

"So I should give up on being kind?" Rias asked.

That didn't sit right with her.

"If that's what it takes," Eren shrugged. "This is where my advice differs from his, even if he is smarter. You need to sacrifice something to achieve something, but only sacrifice what you can afford to lose. You have to choose what you absolutely cannot let go of. You hold onto that and never let it go, even if it means sacrificing everything else. Sometimes, you don't know what that is until it is time to make that choice. Sometimes, you think you know what is most important, but then you make a different choice. But, when you do, when you make that choice, make sure it is one you can live and die with. Even if it is not the kind, good, or correct choice."

"Is that what you did," Rias couldn't help but ask. "After... the party?"

"It is," Eren nodded gravely but not sadly. "I chose, knowing I was sacrificing almost everything for it. It was the wrong one from absolutely every standpoint but my own. But it was one I could live and die with."

"And they made a different choice? Your friends?" Rias asked, but she already knew the answer.

"They did," Eren nodded. He didn't sound sad, just regretful. "I could sacrifice my humanity for the future I wanted to build. They couldn't. They made a choice."

"Even if you were doing everything for them?" Rias felt infuriated at the thought that Eren, who had sacrificed so much, had been betrayed by his friends. He hadn't said as much, but she could read between the lines.

Why else was he here in Kuoh, left to die alone in exile?

"I do not blame them," Eren shrugged. "And neither should you. They made the right choice. The one I pushed them to. I am happy none of them were as monstrous as I am."

"You aren't a monster," Rias replied instantly. Eren didn't look convinced, so she plowed ahead recklessly. "That was the problem I was having. Helping Issei almost meant I couldn't help my friend. And, if it did, I wouldn't have helped him. Even if it was my fault. So I am like you-"

"Don't be like me!" Eren interrupted sternly, and her mouth clicked closed at the steel in his voice. "Never become like me!"

"But-"

"No, Rias." Eren interrupted again. "I am not someone to be admired, looked up to, or imitated. If a god exists in this world, he will ensure another Eren Yeager is never born."

"I am happy you were born!" Rias insisted, tightening her hold on his arm.

"So am I," Eren sighed, the stubbornness seeming to drain out of him as he rubbed a tired hand over his face. "This isn't me saying I shouldn't have been born. But Rias, part of the reason I did everything was to ensure nobody was forced to become like me ever again. What makes you think I'd want one of my friends to become me instead?"

Rias didn't answer.

That had been the first time Eren had ever called her a friend.

"Choosing your friends and family over strangers does not make you a bad person," Eren said, resting his other hand on top of hers so he could hold both in his hands. "Nor should you be kind to everyone equally, especially if you are faking it. That pisses me off. But you should always be aware of what you are sacrificing. It is a cold calculation. If you decide your friend is worth more than your kindness, their happiness is worth more than yours, or whatever you give up is worth it, that is your decision. I refuse to take that choice from you or from anyone. I just wish you never have to make the sacrifices needed to become me."

"But what if I have to?" Rias couldn't help but ask.

That was the source of her fear and her guilt.

Not what had happened but what could have been.

"You will make hard choices," Eren said simply as if predicting the future. "You will have to sacrifice something. That is the only way you will accomplish anything. But you will never become me. You are too kind for that. Just as they were. And I am glad for it."

Rias hadn't gotten an answer to her question.

She still felt guilty the next day when she saw Issei and sent him off on his bike to deliver flyers. Rias still didn't know if she was happy with the revaluations of who she was or what choice she would make in the future.

All she knew was that she didn't like that Eren had compared her to his old friends.

Eren Yeager clearly didn't understand how selfish a Gremory devil could be, but he'd learn.

Rias Gremory would never give up on her friends. Not on her family, her Peerage, or the boy waiting on the bench.

********

Thanks to my beta: Old Man of the Mountain/Darklord331

We're officially in canon time now, and things will both speed up and slow down, story-wise. I mentioned in the last chapter that it was the end of part 1. That doesn't mean in story length or even chapter numbers. I'm dividing this story in my head based on key moments rather than length.

Boosted Gear was worth 7.9 pawns for Rias (A powerful young devil with enormous potential), and Issei was worth .1 pawns. That was the only reason she could reincarnate him in canon, and (as far as I am aware) no other Boosted Gear holder ever became a devil.

For those who hope I will Issei bash or do something similar, I am sorry to disappoint you. I stick as closely to cannon characteristics as possible, the good and the bad. His character is worth exploring, and I can go deeper into the others, too. Also, don't expect me to have Eren suddenly become someone else to shoehorn him into canon situations.

Finally, I have been getting a lot of questions regarding 'fanon' and such about DxD. As I mentioned, I steer clear of anything that explicitly goes against canon, but the nature of DxD is such that it was written with barely any long-term planning, unlike AOT.

Take the Riser situation. It occurs in volume 2, and it is mentioned that it was pulled forward from initially being set after Rias finishes her education. It isn't mentioned at all in Volume 1. But it wouldn't make any sense for her not to at least think about it, have some plans about it or consider it. A lot of fanfiction paints her as lazy or unmotivated, but we have to understand that, as readers, we only see what the author writes. If he doesn't write about something in one volume, it doesn't mean it isn't happening in the background. It's just that the story isn't relevant till later.

Could canon Rias have trained more, gone actively searching for specific recruits, or dedicated her entire life to getting out of the marriage? Sure, but that would be a boring character to read about and go against every other aspect of her character. Especially with serially published stories (manga, anime, light novels), we always have to be ready to recontextualize what we know of characters in light of new knowledge.

Here is an example: From the position of knowing the ending of AOT, knowing that it is a future explicitly designed by Eren and Ymir, reread the manga or rewatch the anime. If you do that, almost all the questions and problems most have about the story are easily answered. (Not all of them. There are still issues, but they are small compared to the most glaring ones people point to.) (I highly recommend doing this anyway. It is even more enjoyable when you know the end, as you see the secrets Isayama hid along the way and get the subtext instead of just what is explicitly stated.)

Either way, I hope you will continue to visit me on the bench.

 

[iGreyOtak]

"No, Rias." Eren interrupted again. "I am not someone to be admired, looked up to, or imitated. If a god exists in this world, he will ensure another Eren Yeager is never born."

"I am happy you were born!" Rias insisted, tightening her hold on his arm.

Click to shrink...

Because I was born into this world.

- Eren Yeager

 

[Gwynx]

I loved this chapter, keep up the excellent work.

 

[HalfEmpty]

That's interesting, Issei is now a Rook instead of 8 pawns. I wonder if losing the Pawn ability to promote will have an impact on him?

Maybe he'll lean more into the strengths of being a Rook, which may impact his ability to perform magic. Issei as inspired by Goku perhaps?

Still, it's interesting to see you thread the needle to make everything Eren talks sound normal, even though we know that real backstory behind his words.

 

[Marchewmen]

Damn this feels good to read when characters stick to their original character. I loved the clash.

 

[Kalstorm22]

Great chapter, though I don't personally like Issei as a character, I'm looking forward to seeing him interact with Eren and his personality and beliefs being explored in greater depth.

 

[kz3838]

Thank you for the great chapter, I really like how you wrote Rias here. She is a kind devil, but she is still a devil and a greedy one. I am also very curious to see how you write Issei and Eren's interactions. Keep up the good work!

 

[ReadingDangerously]

"Buchou means well," Kiba told Issei as they walked through the small forest behind the Occult Research Club. "She's not trying to limit your freedom or anything, but going near a church like that is risky. Devils, angels, and fallen angels have been at war for thousands of years. Even now, during a cease-fire, it isn't rare for each side to kill the other with the appropriate pretense."

"I was just helping Asia," Issei defended himself with a frown at the blond boy.

The Damn Handsome!

"Who is the enemy," Kiba pointed out, but not unkindly. "If you had actually stepped foot on church soil, then any priests would have an excuse to kill you, and there would be nothing Rias could do to get justice for you without restarting the war or putting all of us at risk. It's the perfect place to lure a new devil to kill them before they grow in power."

"I don't understand all this!" Issei rubbed his hair with frustration. "It wasn't some sort of trap! Asia wouldn't hurt a fly. She was super kind. She healed this kid in the park and didn't even complain when his mother was rude."

"Healed?" Kiba paused in his tracks. He stared at the other boy with an intensity that Issei didn't like.

Issei wasn't like that. He liked boobs!

"It was just a scrape," Issei shuffled uncomfortably under the blond's gaze. "Said it was a blessing from god- ow! Gah, I'm still getting used to that. Anyway, it's a Sacred Gear, right? Like mine?"

"Probably," Kiba said absentmindedly, seeming lost in thought with a deep frown. "But healing Sacred Gears are rare. As in 'only a few every generation' rare. For the church to bring one to Kuoh, and with the Fallen in town..." Kiba trailed off in thought, and this time, Issei's shuffling was for an entirely different reason.

Would you die for me?

A phantom pain lanced through his chest even though the wound had healed days ago.

"Anyway," Kiba shook himself out of his thoughts. "I'll tell Rias about this later. For now, you need to be aware that just because someone from the church seems nice doesn't mean they are. You only spent a bit of time with her. Asia could have been faking it, trying to get you to lower your guard."

"But... aren't nuns supposed to be nice?" Issei tried to dredge up what little he knew of Christianity.

Most of his exposure to nuns came from porn.

While Issei wasn't the brightest, even he knew porn was not reality, so he delved back to his childhood. His friend had been Christian, but most of the lessons and lectures had flown over his head in favour of playing games. He remembered some lessons about the bible and stuff, but it had never seemed important.

When would you need to use biblical knowledge in daily life if you didn't believe it?

"It is not as simple as that," Kiba explained patiently. "Not all devils are bad. There are some bad apples, and you must be careful when dealing with most pure-blood devils, but some, like Buchou, are kind. The church are not the good guys either." Something in the Knight's voice caused Issei to flinch. "They've done terrible things. Everyone knows about the crusades and witch hunts, but they've gotten away with much worse in the supernatural world that's never taught in school."

Issei was sure Asia wasn't like that. Something about the girl, a vulnerable nativity, convinced Issei that the blonde nun wouldn't hurt anyone.

But Kiba had never met her, and Issei didn't know enough about the subject to argue the point.

On top of that, Kiba was trying to help Issei, to teach him about this world he had been thrown into as he had been doing all week.

It had been Kiba who met him the day after his reincarnation. Issei had been searching desperately for proof that Yuuma had been real, and Kiba brought him to Buchou, who explained things.

Now Issei Hyoudou, one of the perverted trio, was part of the famous Occult Research Club and working on the basics of being a devil to become a High-class devil and gain a peerage.

Issei now had a viable path to becoming a Harem King!

And the other boy in the club had been the most helpful of his new companions so far. Kiba spent time guiding his fellow second year, answering his questions, and helping him try to practice with his Sacred Gear.

It had been Kiba who helped the pervert teleport to his first contract and waited outside while Issei tried, unsuccessfully, to make his first deal.

When Issei had asked why the boy was doing all this, Kiba had given that damn handsome smile, shrugged his shoulders, and said something about 'getting to know a new comrade' and a few light mumbles under his breath.

Issei appreciated the sentiment, even if he didn't know what 'weights' had to do with anything.

Issei would have also preferred it if Himejima-sempai or Buchou guided him. They had magnificent oppai. But they seemed super busy, so he didn't hold it against them.

Koneko-chan was super cute too, but she didn't seem to do much. And she was brutal in calling him out.

Despite being a Damn Handsome, Issei could grudgingly say he was coming to like Kiba.

So he followed the blond when he asked Issei if he had any free time.

Since he didn't know how to argue about Asia, Issei instead asked the question that had been bugging him for a while.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm going to introduce you to Senpai," Kiba said, restarting his walk.

"Senpai?"

"Eren Yeager. He isn't actually a student. I just call him that. It's a bit complicated," the blond gave an awkward smile. "Think of him as our club's advisor and friend. We go to him for advice, talk, or spend a relaxing afternoon."

"A devil therapist?" Issei asked, surprised such a thing existed.

"No, Eren is human. There are devil therapists, but he isn't one. He doesn't even know about the supernatural, so don't bring it up," Kiba gave Issei a look that had the pervert nodding quickly.

"If he's normal... what advice can he give?" Issei struggled to slot this new piece of information into the puzzle that was his new life.

So much was happening so fast over the last few days.

His first girlfriend was a fallen angel who killed him on their first date.

Devils were real, and he was now one.

He had power now, some sort of secret power-up like in Dragon Ball.

The church and all its members, including the cute girl he helped, might try to kill him.

And now he found out devils went to regular humans for advice?

"You'd be surprised," Kiba's smile tightened slightly. "Eren's been through a lot. Even if you don't follow what he says, he gives us a unique perspective to understanding our problems."

"I don't know," Issei hesitated. "Most of my questions are about being a devil. I don't think he can help."

"You don't have to ask him anything," Kiba said with a pat on Issei's shoulder. "Koneko doesn't. Most of the time they're together, they're just napping and not talking. As I said, he's a friend. I just figured I'd introduce you now. Better this way than if you stumble on him by accident. The last time we surprised him... well, better he knows you just in case."

"So he goes to Kuoh University?" Issei asked, starting to get curious as they neared the halfway point between the two institutions.

And jealous.

Napping with Koneko-chan! The lucky bastard!

Issei bet he was another Damn Handsome. All the people he had met these days were either beautiful or handsome.

Issei was sure being related to the supernatural made someone at least an eight on the hotness scale.

"He's old enough but isn't currently in school," Kiba hedged. "He is still learning Japanese and isn't... traditionally educated. As I said, he's had an interesting life. If you want, I'll tell you more later, but here we are."

As they turned a corner on the path through the wooded park, Issei saw where Kiba had been leading him. It was a small clearing in the dense foliage of the trees, allowing the spring sky to shine down on a bench and its occupant.

The bench was plain and boring, consisting of wooden planks held together by iron bands. The luxurious extra amenities around it highlighted the commonness of the bench.

A canopy with a flat, retractable solar panelled roof had been set up to provide shade and give power to what looked like a small heater below the bench and a... mini-fridge? Behind the setup, a few hammocks had been strung between the trees.

It looked less like a bench in a park and more like some sort of long-term camping area set up by rich people.

But the occupant on the seat held Issei's focus more than the amenities around it.

It was an older boy, sleeping with his back reclined against the bench, a cane lying across his lap.

His facial features were obscured by thick bandages wrapping around the top half of his head. Long, dark brown hair fell to his shoulder. He wasn't wearing the Kuoh uniform but regular clothes that hung lightly on a skinny frame to be healthy.

He didn't look like a Damn Handsome like Issei had feared, but like a nursing patient who escaped the institution.

"Senpai!" Kiba called to the sleeping boy as they approached. He wasn't shouting, but his voice carried, and the blind boy woke with a start, hands tightening on his cane.

"Yuuto?" Eren asked, relaxing slightly and facing their general direction. "Who's with you? I don't recognize those footsteps."

"This is Hyoudou Issei," Kiba introduced as he gestured to Eren. "Issei, this is Yeager Eren."

"Please to meet you, senpai," Issei said with a formal bow. Then he froze and stood up straight again, feeling very foolish.

"I'm not your senpai," Eren said simply, his Japanese halting and accented but understandable. Issei noted that his voice had no particular inflection, as if he had no emotions. "Call me Eren."

"Yes, sen- Eren," Issei nodded, not used to the habit of using first names right away, but Asia had been like that too, so it wasn't entirely new.

"Issei is the newest member of our club," Kiba explained lightly as he took a seat on the bench. There wasn't a lot of room left, so Issei just stood there awkwardly rather than crowd the pair, wondering what to do with himself. "I'm sure Rias' told you all about him."

"She did spend a few hours bragging about him, yes," Eren somehow made his voice even more deadpan, but Issei couldn't help but puff his chest out in pride.

"Really?" He asked, eager to know what Buchou had told the older boy about him. He hadn't gotten a lot of time to spend with his King, even if he would love to. She was seriously hot. "What did she say?"

"That you are honest, cheerful, and have a lot of potential," Eren answered with a shrug. Issei stood taller, pride filling his chest. "Also, you are a massive pervert, want a harem, and have much to learn."

Issei wilted slightly. He wasn't embarrassed about being a pervert or his dream, but to hear it put so bluntly was kind of insulting.

Though he did agree, he had a lot to learn.

"That about sums him up," Kiba nodded with a chuckle that had Issei shooting him a glare.

He took back all the good things he had thought about the blond earlier. Raijuus should explode!

"Rias also said you got hurt recently," Eren continued.

"Ah," Issei looked to Kiba for advice on what to say, not knowing what Buchou told the young man. The blond gave a shrug. "Yes. But Buchou helped me."

"Rias said as much," Eren nodded but with a frown. "I prefer to verify things than trust one side of a story. Even if it comes from friends." Kiba's polite smile widened at Eren's words, though Issei didn't know why. "But you are alright now? Happy with your situation?"

Again, his words were halting and slow, but Issei got the gist.

Would you die for me?

"Yes!" Issei declared passionately. "I am super happy. Buchou is great and so is Himejima-sempai. Koneko-chan might have small oppai and be a little mean, but she's the school mascot and super cute. Kiba's alright, I guess, for being a Damn Handsome."

There was a pause as Eren tilted his head.

"I only understood part of that," the blind boy admitted, speaking in English to Kiba. "What does 'oppai' mean? And 'kuso?'"

"Oppai means breasts," Kiba answered without a hint of shame. "'Kuso' is a swear, though not a serious one. The best translation is 'damn.' I am not surprised you didn't learn them, given your teacher. Feel free to speak English. Issei will understand you."

"Sorry," Issei said with another bow of apology. Then he was embarrassed again since Eren couldn't see it. "I answered without thinking."

It was still hard to control Language. With Asia, it was easy since she only spoke Italian to him and one or two words of Japanese. Still, Eren had been trying to talk in Issei's native tongue with some limited success, so he had responded instinctively.

"It's fine," Eren said with a sigh. "I need the practice. But I understood enough. At least you aren't being forced into anything."

"It was a surprise to be invited," Issei admitted hesitantly, wondering what was okay to say and what wasn't. "And I am still getting used to everything. It's new, confusing, and scary. But I am happy Buchou rescued me."

"Rescued?" Eren said with a tilt of his head, and Issei winced at the slip.

"Rias found him pretty hurt," Kiba hurried to explain. "He could have died if she didn't get there in time. Thankfully, she got him to a hospital in time."

"From what she told me, she felt like it was her fault," Eren pointed out. "Did she hit you with her car? That happens a lot in Japanese schools, as I understand it."

Kiba chuckled, but Issei looked confused at the pair.

Buchou had apologized that she hadn't been paying more attention to the Fallen, but Issei didn't really understand how it had been her fault. It was Yuu-... Would you die for me?... Raynare's fault.

"Buchou helps him learn Japanese by reading Light Novels and Manga to him," Kiba explained to Issei before returning to Eren. "Despite what she tells you, a real school in Japan has very little in common with those."

Issei didn't know about that.

He was now part of a school club filled with devils after becoming one after his first girlfriend killed him. That sounded like a light novel to him.

He hoped it was an ecchi harem novel or a hentai rather than in the horror genre.

"I didn't know Buchou read manga," Issei said. "What does she like?"

"A bit of everything," Kiba shrugged.

"Rias is a massive japanophile. Has been since she was a child."

It was not Eren who spoke but a feminine voice coming from behind Issei that made him jump in surprise.

Whirling around, he noticed that Souna Shitori, the student council president, had somehow managed to sneak up on him. The other two boys didn't seem surprised.

"Kaichou," Kiba greeted as he stood from the bench. Issei echoed him a moment later.

"Souna," Eren nodded at her. "You're later than usual."

"I have a new member in the council," she apologized without actually apologizing. "He needed guidance with his tasks. Yuuto, I see you are introducing Hyoudou to Eren. Good initiative. Will you two be joining the lesson?"

"I am afraid I have more to help Issei with. I just wanted to let them meet, so I will leave you two alone," Kiba said. "Come on, Issei, let's head back to the club. I'll talk to you later, Eren."

"Very well," the girl nodded. "Let Rias know we will do formal introductions between our new members at a later point once they are both settled in."

Kiba gave a polite bow and headed back to the club room.

Issei, still surprised by the sudden and unexplained appearance of the older girl, gave a hurried goodbye to Eren and a bow to Souna before hurrying to follow Kiba.

"She goes by Souna Shitori in Japan, but her real name is Sona Sitri," Kiba said once they were far away. "She's the other devil King in Kuoh, and the Student Council is her peerage. She and Buchou are childhood friends and rivals. She rules the school by day and Buchou by night."

"Are there any more devils in Kuoh?" Issei couldn't help but ask, worried now.

"A few, but none that you need to worry about," Kiba patted him on the back. "Both of them are here to gain some independence and fill out their Peerage, so the territory is pretty much theirs until they finish their studies."

"What was she doing with Eren?"

"Teaching," Kiba said with a smile. "She was the one who first met Senpai and started tutoring him in Japanese. Don't say anything about it to her, but we are all pretty sure she has a crush on him."

"That lucky bastard!" Issei shook his fist at the sky. "A beauty like that! Gah! I am so jealous."

"Don't ever say that again," Kiba cautioned, and Issei froze at the gravity in his voice. "You shouldn't be blindly jealous of people without knowing what they went through. And definitely don't say anything like that about Eren around the others."

"Sorry," Issei said softly, chastised.

"It's fine. You didn't know," the blond sighed. "It's no secret, but Eren is sick and getting worse. He only has about a year to live."

"What?" Issei asked, shocked. "Can't Buchou heal him like she did me?"

"It's not that simple," Kiba sighed regretfully. "The short answer is that neither Sona nor Rias can make him a Peerage member at the moment. Apart from Evil Pieces, we devils have very few healing abilities. We've been looking for a cure or way to heal him for over a year now, but no luck."

"Damn, that sucks," Issei cursed. He was jealous, sure, but he didn't want people to actually die. "Do you think Asia could heal him?"

"Maybe," Kiba hedged. "I actually wanted to stay longer and let you get to know each other, but I need to talk to Buchou about that, and she'll want to hear from your perspective. As I said, healing gears are very rare. And the church is extremely protective of them. A nun healing someone on behalf of a devil? That is extremely unlikely."

"She'd do it," Issei said instantly. "She's nice like that."

Kiba didn't say anything but didn't look convinced by Issei's words.

Still, the quick introduction and departure only gave the new Rook more questions about the boy on the bench.

********

A big thanks to my beta: Old Man of the Mountain/Darklord331

Fun fact: before writing DxD, Ishibumi wrote horror. It comes through with the sometimes much darker tones of the story despite it being ecchi fun.

Speaking of, writing Issei is fun. While I am not so much of him as a protagonist, as a character alone, he is a breath of fresh air. He is self-aware to a degree that most don't give him credit for. A considerable portion of the reason people dislike him is less because of his character and more because he is, unfortunately, trapped in a light novel that needs to keep things PG. I think the industry really missed out on a deep exploration of the harem genre, sexual dynamics, and societal examinations of how we contextualize 'love.'

Then again, Oppai makes brain go BRRRRRR.

This story is not about either of those two subjects. Like all the characters I choose to focus on, Issei will have his time in the sun. I do want to clarify that this unfortunately means other characters will not get much attention. I will only focus on specific characters unless I want this story to go on for 25 light novels. Unfortunately, Sona's peerage, some major cannon characters, and even some of Rias' peerage will have to wait for another fic if I decide to write one.

Either way, I hope you continue to join me on the bench.

 

[Adorador de Trap]

Excellent chapter, I love this story, Issei has a lot to learn, I think Asia and Issei will remind Eren of some old friends.

 

[Requim]

Excellent chapter, I love this story, Issei has a lot to learn, I think Asia and Issei will remind Eren of some old friends.

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What? Who I don't remember anyone from aot being even remotely similar to Issei but Asia relates to s1 Historia

 

[Gwynx]

Good chapter! I wonder what advice he would give to Issei and how Eren influenced Kiba positively haha

 

[BusterMemelin]

I like the showing of the trauma raynare left in issei not many people show that despite it being the whole reason he is hesitant to push forward in a relationship later on in the story. That date fucked him up because at least imo that issei was falling hard for yuuma only to get killed, that no matter how you brush that will leave laster scars on you.

Love the writing it's rare that people write dxd that have actually read the LN and manga thus are providing actual characters instead of the carraciture that people depict other character as.

 

[kz3838]

Thank you for the great chapter, I am very curious to see if Asia could heal Eren. I don't think she could heal everything, but maybe whatever's wrong with his eyes? Regardless, I really like how you wrote Issei here, he's a pretty transparent guy, very honest about himself and as you pointed out surprisingly self-aware. Not to mention that it was shown several times that Issei is still feeling the trauma that Raynare's actions left him. I am very curious as to how Issei's interactions with Eren going forward will affect him. Keep up the good work!

 

[SirGrim]

unless I want this story to go on for 25 light novels

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You keep up this level of quality, and I'd be willing to read another 25 light novels worth!

 

[defenestrator]

The Damn Handsome

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What actually is the Japanese phrase for this, and why do fanfic writers keep using this braindead fucktarded translation