Chapter 8: A Clever Lie

Chapter 8: A Clever Lie

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"We're home!" Miki announces as she, Gorou, and Asia return from their outing. "Raynare?"

They enter the living room where they hear Issei's laughter.

There, they find the girl in question on top of their son, straddling him, the two of them on the couch as she repeatedly smacks his chest and face with a pillow.

Asia blushes at the scene, feeling happy for the two but also realizing their position seems naughty as their groins touch.

Issei sits up and hugs his attacker, smothering any of her attempts to playfully hit him.

Gorou stays silent, mentally cheering Issei on.

Miki clears her throat, getting the attention of the two lovers. "Well?"

"Ah! Mrs. Hyoudou?!" Raynare stands up and separates from Issei, a little unsure if she should feel embarrassed at her reaction to Issei's teasing and being subsequently caught by his parents.

"Hey, I told you to call my husband and I your mom and dad. Also, Issei, where were you? You were gone for a couple days and had me worried sick! I swear if you're involved in something shady-"

"Mom, don't you trust me? You can't hold me too tightly. Someday, I must grow up and choose my own path."

She frowns. "You didn't answer my question." 

Issei, having practiced the need to wear a metaphorical mask to deceive others, felt like shit for lying to his mother, but he remembered a certain God of War's advice. It pains him greatly, but even though he loves his parents, he'll need to keep them at an arm's length to protect them.

So he lies on the spot, using Azazel as his example.

"After school ended, I told Raynare and Asia to go home because Raynare and I got into an argument about something stupid. It was my fault, and I apologized to her for it. Anyway, I met someone interesting. The person I ran into is older than me by a couple decades. We hit it off since he already knew me, and after getting to know each other, he offered me a job and, after some convincing, I took it."

"A job? Aren't you too young?"

"Not according to Japanese law which states that children must be at least 15-years-old to work. Anyway, he's a businessman of sorts. I can't tell you the details since I signed some NDA's, but it pays well."

Gorou asks, "How well?"

"¥15 million ($100,000) salary."

His dad's jaw dropped, a surge of excitement and happiness for his son filling him. "This is legit?! You're not being scammed somehow?!" 

Issei nods. "My first day of work is tomorrow. They're letting me juggle both work and school. I make my own hours. I requested to them that I sometimes get to take Raynare and Asia with me as my aides."

Miki remains skeptical. "This sounds good and all, and I know you're an extraordinarily exceptional boy, but they're really paying you that much without even the proper credentials? Your degrees, certificates, internships, job experience, and such?"

Asia takes the heat off, knowing he's manipulating his own parents, even though she doesn't fully understand why. "If anyone can do it, it's him! Good for you, Issei-san. May the good Lord continue to bless you with lots of success! Save up lots of money, make Raynare-nee your wife, and have lots of b-babies, amen!" 

Raynare and Issei blink at the nun, shocked. Turning their heads, their gazes meet before they look away awkwardly.

"It's too early for that kind of thing, Asia..." Raynare brings their friend back to the present. "It's a nice thought, so maybe one day."

Issei nods. "To be in a relationship with someone, it's best that the two parties involved state their desires from the very beginning. Do they want marriage? I'm sure we'll see to it one day. How many kids would we want? I don't even know if I'll be a good father, so we'll have to build up to that moment without rushing it. Who does what chores? Raynare, let us split the chores 50/50."

She nods.

His mom still looked at him dubiously, but knowing she can't get any more information out of him, she sighs and goes upstairs followed by her husband, tuning out for the night to sleep.

As soon as they're out of sight from the three, Issei erects a barrier to make sure they can't be heard. 

"Raynare, I need to talk to Azazel immediately."

"What for?"

"I just told my parents a very elaborate lie, so I have to cover my tracks to make sure they find out nothing."

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At the Grigori, Azazel is busy studying different sacred gears, neglecting most of his paperwork and leaving it up to the Cadre-class fallen angel known as Penemue, much to her annoyance.

"Azazel," A gruff voice calls out as a bearded man enters his lab.

"Yes, Baraqiel?"

"You have visitors."

"Unless it's a hot girl, I'm not interested."

Baraqiel, ignoring the half-joking demeanor of his leader, monotonously replies, "You can get plenty of those among our ranks."

"Then I'm not interested. I'm working on something really important here!"

"What?"

"This!" He holds up his creation as if it were a trophy.

"... A bottle of lotion? Or is that lube-"

"Yes and no! This, Baraqiel, is an infinite supply of magical moisturizer that's going to make my dick girthier!" 

"..." Baraqiel's eyes, which are closed, somehow get smaller in disappointment.

"Awesome, right?" The goat-man grins proudly.

"How is that more important than performing your duties as our Governor?" The exasperation fills his voice. "No wonder Penemue is fed up with your garbage. I have no idea how Shemhazai puts up with this nonsense."

"Don't be like that! If you're nice, I'll let you try it too."

"No. Anyway, the guests that wanted to see you have been standing right behind me this whole time."

The Cadre steps to the side and reveals Issei flanked by Raynare and Asia before leaving.

Raynare shakes her head in minor disgust, Asia squirms uncomfortably, and Issei chuckles as they hear what the fallen leader invented. 

Azazel stands up. "Issei! Raynare! Oh, and Asia Argento, right? What can I do for you?"

Awkwardly skipping what he overhead, Issei skips any formalities. "Yeah, uh, so it turns out you were right to send me to that shrine."

"Oh? Our Shinto friends are a huge help, eh?"

"Our?" Issei shakes his head. "Let me get something straight. I appreciate you setting me on the right path, even though they did most of the work, but I am not an ally of the fallen faction."

"Are you sure? You and Raynare being boyfriend and girlfriend may change that."

"How did you know about us?" Issei looks at him suspiciously. "Did you bug my house?"

"What? No! I just merely interpreted that the two of you seem a lot closer than when I last saw you."

Azazel points at Issei's side. The dragon looks down as does his girlfriend, only to realize she's clinging onto his arm, sandwiching the limb in between her large chest, so she quickly separates, blushing.

Issei sighs. "I came here to ask a favor of you. As a matter of fact, you owe me for letting Kokabiel run amuck."

"Sure! No strings attached, I'll help you again. What do you need?"

"I need money. How does an annual salary of fifteen million yen sound?"

Azazel bursts out laughing. "Damn, okay kid! I can hook you up, but what brought this on?"

He hesitates, still not a hundred percent sure if he should trust the carefree former Archangel, but he decides that if he wanted to hurt him, he would've done so already. 

"It's my parents. I needed to come up with an excuse for why I can't be around them as much as I used to."

"Ah, I get it. Say no more."

"If you do this for me, the money has to be untraceable. I mean it, Azazel. If someone picks up a paper trail that leads to me, and if that person is a devil by the name of Lucifer or one of his allies, then I'm screwed."

"Relax kid. The Grigori has several branches of banks around the world that are disguised as different types of businesses. For example, in the American state of Texas, we have one that portrays itself as a gun store until a supernatural being comes in for a transaction." 

"Redneck fallen angels?" Issei snickers.

"One of the ones we have here in Kuoh may seem like a ramen-selling restaurant. I'll go there and open a new bank account for you with a year's worth of your first payment. Later in your bedroom, you'll find that I dropped off your new credit card along with its information, such as the account number and routing number."

Issei nods and turns to leave to leave with his two companions, and as soon as they exit the building and make their way through a back alley, he turns to face them now that they're secluded.

Staring into his girlfriend's dark pink eyes, he hums to himself, "Hm..."

"Issei?" 

"You know, I think it's time we train again. This time, I'm going to teach you both how to defend yourselves in hand-to-hand combat."

"You can do that?" Asia is amazed.

"Yes. When I was young, my grandfather taught me all sorts of martial arts from judo, jiu jitsu, and aikido to karate. He made sure I mastered them all. Grandpa was the nicest yet scariest person I ever knew before he passed away. We were... close."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

He shakes his head. "Don't be. He was a World War II veteran that fought several battles against the Americans as a communications officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy, serving on a destroyer, the IJN Amatsukaze under Captain Tameichi Hara throughout the entire war. That's a reason he knew how to kick my ass so easily, even after I mastered his teachings." 

He sighs reminiscently, missing his grandpa, despite having years to deal with his grief of losing him.

"Anyway, I just realized that you, Raynare, have mastered your aura perfectly so that no one can detect you except those you have your guard down around. Instead of trying to make you strong enough to fight with brute strength like we were doing before, why don't we make your fighting style that of a ninja or an assassin?"

She blinks and nods thoughtfully. "I suppose stealth is my strong suite."

"Right. There's a specific variant of karate called shitou-ryuu that I'm going to teach you as well as ninjutsu and bujinkan. Perhaps I should just call your training regimen Bujutsu since I will be teaching you every Japanese martial art form. Asia, I am training you to defend yourself, and Raynare too, but for Raynare, I'm passing on everything my grandfather taught me to you, which means you'll learn how to kill with your hands and no magic, at least until winter."

"Winter?" She's confused, but the realization soon dawns on her. "Oh, because of this frost magic I have."

"Exactly. Under my tutelage, you'll become invisible in all forms except the naked eye, but when the weather gets cold, you'll be able to use that to your advantage and possibly become one with the wind. Literally."

Raynare sighs. "This is all well and good and all, but... How and where exactly are we going to train?"

Issei looks down in thought for a moment, grinning as an idea comes to him. "I have just the person to ask."

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"I don't understand why you came to me and thought I'd be of any help. It's not like you're doing bad."

"Sona, listen-" Issei urges.

"I already have so much on my plate, Issei. I can't train your fallen girlfriend and a nun. It's already a weird enough mixed group as is that would raise lots of eyebrows if other devils caught wind, and my older sister would raise hell thinking they're enemies. As I said, your training regime seems to be working. Just ask those ten thousand strays you killed."

"That's the thing. I sincerely believe that experience is the best teacher."

"So... What? You mean to put them in danger?" Sona adjusts her glasses. "Alright, completely different scenarios from the metaphor I'm about to use, but I'll say it anyway. What you did, what you're doing, it's all too much like a child soldier being used somewhere in the world like, oh, I dunno, Africa or Cambodia, and that kid gets thrown into the frontlines to fight like their lives depend on it."

Raynare and Asia sweat drop. 

"She just compared us to child soldiers..." The fallen isn't sure if she should feel insulted or glad that the devil is concerned for their wellbeing. 

Issei glares at Sona, not the way he did before with his hatred and fear of women, but in a challenging way. "I'm not cruel enough to think of them as pawns! No, they're indispensable to me, both to prepare for whatever shit's coming our way and because I lo-"

He catches himself from saying anything further, blushing as he's still an introvert trying to exit his comfort bubble, but everyone hears what he said and puts two and two together. 

Raynare and Asia blush and grin at him while a few of the other Student Council girls softly 'aw'.

In the Boosted Gear, Ddraig is flying and doing backflips in the air, celebrating Issei's newfound love. 

Shaking his head and ignoring their looks, Issei continues, "My point is that the best way for them to learn is to put them in dangerous situations. Ever see the World War II movie Hacksaw Ridge?"

Sona nods.

"Captain Jack Glover sarcastically asks Private Desmond Doss if they should request the Imperial Japanese not to invade on Saturdays just because that's Doss' sabbath. The same situation applies here. War can begin at any time, therefore we should be ready, willing, and able to fight at a moment's notice." 

She sighs. "Fine, you win, Issei. What is it you need of me?"

"I need much more dangerous strays to hunt but in a new location, one in a much more densely populated area than the mountains we were in before."

"Tokyo is chalk full of them. I must warn you that should you do this, you risk the exposure of our world to all of humanity."

"Well as your ally and friend, I think it's only prudent to inform you that the Shinto faction has chosen my side and will be involving themselves. Unlike the Greek, Norse, or Hindus, the Shinto see their human worshippers or descendants as their people, but a misguided one being manipulated by countless devils."

"They hold us devils in contempt? Dear Satan... The next time you see them, you need to let them know that I am not their enemy."

The dragon nods. "I'll be sure to tell them." A thought occurs to him, and he acts accordingly. "Also, I request that Asia stay with you for the next few months as you teach her how to defend herself."

"That's alright. I'll have my knights and rooks whip her into shape. She'll stay at my mansion, so I'll let you know where this retreat of mine lays."

"I-Issei-san?" Asia suddenly gets nervous at the thought of being separated from her friends.

"Don't worry, Asia. I'll visit you once a week. Sorry that I said that I'd train you and am now letting someone else do it."

"It's fine!" 

He glances at Raynare for a moment before turning back to his devil ally.

"Sona, how many strays are in Tokyo, and how many of them are truly dangerous for our skill levels?"

Realizing that he's implying his girlfriend as well, Sona replies, "I have no exact number, but let me put it this way. Not counting purebloods, there are trillions of devils in the underworld, and for every population of 100,000, about 669 stray."

"669 every year?"

"No. Every day."

His jaw drops as he realizes the scope of incompetency and neglect that extends to devil society too instead of just fallen. 

"Holy shit..."

"Holy shit indeed."

"Hey, watch your mouth around the President!"

"Ddraig told me about you guys suffering huge losses during the Great War and something called the Devil Civil War. How are there trillions of you still?"

"The higher ranking devils more influential than I see this amount as weak because only a very small portion of us are warriors. As for these strays popping up left and right, this has been going on since the beginning of time from the very moment the original Satan made our society prosper in numbers as he loved beastiality. With Tokyo being the only city on Earth that holds a major portal that connects Earth to our world, can you imagine how many have infested Japan, much less bred with each other?"

Issei starts to feel a little nervous, now realizing what he's getting himself into. However, it's too late to back out now.

"If Tokyo is the gateway for all of Asia, is it possible that there are strays in other countries?"

"Yes, but those portals only give rise to very few, and I doubt any of those strays will be able to enter Japan unless they find a way to fly here."

Issei hums, "Hm... May I ask why it is that Tokyo is the epicenter?"

Sona shrugs. "Hell if I know. If I had to guess, it's probably because it is the least holy place because so few people worship the Creator of the universe here compared to the other countries on that list."

"Creator? You mean God?"

"Agh!" Every devil in the room fell to their knees, clutching their heads in pain.

"Right. Sorry, it slipped my mind that saying his name is like an exorcism for you." He turns to his girlfriend. "Raynare, this is how we'll train! I'll instill Bujutsu into you in our free time, and when we're not free, we hunt strays in Tokyo."

"We're really gonna slaughter every stray?" Raynare is feeling annoyed already at the daunting task, her fallen angel phenotypes urging her to be a little lazy.

"Yep. At least every higher level stray. What, don't tell me you're tired already?"

Her eyes harden with determination. "No. If it means getting stronger with you, then it's worth it."

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To Be Continued

Chapter length- 3,099 words

I read one of my reviewers on Fanfiction asking me to make Issei the father figure of Kunou and to add Yasaka to a harem of Issei's. I'll consider the Kunou aspect, but there will be no harem, only Issei x Raynare. I want to try to keep the list of characters involved as small as possible because it gets difficult to write if the cast is too large.

Lastly and most importantly, I came up with my own anime opening (not a song since I'm not musically talented enough to be an artist). The opening I came up with will use my favorite melodic death metal song "Hate Me" by Children of Bodom (listen to the YouTube version that has over 100K views). If anyone has any other songs you think could go well with it, let me know, but it has to be something that sounds at least a little dark.

Anyway, here's the opening (somewhere around 550 words). Let me know what you think:

It is night, and Issei is seen zooming up the outside of a massive medieval and Luciferian-esque tower using his wings, and in front of him stands all his enemies. His eyes turn green, his roar shaking the Earth.

Bats fly out of trees and in front of the camera, obscuring the viewer's vision, the Grim Reaper and his scythe come into view, illuminated by the deathly moonlight and followed by the title of the story:

DxD: Retribution

Issei is seen walking home as Rias watches from the second story of the ORC. On the way, he meets Raynare and Asia, who flank him and follow his lead.

A phoenix climbs in altitude revealing Riser standing on a rooftop, looking smug as ever.

Sirzechs stands next to his sister, who lays in bed in a fugue state, staring at her with worry at her condition, walking away with determination and anger in his gaze.

A brief cameo flashes for Grayfia and Serafall.

Azazel pops a cigarette into his mouth and has a goofy smirk on his face that turns serious as the sun goes down. Michael gets on a knee before the Tree of Life.

A mysterious man in a samurai's armor (Hachiman) thrusts his sword, practicing his swings as his sister, Amaterasu, watches from the side.

Asia and Diodora are glaring at each other. The devil charges at her and attacks, but she defends herself furiously, parrying and countering his moves with impressive speed.

Raynare, dressed as a maid, is seen conversing seemingly happily with high-ranking devils including Grayfia at a party. She exits the building and quickly sheds her disguise, her fake smile disappearing as she becomes stoic. She looks over to a hooded-figure, Issei, hiding in the shadows, and sends him a nod.

A short cameo flashes of Crom Cruach, and then Vali, smirking as his balance breaker covers him.

Raynare walks alone under the kiss of the waning sunlight. A breeze causes her to stop and tuck her long hair out of her face as it obscures her view. She gazes up at the sky with a longing look. The weather is beautiful and would uplift the spirits of most, but she feels sad. Tears stream down her cheeks as she runs away, not looking where she's going as she crashes into Issei's chest with him hugging her and whispering her name. Her eyes widen in shock.

It rains hard as a battered Issei walks through the streets, punching a wall in frustration, his eyes melancholy. He's startled when a hand is placed on his shoulder, so he turns to fight, but he's greeted by Sona giving him a reassuring grin, her peerage behind her.

The scene changes, and suddenly, a mountain-side explodes, and Issei is seen emerging from the flames in his balance breaker, his sword covered in the blood of those that crossed him.

It's night again, and while flying up the Luciferian tower, his sword clashes with a winged figure. The moon turns blood-red as Kokabiel cackles while observing, not noticing Raynare swing her weapon at him from behind, murder in her eyes.

Beings of several factions join the fray and fight each other, causing the tower to slowly crumble.

Issei falls off the tower as the hooded Grim Reaper swoops passed. Raynare panics and reaches out, her hand tightly clasps Issei's.