When Issei first regained his senses, the first thing he felt was the phantom prickles all over his body, the heat of a fiery tsunami enveloping him, and the faint tang of iron in the back of his throat.
Then, his heavy eyelids managed to muster enough willpower to part, if only a little. Through the cracks, light reached his retina, and Issei found himself in a completely unfamiliar room.
'Wow…How fresh' he thought sarcastically as he was suddenly hit with multiple déjà vus.
But aside from that, a sudden wave of relief also washed over him. So he lived. The girls didn't just leave him lying there, on the charred field. With that realization, his humour inadvertently returned, 'One of these days, Imma claim that title; the boy who lived, for myself.'
He looked down at his body, and sure enough, there were no cuts on his skin. It looked as good as normal. In fact, even better than normal, since he no longer had marks from even the past scuffles that he'd ended up accumulating since the last time he used the phoenix tears.
But that meant his last vial had ended up used. The last phoenix tear he'd bought after working his ass off, saving penny after penny, was gone.
Issei did not feel happy anymore. In fact, he felt like crying. 'Uwaaah…my savings!'
"Ummgh…"
There was a small movement by his side. The sound, clearly that of someone still sleeping, finally had him take note of the softness and warmth on his back. Not from the mattress, which by the way was leagues more comfortable than the one he had, but something else. Something firmer.
There was also an arm around him, and the fingers resting in his hair.
Issei's ears reddened, "O-oh…" He thought of turning, but then immediately decided otherwise. Whatever it was- well, he had an idea what it was- it was quite comforting, the bed and the extra bit. Any extra movement could cause this unexpected arrangement to be cut short. Better to enjoy it a bit longer. He had earned it, right? Surely.
Nodding sagely to himself, Issei further sank into the pillowy thing. For the next twenty minutes, he just lay there on his side, soaking in the stillness of the quaint room and the comforting warmth radiating off the skin.
His mind drifted back to the Stray devil, its strange powers, personality, and presence in this town. There was no way it was a coincidence. No way a random, strangely acting, extremely strong high-class devil pops up in the devil's territory. The same territory that Kokabiel happened to be targeting as well.
He'd be a fool to just chalk it up to a coincidence. But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't make heads or tails of why anyone would throw away such a resource with no apparent benefit. If he had some plans, then he would've probably used it to create a diversion to mask his actual footsteps, and he assumed anyone rational would do the same.
There was a possibility that they had already achieved their objective, but that didn't appear to be the case. Otherwise, this house wouldn't be as silent as it is now.
He mulled over the stray devil mystery some more, but when no answer came, he shrugged and told himself he'd think about it later.
His mind then drifted to the satan's request, or rather commission, as his strict wife called it. The whole political spiderweb that was woven between the Bael, Phoenix, and the Gremory clans into a simple marriage agreement. The deal, which seemed like a simple matrimonial alliance between the richest and the most powerful clan, had neither as the final winner.
As he was thinking that, he felt the fingers around his strands move. It tickled his scalp in slow, soothing circles.
"Are you awake yet?"
Issei's heart jumped in his throat. A full-body shudder ran through him as the voice whispered directly in his ear, the exhale grazing the sensitive underside.
"W-What…?" He shivered.
"Hey, it's just me." Just as she said that, she seemed to realize something. "Actually, I never really introduced myself, did I?" She hummed, her chest pressing further against his back.
"Actually, you don't need to. I have an idea." Too close. Too close!!
"So do I." She shrugged. Right, he'd used the full force of his gear. "But, still, let's introduce each other formally."
"Formalities in bed, eh?" Issei snickered. "Actually, if we're doing formalities, shouldn't we be facing each other?"
She hummed, "Pervert."
His smile grew slightly. "Is that a no?"
"I didn't say that."
Issei turned in his position, the cloudy bed sinking with the movement. God, these things were heavenly. In his mind, he made a mental note to ask Rias for the manufacturer's number.
He turned around and met her eyes. They were inches apart. Their noses were almost touching, and he could almost hear her heartbeat from this distance.
She met his gaze. And there, Issei saw a brief flicker of relief sail through the ocean-like blue orbs. "Sorry…"
"You shouldn't. I jumped in because that monster was strong." Issei lied smoothly. He went on, smirking, "Though if you're still feeling guilty. I don't think I am fully well."
Issei shifted slightly under her curious stare. His eyes drifted down to the inviting crook of her neck, the warm curve where her silk-like hair fanned down. He opened his mouth to say it before he closed it.
Whew, this was mortifying.
With flushed cheeks, he spread his arm slightly, tilting his chin questioningly, seeking permission, "Can I?"
Her answer didn't come immediately. He just felt her fingers curl slightly into his hair. He flushed further, squirming slightly on the bed, and her lips curled upward slightly.
Oh, she was enjoying his embarrassment.
"You're still hurt?"
He was not. But didn't say that. Instead, the words that left him were affirmation. "Yes. Very."
Her nose twitched slightly. "Where?"
"Here," he pointed at his chest, and spoke while trying to hold his laugh, "right here in the Kokoro. It's beating too fast."
"Oh my!" She played along, gasping, "That's very bad, isn't it? Come o-"
Unfortunately, their little drama was cut short by Akeno, who barged through the front door, "Oh my, you two look quite romantic there."
Issei jumped with a start. The act caused the sheet covering them to slip down the bed, leaving both him and Rias without cover. "Oh, it's just you, m'lady."
He looked straight at her. She looked back. Her eyes stayed on his face for a total of point five seconds, before they drifted down.
"Oops."
Rias rubbed her head, grumbling, "Way to ruin the fun, Akeno."
"My king!" Akeno mock gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth, though she did not attempt to hide the smile behind it, "I would love to leave you to continue your…shenanigans." She deliberately emphasized the last part, "But Kiba and Koneko have returned from the other task. They asked to meet you."
Rias straightened immediately. The easy smile from earlier turned into a cautious frown. "Did something happen?"
"Ah, something did happen," Akeno said vaguely, "But it'd be better if you saw it for yourself, instead of me explaining it."
She said that and began to walk away as casually as she had come. "Oh, by the way… Issei, right?" Before leaving, she stopped at the doorstep, looking over her shoulder at him.
She winked, making an okay gesture. "Ufufu…"
That left only the two of them again. He looked back at the mattress with a reminiscent eye. A little more, perhaps. He thought, running his hand over it. But when he looked at Rias, she was getting off.
His eyes watered, "Maybe some other time…"
"By the way, Rias, Err…I can call you, Rias, right?" He addressed the girl sorting through her casuals.
"Sure. I'll be calling you Issei, then- No, wait, Ise! Does that work for you?"
"Works for me. So, Rias…can I ask you something?" Issei scratched his head. She turned towards him, slipping on black panties. "Why did you…" He gestured vaguely at the undone bed before quickly adding, "Not that I mind or anything. In fact, I loved it. But I am not your peerage, right? And from what I know, that skin-contact healing only works when you're the same kin, right?"
"Wow…you sure know your stuff." She mutters. "But Ise, why would I heal you with that method when I had the Phoenix tear you gave me?"
"Oh, yes. I was also cur-"
"I used it." She said simply. "You had a big hole punched through your heart. There was nothing that could've kept you alive except the tear. And after that, you were already physically fit."
"So…"
"Of course, I wasn't using my demonic energy to heal you. But Ise, do you know the phoenix tears don't work on the mind or spirit?"
"Huh…?"
She turned away, avoiding eye contact, "…You should just ask the dragon inside."
"The Dragon? Ddraig?" He searched inside.
[That's right. I set you up.] Came the dragon's voice, sounding oddly smug.
'Wait, seriously?'
[Yes. So, now kowtow and sing my praises, fool!]
'That's definitely worthy of praise! Sasuga, Dragon-sama!'
"Okay, let's go."
Issei looked down at himself. Then back up at Rias, "Can I get some clothes, at least?"
"Also, what time is it? I promised I'd return early…"