issei fear manifest

chapter 2 the beginning

Author's Note:

Hello, Potatomancer here. I've been struggling with my writing, so I've decided to switch things up and try a different format to see if that style suits me better. The writing format I'll be experimenting with is inspired by or based on Skimreader07. Go check them out; they're an amazing DXD fanfic writer, and I highly recommend them. Now, without further ado, here's Chapter 2:

The boy stood in shock at the sudden proposal.

Issei: "You want to go on a date with me? Are you sure you have the right guy? You're not mistaking me for someone else, are you?" The boy looked at the raven-haired girl in shock, unable to comprehend that anyone would want to date him.

Yuma: "You said you were Issei Hyoudo, so no, I'm not mistaken." The girl looked at Issei with a strange innocence, almost unnatural. "So, do you want to go on a date with me, Issei?"

Issei: "I, uh, yeah, um... When do you want to go out?" Issei looked at Yuma in surprise, a mix of joy and shock on his face.

Yuma: "Yay! How does tomorrow at 4 sound?"

Issei: "It sounds great. See you then."

With this, the two parted ways. Issei began making his way home. It was later than usual since he had gone to see a newly released horror movie right after school got out. The sun had just begun setting as he walked through the quiet streets. He always hated the silence because it left him alone with his thoughts. Eventually, he reached his home, if you could even call it that. It was just the place where he slept and kept his stuff, at least how he saw it. He moved forward and opened the door.

Issei: "I'm home," the boy said as he walked in the door, although, as usual, there was no response, which pissed him off even more since he could hear them talking in the living room right there. As he moved to the stairs, he looked into the room, seeing not only his parents and sister but a redheaded girl as well, Rias Gremory, the resident princess of Kuoh Academy. He couldn't help but notice that she had been coming over quite frequently since his sister joined the Occult Research Club. Weird, he thought to himself, but at the same time, the affairs of his so-called family haven't been his business since he turned 13. At that point, his parents dropped all pretenses of caring for him. They gave him necessities and an allowance of 100 bucks (an amount of yen equivalent to that much USD) a month. Other than that, he was basically a stranger. As Issei reached his room, he immediately locked his door and hopped on his computer. He had work to do; his editor had been getting on his case for the next chapter of his anthology horror series, and he had a commission to finish for a monster design. It wasn't until several hours later when he actually acknowledged what happened that afternoon. "Holy [expletive], I have a date tomorrow," he glanced at a clock, seeing the time was 12:30. "Oh, I should probably eat something and go to bed." He grabbed a protein bar and ate it, then settled into bed for the night.

The next morning, Issei woke up and got ready for school. As he left for school, he noticed his family and Rias were all eating breakfast together. He thought it was weird, but once again, he moved on, choosing to ignore it as it wasn't his business. He continued through his day, getting through school, and then he went home, where he got prepared for his date. He decided to wear a simple black shirt with a pair of jeans, assuming they wouldn't be doing anything fancy. Then he set out towards his date. As he was making his way to the meeting spot, a woman tried to hand him some kind of paper, but he politely refused and moved on, eventually arriving at the place the date would take place. When he arrived, he saw she was already there.

Issei: "Hey, Yuma. I hope you weren't waiting too long."

Yuma: "Not at all. I just got here." She gave him that same look filled with innocence. Issei thought it was kind of uncanny just how innocent-seeming she was but chalked it up to being nothing.

Issei: "That's good. So, what do you want to do first?" He asked sheepishly.

Yuma: "How about we go get something to eat first?"

Issei: "Sounds good."

And the rest is set in stone. The two went to various shops until the sun had set. They were walking in the park when they came to a fountain.

Issei: "I've had a lot of fun tonight. What about you?"

Yuma: "I've had a good time, but there's still one last thing."

Issei: "And what is that?" He looked at her nervously.

Yuma: "For you to die." As she said this, she transformed; the innocent teenager was replaced with a mature woman wearing nothing but what could be described as BDSM gear. She quickly created a spear made of light and threw it through Issei's leg.

Issei: "AHHH! What's going on? Why are you doing this? AHHHH!" The strange glowing spear felt like it was made of fire; it burned him. He dropped to his knees and looked up at the woman.

Raynare: "It's quite simple. I'm going to kill you before you become a threat to me and unlock that gear of yours." A pair of raven black wings appeared from her back. "Blame God for giving you that sacred gear. If it makes you feel any better, I did have fun on our date." With these words, she threw a second spear towards Issei, this one aimed at his chest.

All Issei could think in the moment was that he wanted to live. He didn't want to die. He threw his hand up in an attempt to shield himself from the spear. As he did, the fear of death, the purest and most primal of all fears, finally gave the being enough power to manifest. A plume of black smoke shot out from Issei's hand, consuming the spear, and a strange humanoid figure emerged from Issei, covered in the same obsidian-hued smoke. It rushed at Raynare and ripped her throat out with its claws before she could react.

Issei: "What the hell? What's going on?" He said aloud, a mix of shock and panic filling his voice.

It: "HAHAHAHA! Issei, it's about time we met."