"Red, same color as her hair. Darker than any color of hair I've ever seen, just like the color running down my hand." A boy says this as he feels his eye kids grow heavy. A woman stands on the edge of a fountain in seductive clothing, something you'd find a stripper wearing.
"At that moment I felt like I was losing my mind to a dark void. I was dying, but I wasn't going to any afterlife, the thought of fading into oblivion scared me. I couldn't fight for my life for it was being buried into a pit of darkness. Scared and confused I didn't know what to do, then I heard a voice, it was so calming and soothing. Like I was gonna be okay." Issei says as he looks over to find another woman standing right over him. Her eyes glew red just like the color of her hair. Issei saw some blood shooting out of his wound as the woman began to speak. "I'm not gonna let you die, not today." Issei saw her red eyes turn blue before suddenly he woke up. He looks around and sees his room empty. The blue wallpaper starred right back at him. "Crap, I think I'm late for school." The boy then begins his morning routine with a lifeless attitude. Right before he leaves his house he looks at a notebook.
Monday
I enrolled at the top school in the nation. It was mostly girls going there but a handful of men were sprinkled there too. It was the top school in our nation. I'd hang out with my boys everyday, Motohama, and Matsuda.
"Man, why did we even enroll in this school?" Matsuda asked. Issei finds himself barely conscious throughout the day. His life felt dull, and this particular day wasn't unique out of the other three hundred and sixty four in the year. He looks over to his bald friend to see the gray skin reflect some sunlight off his shiny chrome head. Issei turns over to then see his other friend, so full of hair on his head, chime in. "Yeah, who knew we'd end up like losers?"Motohama says as Issei chuckles. "Yeah, I wonder why?" Issei now feels the darting eyes of his peers.
"Well maybe if you'd hurry out of those lockers last term we wouldn't have been exposed and called pervs!" Issei looks back at his friend with disgust. "What, I was trying to get you guys to hurry up and you just wouldn't come with me, and somehow I got in trouble with you! I don't do any of that crap yet I get looped in with you guys all the time!" Motohama and Matsuda look away in guilt. "Yeah well, we're sorry." Motohama spits out. Issei has heard those words too many times. "Hey, Yuuto!" The boys looked up to find three girls inviting Yuuto Kibba to karaoke. Matsuda and Motohama's nerves started to spark. Yuuto was handsome and blonde. He had the entire school wrapped around his finger. This was his kingdom.
"Well, I'm gonna head home guys." Issei says as he gets up off the grass. "Awww, you're gonna miss the show." Motohama says. Issei rolled his eyes as he turned back to face his two friends. Motohama rummages through his backpack. "Let me guess, this is one of your-" Issei gets cut off. "SEX CHRONICLES THREE!" Matsuda yells as Issei jumps. He then notices Yuuto and his group of girls all turn towards him, causing his skin to blush a bright red. "Jesus guys!" Issei yells "What?!" Motohama asks annoyed. "Why can't we ever just, I don't know, hang out and do normal things?" Issei was starting to feel lonely as the sad reality of his situation settled in. "Well jeez man who pissed in your cornflakes this morning? Then don't come!" Motohama yelled. "Haha, nice! Come." Matsuda yells crudely as the two high five while Issei just stood there. "Whatever why don't you guys just go fuck yourselves to death." Matsuda and Motohama look at Issei as he walks away.
"Hey man wait, is something wrong?" Matsuda asked Issei sighs. "No I'm just tired, my bad. I didn't mean to sound like an ass" He said lying Issei walked back to his house. It's the year 2099 and it wasn't just his two friends, it seemed like every guy on the planet was so full of lust and sexual desire. A society of degeneracy. You can't even take a turn around the corner without seeing a billboard of the newest nudist who made it big. It wasn't just guys, everyone was in on it. A sex based society where nothing normal was relevant enough to sell. Kids would go to school, get a job, work for a government that doesn't give a shit about them, and indulge on all the desires of this world, sex, drugs, money, you name it. Nothing was real, every bit of pleasure was some kind of stimulant, and if you didn't enjoy it you were depressed and told to take pills for it. Issei walked home feeling empty inside when something sparked within. He locks eyes on a woman who would change his life forever.
Her name was Rias Gremory. "Who is that?" Issei thought as so many memories rushed through his mind. His bones shook as he felt sudden vague memories pour into his heart. She then looks away and suddenly disappears from Issei's sight. Her long red hair flowed like a cape, and the name rolled off of Issei's tongue. "Wait a second, that's Rias Gremory, I heard about her before. She's a senior in class uhhhh, I forget." Issei continues to walk down the street. He feels as if a pair of eyes are watching him.
"Who was that boy?" Rias thought as she knew the answer all along. She smiled rather sinisterly as her heart fluttered with passion. A woman with long black hair walks over to her. "Well, last I checked he's the infamous Issei Hyoudou. He's a junior in our school who often hangs out with Motohama Shinya and Matsuda.... I forget his last name but he's with that group, why do you ask?" The woman stared at Rias with bright violet eyes. She wore a yellow ribbon to tie her hair into a long ponytail.
"Nothing, just thought I'd ask if you knew." Rias then moves a queen piece as the woman resumes her position on the couch to face off against Rias. "Akeno, your trap was too obvious. Try working on your approach." Akeno sighs to her defeat. "Yeah yeah." Rias then walks away as she undresses to take a shower. As the warm water ran down her back she closed her eyes, letting the image of that boy burn into her retinas. His arm glowing a crimson red just like her hair. "That boy. I want him."
Issei walked down a small bridge over a busy road and looked out into the city. He sighs as he remembers that streak of black hair he sat behind in class. Her name was Raynare. Just the sound of her name alone made him feel like he was melting. "Ahhh, Raynare." He says aloud as he looks at his phone to see a picture of the two out at the mall together. They've been best friends since they could walk. She always lived next door to him. He scrolls through his camera roll of all his favorite memories he had with her. Each swipe of his finger made him blush as he fantasized about finally having the balls to ask her out rather than staying as the "best friend" as he watched her date and get dumped by jerk after jerk week after week, month after month. He then puts down his phone and looks out as the sky turned orange and poured out his emotions like wrath in a bowl. "Being a teenager is the worst! At this rate I'll be like everyone else and jerk off to porn until one day I die alone." He says getting quiet as a mouse by the end of his sentence. His head sagging as he conflicted between his sexual lust and longing for companionship. The spirit and flesh battled within him for control over his desires. "It's always been like this. Always will be. I feel so pathetic."
He looks over to see his childhood crush standing there with a smile on her face. Her eyes are a strange mix of purple and some kinda reddish brown. She had a red dress up button shirt on with a golden crest over her heart and a skirt on. Her socks reached up to her knees and she stood just under Issei. "Wow, what a way to confess. I'd never think you'd actually say it outloud." She gave Issei a rather strange look as she smiled innocently. Issei stared at her in shock as he felt his heart skip several beats. "What?" He asks shocked before regret settles in. "WAIT WHAT DID I JUST DO?!" He asks himself in horror. Raynare just giggles as she looks at Issei and walks over to him. Her innocent sweet smile turns into a sinister cocky one as she wraps her arms around his neck. "Hey now, it's okay. I should have known this whole time. I woulda given you a chance you know."
"Wait, she's hugging me?" Issei thought to himself confused. He looks down at Raynare as she leans into him. He puts his arms behind her long silky black hair and holds her tight as the sun sets. "What are you doing?" Issei asked, rather confused. "Accepting your invitation. We're going out to the mall tomorrow." Issei looks at Raynare even more confused. "We are?" Issei asks as he looks over at her. "Not one guy I've ever dated did that for me. It's the least you can do in return. Is that not fair?" Issei shudders a little, yet something within him feels off. "What?! No of course! I'd love to. Besides, those other guys are just sad and pathetic!" He pauses as Raynare loses her smile and just glares at him. "Oh no. Dammit I did it! This isn't good! Now I know I'm dead to her! Oh great right when I finally got what I wanted and-" Raynare bursts into laughter as her hair flows with the wind. Issei just looks at her confused as her angelic voice captivates him. "Oh my. Way to call a girl out like that. I suppose you're right though." She then leans back into him.
"It's been fun Issei" She then picks up her school bag and pecks Issei on the cheek. "I gotta go downtown for something. I'll see you tomorrow morning." She walks away leaving Issei in shock. "She's always been at another school. It's been like that my whole life. I'm thankful for it too because I'd never let my two best friends near my third and favorite one." He thought as he kept looking at her. "But, to think she'd actually say yes, and I didn't even have to ask or-"
Or do anything?
Issei pinched his own cheek, feeling the nerves react with disgust as the pain increased. With each second it rose he didn't once wake up to some alarm or any kind of reality check. The whole way home he questioned everything in his life. "Was it always this easy?" Issei thought to himself. I'm almost mad at myself now. He walks through his front door to be greeted by a cross hanging over a sign. "Bless this house" It read as Issei took off his shoes. "I just hope this goes well. Her parent aren't exactly a fan of mine. No matter how nice they are to them, they see them as stupid for their Christian views. Their tolerance is as strong as wet rotten wood." Issei then shuts the door to his home. "Hey! I'm home." He yells as he smells the aroma of dinner. "Welcome home sweetie! Dinner is in ten and we're leaving early." Issei walked up to his room and slammed onto the bed. He looked up at the ceiling fan as a tapping on his window interrupted his train of thoughts. He sat up and looked through his window to see those gentle eyes staring at him.
The next day
"WHAAAAAAAAAT?!" Motohama yelled as Matsuda's jaw dropped. "OH DEAR GOD NO!" The two felt their knees wobble as Issei stood in front of them proudly with Raynare at his side. "That's right, me and Raynare are now dating. Can't hang with yeah cause we were on our way to the mall. Come on Raynare, let's get going." Raynare looks at Issei happily. "Okay!" She bows to greet the two goodbye as Issei walks past the boys, leaving them for the day to go out with Raynare. "NOOOOOOOO! TRAITOR!" Matsuda yells. "SIMP! HE LEFT US!!!!!!" Motohama wept. They weep as the two walk into the mall. Behind them he feels a glaring pair of eyes, but not ones of jealousy from either of his best mates. No, these eyes were gold and sat in a head with white hair. A girl who looked around the age of a sophomore in high school. She licked a Popsicle as she just stared at the boy. "Interesting" she says to herself.
Very interesting.
She folds a piece of paper with a pentagram and throws it into the wind. It soars and flies like a bird before finding its way into Issei's pocket. It folds and crinkles like a dove as it tries to slip in his wallet. Raynare saw this and tried to grab it but failed before it entered the boy's pocket. "So what did you want to do first?" Issei asked.
The whole day felt like a dream. Even though Issei couldn't stand the things they did, like cloth and jewelry shopping he didn't care. He took her to every store and every restaurant and emptied his wallet. Just spending the day away as he let treated the girl he liked to whatever her heart had set. However as he got to the restaurant he heard some voices that made him shiver.
"I knew it." A woman with red hair said to another woman with white hair. "That's all I saw." A third woman joins in on the conversation. "What now?" She asks. "What do you think? We secure him for me. I've been looking for him all my life. We don't need any more time. In fact after today I don't think we'll have any?" The voices continued. Issei? Issei? ISSEI?!" Issei suddenly shakes as he looks at Raynare eating her food in the world's tiniest nibbles. "Oh sorry, was I staring off into space." Issei says as he looks away shyly. "No no I just, haha. I thought for a second you might have seen something you liked." Raynare gives Issei a flirtatious glare as she loosens her shirt, freeing a little bit of cleavage. Suddenly Issei feels his throat itch as he swallowed water down the wrong tube and into his airway. "Here take this!" Raynare says as she hands him a cloth. "Thanks." Issei says as he reciprocates it. She smiles at him as his eyes take a picture and burn that pretty face into his mind. He then keeps that memory on as they walk down a parkway path. The sun sat on them as they came across a fountain. The water trickled out of its faucet and down the pool of water over and over again as Issei grabbed Raynare's hand. She blushes as her finger strokes his hand in return.
"Dude am I even doing this right now? Holy crap I'm the man now! LET'S GO BOYS I MADE MY FIRST MOVE!" His eyes sparkle, but he sees a saddened look on Raynare's face. She then lets go and hops in front of him with her hands behind her back as she looks into his eyes. "Issei, you wanna maybe, do something? Something to honor our first date?" Raynare asks. "Please for the love of God be a kiss! Look God if it's a kiss I promise I'll do all the crazy religious shit they want me to do just PLEEEEAAAASSSSEEE let this be what I think it's gonna be!" Raynare gives an evil smile as she looks up at Issei. Her voice suddenly goes dark and gets deep, like a dominant older woman preying on a younger man. The sudden change in tone catches Issei off guard as he takes a step back and looks at her.
"Would you die for me?" Issei feels his skin melt as he sweats out bullets. "Haha, I think my ears are all out of whack and I couldn't hear you properly. Could you please repeat the statement?" He says jokingly in a fancy manner of saying it. "I want you to die for me." Raynare suddenly smiled a wicked smile as all her teeth grew into fangs. Her pupils gleamed a harsh red as her grin stretched across her cheeks and face.
Suddenly Issei falls to the ground as he feels a wave of magic slammed him. Raynare grows a dark raven black pair of wings that stretch out like a soaring eagle. Her clothes turn into a slim kinky outfit, like something you'd find at a Spencer's in the sketchy corner of your mall. Slim black leather like a succubus that steals the souls of lustful creatures to send them into the flames of hell. "Wait, I don't understand. What happened to Raynare? Why does she have wings? Why does she look like one of those demons I hear about in church? No wait-" Issei's thoughts were cut short as Raynare begins to speak. "I'll admit these past seventeen years were quite interesting. I even had some fun." Issei looked up in confusion. "Past seventeen years? Does she mean that?"
"Good thing you're just a child, otherwise things could have been really bad. Dear old daddy gave you something dangerous and never taught you how to defend yourself. What a loving father he is." She charges up a spell in her hand as her purplish eyes stare into Issei's soul. "Wait, what are you?!" Issei asks, horrified as he crawls back away from the demonic figure. "Did you really think we were friends? Did you really think I'd ever date a pervert like you, let alone be friends with one? Did you think anything I said all those years I meant?!" Issei felt his heart crack. "Pervert?" He asks himself betrayed as he shed a tear while looking up at his assailant. "I was never that shallow, always framed." Issei thought as he looked away from Raynare in pain. "You're nothing but a worthless human with something valuable of mine. I think I want it now! It's not like daddy's gonna send anyone to stop me!"
"You mean to tell me she's one of them? Those fallen freaks my parents would tell me about as a child. They're real?" Raynare laughs some more as Issei sheds some tears. "My whole life was a lie? The girl I loved was just using me?" Issei felt his heart break some more as something poked through him. "Now it's time to die!" She says as her voice turns demonic. She stabs her already ex boyfriend in the heart with a lance she's created. Issei in horror tries to grab it but it fades into oblivion as blood rushes out of his body. An empty hole in him just pouring out his very being. The exit wound started to pool blood on his shoes and behind him on the ground as it leaks all over the place. "I'm sorry but your life means that my entire existence is at risk of ending as well as thousands of others. Blame him not I for this. I mean it's not like I gave you the sacred gear and left you on your own." Issei looks up at the succubus in confusion. "What the hell is she talking about?!" Issei coughs up blood as he slams his head into the ground. Raynare's wings span across as she sits on the fountain's edge with her legs crossed.
"And thanks again for the lovely date. You sure emptied your wallet. It was fun." She says, smiling innocently again. Flying away as feathers from her wings fell to the ground. Issei, still in shock as his whole life flashed before him just stared up at the sky as he looked back upon his entire existence. "I don't think I can go on. Even if I wanted to." Issei says as he looks at his hand covered in blood. He then looks up at his hand as he raises it. "Maybe that was my problem. I was too much like my parents. I hated all that old person God crap, yet even when following my morals I was always different from everyone else in society. Never having fun, and always being associated with the losers. That's what got me in this pickle. Yeah, I was a loser alright. His hand shakes as blood drips from his finger to his eyelid." Issei starts to cough up some more blood as he feels his insides burning. "Well it doesn't matter because I'm not going anywhere soon. This is how I die. I just wish I coulda done things differently. I wish I wasn't so damn stubborn in my own ways. I wish I thought for myself." His hand dropped to the ground as he looked up at the night sky. Blood ran down his cheeks as he took deep heavy breaths. His clothes soaked in the puddle of blood that poured out of his body.
"All I can think about is her as I bleed like a waterfall. But what does she want?" Issei thought to himself as he imagined Rias in his mind. It was like she was breaking into his brain, bashing through the skull to imprint herself into his mind. Suddenly the slip of paper in his pocket explodes and summons a pentagram. It shrivels into ashes as the red circle hovers over Issei like an eye watching from above. "I'm here my darling." A comforting voice spoke. Issei looked up to see the sky looking back down on him as Rias's blue pearly eyes stared into his fleeting soul.
She looked down on him smiling as her eyes gleamed with joy. "Don't worry my darling love I am not going to let you die. Not today." Her wings suddenly span out of her back. Unlike Raynare's soft bird-like raven ones, Rias's were more like bats that had sharp edges on them. Anything but soft and rough blade-like edges that could pierce rock. She then smiles once more as she hovers over Issei. "From this moment forward. You'll live your life for my sake. And mine for yours."
Wake up.
You have to wake up.
WAKE....
"AGH!" Issei yelled as he jolted out of bed and looked around while his alarm went off. He hits the off button and looks around once more as his heart pounds out of his chest like a bomb about to go off. He feels his skin clammy and cold as he looks at the front door of his room closed tight. "Jesus Christ, you give me wild dreams." He looks at the cross hanging on his door right above all his Cowboy Bebop Poster. Issei looks at his window and sees it wide open. He walks over and closes it. Later that morning he slams the front door shut as he walks to the bus stop. He then looks at his Raynare's house and just looks at it, wondering what she's doing in there.
Later that day at school he meets up with Matsuda and Motohama on the stairwell. "What? You don't remember Raynare?" Issei asked his two buddies confused. "Who? Look man, your neighbor is that old crazy cat lady that's all I know. Don't tell me you're doing her?" Issei's face contorts with disgust to Motohama's joke. "Yeah man, who's Raynare? Since when did you have this whole childhood romance?" Matsuda asked. "Yeah man we all know it's physically impossible for you to get a girlfriend." Motohama joked. Issei could suddenly feels tears collect in his eyes. "No way. You're kidding, you mean all of that was fake?"
Rias looked down from the top of the stairwell. Her stern face almost breaks into one of empathy as she watches Issei's golden eyes tear up slightly. "Man, are you crying?" Motohama asks with a grin. Issei wipes off his face as he looks around. "What?! No!" Issei barks back. "Ha ha, you totally where!" Matsuda insists. "I WAS NOT!" Issei roared. "Man, I see the water flowing!" Issei hides his face as his thoughts ramble on. No way I just lost my childhood friend in one night! God what kind of cruel punishment is this? No she's, she's one of them! This is her fault! SHE BETRAYED ME! But why? All I ever did was love her." He then looks up the stairwell and sees a woman with red hair and blue eyes looking straight down at him. He feels his spine shiver as she gives him a cold glare. Her eyes watery just like his as she softens up her glare to show empathy. Suddenly everyone had their attention on Rias as she walked down the stairs. "No way. Is that?" Motohama asks. "It can't be! What's she doing here near us?" Matsuda asks.
She's awesome!
Yeah and totally gorgeous!
She then walks down the stairs and looks at Issei as others comment on her appearance, she flips her hair as she smiles at him. One of her eyes wink as she takes the next set of stairs down. Issei and his two goons all watch in shock as she giggles slightly, smiling at him as the two teary eyed strangers make eye contact. "Damn, I'm saving that for later in my head." Matsuda says rather loudly. "There's just something about her, she's like a naughty red headed princess you know." Motohama says to Matsuda.
"That girl. She looked at me, and smiled?" Issei thought. "But why was she crying?" Issei thought to himself. "Hey man, maybe you were watching too much porn and hallucinated. That stuff is totally adictable." Matsuda said. "That's not a word." Issei points out. Matsuda doubles down as he gets defensive. "Yeah it is." Issei giggles. "Pretty sure it's not." Motohama rolls his eyes. "This is why you're failing English Issei." Motohama shows Issei hos phone with the word Adictible googled. "Hey I told you not out loud! And look I'm not crazy I just! I swear she was real. I held her I- Felt her. Stab me."
Issei suddenly feels his heart beat faster and faster. He puts his hand over his heart and feels scar tissue where his palm touched the skin. Suddenly images of thousands of people burning appear before his eyes. Terrifying monstrosities eating them as anomaly after anomaly enters the crevice of his mind. Thousands upon thousands of demons seen torturing human beings, inflicting pain unto their bodies and soul as they devour their souls.
And over again. The nightmare almost never ends until Matsuda finally breaks the cycle running through Issei's mind.
"Hey man let's just head back to my place and take a look at my golden stash of-" Issei snaps. "Dude will you CHILL OUT?!" Matsuda, Motohama, and some girls who walked by them all watch Issei stare them down. "I swear all you assholes ever do is jerk off!" Issei yells before he shoves Matsuda out of the way. He takes his bag and walks down the stairs. "When will you guys grow up and be useful?!" He slams the doors open and walks out of the school. "Issei wait!" Matsuda yelled. The two chase him down as he walks off the school campus. "Hey man, what are you doing?" Matsuda yelled. "Yeah school's still on. What gives?" Motohama asked "Going home." Issei said bluntly. "Come on, at least come to my place first. Get your mind off some things. We'll do something you wanna do." Issei looks back at his two friends and starts to ease up. "Sure whatever." Motohama and Matsuda high five. "Alright then it's a date!" Issei shrugs.
Later that day at Motohama's house Issei just zoned off as the two stared at the TV screen. Their eyes fixated on every actress's curve as they drooled and slobbered over the idiot box they were staring at. Issei couldn't do anything but stare at the ground as he felt a sensation of fear creep over him. "Man she's so hot, hey let's turn off the lights." Motohama yells as Issei finds himself shivering. "Ew gross."
Flick.
He walks back and sits down next to Matsuda as the two return to slobbering over the screen. "The lights?" Issei asked, confused, thinking they would turn them off. "Huh?" Motohama asked. "You said you were hitting the lights?" Issei asked again. "Yeah I did." Motohama stated bluntly. "Man you're super cracked out." Matsuda comments. "Huh?! No I'm-" Issei suddenly pauses as he looks around, seeing that the room is clear as day. "Wait a second? Maybe they're right" He thought. He looks over and sees the switch turned off, facing down to the floor. "No friggin 'way. It's off. What's going on with me?" Issei asked himself. He then gets up and looks at his two friends. "Sorry for causing you all trouble. I'm heading home." Matsuda turns around. "What?" He asks. "Issei wait!" Motohama asks. Issei walked out of Matsuda's house and headed home. As he kept walking he heard strange noises all around him. Like souls lingering from every angle in the air. He turns the corner to see an adult and child figure down the street a mile away from him.
"What's going on? It's like I'm changing."
MOMMY! MOMMY!
If you don't cut it out you'll be in time out Missy!
MOMMY!
"No way! What on Earth? How can I listen to them from a mile away! I can barely see them but I know there are two people there! He ran down the street and back to where it all began. "None of this makes sense! Raynare not being real? My night vision, my super hearing?!" He then puts his hands on the fountain edge and looks into the water. "I knew it. I took Raynare here. She always loved this park." He flashes back to when their parents got along and had playdates where they would go to the park together. "I see now. This is real."
"Now look at what we have here. How unfortunate. Oh well." Issei freezes in fear as he looks at man wearing a trench coat and hat. "Time to die."