Chapter 2: The World Eater Awakens.

Suzuki Momoto sighed as he lay against the hill. Man, school had been pretty disappointing today. It felt like they were just going over old material again, not bothering to extend their knowledge. Sure it made things easy, but he wanted to push himself further. He had high hopes of leaving this place and moving somewhere bigger. Tokyo, maybe. Become a famous executive, or an anime producer. Not many big pickings all the way out here. He brushed his dark hair out of his eyes before covering them with his arms. Maybe if he had a quick snooze, things might seem more interesting after lunch.

"Sleeping on the job again Suzuki?" A girl asked. He lifted his arms to see Mimi Kazuto smiling down at him, her orange hair spiked and with blue tips. He liked her. She wasn't snobbish like some other girls were, and she didn't try to flaunt her beauty either. He remembered when they first met back as kids. She acted like such a boy that he almost didn't realise that she was a girl. And she always threatened to hit him if he called her 'miss'. "Careful. If you fall asleep again you might wake up without any pants."

He smiled at her. "Well, at least I'm not wearing anything cute today. Unlike that time at the river, miss 'bunny pants'."

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up smart guy. I was 10. Bunnies were all the rage. And at least I didn't have to walk back home in my underwear."

"Only because I had to lend you my shorts."

"And you did so graciously."

"You got me in a headlock."

"But you said Uncle. That's still gracious." She sat down next to him, her orange locks swaying. "Seriously though, you might want to be careful when taking a nap. Half of these girls haven't been within 10 meters of boys since they got here."

"You're not telling me this place is like those 'girl-love' anime guys watch." She gave him a questioning look. "Some of the guys were talking about it in home room. Said it was the whole reason they came here."

Mimi sighed. "It's nothing like that. Well, ok maybe it is. But not to that extent. Girls aren't molesting each other or anything like that. All I'm saying is that some of them are a lot more perverted than you'd think." They both sat there, watching the other kids playing. "So, what did you think of the class just before?"

"Dull. I could feel myself drifting off in my seat." He replied.

"I know how you feel. Did we really need to have a recap class today? Why couldn't we have moved on to newer, more exciting things?" She was about to say something else, but they were interrupted by shouting and sounds similar to things getting hit by wood. "What the hell is that all about?"

"It sounds like it's coming from the gym. Must be Issei and his friends again."

"Man. They're persistent, I'll give them that. They must've gotten their asses kicked a dozen times this month alone."

"They're pathetic. Guys like them give all men a bad name. No wonder girls don't like us."

"I dunno. I wouldn't mind having a bunch of guys watching me get changed." Suzuki turned quickly, looking at her with shock and confusion. "What? Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean that I'm a prude."

"Yeah, but there's a difference between that and letting guys spy on you. What if they try to do more?"

Mimi snorted. "Please. These guys wouldn't know what to do with a girl if she ripped her clothes off for them. And I could kick their asses no sweat."

"Well… Yeah, you could. But I still think it's a bad idea."

"Oh lighten up. You're always so uptight about this stuff, it's like you were born a century too late."

"I am not! I'm just… I don't want to do anything that would hurt someone. Just because I like girls doesn't mean I should use them like… like a picture." Mimi rolled her eyes before grabbing his hand and pressing against her breast. As Suzuki stared in shock, she squeezed his fingers, causing him to grope her. He yelped as he pulled his hand free. "Mimi! What the hell?!"

"There. That didn't hurt me. And now you can say you've gotten one base closer than the Perverted Trio. Besides, I don't know why you're so uptight. We used to have baths together after all."

"We were five. And it was way before you started… You know…"

"Got a tight ass, wide hips and huge knockers?"

"Could you not phrase it like that?"

"What? Ass and knockers? How about hooters? Ta-tas? Tits?"

"Enough. I get it." Mimi started giggling at him. "Geez, you're really something aren't you? You should probably hang out with the Trio with that attitude."

"Maybe. I bet I could charge them ten thousand Yen for a nude picture of me." Suzuki started spluttering. "Relax. I'm kidding. I'm not selling a nude photo for anything less than a hundred grand." She opened her eyes to see him in shock. "What? I've got a good body. No way a whole picture is worth less than that."

"…Sometimes, I worry about you."

"Same here. Sixteen, and not a hint of a girlfriend. You waiting for someone special or something?"

"Maybe." He sighed. "I don't know. No one's really stood out yet. I'm not…"

"Not like the Trio. Yeah, I figured that much." They both looked down at the school to see Issei Hyoudo, Motohama, and Matsuda running from the Kendo club. "Still can't believe that Rias Gremory and her posse would hang out with Issei. What's he got that she's so interested in?"

"Knowing him, blackmail. That's the only thing I can think of that'll cause four good-looking girls to want to spend time with him."

"Oh. That makes sense."

"Why? What were you thinking he had?"

"A twenty inch dick." Suzuki started spluttering at that. "Seriously, a lot of times, bigger is better. But then you wouldn't know anything about that, would you 'crossdresser'?"

"Again, we were five."

"Hey, I'm just saying. When your junk is smaller than a girl's, you've got problems." Before he could retort, the bell started ringing. "Well, that's our cue. Better head to class before the teacher blows a gasket. Or whatever they call old parts. See you after school?"

"Not today. I've got things I need to do."

"Ok. Just watch out for any more crazy people blowing things up out there. My folks are getting nervous. Who knows what your parents are thinking?" She ran off, her long legs almost glistening in the sun. Suzuki felt himself blushing. While he'd admit that Mimi was really beautiful, he wasn't sure she was the one for him. And he wasn't sure if he was the one for her. Their relationship would probably be based more on physical things, rather than love. And he couldn't see that working without ruining their friendship completely. He got up, ready to follow her.

Pathetic.

He stopped, certain that he had just heard something. But when he looked around, no one was paying him any attention. Confused, he just shrugged the whole thing off as his imagination teaming up with his conscious or something.

If he were to look further up, he might've spotted what looked like a man in Chinese armour watching him.

A silver-haired man was sitting in a darkened hotel room, eyes roaming down a list of names. He was dressed like a delinquent, with a lot of leather and chains. His expression was of a man who didn't give a damn about anything. You'd almost think he was a normal loner if it weren't for the rest of the room's occupants.

Sitting on the couch and watching TV, a young man with blond hair and a business suit held onto a younger blond girl dressed in a long flowing dress, a wide brimmed witch hat and a cape. She was currently enraptured by the cartoon playing quietly on the screen. At their feet was a large wolf with two large horns growing from his back. Placed against the back of the room was a large statue, similar in form to a gargoyle. And sleeping in the bed was a buxom dark-haired woman, completely naked except for the well-placed bed sheet. She opened her eyes and watched the silver-haired man closely.

"You know, it's certainly chilly alone in this bed, nya." She purred.

The man didn't even look up from his list. "Then put some damn clothes on already." He replied.

"Oh, you're no fun, nya." The woman pouted. "Here I am, offering my body to you, and you won't even notice me, nya. You know Vali, most guys would kill to sleep with me, nya."

"Most guys are idiots." Vali replied. Their argument was interrupted as a man came jumping in through the window. The curtains parted long enough to reveal that he was a black-haired man wearing Chinese armour, a staff on one shoulder. "Bikou. I'm assuming you've got something important?"

"Pretty important." The man –Bikou – replied. "Now, I know that you've got issues with letting Sacred Gear users into this little club of ours. But I've got a good feeling about this kid…"

"No. No Sacred Gear users." Vali said firmly.

"Yeah well, I figure you'd make an exception for once. Like how you're ok with yourself being a Sacred Gear user." Vali glared at him. "Look, this kid is practically radiating power. And as far as I can tell, he isn't even aware of it. If he's got that power already, think of what he'll have once he gets his Gear working."

"It can't hurt to have more people helping us." The blond man remarked. "Not if we're going after who I think we're going after."

"Right. And he's got a Fallen watching him pretty closely. Like, standing right next to him close."

"You think he's being targeted by Fallen? Like that other kid? What's his name, Issei?" The woman asked. She sat up, the sheet falling away to bare every part of her body. Bikou whistled in appreciation.

"I doubt this kid concerns us. We don't have time for a newbie." Vali said.

"Ok. But if he gets killed, or reincarnated as a Devil, then that's it. We've lost him for good. Are you really that sure we don't need him?" Vali put his list down again, watching Bikou carefully.

"…Albion and I will have a look. Keep an eye on him and see if he gets attacked." Vali finally responded. White glowing wings formed behind him as he stood up.

"Mister Lucifer. What happens if he gets attacked?" The young girl asked him. Vali turned to her.

"If he gets attacked, then we need to see if he can handle himself. If he wins, it's a point in his favour. If he doesn't, then we're better off without him." He responded, before flying out the window.

Suzuki sighed as he walked off from the supermarket, a heavy bag of groceries weighing him down. The rest of the day didn't go much better. Even if class had been teaching more stuff and even if the Trio hadn't interrupted it to argue about who had bigger breasts, there was still that strange voice he heard. He knew now that it wasn't just his imagination. When he had been pushed aside by some people exiting class, he heard it again.

Weak.

And when someone at the store needed just an extra fifty Yen for their purchase, and he handed over some money, there is was again.

Gullible.

The same, deep growling voice. He frowned at he remembered it. It just didn't make sense. He kept looking around him, but he never spotted anyone that could be following him. And besides, it seemed as though only he could hear it. He shook his head. Yep, he was going crazy. Maybe he was pushing himself too hard. Maybe he needed to just stop and relax or something. He blushed as he remembered Mimi's conversation earlier. His mind already imagined what she might suggest.

"Geez, you need to get laid or something. Hearing voices is not a good sign. Come on, I'll do it now with you if you're impatient."

Ridiculous. She was just a friend. A beautiful friend, but he didn't really see her that way.

Liar.

"Who asked you?" He said aloud, drawing odd looks from people around him. He smiled nervously and waved at them, grunting as he shifted the bag. Man, it was heavy. He'd better take a shortcut if he didn't want his arm to fall off.

Stupid.

Ignoring the voice, he headed off down the nearest alleyway. It led him to a back road that wasn't used all that much. He remembered all the strange things going on, but surely that wouldn't happen to him. Nothing exciting ever happened to him. Well, except for the voice.

Behind you.

He stopped, not sure if he wanted to believe a strange voice. But slowly, his body started turning around. He saw a thin man standing at the end of the alleyway, smirking at him. At least, he thought the guy was smirking at him. It was kinda hard to tell in the twilight.

"C…Can I help you?" He asked the guy nervously, getting ready to run. Mentally, he cursed himself for taking a shortcut. Was this the guy whose voice he kept hearing? Why was he stalking him? He heard the voice chuckle, but the guy said nothing.

"Actually, you can." The man said. "You see, I got told that there was this lame kid with something special about them. About your height, with black hair, lanky limbs and a really stupid expression on his face. Know where I might find him?"

"Uh… I don't really know who you're talking about, sorry. Haven't seen anyone like that around here." He was starting to get nervous now. This guy's voice was nothing like the voice in his head. His mind flashed to all the strange reports, like the destruction of the local church and the fountain. Was this guy connected to them? Was he a terrorist?

"No? Ok, I'll give you three hints. 1: He's carrying a bag of groceries. 2: He's wearing your clothes. And 3: He's you." As the man said that, he raced towards Suzuki impossibly fast, a glowing knife in his hand. Suzuki froze up, before his body started moving. It swung the groceries at the guy and twisted away from the blade. The man dodged the bag before swiping, the tip slashing across Suzuki's chest. Suzuki stumbled over his feet, falling over as the man followed up with another swipe. He placed a hand against the cut, coming away with a thin line of red. He then looked down the road, but couldn't see the man anywhere. What the hell was going on?

"Hey. Up here." He looked up, eyes widening in shock. The man… he was flying. Large bat-like wings were holding him up, while he held two glowing red blades in his hands. "Wow. I can't believe anyone was actually concerned about you. You're the most pathetic human I've ever met. Kudos on the dodge though. But it won't save you now."

"No. No, no, no, no…" Suzuki whimpered over and over, scrabbling away in fear. The… the thing laughed at him before creating multiple blades. Holding them between his knuckles, he tossed them all in one swing. Suzuki screamed in panic, closing his eyes and awaiting the pain.

Feim.

He heard the sound of blades slamming into the ground and something exploding, but when he opened his eyes he found himself unharmed. He patted his body over to make sure, but he was pretty sure he was still alive. But as his hands ran over his chest, he felt metal covering him. He quickly got to his feet, still panicking. What the hell was this? What was he wearing? What the Hell is going on here?

"What the fuck?" The thing asked in shock, the smoke billowing enough to reveal Suzuki unharmed. "That was a direct hit. Well, I guess you've got something after all. But it won't be enough to save your ass." He materialised more blades, tossing them in handfuls now. Suzuki screamed, even as his body moved out of the way. He looked at his hands in surprise, wondering how he did that. How did he do anything right now?

Because unlike you, I'm not suicidal. The voice said. Now, shut up and give me the reins. Suzuki yelped as his body moved again, dodging more and more strikes with ease. The thing was getting angrier with every missed blow. The thing? Hah. Call him what he really is, human. A Devil. What? No, no. Devils and demons, those… those weren't real. But then again, that would explain what the hell was going on. Or maybe he hit his head or ate something weird and was now hallucinating.

"Hold…still… you little… shit." The Devil grunted, no longer amused.

Hardly. Yol Toor Shul. Whatever that was supposed to do, Suzuki couldn't see it. The… well, whatever was controlling his body forced him behind a dumpster. Strange. Must be some new rule or something. Maybe if… He growled. A deep, animalistic growl. As much as it pains me to say this, I require your aid, human.

"What the hell is going on here? Who are you? What are you? Why is that guy attacking me?"

I don't have the time or patience for your questions. Just do as I say, and maybe you'll be alive long enough to ask them later. Now, you recall the words I said before?

"Y-Yeah."

Finally, something going right. When I run us out from behind this, I want you to face the Devil and shout it out. And keep facing him.

"Uh… right." He yelped as his body moved again, the dumpster exploding. He rolled to his feet to see the Devil floating before him.

"End of the line, human." He said, smiling evilly. "Say goodbye."

Now. Shout it out now.

"Yol…Toor…Shul!" Suzuki shouted it as loud as he could, before his mouth suddenly forced itself wide. A beam of fire flew from it, engulfing the Devil before him and his blades in a sudden strike. It continued far into the sky, melting roofs and setting off alarms as it passed. After several seconds of this, the flames stopped. Suzuki fell backwards as the armour dissipated, panting heavily and fanning his mouth.

What the hell was that?

The true power of a Dovah. The voice said smugly. It's no surprise that you destroyed that feeble creature so easily. Now, praise me. And I might just teach you something else.

Silence. The voice growled.

Human? Human. Alduin grunted as the boy's body started toppling, only his quick control stopping him from falling. When the boy's eyes opened, they were a deep red and with black sclera. He grumbled to himself, his throat aching slightly. "Unbelievable. First actual fight, and this worm faints from it. No wonder Mora chose this prison for me. It's insulting." He concentrated deeply, but when he opened his eyes, there were no wings on his back. Or arms. "Fine. I'll carry this sack of manure back to his abode. It's not like I can do anything else right now." He continued to grumble to himself as he stomped back for the boy's house, leaving the scene of destruction behind him. He cursed this boy for being unable to handle his great power.

As a side effect of not having access to his full power right now, he wasn't aware of another figure watching him from some distance. A silver-haired boy with two glowing wings.

Suzuki gave a strangled scream as he awoke, falling off his bed as he came to. The wind was knocked out of him as he fell to the floor, banging his arm against the bedframe. He laid there cradling his elbow, panting for breath as his eyes darted everywhere.

Home. He was home. He gave out a shaky laugh, whole body trembling. That… that was just a dream. That's right. A dream. There's no such thing as demons and devils and strange talking armour that breathed fire…

But as he placed a hand against his chest to calm his thumping heart, he felt a fine cut in his shirt. Right where he had dreamed he had been attacked. He quickly lifted his shirt to find a red stain partway down his front, the wound healed and gone.

Finally. He started as he heard a familiar deep voice. I was wondering how long you could delude yourself for. You surprise me though. I thought it would take you at least another day before you started realising the truth. He tried to scream, but something took control of his vocal cords. Ah ah ah. No screaming. Your peasant mother is already suspicious of you after I failed my admittedly poor attempt at your stupid attitude.

"My… My mom? What did…? What are you…? How did I…?" The voice growled deeply. "You promised." That's right. The voice promised to tell him everything after… after…

Oh God. He killed someone. He actually killed someone.

Oh please. You give yourself far too much credit, human. I killed him. You were just there for the ride. And besides, he was trying to kill you, remember? What a pathetic world this is if you're taught to feel sorrow over defending yourself.

"You… You still promised." Ok, he was actually hearing a voice. He actually got attacked by some… demon-thing. He took deep breaths as his body calmed down. Now was not the time to panic. Now was the time to find out what the fuck was happening.

I said I might answer your questions. And I don't feel like it right now. Prove to me that you are something more, and I promise that I will tell you everything. Until then though, do not dare to disturb me.The room suddenly became much quieter, as though the voice turned off all sound as it left. He called out for it several times, but it didn't respond. Now that the danger and the strangeness and all the freaky things had finally passed, he felt pissed. This… thing has been nothing but rude to him ever since it showed up in his life. It had berated him, insulted him, and he got the feeling that it wouldn't have lifted a finger to help him in any other situation. And now it wouldn't even bother answering some stupid questions after everything he's been through?

"Fine." He said angrily. "You know what? I don't even need your help. Asshole. I can deal with this all on my own."

The voice didn't respond. But he hadn't expected it to.

Mimi was waiting at the school gate when he came rushing as fast as he can, dust trailing behind him. Then she waited while he tried to catch his breath and avoid dropping dead right in front of everyone. That would be embarrassing. Almost embarrassing enough to die a second time.

"Wow. You're almost late. Is it the end of the world now? A real girlfriend? Garbage day?" Mimi asked him, almost sounding shocked.

"Bite… me." Suzuki panted. "I… had to… go… and get… groceries…"

"I thought you usually get them in the afternoon. Did you forget or something?"

"No… Got… waylaid… by some… crazy… guy… With… knives…"

"Knives? You were attacked? Are you ok?" Her tone was now more shocked, and she was checking him for injuries.

"Relax." He said gently, now not so puffed. "I threw the bag at him and ran for it. Made it back home in one piece. Though obviously I lost the bag during it all…"

"Who cares about some stupid groceries? You could've been hurt. Why did he go after you in the first place?"

"Haven't got a clue. Bad luck I guess." He answered truthfully. And it was the truth. He didn't have a clue why the demon attacked him. But he was willing to bet that it had something to do with that weird voice in his head. And that armour.

He still wasn't sure as to where it had gone. And he had checked everywhere.

Mimi was shaking her head. "Geez. What kind of world are we living in where you get attacked by a knife-wielding lunatic for no reason?" She started talking about how unfair the world was, about drug-addled crazies, and about other stuff. But he wasn't listening to her right now.

A chill had gone up his spine, and he could've sworn he heard that voice chuckle. He quickly looked around, but there was no sign of danger. Just half the school mulling around doing whatever. No one looked out of the ordinary. No one looked like they were going to kill him.

But all the same, he couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was watching him. Someone who meant him ill-will.

At the edge of the school grounds, a winged man and a Chinese man with a staff watched him carefully.

Suzuki had been feeling stressed and tired all day. That feeling between his shoulder blades, the one where it felt like someone was watching him, hadn't gone away all day. In fact, it felt like it was getting stronger all the time. He had a crick in his neck from looking over his shoulder all the time, and people were looking at him like he was weird. He didn't know who or what was watching him, but he came to the conclusion that he couldn't go home that night. Not until he got rid of it somehow. But he was fresh out of ideas on what to do.

Well, except for maybe get that voice to do whatever it did last night again. That seemed like his best bet so far. So he waited until after school and snuck round to the secluded side of the gym. From there, no one was going to catch him talking to himself and think he was crazy. Well, crazier.

"Hey." He said aloud. "Weird voice thing. Can you hear me?" Nothing. "Come on. You've gotta be there. It's your fault that I got attacked. Everything was fine until I started hearing your voice. You owe me." Still nothing. He was beginning to feel foolish. What if the voice wasn't there anymore? But he tried one more time. "Look. Something's been watching me all day, and I'm sick of it. I need your help, or it might follow me home and hurt my family."

"Ah. At last. I was worried you'd never realise that you had a watcher." There. There was the voice at last. "Your instincts are very dull in this age. I'm surprised your kind haven't been hunted to extinction already."

"What's stalking me? Another demon?"

"No. You're being stalked by a harmless deer." The voice said sarcastically. "Of course it's another Devil. No doubt our little morsel last night had a partner. Someone to lend aid if they were overwhelmed by greater power. A newborn would've known that. Sorry, let me rephrase that. A newborn Dovah would've known that. You humans are too stupid to know anything."

"Hey! I'm getting really sick of you insulting me all the time." Suzuki said angrily.

"You make it far too easy. How you survived before I woke up is beyond me. You're practically letting everything walk all over you. You should be grinding this collection of buildings under your heel, taking its riches for yourself. Instead, you do nothing."

"Somehow, I doubt a school has riches to take."

"Pah. And you truly believe that. It disgusts me to even be working with you."

"Yeah? Well if you don't like it so much, why don't you just leave me alone?!" He shouted.

"Suzuki?" He flinched as he heard Mimi's voice. She was standing by the corner of the gym wall, watching him with concern. "Who were you talking to right now?"

"Ah, Mimi." He said nervously. "I was… I was just… Practising a line for… a small play. Yeah. Well, not exactly a play. It's more for uh… um… role-playing. Yeah, for role-playing." He started laughing nervously. He also heard that voice snort in derision.

"Suzuki, you can't act. Or lie. You never have." She walked closer to him. "Seriously. What's going on? Why are you acting so strange today?"

"There's nothing going on." He lied. "Everything's fine." A shiver ran down his spine, and he quickly twisted round. His eyes scanned everywhere, but he saw nothing out of the ordinary. He even looked above in case the demon was flying. He turned back to see Mimi watching him intently. He felt himself wilting under her gaze.

"Nothing, huh? Then why are you acting like something's gonna jump out at you at any moment?" He gulped loudly. He couldn't lie to her. Not under that kind of scrutiny. It always felt like she was looking into his very soul when she did that. But he couldn't get her involved in this mess either. There was no way she'd survive. He barely survived, and he had some freaky voice and armour helping him.

"Well… You see… There's uh…" He panicked, trying to come up with something, anything, to keep her out of it. She kept glaring at him, but something behind him drew her attention. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Look out!" She shouted, tackling him to the ground. He groaned as they landed, only to watch as a massive red arrow skewered the ground where they had been standing. It then glowed and exploded, blasting them away and cracking the gym wall. He groaned as they both laid there, rubble strewn around them and dust settling on them. Today had been one of his worst days yet.

"That was hardly worth the effort." A deep voice said. He opened his eyes to see a large man in a ripped vest hovering over them both. Two large bat wings were attached to his back, hardly flapping to keep him up in the air. And he held a scary looking bow in his hands. This must be the demon partner the voice warned him about. "You're both going to die anyway. Dodging that blast only delayed the inevitable."

Mimi stood up before Suzuki, intently glaring at the demon. "Malchial Vassago." She hissed. "What do you think you're doing? There is a pact between the Three. Even you aren't stupid enough to break it by attacking me." She knew this guy? The Three? A pact? What was she talking about? What's going on here?

The demon – Malchial – glared down at Mimi. "I have no quarrel with the Fallen, and you are not my target." He pointed his finger at Suzuki. "I seek retribution against this human. He has killed my partner, and for that I demand his execution." He glared at Mimi again. "This is Devil business. You have no right to interfere."

"As a matter of fact, I do. He's my friend. I'm not going to just stand back and let you kill him for some half-assed reason."

Malchial growled. "Then so be it. Under the laws of the pact, I have the right to end your life along with his. It shall be swift and painful." He pulled back on the bowstring, a glowing red arrow forming. When he released the string, it fired with enough force to pierce the ground again. But Mimi had already grabbed him and jumped away. The arrow exploded again, making another crater. Again and again, he fired arrow after arrow, forcing them to run to survive.

"Mimi? What the hell is going on here?" Suzuki asked in a panic.

"Trust me, I don't know any more than you do." She replied grimly, always one pace ahead of him. "Look, is what he said true? Did you really kill a Devil?"

"I… I think so. At least, it was gone when I was…"

"Good enough. Then stop being such a pussy and use whatever you did to kill him. I'll distract him in the meantime." As she said that, a glowing purple spear formed in her hands. She threw it as she jumped, black feathery wings exploding from her back. Malchial dodged as it sailed towards him, his aim disrupted by his movement. The arrow flew wide, and then he was forced to defend himself with his bow. Mimi had a grim determination on her face as she clashed again and again.

And Suzuki? He hated to admit it, but he was hiding behind another building.

"This is what I've been reduced to? Cowering behind a woman's skirt? This is beyond humiliating. Mortal, go out there and at least die with pride." The voice said angrily. His chest felt warm now.

"Oh no. I'm not going out there until you start helping me again. I haven't got a clue what I'm doing. I don't even know what I did last time." The voice sighed, and then his body was covered in black flames. He gave a loud garbled shriek and started patting himself down, but the flames turned into the armour he had been wearing last night. "What the…?"

"Save your questions for later. For now, just do as I say. Repeat the words I tell you to say. Do that, and you will at least walk away with your life. And I get to hold onto the last shreds of my pride."

"That's what you said last time." He muttered. But it wasn't like he had any other choice.

"Insolent whelp. Very well then. Now, move out and shout Yol." Suzuki ran out from behind the building, just as an arrow arced towards him. He stumbled and fell, and that was what saved his life. The arrow passed overhead. So then he turned his head towards the Devil, watching as he wrenched on Mimi's wing.

"Yol." He shouted, a fireball spewing from his mouth. Malchial released Mimi and moved aside the fireball passing by harmlessly. His attention was now all on him. "Uh… Now what?"

"Get closer. And try again."

"Right." Suzuki ran towards Malchial, trying to move from side to side to avoid getting shot at. But it seemed that mostly he was barely surviving. And he was pretty sure that it was mostly because of the armour enhancing his movement or something. "Hey voice. Please tell me there's an easier way to get to him."

"Hmph. Fine. Look at him, and say Wuld Nah Kest."

"Uh… Wuld Nah Kest?" He screamed as his body was propelled through the air at blinding speed, smashing into Malchial with great strength. They both started tumbling through the air, the demon glaring at him as he reached for his throat. "Yol." Suzuki shouted in a panic, another fireball forming. It smashed into Malchial, and blasted him away. Of course, that still left him with the fact that he was high in the air. He screamed loudly as he fell, eyes closed to await the end.

He felt something grab him under the arms, wrenching them and causing his fall to falter. He opened his eyes to see the ground still below him, and Mimi holding onto him. She was grunting from the effort.

"That armour's really heavy." She said, wings flapping madly to keep them up. Eventually, she ended up lowering him to the ground, his feet touching the grass gently. He promptly fell onto his ass, heart still beating at a dozen miles per hour. She landed next to him, wings folding away. "Did you get him? Is he dead?"

"I… Yeah. Yeah, he's dead. Got him right in the chest with a fireball." He said.

"And you think that's enough? Look up, you buffoon." He looked upwards, still annoyed at being constantly insulted. He gasped as he took in the demon flying high above them. There was a very large burnt hole in his jacket, the flesh charred black and looking rather melted. But it obviously wasn't enough to stop him. He was glaring even more at them.

"Wretched human. How dare you damage me. I promised a quick and painful death before, but now it will be bloody and even more painful." His bow started glowing brightly, and a dozen or more arrows formed around him. More than enough to blast them both. Too many to escape. And they were glowing even brighter than before.

He almost pissed himself in terror.

"Die a brutal death, human!" Malchial screamed, releasing the arrows. They thundered down like a red rain, covering an incredible distance. Or at least, that's how it felt down there. Mimi grabbed him and pulled him close, wrapping her wings around him. It was a nice gesture, but likely futile.

The voice sighed. "Fine. Looks like I'll have to save your hide. Again. Feim Zii Gron." A swirling effect surrounded them, their skin turning completely translucent. They both watched as the arrows slammed into the ground around them, several even passing through them. They exploded and scarred the lawn beneath them, dropping them both into a sizable crater.

And yet not one of them managed to even hurt them.

Malchial stared at them with shock, eyes bulging like an anime character. "What's this? How could you survive such an attack? That's levelled entire buildings!"

"Nevermind him. It's our turn now. And I have a better plan now."

"You call that last attack a plan? You had me running into his attacks." Suzuki said to the voice, ignoring Mimi's staring.

"Just shut up and listen. When the effect ends, I want you to shout at him again. Two of them. That should be enough to stop him for good. First, call out Zun. Then, finish him off with the shout Iiz Slen Nus."

"What are those going to do?"

"Oh, you'll see." Not exactly what he wanted to hear, but it wasn't like he had any better ideas. He quickly climbed out of the crater, his body turning back to normal as he jumped out and ran. Malchial growled and nocked another arrow. Suzuki took a deep breath as he readied himself.

"Zun." He shouted. The bow was pulled from Malchial's hands, flinging away like mad. The arrow fizzled away now that its weapon was gone. Malchial stared at him in shock and horror. "Iiz Slen Nus." Suzuki then called out. A chilling breath left him, soaring through the air towards the demon. He barely had time to react now, the breath smashing into him. His body froze over, every inch covered in ice. Now unable to sustain his flight, he fell to the harsh, solid ground below. When he struck it, the ice and the demon both shattered into a thousand pieces.

They both crouched there, the air silent. Him, winded and scared; and her with bleeding wings. She folded them away, but there wasn't much point. He had already seen them.

"Mimi? What the hell is going on here?" Suzuki asked her warily. She opened her mouth, before closing it again. And staring at his armour all the while. Her mouth tensed into a thin line.

"It might be easier to explain it at my place." She said finally, reaching out to him. He scurried away from her, and she flinched before staring at him. "Or we could talk at your place. Whatever makes you feel more comfortable."

"You might as well talk to her." The voice said smugly. "Now that you've got someone else to pester about all this, I'm not going to say a word." Suzuki grinded his teeth, but unfortunately it didn't seem like he had an option. One thing he's learnt so far is that the voice is annoyingly stubborn all the time.

"We do it out at the park. Where people are close by." He said firmly. At least if she tried to kill him or anything, he could run for safety. She seemed to reach the same conclusion. And it hurt her that he thought like that.

"Alright. If that's what makes you feel more comfortable."

High above, Vali and Bikou were watching the two. In fact, they had been watching for most of the day.

"Finally. I thought it was going to be dull all day." Bikou said, sitting on top of his staff. "At least there was some action today. And did you see that guy? He didn't have a damn clue what he was doing, and he still slaughtered that Devil." As they watched, the Fallen girl grabbed the discarded bow and carried it with her, keeping in front of the boy at all times.

"It wasn't all that impressive." Vali said simply. "If it weren't for the Fallen intervening, he would've easily died in the first salvo. Honestly he's not anywhere near as impressive as you made him sound to be."

"Aw, come on. Even you should be able to sense the power radiating from him."

"Power is useless if he can't fully tap into it. Right now, it's just a dormant reservoir."

"That said, he is far more than he appears to be."

Vali raised an eyebrow as he kept watching the kid. "You really think so, Albion?"

"I do. There is a dragon trapped within him. And with power I have never seen before. And yet…" He paused. "And yet, something feels off about it."

"Enough riddles Albion. Just give it to me straight."

"I'm not trying to be confusing. I just don't know how to describe it myself. It's as though… it's as though the dragon within him is to a dragon what a god is to a human."

Vali's eyebrow rose higher. "You mean that the soul resembles a dragon in form only?"

"Perhaps. I haven't met anything like it before. Without meeting the dragon, I won't be able to make any real conclusions. But I can at least tell you this: The power within him, the untapped reservoir you mentioned, is even greater than mine of Ddraig's combined."

Vali watched with slightly renewed interest. "A dragon that isn't a dragon, with more power than the two Heavenly Dragons combined. Interesting." He turned away, wings forming again. They had a silvery metallic appearance, with blue energy blades for wings. "Bikou, since you're so interested in him you can watch over any progress he makes. He's got two weeks to make me change my mind about him. If he can't improve enough to impress me, then he's worthless to me."

"What?" Bikou shouted in surprise. "I've gotta keep watching him? His life's boring. There's nothing good going on with him except for the fights. And from the way he's reacting, I don't think he's keen on fighting. He'll never be ready in time."

"Then make him ready. Hire some mercenaries, provoke him, set him against the Gremory girl. As long as he improves, I don't really care what happens to him." And with that, he flew away back to the hotel room.

"Sheesh." Bikou groaned. Great. Now he was stuck on babysitting duty. With a weedy wimp who didn't even realise the power he had within his grasp. Still, at least the Fallen was sexy, even with bloodied wings.

Well, first thing he had to do was see how the guy reacted to being a part of this world. From there…

From there, he could start 'training' him.

There we go. Now we've met my OC. Well, two OCs really. As for their names, I don't know a lot of Japanese. So I just used names I've heard from other anime and stuff. So, yes. I named my main character after a car brand.

(Well, actually that was just a coincidence. I actually do know a tiny bit of Japanese, most of it forgotten over the years, and just used that for a name.)

But yeah, now we've seen Alduin in action as a Sacred Gear. A bit. And that there is why he's not joining Vali's team just yet. Given what I know about Vali, there is no way he would just accept a guy who barely survived his first fights just because he's got powerful untapped potential. No, he has to see him do something really impressive first.

Now, about the Sacred Gear and what it can do. I had it as a suit of cuirass because I didn't want to have another guy with a gauntlet like Issei. And having it connect to his jaw makes much more sense than having the Shouts coming from his hand. As for the shouts themselves, there are going to be some rules about them. Any shouts that only affect the user can be used by Alduin, though obviously Suzuki can use them too once he's aware of them. Any Shouts that affect others has to be said by Suzuki himself to use them. This is to give us a bit of a challenge, since obviously he knows nothing about Shouts right now. And just like the game, Suzuki can only do so many Shouts before he gets breathless. He can do three or so One Word Shouts, or he can only do about one Full Shout. But as he taps into more of Alduin's power (a bit like using Balance Breaker of Juggernaut Drive) he can use more shouts in a short time. At full power, he could literally use a sentence to kill you.

Oh, and because he needs something other than his voice, Suzuki can also summon a weapon when he manifests more armour. Right now though, he doesn't know how to do that. Good thing Mimi picked up a bow for him on their way out.

And as the opening scenes show, he can also end up interacting with Issei and the Occult Club.

P.S. I know that Ice Form can't cause enemies to just shatter if they fall (or at least, I don't think they do in Skyrim). But that guy was a dozen feet in the air and frozen through. Even Shouts have to follow some laws of physics. They can defy it to cause an effect, but anything that happens because of the Shout's effect has to obey. At least, that's how I see it.

Edit: had a couple of people ask for more details about Suzuki and Mimi's appearances, so I added in a couple extra lines describing them better. But if you can't spot them, Suzuki is about average height (around 1.5 metres or so), rather thin, andwith wavy black hair and grey eyes. Mimi is a bit shorter than him, with orange hair (usually with a splash of dye), amber eyes, and a bust figure like every other supernatural girl in the show.

Also, this is set after the first season Highschool DxD. So after the Asia saga.