AN: Hey guys and welcome to my new story, "Switching Sides."

I want to thank those who took their time to vote for this story and those who supported me by following and favoriting me or my last story :)

I am looking forward to seeing your reviews, but please keep them civilized.

Keep in mind that this story will not have an organized schedule like the last one which I used to update daily.

I will update this story when I deem the chapter good enough which can take few days or few weeks so don't expect a daily update.

I do have a warning that there will be bashing in this chapter which is aimed toward Rias and the rest of the ORC girls so keep that in mind.

I made a small reference here that I think you will recognize :) It ties in with the name of the chapter.

Now without further ado here is the Prologue for "Switching Sides" Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD or the source of the reference I made here.

"..." Talking

'...' Thoughts

*...* Actions i.e., Yawning and Sighing

(...) Flashback and time skips

["..."] Talking through the Sacred Gear

['...'] Talking in the Host mind

[...] Sacred Gear Actions and modes

{..} Sacred Gear Mentions

It was evening, the streets of Kyoto were starting to empty while the people went home to their families, the shop owners starting to close down their stores as well.

Issei and the rest of the ORC were walking back to their hotel after meeting with Kunou, the daughter of the nine-tailed fox who thought that her mother got kidnapped by an unknown culprit.

At first, the young Youkai thought that Issei was responsible for the kidnapping of her mother, so she and a group of several Youkais attacked him but after clearing the misunderstanding Issei and the girls went to the young girl's home in order to talk about her mother and who she think kidnapped her only for them to find out by a messenger of the Youkai's that was sent to Kunou's home that her mother left without notifying her daughter for a meeting regarding the Youkai faction.

Issei and the girls were almost near their hotel when Issei suddenly spotted a beautiful girl sitting on a nearby bench while crying.

Issei did not know why but something about her aura made him want to go and cheer her up.

"I'll be right back" Issei excused himself before he started to make his way toward the crying girl.

Upon getting a closer look at the girl Issei gawked.

She had blonde hair that reached to her shoulders and blue mesmerizing eyes as well as a slim figure.

"Hey, are you ok?" Issei silently asked as he approached the crying girl.

The girl panicked at first thinking that someone wanted to harm her, but upon seeing Issei smiling at her, she relaxed.

"Eh? Oh...It's nothing" The girl said, avoiding to tell the brunette why she was crying.

"Are you sure?" Issei asked in a tender voice.

"Yeah...Thanks anyway" the girl said with a small smile that captivated Issei.

"Beautiful" Issei muttered as he looked at the charming smile the girl gave him.

The girl had wide eyes when she heard what Issei said before she started to blush like crazy.

"I-I'm B-Beautiful?" The girl asked in shock.

"Y-You heard me?" Issei asked in panic as he realized that he was heard.

"Y-Yeah...Did you really mean that, though?" The girl asked in doubt.

"I did...If I didn't know otherwise I would have thought that you were an angel sent from heaven" Issei said while blushing slightly with a small smile as he told the girl what he thought about her, making her blush intensify.

"S-Stop it," The girl said as she punched him playfully while smiling.

"Ok Ok" Issei said in defeat while lifting his hands up a bit in a playful manner.

"What is your name by the way?" Issei asked after remembering that he never got the girls name.

"Le Fay," The girl said, making her name known to the brunette who smiled in response.

"Nice to meet you, Le Fay, I am Issei" Issei introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you Issei and thank you for making me feel better," Le Fay said gratefully.

"No problem," Issei said before he gazed back to Rias and the rest who looked very irritated for some reason, making Issei very confused.

"It was nice meeting you Issei, but I have to go now. I hope we will meet again" Le Fay said as she started to get up from her seat and walk away.

"I hope so too," Issei said while waving the girl goodbye before he turned back to Rias and the rest.

"Sorry about this...Anyway let's go back to the hotel I am tired" Issei said after yawning.

The girls did not respond and instead just walked ahead towards the hotel.

The rest of the walk was silent much to Issei surprise, but he decided to shrug it off, thinking everyone was just tired as he was.

When Issei and the rest came back to the hotel room, they all entered their room and started to get ready to sleep.

Issei noticed that the girls seem to talk like usual with each other but for some reason ignored him and chose not to speak to him ever since he talked with Le Fay.

"Everyone, is something wrong?" Issei asked in curiosity, but he was surprised when he saw the girls glaring at him.

"Ise, for you what are we?" Rias asked in anger.

"What do you mean Buchou?" Issei asked perplexed, not understanding what Rias meant.

"How do you feel about us?" Akeno suddenly interjected, clarifying what her king meant.

"How I feel about you?" Issei said, running the question through his mind as he tried to come up with an answer.

"Well...You are my friends, my comrades and I care greatly about you" Issei replied with a smile, satisfied with his answer but his satisfaction did not live for long when he saw the girls reaction.

The girls were very upset when they heard how Issei talked with that girl from earlier and it made them feel doubt in their heart.

Were they not enough for him?

Sure he wanted a harem, but he already had them and as much as they hated to admit that, he did not treat them like he treated that girl which made them even sadder.

They started to remember all the times they attempted to interact with Issei in a romantic and intimate way.

They remember the looks of freight he had when he looked at them and how scared he was.

They were confused as to why the brunette they all loved dearly acted like this and when he asked them if something was wrong they decided just to confront him about his feelings towards them but when they heard his reply they wished that they would never have done that.

After hearing that he consider them as friends and comrades, they felt their hearts to ache and their rage to grow up.

At least that how they felt on the inside but on the outside, they were sobbing in sorrow.

"What's wrong?! Did I do something wrong?" Issei asked in panic after seeing the girls crying heavily.

The girls composed themselves before resuming their glaring at Issei who now jumped in shock at how they were looking at him.

He never saw them looking at him with such anger, and it made him afraid and confused.

"Do you have any idea what is wrong?" Issei asked Kiba, hoping the blond will be able to help him.

"Seriously Issei-kun? You don't even realize what you did? Jeez...I can understand very well what the girls are going through" Kiba said in aggravation.

"What do you mean? Do you know what is going on?" Issei asked in confusion and desperation.

"Yes but you need to figure this out on your own" Kiba deadpanned.

Issei did not respond and instead frowned from the blonde's sudden aggression towards him.

'Why is Kiba so mad? Seriously what the hell is happening?' Issei thought in confusion as he tried to comprehend the situation.

Issei was about to ask Rias what he did wrong so he could fix it before he heard her mutter something that made his heart to break.

"I never should have reincarnated you..." Rias muttered silently in anger and frustration, thinking no one heard her.

"B-Buchou...Do you really mean that?" Issei asked in sorrow, afraid to hear the Gremory Heiress answer.

Rias frowned upon realizing that she was heard and chose not to respond while the rest just looked at her in confusion as to what Issei meant.

'Did I really mean that?' Rias thought in confusion; her mind was in turmoil.

She loved Issei very much, but there were times that he really hurt her and the rest without even realizing it.

The frightened looks, the inconsideration towards their feelings as he flirted with a girl right in front of them.

But the worst thing for Rias was how he addressed her.

Every time he addressed her as Buchou and not in her first name made her heart to ache.

Everyone looked at Rias with confusion after hearing Issei question.

They were confused as to what Issei was talking about and why he sounded like he was in pain.

"Yes..." They suddenly heard their king say.

"Buchou...Please tell me that this is some cruel joke" Issei said in desperation, hoping with every fiber of his being that Rias didn't really mean what she said.

"I am sorry Ise, but there are sometimes when I think that I made a wrong choice reincarnating you," Rias said in sadness as tears once again cascaded her cheeks.

Everyone gasped in surprise when they heard what Rias said.

They thought that Rias loved Issei more than anything else after everything they have been through but hearing that she had doubts about her decision to reincarnate him made them very shocked.

Upon hearing what Rias said Issei's feeling was a mixture of sorrow, anguish, remorse and fury.

['Parner are you ok?'] Ddraig asked after sensing the distress his partner was currently experiencing.

Issei did not answer which startled the Welsh Dragon.

He was asleep when he suddenly woke up in response to Issei intense feelings, and he was very confused as to why his partner felt like that.

"I thought you loved me, all of you but I was wrong...It's just like last time" Issei muttered silently, but he was heard by everyone who frowned in response.

"If you felt that way then you should have left me to die!" Issei suddenly shouted in anger, shocking everyone.

"Ise..." Rias said in sadness after witnessing the brunette outburst in anger, the rest looking at Issei in sorrow.

Issei did not respond and instead glared at everyone before he stormed out of the room in anger.

"Ise wait! Come back...Please..." Rias shouted in desperation while lifting her hand and pointing it towards the door like she tried to reach for it.

"What did he mean when he said like last time?" Irina asked in confusion, but she got no answer as everyone was deep in thoughts, trying to digest what happened right now except for one person who frowned after hearing Irina's question.

At first, she did not realize what he meant, but after thinking about it, she remembered the one person who scarred him for life.

"Raynare..." Koneko said with a frown after realizing what Issei meant.

At the mention of the fallen angel, everyone who were present back then snapped out from their train of thoughts and frowned as it dawned on them.

Raynare...They muttered as they thought about the fallen angel as the pieces started to come together.

The frightened looks, the need to have many girls to love him, the lack of reciprocating their feelings.

It all made sense...He still didn't recover from what she did to him.

"What have we done..." Akeno said as dread filled her and the rest.

"We have to find Issei-kun and apologize before it's too late, " Kiba said in urgency while hoping that they won't be too late to find Issei.

Rias just stood still with a look of emptiness.

'What have I done?' She thought to herself as she remembered what she said to the boy she loved so much.

She couldn't remember why she said that she regretted reincarnating him as her mind was in utter chaos.

"Rias are you ok?" Akeno asked her king in worry after seeing the empty look her eyes held.

Rias continued to look ahead while ignoring her queen question which made her worry to increase.

"Rias c'mon snap out of it!" Akeno said while she shook her king.

"Akeno?" Rias said after regaining her senses.

"Rias we have to go and find Issei as soon as possible" Akeno explained to her king with urgency.

"R-Right...Let's go" Rias said still a little shocked before they all went outside to search for Issei.

"I can't believe that after everything we've been through that's how they treat me" Issei said in disbelief.

"I thought that they loved me...Especially Rias but apparently I was wrong...Raynare was right" Issei said in sadness.

On this day Issei received a grim reminder.

A reminder of his time with Raynare and the things she told him which eventually scarred him for life.

He aimlessly strolled while contemplating about everything that transpired today before he found himself in a ruined shrine.

"How did I get here..." Issei asked no one in particular as he looked around the shrine.

"Hyoudou" He heard what appeared to be a girl calling him, he looked around the shrine to find the source of the voice and upon finding it he tensed up.

There stood Vali and Cao Cao, both looking at him with carefully.

[Boost!] The Welsh Dragon voice echoed through the shrine as a bright light erupted before his red gauntlet appeared on his left hand.

Cao Cao and Vali looked unfazed at the summoning of the Boosted Gear.

Issei did not waste any time and got int a battle stance in preparation for the inevitable battle, but he was surprised when it didn't come.

"You're not going to attack me?" Issei asked in confusion to which the duo nodded.

"We didn't come here to battle Issei," Vali said with her tender to avoid provoking the boy.

"So why did you come here huh?" Issei spat out in ire.

"Relax kid; we just wanted to talk to you" Cao Cao interjected.

"About what exactly?" Issei asked impatiently; he had enough of this already.

"You joining the Hero Faction" Vali deadpanned which made Issei have wide eyes in response.

"J-Join you? Are you crazy?! There's no way I'll do that!" Issei exclaimed in pique, rejecting the ridiculous offer.

"And why is that? Are you content with being a Devil in that Gremory girl peerage?" Cao Cao nonchalantly asked as he gazed at Issei carefully, examining his expressions carefully.

Issei had frowned upon the mention of Rias before he answered Cao Cao.

"T-That's none of your business," Issei said in irritation.

"Perhaps but are you really happy being just a flashy toy for them? A source of power and nothing more?" Cao Cao asked in curiosity, making Issei pissed.

"Don't fuck with me! I am not just a source of power for them" Issei said with fury; refuting Cao Cao's accusation.

"Are you sure about that boy?" Cao Cao asked and just as he expected he saw doubt rising within Issei.

Cao Cao was no stranger to manipulating peoples; he was a very charismatic person that managed to convince many sacred gear users to join the Hero Faction by their own will or if there wasn't any choice brainwashing them into joining.

But he didn't need to influence Issei; he knew that if he played this right, he would manage to make the boy doubt his friends and join them but he had no idea that luck was on his side.

"I-I don't know..." Issei confessed in sadness; his head lowered down as his bangs covered his eyes.

If Cao Cao would have asked Issei that question a few days ago he would have no doubt but after everything that transpired earlier he wasn't sure anymore.

'Was I really just a flashy tool for them?' Issei repeated Cao Cao's words in his mind, trying to make sense out of them.

'There are times that I think I made a wrong choice reincarnating you...' Rias words heard in his mind, the painful confession of the crimson haired girl that shattered his heart.

'I guess I really was just the flashy Red Dragon Emperor' Issei had thought in sadness before anger started to grow inside of him as he remembered everything he did for them.

He was broken, the feeling of betrayal and sorrow clouding his heart along with the feelings of rage and loathing.

He didn't loathe the girls; he loathed himself for opening up for them and letting them penetrate the walls he erected after what happened with Raynare.

He thought that with them it would be different, that they will be able to heal the hole in his heart that was left by the vicious fallen angel but they just expanded it much to his dismay.

'Was this all an act? All those times they crept into my bed and tried to seduce me...Was it all so that I will stay loyal to them so they could take advantage of my powers until they deem them useless?' Issei asked himself in anguish as he realized that all the happy moments he had with the girls was just a facade.

"So kid...Do you want to join us and crush those who hurt you?" Cao Cao asked after examining the expression on Issei's face.

He looked hollow, like a part of his core has been ripped out.

Cao Cao started to feel sorry for the boy after seeing the condition he was.

He wanted to help the boy and make him understand that the supernaturals are nasty beings that should be exterminated because they will always hurt you to achieve their desires.

Vali for her part looked ahead with pity; she wasn't used to seeing her once ferocious rival this broken; she remembered the fights they had and how determined he was to protect the Gremory girl and her peerage, how he cared for them to the point that he laid his life on the line for them.

She would never admit it, but she found his determination and ferociousness very attractive to the point that she started to have a crush on her rival.

In this instance, Vali made a resolve that she swore to stick to regardless of what will happen.

'I am going to help him, I am going to mend the broken pieces of his heart regardless if he is my rival or not' She thought in determination.

She couldn't bear watching her rival in this condition, and she knew that if she wouldn't do anything, then his condition will just get worse.

"Yes," She suddenly heard Issei said, she was confused as to what he agreed to before she quickly remembered Cao Cao's question.

After realizing what he agreed too, she was shocked, but she expected it to happen at the same time.

"Very Well boy, I will get rid of your Evil Pieces then," Cao Cao said with a small smile.

"B-But I'll die!" Issei said in panic as he remembered the consequences of ejecting your Evil Pieces.

"Don't worry you won't die" Cao Cao reassured the panicked boy before he started to explain how exactly he will get rid of his pieces.

"I am going to stab your heart with my spear and release a burst of holy powers which will make your Evil Pieces eject out" Cao Cao explained much to Issei dismay.

"S-Stabbing my heart?! Are you insane?!" Issei asked in terror.

"Don't worry kid, you'll be fine, but there is a thing that you will have to do in order to survive this" Cao Cao said in a serious voice.

"W-What?" Issei asked after gulping; he was nervous from the sudden change of demeanor.

"You will have to become a Dragon" Cao Cao deadpanned.

"B-Becoming a Dragon?" Issei repeated Cao Cao's words, hoping he did not hear correctly.

"Yes or else you'll die" Cao Cao explained much to Issei dismay.

"I guess I have no choice than" Issei relented after realizing he didn't really have any choice.

It was either die or become a dragon.

Cao Cao stood in front of Issei with his spear in his hands in preparation to stab the boy's heart.

"This is going to be painful boy so be ready" Cao Cao warned Issei who frowned in response.

He did not waste any time and stabbed his heart, making the brunette scream in agony from the immense amounts of pain he was feeling.

Cao Cao tried to make this as quick as he could so the boy won't be in pain for long.

He released the burst of holy energy, making eight pawn pieces to eject from his body.

Upon seeing the Evil Pieces Cao Cao retracted his spear from the boy's heart.

At first, Issei stood there petrified before he collapsed a few seconds after.

["I'll start working on the transformation"] Ddraig voice was heard from the gauntlet as he begun to work on Issei's transformation into a dragon.

Ddraig already had knowledge of the plan as Issei briefed him on what to do before they started.

Vali stood there looking in pity as Issei laid unconscious on the ground after the ejection of his Evil Pieces, she felt sorry for the pain he had to experience both mentally and physically but upon witnessing it her resolve to help him became much stronger.

AN: That's a wrap for the Prologue; I hope you liked it :)

Don't forget to Review, Favorite and Follow.

See you next chapter :)