Perhaps one day when he was old and his hair turned white, his grandchildren would help him like this when he could no longer walk. It was a very far off thing for him, but just for this moment, he could dream.
.
..
…
|DxD|- Chapter 58- Little Issei and Irina
…
..
.
The Scramble, a bloody mass free-for-all that ravaged the world from 1950 to 1980—thirty years of war that Touji Shidou spent most of his youth in. He'd become so familiar with the smell and taste of blood he could tell it apart from the rawest sewage.
Touji was a high-ranking exorcist of the church, a veteran high-class who was the head of the Japanese branch. He'd immediately picked out Igor, this seemingly frail boy on crutches, as someone who's dangerous.
"Mina."
Touji called his wife. He suppressed the shallow feeling in his stomach when Irina, his daughter, entered conversation with the boy.
"Hm?"
Mina Shidou was a young woman in her thirties, just slightly older than Shuri. She was an exorcist like her husband.
"Do you know who that boy is?"
Mina followed Touji's eyes. Igor was helped to a bench by her daughter and Issei.
"I see him sometimes with Shuri and her daughter. He's grown quite a lot from the cute little boy he once was."
Mina chuckled and Touji listened quietly.
[Perhaps in more ways than one.]
Shuri Himejima, the Watchdog of Kuoh. It was a demeaning title, but it represented the truth of her purpose. She was a guard dog who never formally interacted with their factions—only reported to the Shinto.
"I see…"
Touji let out those words before leaning back on the bench. He didn't know much about Shuri, but her reputation as a healer made her trustworthy enough. If that boy grew up under her care, then he would reluctantly let Irina and Issei continue interacting with Igor…for now.
.
..
…
|DxD|
…
..
.
"Woah! So what happened when the hero found the thief? Did they fight? The fought, didn't they?"
"Of course he did, dummy! What kind of hero doesn't fight?"
"Don't call me a dummy, Rina!"
"Hmph! I'll stop when you stop being one. So start stopping."
"Stop when you…heh?"
"Exactly, Issei. You're a dummy!"
Igor bore his role of a smiling spectator with ease. Both children stood on either side of his thighs. Sometimes they listened. Often times, they traded barbs with each other.
"You have a potty mouth, Rina."
"I don't have a potty mouth!"
Were children always this wild? Igor now knew the answer. It seems Akeno wasn't the exception after all.
"Alright you two. Stop fighting or else I'll stop the story."
Irina was the first to grab his hand and looked at him with a puppy-like gaze.
"Please don't stop. I wanna know what happened to the princess."
"Yeah. Me too, big bro! I wanna hear how cool the hero was."
Before their sparkling eyes, Igor pulled them closer. They eagerly leaned over his legs like counter-tops
"Alright. The hero caught up to the kidnapper in the woods. In the sack he was carrying, the little princess was trapped inside. She was fearful for her life, not knowing if she'd see her parents again."
He spoke to them as if he was sharing a conspiracy, drawing in their curiosity and eagerness for more.
"And? And? Did the hero fight him?"
Issei was bouncing on the balls of his feet. Igor raised his hand and patted his head.
"Of course he did, Issei. What kind of hero would he be?"
"Dummy…—ow!"
Irina muttered beneath her breath, but Igor flicked her on the forehead.
"Stop calling Issei a dummy, Irina. He's your friend. Treat your friends well."
"..."
Irina rubbed her forehead with grievance. But the words Igor said sat inside her.
"The same goes for you too, Issei. Irina is your friend. Friends stick together."
"Of course, big bro!"
Issei proclaimed with a pumped fist. He certainly was energetic.
"Now as I was saying."
Igor continued the story.
"The hero and the villain fought with great speed. They were like black shadows darting about. One moment, they were fighting on the ground. The only sign of their presence…was the dust kicked up by their feet."
"Like Dragon Ball!"
"Yes, Issei. Like Dragon Ball."
Igor gestured with his hands, portraying the greatness of the clash.
"In the next moment, their fight took them midair. The hero and the villain clashed with their swords, the sound of metal silencing everything else. The villain was experienced. Each strike of his blade pushed the hero further and further into difficulty. But…"
He let the sentence hang in the air. Their little hands gripped his thighs tightly, a silent plea for him to continue.
"...the hero had a secret. He could fly."
"Awesome! Did he go *woosh!* and *woosh!*?"
Issei spun around with his hand in the air like an aeroplane.
"He did, Issei. He flew higher than the trees around us."
"Wow!"
Issei looked around in wonder, as if he could already imagine the scene.
"What happened next? What happened to the princess?"
Irina asked with a bit of impatience.
"The princess had ran away."
"Whaaat?"
Irina moaned and Igor chuckled.
"I'm joking. Once the princess escaped the magical sack, she joined the hero and both fought against the villain."
"So they fought together?"
Irina's eyes sparkled.
"Yes they did. The princess was quite strong too, you know? With their combined power, they soon defeated the villain."
"And, and, and…"
Irina stood on the tips of her toes. She pushed herself off Igor's thigh, hoping to whisper her next words.
"...did they…did they kiss?"
She asked with a soft angelic voice. Her eyes glowed with desire for the answer. Unfortunately, Issei heard everything.
"Eeewwww!"
A look of disgust spread on his face.
"Do you want the hero to get germs? All those sticky things jumping from one mouth to another…yuck!"
"Dummy! A kiss is the best way to end a story. A princess always kisses her hero!"
"Who would want a kiss? Are you telling me you want a kiss from a girl, Irina?"
Issei asked incredulously. He couldn't fathom how his best friend wanted to do girly stuff.
"Now now, Issei…"
Igor leaned forward and laid his palm on a sulking Irina.
"When you're a bit older, you'll understand. Besides, if Irina is in danger, I'm sure you'll save her, right?"
"Of course I would."
Issei confidently crossed his arms.
"Rina is my best frie—…wait a minute."
His eyes flickered between Igor and Irina, blue and purple. One was gentle. The other was teary.
" 'Her'?"
The gears of realisation clicked in his head. Issei swivelled so fast strands of brown hair swept like tassles. His eyes locked onto Irina, an uncomfortable truth dawning on him.
"Irina is a girl!?!?!"
.
AN:
Chapter 58
END