5 Issei's troubles and Goatkuna's fortune

Author note #1: Believe it or not, the first few arcs of High School DxD happened in a matter of weeks.

Author note #2: Also, I suck at romance and it's not the focus of this fic at all, so don't expect any great and wholesome romance here, Sukuna will get women without much of a problem.

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-- Two Weeks Later: Rias and Issei POV --

"Thank you, Ise..." Rias said as they rode on the Griffin her brother, Sirzechs Lucifer, gave them to return to the human world.

"No problem prez!" Issei said with a smile, he had helped Rias and the other girls in the peerage escape Riser Phenex, a woman abusing perfected chicken.

'This is my chance! This is the perfect moment to steal her heart, and then... hehe.' Issei said to himself before counting.

"Um... Prez, what do you think about going out to the fair with me tomorrow, if you, heh, want to?" Issei said before feeling the crushing weight of his inadequacy, once again he wanted to sound cool but god he knew he didn't.

"Issei... I know of your feelings for me." Rias said causing Issei's heart rate to skyrocket but nonetheless, she continued.

"I'm sorry, I have someone else I love, I can't return your feelings," Rias said feeling she needed to say this so that Issei wouldn't feel like he was being led on.

For the last two weeks, she and the rest of her peerage had begun preparing for the rating game against Riser, her previous fiancee, and luckily, she was able to escape, though it wasn't by winning the game, no, in fact, she lost the rating game but despite all of this Rias, as well as the other girls, had noticed the way he looked at them and it wasn't in a friendly manner.

"Is it... him?" Issei asked as he felt anger bubbling within him, for two weeks he had put effort into getting into the panties of the women in the peerage but they shut him away ruthlessly, even Asia, the girl I saved, wasn't an exception.

"..." Rias offered no response which in turn confirmed Issei's question, once again it was 'him' who got in the way of things.

"All of you need to move on," Issei said bluntly and this time it was Rias's heart rate that sped up but she didn't say anything in response, after all, Issei wouldn't understand the feeling they all held toward Sukuna, they couldn't just move on in two weeks.

For those within Rias's peerage who knew Sukuna, they had all been in pretty much autopilot mode since he died and now that the most pressing matter that was Rias's forceful marriage was over it was their time to truly grieve, moving on would come much later down the road if ever.

With Issei's words said, both Devils fell silent while Ddraig listened to their conversation feeling Issei wasn't worthy of being her host, she knew each of Issei's inner thoughts and found them disgusting, she didn't mind killing, plundering, and the like but forcing oneself onto someone wasn't something she condoned, it was an odd limit for a Dragon but nonetheless she didn't like the thoughts Issei had.

'You're lucky you're dead, Ryomen... otherwise, I'd make your life hell.' Issei said inwardly with hatred clear in his eyes not that Rias could see since she was seated behind Issei but if she had seen the discussion would have gone in a completely different direction.

Unbeknownst to Issei, Ryomen Sukuna was alive and doing better than he had ever been and soon enough they would meet but the meeting wouldn't go anywhere near the way Issei would expect it to...

-- Original POV --

Sukuna lounged against the bar, swirling the amber liquid in his glass as he watched the room. His sharp gaze caught the eye of a woman sitting a few seats away, her presence commanding attention without effort, he knew this was a Supernatural bar by the people within it but she alone made an impression on him.

It wasn't long ago that Sukuna found this place but when he did he knew what type of lounge spot it was. The area reeked of energies foreign to Sukuna which drew him in but upon entry, he found out it was a bar, a bar that allowed anyone to come in as long as they too were of the supernatural society as only they could ever hope to find this place, the counter measures against allowing normal beings into this place were many.

The woman turned her head, and their eyes locked for a moment before she raised an eyebrow in a silent invitation which Sukuna guessed was only offered due to his looks and the red hue on her face which was the sign of a buzz from alcohol but nonetheless, Sukuna accepted the invite.

The woman sipped her drink, her eyes never leaving Sukuna's as he made his way over to her. He slid onto the stool next to her, flashing the charming smile that he had used to seduce many women before her, and while the women he had seduced were all women of great power, this woman in front of him felt even more powerful than all of them, to say Sukuna was simply attracted to the power oozing from her was an understatement.

"Mind if I join you?" Sukuna asked, his voice smooth and inviting, unlike anything his foes had heard; this tone and smile were reserved for only the women he had taken an interest in.

"Depends. Are you going to buy me a drink?" The woman said as she eyed Sukuna who was now standing closer, he was handsome, so much so that it threw her off and the unique tattoos on his face only added more allure to him.

She was a beautiful young woman with a perfectly voluptuous body, appearing to be in her early twenties with silver eyes and back-length silver hair that was in a long braid on each side with small blue bows at the ends, while the rest was let down which ended in twin braids. 

Image of the woman

"Of course. What are you having?" Sukuna said after a small chuckle before signaling for the bartender.

"Devil's martini, extra dirty," the woman replied knowing for a fact that this was extremely out of character for her, usually she was very cold to everyone be they man or woman but the special devil alcohol made her much more approachable and the proof of that was right now, she was speaking causally with a man, something she had never done before.

In truth, the woman wouldn't be drinking at all if she could find a master, she was raised to be a servant to a special person but she was never chosen, it was her relatives who were chosen to fulfill the special roles instead of her and that left her without a purpose, something she hated.

Not too long ago a new Satan had come into power and it was then that she felt perhaps she would find her master, the person she would serve but no, the newest Satan chose her younger sister, which one again shattered any hope she had of fulfilling the role she was given at birth.

"Sukuna," Sukuna said introducing himself as he offered the woman his hand.

"Grayfia," She replied, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake while keeping eye contact, both of them sensed some of the power the other possessed and it helped guide their attraction to each other.

"So, Sukuna, what brings you to this bar tonight?" Grayfia questioned going out of her comfort zone, she knew she would look back on this with a critical eye tomorrow but nonetheless, in this moment of emotional weakness she wanted to speak with someone, and this man, Sukuna, was the only one who dared approach her within this bar meant for only Supernatural beings.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sukuna replied allowing his charming smile to daze the woman for a moment before continuing.

"I saw a beautiful woman sitting alone at the bar with a conflicted expression on her face and couldn't resist introducing myself," Sukuna said causing Grayfia to arch a brow as she held in a small smirk.

"Smooth. I'll give you that." Grayfia said as she took a sip of the drink she had already before Sukuna arrived.

"And what's a woman like you doing in a place like this?" Sukuna said as he took a sip of the drink he had brought over, it was strong, very strong, it lived up to its name as God's stupor.

"Just looking for a little company, I suppose," Grayfia said as her eyes flicked toward Sukuna while she swirled the olive in her martini that had arrived not long ago.

"Well, you've certainly found that," Sukuna said, leaning in slightly but not enough to make her uncomfortable.

"Tell me, Grayfia, do you come here often?" Sukuna asked slickly.

"No, I'm far too busy for that though when I do, it's an adventure," Grayfia admitted, turning to face him fully. It was definitely an adventure whenever she came here, she got drunk which was something she rarely did, she could count on her fingers how many times she'd been intoxicated and it was due to this that she would consider her occasions here an adventure.

"I like the sound of that. Care to make tonight such an occasion?" Sukuna grinned, his gaze lingering on her lips before returning to her eyes.

"We'll see," Grayfia said amused, she seriously doubted things would turn into anything more than a conversation that she desperately needed but in all honesty, it was her fault for understanding Sukuna's prowess with women that things would turn out as they would later on tonight.

As the night wore on, Sukuna and Grayfia's conversation flowed easily, each flirting with the other, the alcohol helping that fact tremendously. They laughed and teased, the chemistry between them undeniable, and while both were hiding many things it didn't matter at the moment.

Later on, when the night was at its peak, the bar emptied completely leaving only the bartender, Grayfia, and Sukuna who had decided to take things up another notch. Smoothly, Sukuna leaned in close to Grayfia, his voice low and husky which sent a chill through the spine of Grayfia who had drunk more than intended.

"Care to continue this adventure elsewhere?" Sukuna whispered, his breath hot against her ear.

"Oh? Lead the way, Sukuna," Grayfia said in response while drunkenly thinking 'What's the worst that could happen?' And it was also because of these types of drunk thoughts that Sukuna wouldn't let her drink alone in public with random people like this in the future, though something like this wasn't something that happened ever for Grayfia, this was the first and last time.

With that, Grayfia and Sukuna slipped out of the bar, their melodic laughter mingling with the night as they embarked on their own private adventure which would lead to one place, a place where they both would wake in the morning.

To be continued...