It was a calm summer day and would have been considered a perfect day for most except for the fact it was the first day of the school year. As it was still early enough to be before school had started, if you looked around Kuoh Academy you could see students still coming in the gates, lounging around under trees or in their classrooms, and a couple of students around an outside table watching a chess game going on.
"There you are Issei, we were starting to wonder what had happened to you."
Souna Shitori, current Vice President of the Student Council, who was one of the people playing chess and had won all of the chess games, looked up concerned as she felt a wave of power wash over her from the student who had just walked through the gates, one that felt both felt powerful and somehow familiar to her devil senses, now named as Issei, though if people asked she would have said she was worried about the way the shaven head boy had called out as he sounded worried.
The one that had called out was a first year with a shaven head that hadn't been done recently as you could see hair coming back with another boy standing beside him wearing glasses looking at their friend.
"Guys I'm fine. I missed the bus, so I had to run here from my house since my bike was stolen last week if you remember." Issei said as he glanced around the school grounds with a calm look on his face. Sona though noticed that his friends still looked worried about him having run to the school, a fact she didn't disagree with. Even though the 2 were known as massive perverts they sure were showing a lot of concern for their friend. Also, she couldn't help but notice after a moment that she could feel both a cold and warm power coming off of Issei from her devil senses.
"You should have called us since your house is so far away you could have ridden on the back of our bikes, especially after what happened the other day."
"A small run won't kill me, and even then, I walked most of the way and I thought we agreed to leave that behind when we got accepted here," Issei said glaring at his friends as they looked down and nodded. "So what's going on out here?" He asked as he had noticed the chess game going on and loved the game himself.
"The Vice President is challenging anyone who wants a game to play her. She's so good she's sure to even give you a challenge. So far no one has been able to beat her." The glasses-wearing boy told Issei as Sona finished resetting the chess board having won the last match while not paying too much attention.
She wondered how true those words were or if Issei had only been boasting to his friends about how good he was but she was willing to play a game against him if he wanted and also decided to put the weird feeling of his powers for another day. Looking up as he sat down, she had a feeling in the back of her mind he looked familiar or like someone she knew.
"Mind a match? If that lazy behind says your good, then you have to be really good." Issei said taking a quick glance at the rest of the student council except the President behind her.
(at this point I should step in and say I don't know much about chess so bear with me)
"Sure, you're the only first year I haven't played against yet. What side do you prefer?"
"Ladies first so I'll take whatever side you don't take," he said as she spun the board where he had the white pieces. "So, giving me white so you can test the waters and react to any strategy I can come up with, smart move," Issei said with a smile as he started the game.
'At least he has good manners,' Sona thought as she settled in for what she thought would be just another match but after five minutes of playing she had to give him credit as he was beating her without seemingly having a strategy going, plus wondering what her peerage was thinking at the moment.
She only paid a small amount of attention when his shaven-haired friend started talking to him about some Anime that was getting a new season. 5 minutes later and with Issei having promoted all his pawns to rooks, he had her in checkmate and nowhere left to move so went to stand. "Giving up already?" One of the few students still sticking around watching the game asked. "No, he's got me in checkmate," Sona answered the student. "I can't make a move anymore." Not wanting to look back at her peerage expecting to see a gobsmacked just like everyone else who had seen how talented she was at the game.
Having noticed the surprised expressions from everyone around but deciding to leave it be, for now, he commented to Souna before heading inside, "Great game, haven't had one that tough in a while. Hit me up again anytime if you want another match."
Sona just sat there stunned as she thought of all the implications, not all of them bad, of losing the game brought to her and her new fiancée even if he didn't know it yet for she had an agreement with her parents that whoever defeated her in chess would be her fiancée after she had been put in an arranged marriage and got out of it after defeating him and saying she wouldn't marry someone not smarter than her.
Hearing a snickering sound coming from behind her, she turned to see her peerage queen, and best friend, Tsubaki with a goofy grin on her face and tried to stop her from saying anything though was too late. "I call dibs on telling Serafall about her new Brother-In-Law."
Timeskip
"Sona? Do what do I owe the pleasure?" Rias Gremory asked her 'friend', rival, and fellow devil, as she walked into the Occult Research Club main room after school. Rias Gremory was the most sought-after girl in the school and was also the daughter of one of the current Maou, or leaders of the devil faction.
Sona, Sona Sitri to the people in the supernatural or knows about them at least, Souna Shitori to everyone else, walked in with her Queen by her side. She'd been thinking about the first year all day during class and had started making plans in the back of her mind. "We promised to keep each other informed if we found any new prospects for our peerages," she said with a pointed stare at her friend which was ignored with a shrug.
It wasn't known to many people but after the incident with Koneko's older sister happened it was Serafall who had rescued her not Sirzechs, and she only went to Rias instead of Sona due to Zeoticus Gremory, Rias, and Sirzechs father, and the current head of the Gremory clan, bribing the council to put her there instead. Even though both Sera and Sirzechs were pissed, they couldn't do too much without causing another scandal, so they left it be but the damage had been done to Sona and Rias's friendship and hadn't fully recovered, plus Serafall gave Sona two mutated Rook pieces as an apology gift. "On to the point I came here for. I've found a potential candidate for my peerage."
"Oh, good so have I. Two actually," Rias said taking a sip from the tea that her peerage queen, Akeno, had made.
"Issei Hyoudou, first year, is who I'm currently looking into," Sona inquired after declining a tea for herself.
"He's useless you can have him. I'm actually looking into his two perverted friends as I can feel strong ice magic and fire magic coming from the two of them, but I can't tell which has what as their always together."
'They think the powers are coming from his friends?' Tsubaki asked her King using telepathy to talk, something that Serafall had taught Sona's peerage how to use, and as far as she knew Rias didn't know how to and didn't plan on telling her anytime soon that they could do it as she knew her friend would pester her to no end to teach her how to do it.
'We both know ice and fire magic don't mix well together, and even rarer for someone to have both at once. That mix of power would be enough to kill… kill him.' Sona replied, stuttering at the end as she realized she had probably figured out what was going on to Issei just now with his 'illness', and also probably why his friends were so protective.
"Very well I'll write those two off as yours. When do you plan on telling them?" Sona asked as she happened to glance outside and notice the trio they were talking about nearby with Issei looking like he was asleep and it looked to her like his friends were already peeping on the Kendo club nearby.
"When they die," Rias answered as she also looked down at the trio either missing or ignoring completely the look of complete disdain Sona threw her way at the comment. "What about him caught your eye to add him to your peerage."
Getting up to leave she answered, "I'll be telling Issei next month after judging his character some. As for why he caught my interest," she paused with a smirk causing Rias to look over at her, "He beat me at chess." Leaving with an internal laugh at her friend choking on her drink and gobsmacked face knowing what that meant for Sona.
As they left the ORC, Tsubaki commented, "Both Momo and Reya are in his class and they'll keep an eye out and work on learning his plans for the future," getting a nod from her King as they heard a loud commotion happening nearby. Looking at each other they headed off to see what was going on and realized that the Kendo girls had caught the two peeping and had started to chase the duo. Before Sona or Tsubaki could step out or do anything a couple of the Kendo girls had realized there was one more that was originally missed by the peeping hole.
Rushing back to Issei's side his two friends tried to stop the girls from doing anything to him since they knew that he had been sleeping and told the girls as much right as Issei woke up from all the noise going on at the time. "Matsu, Moto what in the worlds going on?" He asked as he groggily got up and noticed the girls all around them, most of which were now blushing or squealing out after seeing him up closer.
"Were you two peeping again? I warned you that this would happen." He added as his friends turned around to apologize to the girls right as a powerful attack hit him causing him to go into a massive coughing fit and scaring everyone around including Sona and Tsubaki. "Don't worry I'm ok that one hit me way too quickly to do anything this time," he said as he moved his hand which everyone saw had blood on it before Matsuda handed him a rag.
"W-why. Are you ok?" Asked Murayama Kaori, one of the first-year Kendo girls nearby, who after getting a closer look realized that she knew him from middle school and just hadn't recognized him till now, as she tried to take everything in and was the first one to comment what was on all the girl's minds.
"I've got a sickness, not ever before seen and no doctors have been able to find a cure for it either. If things keep going as they have been recently, it's been figured I'll die before I can graduate." He commented causing a look of disbelief and horror to go through all the girls' faces, and also making Sona realize her thoughts on what was going on earlier were pretty much accepted as what was happening now. "His two powers are causing his body to kill itself while they try to get dominance over each other." She thought, about ready to step in and say something for the first timesince this started.
"You weren't peeking on us with your friend's due to-" the Kendo girl who had spoken up earlier started to say before Issei stepped in seeing how hard it looked like it might be for her to continue.
"Don't get me wrong girls, you are all beautiful, but I don't want to get some girl's hopes up with a relationship when I factor in my health and illness and be the cause behind some girl's heart being broken. Plus I got hit by a massive attack the other day which sent me to the hospital and I was taking a nap to try and get more of my strength back." Causing the girls to nod their head in acknowledgment of his statement even while looking worried for him. While they were wary of what was going on, especially after catching his friend's peeping, they couldn't help but be worried for this boy
At this point, Sona and Tsubaki made their presence known to the group, and while Tsubaki stayed back Sona did step forward and with her comment made all the girls in the Kendo club agree with her while the duo cried cause thinks to the bro-code, all the girls were now off limits. "To think you're still able to stand strong and smile in the face of such a cruel fate… you have to be one of the strongest people I've ever met. If anyone gives you trouble, let me know immediately and I'll be sure to sort them out."
Ooh, an interesting start! I'm curious on how this Issei would traverse through the story.
Glad you like it so far
Sorry if this seems impolite but there's no way to get all of your paws to rooks especially against someone like Sona. Maybe make it so he only gets 1 or 2 pawns to make it more believable
I don't understand what you're talking about.
Nevermind i caught your meaning now. She didn't trade her Pawns for Rooks, she had 2 unused Rooks that her sister took and gave her 2 Mutated Rooks in replacement for.
@deltanz I meant the chess game Playing in high level chess usually demands for any sort of sacrifice of pieces in order to get the upper hand. It is cannonically stated that Sona is very good at chess, so the margin of loss should very small not that big. Sorry for making you confused
@Quasetor nope I misread again what you were talking about. I thought you meant one part but you meant the match between Sona and issei. Like I said I know nothing about chess so I took that from either the original writer of this universe or the other person who’s done his own version of the story.
I don’t blame you on making me confused