The Sun.

It was virtually one of the most powerful sources of energy in the Universe. While it was certainly not the greatest and omnipotent source of all, it was potent nonetheless. It represented the conscious ego, the self and expression, personal power, pride, authority; leadership qualities; and the principles of creativity, spontaneity, health, and vitality.

The Sun itself had the potential ability to inflate and implode upon itself, commencing the destruction of a Class 5 or X Apocalypse. The severity of the sun was like a nuclear furnace that provided as the colossal source of energy for many light years in any direction.

In the ancient times, the Sun was revered as a deity, or an object of divine origins. The goddess of the Sun and the Universe; Amaterasu, was the one who shined in the heavens.

Amaterasu-o-mi-kami was the supreme goddess of Shintoism, and the ruler of the Plain of Heaven.

As she floated above the skies, bringing light back into the world, the goddess adopted a look of thoughtfulness on her face.

The goddess of the Sun had long jet-black hair that reached all the way down to her waist. Her eyes maintained an almond shape and a deep brown-black color, and she had a pale skin complexion.

As she looked down from the sky, there appeared to be a baby clutched protectively in her arms. The infant was sleeping softly in his mother's arms, completely peaceful.

Amaterasu tilted her head and placed her hand gently over her infant son. Immediately after, an aura of solar energy whirled around the baby. The infant's body began to glow in intensity, until his skin gained a much lighter tone. His hair began to rise up slightly and gain a reddish-purple shade of coloring, before it returned to its original light brown color.

The Sun, as well as its nigh-infinite solar energy output, was used and manipulated by Amaterasu in order to conceive the child in her arms. As a result, the child had no physical father, but instead he was created from the vast energies of the Sun, and the goddess of the Sun herself.

Amaterasu smiled as she felt the power of her son grow. She looked around the trenches of the sky, and then she sighed as she looked back to her son.

"My precious little sun. I want nothing more than to keep you here with me...but you cannot stay here. I wish you could, but with your dreadful uncle Susanoo, I would be a fool to risk doing such a thing."

In spite of her animosity towards her brother, Amaterasu knew that the weight of Susanoo's presence on Takamagahara was minuscule compared to the rest of the dysfunctional world they dwelled upon.

Susanoo-no-Mikoto, the god of the sea and storms, and the younger brother of Amaterasu, was known for his fierce temper. Amaterasu would never forget the event in which Susanoo destroyed her rice fields, hurled that damn pony at her loom, and decimated one of her attendants. These acts were the reason for Amaterasu hiding herself in the Ama-no-Iwato (Heavenly Rock Cave). This caused the Sun to fade away, and as a result, life forces began to deteriorate. Eventually, Amaterasu was persuaded to leave the cave, and from that point on the Sun returned to its nigh-mighty throne in the Universe.

Amaterasu was well aware of Susanoo's petulant nature. If her brother became aware of the being she had conceived from the Sun, he would no doubt want to challenge and harm her infant, no doubt due to the Shinto Storm God's jealous nature.

But the presence of her brother wasn't the only reason she was making her choice. Susanoo was a mild nuisance compared to the other reason.

"I do not want you to suffer in this world, my sweet. It is far too dangerous for someone like you to be involved in."

As she watched over the sky, she looked down to see an explosive and flame-like aura covering her son entirely. Amaterasu smiled warmly, and swirls of solar flares began to cover her body entirely as her physical body disappeared.

Ise City, Honshū, Japan

Amaterasu reappeared with her son and looked around the inner shrine. The Ise Grand Shrine was a Shinto shrine that was dedicated to Amaterasu. The shrine consisted of two groups of buildings: The Imperial Shrine (Kotai Jingu), also known as the Naiku (Inner shrine), and the Toyouke Shrine (Toyouke Daijingu) which formed the Geku or outer shrine.

The shrines were constructed of wood, and every twenty years both were rebuilt. The empty site of the previous shrine also known as the kodenchi was strewn by white pebbles. The building on the empty site, was a small wooden shed.

The Goddess of the Sun frowned as she walked over to the mirror, and looked at it for a couple moments. It was the reason for her leaving the Heavenly Rock Cave.

As she looked at her reflection for the second time, she tilted her head, and looked down to her son.

With a saddened look, she laid her infant down onto the ground of the Ise Shrine and crouched down to him, gazing at him lovingly. Feeling her eyes watering, she gave her son a brief but loving kiss on his forehead, and softly rubbed his hair.

"I love you. So, so much." Amaterasu uttered sadly, "Even if I am not with you physically...as the Sun, I will always be there."

As she pet her son's head, Amaterasu released a quivering sigh as her body started to flicker in and out, her presence returning to Takamagahara.

A couple walked towards the Ise Shrine, with various assortments of clothing and food clutched in their hands. The man had spiky brown hair and brown eyes, while the woman had long brown hair in a pony tail, and warm brown eyes. The couple were known as Mitsuru "Gorou" Hyoudou and Sachiko Hyoudou. Married for several years, the two had no children, living only by themselves.

Mr. Hyoudou was an ordinary office worker, while Mrs. Hyoudou was a full-time housewife. They had both come to Ise City in order to honor the sun goddess known as Amaterasu. As they walked inside the shrine, the Hyoudou couple paused in their steps as they heard something strange.

"Uwah...wah...WAHHHHHHH!"

They turned to see a infant crying on the floor. Mrs. Hyoudou walked closer to the infant, and her brown eyes widened as she quickly approached. The baby with brown hair was struggling to lift himself off the floor.

"A-a baby?! What's he doing here in the shrine?" Sachiko muttered out as she gently picked up the baby.

Mitsuru walked over to his wife, and rose an eyebrow.

"Did someone leave him here?"

Mrs. Hyoudou didn't respond as she looked at the baby more closely. The infant was absolutely adorable, and there was a certain...aura about him. Her eyes widened as a golden aura suddenly emanated from the infant. The aura then changed to a flame-like reddish aura, which seemed to explode outwardly.

The ground of the Ise Grand Shrine began to shake in tremors, with Sachiko and Mitsuru doing their best to maintain their balance. Moments later, the aura surrounding the baby abruptly dissipated, allowing the Hyoudou couple to regain their balance. They looked at the infant with curiosity and awe on their faces.

"What on Earth just happened?"

The infant stopped his crying, and he opened his eyes, prompting the Hyoudou couple's eyes to widen even further.

"Mitsuru, his eyes! They're-" Mrs. Hyoudou stuttered.

Mr. Hyoudou walked over to look at the baby, and he rubbed his head in puzzlement.

"It's strange. He looks like he could be our son, Sachiko. But those eyes of his..."

The Hyoudou couple looked around the shrine, in hopes of trying to find who the infant belonged to. But as they looked around more, there was no one in sight. Mrs. Hyoudou sighed as she looked back at the infant.

"It's as though someone left him here. And as far as I know, we were the only ones to come to the shrine today. Should...should we take him home with us?"

"Well, it's like I said. He looks just like us. It's strange."

The Hyoudou couple looked at each other, and then they looked back to the infant.

"What should we name him?" Mr. Hyoudou asked.

Mrs. Hyoudou looked around her surroundings, and then she smiled.

"Ise. We'll call him Issei."

"We're calling him Issei? You mean after the shrine?" Mr. Hyoudou asked.

"Well yes, that." The Hyoudou matriarch said as she smiled at the newly named infant, and hugged him close to her, "But also because...I want to him to live a honest and sincere life."

The newly christened Issei's eyes started to flutter as Sachiko's warm embrace enveloped him.

"Hmm. That's right. Our little Issei..."

Realm of Heaven

A handsome-looking young man with long blonde hair and green eyes looked up in an abrupt manner. His twelve golden wings that jutted out from his back glowed in interest from the sudden surge of godly energy. The energy he felt was akin to that of the Sun. It was absolutely monstrous.

"Michael? Do you feel that power as well?"

Michael, the leader of the Angels and the Seraphim, turned around to see an extremely beautiful woman with curly blonde hair and a voluptuous figure.

"So you sensed it as well, Gabriel."

Gabriel, an Angel and a Seraph, also one of the guardians of the Throne of Heaven, put her hand on her chest, and smiled as she felt the great power surge.

"This power. It's so vast and overwhelming. But at the same time, it's so pristine. It brings me such joy and warmth."

Michael's green eyes widened again, and he turned back around as he continued to gauge the level of the overwhelming pressure. As the first creation of the Biblical God, Michael didn't expect to sense a great surge of power like this, a power that was akin to the sun.

"Where is this power coming from?"

In the Underworld

A man in his twenties with black hair and golden bangs looked up in amusement as he suddenly sensed a great power.

"Hmm. What's this?"

A monstrous power had suddenly risen out of nowhere, and it piqued the man's interest greatly.

"Maybe I'll keep an eye on this. This should be interesting."

"Sirzechs-sama. Do you sense it?"

A handsome and young man in his early 20's with shoulder length crimson-red hair and blue-green eyes, nodded in response as he looked over to see a maid with silver hair and matching eyes.

"Yes Grayfia, I do. It's a very unique surge of power. Enormous even. And it seems to be constantly rising as well. I wonder who possesses that power."

Five Years Later

"What do you want? No one asked you come over here!"

"What's with your eyes?!"

"They're weirding us out! Go somewhere else!"

A six year old Issei Hyoudou looked down shyly as he walked away from the kids during break time. He sat on the school bench and watched as the kids played around the playground. Recess had just started, and already, the kids were ostracizing him.

Issei was a very soft-spoken, yet kind child. As such he was a very silent boy, as he rarely spoke to anyone. With his quiet nature and shy demeanor, people often labeled Issei as a mute child. The little boy never once wanted to play with the kids around his age, seeing as they made of fun of the particular aspect of himself that was quick to notice.

His eyes.

His left eye was a soft and warm almond light-brown color, while the right eye was a bright yellow-orange shade. Issei was often ostracized due to the different colors of his eyes. And so, he chose to stay only to himself.

But sadly, Issei couldn't catch a break.

As he sat on the bench, Issei looked over to see a couple of boys walking towards him. Looking at them cautiously, he moved off of the bench and went to go somewhere else, until one of the boys appeared in front of him. The little Issei stopped and stood still, waiting for the verbal bullying to begin.

Although Issei had been bullied, he chose to endure through it all. He didn't particularly have any wish for 'payback', as he knew it was just a waste of his own time. But very slowly, the bullying was starting to get on his nerves. The name-calling, he could handle. Hell, even isolation he could handle. But physical confrontation was something that he never experienced before.

Let's find out what happens, shall we?

"Hey, weirdo, where do you think you're going?" one of the boys asked.

Issei ignored them and remained still. He wasn't going to bother in speaking to the boys.

"What's wrong, weirdo? Cat got your tongue?"

There was still no response from the brown-haired little boy, and one of the boys narrowed his eyes.

"Hey! We're talking to you, dummy!"

The boy rose his fist up and landed a punch to Issei's head. Suddenly, a golden-flame like aura manifested around Issei, and it flared out explosively.

"AHHHH!"

The kids playing on the playground turned to see who was screaming, and they gasped. The boy who had attempted to punch Issei suddenly recoiled and drew his hand back in shock. The boy's hand was burning profusely as a result of the contact of Issei's aura. The boys, frightened from the scene they witnessed, quickly ran away, cursing Issei's name.

If they had turned around to look back at Issei, they would have seen a greatly pained and saddened expression on the little boy's face.

Two Hours Later

"Issei. Let's go out for some ice cream, okay sweetie?"

Sachiko Hyoudou looked down at her son as they walked hand in hand towards the store. She had found out about the incident between Issei and one of his bullies, and if she was completely honest with herself, she was just concerned about her son.

She knew how Issei suffered at school due to his unique eye coloration. However, she and Mitsuru accepted that quality about him. But they also noticed that as Issei grew, so did a few a quirks of his.

The Hyoudou couple noticed the changes in Issei as the years passed by. When the Sun was up, Issei was noticeably more lively. Not cheerful, yet not melancholic either. He seemed to have a lot of physical energy for a little boy. When the Sun was down however, Issei seemed to be a little reclusive, waiting for the Sun to come back up.

As they approached the ice cream parlor, Mrs. Hyoudou looked down to her son.

"We're here, honey. What flavor did you want?"

Issei looked up at the categories and tilted his head. Scanning the list, the little boy lifted his finger and pointed to the desired flavor. Sachiko followed her son's direction, and she smiled.

"Did you want Mint Chocolate Chip, sweetie?"

Issei nodded in response. Mrs. Hyoudou smiled and directed Issei to sit on the nearby bench.

As he waited for his mother to order the ice cream, Issei looked around his surroundings, and looked up to see the Sun. He never understood why, but the Sun gave Issei so much energy and warmth. No matter how hot the Sun was, or how much the temperature was, Issei could always endure it.

As he looked back around, Issei jumped in surprise at the sight that had suddenly appeared in his direction. Sitting next to him on the bench, was a tall woman with long black hair and dark-gray empty eyes. She had pale-white skin and pointed ears, and appeared to be dressed in a Gothic Lolita fashion.

What creeped out Issei the most, was that the woman was staring at him with a hollow gaze, completely devoid of emotion and expression.

As Issei looked at the woman with caution in his eyes, he looked down to see two large orbs of flesh that seemed to be barely covered by cross-shaped black tapes.

The young Issei felt his face redden at the sight of the woman's abundant chest, and he attempted to look away as he scooted away from the woman. He looked back at the ice cream parlor to see his mother talking cordially with the cashier.

When the little boy turned back around, he immediately felt a cold hand place itself on the back of his head. His body went tense from the invasive touch, and Issei looked up and was too late to react as the cold hand pushed him forward, causing the child to be enclosed into the warmth of soft yet bountiful pillows of flesh.

At this point, Issei was frantic as the woman continued to suffocate him with her chest. After a few agonizing moments, his head was finally pulled back, allowing Issei to regain his breath. As he recovered, Issei flinched when the woman suddenly moved so that her face was close to his in a matter of seconds.

Issei started to sweat and tried to back away, before realizing that he was almost at the edge of the bench. Keeping his mouth shut, Issei slowly looked back up at the woman, who still stared at him with her dispassionate gaze.

The woman lifted her finger up, and placed it on Issei's forehead, gently sliding it across his temple. Issei shivered at the woman's touch, and an ominous feeling came over him when he suddenly saw a series of snakes manifest around the woman. One of the snakes crawled onto the terrified Issei and opened its mouth, revealing its fangs.

Issei gasped and tried to move the snake away, before he felt the snake embed its fangs into his neck.

The woman's eyes noticeably narrowed, gaining a more hollow look in them. Suddenly, a familiar explosive and golden sparkling aura manifested around Issei, and traveled to the snake.

The woman's dark eyes widened as the snake's body slowly began to disintegrate. Showing an expression that was akin to surprise, she removed her finger from Issei's forehead. Issei gained a fearful look in his eyes and he got off of the bench in order to put some distance between him and the woman. The little boy rubbed his sore neck, but there were no physical marks to be seen. As he looked up at his apparent attacker, he felt his nervousness skyrocket at the curious look the woman was giving him.

Ophis, the Infinite Dragon God, also known as the Ouroboros Dragon, tilted her head at the little boy in front of her. Before leaving the Dimensional Gap, Ophis had sensed a godly source of energy. The power seemed radiant yet enormously vast. The power from this boy seemed to exude a presence not unlike solar energy.

Solar Energy was a source that was often stated to be potentially limitless, due to its substance deriving from the Sun. There was no known limits of the amount of light and heat the Sun could produce. With the colossal amount of solar energy within this young boy, the energy could be converted into pure raw power and strength. So long as the Sun remained, of course.

Eerily quiet, Ophis leaned her face closer to the young Issei. Staring at Issei with her dark-gray eyes, Ophis suddenly gave Issei a spine-chilling smile. No sharp teeth. No fangs. The confused Issei could only stay still, not knowing what to do.

The young boy suddenly felt two cold hands placing themselves on his cheeks. Shivering again from the temperature of the woman's hands, Issei looked into Ophis's gray eyes, and felt a little unnerved by the eerie smile on her face.

Moments later, Issei flinched when Ophis puckered her lips out and gently pressed them to his forehead. The Ouroboros Dragon's body shivered from the contact, and her eyes glazed over. She could already feel the dormant power within the boy, and at this rate, he would ultimately become stronger in due time.

"You, belong to me," Ophis stated, her voice monotone, yet deep and sultry as she hugged Issei close to her chest, "My little mate."

"Issei!"

At the call of his name, Issei found enough strength within him to push himself away from the woman's tight grasp. He turned around and looked up to see his mother holding two ice cream cups. Issei looked back in front of him, and gasped when he saw that the woman had disappeared, as though she was never there to begin with. Trembling a little from the unexpected encounter, Issei almost missed Mrs. Hyoudou handing him his treat.

Issei's Room

From his bed, Issei looked out the window as he watched the sunset. He never liked it when the Sun descended into the night. But he wasn't afraid of the dark. He just preferred the Sun to be out most of the time.

As he situated himself and snuggle into his bed, Issei closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall into a peaceful sleep.

A pure-white magic circle suddenly appeared next to the little Issei's bed, and a silhouette emerged from the circle. The silhouette brightened, revealing the Angel Gabriel.

Gabriel quietly walked over to the bed which contained the source of the potentially limitless power she and Michael had been sensing. She tilted her head as she gazed at the sleeping Issei.

'What a pleasant energy.'

Both she and Michael had deduced that the power the young Issei was akin to that of the powerful radiation of the Sun. The longer the Sun rose up in the sky, the more powerful Issei became as he grew. The little boy was going to grow into a force to be reckoned with soon enough.

Gabriel tilted her head as she placed her hand on Issei's cheek, rubbing it gently.

"He's so pure. It's strange. Despite this fragility, I can feel an enormous amount of godly solar energy within him."

The Angel sighed and lowered her head, puckering his lips out to kiss Issei on his forehead. The pure-white magic circle appeared from under her, and she disappeared once more.

Eleven Years Later

"Hey! I heard we're getting a new student today!"

"Really?!"

"Yeah. I hear it's supposed to be a boy!"

"A boy? What do you think he's going to be like?"

"Maybe he'll be as cute as Yuuto-san!"

"No way, impossible!"

A group of girls gossiped about the sudden news of a never before seen student arriving to the school known as Kuoh Academy. The institution was originally an all-girls school, but was formed into a co-ed school, along with a new school building that was made. Students conversed in the hallways, waiting to go into their classes.

Outside of the school, a young man with brown hair walked up to the gates of Kuoh Academy. Dressed in a black blazer with white accents, a white, long-sleeved dress shirt with a black ribbon on the collar, matching black pants, and brown dress shoes, Issei Hyoudou quietly walked up to his new school.

Walking inside, he noticed that the hallways were very quiet. Being none the wiser, he proceeded to find his first classroom. From above him, a girl stood at the top of the steps. Her wavy long crimson hair fell down to her thighs as she looked down. Her blue-green eyes narrowed and kept watch on the new student, a mysterious smile forming on her face as she twirled a piece of her hair.

'Very interesting. So he's our new kouhai. Sona will definitely be intrigued with him. Yes, you are absolutely unique, little kouhai.'

Rias' smile slowly changed to a contemplative frown.

"It's almost strange." She said to herself, "His aura is so overwhelming, but there's a certain quality about it that's not unpleasant.'

Issei's Classroom

KNOCK KNOCK

Pausing in her demonstration, the teacher walked over to the door and opened it. A warm smile passed across her lips, and she turned back to look at her class.

"Ok, class. I'm sure you've all heard that we have a new student coming here today. Well you heard right. Here he is, so please welcome him."

Issei Hyoudou nervously walked inside his classroom, trying to avoid the eyes of the many students. Immediately, he received a series of unreadable glances from the class.

"Hey. What's with his eyes?" A girl whispered to her friend.

"Are they contacts or something?"

"His eyes look kind of weird."

Issei looked away as he released an inaudible sigh. Just as he predicted, some of the girls were already giggling in his direction, while some of the males took their time glancing at him with uncertainty and judgement in their eyes.

He hadn't even been in his first classroom for less than five minutes, and here he was, already being judged upon. The teacher looked at her new student and offered a sympathetic smile.

"Why don't you introduce yourself? You don't have to be so shy."

Complying with his teacher's suggestion, Issei looked up at the class, and he bowed down in respect.

"H-hello. My name's Issei Hyoudou. I'm new here. So please...take it easy on me."

A number of the girls noticed the soft-spoken and quiet tone in Issei's voice, and they felt a bit confused. The males on the other hand, rose some eyebrows as they noticed Issei's last words.

"Take it easy?" One of them whispered to the other, "What's he talking about?"

The teacher blinked as she too noticed Issei's last words, but she made a reassuring smile.

"Why don't you go take a seat?"

A girl suddenly raised her hand from her desk, intending to get Issei's attention.

"Hyoudou-kun, over here! You can sit with me."

Issei looked up and saw a black-haired girl with innocent violet eyes. The girl smiled and patted the desk next to her.

Issei walked over to the desk, and sat quietly as he listened to the teacher. He noticed some of the students giving him weird looks, most likely about his eyes. Sitting comfortably into his seat, Issei quickly noticed that the girl was not too subtly looking over at him. She then edged forward to him to whisper.

"My name's Yuuma Amano. It's nice to meet a new student as cute as you." She said with a wink at the end.

Not expecting the words to come out of Yuuma's mouth, Issei blinked in surprise, and he mumbled a hesitant thanks in reply. Holding back a giggle, Yuuma smiled warmly and looked back to the teacher. Had Issei not turned to look back at the teacher, he would have seen Yuuma's eyes quickly glancing to him from the side.

'What's with this kid? Azazel-sama told me to watch him. He also told me that this young boy had a strange energy. But this aura is so ethereal. It's completely untainted. I've never sensed anything like it before.'

She continued to watch Issei with an unreadable look on her face for the rest of the class period.

End of School

As he made his way out of the school, Issei placed his hands in his pockets and tread forward, his hearing picking up the chatter of the students around him.

"His eyes. They're so strange-looking."

"One brown, one yellow-orange. The right eye looks like the color of the sun."

"Issei-kun!"

Blinking in surprise, Issei turned around to see Yuuma running towards him. She smiled at him, and put her hands behind her back.

"I was just wondering. If you wouldn't mind, would you like to hang out sometime?"

Issei blinked several times, and he was about to respond, until he noticed that the Sun was descending slowly. Looking back at Yuuma, Issei shook his head and sent her a sad expression.

"Sorry. I have to go. I've got to go back home. I'll see you tomorrow, Yuuma-san." He said quietly.

Yuuma once again noted his soft-spoken tone in Issei's voice, and she felt herself a little captivated by it. As she watched Issei leave, Yuuma's confused expression evaporated into an impatient look.

Atop of the building of Kuoh Academy, four young women stood watching Issei depart his new school. One of the girls; specifically a red-haired individual, sighed.

"Such a very interesting boy. I haven't seen anyone quite like him. He's so quiet and shy it makes me want to hold him and give him a hug. Though, his eyes seemed to be subject of mostly everyone's minds."

"Ufffuffu."

A well-endowed girl with black hair tied in a ponytail with an orange ribbon, let out a seductive giggle as she watched Issei cross the bridge. Her violet eyes seemed almost seem to gleam as she turned to look at her red-haired friend.

"Ara ara. Fufufu. Despite that baby face of his, he's so mysterious. That aura radiating off of him is so otherworldly. Uffuffu, it makes me want to spoil him so much already just to see his reaction."

"It's his first day, and you already have the urge to spoil him?" A third girl with glasses commented in annoyance.

Her eyes narrowed in contemplation as the visage of Issei started to disappear from her and the rest of the girl's sights.

"He's certainly gathered my attention. His aura is so utterly clear. I don't think this young boy is even aware of how potent his aura is. He's earned quite the stares from the other students. But he just looks away, albeit in a reclusive manner. What do you think?"

She turned to look to the girl next to her, with the latter having knee-length black hair, and blue, semi-rimmed glasses. The girl adopted a serious expression as she answered.

"His eyes. They contrast so much. One is brown, like the color of an innocent doe. But the other one has the color of our Sun. Hmm. Such a strange boy."

"Fufufu. Does he interest you that much, fuku-kaichou?" The orange ribbon-wearing girl asked.

"You misunderstand me." The blue-glasses wearing girl responded as her face developed a pinkish-red tinge.

"Don't be so embarrassed. You're not the only one who's interested in our little kouhai."

Smiling at her friend, the crimson-haired girl narrowed her eyes.

"And to think, Azazel has already sent some of his subordinates to watch him. Yuuma Amano, or should I say, Raynare is proof of that."

Looking down at Yuuma who seemed to be deep in thought, the crimson-haired beauty then looked towards Issei, and her blue-green eyes brightened.

"Pure as light, yet so powerful as the Sun itself. You really are an interesting boy, Issei Hyoudou."

In the Underworld (Base of the Fallen Angels)

"So, how was he today?"

"He really didn't look anything special, Azazel-sama. He just looked so shy."

Yuuma Amano had her arms behind her back as she answered a man with black hair and golden bangs. Azazel, also known as the leader of the Fallen Angels, crossed his arms in thought.

"Azazel-sama." Yuuma began, "I understand his aura was one of the main reasons you asked me to watch him. But what's the other reason? Do you believe him to have some type of Sacred Gear?"

Azazel hummed as he looked off to the side.

"Hmm, not exactly. His aura is definitely not human. Excluding the fact that Sacred Gears can be stolen, only humans and half-humans can wield them. This kid on the other hand, has a godly aura, and its completely inhuman. So he doesn't have one."

"A godly aura..." Yuuma mused to herself, "So could he perhaps be a deity?"

"More or less." Azazel replied nonchalantly, earning an annoyed look from Yuuma.

Yuuma looked down on the ground, and placed her hands to her side.

"It'd explain why he's so damn strong."

Both Yuuma and Azazel looked over to see a young woman with navy blue hair and brown eyes. She was dressed in a trench-coat, miniskirt, and black heeled shoes. She also wore a gold necklace around her neck.

Azazel smirked and lifted up a finger.

"Whether he's a deity or not, he's certainly powerful enough on his own."

The male Fallen Angel then hummed to himself as he pondered for a moment.

"Hmm...but if he did, I wonder what it'd be."

Near Issei's House

Issei sighed as he continued on his way home.

"Well, at least it wasn't too bad today."

His first day at school was actually tolerable than he had anticipated. He didn't have to deal with the bullying or physical confrontation at all. Some of the rumors regarding his eyes, he could handle that already.

Reaching all the way to his house, Issei looked over to see that his parents' cars were gone. Blinking in wonderment, Issei opened the house door and peered inside, widening his eyes at the first thing he saw.

A beautiful girl with long dark-silver hair, which was tied up into a ponytail, and dark-ruby eyes, looked up as she heard the sound of Issei walking into his house.

Issei stared wide-eyed as he gazed at the unreadable look in the girl's eyes. The young man only rose an eyebrow when he noticed a playful looking smirk slowly forming on the girl's face.

The smirk on her face immediately softened into a warm smile as she inwardly sighed.

"Fufu. Long time no see, my dear Ise-itoko."

"Leiko-san? What are you doing here?"

Leiko Hyoudou, the adoptive older cousin of Issei, crossed her arms as she sent her crimson eyes towards Issei.

"You don't sound or look happy to see me."

"N-no, I-" Issei quickly tried to defend himself as he stuttered.

Leiko rose an eyebrow, but she continued to walk forward with Issei. As of now, she had never interacted much with her adoptive cousin. The only time she had seen him was when she and her parents often visited the Hyoudou residence all those years ago.

But even then, it was rare for her to even talk to Issei, let alone get him to talk to her, due to his reclusive nature.

Not unlike her parents, and Mr. and Mrs. Hyoudou, Leiko never possessed any ounce of animosity against Issei about the different coloration of his eyes. However, not even she was blind to tell that those eyes were the reason her adoptive cousin was so quiet.

Seeing a nearby bench, Leiko put her arms to her side, and with a wave of her hand, she directed Issei.

"Ise-itoko, over here. Come sit with your cousin."

Issei, noticing Leiko's movement, complied and followed the girl in order to sit on the bench with her. As the cousins looked around the area of the shopping centers, the female of the two crossed her legs.

"Issei."

Issei turned to look at Leiko in response.

"Huh?"

"You didn't really give me a reply to my earlier statement. You're not mad that I came to visit, are you?"

Issei's eyes softened, and he looked his cousin in the eyes.

"No, of course not. I'm not mad at all. It's just that I didn't expect for you to arrive at my house today."

Leiko gave a warm smile in response.

"It's best to keep things interesting. Had you been informed earlier, you probably would have stayed upstairs in your room just to avoid seeing me."

"That's not true, Leiko-san."

The girl's eyes widened at the honest tone in her cousin's voice, before she smiled and looked off to the side.

"How sweet of you. Well, at least you're actually talking more. When I used to come over to your house, you were as quiet as a mouse, it was hard to get you to speak at all. Hell, it was hard to even find you in the house."

"...I like my privacy." Issei muttered to himself.

"Sure you do." Leiko teased, before sitting up from her spot.

"So your mom told me that today was your first day at your new school. How was it?"

Issei looked up at the girl, and his eyes seemed to have gained a much brighter edge to them.

"It was okay."

"Just okay?"

"I didn't really talk to anyone at school today."

"Ah. So that 'ok'."

A smile spread across Leiko's lips.

"Were any of the girls at your school attractive, Ise-itoko?"

"To be honest, I didn't really look or pay attention. I was just waiting for the classes to end."

Leiko's eyes rolled in mock exasperation.

"Ugh. Knowing you, I wouldn't have expected anything less." She said, albeit in a teasing tone.

Issei flushed slightly in embarrassment, prompting Leiko to chuckle again.

"My poor naive Ise-itoko. You're too innocent for your own good."

Raising an eyebrow in confusion at the comment, Issei tilted his head. Leiko looked over to the nearby bookstore and smiled.

'Hmm. I've been wanting to find something to read.'

Bookstore

"This isn't exactly what I had in mind when you said we should hang out, Leiko-san."

After teasing her adoptive cousin for a little while, Leiko had decided to take Issei with her to the bookstore. According to Mrs. Hyoudou, Issei had a lot of interest in the Sun. And after realizing that she desired to buy some new books of her own, Leiko thought this was the perfect opportunity to spend some time with the shy ball of light that embodied her cousin.

"Well since I initiated it, I get to take you wherever I go." Leiko said, sticking out her tongue at him.

"I don't think that's how it works." Issei retorted, before he frowned softly, "And besides, I don't need any books."

"That's true. You don't need any books, but you do need to take part in something other than lying around in your room and waiting for the Sun to rise back up. I won't have my little cousin being a social outcast. You need to get out more often."

The young man sighed from his cousin's remark, and and complied as he looked around the sections and categories of the store. Leiko chuckled and walked away from Issei, giving him some space.

About ten minutes later, Issei stopped and crossed his arms. For a bookstore, it sure had a large space. As he walked further, Issei looked over to the next aisle, and he bumped into someone.

"Ah!"

"Oof!"

Issei collided with the unknown figure, and they both fell onto the ground. Rubbing his sore chest, Issei looked up to see a young man with short blonde hair and grey eyes. He wore the Kuoh Academy boys' school uniform, albeit without the blazer, and his sleeves were rolled up. Scattered next to him were an assortmnts of notepads and writing utensils.

Feeling guilty, Issei went to pick up the items and handed them to the boy.

"Sorry about that."

The short blonde-haired boy shook his hair to fix it, and smiled gratefully as he accepted the items back.

"Nah, it's all right man."

His grey-eyes then widened in surprise.

"Hey. I've seen you before."

As they both stood up, Issei blinked from the other boy's comment. He didn't remember seeing the guy in front of him at all. The young man pointed to Issei, and he smiled cordially.

"Yeah, you're the new student that came to Kuoh Academy today, right?"

'He's a student there too?' Issei thought to himself, looking down when the young man held out his hand.

"What's up man? The name's Genshirou Saji. I'm the Secretary of the Kuoh Academy Student Council."

Issei reached his hand and shook Saji's own in respect.

"Issei Hyoudou. It's nice to meet you."

Saji smiled wider.

"Nice to meet you, Newby." He replied, his new nickname prompting Issei to pause for a moment, before nodding.

'So this is the guy kaichou told us about." Saji thought to himself, 'She was right. He's got a lot of power. Though by the way he acts, you wouldn't be able to perceive him as strong. His eyes are kind of weird, but it's not like anyone else is normal these days.'

"Wait," Issei began, suddenly remembering a fact about Saji, "you said you were a secretary or something?"

"Yeah, of the Student Council."

"What does the Student Council do?"

"Well, we basically help share students' ideas, interests, and concerns with teachers and the school principal."

"So you're like the speakers for the students at Kuoh Academy?"

"Yeah, I guess you could put it like that."

"Ise-itoko."

Both Issei and Saji turned to see Leiko, who had already acquired a few books of her own.

"Leiko-san."

Leiko smiled as she walked over to her cousin. She had already known where he was, seeing as he tended to wander around unfamiliar places. She had to admit, she was a little surprised (and proud) to see that Issei was actually talking to someone. Perhaps, her little cousin was edging out of his own shell.

Just a little bit.

"I see you haven't found any books yet."

Issei let out a light scoff as he looked away, while Saji held back a chuckle at the sight. Leiko crossed her arms and looked over to Saji.

"So, your name?"

"I'm Genshirou Saji. I go to the same school as your cousin."

"Really? Well it sure is a small world, isn't it?"

Looking back to her quiet cousin, Leiko sent him a smirk.

"We're not leaving until you pick out at least one book, Issei."

Sighing at his cousin's stubbornness, Issei looked over to Saji, and nodded his head to the young man.

"It was nice to meet you, Saji-san."

Saji smiled and nodded in respect.

"Likewise, Newby."

Issei's House

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Leiko teased, prompting Issei to frown to her.

"I don't see why you need so many books." Issei commented.

"Because I like to read. Why did you pick only one book?" Leiko answered.

"..." Issei chose not to respond.

"That's what I thought."

After persuading, though if one were to ask him, it was more like forcing, Issei to purchase a book so they could leave the bookstore, Leiko felt a bit more satisfied as she sat on her cousin's couch. She felt proud of herself for bringing Issei out of his shell, even if it was a little bit.

Looking at the book in Issei's hand, Leiko pointed to it.

"What's the book supposed to be about?"

Issei looked at his book, and he lowered his head somewhat. He showed Leiko the front of the book.

"Return of the Sun? Interesting title." Leiko said.

She wouldn't put it past her expectations for Issei to purchase a book whose plot centered around the Sun. Laying back onto the couch, Leiko opened her first book and inwardly sighed as she relaxed.

"Hey, Leiko-san."

Turning her attention to her cousin, Leiko put down her book.

"So what are you doing here, anyway?"

Staring at her cousin for a moment, Leiko smirked and crossed her arms.

"Is it a crime to visit my baby cousin?"

Issei's eyebrows raised at the name.

"Baby cousin?"

"Fufu." Leiko chuckled as her crimson-ruby eyes glinted in amusement.

Feeling a bit confused by his cousin's faint giggling, Issei turned his attention to his recently purchased book. Looking at her cousin for a few moments, Leiko set her eyes over to her book.

"Leiko-san?"

At the call of her name being spoken once more, Leiko gave her younger cousin her attention. While her face didn't show it, she felt a slight wave of happiness that her cousin was actually starting to talk more.

"..." Issei opened his mouth, but then he closed it.

Leiko frowned at her cousin's behavior. It almost looked like Issei wanted to say something, and was genuinely trying to get the words out of his mouth.

"What is it, Ise-itoko?" Leiko asked gently, wanting her cousin to let it out.

The elder Hyoudou felt a bit of pride as the sound of her voice seemed to bring Issei out of his nervousness.

"What happened to your hair?" Issei asked softly.

Leiko's eyes widened a bit at the question.

"M-my hair?" She repeated.

"Yeah." Issei answered with a nod, "Why is it all gray? You're not getting old that quickly, are you?"

At Issei's last sentence, Leiko tried in vain to suppress the amused smile that threatened to split her face.

Leave it to her precious 'Ise-itoko' to ask something like that in his usual naive fashion. Of course, if it had been anyone else, Leiko would've had a more violent reaction.

"No, silly." Leiko humored her younger cousin, "I'm not getting old. I just dyed my hair."

"...You killed your own hair?" Issei asked in a hesitant tone with a tilt of his head.

The urge to either flick her cousin on the forehead or shake her head in disbelief reached Leiko's mind.

The elder Hyoudou let out a sigh as she looked her cousin straight in his eyes.

"Ise-itoko." She uttered.

"Hmm?" Issei asked, wondering what his cousin wanted.

FLICK

"Huh?!"

Issei rubbed his forehead in surprise, while Leiko lightly glared at him with her arms crossed.

"I changed the color of my hair, Issei." She explained.

The slight pain in his forehead slowly fading away, Issei removed his hand from his temple and blinked several times at his cousin. Her smile returning, Leiko sat in a more casual position.

"What do you think, Ise-itoko?" She asked as she placed a few strands of her hair behind her ear, "Do you like it?"

"..." Issei blinked again as he titled his head, "Leiko-san looks so different."

Not expecting her cousin to say that, Leiko didn't react. She didn't know how to interpret Issei's answer, so she was at a loss on what to do or how to proceed next.

"But if Leiko-san's happy with it," Issei continued with a small yet faint smile, "Then I guess I'm ok with it too. Plus, you kind of look like an Angel."

"?!"

As much as she tried her damnedest to hold it in, Leiko failed to stop the crimson blush that succeeded in spreading across her face.

"You ok, Leiko-san?" Issei asked in confusion, "Your face is all red."

"I-I'm fine, Ise-itoko." Leiko stammered, before she quickly composed herself and gave him a gentle smile.

Her younger cousin blinked at her a few times, before he smiled back in return and moved his attention back to his book.

When she was sure that Issei was no longer paying any mind to the atmosphere around him, Leiko's smile disappeared and was replaced by an embarrassed frown.

'An angel, huh?'

The elder Hyoudou inaudibly sighed as she shook her head, trying once again to suppress her returning blush.

Why did her little cousin have to say things like that?

The Student Council Room

"So you encountered Issei Hyoudou at a bookstore when you accidentally bumped into each other?"

Saji nodded as he answered the girl with the bob-cut hairstyle.

"Yeah, Sona-kaichou. You were right about him. He's strong, very strong."

Sona Sitri, the President of the Student Council, narrowed her eyes as she crossed her arms.

"What did he seem like?"

Saji shrugged in response.

"To be honest, he seemed pretty much like a shy guy. His personality doesn't really sync with how strong he is. But regardless, he's an alright guy."

Sona looked over at the Secretary of the Student Council, and she set her violet eyes to a different space in the room.

"Hmm."

"What is the reason for his shyness?"

Saji turned around in surprise to see the girl with blue, semi-rimmed glasses looking at the piles of books on the shelf.

"Uh, I didn't really ask him." Saji answered.

Underworld (Residence of the Phenex Clan)

A handsome young man in his early 20's with short blonde hair and dark blue eyes, narrowed his eyes as he tried to ignore the intense surge of energy. For a number of years, he had sensed this power, and as it grew, so did his interest.

"Riser-sama?"

"Onii-sama?"

Riser Phenex, the third son of the Phenex Clan, turned around to face a large group which consisted of fifteen young women. Shaking and rubbing his head, Riser crossed his arms.

"Don't bother me right now, girls. I have some thinking to do."

Leaving the surprised group of girls, Riser retreated elsewhere, trying to figure out where and how the energy source came to be.

'This energy...it's a source not unlike that of the solar flares from the Sun itself. It even rivals the heat of the Phenex Clan...perhaps even surpasses it...'

Shaking his head in order to clear his thoughts, Riser scoffed and looked away.

"What am I saying? This is ridiculous. Listen to me, I'm paranoid over something that I haven't even experienced or seen yet. Humph."

Shaking off his paranoia for only a moment, Riser Phenex walked off to another section of the Underworld, hopeful in gathering some pleasant thoughts.

Kuoh Academy (Next Day)

"Excuse me, Issei Hyoudou?"

At the call of his name, Issei stopped in his pace and turned to see a handsome young man with short blonde hair and light-grey eyes walking towards him. The blonde-haired boy smiled at Issei, and held out his hand.

"How are you? My name's Yuuto Kiba."

Issei reached to shake Yuuto's hand in respect.

"It's nice to meet you too, Kiba-san."

Nodding in respect, Yuuto looked around the hallways, and looked back at Issei.

"The word around school says you're a new student here. Am I right?"

"Mhm." Issei nodded in reply.

"Well then, I should tell you that I really think you'll like this school."

Issei rose an eyebrow at Yuuto's statement.

"I will?"

"Hey look! It's Yuuto Kiba! Our Prince Charming!"

"Is that the new guy?! He's so cute!"

"Hey, maybe he's another Prince Charming!"

"No way! We can't have more than one Prince Charming!"

"Why not?!"

Issei adopted a puzzled look from the strange comments he was hearing from the girls in the hallways. Yuuto just smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess that means we're rivals, huh, Ise-san?"

The brown-haired young man was genuinely confused right now. He had no idea what the girls were talking about.

"Hey, Issei-kun!"

Both Issei and Yuuto turned to see Yuuma Amano running towards them. Behind Issei, Yuuto's eyes narrowed just a bit, but he quickly softened his expression and smiled. Yuuma noticed the demonic aura within Yuuto, but she composed herself as she smiled at Issei.

"How are you doing? You worried me a little bit after school yesterday."

Issei rose an eyebrow at her words, but then he remembered what Yuuma was talking about.

"Yeah, I was tired, so I wanted to get home as quickly as possible. Sorry I made you worry."

"No, no, it's fine." Yuuma smiled warmly, "Just as long as you're okay."

Issei took notice of Yuuma's tone.

Why was Yuuma so worried about him? He sure was interacting with a lot more people than he had anticipated. Looking cautiously at Yuuto for a bit, Yuuma returned her sight to Issei.

"Iss-"

"Hey, Ise-san." Yuuto cheerfully interrupted her.

Yuuma sent him a subtle but irritated glare to Yuuto.

'How dare he interrupt me?! And with a smile no less!'

Issei took a step back as he noticed Yuuma's eyes taking a more darker and sinister look. Yuuto smiled as he continued his sentence.

"After school is over, I would appreciate it if you would come with me. At Kuoh Academy, we have an organization called the Occult Research Club, and the President has been eager for you to see the club for yourself."

The mention of the Devil's club prompted a look of surprise from Yuuma.

'What does the daughter of the Gremory Clan want with him?! Are the Devils watching him as well?'

Issei blinked at Yuuto's offer, and he lifted a finger up to speak, until he started to hear a series of painful shouts from outside.

"Hey look! Someone's fighting the Perverted Duo outside."

'Perverted Duo?' Issei thought to himself.

Issei, Yuuto, and Yuuma made their way outside to see a crowd of students. Pushing past the crowd, the trio looked in surprise to see two males groaning in agony on the ground. One male was a jock, and the other male wore glasses.

"Why, why?! All I wanted to do was touch some of your oppai!"

"Why is she so cruel?!"

Issei rubbed his head in confusion. Yuuma scoffed and crossed her arms, clearly not amused at the scene in front of her.

"Idiots."

Issei blinked and looked over at Yuuma in puzzlement.

"You know them, Yuuma-san?"

"Unfortunately. Matsuda and Motohama. They're the infamous perverted students here at Kuoh Academy. They've caused a lot of trouble here, and it looks like someone actually did something about it."

"Tch. Such idiotic perverts."

Lifting his head up at the familiar voice, Issei stared in awe at the sight of a familiar -silver haired girl glaring coldly at both Matsuda and Motohama.

"Leiko-san?"

Leiko Hyoudou looked up at the call of her name, and her harsh glare morphed into a warm and soft gaze as she smiled at Issei.

"Ah, Ise-itoko."

"What happened over here? And why are you at Kuoh Academy?"

Planting her foot on top of Motohama, Leiko smiled as she explained the situation to her cousin.

"On a whim, I wanted to see what my baby cousin's school looked like. But as soon as I entered the school-gates, I caught these two idiots following me."

She kicked both of the perverts for good measure and crossed her arms.

"You're not planning to attend here, are youl?" Issei asked.

If his cousin was attending Kuoh Academy, it was definitely going to be a strange year for Issei, knowing Leiko's personality.

Leiko closed her eyes and shook her head in response to Issei's question.

"Not a chance, cousin. I just wanted to see what your school looked like, that's all. Hmm. Not a bad appearance at all."

Both Yuuma and Yuuto shared reluctant glances as they watched the verbal exchange between Issei and Leiko.

'Cousins?! From what I can tell, her aura is completely human! Issei's on the other hand...'

'Huh. That's weird. Her energy isn't the same at all as Ise-san's. Are they even related?'

Smiling in amusement, Leiko stepped back and waved to Issei as she made her departure.

Chuckling at the look on her cousin's face, Leiko left the school-gates, wondering other ways on how she could get Issei out of his shell.

"Take care, cousin. I'll see you at home." She called out to Issei.

The crowd of students had already scattered back inside the school, leaving Issei, Yuuma, Yuuto, and the Perverted Duo outside.

Ignoring the groans of pain from Matsuda and Motohama, Yuuma narrowed her eyes as she looked over to Issei.

'Hmm.'

"Haha. Well, I'll see you later, Ise-san. I've got to get back to class."

Both Issei and Yuuma turned to see Yuuto waving goodbye at the former as he entered into the school. Looking back at Issei, Yuuma dissolved her serious look into a cheerful smile, and she connected her arms with Issei's own.

Issei flinched from the unexpected contact, and he looked over at Yuuma in surprise. Yuuma giggled at the look on Issei's face.

"Come on Issei-kun! We don't want to be late to class, do we?"

Giggling cheerfully, Yuuma pulled the unresponsive yet surprised Issei inside Kuoh Academy.

Above the building floated a familiar figure. The figure possessed the appearance of a long black-haired young girl with hollow dark-grey eyes, dressed in a fashion akin to Gothic Lolita.

Narrowing her eyes in her smaller form, Ophis watched the Fallen Angel pull what was hers into the school.

"The boy. He belongs to me. Not one soul, shall take him away from me. He, is MINE."

Feeling a burst of emotion swell within her, the Ouroboros Dragon closed her gray eyes, and numerous snakes manifested around her body before she disappeared completely.