Chapter 1

Heya everyone, my name is Lynn :D Thank you all dropping by to pay a visit!

Before we begin what will be a very long adventure, I would just like to point out a few important details that this story revolves around!

1. This story does not feature a harem.

2. The main pairing is Issei X Rossweisse.

3. Yes, this is a romance story, and while there are no lemons included, there will most certainly be fluffy moments between the main couple moving forward.

4. Issei will at times be heavily OOC, mainly due to him only having romantic feelings for Rossweisse.

5. Moving on from the previous point, this story will feature an original storyline, therefore expect some differences in plot and character development.

Phew! With all that said and done, let us move onto the story!

Enjoy :3

Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD, as all original work credits goes to it's author.

Guardian Of The Dormant Dragon

"You two remember why we joined this school in the first place?"

"Of course we do.'

"Obviously man, we only have one reason, no way I would forget it!"

"Then why in the world are we spending out time like this?!" Issei screamed into the open blue sky above.

Currently lying on the grass bank overlooking the sports asphalt were three 2nd year high school boys, staring up at the open blue sky above with nothing better to do. This was not the first time they killed their break in such a fashion or the second for that matter...or third. Rather they had spent every single day like this.

It was sad...very, very sad...especially when...

"It's Kiba-kun!" A scream resounded from very far away.

"You're right! Ahhh Kiba-Kun, wait up!"

A group of girls within their year level raced towards a handsome (something that Issei grudgingly admitted internally) blonde-haired boy, excitement clearly evident on their blushing features.

"Ermm...Kiba-Kun, would you like to join us for karaoke after school?" The leader of the group managed while fidgeting nervously in her spot.

"Please! We'll even pay for your share!" Another managed to blurt out, hoping to convince their target through any means necessary. Like they save love causes one to lose all sense of reason.

But rather than responding like any other single high school guy would, the blonde meerly shock his head in response albeit respectfully, before offering small smile.

"Thank you very much for your offer. While that sounds like a lovely way to spend the evening, club activities after school have preoccupied my after school hours. Perhaps next time though, sorry."

The detail that irritated Issei the most was Kiba's sincerity, always expressing his thoughts without the slightest shred of deceit. On the other hand, he himself probably had to sugarcoat and carefully word every single syllable that escaped his lips just to simply get a chance towards initiating conversation with someone of the opposite gender.

Heck forget casual conversation that could potentially lead to a relationship, he had trouble chatting to the class representative about homework. To elaborate on what exactly that mean't, whenever she came around to collect homework, he was always left a written note telling him to give his directly to the teacher.

It was quite honestly heart-breaking.

So to see someone like Kiba get the attention he himself had always yearned for without needing to exert any effort was honestly quite frustrating, even if he had nothing against him personally.

"But nothing in life is ever fair right?" Issei mumbled, watching the blonde haired disappear in the distance, completely ignorant of the fact he had just made someone question their life. "I seriously don't get the difference in treatment."

"I'm with you on that one 110% Issei. Kiba-Kun is only smarter, better looking and more athletic! What's the big deal?" Matsuda exclaimed loudly to his right, completely ignorant of the fact that he had both answered his own question and threw several psychological daggers at them.

Raising an eyebrow in irritation, Issei threw a quick glance at his friend only to see an expression void of sarcasm.

"Thanks, you're making us feel so much better."

"No worries, but I've got something even better to cheer us up." Once again missing out on the obvious jab of sarcasm, the bald boy in question quickly threw both his friends a wink, the sort that make anyone else besides the perverted trio vomit.

"What is it?" Motohama questioned, adjusting his glasses in a fashion that suggested he had a good idea.

"It's 3:30 after school on a Wednesday! Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?"

But Issei was too far lost in his world of thoughts to pick up on anything that his friends had mentioned.

'What am I planning on doing in the future? I'm not good at anything whether that be sport, homework or even games which I spend all my time doing. Hypothetically...just purely hypothetically, if i did somehow get a girlfriend, how would i even support her without a job? My grades are failing and as it stands I might not even make it into 3rd year without repeating let alone college...'

"Ohhhh Matsuda, great minds do indeed think alike! We should hurry, the club activities are starting soon!" Motohama gave his watch a quick check before frantically rising to his feet.

"Roger that!" Matsuda replied without a moment's hesitation, only to realize that one of the trio had yet to react. "Whats the holdup Issei? You coming with?"

Again the boy's mind was far too engrossed with his future to provide a contemplated response. "Errr what?"

"Ahhh snap out of it brother, this is not time for a man to hesitate! Let us bathe ourselves in the glory of bravery!"

Dragging the final member to his feet, the trio marched in a hurried pace towards their "goal".

"Owwww...thanks a lot for leaving me behind by the way! You guys were real bros out there!" Issei grimaced in pain as he rubbed the spots where he had gotten pummeled by shinais.

"Heyyy man, we totally told you to run but you just sat there. I know you didn't get a peek but getting absolutely walloped by them is simply not worth it."

"Who said I wanted one?! I didn't even know we were going to sneak a peek in the Kendo changing rooms until it was too late!" Issei mumbled indignantly, hoping to ease as much pain as possible by rubbing the sore spots. "But man, those girls really have been practicing...because they hit like trucks with those wooden sticks."

"That is what you would think but it certainly didn't seem that way from what I saw..." Motohama replied with a oddly satisfied look as he stared into the clouds above.

"I couldn't agree more, they don't even have a single bit of fat with nicely shaped figures..." Matsuda nodded with an equally happy grin.

"Man I hate you two." Issei complained, still irked by the fact that he received the short end of the stick in both regards. Why did he have to get punished for something he didn't even do?

However, before he could continue his monologue, Issei felt a pair of eyes focusing on his back. Although the sensation that it invoked was neither good nor bad, it didn't stop the brunette from twisting his head in caution. The individual that filled his vision however, was not one he had expected.

"Rias Gremory, 99-58-90, third year student, president of the occult research club and ranked top amongst her peers." Immediately after following Issei's gaze, Motohama recited the information like an honor student in his favorite class. "Her hobbies, family background and after school activities are all unknown as none in my information network have ever gotten close enough to talk to her."

"You have an information network on girls?!" Issei asked, completely bewildered at the fact he didn't know about it.

"Of course the only individual that would possibly possess this list of information would be Akeno." Matsuda mentioned with confidence, indicating that he too was well versed in the same art and ignoring the brunette's question, "However..."

"However..." Motohama repeated while nodding in agreement.

"However?" Being the only one without the answer, Issei immediately spoke up to express his confusion. "Can't we just ask Akeno-senpai then?"

"You're a fool Issei!"

"How do you not know all this when you entered the school?"

"There was an entrance exam?!" Issei replied in shock.

"There was one for all the unpopular guys!"

"I for one managed to get a perfect score!" Motohama winked at the two, genuinely proud of this achievement.

"I almost did too had I not messed up on that one question regarding the school president! Seriously, I was only off by 2 cm." Matsuda managed to voice out, sounding as though he was on the verge of tears.

"You're a nutcase, 2 cm is a huge difference! You're lucky they didn't ask for an answer correct to 2 decimal places, otherwise you wouldn't have even gotten marks for working out!"

"Easy for you to say! You have your special size-reading ability!"

"2 cm? Wait, what are we talking about here?"

The trio continued their bickering even as the mysterious crimson haired beauty continued her observation. Don't get her wrong, she had no interest in the weather nor the conversation that took place. Rather her focus was solely on one individual in particular.

"Who is that boy?"

"That would be Issei, 2nd year in class F. Did you finally find someone you're interested in Rias?"

"He certainly has caught my attention but not in the way you're implying, Akeno." The crimson beauty replied without the slightest hint of hesitation or embarrassment, spinning on the spot to face the chessboard that she had previously been preoccupied on. "Surely, I'm not the only one who noticed."

"Hehe, there is indeed a certain aura surrounding that boy. Could he perhaps be...?"

"It definitely aligns with the description."

"Which means..."

"You know what to do."

"Consider it done."

Narrowing her eyes, Rias took one last glance at the chessboard before making a single move.

"Checkmate."

"Ahhhh! It just isn't my day today..." A lone brunette slowly dragged his feet through the school gates and in the general direction of his home. "As if I wasn't invited!"

First off, his day had just been as bland as the last, with any hopes of making a girlfriend crushed once again. Secondly, he had gotten belted by the members of the Kendo club for a crime he technically didn't even commit. Not saying he wouldn't have given the chance but that was beside the point.

Finally as the cherry on top, he had failed to meet the bar for some super secret gathering consisting of only the top 30 "chosen" ones. The exact criteria one needed to be such an individual completely alluded the boy, but the fact that Matsuda ranked amongst the top 3 should have been more than enough to send alarm bells ringing. The event itself was supposedly hosted by a member of the photography club, well former member to be exact. Apparently he possessed quite an impressive list of strikes against his name, all of which were lodged by the female models of his photos. The word is that he "forgot" to ask for permission from every single one of them during the process.

Due to his persistent nagging, Issei managed to get enough information from Motohama to determine that the event itself was like an auction, where the host sold "goods" that were superb enough to transform even a bad day into a wonderful and exciting evening for the user. Incidentally, all 30 of those chosen members were guys.

Anyway, the point is Issei apparently just missed the mark, being placed 31 on a list that was supposedly created by the most objective judge in the school.

"And I'm having a bad day too, could have really used one of those "goods" too, whatever they are." Issei mumbled before a loud sigh escaped his lips.

The young boy decided to take the scenic route home, preferring to spend a bit more time out in the open with fresh air instead of being cramped in his room all evening. Don't get him wrong, it was fun to play games, watch anime and read manga.

But , that was only a temporary sense of joy. Whenever bedtime arrived, reality would give him a huge slap before drowning him in a wave of emptiness, constantly reminding him of how unproductive his days have been.

What was he going to do in the future?

Was he going to find a job? And if so, what type of job?

While these thoughts continued to weigh heavily on his mind, Issei realized he had wondering into the usual bookstore completely out of habit.

It wasn't the biggest store in town, having only several rows of shelves with just the single storey. But the collection, it possessed all suited his tastes hence the reason behind his frequent visits here. Heck it beats dropping by the internet cafe at least from a financial point of view.

"Let's see...what do we have here." Running his fingers along the various book spines, the brunette attempted to locate the series he was currently reading, hoping to find a new volume release.

"Hey kid, if it's volume 12 you're after, it's hitting the shelves next Wednesday."

"Next Wednesday?! Oh come on, what am I going to read for the next 5 days..."

"Bwahahaha, why don't you go and hang out with your girlfriend in the meantime like every other normal guy your age."

Because of the frequent visits, the owner was more or less good friends with Issei. Sure there was the rather large gap in age, but their interests in certain genres aligned which easily made up for it.

In fact, the large burly man wasn't the only one he got along with here.

"Yeahhh Issei-Kun, whatever happened to the I-Will-Definitely-Get-A-Girlfriend-Really-Soon attitude, which by the way, was something you had adopted since 8 months ago."

Chouji was another customer that spent more afternoons here than they probably should have just like Issei. Of course, he much like his owner, never missed a chance to poke fun at the brunette whenever the opportunity arose."

"How do you guys not get tired of telling the same jokes every time?! Besides, you guys sure can talk given your situations." Issei retorted...in complete vain.

"Hey your talking to a man in his fifties who treats his treasured books as the love of his life!" The older man exclaimed without a care in the world despite the stupidity of his statement.

"As for me," Chouji mentioned before adopting a dramatic pose. "I could easily get a girlfriend anytime I wanted, but my heart and soul belongs to 2D girls!"

The saddest part about both these guys is that they spoke with absolute genuine feelings, fully content on their current situation. The owner really did love his books which is probably the reason behind his immense knowledge in literature, having devoted every single second of his free time doing research.

That went double for Chouji. Sure what he said might have come off as complete and utter garbage because popularity didn't come easy for those that spent little time socializing, but Issei knew first hand that he was the real deal. Not just because he was quite the looker on basically equal plans to Kiba, but the brunette had actually been asked by girls who had claimed to be part of the Chouji fan-club committee to provide them with some information of his interests and hobbies.

Because Chouji attended a different school, Issei had no idea of his popularity, even brushing it all off as a joke the first time he heard it. But when you get ambushed by female students not just once or twice but every time he left the bookstore, all of whom sought more information regarding his 2D loving friend, it became increasingly hard to ignore.

"Ohhh I err still got this of course. Just wanted to give all the other guys in school a bit of a head-start and all...you know cause they need it." The brunette stuttered before grabbing a book of the shelf, pretending to skim through the pages.

"Of that I have no doubt."

"Sure kid, anything you say."

"Which is exactly the reason why I errr...am a little bored at the moment." Issei sighed before placing it back in the correct location, figuring it would be easier to seek professional advice. "So Suzuki-san, got any series with a similar story line in stock?"

The older man scratched his unshaven chin absentmindedly, deep in thought trying to find an answer. "Hmmm...by similar story line, are we still talking about the whole main character initially leading an ordinary life before suddenly discovering he has magic powers type?"

"Precisely, something about that combo really just clicks for me."

"What caused the change of interest anyway?" Chouji questioned despite still flipping through his book at a casual rate.

"Not too sure..."

"You are really burning through every single title I've given you huh? Well let me take a look in the back and see if there's anything new for you then."

"Thanks."

Gritting his teeth, Issei managed to hold back the real reason. Somewhere down the line, Issei had resorted to light novels in order to escape reality, constantly putting himself into the shoes of the main character.

'I guess I just started questioning the meaning of my life.'

"Looks like I won't be bored tonight, thanks Suzuki-san!" Issei said happily while taking out the correct amount of change. Admittedly he wasn't the richest kid in town, but he never really spent his pocket money on anything besides mangas and light novels so he usually had quite a bit stored up.

"Not a problem at all kid, appreciate you dropping by as per usual." An equally pleasant expression adorned the storekeeper's features as he placed several bags into a small plastic bag before passing it over the counter. "Remember to savor them and not rush, not because I am finding it increasingly difficult to find stuff for you to read or anything though."

"Hahaha will do. Ohh by the way..." Issei lowered his voice down a notch, making sure that anyone else would be outside of earshot. "any chance I could leave using your backdoor?"

"Sure, but its a little messy out the back, be careful where you tread alright?"

"Got it, see you guys...errr...probably tomorrow!"

"See ya!" The remaining pair of occupants replied in unison before Issei turned a corner.

Taking a quick glance at his watch, Issei confirmed it was well past his usual home time.

"Sheesh it's already 7 pm? Please don't let Chouji's fans be covering this exit too!" Issei whispered to the skies above.

Poking his head out ever so slightly, the brunette swiftly checked both sides for possible targets. Fortunately there was not a soul in sight allowing the poor boy to exhale the breath he held in. He was late getting home as it is and he couldn't possibly afford another hour long interrogation on what Chouji's daily activities were.

Outside the evening had grown very cold, causing the young boy to quicken his pace while hugging his blazer a little tighter. Although the dark and ghosts weren't too high up on the list, but at this time of the night, the thought of both certainly did send a chill down his spine.

Opting to take the shortcut home, Issei broke into a light jog, taking the appropriate turns left and right without having to think twice. Eventually he found himself standing in what normally was an inviting and relaxing spot during daytime, yet daunting and spooky now that it was night. Issei was no stranger to this park, knowing that his house was a straight shot from here being only a couple of streets down.

But this was the first time he ever met it's eerily quiet form, barely able to see ahead of himself due to the absence of streetlight flooding into the area.

"Psshh ain't nothing to it. 10 minutes from now and I'll be laughing the whole thing." Having finished his mental prep talk, Issei gave his cheeks a couple of slaps before taking his first step into the abyss.

And abyss it turned out to be.

Creak...Creak...Creak...

Perhaps due to the uneasy state his mind was in, Issei was more agile than ever, immediately twisting around to face the source of noise. He couldn't quite see what exactly was there, but the sound certainly didn't belong and it didn't take him long to figure out what exactly caused the rhythmic racket.

The swings.

"Whose there?"

"Ohhh sorry! Did I bother you? I just had a lot on my mind and needed to get some fresh air." A rather sweet and innocent voice reached his ears, relieving him from the tension that spread across his limbs.

"Oh not at all! Just had a long day so feeling a little jumpy is all, well don't stay out too late!"

"Hey!" The girl blurted out before getting up from her seat. "Do you mind if I get a bit of help? Having a bit of trouble deciding on something."

"Errrr sure, what's troubling you?" Issei threw the silhouetted figure a sideways glance, having been ready to leave just seconds ago.

"Which do you reckon would be more painful? Being stabbed in the arm or legs?"

"What?" Driven completely by impulse, Issei attempted to retreat a couple of steps from the incoming figure. However in the blink of an eye, the mysterious individual covered any distance between them, grabbing a firm hold of his wrist with one hand and his collar with the other. Unable to fight against the inhuman level of strength, the brunette looked into the eyes of his assailant, hoping to discern the reason behind their attack.

One glance was all it took for him to figure out that something about this person was very wrong.

She (whom Issei estimated to possess looks of a 20 year old) adorned an outfit that consisted of black, strap-like leather around her breasts, a revealing underwear around her hips held by three thin straps, gloves that ran right up her arms with small lengths of chains hanging from them, shoulder guard-like objects on her shoulders with three large spikes sprouting from her right shoulder, and black thigh-high boots.

Perhaps the most distinguishing feature was the pair violet eyes that reflected his own, as they could only be described as dark and extremely evil, the depths of which seemed to indicate having seen their fair share of atrocities.

Had it been any other day and Issei would have marveled at the eye candy presented before him, but something in the back of his mind told him that now wasn't quite the right time to do so.

"Where do you think you are going? We aren't done talking yet, Issei."

"How...do you know my...name! And who are you!" Still struggling to shrug off her grip, the young boy barely had enough strength to spare towards talking.

"The name's...Yuuma. Now let me see if the rumors are true, ohhh and this might hurt a little but try to be a good boy and stay still!" With a wicked smile hanging from her features, the black-haired woman whispered a couple of inaudible words.

An ominous feeling erupted from the brunette's face before spreading to the rest of his body like wildfire. Barely a second had passed before this discomfort evolved into an excruciating level of pain, as though being pierced by a thousand different blades. To make matters even worse, a wave of unnatural pressure began compressing his entire head, rendering the boy limp and bringing him seconds away from passing out.

"Awww already falling unconscious? What a shame, now I won't get to hear your screams of pain!" The lady in black groaned in boredom before manifesting a spear of light that momentarily illuminated the vicinity.

But before she could inflict anymore harm, a bright blue magic circle filled the vicinity, illuminating the area with it's brilliant rays.

"What is this?!"

With Yuuma finally releasing her grip, the poor boy now robbed of his physical strength began his plummet backwards towards the ground.

But Issei never quite met the cold hard floor he had anticipated originally, instead greeted by a soft, warm and welcoming sensation coupled with a sweet feminine scent that reminded him of roses.

With his vision now completely faded, his hearing managed to pick up a couple of lines before following in suit.

"Who are you? Move or I shall kill you too."

"This is your first and last warning, I suggest leaving while you still can."

A/N - Thank you all very much for your time and I hope you enjoyed your stay! If there is anything you would like to say or ask, feel free to leave a message behind :D

Looking forward to seeing you guys in the next chapter!

-Lynn