Ise-nii: Chapter 1

This particular oneshot, though canon to Rise of the Solar God, is essentially a homage to the personal events regarding Issei's parents in High School DxD Light Novel - Volume 20.

After reading what Mr. and Mrs. Hyoudou had gone through, I really wanted to write this story.

I hope you guys enjoy it.

Ise-nii
Kuoh Academy

"Man, it's ungodly cold outside today." Issei Hyoudou muttered to himself.

The Solar God frowned deeply as he made his way to his school. He tried to ignore how terrible the weather was. He understood that it would take a while for the Sun to generate enough heat to bring warmth to the world, but damn it all, he could really do without the cold right now.

Also for some strange reason, it was so goddamn foggy outside.

It never escaped his mind that he could just transform into one of his solar forms, but it would be a waste of energy just to maintain warmth.

Issei released a weary sigh as he continued to walk towards his school. At this point, he almost wanted to skip the institution.

"Hey!"

The young man stopped in his tracks and turned to find the direction of the voice. As he looked around, his eyes set themselves on two figures lying on the grass. Both of them were clad in the standard Kuoh Academy uniforms, and had looks of disappointment on their faces.

"Matsuda? Motohama?"

The Perverted Duo nodded in response to Issei's voice, and remained at their spots as the latter walked over to them.

"What are you guys doing out here?" He asked them.

"You didn't hear?" Motohama questioned as he fixed his glasses, "All classes were canceled."

"Canceled? What happened?"

"Besides the weather being kind of shitty today," Matsuda commented, "None of the electrical appliances in school worked."

"Ok." Issei said with a nod, "So what are you two still doing here?"

"You see, we were watching the girls change out of their kendo clothes after they finished practicing," Motahama explained, his words earning him a displeased frown from Issei, "When all of a sudden, the lights went off."

"And then?"

"That's it."

"I asked why the two of you are still here, not what you did."

"That's all we were doing, man." Matsuda interjected, "After the lights went out, the school shut down for today and all of the other students went home."

"We're just waiting for the weather to die down before we head off home." Motohama said.

"Shouldn't you guys be waiting inside then?" Issei asked.

"Can't. The doors are closed." Motohama replied, "But a little cold and fog never hurt anyone. And besides, it'll be sunny in a little while anyway. At least that's what the weatherman said."

"Somehow, I doubt that." Issei said as he looked up at the sky, "It looks like the weather's getting worse."

"Ehh." Matsuda said nonchalantly, "I'm sure it'll be fin-OW!"

Both Issei and Motohama blinked in surprise as Matsuda rubbed his sore head.

"What's with you?" Motohama questioned.

"Something hit me!" Matsuda exclaimed, "It felt like ice or something!"

"Ice?" Issei repeated before he looked up to see what appeared to be solid droplets of rain descending onto the ground, "No, definitely not ice. It's rain. Super-cooled rain."

Soon the freezing rain heavily descended onto the ground, their cold ambiance bringing a chill to the three Kuoh Academy students.

"Ouch, damn it all!" Matsuda cursed in pain as another raindrop hit him.

"Ok, this is weird." Motohama said calmly, "It shouldn't be hailing at all. Winter's over, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Issei agreed with the glasses-wearing young man, "And it's not hailing. It's freezing rain."

"And that shit hurts!" Matsuda snapped, the raindrops starting to irritate him.

"You guys should probably get home then." Issei said as he pressed his middle finger and thumb against each other.

"Hold on!" Motohama interjected, "We shoul-"

SNAP

Motohama's words were cut off as he and Matsuda suddenly disappeared, leaving Issei all by himself. Perverted Duo or not, there was a semblance of care Issei had for Matsuda and Motohama. They weren't that bad despite their tendencies.

The Solar God inwardly sighed in relief.

DRIP

"Tch!" Issei winced and frowned as a droplet of freezing rain fell on his head, "Guess I should be going as well."

Placing his index and middle fingers on his forehead, Issei closed his eyes and concentrated. Moments later, his body flickered in and out as he transmitted away, leaving behind the structures of Kuoh Academy.

Silence permeated throughout the ambiance of Kuoh Academy, with the freezing rain dropping even more harshly.

"Ise-nii~" A voice uttered softly.

Issei's Penthouse Apartment

Issei sighed as he stretched his arms. With school canceled, there was really nothing else to do for the day. After getting the cricks out of his shoulders and muscles, he sat onto his bed and laid down.

{It was a very uneventful day, partner.}

[Sssso boring.]

The Solar God smiled from hearing the voices of Ddraig the Red Dragon Emperor, and the Yamata-no-Orochi.

'You're telling me. But it was really strange. With school being canceled, and the weather changing so erratically, it's no wonder the day went by so quick.'

Issei moved into his covers and rested his head onto his pillow, his eyes slowly closing as he went into a deep sleep.

A few moments after Issei went to sleep, a petite figure slowly moved out of the shadows of the former's room. It slowly moved towards Issei's bed, its frame becoming more clear. As the figure walked closer to Issei, its physical features was revealed from the darkness.

It was a girl in her mid-teens with black hair, brown eyes, and a petite body. She was clad only in a short black dress, and was barefoot.

The girl was silent as she approached Issei's bed, and gazed upon the sleeping young man. She then sat on the bedside and slowly leaned closer to stare at Issei. The girl's brown eyes seemed to darken the longer she stared at him.

"Ise-nii~" The girl uttered softly as she leaned in even closer, her face just inches away from the Solar God.

Despite him falling asleep moments ago, he could feel the chill in the air again, even if he was under the covers. As much as he tried to ignore the cold air, it was too much for him to endure. The fact that the cold was enough to keep him awake was disconcerting to him. Now he couldn't even go back to sleep.

Releasing a sigh, Issei opened his half-lidded eyes, and lifted himself up from his mattress.

"Guh?!"

Only for him to fall hard against his bed.

'What the?!' Issei questioned in his mind.

"Onii-chan..."

The sudden voice caused the hair on the back of his neck to rise up. Caution and uncertainty ripped down his spine, and his heart beat against his chest rapidly as he tried to ignore the voice. As he started to become fully aware, he could feel something straddling him.

"Onii-chan." The voice whispered again.

Issei opened his eyes, and his irises immediately shrunk.

There was a girl.

A girl whose age he couldn't decipher due to her petite stature, was straddling him. Her dark brown eyes gazed at him with an expression that he couldn't read.

Issei stared wide-eyed at the sight before him and opened his mouth, only for no words to come out of him.

"Onii-chan."

The girl, who had not blinked even once, moved her dainty hand and placed it over Issei's cheek. She revealed a devious smile upon seeing Issei wince from her touch. After a few moments of silence, which consisted of Issei staring at her in shock, the girl started to pinch his cheek.

Issei frowned as he looked up at the girl, who stared back with a smile that really didn't look right on her face. Instead of pinching him, the girl decided to gently trace his cheek, an action that earned her an suspicious glare from the young man.

'Who is she? And how did she get in my house?'

Issei was silent as he tried to figure out what was going on. The girl, who had remained quiet, continued to trace his cheek. Much to Issei's discomfort, her hands, as well as her entire body was extremely cold. Her smile, which still didn't look like it met her eyes, widened as she leaned closer to Issei's face, and proceeded to rub her cheek against his.

The girl's intimate gesture brought the young man out of his musing. She then draped herself over Issei, prompting the latter's eyes to widen in shock. Even with their bodies fully coming in contact with each other, the girl's skin wasn't getting any warmer. She was still cold to the touch.

Unsure of what to do, Issei hesitantly placed his hand on top of the girl's head, and pat it gently. Due to the lights in his room being dimmed, Issei was unable to see the girl's expression slowly change to a pleased look.

"Onii-chan."

At the sound of her voice, Issei finally became aware of what she had been saying to him.

'Wait a minute. Is it just me, or did she just call me...'

But that was impossible! As far as he was aware, Amaterasu along with his mother and father didn't have any kids before or after him. Otherwise, they would've told him.

Wouldn't they?

After a few minutes of petting the girl's head, Issei moved his hand away and placed it to his side.

The girl lifted her head and sent Issei an angry pout.

"Onii-chan..."

Issei blinked at the tone of her voice, and reluctantly placed his hand back on her head. Satisfied that she had gained Issei's attention once more, the girl wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned closer to him, until their foreheads touched. The intimate action caused Issei to stare at her with caution in his eyes.

Feeling a bit put off from the girl's gesture, Issei used his unoccupied hand to gently move her arms off of him, earning him another pout from the girl.

The girl narrowed her eyes at him, her pout deepening to a genuine frown.

"Onii-chan." She said, her voice somewhat moody.

'She keeps calling me that.' Issei thought as he looked off to the side, 'But I have no idea who she is.'

" Onii-chan !"

The girl's raised voice was noticeably firm as she grabbed Issei's cheeks and forcibly turned his face to meet hers. Issei winced at her cold touch, and his eyes widened at the amount of the force she was using.

'What a powerful grip! For a little girl like her to exert this much strength!'

Issei narrowed his eyes at the girl and quickly sat up from his bed, with the latter still holding on to him. Moving his hands to hers, Issei easily pried the girl's hands off of his cheeks.

Instead of the pout he expected to receive, he was instead rewarded with an expression of full-blown fury. Though caught off guard by the look on her face, Issei fixed the girl with a stern glare.

"I don't really know why you're calling me that," He began, "But I don't have a little sister. In fact, I don't even have a older or younger sibling at all. I'm sure of it"

The girl's dark brown eyes narrowed into slits upon hearing Issei's words. Her expression became deadly serious.

"Onii-chan." She uttered, her voice taking on a dangerous tone.

"I told you, I don't have any siblings. Mom and Dad would have told me if they di-"

SLAP!

There was a brief but tense bout of silence within the ambiance of Issei's room. Both occupants of the room stared at the other, one in anger, and the other in surprise.

Issei blinked as his hand slowly rose up to gingerly rub the sore spot on his cheek.

'She smacked me!'

What the hell did she do that for?!

Just as he was about to ask her why, Issei stopped in his tracks as he felt the familiar but unwanted chill around him. The girl, seemingly unaffected by the cold, stared daggers at him, pools of dark brown glowing in the dimmed room.

"Mama. Papa." The girl said eerily.

A sudden noise similar to static crackled loudly in Issei's ears, causing him to flinch as the girl moved her face close to his. She continued to glare at him with eyes that blazed with unmistakable malice, until she lowered her head, allowing her bangs to cover her eyes.

What on Earth was wrong with this girl?

They left us.

They left us.

They left us.

The words from her mind were echoed throughout Issei's bedroom in an ominous mantra.

"Wait a minute," Issei started with a cautious tone, "What do you mean they lef-"

DRIP

And it was then that he heard it. Something dropping. Droplets of copper scented liquid, dripped down from the girl's forehead. Despite not knowing who the girl was, Issei began to feel a bit worried about her.

"Hey," He said to her as he quickly got up from his bed to open his door, "Stay here, let me get som-"

SLAM!

Issei stopped as the door was suddenly slammed shut. Blinking in surprise, he went to open it. Unfortunately...

"It's stuck?"

The door was stuck! He couldn't even turn the doorknob it! It was as though something was keeping it in place.

"What the hell is going on?"

"For you."

Issei turned at the sound of the voice, and his eyes widened at the sight in front of him.

The blood from the girl's forehead had traveled down to her black dress, the crimson liquid pouring past its fabric and down to her feet.

"Jesus Christ!" Issei muttered to himself.

"Onii-chan..."

Issei was at a loss for words as the girl slowly got off of his bed, and moved to approach him. Blood dripped off from her, covering Issei's blood with crimson-red. She lifted her head, her bangs parting away to reveal dark-brown orbs.

Issei didn't know what to do. He had literally no idea what to do. What could someone in his position possibly do?

The girl suddenly stopped in her pace and stared at Issei, her eyes changing shape. Issei blinked in surprise as the girl's eyes softened into a more innocent shape, and she unveiled a smile not unlike a predator cornering their prey.

"Onii-chan." She repeated in a sweet tone before she lifted her hand up, and swiftly brought it down.

"What are you-gah!"

Issei let out a sharp yell of surprise as he felt a strong force shove him down to the ground. The young man, recovering from his shock, grunted as he struggled to stand up. But something was keeping him in place.

Damn it all! What the hell was going on?!

The girl sent him a smirk that was borderline psychotic. She giggled in amusement as she walked towards the restrained Issei. As she reached him, she knelt down so that she was face to face with the Solar God. Realizing that struggling was getting him nowhere, Issei glared at his captor.

Issei narrowed his eyes as the girl suddenly leaned forward so that her lips were near his ear. He shuddered upon feeling the cold air from her breath, and tried to move from her telekinetic grasp. Until...

"Ise-nii..."

Everything stopped. Time itself seemed to stop as her words rang repeatedly in Issei's head.

Ise-nii...

Ise-nii...

Ise-nii...

'What did she just say?'

How the hell did she know his name?

Issei could only stare in shock as the girl leaned back and sent him a smile that was full of malicious intent. Her hand slowly reached out to wrap itself around Issei's neck. The young man, still under the girl's telekinetic hold, glared as she once again leaned forward to whisper into his ear.

"Please die for us, Ise-nii..."

Before Issei could even react to her words, he felt something strike against his gut. His eyes widened as he let out a sharp intake of breath.

" Fufufufufufufu...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The girl's maniacal laughter was the last thing he heard before he blacked out.

x

"-oudou! Hey! Hyoudou!"

The son of Amaterasu groaned as his ears strained to hear the sound of the voice. He struggled to open his eyes, the dull pain in his head bothering him to no end.

{Partner! Pull yourself together!}

[Issssei!]

Issei's eyes quickly shot open as he fully regained consciousness. He looked all around himself, discovering that he was in his living room.

"Hyoudou!" A familiar voice called out to him.

Turning towards the direction of the voice, Issei widened his eyes as he sat up to stare at the person in surprise.

"Vali?!"

A young man with silver hair and light blue eyes nodded to Issei with faint concern.

"About time you woke up." Vali Lucifer commented.

"How long was I out?" Issei asked as he attempted to get up on his feet.

"Not sure." Vali told him, "I arrived here about thirty minutes ago to find you unconscious in your bedroom. Were you in a fight or something?"

"No." Issei answered as he rubbed his head to soothe the dull pain, "Why do you ask?"

"Because there's blood in your room."

Vali's words set off alarm bells in Issei's head, and the smell of copper immediately set him on alert. Before Vali could continue, Issei quickly sprinted to his bedroom and looked around.

Accompanying the smell was a chill so uncomfortable that despite him being inside his apartment complex, the warmth did nothing to help him. It was the type of temperature one would feel during the times of winter, despite the fact that it was no longer that particular season.

Issei narrowed his eyes as he walked in his room, and he turned the light on, the scent of copper flaring strongly through his nostrils. The overwhelming smell caused Issei to make a face of disgust.

Though he had destroyed other beings, and fought against countless enemies, the son of Amaterasu was never one to relish the sight, scent, or taste of blood.

As Issei followed the scent, he suddenly stopped when his foot stepped on something damp. He immediately looked down and stared.

There was blood on his floor.

Whether it was fresh or dated didn't matter to him. The fact of the matter was that there was genuine crimson blood in his room, just like Vali said.

Issei's anxiety increased as his eyes moved to look up.

There was blood on his wall too.

He suppressed a shudder as the crimson liquid dripped down to his floor.

'All this blood! Could it have come from that little girl?'

Issei blinked as he noticed something peculiar about the blood on his wall.

There's writing on here. But it's a bit messy for me to read, almost like a little kid did th-'

hum...

Issei's eyes widened as the lights in his room started to flicker on and off, until they turned off completely, leaving Issei in a room full of darkness. Moments later, the lights turned back on again, prompting him to blink at what had just happened.

With his lights working again, Issei grunted as he looked back to the wall, and he blinked again in surprise.

"What the?"

Issei quickly sprinted to the wall, and looked at it with intense interest.

The blood on the wall was now literate enough for him to read. He felt a scowl pull at his face as his eyes narrowed to decipher the writing.

"Mama and Papa.

They left us!

They let us go!

They don't miss us!

They replaced us!

They didn't want us anymore!

.We finally found you, Ise-nii!

We're so happy!

We love you! We love you! We love you!

We're so angry!

We hate you! We hate you! We hate you!"

This was all so bizarre to him. For the first time in a while, the Solar God was starting to feel a bit cautious in his own home. It wasn't necessarily fear he was experiencing, but there was a unwavering sense of uncertainty.

Issei released an inward sigh of annoyance as he continued to look at the wall.

"Hyoudou?" Vali called from behind him, "What are you...huh. That's new."

The descendant of Lucifer stopped as he looked at the blood-soaked wall. After a few moments of him and Issei staring at the surface, he turned to look at the Solar God.

"I didn't know you had ghost siblings."

"I don't." Issei corrected him, "Mom and Dad didn't have any children before or after me. And I know for a fact that Amaterasu didn't have any other kids beside me."

"This message says otherwise, Hyoudou." Vali shot back, earning a frown from Issei, "Besides, how do you know for sure that your parents on Earth didn't have any children before they found you in the Ise Grand Shrine?"

"Because they would have told me." Issei replied, his tone resolute.

"Are you sure about that?" The host of the Vanishing Dragon challenged.

"Yes, I'm sure." Issei retorted, a bit put off from Vali's questioning, "Mom and Dad wouldn't keep something like that from me."

"How do you know for sure? Look, Hyoudou, I'm not trying to disrespect your parents or anything. But this," Vali clarified as he pointed to the bloodied wall, "this can't be a mere coincidence."

Issei's eyes softened upon listening to Vali's reasoning. Whether he wanted to believe it or not, maybe his rival was right. Maybe he did have other relatives he wasn't aware of.

After all, he had never asked his parents about any of his relatives before. Though part of him not asking was due to his reclusive tendencies as a child, but that was beside the point.

The Solar God adopted a contemplative look as he crossed his arms.

Whatever the situation was, he knew he had to resolve it as soon as possible. The sooner he solved this bothersome mystery, the better.

Releasing a sigh, Issei scowled as he walked past Vali, who looked over to him.

"So?" He asked, wondering about Issei's intentions.

The host of the Vanishing Dragon raised an eyebrow as he watched his rival come back with cleaning supplies. As he quickly assembled his tools, Issei got ready to clean the mess.

"First, I'm gonna clean all of the blood in this room." He began as he picked up a spray bottle.

"And then?" Vali pushed on.

"After that, I'm gonna go call Leiko-san." Issei finished, "If what the message says on the wall is true, then it'd be better to ask her for confirmation. Asking mom and dad, again if it's true...it'll bring only sorrowful memories to them. I don't want to do that to them."

"Hope you know what you're doing."

"Me too." Issei admitted sagely before he stopped what he was doing, "Vali. How did you know I was in trouble anyway?"

"Albion and I felt your energy drop." Vali said simply.

"...Oh." Issei said before he sent a small smirk, "Ha! You  do  care."

"Keep telling yourself that, Hyoudou."

"Hmm. But before I call Leiko-san." Issei continued, "I'm gonna have to talk to the one person I know who has experience with things like this."

"And who would that person be?"

Morisawa's Apartment

"I have to admit, I'm surprised that you came to see me out of all people. Especially at this time of night."

The words were said by Morisawa, Issei's neighbor from across the hall. The two were sitting in the older man's room, which was surrounded by multiple manga.

"Well I figured that it'd be easier to talk to you since we're neighbors and all." Issei replied, "Plus, you did tell me you were a...'oteku'?"

"Otaku."

"Right."

"Ok." Morisawa said as he sat up from his seat, "So if I help you with this situation, what do I get out of it?"

"I recently purchased the complete edition of the Drag So-Ball Super manga." Issei revealed, prompting Morisawa to stare at him in shock, "I'll let you borrow it for two months."

"..." Morisawa fell silent as his jaw dropped, "Bullshit! They're only at chapter twenty! How is it possible for you to have all of them?!"

"I have my ways." Issei said in a mysterious manner, taking a mental note to thank the Great Red.

"Prove it." Morisawa demanded.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Issei placed his middle and index fingers on his forehead.

"What are you-"

Morisawa's question was cut off as Issei's body suddenly flickered away, and disappeared from his seat on the couch. The older man blinked several times as his jaw dropped in shock.

"Was...was that the Instant Transmiss-"

He was cut off once again when Issei reappeared in his seat, holding a large stack of books. Morisawa stared wide-eyed at the number of manga, and flinched as Issei unceremoniously dropped the pile on the former's table.

"..."

"..."

The two stared at each other in silence for what seemed like an eternity, until Morisawa quickly shot up to inspect the credibility of the books in front of him. After a few moments of checking the manga, Morisawa stood up straight and cleared his throat.

"Very well, I'll help you." Morisawa assented as he put his hand out, "But instead of two months, I want to change it to about four."

"Honestly," Issei replied as he shook Morisawa's hand, "You can keep it if you want."

"Really?" Morisawa asked, unable to believe what he just heard.

"Yeah. What I just gave you was a copy of my original collection. You can keep it."

"Wow, um...thank you, man."

A few minutes later...

Issei and Morisawa were silent as the two sat across from each other at the latter's table. The older man had his hands folded together in contemplation.

"So let me get this straight," Morisawa began, "While you were sleeping, a little girl suddenly appeared in your room, and she kept calling you her older brother?"

"Right. But you should know that while she was in my room, the lights kept flickering on and off. And the temperature lowered so much that it felt like I was in a freezer."

"Hmm." Morisawa hummed as he put his chin in his hand, "Now that you mention it, that does explain why my apartment was freezing, even after I turned my thermostat up to about a hundred and twenty degrees. Plus, the lights in my room kept shorting out, despite the fact that I've already paid my electric bill, and bought new bulbs."

"Wait, that stuff happened to you too?" Issei asked with surprise on his face, "Do you think those occurrences happened to the others in their apartments?"

"Not sure," Morisawa admitted with a shrug, "There haven't been any recent complaints. So about this ghost, you're going to need some supplies."

"Such as?" Issei inquired.

"First," Morisawa began with as he put up one finger, "we'll need some salt."

"Salt?"

"Yes, salt. Salt can repel a ghost, and they can't cross a line that's made of salt."

"Sounds a bit strange, but ok." Issei commented, "What else?"

"Iron." Morisawa continued, "Anything made of iron is fine. Fortunately for us, I happen to have a few objects made of iron."

"So salt and iron. Sounds simple enough." Issei answered with a nod, "All right, sounds like a plan. We should start preparing now, since it's almost close to midnight. I just need to call someone first."

Issei's Penthouse Apartment

Issei sighed as he looked down at his cell phone. As late as it was, he knew he had to do it. After what had happened to him earlier, he didn't want to take any more chances.

The Solar God frowned as he dialed the number, pressed one more button, and placed his phone on the table. He crossed his arms and waited as the phone started ringing.

Ring...

Ring...

Ring...

Issei's frown deepened as the phone continued to ring.

'Come on, Leiko-san! Please pick up!'

Ring...

Ri-

Hello?

Issei felt a wave of relief as he heard the familiar voice of his cousin.

"Leiko-san."

" Ise-itoko? Ugh, it's almost midnight. I need to be up and ready for tomorrow. "

"Yeah um, sorry about that." Issei apologized to his sleepy cousin, "But I wanted to talk to you about something. It's...really important."

He heard Leiko breathe out a tired sigh.

Ok. What is it?

Issei steeled himself for what he was about to ask. He didn't know how Leiko was going to react, but it's not like he could back out now.

"Did Mom and Dad...have any children before me?"

There was a brief but all-consuming silence between the two cousins.

Where did this come from?

Issei inwardly sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. He expected that to be his cousin's response. Of course he wouldn't blame her for wanting to know.

"A while ago, there was a girl who suddenly appeared in my room." Issei explained, "And she kept calling me 'Onii-chan', and 'Ise-nii'. I didn't really believe her at first, because Mom and Dad would have told me if I had any siblings. But when I told her this, she just snapped and attacked me."

...

"Leiko-san?"

You never knew?

"?" Issei blinked at Leiko's reply.

They never told you?

Though her voice had gone quiet, Issei could tell what Leiko was feeling by her tone. There were bits of shock and intense melancholy.

"Told me what?" Issei asked, earning a sigh from Leiko.

A few years after they got married, your mom and dad were pregnant with their first child. And they were so happy. They were happy to have the chance to bring a new life into the world. But when they went to the hospital...

Issei's eyes widened at the Leiko's implication.

'No...it can't be!'

You have to understand, Issei. It was difficult for Sachiko-obasan and Mitsuru-ojisan to conceive. We never really discovered the reason, but your mother's body wasn't strong enough to carry children.

'Not strong enough?!' Issei exclaimed in his head, 'How could such a horrible concept like that exist?!'

They tried again about two years after, and Sachiko-obasan got pregnant again. They were so ecstatic, Issei. To the point that they brought so many books about childcare and birth. So many books.

Issei could hear the wistful tone in his cousin's voice. He could actually sense Leiko's sadness permeating through their phone call. Much to his own displeasure, he found his mood becoming despondent with every minute.

So they went back to the obstetrics and gynecology department to meet with the doctor. But the baby didn't survive. Sachiko-obasan and Mitsuru-ojisan...they were so devastated, Issei. Especially your mother. They gave up trying to have children, what with your her body growing weaker from the strain.

Issei felt a pang of despair as Leiko's words tore through him.

'Mom. Dad.'

So much had happened to them. All of the events he had been in, paled in comparison to the severity of his parents' suffering. Losing two of their children; children that didn't even have the chance to experience life.

Mama and Papa.

They left us!

They let us go!

They don't miss us!

They replaced us!

They didn't want us anymore!

"Ise-nii~"

At the sound of the soft voice, Issei quickly felt the sudden chill around him.

Who was that?

"I'll call you later, Leiko-san." Issei promised as he reached to press the end button.

Wait, Isse-

Leikos voice was cut off as Issei ended the call. Putting his phone away, the Solar God stood up and went to find the direction of the voice.

"Ise-nii~"

Following the source of the voice, Issei quickly charged toward its location, and stopped in front of his room door.

'She's in my room?' Issei thought as he reached for the doorknob.

Though Issei had put the thought to the back of his mind, the voice seemed to carry an air of timidity.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Issei quickly opened the door, and the sight that greeted him nearly made his irises shrink.

It was a little pale girl, who couldn't be more older than eight. She had black hair which was tied into two ponytails, with parts of her bangs covering the left side of her face. Her big crimson eyes seemed to exude absolute innocence and fragility. She was barefoot and clad in a black tattered dress.

Issei stared at the girl, who seemed to be unaware that he was in front of her.

'Wait a minute.' Issei thought, 'This isn't the same girl! This is a different one! And Leiko-san said Mom and Dad lost  two  children! Which means...'

The Solar God then noticed that there was an two objects being held in the girl's arms. She tightened her hold on them and remained silent.

"Are those plush toys?" He murmured quietly, momentarily losing his focus.

"?!" The girl gasped as she looked up and locked eyes with Issei, who froze in his spot.

Issei watched as the girl slowly uncurled her arms, revealing the appearance of the two plush toys she was holding. The Solar God blinked repeatedly and opened his mouth to speak. But nothing came out.

'Is that supposed to be me?'

Indeed it was. The first plush toy had reddish-purple hair, dark-peach skin, and red eyes. The second plush had golden spiky hair and emerald eyes.

Issei's eyes widened as he blinked several times. The plush toys had the appearance of him in his Super Solar and Super Solar God transformations.

'How long have those toys been in my apartment?' He asked himself, unaware that the plushies belonged to Ophis and the 'Above' Entity.

Issei set his attention to the girl, who looked at him with an emotion that was atypical of what she was truly was. He stared at the quivering girl, a bit lost on how to proceed.

What on Earth could he possibly do? The spirit he had encountered earlier, had turned out to be the combined form of the Hyoudou children. In hindsight, it was no wonder why they kept calling him-

"I-Ise-nii~" The girl uttered timidly, her eyes trembling.

"Hey, hey, wait a sec." Issei softly said as he placed his hand on top of the girl's head, "It's ok, don't cry."

He then pet the girl's head gently, prompting the latter to lean forward to him. Issei's eyes widened as the girl stood up and levitated in the air. The girl then looked down with a pink flush as she flew towards Issei and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Ise-nii~"

Issei really didn't know what to do. He and Morisawa had originally planned to capture the fused spirit. But with one half of the spirit dwelling in his room and pacified, there really was no need to...

Wait a second.

'Where's the other one?'

Morisawa's Apartment

"Ok, this should be enough."

Morisawa stood proud as he looked down at the supplies on his table.

"Some iron crow bars, two jars of salt, one glass jar with a lid and candle." The otaku stated as he clapped once, "All right, everything seems to be in order."

The otaku nodded with pride and sat down in his chair. He had time to relax, so he might as well catch up the latest chapter of Drag So-Ball Super.

With a smile full of excitement, he reached to grab the complete Drag So-Ball Super edition manga.

"Chapter twenty-one, here I co-"

buzzzzzzzz!

"?!"

Did all of his lights just go out?

Morisawa looked around frantically, his heart rate beating as he realized that his lights did indeed go out. The moment he was aware that his entire apartment was enveloped by absolute darkness, only one thought rang through his mind.

'How am I supposed to read my manga?!'

The otaku could feel his hand on the book tremble as the soft, barely audible sound of feet pitter-patter on the ground.

"Hello?"

No response.

Ok, he needed to calm down. It was probably just his imagination. Though the uncomfortable silence was starting to bring shivers through his skin.

"O~nii~chan~" A soft child-like female voice whispered through the darkness of Morisawa's apartment.

Morisawa almost felt his heart stop right then and there. The otaku didn't recognize the voice at all. The voice seemed to be excessively sweet and mockingly innocent at the same time.

"Where are you, Onii-chan~?" The voice said gently as the sound of footsteps became louder.

Morisawa scowled at the fact that he couldn't see anything. It was also extremely hard for him to breathe in his own apartment.

"I just want to play, Onii-chan~" The voice continued, "You can't hide from me~"

'What the hell?!'

screeeeeee!

Morisawa quickly covered his ears to avoid the sound of something screeching against his wall. Feeling the vibration did nothing to lessen the pain in his ears. The pitter-patter of footsteps were closer to him now, almost too close to disrupt whatever safety he had.

As much as he didn't want to move, he stood up from his seat and sped towards his door.

"You're not Onii-chan..."

But it was already too late.

The man froze on the spot at the sound of the child's voice and was suddenly pushed down by a powerful force. Morisawa grunted as he struggled to lift his head up, and upon doing so, he immediately regretted it.

"You're  not  Onii-chan..."

A young girl who looked no older than ten, stared blankly down at Morisawa, who couldn't stop his body from shivering at her gaze. Her soulless grey eyes, the color which matched her skin, bored into the older man's soul. She was also adorned in a tattered crimson dress.

There was also the matter of her carrying a freaking large knife!

Morisawa stared with his jaw agape as the girl slowly approached him, as though she were taking her sweet time to draw out more of his fear. The man struggled with all of his might to push himself up. But the level of force being pressured upon him was too much for him to endure.

"Where's Onii-chan?" The girl asked as she lifted the knife menacingly, her voice taking on a ominous tone.

Once that knife reached him, that would be it for him.

The otaku ignored her question, and willed his eyes to look at the table behind him.

The iron crowbar! Damn it, if only he could move! Unless...

"Hey!" He uttered with obvious strain, "If you're looking for your brother, I can take you to him! He's my neighbor!"

Th girl stared down at him with an expressionless face. But then...

" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! "

Morisawa felt his chest tighten as the girl let out a maniacal booming laugh, her voice echoing throughout the ambiance of his apartment.

Just before he could think of what to do next, the girl suddenly lunged forward with her knife at the ready. Morisawa let out a strangled gasp and closed his eyes, waiting for the knife to pierce him.

"That's enough."

SNAP!

"?!"

Morisawa flinched at the sound of shattering metal, and opened his eyes.

The knife was gone from the girl's hand!

"Morisawa." The familiar voice called out to the older man, "You all right?"

"Y-yeah. Yeah, I'm good." Morisawa stuttered as he found that he could move again.

The girl, who had a look of shock as the last pieces of the knife fell through her hand, turned around to find the origin of the voice she had just heard.

"You were looking for me, right?" Issei asked as he walked towards the shocked girl and knelt down so that he was face to face with her, "Well here I am."

The red-dressed girl fixed Issei with an smoldering glare of hatred, the irises in her gray eyes shrinking to pricks. The Solar God only stared impassively at her, not in the least intimidated by her glare.

"If you're trying to scare me, you're not doing a very good job of it." He firmly told the girl, whose glare darkened at him, "After all, big brothers aren't supposed to be afraid of their little sisters."

"?!"

Though he knew what he just said was somewhat corny and cliche at best, he had gotten the reaction he wanted. The girl gasped as her eyes widened in shock, her irises growing back to their normal size.

"They're also supposed to take care of their little sisters." Issei continued, utter somberness in his voice.

'Even if they're no longer in the world of the living.' He finished in his thoughts.

The girl's body started to shake, unable to believe what Issei had just said to her. Her eyes seemed to shine with tears that filled to the brim.

Noticing this, Issei reached his hand out and gently placed it on the girl's hair. With an inward sigh, he gently pet her head.

Morisawa watched on in silence, his fear of the girl slowly dwindling. He almost didn't want to believe what was happening in front of him. The girl who had been ready to end his life, was now being pacified by his savior.

He would make sure he'd never forget this moment.

"Onii-chan~" The girl whimpered, "Onii-chan~"

"It's all right." Issei said softly, "I know what happened with you and your sister. And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should have listened to you both."

"..." The girl continued to sniffle and sob as her body shook.

From behind Issei, a bright stream suddenly manifested, and formed into the shape of a small black-haired young girl with two ponytails. She also had two Issei-shaped plush toys held safely in her arms. Morisawa immediately caught sight of her presence but stayed silent.

"Ise-nii~" The second Hyoudou child uttered quietly.

Both Issei and the first Hyoudou child turned to look at their younger sibling. Both of the Hyoudou children began to glow brightly as their bodies levitated towards each other. As soon as they made contact, the inside of Morisawa's apartment was enveloped by an intense light that nearly blinded the aforementioned owner.

Morisawa shielded his eyes and waited for the light to dissipate. When it finally did so, he removed his hand, and his eyes widened in surprise.

The spirits had been replaced by a girl in her mid-teens with black hair and brown eyes. Similar to her components, she appeared to have a petite body.

"T-they joined bodies?"

"..." Issei was silent as he looked at the fused spirit.

The Solar God then looked down to see the two plush toys that shared his appearance on the floor. With an unreadable expression, he picked up the plushies and moved to hand them to the fused spirit.

"Mom and Dad..." Issei paused as he tried to gather his words, "Even though they never said anything, I know they really did love you. And I'm absolutely sure that they miss you, and they could never replace you with anyone else. I could never...no, I would  never  replace you."

The combined form of the Hyoudou children showed a look of surprise as Issei put the plushies in her hand. The spirit then shut her watery eyes and tightened her grip on the plushies, a pink flush adorning her cheeks. With a soft smile, Issei reached forward to pet the top of her head.

"No more tears, all right?" He said gently, "It's all right."

The fused spirit let out a tiny sob as her body started to glow. Both Issei's and Morisawa's eyes widened as bits of her lower body started to disappear.

"What's going on?" Issei asked the him.

"She's being put to rest." Morisawa stated, prompting Issei to look at him in shock, "Well, one of the ways to put a ghost to rest, is to resolve their issues."

'So where is she going?' Issei thought as he looked back to the disappearing spirit.

Heaven? Hell? Death's Domain? There was no telling of where the girl would end up.

"Ise-nii~" The spirit said softly, her eyes filled to the brim with more tears.

Issei quickly went to reassure the spir...no, his little sister. Despite everything that happened tonight, and despite the fact that they were now supernatural creatures, they were still the children of Sachiko and Mitsuru Hyoudou.

And he was their older brother, and he would be damned if he didn't make proof of the title.

"It's gonna be okay." Issei said as he reached to grab his little sister's hand, "Everything's gonna be all right."

"Ise-nii~" Little Sister sobbed with tears in her big brown eyes, "We don't wanna go."

They were only children.

Issei could only watch in dread as the majority of the fused spirit's body started to dissipate. The fact that he had no idea where his little sister was going to end up, made him even more apprehensive. There was a way he could remedy the spirit's well-being. It had worked when he asked the favor of transferring Riser Phenex to Heaven. But would Michael and Gabriel could accept this request as well?

God he hoped so.

Before Issei could think further, he looked to see Little Sister's upper body quickly disintegrating. The erasing effect reached up to their joined hands, leaving Issei holding nothing but air.

Ise-nii~

Onii-chan~

The ambiance of Morisawa's apartment soon became silent, the nothingness pooling around Morisawa and Issei.

Hyoudou Residence - A Day Later

Issei sighed as he stood in front of his parents' door. He didn't know how long he'd been standing there, but to be perfectly honest, he didn't care.

He had dragged out this moment for the longest time; and it wasn't as though he meant to do it. It was under his belief that if he stayed with them...

Enemies would come after them. Foes that dwelt from the supernatural world would come to harm them.

Lord knows that Leiko had already been involved with the dangers of the other world more than once. The thought of his parents being in constant danger from the entities of the supernatural world brought only fury and terror within Issei's heart.

The Solar God clenched his fists at the horrid thought, and then took a deep breath as he composed himself. He forced himself to get back to the matter at hand.

After several painful moments of staring at the door of his first home, Issei lifted his hand up. He hesitantly formed it into a fist and moved it towards the door.

KNOCK KNOCK

He waited.

And waited.

Every second that passed by was agonizing for him. He knew they were home. He also knew that they didn't know he was here in front of the door.

What would he say? What could he say? What would they even say to him? Numerous questions rang through his mind the longer he waited for someone to open the door.

Creeeeeeak...

With Issei distracted by his thoughts, he didn't seem to hear the sound of the door open.

"?!"

"?!"

The two gasps pulled Issei out of his pondering, and he looked up.

Mitsuru and Sachiko Hyoudou stared at their son silently, with pure shock etched on their faces. From behind them, Leiko Hyoudou and her parents shared the same expression.

They were all dressed in formal attire, every single one of them. His mother, Leiko, and Leiko's mother, held flowers in their hands.

The Solar God blinked as he looked at the members of his family.

'Why are they all dressed up?'

Ise-itoko? Ugh, it's almost midnight. I need to be up and ready for tomorrow.

'Is this the event Leiko-san was talking about?'

"Issei?"

At the call of his name, Issei quickly looked up to see his mother approach him. He could tell that she was struggling to compose herself. She offered him a small but warm smile as her eyes became watery.

Issei took a deep breath as he willed himself to stay strong. Unable to watch the emotional state of his mother any further, Issei quickly made his way over to hug her, prompting her and the other members of the Hyoudou family to widen their eyes.

Issei swallowed a lump in his throat as he tightened his hug.

I'm sorry." He uttered with deep melancholy, "I'm so sorry."

He felt his mother flinch from his words, but then she hugged him just as firmly, as her body shuddered against his. Within their embrace, she didn't ask him how or why he knew what had happened. She didn't ask him how he found out.

All that mattered was that Issei was with her and their family.

Third Heaven

A beautiful woman with curly blonde hair looked at the sleeping entities with shock in her eyes.

"Oh my." She said, her voice extremely sweet, "When Issei-kun asked us to let another being ascend to Heaven, I didn't think there'd be two of you."

The Seraph Gabriel tilted her head as she rested her hand on her cheek.

"Onii-chan~"

"Ise-nii~"

The soft tired voices of Hyoudou children brought a warm smile to the Angel's face. She held back a giggle of amusement as she spotted the Issei-like plushies held tightly in their arms. But then her smile lowered into a small frown as she contemplated. She knelt down to gently pet the two of them on their heads.

"While I'm sure Michael will allow the two of you to stay, there's also the matter of who is going to watch over you. After all, you are children. My brother and I will be able to do so from time to time, but we still have our tasks to attend to."

"Might I be of assistance?" A voice called out.

Upon hearing the voice, Gabriel turned around to see a young woman approach her. She had black hair which was tied into a ponytail by a dark-purple ribbon, and gold eyes. She was dressed in a traditional miko attire which had a white haori and a red hakama.

Gabriel blinked in surprise at the woman in front of her. Of all the souls that dwelt in Heaven, she never expected the Shinto priestess to volunteer herself personally.

Shuri Himejima closed her eyes as she offered a smile full of affectionate warmth.

"Would it be all right if I were to become their caretaker?"