Disclaimer - I don't own Naruto or Highschool DxD.

--XxXxx--

(5 year - Time Skip)

"Naruto, put that thing aside and come here" Minami called out her son who was currently repairing the ragged and worn out corner of the room. It always amazes Minami how quickly Naruto had matured after that night. He now help her in every day to day task and even trains with other children of their neighborhood.

As soon as he heard his mother's call, Naruto stopped whatever he was doing. "Coming, Kaa-chan!" he exclaimed as he climbed off the ladder. Reaching near his mother, Naruto quickly sat beside her and smiled. "What do you want, Kaa-chan? I was working on the damaged part of the room, you know" he said with an adorable pout on his face.

"Aww... Did my Naruto-chan doesn't want to spend time with his mother anymore?" Minami asked, conceiving a fake hurtful expression on her face.

"What?!! No!! I really want to spend a lot of time with you, Kaa-chan, but can't because we need money, you know" he grumbled, hiding his frown from his mother.

A crestfallen look engulfed the face of Minami. "I'm sorry Naruto, I'm really sorry. It's because of me that-" she tried to apologize but was cut off when Naruto placed his hand over her mouth.

"You don't have to apologize for anything, Kaa-chan. It's a son's duty to look after his mother, you know" he remarked with a sheepish look on his face.

A wave of nostalgia swept over Minami. "Ohh my Naruto. You have really grown up" she murmured, holding back the tears which were on the verge of escaping her eyes.

Naruto regarded his mother with a kind smile and hugged her. "Nah... I'm still your little Naruto-chan!!" he whispered, tightening the hug in order to relish in the warmth that his mother was emanating.

The mother and son stayed like that for a few minutes before Minami abruptly kissed Naruto on the forehead. "I'm very lucky to have you as my son, Naruto" she stated, making Naruto blush in embarrassment.

Naruto was about to say something but was cut off by a harsh knock on the door. Sighing to himself, he made his way to the door and unlocked it.

As soon as the wooden door opened, it revealed an obese man standing on the other side with a scowl on his face. "You are Naruto, I guess" the guard regarded the blonde boy for a moment before turning his head towards Minami. "You need to teach your son some manners, Minami!! He recently had a fight with a child of a noble. He and his gang had beat up that poor child for no good reason. Teach him to be in his limits!" the man growled, trying his best to keep his anger in check. He did not want to hurt a child so small.

Minami frowned. "Naruto! Is this true?" she growled, not looking happy with the news she was hearing.

Fidgeting under the gaze of his mother, Naruto looked away from her so that she can't see his face. "Yea-yeah, Kaa-chan. That boy said some very bad things about you and I couldn't tolerate it" he mumbled, head down in shame. He should have kept his anger in check. Now his mother was being scolded because of him.

Minami sighed in exasperation. "I'm not asking about that!! I'm asking is that true you took a group of children with you?" she inquired, this time in a more fierce manner.

That caught Naruto by surprise, not knowing how to respond to that query, he only nodded her head in confirmation. "Yes" he said, still not lifting his head.

Hauling her hand in the air, Minami bonked the head of Naruto harshly. "Idiot!!" she yelled, startling the occupants of the room with her outburst. "Next time... go alone!" she stated with a stern look on her face, a look that left no room for further argument.

"Wha-What?!" Naruto asked, not sure if he heard it right. No way his mother would tell him to go alone.

"I said, go alone next time" Minami exclaimed as she slowly stood up from her seat. Glancing at the stunned guard, Minami scowled. "I'm sorry Soka-san, I can't teach Naruto about his limits" she apologized while handing a bow in respect to the obese man.

Caught off guard by the proclamation of Minami, the obese man was too stunned to say anything or argue with the lady. "W-why?" he still managed to ask somehow.

A proud smile covered the features of Minami as she remembered the time when Naruto had shown her his powers. "Because a storm has no limits, Soka-san" she responded, shocking the guard yet again by her proclamation. "My son is a storm and he will not stop until he drowns this tainted world of riches with his powers"

Soka remained silent for a while. He has never seen a mother like her. The amount of trust she has on her son was just amazing, and it intrigued him to no end. Smiling to himself, he again glanced at Minami. "How can you say that he is a storm? He does not look that powerful to me" the guard asked and instantly regretted his decision when Minami sent a chilling glare towards him.

Positioning herself beside her son, Minami smirked. "Try to sense my son's power for a minute, you will know the answer" she answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

Soka decided to follow Minami's advice and opened his senses to check out the power inside the boy.

~Whoosh!~.

It was nothing like Soka had expected. He had heard rumors about the boy not being a perfect Youkai, but what he was seeing currently, could put any Youkai's power to shame. The power inside the boy was inconceivable. It was an endless ocean of strange purple energy which was raging inside the boy like an untamed ice storm.

"Amazing..." Soka trailed off, no doubt stunned by the amount of energy that was surging inside the boy.

"This is what I sensed when I held him in my arms for the first time, Soka-san!. My child is a very special person. His powers has no match" she exclaimed in a tone teemed with pride. "Do you have any more questions, Soka-san?" Minami asked, bringing back the obese man out from his stupor.

Soka didn't uttered a thing in answer, he was too much in shock by the recent events. Soon, without saying anything, he left the house with a visible smirk on his face.

Naruto who was watching the interaction quietly, let out a sigh. "You don't have to be so dramatic every time, Kaa-chan!" he exclaimed, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Turning towards her son, Minami poked him lightly on the head. "I know Naruto, but some people don't understand things in simple language" she explained sagely.

Naruto nodded his head and smiled. "I see, well I'm going to start working on that wall again otherwise, Suki-san will get angry" Not wasting any time, he jolted off to the place where he is was working earlier.

Minami frowned as she stared at her son's retreating figure. His worn out clothes, his slender and malnourished body and his pale face only made her realize just how much pain her baby boy is going through for her. He is suffering internally and yet he never show it on the outside. "Naruto..."she whispered as she remembered the days when Naruto used to beg in front of the higher level Youkais of Kyoto in order to get some food for her. He had endured so much for her but all she can give him in return is more burden and pain.

"I'm sorry, Naruto" eyes closed, she murmured to herself.

"Umm... Kaa-chan, why are you crying?" Naruto asked from his place while startling his mother in the process.

Wiping off the tears from her eyes, Minami looked away from her son. "It's nothing, Naruto" she answered in a feeble tone.

Naruto stared at her for a moment before shrugging. "Ok"

"Umm... Naruto, did you ate something in breakfast?" she asked, and instantly had to hold back a sob when she saw Naruto put up a fake smile on his face.

"Of course, Kaa-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, hiding his hunger and emotions skillfully. He can not look weak in front of his mother. She was the only one who trusted him that much and he will die before he breaks her trust.

Mustering a fake smile of her own, Minami whispered.

"Oh"

--xxXxx--

She walked down the rain filled streets, watching for any sign of peril in the ominous shadow of the night. She was hoping desperately for no one to notice her as she made her way to that area of the town. "It aches so much," the raven haired girl told herself, head down in shame. "Never thought hunger could feel like this." she whispered, rubbing the aching belly with her hands.

She could now barely walk with the little energy she owned in her malnourished body, but still somehow she didn't stopped her stride. Her beautiful yet lifeless eyes looked around, sensing if there was any danger lurking behind her. There wasn't of course, but the girl couldn't stop but feel uneasy and unsafe as her mind keep playing with her heart, flashing those memories of her loved one's death.

She finally reached her destination, body shivering as the cold water of the sky oozed through her dirty clothes. Unable to see anything, her soft hands reached the wet raven bangs and pulled them away from her eyes. "It smells bad... Really bad" she whispered as the smell of rotten food reached her nose and tingled her heart in a very bad way. She really didn't want to eat this, but what other options she had. Beggars can't be choosers, right?

She slowly walked up to the small container while cautiously evading the wire that was guarding the metal bin. She didn't desire to get her skin kissed by the unforgiving edges of the wire, because if it did...

Then there was no one, absolutely no one who will heal her injury. After all, she's the infamous Akeno of The great Himejima clan.

Akeno Himejima was friendless. She has been that way since her mother died in an attempt to protect her from their own blood, her uncle. Now she was left all alone in this greedy world, the family, the clan she had grown to love simply hated her. All because of a certain man, no, not a man... An angel.

Akeno, no matter in which part of the town she traveled, never felt safe, never felt secure, and never felt loved.

Love.

A four letter word, a single syllable, but meant so much. It contained feelings that were far forgotten by her—but how she wished to feel them again, to recognize them again, to sweep up the emotion that was Love... Again.

Smiling sadly to herself, she poked her forehead. "Love huh? The thing I really need right now is food," she whispered. "Love can wait for a while" she added in a lamentable tone. Pinching her nose close, she climbed up into the metal bin and started searching for something edible.

As if to test her, the winds abruptly picked up the pace. Noticing the sudden change in the flow of wind, Akeno wrapped her small arms around her body, a futile attempt to save herself from the fury of mother nature. "So cold," she whispered with the chattering of teeth. "I shouldn't have come out in the Night" But deep within her broken heart, Akeno knew, if she wanted to remain out of her uncle's grasp, she had to keep hiding in the embrace of shadows.

Sitting in silence, her eyes absently noticed the dirt that had accumulated on her shorts because of the rain. Placing her fingers on the dirty area, she tried to wipe out the mud as best as she could. If someone saw it then they would know that she's all alone and then they will hand her a look that she hates the most. The look of pity. She hates that look with passion, because it makes her realize the bitter truth of the world.

"People will always sympathize with me from far away, but they will never try to help me" she intoned.

The second thing that she dislikes the most are the children. She hates them to no end. The anger she feels for each and every one of them has no bounds whatsoever. Just the fact that they exist, make her realize what she didn't have.

Mother.

A beautiful mother, who was stolen away from her by her own family. Her mother was her only friend, she was her everything. "It's not fair," she muttered while standing up so that she could travel back to her temporary house. "Shouldn't I also have a Mother? Why Kaa-chan had to die so early?" she complained, looking at the dark sky with eyes full of tears and anguish.

She finally came to her destination. In the recession of the Kyoto city, stood an old and ragged cottage. This is her temporary house. She has to change the town after a while so that her uncle can't find her.

The cottage itself wasn't that large. It had a little bathroom and a bedroom in which Akeno could sleep without having to curl her hands and feet.

"One day, I'll buy a large house and will have a very big family." she whispered, eyes staring at the house with a far away look within them.

"Kaa-chan, who's that girl?" a gentle voice asked, halting Akeno from entering the cottage. She walked closer to the sound and saw a raven-haired woman with fox ears carrying an umbrella, with a boy who looked same as the woman, sticking out beside her.

'Youkai' Akeno thought with a tilt of her head.

"Naruto please be silent for a while." the woman requested her son. The dark haired boy stopped his babbling and nodded his head.

Forgetting the aching of her stomach, Akeno walked up to the mother and son, and glanced at the woman timidly.

The woman looked up at her and smiled in response. "What's your name, dear?" Minami asked her hesitantly, trying to hide her uneasiness from the child. She already knew who she is, after all, who in this town didn't know about the homeless and poor Akeno.

Minami had witnessed how those so called rich and kind people usually stay away from her because of her fallen heritage. Heck, even she herself is a bit afraid of the girl, but a part of her couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor girl. She had endured a fate even worse than the death itself. Minami sometimes feels angry at the people for ignoring the existence of this girl, but of them all, she loathed herself the most. After all, she also never stepped up to help the girl. She had seen Akeno suffer from far distance but could never accumulate the guts to help her, maybe because of the fact that those higher ups hate her.

Noticing that the lady was lost in her thoughts, Akeno poked her hand in order to grab her attention. "Akeno Himejima" she said with an impassive face. She then saw the uneasiness in the eyes of the woman and realized that she had recognized her. Knowing that there was nothing she could do now, Akeno descended her eyes at the ground and lazily turned around on her heels and took off back to her cottage.

Minami's gaze never left the petite form of Akeno. The girl was wearing clothes one would encounter in a trash heap. Her hair was messy and her face was reeking an aura of death and an inconceivable amount of sadness. She then abruptly looked in front of the girl and frowned when her eyes registered the existence of what looked like an old and ragged cottage. "Is that your home?" she asked the girl gently, raising her voice a bit so she could hear her through the rain.

Hearing the query, Akeno turned around when she got to her small cottage and nodded her head in shame.

Naruto who was watching the interaction silently, frowned at the face this girl made. He did not like it.

"Oii!! Why are you sad? This isn't that bad. I also like live in a house similar to this," he exclaimed, startling the girl with his response.

"Huh?" was the word that escaped the mouth of an astonished Akeno.

Naruto sighed. Leaving the protection of the umbrella, he slowly made his way to the girl. When he finally reached his destination, he abruptly grasped the hand of Akeno. "I said you don't have to feel sad, you know. I can understand your family's situation" he said, smiling slightly to ease the tension of the girl.

Akeno tensed and turned her head away from the kind boy. "I don't have a family" she whispered while holding back a sniffle that dared to escape her mouth.

Now it was Naruto's turn to get surprised. "What?!! You don't have a family?!" he asked with a stupefied face and at the confirming nod of the girl, adorned an expression full of admiration. "Sugoi!! That means you have lived all by yourself till now!" he exclaimed with wide eyes. This girl is so much similar to him.

At the compliment, a tinge red swashed with the cheeks of Akeno. "Umm.. Yes" she murmured, not knowing what she should say in response.

"Well what did you do to earn money then, I can't do anything except for repair and part time at shops" with an adorable pout, Naruto grumbled. He wants to help his mother as much as he can and to do so he has to find a high paying job fast.

For the first time after so many months, Akeno smiled. "I purify evil sprites with my magic" she answered and had to balance herself when Naruto abruptly shook her in surprise.

"Really, You know magic?" he asked, still not believing the words of the girl.

Not knowing how to respond, Akeno just nodded her head in confirmation.

Placing a finger on his chin, Naruto started thinking about something. A plan to be precise. A plan which can be proven to be fruitful for both, him and this girl. Making his decision, he finally grinned at the confused girl. "Well you said you don't have any family right? Then how about you join us!! I and my mother won't mind you living with us" he said with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

Akeno was yet again stunned by the kindness of the boy. This boy was really something else. First he didn't mind her presence like others do and now he's even proposing her to live with him and his mother. Rubbing the eyes with the back of her arm, she smiled sadly at the boy. "I don't think your mother will like me living with you both" she whispered, the sad smile on her face doing little to nothing in hiding her pain.

Immediately realizing what the girl meant, Naruto turned over to his mother and smiled. "Oii, Kaa-chan!! Can Akeno-chan here live with us?" he asked, shocking his mother with his request.

Minami for a while just stared into space, eyes glazed over and a pondering look fixed on her rather beautiful face. Will taking this girl under her care be right? What will others think about it? They for sure will start hating them more. She can't take this risk. Sighing sadly, she glanced at the girl which almost recoiled in fear as her gaze landed on her. Clenching her fists, Minami let out a breath. "Fine, Akeno can join us" she stated with a smile. People be damned, she can't leave this girl alone here anymore.

Akeno froze. Her mind stopped working. Did she really hear that right? Did that lady really accept her, the infamous Akeno Himejima into her family. Her body started quivering, as a fit of sniffle escaped her lips. Soon she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she was greeted by a smile brighter than the sun and beautiful than the moon. "Thank you~" she let her words hang in air as her mind registered the fact that she didn't even know the name of her Savior.

"Naruto... It's Naruto" As if he knew what Akeno was thinking, Naruto introduced himself with a gentle wave of his hand.

A smile deluged the face of the Himejima. "Naruto... I like it" she whispered, an unknown emotion lingering on her face.

--xxXxx--

A.N — Akeno... I like it!