Hey everyone! This is my first High School DxD story, so let me know what you think!

"Hello" - Words

'Hello' - Thoughts

Hello - Emphasis

Hello - Abilities/Magic spells

["Hello"] - Heavenly Dragon voice

['Hello'] - Heavenly Dragon thoughts

Feel free to review!

The peaceful drone of the main road was broken as a loud sports car screamed through the evening traffic, weaving between other vehicles with reckless abandon. The loud music blaring from the rebellious car was only drowned out by the deep roar of its engine.

After several minutes, the car slowed to a rumble as it entered a driveway and parked. The house it parked at was also small, but it suited the owner's needs to a T.

The car door opened and out stepped a young man with relatively long but dark brown hair, an athletic build, and a bit of stubble, courtesy of his unwillingness to shave daily. Even as he calmly entered his humble abode, his head bobbed slightly to the music he was just listening to.

Twisting his key in the door and opening it, the man of 25 years of age let out a sigh of relief as he entered.

"Whew, another day down." he mumbled, putting his keys in the basket beside the door and removing his shoes. Walking to the kitchen, he prepared himself a quick dinner since he was starving.

'Can't believe they had me work another holiday. I swear this promotion wasn't all I thought it would be.' he thought to himself, forlornly. He had lived with his parents for his first few years out of college, but when he was offered a promotion in Los Angeles, he jumped at the chance to not only go to one of his favorite cities but to be far away from his family.

He cracked a soft smile as he remembered them. No matter how ready he was to leave them for good, it was always a big step to buy your own house so far away. Throwing the rice and vegetables into the wok along with the chicken, the man poured stir-fry sauce in to complete the dish. It was simple, but he liked simple.

Sitting down at his small table, the brunet slowly let his mind wander. 'Those clients have been getting more irritable every day, and boss-man just shrugs it off like it's nothing. "Clients first" he says, but I'm the one who has to deal with their crap all the time. He's almost never in the office anyway.' he thought, slowly eating his meal.

After a few hours of mindless music and television, the man laid down in his soft bed. It was one of the few things he splurged on, since he had to cut corners to afford this place. No matter how small the building was, the area around LA was anything but cheap.

'Same old same old, I guess. Get up, go to work, suffer at work, come home, eat, become a vegetable for a few hours, and go to sleep. Rinse and repeat.' he thought, letting out a long sigh. 'A whole year of this and I still haven't even made any friends around here. Too busy with work, and too tired afterwards to even think about going out in the city.'

He closed his eyes and rested his arm over them, blocking out the small amount of light that seeped through the cracks in the blinds of his windows from the street lamps. 'Starting to think this is all I'll ever be: a businessman with no girlfriend, no hobbies, and no friends. If it wasn't so depressing it could be funny.' he chuckled slightly regardless, but it wasn't a happy one.

Rolling over to his side, the man tried his best to relax and fall asleep so he could wake up early the next day for work. However, his thoughts kept him awake. Tossing and turning for the next hour or two, he began to grow frustrated.

"Argh, damn it. Not another one of these nights." he grumbled, slowly pushing the covers off of himself before making his way to the kitchen for a glass of water. Although he hadn't been able to sleep, his eyes drooped and his body slouched slightly in exhaustion. He grabbed a glass from the cabinet and began extracting water from the refrigerator, failing to notice the slight flicker of the street lamps outside.

After gulping it down, he put the glass in the sink and began ambling back to his bed before he heard a *pop* that sounded like breaking glass outside. It was noticeably darker outside despite it being late into the night, and the man noticed that the street lamp closest to his house had burned out.

'Another one? This is the fourth one in the past two months. I swear some kid has to be shooting it with a BB gun or something...' he whispered, moving to turn away before another *pop* brought his attention back out the window. Raising an eyebrow, he opened his front door and walked outside only to widen his eyes as all of the street lights suddenly burst. Although the skyscrapers of the big city were normally visible from the lights that are left overnight, even from his suburban home, the only thing he could see was pitch black.

'Did the whole city's power go out at once or something? Maybe those aliens have finally come to get us this time...' he thought, laughing internally as he recalled another 'alien attack' that was really just a random power surge that knocked out a large number of generators. The media said it had something to do with magnetic storms and global warming, but the exact science of it had yet to be publicly proven.

Despite the power outage, nobody else joined him in the dark streets. You could barely see more than ten feet in front of you in the inky black of night, so unless someone came out with a flashlight you probably couldn't see them anyway.

Turning back toward his front door, he grasped the knob only to find that the door was locked. Shaking it a few times just to be sure it wasn't stuck again, the man groaned frustratedly. "Damn it, not this again! I can't do this anymore! I don't even care if I get fired tomorrow, I'm not going in unless I can get some damn sleep!" he muttered to himself audibly.

He let his head gently slam against the front door as he closed his eyes, fighting back the tears that gathered. "I can't...I can't keep going on like this..." he muttered. "Why can't things be fun anymore? Why can't I have friends to help keep me sane? I can't keep doing this alone..."

His thoughts drifted to his mother, who had begged and pleaded for him to reconsider moving so far away. Remembering her own teary smile as he left her at the airport, the tears began to fall and he sobbed against his front door. "Mom...maybe you were right all along...maybe this isn't the right place for me..."

Suddenly, light shined into his eyes from behind his eyelids. Opening his eyes and squinting at the brightness, the man realized that the city's power must have come back on. 'Faster than last time...' he thought, mindlessly. Even though he knew the front door had a key lock, he wiggled it again only to find it giving much less resistance.

Feeling a bit ridiculous for losing his cool over a doorknob, he reentered his home before wandering to his room. As he stood in the doorway, however, he stopped and his eyes widened once again.

Where was once his bed was now a dark hole in the ground. He flicked the lightswitch but the room remained in darkness. Slowly approaching the disturbance, he peered over the edge and what he saw caused his breath to hitch and his chest to tighten.

The pit seemed endless, but at the very end the man could see a bit of light from the other side. A sense of vertigo overcame him and he felt his stomach rise into his chest, forcing an uneasy gulp from him. He recalled a strange article he had read not long ago, and he inched closer to the edge of the breach. His mind screamed at him to back away, but for whatever reason he slid slightly closer until he was close enough where one wrong step would send him hurtling into oblivion.

The French had called it L'Appel du Vide, which stands for the 'call of the void'. Despite the name, studies had shown that it was less of an otherworldly influence and more of a slow response in our brains. Apparently, despite feeling completely safe in knowing that one can back away, our bodies tend to actually want to jump from high places. People with large amounts of anxiety were apparently more prone to actually jumping, however.

Unfortunately, this included himself.

He found himself unable to speak or call for help, and as he inched closer and closer to the pit he realized that no amount of self-control would make a difference. 'Damn, move body! Move away!' he screamed in his mind, imagining a mental version of himself slamming itself against a cage surrounded by fire.

'At this rate, I won't even be alive to think about keeping my stupid job!' he began to sweat, feeling his knees begin to buckle before he knelt down at the edge of the opening. Panting, it felt like he had run a marathon just from the sheer force of will that he needed in order to fight the void.

Although the room was already fairly dark, his hyperventilating caused the darkness to encroach on the man's vision. Black spots appeared where he would normally see, and before he knew it...

He lost consciousness, falling forward into the abyss.

What felt like a short eternity later, the man cracked open his eyes to see nothing but darkness. However, he could tell he was falling as the feeling of rushing wind deafened his senses and made his stomach leap into his throat once more.

Snapping open his eyes, he could only barely make out the walls of the pit he was falling into. Reaching out with his hands, he tried to touch the wall only to realize it was much further from him than he thought. 'This hole must be a lot bigger on the inside, but how the hell am I still falling? And where am I going anyway?' he thought, starting to calm down since it seemed like he would be falling for quite a long time.

He looked below him to see that the hole did end, eventually. He could see some kind of light that was noticeably closer than before, but still remarkably far away. Taking the time to calm himself down a bit, he tried to think. 'There's no way this is normal. A hole just opens up in my room after another of those power surges, I fall in, and suddenly I'm falling for what feels like hours? Yeah, I don't believe it.' he thought, resolutely.

Moments after he had officially decided that this was just some kind of prank with a wind tunnel keeping him floating under his house like those skydiving prep rooms, the light began to get significantly brighter. Squinting his eyes, the brunet shielded his face with his arms even as the wind from his fall threatened to pull them away. A bright flash and a numb feeling later, he opened his eyes before having to shield them with his hand once more.

The bright sun shined down upon his prone form, and as he regained his senses the man realized he was laying on his back in some kind of park. Leaning up, he looked around to see a large number of people staring at him. Some were seniors, out on a daily stroll with their loved ones. Others were parents, tugging on their child's arm to take them far away from him. One thing, he noticed, was similar between everyone around...

...they were all Asian.

Now, being a 25 year old white man, he was no racist, but he was not used to seeing so many foreigners in one place at the same time. Normally in the Los Angeles parks you would see at least one person of white, black, or hispanic descent, but here? Not a single one. Out of the nearly 50 people he could see walking by, every single person had the trademark black hair and spoke a language that he could somewhat easily identify from his years of watching anime.

'Japanese, huh? A little strange to see so many in this area, but more importantly, how the hell did I get here?' he wondered to himself, rubbing his temples to relieve himself of the headache that was forming. 'Wasn't I just falling from some hole in my room?'

"Kon'nichiwa? Daijōbudesu ka?" He turned his head to the side to see an old man looking down at him with a concerned expression and an outstretched hand. Taking the man's assistance and standing up, the brunet smiled.

"Thanks, I'm alright. I'm not sure how I got here though, where am I?" he asked, prompting the man to put his hand on his chin in thought. "English?" the man asked.

"Yes, do you speak enough to help? I'm afraid I don't speak Japanese."

"Only little bit. It has been long time since school. I have not needed to speak English for long time. You are in Kuoh, Japan." the man said, prompting widened eyes and a slackened jaw.

"Japan? But I was just in California!" The outsider exclaimed, earning an uneasy look from his benefactor.

"You come from America? How did you end up here and not know?" he asked, before cracking a smile that was missing a few teeth. "Did you walk through the ocean in your sleep?" he asked, letting out a laugh that was more akin to a wheeze.

"I...don't know." the young man mumbled, tightening his hands into fists. 'I have to figure out what's going on here. Was the hole in my room connected to this somehow?' he thought to himself. Although he didn't speak aloud, his facial expression was one of frustration.

"Calm, child. You will find all the answers eventually. Ah, but it is time for me to leave. The wife will be unhappy if I do not get home in time for afternoon tea. You understand?" he chuckled, and the younger man couldn't help but chuckle along with him despite not really knowing how it felt.

"Yes, but be careful on your walk. And thank you for your help." he wasn't certain what the proper etiquette was in Japan, but he attempted a bow. He was unstable and wasn't sure if his head was low enough to not offend the guy, but at least he was trying.

The man merely let out another wheezy chuckle. "You are a good boy. Polite. Good things will happen for you, I think." he said, before turning and walking the path away.

Waving goodbye, the brown haired man looked around and noticed that everyone in the park had somehow vanished. 'Weird, I only talked with that guy for a few minutes. Where did everyone go?' he thought to himself, feeling self-conscious. Last time he was completely alone, he had fallen into some kind of hole and ended up on the literal other end of the world.

It was still mid-afternoon, but the sun was beginning to slowly set over the horizon. 'May as well look around, I guess. Damn it, Ty, what have you gotten yourself into this time?' the man, now known as Tyson Solomon asked himself.

Dusting himself off, he realized that he was wearing a pair of joggers and a tank top, his usual sleepwear. He blushed at his attire, thinking that it may be improper to be walking around in public like this. 'Need to find me some new clothes too. Man, what the hell is going on here anyway? I can't do anything, I don't even have money!'

Padding his pockets and finding nothing, Tyson's shoulders slumped before he gripped the sides of his head in anguish. "I HAVE NO MONEY!" he yelled, not that anyone was around to hear his outburst.

'How am I supposed to survive with no money!? I can't get food or clothes, and where the hell am I supposed to sleep!?' he thought frantically. Having never been homeless, he was inexperienced on how to survive without some kind of plan.

"Alright think Ty, think. Where could I go to find a quick and easy job?" he wondered to himself out loud, before snapping his fingers. "That's it! There's gotta be a fast food restaurant around here somewhere! They're almost always hiring!" he exclaimed, reinvigorated now that he had something to work with.

However, he had no idea where a restaurant would be or how he would communicate with the owner if they didn't speak English. Filing that concern away for later, Tyson began walking toward what he thought was the center of the...town? City? He wasn't sure. This 'Kuoh' didn't seem massive, but it was far from small.

After several minutes, he arrived at a more densely populated area. The street signs were all obviously written in Japanese, so the only clues he had to go off of were brand logos that he might be familiar with. None of them rang any bells though.

As he was wandering around the streets, people would stare at him as if he was some kind of freak. 'I know I'm a foreigner, but is it really that weird to see an American around here?' he thought as he saw children and adults alike pivot their heads toward him as he walked. It was like he could feel their gazes on him, and it made the hairs on the back of his neck bristle.

His search eventually produced some results, and Tyson smiled as he entered what he thought was a McRonalds. Per the usual, most people looked at him strangely as soon as he entered. 'The fact that I'm already starting to get used to the stares is not only creepy but depressing...' he thought to himself, sweatdropping.

Approaching the front counter and waiting in line patiently, Tyson did his best to ignore the stares and whispers of the people around him. Despite knowing extremely little of the Japanese language, he managed to pick up a few words like 'American', 'man', and what he thought was 'scary'.

Soon enough, it was his turn at the front counter. The cashier, seeing his nationality and his obvious confusion, spoke in the best English she could manage. "Hello, welcome to McRonalds. How can I help you?" she asked.

Letting out a sigh of relief that she spoke his own language and was kind enough to use it, Tyson replied. "Hello, I'm not sure how I got to Japan, but I kinda need a job to pay for food. I don't have any money. Are you guys hiring?"

The young woman, who looked no older than a high school student, furrowed her brow at him. "You don't know how you got to Japan? That makes no sense."

Tyson had the decency to blush and look away. "I know it sounds stupid, but I honestly have no clue. I was in America yesterday and now I'm here." he said, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment both at the situation and for holding up the small line behind him.

The girl sighed. "I'll see if we can do something for you." She looked around him to say something in Japanese to the people behind him. From the way she was pointing at the cashier next to her, Tyson assumed it was something along the lines of 'he will help whoever is next'.

About a minute later, the girl came back with a middle-aged man who also wore the uniform polo shirt, but it was in a different color. "Hello, Sayu-chan here said you were looking for a job?" he asked, reaching out to shake hands with the younger man.

The American shook the man's hand with a firm grip, as he was always taught back in business school. "Yes sir, I somehow ended up in Japan and I have no idea how. I know it sounds strange, but I need to work so I can afford to eat."

The owner crossed his arms. "You don't know how you got here?" he asked, prompting Tyson to shake his head in response.

"You don't have any family here?" Another shake.

"No friends or anything?" Another shake of the head.

The man sighed. "Well I don't know what to tell you. We're overstaffed as it is, so having an extra set of hands around here would really cut into my employees' hours. I'm sorry, but I can't just take in anyone who needs a job." he looked genuinely sorry, so Tyson couldn't hold it against him.

"I understand sir, thank you for at least considering it." he tried bowing again, hoping that it was appropriate. He turned and exited, missing the owner mumbling to the Sayu, "He didn't look homeless..."

By now, it was quickly becoming evening and the sun was beginning to vanish behind the buildings. It was also becoming a bit colder, causing Tyson to shiver and rub his arms. As he continued wandering between different stores, the situation repeated itself. He would go in, get stared at, ask for a job, and get turned down. He tried to keep his spirits up, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so.

It was now nearly night time and the sun had almost completely disappeared. The man was tired, hungry, and beyond confused. And now, on top of all that, he was homeless in a different country where he didn't even speak the native language.

'Just my luck.' he thought, disappointedly. 'The one day I think that LA was a bad choice, I end up in Japan. If I remember right, a person can only go a few days without food or water, so I have some time to survive.' He managed to find himself back in the park after wandering aimlessly. Settling himself down on a bench, he tried his best to keep himself warm in the night but ultimately failed.

Shivering and trying his best not to panic, Tyson began to cry. 'This isn't fair! I don't understand how something like this could happen to me! First it's my job getting crazy, the power surge, getting locked out of my house, then ending up falling through some stupid hole in the ground leading to the Japan!' he grit his teeth in anger as the tears began streaking down his cheeks. He sobbed for several minutes before exhaustion took hold of him and he passed out on the park bench.

Due to his exhaustion, Tyson failed to notice the bright light that enveloped his right hand or the small earthquake that shook the ground.

Elsewhere...

A man rubbed his eyes tiredly before shaking his head to rid himself of his sleepiness. His black hair and golden bangs shook before finding their resting place in his usual unkempt style.

'I really have to stop pulling all-nighters or Shemhazai will yell at me for forgetting my paperwork again. Oh well, I'll just dump it on him as usual.' the man thought to himself before looking down at the data on his desk. Papers of multiple sizes and of varying topics were scattered on the desk along with a golden gauntlet with a purple gem embedded in the back of the hand.

'I think I've almost got this perfected though. I have to be close! I can almost taste it! I'll be the first one to create a sacred gear since God himself!' his excitement seemed to shake the man from his stupor, waking him up further. Looking over, he noticed a sticky note attached to one of his reports.

"Huh, 'Azazel, don't forget to put the chemicals back when you're done this time - Shemhazai'." the man now known as Azazel read aloud before crumpling the note and lazily tossing it into the trash behind him. Despite not looking or aiming his throw, it landed cleanly in the bin.

"He's right though, I may as well clean up. It's already," he looked over the clock on his desk, "2am? Man, time flies when you do what you love eh?" he said to himself. As he began putting his materials away into the appropriate locations, the ground suddenly shook.

Azazel halted his movements and looked around for a moment. 'Weird, an earthquake? But we're in Grigori right now. This is a completely separate space, we don't have earthquakes.' he thought before his eyes narrowed. 'Something is wrong.' he concluded.

Moments later a light caught his attention in the corner of his vision. It was on one of his desks that held sacred gears: ancient relics of varying magical abilities and strength granted by the biblical God to humanity to compete with the Supernatural races such as Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels.

Rushing over to the desk, Azazel's eyes widened. "The Blaze Black Flare? So one of Vritra's hosts has awakened..." he mumbled to himself, hand on his chin in thought. 'But that doesn't explain the earthquake. Just what is going on here?' he finished in his head.

The light began to reach unbearable amounts of brightness, and even the Fallen Angel Azazel needed to shield his eyes with his arm. The light suddenly vanished along with the sacred gear, leaving the man to ponder the situation in relative darkness. He did prefer to work in low-light, after all.

Walking over to his desk, the man took a new sheet of paper out along with a pen before writing a note.

"August 17th,2013. Blaze Black Flare. Earthquake. Possible connection. Investigate immediately."