Disclaimer: I do not own Breath of Fire or Highschool DxD. This crossover is AU.

Chapter 2 - Reunion

"Wake up my son, for we have much to do."

Ryu shook his head; still groggy and thinking that he was dreaming. He could hear the voice of his mother, but that was impossible! She was dead, like every other single person precious to him. He couldn't save anyone, not his father, not his sister, not his companions! He was a failure, a blot on the honor of the brood. He could not bring himself to face his mother, even if it was only in dream.

"You're not a failure my son, and I'm proud that I am the one that bore you in my womb".

That woke him. In his head, he was tormented by his failure. That reflected in the dreams that plagued him in his sleep, where his family and friends were cursing him for his weakness.

Scarcely believing it, he opened his eyes, where he was met with the visage of his mother Valerie peering down at him, whose angelic smile drove away the fears and doubts in his heart.

"Mother?" Ryu whispered, tears forming in his eyes. He tried to move, only to find himself lying on a cold marble floor. Still weak from his dragongod-knows-how-long hibernation, he tried to get up, only to stumble, his legs failing him.

Valerie stood back a little, and did not offer any aid to her son. She knew that his mind was still fragile from his ordeal. This was important to her son, even if it was as shallow as getting up on your own.

She knew that when dragons entered hibernation, the passing of time meant little to nothing. A dragon could sleep for thousands of years and wake up, thinking it was the same day. After all, she recalled, she did that to herself to.

Although Ryu knew that he had entered sleep, he did not know how long he slept. As such, to him it felt like it was just moments ago that his friends died.

After trying and failing to get up on his own, the result was that he ended up on all fours. Breathing hard, he looked around to find something to lean on. As he craned his head, he took a better look at where they were.

They were in the middle of what looked to be a temple dedicated to the Dragon God Ladon, since there was a gigantic statue of the dragon at the far end. The floor was made up of iridescent marble, with beautiful statues of dragons here and there. When he looked up, he saw the domed ceiling, with the center being made out of glass. The light that came through made the floor glitter, so as it seemed that he was standing on a colorful glittering sea.

As he gazed at it, he noticed his sword just beside him, beaten and chipped from the fight from the fight with Deathevan. Reaching out and grasping the hilt, it looked and felt the same as it did the day he discarded it and changed into his dragon form. Unfortunately, his favorite shield had shattered to pieces during the final battle.

He stood up slowly, heavily leaning on his sword, and he raised his head to gaze at who he knew to be his mother.

Valerie smiled that angelic smile once more, and looked at him fondly.

Ryu gazed at her longingly; hope blossoming in his heart, wishing nothing more than for her to be real, for the comfort of his mother, but doubt was mixed in his gaze. For even though his heart acknowledged the truth, his brain could not accept what he was witnessing.

So Valerie did the only thing that could make him believe.

She embraced her son.

At first, Ryu was shocked; shocked that it could be real, disbelief that her mother was really here. He tentatively tried to touch, and when he grasped her, to find that she was not a figment of his imagination, the reality of it came crashing down.

Ryu cried.

He sobbed, he wailed, he wept. He let out all of his bottled up feelings of despair. He clung to his mother like she was his buoy in the raging ocean. And Valerie just embraced him silently, just accepting all the feelings that her son was letting out wash over her. She comforted him, made soothing noises, and her hand rubbed circles on his back, all the things that she used to do when he was a child.

Ryu cried louder. Memories of the many events in his life that laid him low resurfacing. His failure to save his father, his failure to protect his precious friends, and most of all, he had failed to protect his sister. He had given an oath, and he broke it. He could not keep it. He had been too weak.

For years he had searched for her, until he finally accepted that he would never find her, and settled down to be a ranger. But his sister's loss had taken away something. Although he was a stoic person even before, he had never been thoroughly silent. That was who his companions had met. A half-dead person lost in despair.

But they had shone a light on his bleak life, with their jokes and affection he had gradually recovered. And then he lost them.

He wept for what could have been if they had prevailed, sons and daughters that could have been fathered, reminiscing about the adventures that they had, his dream of playing with a little girl with grey wings, while his wife stood at the side amused. Ryu wept, wept for the future that they would now never know.

As Ryu cried, Valerie began to hum. It was an old tune. Something that she used to comfort him and sister when they were little, and was a also a very effective soothing sound.

[Play Memories, Breath of Fire II]

*Flashback

Little Yua came running into the legs of her mother, crying loudly and shouting she didn't mean to do it. Valerie put her arms around her son and embraced her for a moment, before holding her at arm's length. "What's wrong darling?"

Yua just continued crying. Valerie then started to hum her favorite tune that her own mother used to sing for her. As she continued humming, Yua finally subsided and was comforted enough that she could speak clearly. Well, to a certain degree that is.

"Momma, momma, big bwuther Ryu and Yua was pwaying tag, but, but he fell! Yua didn't mean to! Yua didn't!" sobbed Yua. Tears formed in her adorable eyes, which threatened to spill over again.

Shh, shh, mother knows you didn't mean to hurt your brother. Now where is he?

"Yua! Yua! Mom! Did you see—Yua!" Ryu exclaimed as he came running into the house. He grabbed Yua, not noticing she was trying to run away, and embraced her, holding her tightly before looking at her puffy eyes. "Why are you crying Yua? Are you hurt? Who hurt you? asked Ryu worriedly.

Yua, frozen in the arms of her brother, shook her head and tears finally spilled over. She put her arms around her brother's neck and hugged him tightly. "Yua sorry big bwuther! Yua hurt you!" she cried.

"You hurt me?" Ryu repeated, a little confused. "Ah! This little thing?" Pointing at a gash on his knee. Yua nodded, her lower lip trembling.

"This is nothing Yua! Nothing can hurt your big brother!" he declared. "I have to be strong like this, so I can protect you!"

"Really big bwuther? You protect Yua? You no hurt?" Yua asked, tears all gone as she looked at her big brother with adoring eyes.

"Of course Yua! I promise that you can always count on me! And I never break my promises!" finished Ryu in a loud voice.

"Yey big bruther!" shouted Yua with delight as she tightened her hold around his neck.

"Ack! Yua! Can't—urk! Breath!"

"Bestest bwuther ever!"

Valerie laughed as she moved to prevent Yua from choking her brother to death. Humming the tune all the while.

*Flashback End

Finally, Ryu subsided. "Just like his sister Yua did long ago". thought Valerie fondly. She held him at arm's length and peered at his eyes thoughtfully, taking in the red-rimmed, empty, despairing eyes, and the slumped shoulders that seemed to carry the weight of the world. Which in some ways, he did, she mused. Thinking about what she was about to do and the consequences that came with it.

She looked at her son again, only to find his head bowed down, the very picture of utter defeat. Her son. She teared up. Through the glimmer of her tears, she saw him as he was back then, a brave little boy. Her little dragon. She made up her mind.

"I can give you another chance Ryu."

Author's note:

Thunder Dragon: Hey man, thanks for the review! It really means a lot that my first reviewer was someone with some positive feedback and even had some ideas about the story! I've gotta say though that I didn't initially plan on giving Ryu a harem, but it's true that it just wouldn't be Highschool DxD without oppai and a harem. LOL. I'm definitely going to add Nina, Katt, Rossweise and Tiamat, but I'm still thinking about Kuroka.

I don't really care much about the reviews, I just wanted to write for fun.

I don't update because I haven't finished reading DxD yet and haven't watched the anime so I'm a little hesitant on updating since I might just write something contrary to the personality of the character.

Right, so in this chapter I wanted Ryu to be a little more vulnerable and emotional, because we all know that Ryu was just not that talkative. Here I gave a reason for that and hopefully it doesn't come off as too sappy or cheesy.