Hello once again!
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to all who took the time to read and reviewed this story! I'm happy that my story was received well.
Now to answer some of the reviews:
Ranma Uzumaki - The answer is yes for both questions. I feel that being a pervert is an integral part of Ise's personality so I didn't want to take that out. It will be toned down though due the events that he will undergo.
Oni X-Wolf - Unfortunately, the harem will exist though the story will focus on Ise and Ophis. It's a bit difficult for me to imagine the interactions of the girls in the ORC, especially Rias and Asia, if they weren't head over heels for Ise.
For all who are wondering exactly what Great Red and Ophis had done, it will be explained in next few chapters. If you are curious then please continue to read the story :). Hopefully, i will be able to provide an answer that most would not expect.
To those who are able to notice any mistakes thank you, I will make sure to correct them.
With regards to this chapter:
I had put a lot of thought into writing this one. My goal for this was to show how Ophis' character. Each side, Ophis' point of view, Ise's point of view, and {Nostalgia} is supposed to allow everyone to see Ophis' character in different angles
The first part {Nostalgia} is a story from the past, in their original world. These segment are related to the actual story. I will occasionally add this segments every now and then.
The last part {Halycon Days} is an omake segment I had written that is also set in the original world, this one was just for fun.
As a side note, I will update this story every 1 to 2 weeks.
Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD or any of its wonderful characters
Now on with the story!
==The Dream of the Infinite=============================================================
=={Nostalgia}==
"Ise" She called to the name of the boy who seemed to be taking a nap on the rocking chair inside the break room. The chair was mistakenly delivered to their home one day and everyone simply decided to keep it. The whole house (mansion) was quiet due to the fact that everyone seemed to be doing their own business. It was a Sunday and Ise only had only some devil work to do today but had finished early so he went back and took a nap while waiting for the others to come home.
Looking around the room Ophis saw the books lined up in the shelf that she saw the others liked to read. The books there seemed to have a lot of pictures instead of words; she recalled that Ise called it "manga". She picked one randomly and went to Ise who was still asleep. When she got to Ise she carefully went up to him and sat on his lap, making sure not to wake him up; she was told that it was rude to interrupt another person's rest.
Sitting on Ise's lap was something she did anytime they were alone together. She had always been curious as to why Toujou Koneko and Ravel Phenex seem argue over sitting on Ise's lap so she decided to take the chance to try it when Ise was alone. She had to wait for quite some time for that opportunity to come since everyone seemed to want to make sure that Ise was accompanied by at least one member of the group at all times. It was actually very rare for Ise to be alone.
Once she had been able to sit on his lap she was able to somewhat understand why the others had fought over the right to sit on it. Such a simple act had put her to ease and had given her a sense of comfort, something that the silence of the dimensional gap had once provided her with. The first time she had tried to sit on his lap had been somewhat difficult because of the dress she wore so she made sure to wear the pyjamas that was brought for her when she did it. It was the reason why she tended to always wear said pyjamas when she was at home.
She opened the manga she picked out from the shelf. She scrutinized each page, making sure to take in every detail such as facial expressions, body language, and use of words. She had much to learn about these kinds of things. It was all for the sake of understanding Ise better.
'A smile is complicated… It seems to generally express happiness and joy yet this character seems to smile despite experiencing pain from severe injuries… does a smile hold other meanings?' She took note of a particular character who was heavily injured but was still smiling.
'This one is… crying. One cries when they are in pain or have lost something of importance… yet she seemed to have accomplished her goal… why does she cry?' She turned the pages and continued to read the story trying to identify and relate to the emotions displayed by the characters.
"Hmmmm… Ophis?" Ise had woken up from his nap and started to stretch his body a bit. Ophis on the other hand had adjusted her body so that she was sitting sideways in his lap.
"Ise… why is this person crying?" She went back to that particular page and lifted up the manga she was reading so Ise could see it.
"She had succeeded yet she is crying, is she unsatisfied?" She looks towards Ise hoping to get an answer. The more she observed others the more she realized how complicated they were.
"Ah… well she's crying because she's happy" Ise replied after rubbing his eyes and having a quick look. He had already read that manga before.
"She is crying… due to happiness?" Ophis tilts her head in confusion closing her eyes to ponder Ise's answer. If one were to concentrate on her face, they would be able to see the dragon god pouting.
Yes, the infinite dragon, the dragon god, the former second-strongest existence in the world was currently pouting.
"Ah…" Ise was now fully awake due to the surprise he experienced from seeing Ophis change expressions. Though she had spent a lot of time with them and was more willing to converse and express herself in words she still kept up that blank face of hers. Changes of expression from her were very rare and now for the first time in his life he really, really wanted a camera right.
If Ise were to be frank, Ophis looked extremely cute right now. Cute enough to get a lot of weak willed people imprisoned on charges of child abduction.
"Ise, why would happiness make you cry?" Ophis had changed her expression back to her normal blank one much to Ise's disappointment.
"Well… sometimes when you become really happy, you get so overwhelmed that you cry." He replied, not really able to properly explain it. It was one of those things you just understood so putting it into words was difficult.
"Ummm… for example… ahh… right! If Rias and everyone were to wear a naked apron I would be so happy I would cry! Hehehe…. Rias in a naked apron… Akeno-san in a naked apron…. Asia-chan… "
Ise's thoughts had quickly devolved into fantasy mode, Harem King Times: Naked Apron Edition. Ophis, noticing the perverted expression on his face had decided to try and understand things herself.
'Tears brought on by happiness… I wonder if I will be able to experience it…'
Afterwards, when Ise had snapped out of his perverted delusions, he continued to help Ophis, who never left his lap, with trying to understand emotions. Ophis would ask a question and he would try his best to answer. A certain former governor of fallen angels would later come to see Ise in the rocking chair sleeping with Ophis in his arms. He had promptly and silently took pictures with a camera.
==The Dream of the Infinite=============================================================
=={Kuoh Park}==
=={Ophis' side}==
It was a fond memory of hers. During the times when they were alone she would always take the opportunity to sit on his lap. She had once entertained the idea of asserting dominance over that particular privilege however she did not want to infringe upon Toujou Koneko's rights to it. It was widely known that Ise's lap was independent territory that had been claimed by the nekomata and one must observe proper etiquette when obtaining the right to sit on it. Such etiquette required asking for permission (read: begging) and offering gifts (read: bribing with A LOT of food) for her to temporarily rescind her position to another.
She looked towards the boy whose name she had called. It was indeed Issei Hyoudou albeit a younger version of him. He looked smaller and less perverted than the Ise in her memories though she knew that was because he was younger.
'Had my presence already drawn a significant change?' She thought to herself. Meeting the boy at this point of time would surely create significant changes and such changes would continue. A part of her worried if this world was capable of withstanding the changes they had made, their original world may have also been affected, but she shook off such worries.
'What Great Red and I had had done would ensure that at the very least our original world would be left untouched and unchanged.' The two ultimate existences had made sure that the fulfilment of her dream would not create unwanted side-effects to their original home; paradoxes and such where far too troublesome to handle. She was however, unsure of how the current world they were in was fairing.
'He is here, I am here with him. Our time together can still be continued. That is what matters.'
She closed her eyes and breathed in and out to calm herself and her worries. If one who knew her in the past where to be privy to her thoughts, they would most likely remark that the current Ophis was a far cry from the emotionless being she once was.
"W-What's wrong?! A-are you okay?!" Her eyes open at the panic voice of the boy. She could feel his hands grasping her shoulders. His face had gotten close to hers and she noticed it was filled with worry.
"You're crying! Are you okay?" The boy was not able to understand what could possibly make the girl in front of him cry. To a six year old boy, someone only cries when they were hurt.
She brought up her hand and touched her face and wiped the tears on her face, realising that she was indeed crying. She had not noticed that she had shed tears. She knew that the boy's worries were not unfounded, tears, after all, usually signified that a person was experiencing some form of pain though right now she was neither in any pain nor was she grieving. She was reminded once again of what Ise had told her before.
'Then these tears… are these… tears of happiness?' She mused to herself whilst closing her eyes. Ise had once told her that there were times when one would shed tears when they were truly happy. She had never understood why someone would cry when they were happy but she was experiencing it herself.
'Yes… right now, I am… very happy' She nods to herself after confirming what she was feeling. It was a new experience for her and despite the time she has spent with Ise and the others she was still learning about her the ins and outs emotions.
"I am fine" She opens her eyes after wiping the remaining tears on her face giving Ise a small smile. She had placed her gaze back onto the boy who seemed to be doubtful of her words. Seeing as her words didn't seem to placate the boy, she opted for a different approach.
"E-Eh…?" Ise had blurted out as Ophis had suddenly hugged him while awkwardly patting his head. Ise had gone a bit stiff due to her actions.
"I am fine. There is no need to worry." She asserted once again. From her observation, things like hugs, head pats, lap pillows and sitting on laps were both gestures of affection and a means to provide comfort and ease. Such things were common in the Gremory group. She herself had experienced the security provided by sitting on Ise's lap many times before. Both her hug and head pat were slightly awkward though, it was her first time doing it as it was usually done to her instead.
'Ise seems to still be ill at ease. Should I have him sit on my lap?' Nodding once again she had separated herself from Ise and sat on one of the benches. She then proceeds to stare at the boy while she patted her lap once to show she was ready for him to sit on it.
"A-ano… what are you doing?" Ise had scrunched up his forehead in confusion. Her actions seemed to have only made the boy more uneasy.
'Does he not want to sit on my lap or… was my invitation unheeded?' She continued to stare at Ise waiting for him to sit on her lap. She had observed in the past that simple act of sitting down was a signal to another that they were free to sit on their lap. Toujo Koneko had always taken the opportunity to sit on Ise's lap the moment he had taken a seat.
'It may be due to my size…' They were currently of roughly the same height though she recalled that height should not have been an issue. The older female members also took the liberty of sitting on his lap during the absence of the younger ones.
'I may change my form however… It is… impossible in my current state…' She once again closed her eyes, contemplating on how to ease Ise of his worries. He current self was able to use power but was incapable of changing form. Another approach should be taken.
'If I am incapable of bringing comfort then maybe I must try to bring him happiness' Setting herself in a course of action she begun to think of possible ways of making Ise happy. She had no need to think too hard on this matter since there was something that would easily make Ise happy.
'Yes… There is something that would surely make Ise happy'
=={Ise's side}==
Ise on the other hand was completely quiet, trying his hardest to understand what the girl had been doing ever since they had met. He lowered his head to think.
'She was crying… but she said it was fine… now she's all quiet, she's a bit weird. Maybe I can ask her about my dream now'
Deciding that it was time for him to take the initiative and ask his questions he looked towards the Ophis only to be taken by surprise.
"W-Waaaaiiiit! W-Why are you taking your clothes off?!" He couldn't help but shout out after seeing that Ophis was indeed slowly taking her clothes off. His mother had told him to always wear clothes in public. He had been scolded before for running around naked in a beach.
Ophis on the other hand only tilted her head and gave him a confused look.
"To make Ise happy" Was the only reply she gave as she finished removing her dress. She had replied like it was as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
An apron had then suddenly appeared from thin air much to Ise's surprise. She grabbed the apron and proceeded to wear it and then stared at Ise.
"Ise…It is a naked apron… are you happy?"
For some strange reason Ise had felt happy. He didn't know why but he was glad that he could see this particular sight. He would sometimes feel it in his dreams.
His dreams were weird since he couldn't hear any voices even when someone was speaking and the faces were blurred so he couldn't see them properly. He could however feel whatever emotion the bigger version of him was feeling. Sometime he felt angry, sometimes very happy, and sometimes excited. The strangest and most common one though was for some reason he really wanted to touch breast.
He didn't understand that last one.
Though he really did feel slightly happy right now, there wasn't any time right now. He first needed to do something.
"Okay! Ophis-chan you shouldn't take your clothes of in public! Your okaa-san would get mad at you!"
A black haired girl offered no reply and simply watched Ise as he was picking up her clothes on the ground.
After a few minutes of scolding and explanations, Ophis had finally gotten dressed once again. He was sitting on the ground somewhat exhausted from current events.
'Okay… alright… I can ask her now…' He stood up and dusted off the dirt on his clothes. When he looked around he saw that it was getting pretty dark.
"Eh… is already night? Ah! Kaa-san will get mad at me if I don't get back now!" He had frantically looked around trying to figure out which way was the fastest to get home. Deciding on his course he had almost run off at full speed but remembered about Ophis who was still standing in place only staring at him.
"A-ah, Ophis-chan I need to get home now or okaa-san will get angry at me! I'll talk to you tomorrow!"
Not waiting for a reply he ran off at full speed to get back home.
=={Hyoudou Residence}==
=={Ise's side}==
The second he got home he took of his shoes very quietly announcing he was home.
'I'm already late… need to sneak in my room and pretend I've been there so kaa-san won't get angry'
He looked around and took treaded lightly, making sure to absolutely be quiet. Children were capable of amazing things when faced with the threat of scolding and being grounded. Some were even able to showcase excellent stealth skills that would put ninjas to shame.
'Okay…. Made it… now I just need to get in and pretend I was here from the start!'
He got in his room and closed the door gently. He flipped the switch on the wall to open the lights and looked around his room to see what he could do. As his gaze went towards his bed, what he saw made him jump back.
"Ise, your room has gotten small" Was what the black haired girl said to him. She was on top of his bed is sitting in seiza. She was now wearing black pyjamas instead of the dress he saw her in earlier.
"W-Wha- How?!" The boy couldn't even begin to comprehend how it was possible.
"I followed Ise"
"B-but I didn't see you! D-did you use magic or something?!"
"Yes"
He was silenced by the curt reply from the black haired girl.
'W-wait, now that I think about it, she made an apron appear like magic! Does she have super powers?!'
Realizing the girl in front of him may indeed have superpowers, the gears in his head went to overdrive.
'Maybe she knows how I can learn to transform! If I learn to transform I'll be able to become a hero! No wait… could she… could she teach me how to transform into a dragon?! B-but I told Iri-kun we would become heroes… WAIT! I CAN BECOME A DRAGON HERO!'
After processing his thoughts, Ise's body immediately relaxed and calmed down. He then bowed down so fast that his head had hit the floor.
"PLEASE HELP ME BECOME A DRAGON HERO! PLEASE!" He ignored the pain in his forehead and begged with all his might.
"Okay"
"I know you don't want to bu—Eh?" As he was starting to continue begging until she agreed, Ophis had already given her agreement. He was a bit taken back from her reply.
"D-did you say okay?" He asked just to make sure he had not misheard.
"Yes, I will help Ise"
"R-really?! YEAAHH! I 'LL BECOME A HERO! A DRAGON HERO!"
Getting his confirmation, Ise had jumped and skipped around in his room. He did several poses from his favourite tokusatsu shows that he and Irina often copied.
'YES! I can't believe it! I'll really become a hero! I can't wait to tell Iri-kun!'
As he was celebrating, the door to his room had suddenly opened and his mom suddenly entered.
"Ise! Why are you making so much noise? I didn't even know you were already back, I was starting to get worried about you! You should properly announce that you're home when you enter! You -"
His mother had suddenly stopped her scolding as she noticed a black haired girl sitting in Ise's bed. Ise didn't know what to do; he had no idea how to explain about Ophis.
"W-who might you be? Young lady, I think you should be home or your parents wou—"
"My name is Ophis. I am Ise's friend. I will be staying here now." Ophis had looked into his mother's eyes as she said those words. Their gazes were locked for a few moments until his mother blinked a few times and smiled.
"Ah then Ophis-chan have fun with your stay here. I'll go make dinner and you can eat with us later when papa gets home."
"Understood. I am grateful."
After hearing Ophis' reply, his mother had left his room, gently closing his door. His jaw was droppepd as he saw his mother quietly leave his room. His mother wasn't someone who just agreed like that, no, she would usually ask a lot of questions before she was satisfied and would even call Ophis' parents to tell them of her stay. He couldn't believe she would just accept things and leave without question.
"Ophis-chan! What was that? Was that part of your superpowers?" He turned to the black haired girl on his bed. He felt that she did something to make her mother agree so easily.
"Yes… It is essential that I stay"
He didn't think she would say more or explain her powers so he opted to ask something he was wondering about.
"Hmm… Ophis-chan, won't your parents be worried if you stay here?" It was something he was wondering about. He didn't think her parents would let her stay for long. There was a time when Irina had tried to live in Ise's house but was forced by her parents to go back home.
"I do not have parents"
'Ophis-chan doesn't have parents? Maybe they're away'
"Then does do you live with your Oni-san or One-san or your relatives?"
"I do not have siblings or relatives. I do not have a family"
'She doesn't have a family? That was… sad. I can't imagine what it would be like if tou-san or kaa-san weren't here'
He closed his eyes for a bit and crossed his arms, thinking of what to do.
'Un… If Ophis-chan doesn't have a family then…'
"Okay! Ophis-chan, If you don't have a family then you can just be with us! Tou-san and kaa-san can be your parents too! Then we can always play together and you can help me become a dragon hero!"
He gave her a big grin after finishing his declaration. He put his hands on his waist and puffed his chest out, feeling a great sense of accomplishment and pride from the decision he made.
"Yes… I will… be part of Ise's family"
She was smiling. Her blank expression was now gone replaced with a happy one.
In the future, Ise would later say that the smile she had shown that time was one of the most beautiful and most precious things he had ever seen.
==The Dream of the Infinite=============================================================
=={Omake: Halycon days}==
Ravel Phenex was currently arranging Ise's schedule for the following week. She was sitting in one of the chairs in the break room of Ise's house along with the other members of the Occult Research Club.
It was one of those calm days were no one had to worry about a terrorist group attacking, fighting a god or whatever kind of trouble that the Club usually had to face. Of course, a calm day for them meant that somewhere along the line the calmness would be destroyed by someone ensuing utter chaos or it would devolve into some kind of ecchi situation, sometimes both. However right now everything was still calm and she would enjoy it while it lasts.
'Okay done!' Putting aside the pile of documents she looked around the room and noticed something strange.
'Ise-sama is reading a book'
She focused on Ise who was sitting in the rocking chair while reading a book. The fact that Ise was reading a book wasn't what caught her attention but the implications it brought.
'Ise-sama's lap is unoccupied! Koneko-chan doesn't seem to be her yet…'
It was a strange sight to see that the white haired nekomata wasn't sitting on her senpai's lap. The hellcat had long ago declared that her senpai's lap was her personal territory and would not allow anyone else to claim it. She had always been jealous of the hellcat for hogging her senpai's lap. She had tried to steal the spot from the hellcat but the farthest she got was sharing the lap, which was uncomfortable for the two of them and Ise.
'But right now Koneko-chan isn't here… This is my chance! I can finally sit on senpai's lap by myself! Once I claim Ise-sama's lap not even that hellcat would be able to make me go away!'
It was decided by Rias after several arguments that during times of Toujou Koneko's absence, Ise's lap would be open to anyone and that it was first come first serve. Once someone was able to claim Ise's lap, that person would have the right to sit on it for as long as she wants and no one else, even Koneko, would have the right to make said person move. The person who had claimed the lap was of course free to switch with anyone but that particular rule was mostly ignored.
'Alright, calm down Ravel Phenex. No one seems to have noticed that Ise-sama's lap is currently unoccupied. You must approach this properly. If you rush yourself, the others may take notice and a race for his lap would ensue. The best outcome is always to achieve victory without engaging in a battle.'
Composing herself she picked up one of the documents she was formerly holding. While pretending to read it she surveyed her surroundings.
'Position wise I am currently farthest from Ise-sama's location. However Xenovia-san, Irina-san and Asia-san seemed to be deep in discussion about church traditions. Rias-sama, Akeno-senpai and Rossweisse-sensei on the other hand seem to be busy discussing devil related matters. Kiba-senpai and Gasper-kun are currently out to buying some drinks. Finally, Koneko-chan is nowhere in sight.'
Confirming the status of each of her potential enemies, she proceeded to formulate a plan of action. She was at a disadvantage due to her distance but if she took the initiative she would be able to make up for it.
'I need to approach Ise-sama without drawing any attention. I can use these documents as a probable cause for my approach; no one will doubt it since I am Ise-sama's manager. '
Deciding on her course of action, she gathered the documents around her and stood up. She approached Ise, walking in a normal pace making sure that she looked natural. As she was getting halfway there something distracts her.
"Ise-kun! We need your opinion on something!" The reincarnated (self-proclaimed) angel Irina Shidou had called on Ise's attention.
'No! At this rate everyone will notice that Ise-sama's lap is unoccupied! I need to hurry!'
However when she brought her sights back to Ise, what she saw shocked her.
'No no no! Since when?! I only shifted my attention for a second!'
"Yakitori-hime" Koneko called her while giving her a knowing look. In the split second she was distracted, the hellcat had somehow appeared and claimed Ise's lap.
"… I will not allow my territory to be claimed by someone else. Ise-senpai's lap is mine" Koneko declared while staring at her.
"Guhhh…! I was naïve! I should have taken initiative earlier!"
Realizing her mistake and accepting her lost she collapsed on the ground much to everyone's surprise.
"E-eh, Ravel-chan are you okay?" Her senpai asked her in a worried voice. He didn't seem to notice what had just occurred.
"I'm fine senpai…"
'Yes… It's okay. Even if I can't claim Ise-sama's lap I still have his head pats! Gguuhhh…. But I really want to sit on his lap…'