Author's rant: Something I wrote out of my amusement when I was trying to finish the next update of 'Code Breaker'. Don't expect an update soon. Quantum Break is really good.

Also, this fic was inspired by the first chapter of "Shinji And The Girls of DxD" written by gunman, "Sarishinohara" written by Varange (when will that bastard update?), a wordless comic I read on the facebook and "Yodaka no Hoshi" (The Nighthawk Star), a popular Japanese story written by Miyazawa Kenji.

Disclaimer: Highschool DxD don't belong to me... *sulking in the corner*

Chapter 1:

"In this world, if someone's wish comes true, someone else will suffer a loss."

If you wanted to describe a beautiful day because of any reason or no reason, you could imagine a morning like this: The sun in the light blue sky was spreading its warm light on every living being on earth as the cloud was lazily floating without a care. The wind gently caressed the leaves or naughtily hopped on the road with it carefree step before shyly fell into step beside a young man in Kuoh Academy's male uniform with a black fedora hat on the top of his dark brown hair and a synthetic leather guitar case on his back as he walked at a leisurely pace, his hands were in his pants pocket as his cold yet tired black eyes with a light shade of brown were looking forward unfocusedly.

"Yodaka-kun? Why's the long face?"

Suddenly, he felt a light tap on the back of his head before a girl in female school uniform stopped in front of him. She had long orange-brown with two strands sticking out above the rest of her hair and reddish-brown eyes as she was clad in a different school uniform.

"This is how my usual face looks like, Rei" Replied the young man dryly as the girl fell into step beside him

"I know that. But why can't your face be happier? Your eyes looks quite cold." pouted Rei as she childishly turned away. For some unknown reasons, Rei would usually act rather childish whenever she was with him.

"Cold... Perhaps this is how I am. I'm sorry." said the young man as he could only nod apologetically

With a sigh, the orange-brown hair girl suddenly stopped in front of him as she looked straight in his eyes

"Yodaka-kun, you and I are best friend, right? You do know that I will help you in every way I can to help you if you have any problems... just like you have always done for me, right?"

With a sigh, he pat the girl's head lightly

"I know. And don't worry your little head of yours about me. I'm fine." Said Yodaka with a small amount of amusement as Rei playfully swatted his hand away from her head with a small blush

"Prat..."

"Anyway, Takashi-san is waiting for you there." Said the young man as he inclined his head forward

"Oh right. See you later, Yodaka-kun!" With a wave of her hand and a small wink, Rei quickly aproached the teenager who was waiting for her before both of them took their leave while happily chatting with each other.

When the pair finally out of his sight, Yodaka's eyes were slightly overshadowed by the bang of his hair as his lips morphed into a small bitter smile

"No, Rei... You will never be able to help me with my problem... "

To her, he was and always would be her best friend.

And nothing more.

Even though he had always held a tiny hope that his friendship with her could have become more... he knew it was unlikely to happen. She lived in a world more different than his. A world that someone who lived in poverty like him would only have a very slim chance to reach.

And even if she had accepted his feeling toward her, what else could he have given her beside his heart?

The answer: next to nothing.

In short, she was out of his reach. And even becoming her best friend had been nothing but a miracle he had been given by Kami-sama.

Just like Yodaka became Cassiopeia. (*)

But that wasn't matter anymore. She was already taken. All he could do now was to bury his feeling for her deep inside and continue to support her just like he have always done.

Even though it broke his heart to do it, as long as his best friend was genuinely happy with what she had chosen, he would be happy...

"Ah, sometimes I forget that dust can be a little annoying when it gets into eyes..." said Yodaka to himself as he shook his head slightly before he continued his walk to the academy.

What a way to start a new day.

*Kuoh Academy*

Closing his shoes locker, Yodaka let out a quiet sigh as he picked up his school briefcase, intending to go to his class...

"Hey, cheer up! You will never get a girlfriend with that face."

... another friend appeared in front of him after tapping his back.

"Unlike you, I'm not desperate to get a girlfriend, Naoto." Came Yodaka's reply in his usual dry tone

"Oh come on, Yodaka. You're still young, at least try to stop being such a prude and started finding a girlfriend and enjoy the time when..."

"I have said it already and I won't repeat it." Before his friend could go on, Yodaka cut him off "And beside, I doubt any girl would even notice me."

"Oi oi, what did I tell you about se..."

"... selling myself short? No, it's the truth, Naoto!" suddenly, Yodaka snapped, which unintentionally gained the attention of other students in the hallway "How many girls have noticed my presence, let alone smile at me? Barely few. I know that I'm not handsome. My grades maybe high enough to get scholarship but compare to the top of our year, they're nothing. I'm not a star athlete student and I have no special talents..."

"And what the hell is the thing you're carrying on your back?" deadpanned Naoto as he pointed at Yodaka's guitar case

"That's my hobby, not talent." Grunted Yodaka, which earned a grumble from Naoto 'Yeah right. Not talent, my ass.' But he decided to ignored it

"Moreover, I'm not wealthy. Hell, 'poor' would be a more accurate word to describe than 'not wealthy'. Even if there was a girl wanted to be my girlfriend, what could I give her beside my feeling and my heart? Next to nothing!"

"Okay, stop and calm down, Yodaka. It's not all about money, you know. And it's not like you have confessed to anyone... " Naoto raised his hands in surrender but his friend just shoved him away before taking his leave, making Naoto let out a sigh and followed his friend.

But unbeknown to both Yodaka and Naoto, in the group of students who noticed their conversation, there was a slim girl in Kuoh Academy female uniform with long brown hair that ended in two short braids and matching eyes as she also wore a blue headband.

"Kashitarou-senpai..." muttered the girl sadly as her eyes looked at the direction where Yodaka had taken off.

*Short timeskip, after school*

"How is your new pawn faring?" asked Rias as she walked beside her childhood friend/rival, Sona Sitri

"Pretty good. Though I have to say he was very eager when he heard that he was going to join the Student Council. What about yours?"

"The same, though Issei-kun was more eager because he heard that he could have a harem since he was a devil now."

"It couldn't be help. He is one of the Pervert Trio after all." Said Sona with a small amount of distaste as she put her glasses up a little bit

"But his potential is huge." Said Rias with a small victorious smile "After all, he took all of my 8 Pawn pieces to reincarnate him."

"It seems I lose you this time." Said Sona with a small shake of her head "Saji only took me 4 Pawn pieces."

"... Anata ga suki, anata ga suki/ I love you, I love you

Atashi ni wa, nani mo dekinai kedo/ Even though I couldn't do anything but

Kaze no youni, hana no youni/ Just like the wind, just like the flower

Tada, soba ni isasete/ Just like that, so please let me stay by your side."

Before their conversation could go any further, a voice reached their ears and stopped them in their track

"Did you hear that, Sona?" asked the redhead devil

"Yes. Probably just a member of Music Club is practicing." Shrugged the Student Council dismissively "The Music Room is only a room away from where we stand after all."

"Yeah... " trailed off Rias before she continued her stroll with her childhood friend.

But why couldn't she shrugg off a feeling that there was something more about that voice?

*Timeskip*

On the crowded street, Yodaka was walking in silence after leaving the restaurant where he worked as a dish washer, his guitar case was on his back as his eyes almost lazily watched his surrounding with a small amount of amusement. Even in the late night, Kuoh City was still lively just like itself in the morning. People hanged around, enjoyed their fun or simply just minded their own business...

*GROWL!*

Shaking his head, he turned his head up in the sky and looked at the lazily floating cloud in an attempt to ignored his hunger...

*GROWL!*

Okay, that was ineffective.

But then again, since when it would be effective? He couldn't help but snort at his idiocy, which was the only thing he couldy used whenever he needed to distract himself from his problems...

*GROWL!*

The smell coming from a ramen stand near there made his stomach grumble again but he decided to look around him more in order to ignore the loud complaint. Now that he noticed, it was nearly 11 p.m and yet he could still see many young people who were only about his age at most hanging on the streets without a worry like this instead of staying in their home and preparing for their next day. He knew he had no right to judge them but... he just couldn't understand why... And why would their familes allow them to hanging outside at this time?

Perhaps it was because the world he lived was far too different than the world they lived, he couldn't help but thought like that. Perhaps it was why he couldn't understand...

*GROWL!*

"Another birthday has passed..." said Yodaka to himself as he looked at the cloudy sky. He nearly forgot about it himself. With a small wistful smile, he made a silent pray.

'Amaterasu-sama, thank you... for granting me the strength to endure.'

With a sigh, Yodaka nodded his head slightly before he continued his walk back to home. But something stopped him right in his track.

A small silver pocket watch that only he could see was floating right in front of him.

Someone needed more time.

And that person deserved it.

In the emergency of a hospital, doctors and nurses were doing everything they could to help and save their patients, a woman who was trying to deliver her child. The woman's weaken state endangered both the woman and her child. In the worst case... both the mother and the child would die.

This was a fight for their patient's lives. A fight that they couldn't afford to lose.

And they could feel that it was a losing battle as hope slowly slipped away.

But in this intense fight for the lives of the woman and her child, none of them were awared of another presence in the room: a young man with dark brown hair with a fox mask covering his upper face was looking at the woman on the bed or more specifically, the countdown number floating above the woman that only him could see.

00:03:12

Raising his right palm, the small silver pocket watch appeared before slowly dissolved into numerous ember-liked light and transfered to the delivering woman.

00:31: 22

This was all he could give her. It was all she deserved.

00:29:36

Now it all depended on the woman

00:25:24

The door of the emergency room was bursted open by the woman's husband the moment the first cry of the newborn child came.

00:23:58

The sign of a new live came to the living world.

00:12:03

Looking at the peacefully sleeping infant and his parents, the young man's lips morphed into a very small smile. Even though he couldn't enjoy this 'side job', he couldn't deny that he was truly happy for them.

If only their time could be frozen...

00:09: 41

But the cycle must kept going no matter what.

00:07:29

The doctors and nurses were all alarmed by the weakening state of the woman. A nurse quickly swooped the infant before the remain started engaging in a new fight against time.

00:04:50

A fight the young man knew they literally had no chance to win.

00:02:59

Slightly shaking her head, the woman raised her hand toward the nurse who was holding her child, signaling for her to come close.

00:02:00

Holding her child in her arms, the woman looked at him with a loving look.

00:01:47

In his sleep, the child unconsciously held onto his mother's index finger, bringing a small smile on her face

00:01: 03

With all of her remaining strength, the woman kissed her child's forehead with all the love a mother had for her child.

00:00:43

The first and the final kiss she could give him.

00:00:17

The woman leaned back to her bed, her breath became swallow and slow as her eyes slowly closed.

00:00:09

Her face had a peaceful expression before she drifted into a sleep

00:00:01

A long eternal sleep.

00:00:00

Turning his back away, he left the emergency room as the doctors helplessly tried to bring the woman back to the land of living. The sob coming from the husband was heart-broken, reminding him why he couldn't enjoy this 'side job'.

"Wait!"

A voice snapped him out of his train of though. Looking up, he saw the silver silhoutte or more exactly, the soul of the same woman that he had given her more time to deliverer her child now appeared in front of him, something didn't exactly surprise him.

"You're the one who gave me more time, right?" It was more like a statement than a question and he knew it "Thank you... for giving me more time to meet my child... and to hold him in my arms..."

The woman gave him a deep bow of genuine gratitude. If only he could gave her enough time to see her child grow up...

"Shinigami-sama?" the young man raised his eyebrows a little bit due to the woman mistook him for the Shinigami, which was the fourth time ever since he started this 'side job'. "Can I ask you a question?"

"I'm not Shinigami..." He shook his head. "... but please ask. I will answer as best as I can."

Nodding her head in acceptance, the woman soul looked straight at his mask

"Will I be able to watch my family from where I am going to?" a question he had expected her to ask

"I don't know." He replied with honestly. "It depends on the judgement whether you will stay in the Yomi, be reborn or to be damned."

"I see..." the woman said muttered sadly "Death is truly terrifying judge..."

Again, he shook his head

"Izanami rules the Yomi, but she passes no judgement. Judging is what Shinigami does." This seemed surprised the soul "He cares not of your status. He cares not of your wealth. He cares not of your karma. He does what needs to be done."

Nodding her head again, the soul of woman started flickering and became blurry. Her time in the world of living was running out.

"Thank you for your answer... kami-sama(**)." The young man couldn't help but be amused by the way the soul of the woman refered to him "But... who exactly are you, kami-sama?"

"...My name is Yodaka. Kashitarou Yodaka." The young man gave her a small bow "And I am not a kami. I am a Jihi no Ējento /Agent of Mercy."

(Chapter end)

(*) A reference to "Yodaka no hoshi" written by Miyazawa Kenji

(**) Kami are ANY of the sacred beings worshiped in Shintoism, conceived as spirits abiding in natural phenomena and sometimes in people with extraordinary qualities, not just means 'God'