Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD. I only own my interpretation as written in this story.

Dragons, while free-spirited and impulsive, are commonly respected and often feared as apex predators. Every culture, religion, and race has extensive history with this proud and mighty species. However, despite the long history of the world, they are also among the most mysterious. No dragon is inherently evil, nor are they naturally good. With the exception of the great dragons born at the dawn of time, every dragon born since has had the privilege of a healthy and nurturing childhood. Hatchlings are rare, and as such, every dragon would instinctively protect a clutch, regardless of parentage, and would hesitate at striking the young of another race.

Dragons are not perfect creatures. They fought, forgave, raged, laughed, and loved just as any other being. However, one trait exclusive to dragons is the ability to bond. While common for dragons to have multiple lovers to ensure the continuation of their race, eventually a dragon may have the fortune to encounter, or rarely choose, someone who completes their hearts. This is not to belittle the relationships of others, but this is a relationship that literally completes their soul. Many epic tales of a dragon kidnapping a fair maiden or princess is often the result of the bond forming. Both involved gain the ability to sense the emotions of their partner, their lifemate, as well as location and wellbeing. However, this completion is not without its risks. Should the dragon die, the other would survive, albeit bereft of the comfort that the bond provided. However, should the partner, dragon or not, perish, then the dragon fundamentally changes.

Dragons are among the strongest beings to walk this earth, but the demise of their lifemate consistently causes a monumental hatred to fester. These dragons, feeling empty and angry, raging at the world they see as unfair and a sin, tend to destroy, rampage, pillage, etc. This is how Evil Dragons are born. The death of the bondmate is not needed to be of natural causes. Not knowing which was the lifemate, Heracles raped and killed each of the Hesperides to forcibly ensure that Ladon would become enraged. Similar scenarios, romanticized into myths and legends of every culture caused the creation of every Evil Dragon in existence.

Because of the formation of the Evil Dragons, the Heavenly Dragons and Dragon Kings worked to eliminate the general knowledge of the bond. Libraries were razed by dragon fire, witnesses were eliminated, and faction leaders were sworn to secrecy. Over the course of a century, dragons established themselves as a terror upon the world. In that time, the Heavenly Dragons, Albion and Ddraig, both found themselves reacting to a potential bond. Just after the Great War between the Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils began, both dragons, the closest of friends, found they were reacting to the same she-dragon. Unbeknownst to one, she had already made her choice. The result of that decision led to a single egg, an egg that was frantically saved and flown away by the she-dragon as the two Heavenly Dragons clashed. One fought to save his child's future, the other to end its life before it could begin.

Their death match became a legendary event. It prompted a temporary cease-fire in the Great War, as well as a united effort to eliminate the two dragons that rampaged without reproach or reason. They were contained, executed, and then imprisoned in sacred gears. The later deaths of God and the original Four Great Satans left Azazel of the Grigori as the only one with a suspicion of why the two had began fighting in the first place. All other pantheons had been relatively shielded from the destruction of the dragons and while curious as to why, found no answers to be had at the conclusion of the war.

The egg, hidden away, hatched. The hatchling was raised in secret, its existence known only to a few. Too many had reasons for killing or enslaving the offspring of a Heavenly Dragon. The mother, so close to her enraged state, remained sane due to the need to raise her child in addition to that her mate was not truly dead, merely sealed away in a Longinus.

Centuries passed. The world changed. Civilizations rose and fell. The hatchling, long since fully grown, had bonded with another dragon, and lived peacefully. One of their first clutch, a firedrake named Ryuu, spent much time in the human world. Reckless, wild, untamed, he adopted human form and was, for lack of a better term, a playboy. Selling his shed scales as precious gems, he lived the comfortable and enviable life of a harem-king. Roaming the human world, sleeping around, his life as a player ended as a sign of commitment to the human woman he was beginning to bond with. Choosing Hyoudou as a family name, he and his wife and lifemate, Hikari, relocated to a traditional nesting ground in Japan. While a human city had been built atop it, it would serve as haven to raise their coming child.

Issei Hyoudou, at the tender age of 5, was terrified beyond comprehension. Pressing himself into a corner, whimpering uncontrollably, the poor kid had no idea what was going to happen.

His mother had spent most of the morning cleaning the house after Issei had unknowingly spilled the contents of his toy chest as he dragged it from his room to the family room. What sick child, banned from school and confined at home, would turn down the opportunity for more play space? While his intentions had been harmless, his cold apparently was not.

His sneeze had lit much of the family room on fire.

While his mother had rushed in to push him out of the way and put the flames out with an extinguisher, she had done it with a resigned look on her face, which scared him more than anything. It was as if she had been expecting it. As a woman who was constantly smiling around her son, the calm expression after such a surprise was petrifying to the boy.

"Mommy, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I know you just cleaned, I'll fix it, please don't be mad!" Issei frantically cried. "I-I'll work for it, make money to pay fo-"

Whatever plan he had to fix this mess died in his throat as Hikari tearfully hugged him to her chest. "It's not your fault, Issei. I'm not mad."

Perplexed, Issei stopped crying as her words registered. She wasn't mad. It wasn't his fault.

"I was worried about you when I came in to see the room set ablaze, but that's not important right now. I guess that's partly my fault as well as your father's for not expecting this so soon."

By now, all sense of rhyme and reason had abandoned Issei. Nothing was making sense to him. Maybe this was a dream?

Hikari let go, dried her tears, and smiled. "There, there now. It's ok. Now, let's get this mess cleaned up again."

With a clear goal in mind, Issei shot up and bolted for the closet with the broom and dustpan. As he disappeared around the corner, Hikari stood up and smirked.

"I suppose this will all be worth it to see Ryuu's face when he hears his little drake breathed fire for the first time."

Author's note: Ok, first story. If you liked, please review, let me know what you liked. This is an idea I've been bouncing around that I'm finally putting on paper and letting people read it. Little plot in this, but there should be enough to tease concepts that will be used later in the story. I do have a goal with this. I do have pairings in mind. Issei isn't completely human in this so he's obviously much stronger but won't be as overpowered as I've seen him in other stories. No OC's. I won't budge on that.

Ryuu - Dragon spirit

Hikari - Light