Chapter 1: Rebirth

Birth, life and rebirth. The never-ending cycle of that which is life itself. People are born, they live whatever lives they make for themselves and when their time comes, they die. If they're lucky, they're reborn again, but no one knows if that last part is true or not. But hey, life's full of many great mysteries and we just gotta take 'em as they come. Everyone has a purpose in their life, some follow their hearts to achieve greatness accomplish it and some don't.

For me, my life's been so-so for quite a while now. I was just an average guy. I had a mostly loving family, save for my dad who bolted on my mom, not wanting to be a father. But hey, his loss if he's gonna be a bum and leave. I had a normal childhood, playing outside a lot, playing with toys, watching cartoons, going to school, the usual kid stuff. And just like some kids, I was introduced to the anime world. Mostly Pokemon, Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh! The usual kids anime.

But as I got older, I was introduced to the more popular anime shows, like at around 10 to 14, I watched Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, but in the prime of my teenage years, I came across the... *ahem* fan service of anime. I didn't think they would make something so... lewd. But hey, I still gave it a shot. One fan service anime that sparked my interest was Highschool DxD. Now, don't get me wrong, as much as I liked watching the anime itself, my main problem was Issei. I mean seriously, why create a main character who's a complete and total pervert?

I will admit, I did catch some glimpse of womanly parts, but I had to sometimes turn away most of the time because it was rude. I know it's just a show, but let's face it, I was shy back then. Now, I'm an adult, 22 years old and I'm currently walking home from my job. I still watch anime, but because of my work schedule, I'm lucky enough to watch at least 5 episodes. So anyways, here I am, walking across a bridge that overlaps the freeway down below.

As I'm walking, I saw this woman with long dark-brown, or black hair and wearing a white dress. She looked like she was... crying? And her attention was focused on the roaring engines of the cars coming and going down below. My first thought... I gotta stop her. I approached her slowly and carefully so as not to spook her. I can hear her weeping and sobbing to herself. She must've been really down on her luck. I have to at least talk some sense into her. Once I was close enough, I tapped her right on the shoulder.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked. she jumped a little and turned to me. Her eyes were drooped over parts of her face, so I couldn't see her eyes. "A...Are you okay? Why are you so sad?" I had to find out, maybe try to help her find a solution to whatever's troubling her.

"W-W-Who are you?" she asked. I responded by giving her my name. "I... I don't know why, but... it's like everywhere I go, people are always dying," she weeped. "Whether it's friends, family or just random strangers, everywhere I go, no matter how much I try to escape it, everyone's always dropping dead. I feel like I'm cursed by God."

"Seriously?" I asked in disbelief. "How is that even possible?"

"I... I don't know, it's... some sort of curse, I just want it to stop! I tried praying and doing good deeds all around, but nothing ever worked! I still saw death around me!" she kept weeping. "So... I had no other choice. If I couldn't get rid of this curse then... then... I'd end it by ending myself."

"Whoa, slow down there! You can't seriously think this is the only way, do you?" I asked. She nodded, looking away. "Hey, look at me, miss. I may not know how or why these things are happening to you, but rest assured, I'm going to help you in the best way I can. But first things first, why don't we just step away from the--" our conversation was interrupted when I heard police sirens coming this way. I looked over and saw two police cars approaching me and the girl.

Three cops, two men and a woman jumped out of their car and aimed at... the woman? "Sir! Step away from the woman! Do it now!" Cop #1 said.

"What? What's going on?" I asked.

"That woman's dangerous!" Cop #2 called out.

"She's a psychopathic serial killer, son! Move away from her, now!" Cop #3, the female cop said.

My eyes widened in horror. "What?!" I asked, backing away. When I turned to the lady, she seemed to be... fidgeting or something. Suddenly... I hear her... laughing. And when she turned to me, I got a look at her eyes. Those... bloodshot red eyes. They... They didn't seem human to me. I gasped as she screamed and lunged at me, tackling me to the ground. She clawed at me and punched me, but I kept my guard up.

"Hold your fire! You might hit the hostage!" the female cop called out. With no other option to get her off, I kneed the crazy woman in the gut and punched her in the face before pushing her off and jumping to my feet. I was backed up against the railings of the bridge and the crazy woman came at me again. Her fingers wrapped around my neck, trying to push me over the edge... literally.

"Why... are you... doing this?!" I struggled asking.

"You... You look... just like them! Daddy... Step-mommy! The alcohol... the abuse... the bruises... the torment... the INHUMANITY OF IT ALL!!! Everywhere I look, I see their faces... in EVERYONE!!! I'll kill them until they STOP SHOWING!!! NOW DIE FOR ME!!!" she shrieked. But with what little strength I had, I kicked her right in the solar plexus. However... that was my biggest... and final mistake.

Next thing I know... I hear gunshots as I fall to my death and I'm rammed into by one of the cars and sent rolling against the hard pavement, my skin peeling off in small bits until I feel myself coming to a complete stop. My body... it aches everywhere. My vision... fading fast. I hear muffled screams coming from the drivers and tires screeching.

"D. . . Damn. . . it. . . all." Those were my last words before fading into the darkness.

Moments later, my body... it feels... smaller... warmer... and... it doesn't hurt anymore and suddenly... I see a light. I make a screaming noise, but... my voice is... higher than it used to be. Next thing I know, I'm in the arms of a doctor.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Hyoudou. You are now the proud parents of a healthy baby boy," said the doctor. Wait, did I just hear him right? Did he say... Mr. and Mrs. Hyoudou? But... But there's only two people I know from a show who are named that! Then... that means...

While I'm gathering my thoughts, I feel myself being handed to my supposedly new parents. Mrs. Hyoudou held me in her arms, nuzzling me and kissing my cheek. Mr. Hyoudou was trying to fit his pinky finger into my tiny baby hand. I humored him by grabbing it while making baby noises.

I still find it hard to believe. To think that a guy like me would wind up in an anime after falling to my death from a bridge. Well... if I'm going to be Issei, I'm going to do it with a smile... just as soon as I can do that in a few months or so. And... no way in hell am I gonna turn out as the biggest pervert like in canon. Let my new life... begin.