DxD: Lost in Time

"Jokes aside, we did pretty well today. I'm relieved that you're still in one piece, Mother." I said, sighing heavily, as though to emphasize my words.

Mom rolled her eyes, clearly unwilling to answer me. Serafall chuckled softly at the jab Natsumi received but remained silent.

"So, are we really going to sleep in this camp?" I asked, glancing at Serafall. She nodded before responding.

"I hope you can tolerate the sleeping conditions, but you must understand, there aren't many other options." she said, her smile faint but genuine.

Natsumi shot her a dry look, her eyes silently questioning, 'Says who?' After a brief silence, she finally spoke up.

"Says the woman who forced us to sleep on the roughest surfaces for 'awareness' training."

Serafall's expression twisted, and a vein popped on her forehead as she turned toward Natsumi. "Hey, it worked, didn't it?!"

I couldn't help but offer a wry smile. One of them was my mother, the other could practically be my grandmother—though she looked more like a thirteen-year-old who'd just experienced a hormonal overdrive.

The two of them were acting immature, and it seemed it was up to me to bring the chaos to a halt.

"Ladies, calm down," I interjected, hoping to defuse the situation.

"You were thinking something rude again, weren't you?" Serafall asked, her small, yet delicate features scowling at me.

Mother, equally cross, followed up with a question of her own, "It seems you've lost your manners, Hisashi. Should I discipline you right now?"

I quickly backed away from the two of them, sweat beginning to trickle down my cheek. "What are you two talking about?"

"You were thinking something bad about us. Don't deny it," Serafall pouted, though she seemed to drop the matter for now.

"Do women have a sixth sense or something?!"

"Yes!"

"..."

---

I sat down on my futon, the pillow beneath me doing little to make the surface any more comfortable. Honestly, it barely helped at all.

I can't practice my techniques here, not without risking exposure. Still, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. Not to mention, my powers as a Vizard have grown stronger. But right now, there's only one question on my mind.

Is something like the Horn of Salvation even possible? That transformation was the result of Ichigo's Quincy and Hollow powers merging, but I'm not even sure if I have Quincy powers right now.

According to Yuzūi, I lost my memories of my past life due to this rebirth. In my desperate bid for power, and in an attempt to escape the boredom that came with years of solitude, I managed to create an artificial Hollow.

The process itself remains a mystery to me. All I can remember are fragments, pieces of the puzzle, and Yuzūi never bothered asking about it—much less recalling how he was created. My memories remain a blur.

Can you remember how you were born? No, a human being can't, and it's the same case for Yuzūi.

I don't know what else I did, but there's one thing I'm certain of. I might've done more than just create Yuzūi. My ultimate goal was always to reach something like the Horn of Salvation, so I must've done something else.

What was it? What did I do? Hell if I know, but one thing's for sure: it's connected to why I can sense Spirit... Dust. No, wait, it was Particles.

Reishi, I think.

"You've been sitting there quite a while." A warped voice, one that always makes me smile, sounded from behind me—a twisted melody of sorts.

It seems I had wandered off to my mindscape.

I turned to see a familiar figure. Pale skin, like drawing paper. Silver hair—a stark contrast to my golden locks. Red glowing eyes, just like mine, but with black sclera. And finally, clothes similar to mine, but with the colors inverted.

"I was just thinking about how you came into being, Yuzūi. I think I took inspiration from Aizen and created you through a process similar to Zanpakutō Creation. Only, I used Reishi back then." I explained absentmindedly.

"Yeah, I still remember that. You've told me a thousand times." Yuzūi responded with a chuckle.

"But I still feel like I'm missing something. A piece of the puzzle that's incomplete."

"Oh, then I guess you must be thinking about my retainer. Yeah, she keeps dodging you all the time."

Retainer?!

"Wait, there's a she in my soul?!"

"Yeah," Yuzūi said, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "But I guess the circumstances won't allow you two to meet."

I sighed, this time it was heavy. I felt the familiar pull of my consciousness, like I was awakening from a drowsy state. The first thing I saw were blue eyes. I could feel her hot exhales brushing against my skin.

Her delicate face was only inches away from mine, and I was completely confused.

"Good morning," I greeted her simply, but didn't get the reaction I expected. The girl—who, without a doubt, was Serafall, with her petite figure and curves in all the right places—jumped up with a yelp, frantically waving her hands.

"It's not what you think! I swear, I wasn't trying anything!" Serafall exclaimed, her face as red as fire. Tears even welled up in her eyes.

I had to stifle a laugh. I sighed, mentally preparing myself to say something... stupid.

"Serafall, romance isn't really my strong suit, and stuff like this isn't exactly ideal during a war," I said, taking my time to gauge her reaction. Her expression was downcast, and it stung a little. But... she was kind of... cute, datteba—Damn, now I sound like a certain knucklehead.

"However, if I do survive this war, we can go out sometime. If you want, of course." I offered the most sincere smile I could muster.

Serafall was stunned. She never imagined he'd see her that way. Her heart skipped a beat, and her hands were shaking—did I mention they were a bit sweaty too?

Still, she gathered her courage and spoke. "I'll gladly take you up on that offer. I'll make sure you survive to fulfill your promise."

---

Somewhere, in another universe, a blonde-haired kid sneezed.

"I wonder if Sakura's talking about me."

––––––

Happy Reading Everybody!

Sorry for the late release, but I always deliver.

I decided on a world I can intergrated into this one, however, it is a massive spoiler. Curious? Check the Author's note.

Also, I am about to change the book cover this weekend. Heads up people!