Author's note: I got the time line of dxd wrong though it was in 2005 when it was in 2008 when canon starts so making the mc be born in 1986 and after time skip it will be 1990 so it is four years not five please tell me in the comments if you find any inconsistency.
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Chapter 2
'Ahh, what's going on?! My head HURTS!!'
John groaned, his words coming out as little more than high pitched squeaks
He opened his eyes and immediately regretted it. A blinding, pure white light flooded his vision.
He yelled "WHY IS IT SO BRIGHT?! TURN THE LIGHTS DOWN, DAMMIT!" …or at least that is what he wanted to say. Instead, all that came out was a weak "Waaaah!!"
Blinking against the glare, he tried to stretch his arms, to scream properly, but nothing happened. His body felt strange, small, and weak. 'Wait. Why does everything suddenly feel like it weighs a ton? Why is my voice squeaky?'
John blinked and lifted his tiny hands or at least tried to. They barely moved, weak and unfamiliar. He stared at them.
'Why are my hands so small?'
And then it hit him as hard as truck-kun.
'Oh no am I a baby!?'
John looked past his tiny hands and saw her, his new mother. Her face leaned close, eyes wide and brimming with tears. She smiled through trembling lips, her hand gently brushing his fragile little fingers.
"You're really here," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I… I thought I was going to fail you too." Tears ran down her cheeks as she held him closer.
'What did she just say?' John thought, staring up at her. The words were completely foreign.
'This can't be happening. I'm… I'm a baby. I'll never get to watch the new Superman, or find out what One Piece is, or find out what happens next time on Dragon Ball Z. My entire life… gone.'
A soft voice cut through the haze of sounds. One of the doctors leaned closer, smiling gently. "If I may ask… what would you like to name him?"
His mother looked down at him, tears still running freely, and her lips curved into a trembling smile.
"His name… will be Haruya," she said softly.
She looked at a man standing beside her bed, holding her hand. The man, tears in his eyes, spoke slowly and clearly, happiness radiating in his voice.
"Hyoudou Haruya, that's his name." his father said looking at his newly born son.
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Japan (1990 4 years later)
Kouh Town, Hyoudou residence
Haruya sat cross-legged on a small wooden chair in front of a table, a handful of colorful playdough looking substance squished between his fingers. His dark brown hair fell onto his blue eyes as he carefully molded the clay.
'It's been four years, it's kinda hard to believe.'
He puts down his finished playdough figure that looks suspiciously a lot like Superman smiling.
Haruya smiled proudly at his finished work and carefully placed the Superman figure next to another he had already made. A figure of a man in a dark blue trench coat with red flames licking at the bottom and super cool glasses it had an arm raised high with its index finger pointing towards the sky, like if he was about to pierce the heavens itself.
'Yep,' Haruya thought, eyes gleaming. 'Superman. Mystery trench-coat guy. You both are looking heroic, stylish, and totally ready to save the day… or the universe.'
He leaned back slightly, admiring his tiny lineup. Even four years after the fire his obsession with heroes still burns brightly.
'Okay next figure. Maybe Spider-Man can swing in and join the party… if my little fingers don't completely ruin it.'
Haruya squished red and blue playdough between his tiny fingers, trying to form Spider-Man. The figure wobbled and twisted in ways he hadn't intended.
'Okay Spider-Man, this is tricky.' he thought, frowning. 'And this feels… weird.' He paused, pressing the clay carefully. 'Not you, Spidey… but the whole having parents thing.'
Memories from his old life flickered vividly despite his toddler body the day he was three, walking home with his parents, holding their hands, in a back-alley a person with a mask appeared out of the shadows and then it happened. The chaos, the screams, the gunshot and their lives were taken right there in front of him. Haruya remembered the fear, the pain, and the helplessness. The man who killed them was eventually arrested and sentenced, but that didn't erase the loss.
'After that I went to live with my grandparents,' he thought, shaping the clay arms with a bit more care, 'and I stayed with them until I was grown enough to live on my own. And now I have new parents. Parents who are here, who love me. It's Weird. But nice. Weirdly nice.'
'The webbing is still not good enough,' Haruya muttered in his head, frowning at the Spider-Man figure.
He focused his eyes, trying to see every detail, imagining how he could improve the tiny web patterns. But then… something strange happened. The playdough figure disappeared from his hands. He blinked, looking down at the table… and the table was gone too.
The floor vanished beneath him, and for a brief, impossible moment, he could see all the way down into the living room. His parents were there, moving and talking impossible!they were in the living room while he was supposed to be in his room on the second floor!
'What the…' he thought, panic rising in his tiny chest. Without thinking, he squeezed his eyes shut, holding his breath.
When he opened them again, everything had returned to normal. The table was in front of him, the floor solid beneath him, and Spider-Man's horribly lopsided webbing stared back at him.
'What the fuck was that!?' he thought, his heart racing in his tiny chest.
But then… curiosity gnawed at him. Can I do it again?
He pressed his hands to the table, concentrating hard, narrowing his blue eyes at the playdough figure.
But before he could continue his experiment, a familiar voice called from downstairs.
"Haruya! Dinner's ready! Come on down!"
Haruya froze, his tiny fingers still hovering over the playdough. He let out a frustrated sigh. 'Ugh… seriously? Right know of all times?'
With a reluctant sigh, he pushed the playdough aside and climbed down from his chair, and hurried down stairs.
Once he got down, he practically gobbled his food, barely pausing between bites. Just as he was about to leave the table, his father spoke, his voice calm but carrying a weight that made Haruya pause.
"Haru, me and your mom have something to tell you."
Haruya turned to his father, noticing the unusually serious expression on his face.
"What's up?" he asked, curiosity piqued.
His father sat next to his mother and glanced at her. She smiled softly, eyes warm. He took a deep breath, then his face broke into a pure, joyful smile.
"Your mother's pregnant. You're going to be an older brother."
Haruya's mind short-circuited.