The Golden Dragon Empress |DxD|

In the small, poverty-stricken town of Nitoshō a storm rages through the night. A hooded woman with a small blue bundle in her arms are the only things out in the streets, braving the harsh rains and winds.

"I'm almost there" the woman said aloud as the rain continued to batter her body.

Down the end of a twisted forested path stood an old worn-down building, with a sign above a chipped door that read "The Nitoshō Orphanage."

The mysterious woman walked up the porch steps to stand in front of the door.

"I am sorry about this little one. I just- I just cannot do this" The mysterious woman said as she looked down at the bundle, revealing it to be a newborn baby. This baby had a small tuff of black hair, light Carmel skin, and her most defining feature two blood red eyes.

"Know that I love you with all my heart my darling Natsuki. I do this so you have a much better life than the one I can give you" The woman said as tears spilled down similar red eyes.

"You are destined for remarkable things I just know it. I am sorry that I will not be there to see it, I only hope you will be able to feel the love your mother has for you as you grow". Natsuki gave her mother a toothless smile, unaware this would be the last time she would ever see her mother again.

The woman wiped her tears away as she placed her daughter down on the porch. She quickly knocked on the door and ran off, hiding behind a tree about 20 feet away. Natsuki began to cry as her mother was no longer within her sight.

"What is that sound" a voice was heard before the door was opened revealing a short elderly woman with graying hair.

The old woman looked down, surprised to see the infant wailing her little heart out at her feet.

"Hey little one, it's okay it's okay" The old woman said sweetly as she picked up the baby, rocking her gently to claim her down. This worked as Natsuki's cries ceased after a few moments, now looking up at the old woman with curious and innocent eyes.

"That is its sweetie. Now what are you doing out in this storm huh?" she said as she began to look around hoping to see who left the child here only to see nothing in the dark dense woods that surrounded them.

"Don't worry little one I will be taking care of you from now on. Now my name is Kushina the owner and caretaker of this orphanage, let us see if you have any identification on you." Kushina said as she began to look at the small blanket that was wrapped around the babe. She then saw at the bottom of the blanket the name "Natsuki" stitched in gold thread.

"Mmm I will have to give you a last name at some point but for now Natsuki will do just fine won't it?" Kushina said smiling as the infant giggled when she said her name.

Just a short distance away the mysterious woman watched as the matriarch of the orphanage turned around and walked back into the building with her daughter in hand, shutting the door behind her.

"Goodbye my little summer" The woman whispered as tears fell from her eyes now that her daughter was no longer in view. She then turned away walking back into the darkness from whence she came.

 

6 Years Later

In one of the few bedrooms of the orphanage sat a small black-haired girl, staring out the window watching the other children of the house playing in the yard below. This girl was a 6 year old Sukehiro Natsuki, the same infant the matriarch Kushina found outside the orphanage years prior during Nitoshō's worst storm in decades.

"You know you could go out and play with them instead of sitting here by your lonesome" A sweet motherly voice said causing the young girl to turn around seeing Kushina enter the room smiling down at her as she usually did.

"Why? They will just ignore me or make fun of me like they always do." Natsuki said while rolling her eyes.

"I thought I told them to stop doing that? Honestly, it is like it goes in one ear and out the other". Kushina now annoyed that her rule was ignored wanted to go at and reprimand the children. They should not be making fun of Natsuki, and she feared it would only get worse now that she was in elementary school.

"Please don't Kushina-Sama, to them I'm just the freak whose body can't decide if she's a boy or a girl." Tears began to swell in the girl's eyes as she desperately tried to keep them from falling.

"Natsuki, you are not a freak" the matriarch said as she kneeled in front of her, wiping away the few tears that escaped.

"You are caring, strong, smart, and perfectly perfect, never let anyone make you feel like you aren't."

Sniffle "Okay Kushina-Sama"

"Good, now I've got to go knock some sense into those little brats" Kushina said walking out the door to no doubt punish the other kids.

Natsuki sighed knowing there was nothing she could do to stop the old woman. Especially when she already made her mind up. This sucks now those idiots are going to be mad at me. It is better when they just pretend, I do not exist. Guess I am sleeping with one eye open for the next few nights. How troublesome. Natsuki thought.

Hours later Natsuki sat outside on the porch staring up at the full moon, enjoying the stillness of the area around her. She had done a surprisingly excellent job avoiding the others who spent most of dinner earlier glaring at her. Kushina had punished the children for picking on her by grounding all of them for three days.

While she appreciated that the old woman cared for and stood up for her, she knew this would just make the isolation from the others worse. It was like the other bullied kids at school who told the teachers what other kids were doing to them. The small school was so underfunded that the teacher either could not be bothered to do anything about it or the punishments were barely punishments, regardless the bullies would just bully harder in response.

"Hey guys look it the She-man! Finally came out of her hole after snitching on us!" A small brunette boy name Hitoshi yelled as he and the other kids came outside and saw Natsuki there, no Kushina in sight as she had retired to bed, the elderly woman becoming increasingly tired as the years went on.

"Yeah you should have just did the right thing and died already!" Screeched at chubby boy named Shō. The others nodded and murmured in agreement.

Sigh "I didn't snitch, you guys were just being obvious in the fact that you're assholes and got caught" the red eyed girl mumbled.

"Who are you calling assholes you She-man!" Hitoshi and Shō yelled in unison as the other began to get angry as well. Although she could not understand them, it was just random noise to her.

"She-man, She-man. Is that the only insult your tiny brains can produce? That is just pathetic, although understandable since none of you will amount to being anything other than elementary school dropouts." Although none of them wanted to admit it, Natsuki's words cut deep. Nitoshō despite its proximity to the city of Kuoh Town, was incredibly poor and rundown. A hell hole that held the people Kuoh did not want. Most students would inevitably drop out to get jobs to support themselves and their families. It is because of this fact that about only 40% of children went on to middle school, 25% to high school, and finally only 10% would become high school graduates.

It was unheard of for a Nitoshō citizen to go to college, thanks to the steep cost of higher education. Even if you were one the lucky few to graduate high school that still did not grantee you would get a better paying job the everyone else.

Shō then pushed the girl off the porch causing her to fall into a dirty puddle at the bottom of the steps.

"You bastards!" Nastsuki screamed. The kids simply laughed at the girl's predicament. Seeing it as the freak getting what she deserved.

"Don't think just because your smart that your better than us She-man!" Hitoshi said with a cruel smile. "Your just a dirty abomination that no one will ever want. So be a good little freak and stay in your place, right there at the bottom". The children then walked back inside discussing how funny it was for the freak to fall in the puddle and how cool Shō was for pushing her in it.

What did I do to deserve this? Why am I their punching bad? Why was I born with this body? And why do I just sit here and take it?!

Natsuki continued the lay in the puddle staring up at the moon as her thoughts raged in her head.

No more. No more of this garbage. They are wrong I do have someone who cares about me. The girl thought that the image of Kushina formed in her mind. I do not care if I have no one else, I will not be like those idiots and waste my life in this backwater town. I am going to graduate, find some way to go to college and get myself out of here!

I swear on this night I will never again be someone for the people in this town to belittle and mock. I will make something of my self. Even if I must knock down everything and one in my way.

 

9 Years Later

A clear February day sees Sukehiro Natsuki, now 15 years old was walking back to the orphanage from Nitoshō Middle School.

She ignored to stares and the parting of the sidewalk as she walked. Thank to her former housemates everyone in town knew about her condition. That she was intersex, born with both male and female sex organs. Or a vagina and a penis if you want to be really specific.

They told the others kids in school, who then told their parents and so on. She expected to be somewhat of an outcast with her darker skin tone and red eyes, but having both of those things and being a "hermaphrodite" really sealed her fate in Nitoshō. The people around her doing everything in their power to avoid touching her, as if being intersex was a disease they could catch.

Although she was right that the others would becoming dropouts. All her former housemates that bullied her had all dropped out of school by the time she reached her 1st year of middle school. The true standouts from the pack were Hitoshi, who can now be found selling drugs at the gas station and Shō, who grew massively to around six foot tall and 210 lbs., is a bouncer at a local strip club. The rest were either sex workers or small time crooks.

Do not think about any of them Natsuki. You worked to hard to fail now.

Natsuki was now in her final year of middle school and was on track to graduating at the top of her school. Nitoshō High here I come. The girl thought , a little depressed as the high school was known to be in an even worse state than both the elementary and middles schools put together.

Nastuki entered the orphanage. When she opened the door she saw Kushina standing in the living room in front of her. This was normal, but she had a huge grin and held a large envelope in her hand.

"Are you okay Kushina-Sama? You are freaking me out here." The smile somehow got even wider "I am just so happy for you Natsuki! This is an unbelievable opportunity!"

"Opportunity?" the girl said, she then looked at the letter in her mother figures' hand, realizing that it was open "Did you read my mail?."

"That doesn't matter sweetheart. Now sit down and read it already!." The woman yelled while pushing Natsuki into the couch and handing her the envelope.

Natsuki pulled out the papers inside and began to read them. She could not believe what she was reading; she was told she was accepted into Kuoh Academy's High School division. Wait, I did not apply to Kuoh. The girl thought to herself as she paused in her reading. I figured what would be the point, I'd never be able to afford the uniform let alone the tuition or the transportation to get to and from every day.

The girl began to read once more and saw that she would be provided a full scholarship to the school along with an apartment and a small allowance at the end of each month!

Holy Shit! God if you're real please do not let this be a dream, if so, I never want to wake up!

This would all be provided to her by a benefactor. A benefactor who did not want her genius to go to waste in a place like Nitoshō. But it does not say who this benefactor is?

But wait if I go to Kuoh then I would be leaving Kushina-Sama behind! She's not getting any younger and the few kids that are here are to young to take care of her.

Natsuki's thoughts must have been showing on her face because the old woman quickly smacked the back of her head before she could voice them.

"Hey!" The girl screaming while rubbing her head. "What was that for?"

"I know what you are thinking you idiot. You want to turn this down so you can take care of me. Well I won't let you, I already called the school and accepted on your behalf as your guardian."

"But-"

The old woman slammed her hands down on the table. "No Natsuki! You worked to hard to let this chance slip you by like this!." The air around them became quiet, the only thing that could be heard was Kushina's angry breathing as she began to calm herself down.

"I know you want to take care of me sweetheart. But this is your only shot to get out of this miserable pit, to leave and experience the world without worrying about others. To go to a place where you can get a proper education and not worry about getting food to eat or that you might get attacked if you stay out too late". Natsuki's eyes began to tear up at the words, knowing that it is what she genuinely wants.

"Now come April you are going to find yourself in Kuoh Town, going to one if best schools around. Okay sweetheart?" Kushina said as she wiped away the girl's like she did when she was younger. "Besides, you can visit whenever you find yourself bored of the big city alright?"

"Alright." A smile now formed on the girl's lips to match her mother's figures'. "I promise I will make you proud. And when I become rich, I will buy the biggest house I can find!"

Laughter filled the air around them "I'm going to hold you to that sweetie!." Kushina exclaimed while hugging the child she was as her known daughter.

I promise I am going to work my hardest for you Kushina-Sama. To pay you back for everything you have done for me, I swear.