"Honestly Seekvaira, making him a Rook for your Peerage is a bad idea." Alivian, Seekvaira's Queen, serves his King a cup of tea as he voiced his concerns to her. Seekvaira accepts the cup of tea and takes a single sip before directing her attention towards him.
"And what makes you say that?" Seekvaira asks before she continues sipping from her cup.
"For starters, he's an ordinary human-turned devil. He'll only be able to use the common abilities possessed by Devils. Second, he doesn't possess a Sacred Gear or any special attributes. He'd be considered one of the weakest Rook pieces."
"I understand your concerns Alivian, but something about him...interests me." Alivian raises a brow after hearing the last two words.
"Also, what makes you think that he doesn't have a Sacred Gear? Anything's possible." Seekvaira adds. "And need I remind you that Sairaorg has peerage members who were scorned by almost everyone? Now look where they are. If he's taught me anything, it's that if you give things a little polish, they'll shine brighter than anything you've ever seen."
"...What is it about him that interests you?"
"I don't know yet...but we'll find out soon enough. For now, I want you to watch over him tomorrow, see what he does with the new life I've given him. Right now, let's start altering his friends and family's memories."
Kuoh Town Police Department
Holding Cell
The crazed fan laid on the bed in his cell as he voiced his annoyance with Naruto, angry that he had prevented him from his plan to kill Maki and kill himself after, vowing to try again once he gets out.
"You're not getting out of here." The crazed fan shot up from his bed as he yelled, "Who...Who said that?" Surveying the room, he stopped when he spots a pair of red slitted eyes looking at him, his face paling in fear.
"Who...Who are you!?"
"I'd tell you, but it wouldn't matter since I'll be sending you to hell. Now burn..." Without warning, the crazed fan is engulfed in invisible fire that burned as hot as ethanol flames, his skin slowly starting to burn off as he tried to put it out by stop, drop, and rolling, the flames not giving up. The mysterious person disappears once policemen rushed into the room.
Agares Mansion
Seekvaira's Room
The large power signature from the police station reached the Agares Mansion, grabbing the Agares King's attention just as she was about to sleep.
"That power..." Seekvaira continued to focus on the mysterious power as it teleported away and went to the direction of the hospital. "The hospital? That's where I was not too long ago. That means..."
Kuoh General Hospital
Naruto's Hospital Room
Naruto slowly wakes up in his room. Surveying his surroundings for a few seconds before checking his body for injuries from last night. When he checks them, he finds them gone, as if he wasn't stabbed at all.
"No wounds?" Naruto said to himself, confused. "I guess being a devil lets me heal faster..." he concludes. Getting out of his hospital bed, Naruto takes off his hospital gown and checks himself in the mirror in the hospital room's bathroom.
"No horns or a tail," Naruto said to himself. "Am I really a Devil?"
"Oh yeah you're definitely a Devil now." Naruto screams from hearing someone's voice, falling on his ass.
"Who...Who said that!?" Naruto yelled. The voice groans from hearing the question.
"Haven't you heard of fucking telepathy?" the voice asks him.
"Where are you?" Naruto asked as he gets up from the floor.
"Answers later, right now, you have some company."
"Company? How-" Naruto's question is answered when the doctor, Chelsea, Jiraiya, Akame, Maki, and Moka enter the room. When they see him, they all have shocked looks on their faces while Naruto slowly grows a wide smile on his face.
"Guys, I'm going to be fine!" he happily tells them. After realizing he can see them crystal clear without his glasses, he yells, "And I don't need my glasses anymore!" Looking down, his visitors can see his "business" sticking out. Moka, after looking at "it" for a few seconds, faints as Akame and Maki sport heavy blushes on their faces.
"I...I have to go to the bathroom," said Akame, before running out of the room, the redness not leaving her face. After a few seconds, Naruto realizes everyone who's currently in the room can see his junk and awkwardly covers it with his hands.
"...Oh my..." is all Maki can say while processing everything that's happening right now.
Hospital Cafeteria
As Jiraiya filled out the paperwork needed to release Naruto from the hospital, the blond hungrily slurps down soy sauce flavored cup ramen. Finished, he sets it down next to the four other cups of ramen as he pours hot water in a sixth one. Moka was lying unconscious on a bench a few feet away from them as this happened.
"Who knew being near-death could make me this hungry," said Naruto.
"Near-death? Sure it was one big stab wound, but it wasn't that fatal." Naruto paused when he heard Chelsea's response.
"What? I was stabbed more than once," Naruto told her.
"You must have had a nightmare caused by what happened last night," she replied. "Not to worry. It may take some time, but I know you'll get through it. I swear the doctor who treated you must have been a good one if they can get rid of that stab wound so quickly without any scarring, not to mention being able to restore 20/20 vision to your eyes. Must have been the new medical equipment from Agares Corp they were experimenting on."
"Agares Corp?"
"Yeah, they're a tech-savvy company, though they have branches that focus on other things, like science, medicine, and archeology."
"Agares Corp..."
"Naruto nii-chan?" Turning to face Akame, he was presented with a small box of donuts. "Here. I made sure it was packed with your favorite kinds..." Naruto voiced how thoughtful Akame was before giving her a hug. Finishing his last cup ramen and setting down the box of donuts, he gets up to check on Moka. Smiling, the blond gently pokes the girl's cheek. Moka slowly opens her eyes, greeted by Naruto's smile. Eyes slowly widening, Moka hugs him, to his surprise as his cheeks turned red.
"I was so worried about you, I almost couldn't sleep last night. That was very reckless of you."
"Sorry I made you worry, Moka. So even she doesn't recall how serious my wounds were last night. Did Seekvaira have something to do with this..." Right as they finished hugging, the new start playing on the wall-mounted tv. The news report that was live involved the crazed fan, who was burned to death until only his charred flesh and bones were left.
"That man...he's dead?" Chelsea and Akame walked over to them as they watched the news.
"He's dead. Good," was Chelsea's response as Naruto looked at her for a bit before looking back at the television screen.
7 minutes later
Kuoh General Hospital (Front Entrance)
Exiting through the front entrance with his family and friend, the blond covers his eyes from the brightness of the Sun.
"Hard to believe you don't need glasses anymore," Jiraiya said his godson.
"I guess that makes me look less nerdy." he jokingly replies.
"What are you going to do now that you're out of the hospital?" Chelsea asked her brother.
"I'm going to head back home for a bit before leaving to go for some time at the arcade," he said. When Moka asked if she could come, Naruto declined, wanting to have time for himself. Understanding, Moka told him if he wanted to hang out with her, he just needs to give her a call. Jiraiya tells Naruto not to stay out late and to come home for dinner. He also told him not to spend a lot of money at the arcade.
"I know my limits, Old Man."
"Hey, I'm in my 40s, I'm not old just yet." Naruto smiled at him as he responds with, "I know..."
Agares Mansion
Living Room
Seekvaira watched the news on the tv as Alivian offered her a cup of tea.
"That young man's death..."
"I know Alivian. He had no enemies from what everyone who knew him said, and no one in that police station had a reason to kill him. Meaning...Naruto killed him."
"But how would someone like him have that much power?" Alivian asked his King. "There was nothing about him that confirmed he was a Sacred Gear wielder."
"Whatever the circumstances, the power he was giving out is extraordinary if not scary. Though, the man he killed...Someone like him wouldn't have the willingness to kill...not yet at the very least...Alivian, I need you to keep an eye on Naruto Namikaze. Make sure you're not seen."
"As you wish..."
Kuoh Town (Downtown)
While making his way to Akihabara, Naruto didn't notice the Agares Queen following him from behind, who made sure he wouldn't be caught by keeping a good distance from him and bringing his energy down to a Human level. Seeing the police station where the crazed fan died, Naruto stops in his tracks.
"I wonder who killed him," Naruto asked himself. Suddenly, Naruto started having a huge headache as images started flashing into his head, the palm of his right hand massaging his forehead. "What...is this?" In it, he had a first-person view of the crazed fan burning to death.
"You had no chance of regretting what you did. For that, you'll burn for eternity," Naruto said to himself, sporting a demonic smile on his face, looking shocked after. "What...did I just say?"
"You said what was on your mind obviously," said the being in his head. "You wanted him to pay. I did you a favor."
"But how..."
"Hey, you okay?" Naruto snapped back into reality when someone pats him hard on the back. Turning to see who it was, he was met with a male his age. He was slightly taller than Naruto. the boy had purple eyes and black hair with inward shifted locks. He was wearing a blue t-shirt with a large black peace symbol on the front of it under a red and white leather jacket. The jacket has a Japan flag pin on the left of his breast pocket. For pants, the teen is wearing diesel black gold jeans, with a black leather belt tied around it. For shoes, he wore a pair of 45000 yen Y-3 Black shoes over white socks.
"You sick?"
"Just a little bit..." he told the boy.
"This police station...This was where that Nishikino fan mysteriously burned to death. Hmm? Say, aren't you the guy who was stabbed by him last night?" the boy asked Naruto, who confirmed it. "For someone who went through that, you're looking fine."
"A one-night stay at the hospital was all I needed," he assured.
"You must be quite strong to walk out of it and be standing here."
"I was on my way to catch a train to Akihabara and stopped here merely by coincidence..." Joichi suggests it was fate that he was standing here to come to terms with what happened. "Even if it was an act of fate, you standing here and not puking your guts out means you have a strong will."
"Hm? JoJo!" yelled a policewoman in her 40s, who had the same purple eyes and black hair as the boy known by Naruto as JoJo.
"JoJo?"
"Oh, shit."
"What are you doing here? This is a police investigation. You're not supposed to be here," she told JoJo.
"It not like I wanted to, Mom," he told the policewoman. "I was just passing through when this guy here looked like he was going to be sick." Looking at Naruto, JoJo's Mom knew who he was. "You're the one who got stabbed last night. You feeling okay?"
"Yes, thanks to a one-night stay at the hospital."
"I see. I'm glad you're up and at it, but you and my son need to go and let us do our job."
"R-Right." Looking at JoJo, she told him not to get into any fights.
"Will try..." Naruto and JoJo leave to continue their day after.
"Your mom...is very hot." Naruto's eyes widened when he realized he said it out loud, JoJo glaring at him a bit before letting out a sigh.
"A usual reaction from anyone who sees her...I hope you have a good day," JoJo said to Naruto.
"You too, JoJo."
"My name's not JoJo. That's the nickname my friends and family call me. The name's Joichi Johjima. It's something that bothers me when someone I am not associated with calls me JoJo, okay?"
"G-Got it. I'll try to remember that." Stopping at a crossroads, Joichi told Naruto this was where they part ways. "I hope you have a good day..."
"Namikaze, Naruto Namikaze."
"I hope you have a good day, Namikaze." As soon as Joichi left to cross the street on his left, Naruto continued forward to the train station, with Alivian following him once again.
"You, in my head, who are you?"
"I'll answer, just don't ask out loud. You'll sound like a weirdo."
"...Alright, I'll ask again, who are you?"
"I AM THE TRUE MASTER OF FIRE...THE KINDLED ONE...THE PRIMORDIAL DEMON OF FIRE...THE USURPER OF THE FIRST FLAME...I AM INFERNUS, AND YOU, MY HOST!" This seems to intimidate Naruto a bit, though he quickly suppressed his fears.
"Why did you kill that man?" Naruto asked the demon now known as Infernus.
"He needed and deserved to be punished. He had no redeeming qualities in him, and you wanted to make him pay, so I controlled your body, teleported to his cell, and killed him for you. Of course, I could've gone with your desire to beat him to death with your own two hands until his head turned into a puddle of blood, but burning him was a better solution if I do say so myself." Naruto has a look of shock on his face. Thinking to himself, he wondered how Infernus knew what he was thinking.
"I'm inside you Naruto, which allows me to look into your thoughts, your soul. You should be happy he's dead since your hot cousin doesn't have to worry about that creep. No one will miss him."
"Get out of my body," Naruto tells the demon, who menacingly laughs at this demand of his. "I have no reason to have you. Having this second chance at life is all I need. I don't need something like-"
"Sorry, that is a no can do. You see, I've taken a liking to you. You may be a little good person bitch on the outside, but FUCK! You have a lot of anger inside of you that's keeping me entertained! All the failed potential hosts I tried never had this much inside. Always the one knocked down instead of the other person or group of people. And don't get me started on your sexual fantasies with your crush. All that vanilla action. Please, they want it rough. If I was in control of your body right now, I'd go over to her house, rip off whatever she's wearing, push her onto her bed, and pound that pussy of hers until I'm spent. She'll love it." Naruto angrily blushed at the last thing Infernus said.
"So you're saying I'm stuck with you!?"
"That's right Naruto. From now on, there are two souls inside of this body. Best get used to it. Now that we are familiar with each other, let's skip the arcade and go to a place with a lot of girls to fuck!"
"DENIED!"
Akihabara
TAITO Station Akihabara
Alivian continues to keep watch over Naruto, who was trying to enjoy himself but was too distracted by the fact that he had someone taking residence in his body.
"Hey, Naruto."
"What do you want?"
"Don't freak out, but someone has been following us since the police station." Naruto looked angry as he asked him why he didn't tell him earlier. "Wanted you to relax a bit before I spilled the beans."
"How can I relax and play games when I just found out not too long ago that I have some strange...thing inside of me? Who is he?"
"How the fuck am I supposed to know?" Infernus asked. "Whoever he is, he's not hostile. He probably wants something from us. For now, we let him observe us. If he tries to attack, we can take care of him."
"You mean, we'd have to kill?"
"It'll obviously come to that. Remember, you're no longer Human."
Night
Yaro Ramen (Akihabara)
"Remember, you're no longer Human." This kept on playing again and again in his head throughout the day, preventing him from enjoying himself. He was a Devil, but he still looked Human.
"Another bowl please," he told the male server.
"A-Another? After having 7 bowls?" Naruto turned to see he actually ate seven bowls of ramen. "You must have quite an appetite."
"A newly acquired one. I think I've eaten enough. I'll just pay for the meals and head home now." As soon as Naruto paid his bill and left, Alivian follows him again.
On the way home
After taking a train back to Kuoh Town, he made his way back home by foot, still playing the same five words in his head.
"Just what...am I expecting to come across..."
"Hey, Naruto, stop being emo, you've got company." Looking forward, Naruto sees a blast of yellow energy flying towards him. To his surprise, it was coming at him in slow motion. "Dodge it dumbass!" Naruto moves out of the way as the blast passed him, Alivian doing the same.
"Seekvaira, he's being attacked," Alivian told his King through a communication rune. "Should I-"
"No, don't. Observe how Naruto handles this. I'm on my way to you."
"What...the hell?" Following this, Naruto finds himself tackled to the ground and pinned down by a female stray devil.
"Oh, kinky!"
"At a time like this!?"
"Oh..." Sniffing the blond, the stray devil licked at his left cheek. "You smell and taste delicious..." Naruto's eyes widened. He was going to be eaten? He just got a second life, and it was going to be wasted.
I'm...going to be eaten? By this...thing? I just got this life. Now...it'll be wasted? As food?" The female stray smiled to herself as she bent her head down to bite the left side of his neck. Once she bites down on it, she backs away in pain as steam comes out of her mouth.
"So hot!"
"As if..." As he got up, Naruto's neck wound healed in an instant, to the stray devil's shock, which turned to fear as Naruto appeared in front of her, his right fist on fire, and his eyes now red and slitted. "I'd let myself put my family, and Moka through that again!" Throwing his flaming right fist forward, the punch bisects the stray devil.
"No...No way..." The last thing the stray devil sees is a pair of menacing red eyes, belonging to Naruto, looking at her as the blond produced a fireball and incinerated her whole body as she lets out one final scream. With the stray devil dead, Naruto is brought back to reality, asking himself what happened after.
"What happened? Your flesh turned out to be too hot for that devil to bite into, and you killed her."
"I...did this?"
"Fuck yeah. Though it stinks how you killed a very sexy female devil, it was a kill or be killed situation, so congrats on a kill you did your-" Infernus finds himself interrupted when Naruto throws up on the ground. "Shit! Without warning even. Oh well, you did just kill for the first time."
"That was quite something, Naruto Namikaze." Turning around, Naruto comes face to face with Seekvaira, her Queen standing beside her on her left. "Good eve-...I guess I shouldn't start with that. You did just come out of the hospital today, changed, and killed in self defense."
"Seekvaira..." Turning his attention to Alivian, Naruto said, "You must be the one who was following me the whole time." Alivian and Seekvaira's eyes widen, wondering how Naruto could have known he was being followed.
"It's complicated."
"I have time to listen to this complicated answer of yours. First, are you thirsty?" After Alivian left, having fulfilled his duty, Seekvaira hands Naruto an orange-flavored beverage from a vending machine before getting herself a peach-flavored drink and taking a seat with him at a bench next to the machines.
"It must have been scary for you to be in a fight with a Stray Devil, having just been reincarnated last night."
"For a couple of seconds yes...But when I thought about how my family would react if they found out I died after being discharged...I got angry, and I killed that Devil," he told her before taking a sip out of his can.
"I see...Mind telling me what happened with the fan who stabbed you several times?" asked Seekvaira.
"If you answer my question, I'll answer yours," said Naruto.
"...Very well."
"I was stabbed more than just one time, and the news said I was only stabbed once. Even my family said the same thing. Did you do something to them, and to Moka?" Seekvaira apologizes to Naruto for doing what she did, saying she had to alter their memories a bit to avoid them asking further questions. "They weren't the only memories I altered. I altered the memories of the doctors, nurses, and staff who were dealing with you. As Devils, as supernaturals, we need to keep our existence hidden."
"Of course that's why," said Naruto. "...I wasn't in control of my body when I killed that man. There's something...someone...inside of me, and he used my body to kill him." Seekvaira continued to listen as he talked about Infernus, and how he used "invisible flames" to kill the crazed fan. "The flames that set them on fire, I checked the news on my phone, and it said the flames couldn't be put out no matter what, stopping once the man was a charred corpse."
"That explains why you puked after killing that Stray Devil...You said that his name is Infernus?"
"Yes. Do you think you can do some I don't know...devilish exorcism or something?" he asks the blonde female devil.
"Not without killing you I can't," she answers, earning a groan from Naruto.
"Well that's just great," he said, voicing his annoyance and chugging his drink in frustration.
"Since he seems to like inhabiting your body, I'm sure you and this Infernus can come to some sort of agreement so you can live out your days as usual, whatever that usual will be with your new life as a member of my peerage."
"Agreement? Why?"
"If he's inhabiting your body, he must have a reason," Seekvaira concludes.
"She's not wrong there," Infernus tells Naruto, who ignores him.
"So what now?" Thinking to herself for a few seconds, Seekvaira looks back at Naruto and asked if he was free tomorrow. "Not really, I was just going to stay home tomorrow and work on some devices in my room." Seekvaira takes out a business card and hands it to him following his response.
"Tomorrow at 9:00 am sharp, come to the Agares Corporation Building and tell the receptionist you're there to see me. We have more to discuss besides what we just talked about," Seekvaira tells the blond male before finishing her drink and getting up, creating a teleportation circle after. Walking towards it, Seekvaira hides a smile.
"Oh yeah, there's definitely something about you that interests me Naruto Namikaze. With this mysterious Infernus in his body, I've definitely found myself a good one." Seekvaira thinks to herself. Unbeknownst to herself, she licks her lips. Once she enters the circle, she disappears along with it, leaving Naruto alone.
"Oh, I've just found myself an interesting host out of you. Something tells me you're the one I've been searching for."
"Fuck off Infernus," Naruto angrily replied.
"We're going to get along just fine." Naruto says nothing as he gets up and walks back home.
TO BE CONTINUED...