t was looking to be the start of a beautiful morning. The sky was clear of cloud cover, the sun was shining brightly, and a gentle breeze was blowing through the city, causing the trees to dance and sway. It was the kind of day where most people would feel blessed to be alive.
Uzumaki Naruto was not one of those people. He had never really been a morning person. He was the kind of guy who liked to sleep in as late as possible and get up well after the sun had risen. It was a well documented fact that unless there was an important mission, like, you know, protecting a Daimyo or rescuing a princess or defeating an evil demon who wants to create a golem army to conquer the world, Naruto would sleep like the dead.
At least until someone woke him up.
On a side note, considering who often woke him up back then, his wake up calls were always extremely violent. Not to mention painful.
Despite not having any inclination to do so, Naruto did wake up as the light hit his face. Groaning in discontent, he made to sit up in his bed.
Blinking several times, he once more took a moment to curse the sun, as well as his blinds. Why they were even there when they did not block out that damned light was beyond him.
As he absently looked around the room, a small frown formed on his face. He remembered what happened last night; that chick with the strange black wings and getting stabbed in the chest. As far as he knew, he should be dead by now. So how had he gotten back to his room? And just why wasn't he dead?
His hand reached out to rub the center of his bare chest. The frown on his face grew even more prominent when he only found a smooth expanse of skin. If Naruto did not know any better, he would have never believe that he had gotten stabbed by that strange spear of light in the first place. It was almost as if he had dreamed the whole thing up.
Except that the only thing he ever dreamed about was becoming Hokage and being chased by large bowls of ramen come to seek vengeance on him for eating their brethren...
...
Don't ask.
Regardless, that meant last night could not have been a dream. No Ramen, no Hokage, not a dream.
His brow furrowing even more as he tried to figure out what happened and why he was not dead yet, Naruto placed his hands on either side of him so he could lean back and use them as a pillar of support while he put his thinking cap on. It wasn't something he liked to do often, thinking that is, but when required to do so he could actually put that organ in his head to good use.
He just preferred not to because it wasn't as fun. Flying by the seat of his pants was more his style.
As his left hand hit the bed, he felt something warm and soft and round underneath his palm. It felt absolutely nothing like this bed.
He froze. On reflex, his hand gave an experimental squeeze, which prompted a moan from whatever it was he had grabbed a hold of. His eyes drifted down towards his bed.
Only it wasn't his bed that he was staring at. It was a girl. A very beautiful girl. A very beautiful, very familiar girl.
She was also a very naked girl.
He must still be dreaming.
As he looked at the girl in his bed, he took note of several things. For one, the mound his hand was resting on was, in fact, the girl's right breast. Her creamy white skin created an interesting contrast to his sun-kissed tan, and the light pink of her nipple stood out even more starkly as the hardened nub peaked out from in between his ring and middle finger.
He also noted that he knew this girl. Well, recognized her at any rate. It was the same girl he had seen with the Nadeshiko one after playing his prank on those three perverts. After leaving for class, he had asked one of his classmates about her. He had been surprised by what he had found out. Apparently, this girl was quite popular. The lust of all men and the envy of all women. Rias Gremory.
Not that he could blame them, he thought to himself as his eyes drank in the girl's beauty, taking note of her silky smooth skin, and incredible figure. Her gorgeous crimson locks fanned across the bed to create a startling contrast with the white sheets he had taken to using.
By the way, those sheets? They had been discarded by the both of them some time ago. Meaning he could see all of Rias. And yes, that does mean all of Rias.
His eyes stared at the area just above her flower. She was a natural red head. Who knew.
Reaching for his left arm with his right hand, Naruto pinched himself hard enough to draw blood. When nothing happened, the blond's shoulders slumped a bit as he scratched his head in confusion.
Okay. This wasn't a genjutsu of some kind and this wasn't a dream. So then, why was there a beautiful, naked girl in his bed?
Knowing that the answers would have to wait until the girl in question woke up, Naruto decided that the least he could do was go and make them both some breakfast. He was sure the girl could use something to eat when she woke up, regardless of how she got here. And truth be told he could do with some grub as well.
Who knew getting stabbed through the chest could make one so hungry?
Rias' nose twitched as the smell of eggs and toast wafted to her on a breeze. Opening her eyes blearily, she found herself staring at a plain white ceiling. It as unfamiliar to her.
She blinked several times as her mind began the proper process of waking up. The process was slower than usual today. She had used so much energy last night healing Issei and then Naruto that she must have exhausted herself. Because of this, it took her a while to truly wake up, but when she was finally fully awake, the young Gremory was able to easily remember just where she was and why.
She was in Naruto's apartment, having brought him here after resurrecting him and Issei. She must have passed out from exhaustion after healing him.
And speaking of Naruto... Rias turned her head to look at the rest of the bed and blinked when she saw the boy she had rescued was not there. Her nose twitched again as she inhaled the scent of food being prepared. Was he the one making breakfast then?
Sitting up, Rias did not even bother covering herself with the bed sheet to protect her modesty as she took a look around the room. It was a very bare room, spartan almost. Rias had never been in a male's room before, but sh imagined there would be more decorations to it. At the very least she expected posters of various bands and even half naked women to be hanging on the walls. All this room contained was a bed, a nightstand, a dresser, a closet and a desk with a chair in front of it. Even then, only the desk had anything on it.
While she was studying the very plain room, the door leading out of it opened up. She craned her neck to see the very person she had been thinking of walk in. His hair was wet and matted down a little bit, though surprisingly it was still pretty spiky. He must have just gotten out of the shower a few minutes ago. And he was only wearing his black school pants and nothing else, allowing Rias an unfettered glimpse of his torso.
It was one thing to feel his body while she lay with him, but it was another to actually see the physical proof of how physically fit the boy in front of her truly was. Due to the low lighting last night, she had not been able to really catch a glimpse of his powerful frame, but now, with the light from the sun filtering in through the window and brightening the room, she could see it much more clearly.
There were many different body types that men could possess. Kiba, for example, had that skinny, somewhat effeminate frame most bishounen boys possess. Then there were the muscle bound brutes who had the hulking, powerful figures and veiny bodies. There was also the people who could be anywhere in between, much like how women's figures could range from flat and tomboyish to full and feminine to even fat and flabby.
Naruto's body was lean and highly athletic. He was thin, but it wasn't like Kiba's kind of thin. Unlike Kiba, who lacked any real muscle mass, the blond second year's body was packed with perfectly defined muscles. He had broad, defined shoulders. His pectorals, despite their smaller size than those meat heads who spent their entire life in a gym, looked like miniature bricks, hard and firm. And while he was still skinny, he had the powerful V cut figure that many males have tried to achieve. He even had perfectly developed serratus anterior muscles on either side of his torso, which most have a hard time getting. They added a very aesthetically pleasing look when put in conjunction with his perfectly developed and defined six pack abs.
She wondered how a former human had managed to acquire such perfect definition. There were many among her kind who had muscles like that, but even people like her brother lacked the sheer tone found on this male's body. These were not muscles gained through hereditary genes or demonic powers. These muscles had been gained through years of hard work and experience. They were muscles that were meant to be used.
"Good morning!" the blond teen greeted her cheerfully as he walked over to the bed, carrying a tray in his hands. He did not even seem bothered by her lack of dress. Strange. Most boys would have lost themselves to their lusts by now. At the very least, they would have gotten a serious nose bleed.
This boy just kept getting more and more interesting.
"Good morning," Rias graced Naruto with a smile of her own. It was an almost unconscious gesture in response to the blond's own cheerful grin. It seemed his brightness was infectious.
Naruto set the tray down next to her. It was only then that Rias realized the tray was holding what looked like a full course breakfast. It had a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and a side of assorted fruits. There was even a glass of orange juice set off to the side.
"Sorry if this isn't what you normally eat," Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly, the grin on his face widening so much that it forced his eyes to squint. Combined with the way his whisker marks stretched, Rias could not help but be reminded of a fox. "I would have made you a more traditional Japanese breakfast, but I'm not very good at cooking so..."
Rias could not help but smile. This Naruto seemed like such a nice young man, and so helpful too! He would be a great addition to her peerage.
"It's fine," she told him gently as she grabbed the fork that had come with the food. "Thank you very much for making this for me. You did not have to."
"Ah, well, you know," the blond looked away from her. Aw, he was blushing. How cute, it seemed her newest servant couldn't accept praise very well. "I thought it was the least I could do since you saved me and all." He paused, then looked at her with his head tilted questioningly. With his innocent personality combined with those whisker marks, Rias could not help but think he looked adorable. Certainly not Koneko adorable, but cute in his own way. "You did save me, right?"
"Yes, I was the one who saved you," she confirmed before taking a bite of the food he had prepared for her. She blinked. "This is very good," she complimented, causing him to beam.
"Thank you. Even though I can't make anything too complicated, I've always been good at making basic foods," he chuckled, a bit of self depreciation mixed with good humor. "When you've lived on your own for as long as I have, you learn a thing or two about cooking."
"I would imagine so," Rias looked at him inquisitively. She had heard he was an orphan, so his words made sense. "Have you lived on your own for a long time?"
"Over half my life," Naruto confirmed. "I left the orphanage I was raised in when I turned six and never looked back. The Old-man Hokage managed to get me an apartment to live in while I went to... school."
"Fire Shadow?" Rias blinked at the strange term. What a strange and unusual title. "What is a Hokage?"
"Ah... a Hokage is like, um," Naruto scratched his chin as he tried to figure out an appropriate analogy for what a Hokage was compared to the types of figureheads in this world. "I guess you could say it's like a Mayor. He's the one who was in charge of the village I grew up in."
"I see." What an odd name for a village leader. And a village? Did that mean Naruto had been raised in some kind of small, backwater village that was stuck in the more traditional Japanese era like the Sengoku period or something? "So you've been living on your own for a long time, it seems." Her curiosity was definitely peeked. "What about your parents?"
"My parents?" Naruto blinked, then shrugged. "Never knew 'em. My parents died about an hour or so after I was born."
"Oh," Rias flinched a bit. How rude and inconsiderate it was of her to ask something like that. He was an orphan, so of course his parents were dead. "I'm sorry."
"Nah, it's fine, it's fine," Naruto waved off her apology with a laugh. "While I never got to know my parents, I do know that they loved me very much. I'm here because they gave their lives for me. Really," his smile softened a bit, resembling a mix of nostalgia and the kind of content only people who have been said to have reached enlightenment had. "That's all I need. Just knowing they loved me enough to give their lives so I could live is enough for me."
"That's a very mature way of looking at things," Rias said, smiling a bit herself. Though that was only on the outside. Inwardly, she was frowning. His words bothered her greatly. From the way he spoke, it sounded like his parents had sacrificed themselves protecting him from someone... or something.
Could it be that his parents were involved in otherworldly matters that usually did not involve humans? Perhaps one of the more violent Devils or Fallen Angels had attacked his home and his parents died protecting him?
And what did that say about Naruto? If there was a Devil or Fallen Angel that had attacked him, there must have been a reason. Rias couldn't fathom what that reason was, as this boy had no Sacred Gear or anything of the sort. And yes, after taking him home she had checked to see if that strange healing ability was because he had a Sacred Gear.
Perhaps his parents had simply angered the wrong person. It didn't necessarily have to be a Devil or Fallen Angel who killed them. Humans were perfectly capable of killing each other.
Whatever the case was, she would probably never know what happened unless she asked Naruto, but now was not the time for that.
"Can I ask you something?"
Rias looked up to see Naruto staring at her with his brows furrowed inquisitively. She offered him a smile. "What did you want to ask?"
"Well," Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "This may sound rude, since you healed me and everything, but why were you sleeping next to me in my bed? And why are you naked?" His eyes swept over her body and Rias finally saw the lightest traces of a blush on his cheeks. It wasn't big, but it was there.
She smiled, pleased to know that his lack of reaction before wasn't because he didn't like what he saw. It would have been a blow to her ego if he had not found her pleasing to look at.
Still, she wondered if his lack of serious reaction meant he had experience with things like this?
"It's fine," Rias smiled reassuringly. "I understand why you would be curious." She paused. "The reason I was in your bed was because I was healing your wounds. That stab wound in the chest was a fatal wound. I had to saturate your body with my magic in order to heal you."
"Magic?" Naruto adopted a slightly stupid expression as he scratched his head. "You mean like that stuff where people pulls rabbits out of their hat and what not?"
Rias covered her lips with her hand and giggled a bit. "No, not like that. I mean real magic. You see, I'm a Devil."
"A Devil?" Naruto's face scrunched up in thought. "You mean, like, a demon, or something?"
"In laymen terms," Rias confirmed with a nod. "Though we don't actually go by the term demon. Devils are beings born in the underworld, or hell, as you humans call it. I am a pure-blood Devil from the Gremory Clan, one of the 34 clans remaining of the 72 pillars."
"I see," Naruto adopted a thinking pose, which involved him placing his chin in his hand while the other held up his elbow. "So you're from a really important family." He looked over at her. "Are you some kind of royalty or something?"
"In a way," she said, "The 72 Pillars are the 72 Devil clans that are what we call pure-blood devils. Devils who were born devils and not reincarnated humans. Right now, there are only 34 remaining clans of the original 72 Pillars. Though some of the clans are still alive, they no longer hold there status because they have human blood mixed with them."
"Huh? So it's not like an earned position but one gained because they don't mix their blood with humans."
"Exactly."
"What was that you said about reincarnating humans into Devils?"
"When a human dies, it's possible for a devil to reincarnate them as a member of their peerage," here it was. The moment she told him about his new status. Rias mentally prepared herself for the denial the boy would show when she informed him of his new status. "That is actually what I did with you."
….
….
Naruto blinked.
"Come again?"
"When I arrived, you were already mostly dead," Rias informed the blond who was staring at her blankly. "Your wounds could not be healed quickly enough to keep you alive. In order to let you continue living, I had to reincarnate you as a Devil."
"So I'm a Devil?" Rias nodded in confirmation. Naruto began patting himself down, causing her to look at him oddly. "What are you doing?"
"I don't seem to be any different," he mumbled to himself, "And I don't feel like going out and destroying a village or sacrificing virgins, children and puppies." A second or two later, he shrugged. "Well, whatever. Might as well not sweat the small stuff, right?"
Rias sweatdropped.
"Devils aren't really like that," she informed him, "It's actually against the laws of our kind for a Devil to kill a human without just cause. Honestly, we're not that much different from humans. We just have powers humans do not have and we've been raised in a different society than humans." She paused, then added, "And we're much longer lived than humans."
"Well, I suppose if you're the standard I can expect when meeting a Devil, you guys certainly can't be bad," Naruto gave the girl a bright smile. "You seem really nice. Nothing like what I've read from books and stuff."
"That's kind of you to say," and she meant it. While most Devils might be insulted for someone calling them nice, she was not. "I'm glad you don't seem to hold onto the stereotypes most humans have for Devils."
"I just try not to judge people by what they are, but who they are." Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "To me, it doesn't matter if you're a Devil or a human. So long as you're a good person, then there's no reason your origins should matter. I've had too many people judge me based on things other than who I am as a person. I'm not going to do the same to someone else."
Rias watched as his hand went down to rub his stomach. She took note of the odd action, but discarded it for now.
"Anyways, you should finish eating," Naruto informed her. "We only have half an hour left before school starts." Rias blinked in surprise. She had been so caught up talking to Naruto that she had completely forgotten about the time. "After you finish breakfast, you can take a shower. It's the just down the hall on the right hand side. It's the only door in the hallway so you can't miss it. You'll find the towels hanging on the rack to the right."
"Thank you." As she watched the blond scratch the back of his neck in what she was beginning to recognize as a habitual reaction to any kind of compliment or praise, Rias could not help but think about how lucky she was to have gotten someone like Naruto on her peerage. He was quite thoughtful and kind, and he didn't even care that she was a Devil, or that she had turned him into one.
Yes. This Uzumaki Naruto would make an excellent addition to her peerage.
~KatCHRP~
"How about a favorite movie?"
"I don't really have one."
"Eh!? How could you not have a favorite movie? Don't most people have one?"
"Do you have one?"
"Well, no... but I have more important things to do then watching movies."
"Like what?"
"Like training!"
Naruto found himself walking backwards, hands behind his head and a sunny smile on his face as he escorted Rias to school. It was only right that he did so. Escorting her to school that is. She had not only saved him, but had been at his house anyways. Plus, this gave him the opportunity to get to know the beautiful and intriguing red head who had reincarnated him as a Devil a little bit better.
"Training?" Rias looked vaguely curious.
"Um!" Naruto nodded his head. "Ever since I was younger, I've always trained myself in order to grow stronger." He grinned widely as he held out an arm and flexed his muscle while placing a hand over his bicep. "And I like to think I'm pretty strong."
"You do seem to be very fit," Rias commented, "Is that because of your training too?"
"Pretty much," the blond confirmed as they entered the school gates. All around them, students stopped what they were doing so they could stare at the strange duo. Everyone seemed shocked that the new student with the ridiculously bright blond hair was in the company of the red-haired beauty, Rias Gremory.
Not that Naruto cared. He pretty much blocked out everyone around them save the girl in front of him.
"Why do you train so much?"
"Eh?" Naruto blinked as he thought about her question. Then he shrugged his shoulders. "Habit, mostly. I've been training for so long that it's pretty much a part of me. It just doesn't feel right for me to slack off on my training for any reason." Even if he had no purpose to get stronger for, he had been training to grow stronger for so long that it was pretty much ingrained into his very psyche.
"I see."
"Alright, so about this. What's your favorite color?"
"My favorite color?" Rias blinked, then smiled. "Blue."
"Really?"
"Really," Rias nodded, "And what about you? What's your favorite color?"
"Orange!" Naruto announced proudly. And loudly. "Orange is the color of the gods! Only someone as wise and gracious as the gods could have possibly come up with such a divine color!" Rias giggled at him, causing Naruto to grin widely at the girl, uncaring that she was laughing at him. "Though, I will admit, I really like red too."
"Do you?" Rias calmed down from her giggles and took a strand of her hair between her ring and index finger, twirling it around. "So you really like my hair then?"
Naruto nodded seriously. "It reminds me of my mother."
Rias perked up. "Your mother?"
"Mmm." Naruto hummed. "I never really got to meet my mom, but I do know a few things about her that other people told me. She was a major tomboy when she was younger, and because she had really bright red hair and a pudgy face, she earned the nickname tomato when she was in school. Back then, I was told she had beaten up all the boys who made fun of her and they ended up giving her the nickname Akai Chishio no Habanaero because of her red hair and fierce temper."
Rias held a hand to her mouth and giggled. "She really does sound like a tomboy."
Naruto grinned proudly. "Yep! Anyways, because of how much people made fun of her back then, mom really hated her hair. However, all that changed thanks to my dad." A small, nostalgic smile appeared on Naruto's face as he remembered the story his mom had told him the one and only time they had ever met. "Mom was a very prominent person where I lived. I suppose you could say she was sort of like you." Rias looked at him curiously. "She was the heir to a very powerful clan called the Uzumaki Clan."
"Clan of the whirling tides?"
"I think they were called that because of where they originally lived," Naruto said, "You see, before the Uzumaki Clan was mostly wiped out save for a few scattered remnants, they lived on an island that had a natural defense of dozens of whirlpools. Because of that, it was very difficult for attacking forces to invade them."
"I see," Rias smiled at his helpful answer, "Please continue with your story, Naruto-kun."
"Right, well, mom was the last surviving member of the Uzumaki Clan and this made her a target for a rival village who wanted to hold her for ransom. They ended up infiltrating the village and kidnapping my mom."
Rias found herself getting sucked into the story. "What happened?"
"When they were taking her away from the village, mom managed to leave a trail made from strands of her hair. And the one who followed them and managed to rescue her was my dad."
"Your dad?"
"Yes. Back when they were in school, mom didn't actually like my dad." He chuckled a bit. "She thought he looked flaky." Rias giggled as Naruto continued his story. "But on that day, mom's opinions about dad changed. You see, he not only rescued her, but he told her that the reason he had been able to find her was because of her beautiful red hair. He was the only person to ever compliment her hair color. After that day, mom fell in love with my dad and decided that she loved her hair too. She even went so far to call her hair the 'red thread of fate' because it brought her and dad together."
"That sounds like such a romantic story," even Rias was prone to dreamy sighs after a tale like that. It was like one of those classic fairy tales people read about in fantasy romance novels. "Is that why you like my hair so much? Because it reminds you of your mom?"
"Not really," Naruto shrugged, "Your hair color is a lot different than mom's. They may both be red, but hers was a lot lighter, while yours is more of a crimson." He grinned as he placed his hands behind his head and looked up at the sky. "I just think you have really beautiful hair." He looked back down at Rias, his grin widening. "That's all."
"I-I see..."
Rias looked away, causing the blond to tilt his head curiously. Had he said something wrong? He thought girls liked it when they were given compliments.
He looked over to where Rias was looking and saw the perverted boy he had tried to save last night staring at them. Leaning in ― and ignoring the loud noises coming from the people around him when he did this ― Naruto whispered, "Did you reincarnate him too?"
Giving one last look at Issei, Rias smiled and responded by whispering in Naruto's ear. "I did."
"Got'cha," Naruto nodded and leaned back, "I just wasn't sure. I don't really remember much of what happened after..." he trailed off for a second, his hand going towards where the large hole in his chest had been.
"I understand," Rias stopped after they entered the school building and turned to face him. She grabbed the hand Naruto had placed against his chest and moved it away so she could place her own hand there. Startled gasps emerged from those around them. Naruto ignored them as easily as he ignored the glares he used to get in his former home.
"You really are a kind person, aren't you?" she continued, causing Naruto to blush with a sheepish smile. You wouldn't think so from how he used to act when he was younger, but Naruto was never very good at accepting praise. "Worrying about someone you don't even know. Even someone you seem to enjoy playing pranks on."
"That was his own fault," Naruto defended himself, "he and his friends were just leaving themselves wide open like that. I couldn't not prank them, you know?"
Rias giggled, "It seems I've gained a little prankster in my peerage?"
"Peerage?" Naruto blinked.
"Another time," Rias said, "School is starting soon." She removed the hand from his chest and smiled as she backed away. "I will send someone for you after class, okay, Naruto-kun?"
"Yeah, that's fine, I guess," Naruto smiled as he waved Rias off. "I'll see you later, Rias."
~KatCHRP~
Naruto yawned as he sat down in his seat. Class was about to start and he was already wanting to go to sleep. Man, Shikamaru was right when he said learning was troublesome.
Closing his eyes, Naruto placed his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair to rest. He could easily afford few more moments of shut eye. It wasn't like the teacher could say anything. Despite what many people might assume, he actually had pretty good grades. Sure, it wasn't a 4.0 average, but 3.1 was pretty damn good too.
Back in Konoha, everyone had called him the Dead-last because he sucked at theory and reading assignments. That wasn't going to happen here. He wouldn't be thought of as an idiot in this world, even if it meant he had to... ugh... study.
Cue shudder.
"Ohayo, Naruto-san."
Cracking an eye open, Naruto found a handsome young man with short blonde hair and grey eyes standing in front of him. He was wearing the standard school uniform and his blazer was fully buttoned. He sort of reminded Naruto of Sasuke in the way that all the girl's seemed to think he was the hottest thing since the creation of fire jutsu.
"Kiba," Naruto gave the boy a bit of a lazy look. "What's up?" The only reason Naruto didn't have the same problems with him that he had with Sasuke in the beginning, aside from the small fact that he had outgrown those kinds of petty thoughts, was because Kiba was actually very friendly. He acted nothing like Sasuke did back when they were in the academy.
In other words, he wasn't a complete jerk with a fifty foot pole shoved up his ass.
"Not much," Kiba sat down in a desk next to Naruto's. "I heard that Buchou has talked to you?"
"Buchou?"
"Rias-sama," Kiba added when he saw Naruto's confused look. At the sound of the red-haired beauty's name, Naruto's face lit up in recognition. "I was told she talked to you this morning?"
"She did," the blond eyed his somewhat friend with the sort of casual awareness one has when they're hearing something interesting enough to pay attention to, but not enough that they were totally into what was being said. "I didn't know you knew her?"
"Buchou's the president of the Occult club, which I'm a part of," Kiba informed him with a friendly smile.
"Ah," Naruto nodded his head, "That would explain it." From the words Kiba spoke, Naruto easily deduced that the other blond was also a Devil, and this research club was likely some kind of front for Rias and other Devils to gather or something.
Naruto had to thank Kakashi-sensei and Ero-sennin for pounding some common sense into his head. He would have never been able to figure something like this out if they had not helped him.
"I was told that you were joining the club and that I should take you to the clubhouse after school so you can be informed of what we do."
"Sounds good," Naruto closed his eyes, "Now be a pal and wake me when class starts."
"Haha," Kiba sweatdropped a bit, "Sure thing."
~KatCHRP~
"YOU!"
Naruto stopped and cast an annoyed glare as the pervert, Issei he remembered the kid was called, came running up to him with a crazed look in his eyes. It wasn't that the kid was talking to him that bothered him, so as much as it was the fact that he had things to do and places to be. Besides, Naruto already had a hunch about what the kid could want.
The brown haired, slightly insane looking member of the Hentai San'nin-Gumi grabbed Naruto by the collar of his blazer. The unusual gleam in his eyes was not doing the pervert any favors right now.
"You remember Yuuma-chan, right? Right!?"
"Yuuma?" Naruto slapped Issei's hands away and adopted a thinking pose. After a second, he snapped his fingers and looked at Issei. "You're not talking about a chick with black hair, violet eyes and black angel wings, are you?"
"Yes! Yes!" Issei was crying tears of joy at the knowledge that someone finally remembered the girl who had killed him. "That's exactly who I'm talking about!"
"Nope. Sorry. Never heard of her before."
"EH!?" Issei looked at Naruto in shock as the blond began walking away. Moving quickly, Issei ran to catch up with Naruto as the spiky haired blond caught up with Kiba, who had waited for him at the end of the hall after Issei grabbed him. "What do you mean you don't remember!? You were there!"
Naruto gave Issei a bright smile. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Wha...? But that's―"
"Now, if you'll excuse me," Naruto interrupted, "I have somewhere I need to be."
~KatCHRP~
Naruto could hardly contain his snickering as he left behind a dejected Issei. The last he had seen of the boy before disappearing outside of the school building, his shoulders had been slumped and their had been a look of depression on his face. In most cases, he would have actually felt bad about doing a prank like this, but the over exaggerated expression on Issei's face just made it too funny for him to feel guilty about.
Really, that boy was just far to easy to prank. It almost made him feel bad for pranking someone who was obviously so gullible. Almost.
"That wasn't very nice," Kiba did not sound very displeased despite his words. Naruto got the feeling his fellow blond was amused.
"Eh?" Naruto shrugged, snickering a bit. "I couldn't help myself. The perv was just begging to be pranked."
"Is it because Issei-san is a pervert that you prank him?" asked a curious Kiba.
"Not really," Naruto shook his head. "I mean, sure, it's always amusing to prank perverts because they tend to have stronger reactions than most, but it's mostly because he just leaves himself so open. If he wasn't as naïve and easy to fool as he was, I wouldn't have nearly as much fun pranking him like that."
"I see," Kiba laughed. He led his fellow blond outside, and Naruto noticed immediately that they were walking towards one of the other buildings located within the academy grounds.
"Is the occult club not in the main building?" he asked curiously.
"We have our own building," Kiba told him, pointing towards the large school building they were heading to. Naruto immediately noticed that it was different than the main one, older, and had a slightly different style to it's architecture. Despite it's obvious age, it was still very well maintained. "This used to be the main school building, but when the new one was built, Buchou was able to acquisition it for the occult club."
"That makes sense," if they were devils, they would need a place away from prying eyes to do whatever it was devils did.
And just what did devils do if they didn't sacrifice virgins, babies and puppies anyways? Hopefully, he would find out.
~KatCHRP~
Naruto stood back as Kiba knocked on one of the sliding doors in the old school building. After a few seconds, a voice inside beckoned them to come in and he opened the door.
The inside of the room was clearly a cleared out classroom. The floors were made of wood panels and there was a chalkboard hanging on the wall behind a desk. All of the student desks had been cleared out and in the center of the room was a chalk drawing of a large and overly complicated circle that Naruto could not make heads or tails from. He assumed it had something to do with this place being a club for the occult, whatever that was.
All around the room were items to help increase this image. He saw tables with candles and skulls on them, the chalkboard had strange symbols and writing, and over in the corner there was a very cute girl with white hair, sitting on a couch and munching on Japanese sweets.
….
Wait. What?
Naruto looked over at the little girl again. She looked very young. He knew that if she was going to high school she had to at least be 15, but with her slim, petite figure, and cute, lolita face, she looked a year or two younger.
She had hazel colored eyes and her hair was a pure white color with two long bangs at the front that ran down past her shoulders and several loose bangs hanging over her forehead, while the back was cut in a short bob cut hair style. On either side of her hair were a pair of black, cat shaped hair clips.
She was also, Naruto noticed, incredibly cute, like some kind of cuddly mascot that he just wanted to pamper and pet.
Maybe that was why she reminded him of a cat.
Walking up to where the girl was sitting, Naruto sat down on the couch next to her and offered a bright smile. "Ohayo. I'm Uzumaki Naruto." He offered his hand, which the girl didn't take and instead took her hands away and hid them on the other side. He noted she was clutching the plate with her Japanese sweets rather zealously. "Ah. I'm not going to take your food, you know? I was just saying hi."
"Gomensai," the girl replied tonelessly. She relaxed her guard, at least a little. Naruto noticed she was still keeping the plate away from him.
"Naruto-san," Kiba got the other blond's attention. "This is Toujou Koneko, first year academy student and member of the occult club. Koneko-chan, this is Uzumaki Naruto."
"A pleasure to meet you, Naruto-senpai," Koneko greeted, her voice still toneless. Naruto wondered about that, but shrugged it off. She was probably like Gaara that way. Kind and compassionate, but preferred not to show it.
Naruto's bright grin returned. "It's nice to meet you too." He reached up towards her. Koneko flinched for a moment, clearly thinking he was going to take her sweets or something. That's what he thought she was thinking at any rate.
A few seconds later, Koneko was completely relaxed and purring as Naruto began to gently run his hands through her hair. He gave a mild chuckle. He was right, this girl was a lot like a cat.
"It's good to see you getting along with your peers, Naruto-kun."
Turning his head, Naruto did not stop his gentle ministrations as he watched Rias walk in with the Nadeshiko beauty behind her.
"Ara, ara. So you're Uzumaki Naruto-kun," the Nadeshiko girl smiled pleasantly as she clasped her hands together in front of her waist. She had a very nice smile. "My name is Himejima Akeno. Please take care of me."
"Ah..." Damn, what was the proper Japanese response for that? Oh, right. "Not at all. Please treat me well, Akeno-senpai." Whew. Geez, these Japanese traditions were hard. And just why did they have such weird traditions anyways? The Elemental Nations never had to deal with all this etiquette crap.
Or maybe it did. Naruto had never been one for etiquette back then, so he wouldn't know.
"Ara, ara," Akeno delicately held her hands to her face. "Such a cute little kohai I have. I think I might have to keep you."
"Uh..." was he supposed to respond to that? "Thanks?"
"Now that everyone is here, we can get started," Rias began as she made to stand in front of the table Naruto and Koneko were sitting near. Kiba took a seat on the opposite couch while Akeno went to make tea. "First off, welcome to the occult club, Naruto-kun."
"Um, good to be here," Naruto smiled politely. He looked over at everyone there before looking back at Rias. "Am I to take it that all of you are devils?"
"Very good, Naruto-kun," Rias congratulated Naruto and graced him with a gentle smile. "Yes, all of us are devils."
"I see," Naruto said as Akeno placed a cup of tea in front of him. "Thank you."
"Ara, ara," Akeno smiled amusedly, "Such a polite young man. You're welcome."
Naruto stared at the raven haired beauty for a second as she walked over to stand behind Rias, holding the tea tray to her bosom. He shook his head and picked up the cup of steaming liquid, lightly blowing on it before taking a drink. Normally, Naruto did not like tea, but it would be rude not to drink it.
"This is good," he complimented honestly after taking a small sip. He took another one as Akeno smiled at him.
"Thank you."
As he was about to take another sip, a hand tugged at his sleeve. Turning his head, he saw Koneko staring at him with an imploring look. At least it was imploring to Naruto. To anyone else, it would not look any different from her normally apathetic gaze.
Naruto got his ability to read blank facial expressions from spending too much time with Gaara.
"Ah, right, sorry about that." He set the tea cup down and reached out with a hand to restart his gentle petting of the girls hair. Koneko melted, much to the amusement of the others.
"It seems he's already managed to earn the affection of at least one of us," Akeno mused, then looked over at Rias. "Or is it two of us?" The president of the occult club frowned, but still responded.
"I will admit it, he's a very interesting individual. He seems to gather people around him very easily, even those who have just met him, with his open and friendly personality."
"Including you?"
"Maybe."
"You know, I'm still having a hard time believing all of you are devils," Naruto frowned. "No offense, but all I can see are three very pretty girls and one blond guy."
"Ah hahaha," Kiba laughed sheepishly at being referenced as 'one blond guy'. "You're blond too, you know?"
"Yes, but I'm new here," Naruto shot back.
"I can see why you would be skeptical, even though I already explained this," Rias said. "But there is an easy way to prove what we are to you." Naruto watched with a raised eyebrow as Rias, Akeno and Kiba all sprouted black bat wings from their back. He looked over at Koneko, wondering if she would do the same.
She didn't. But not because she couldn't. She was still experiencing bliss at his hand.
"You have wings too, you know."
At that, Naruto turned his head slightly and saw that, yes, he did indeed have wings. Two, bat-like black wings were sprouting from his back. The blond narrowed his eyes and focused on them, getting them to flap a bit before some more focus made them retract.
Wow. That was interesting.
"Okay," Naruto admitted, turning his attention back to Rias, "so you guys are Devils. Question."
"Ask away," Rias gestured for him to continue.
"Why are you telling me this and not Issei as well? I would have figured you would want him to be here too. Since, you know, you reincarnated him as well."
Rias nodded her head as if she expected that question.
"Very true, and I have every intention of telling Issei soon. However," Rias' countenance darkened. "I believe that Issei is being targeted."
"Targeted?" Naruto narrowed his eyes and a calculating glint appeared within his normally friendly and open irises. "I see, you're using him as bait to find out whose targeting him. If he knew about all of this, he would be more wary, thus not reacting in a predictable manner. In other words, you need him to not know anything until you find out who is after him so that you can catch his assailants in the act."
"Exactly," Rias smiled brightly at the blond. "You really are quite smart!"
"Eh?" Naruto used his free hand to scratch the back of his head sheepishly. "Not really. I'm just good at reading between the lines. You know, looking underneath the underneath and all that."
"Well, I for one am impressed with how easily you managed to figure out my plan on so little information." Naruto flushed at the praise as Rias continued complimenting him. "It takes a keen mind to think up such conclusions so easily."
"I guess," Naruto mumbled. Coughing a bit, he tried to get back on track. "So, who exactly is after Issei?"
Rias' countenance became incredibly serious, forcing Naruto to do the same, which really just made him look kind of ridiculous because by now Koneko had taken to laying her head on his lap as he stroked and petted her head.
"One of our greatest enemies," Rias said with the utmost seriousness. "A group known as the Fallen Angels."
~KatCHRP~
Issei left his friends house feeling even more depressed than before. It seemed not even watching his favorite pornos could lift his spirits up.
He had been so sure that the blond kid he saw with Rias-senpai the other day would have known who Yuuma was. He was there when it happened. Hell, he had even saved him!
Well, he tried to save him. Issei still ended up taking a light spear to the gut, but it was the thought that counted. Right?
Right.
But no, when Issei confronted Naruto the boy claimed to not know a thing. How depressing was that? To see the person who tried to save you not even remember what happened or remembered about the girl he tried saving you from? Maybe it was just him, but the thought made Issei extremely depressed.
Did no one remember Yuuma?
As he continued to walk down the street to his house and sulk, a strange feeling came over him. It was sort of like that feeling he got when he was about to be beaten by a horde of angry teenage girls, only different. It was much more sinister and made his body shiver as a chill crept over him.
"How unfortunate."
Issei blinked, then turned around. Walking into the light of a street lamp was a middle-aged-looking gentleman with short black hair and dark blue eyes. He wore an outfit that consisted of a pale violet trenchcoat over a white dress shirt with a matching ascot, black pants and shoes, and a black fedora.
"To actually bump into someone like you in a place like this." The man traced his fingers along the rim of his fedora. Issei stared at the man dumbly. What the hell was this idiot talking about?
Not wanting to stick around any longer, and feeling more than a little on edge around this guy, Issei did what he felt was the most prudent thing at the time.
He turned around and bolted like a bat out of hell.
"Trying to run away?" The man taunted. "Tell me, who is your master?"
What the hell was this guy talking about? Master? He had no master!
Issei didn't bother answering the obviously deranged man and simply focused on running. If he traveled far enough, fast enough, he should be able to lose the guy. Teenagers such as himself had more energy than old farts like that guy.
Right?
"Did you really think I would let you run away?"
Issei's eyes widened as he stumbled forward, just barely catching his balance, then turned around. The man he had tried to lose stood in front of him, only he was different then the last time Issei had seen him. He had wings. Black angel wings.
Just like Yuuma.
"Tell me who your master is," the man demanded. When Issei didn't answer, namely because he didn't know what the hell this lunatic was talking about, the man frowned. "Or perhaps you're a stray? Hmm... I can't detect any traces of your master on you, so you must be a stray. In that case, killing you will not be a problem."
The man held out his hand and a bright light started to emit from it, which Issei realized with a start he had seen happen before.
He should remember that light. It was the same light Yuuma had made right before she ended up killing him.
As expected, a spear of light appeared in the man's hand. Issei turned to run, knowing he had to get out of here before he was killed. Perhaps if he ran far enough, he could lose this strange man with wings like Yuuma.
He didn't get very far. Before he could even run a meter from where he had been, an incredible pain erupted from his stomach. Issei looked down to see the cause, not surprised one bit to find he had the shaft of the light spear sticking out of his gut.
Gah! This was the second time he had been stabbed by one of these light things in two days. What the hell?
Coughing, Issei tried to pull the light spear out, only to feel more pain surge through him as his hands were literally burned by the light.
"You can't pull it out, can you?" the man behind him taunted. He grabbed Issei by the head with one hand, grinning like a madman. "Light spears like this are deadly poison for creatures like you. Would you like me to help you pull it out?"
Without warning, the man ripped the light spear out of Issei's stomach through his back. If the pain he felt from getting it shoved in him in the first place was incredible, then the pain of having the spear pulled out was indescribable. Nothing could have prepared him for the agony he felt now.
"I apologize for giving you such pain." Issei just barely heard as he held a hand to the gaping hole in his stomach. He just barely managed to crawl over to a wall where he felt his life fading again for the second time. "Sadly, it looks like I missed your vital organs. I'll be more accurate next time. This time, I'll definitely kill you!"
Just before the middle aged man could throw his light spear at Issei, a loud voice interrupted him.
"Dynamic Entry!"
The last thing Issei saw was the strange man with the black wings getting smashed in the face by an orange and black blur.
Naruto grinned as he landed on his feet after sending the fallen angel with the fedora flying. That felt good. Really good. If there was one thing Uzumaki Naruto enjoyed doing more than anything else, it was kicking jabroni ass.
It was something he liked to think he excelled in.
Standing up, the blond held his left hand in front of his face and clenched it into a fist. It was small, barely a trickle compared to the vast ocean it had been, but he could feel it. Chakra. His chakra was returning. Even if the amount he could use was only on par with that of a relatively powerful genin, it was still enough to cause him fits of joy.
It was also the reason he had managed to get here so quickly.
"Who the hell are you!?"
Naruto looked up to see the fedora man glaring at him as he held the right side of his face. The young Uzumaki was pleased to see a very large, very ugly bruise had formed on the guy's face where he had hit him.
Grinning like a loon, Naruto pointed at the man.
"I'm the guy who's gonna kick your ass if you don't leave the kid alone!"
"And I am going to help him."
"Ah!" Smiling, Naruto turned around to see Rias standing protectively over the no longer conscious Issei. "Rias, I'm glad you were able to keep up."
"Your speed did surprise me," Rias admitted, causing him to rub the back of his head and grin widely at the red head. "But please, do not run off like that again." She gave him a sweet smile that made his insides feel all warm and tingly. "I would hate it if you ended up getting hurt, Naruto-kun."
"Eh hehehe," Naruto felt himself feel a strange mixture of embarrassment and pleasure. "Sorry, I just felt the strange energy this guy was giving off and had to see what was up." He looked over at guy in the fedora. "For some reason, this strange energy he has makes me feel nervous."
"I'm not surprised you can feel it," Rias said, "Your senses are quite sharp. That feeling you get is because of what he is. Fallen Angels are a natural enemy of Devils. The unease you feel around this man is your instincts as a Devil kicking in."
"Good to know."
"That red hair..." the fedora wearing fallen angel murmured. "I see, you wouldn't happen to be part of the Gremory Clan, would you?"
"That's right," Rias said, smirking at the fallen angel. She absently used her hand to flip some of her hair behind her head in a display of haughty elegance that only a member of royalty like her could pull off. "I am Rias Gremory. It's a pleasure to meet you, Fallen Angel-san. And I'm going to have to ask that you stop hurting Issei here."
"So that's one of your underlings?" The man tried to look nonchalant as he fingered the rim of his hat. With the large bruise on his face now beginning to swell, it didn't really work out. "Please don't leave your servant unattended like that. Someone like myself might bump into him while accidentally taking a walk and think he's a stray that needs to be put down."
"Thank you for the advice," Rias cast him an amused smirk before her expression turned serious. She narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "But perhaps you should be taking your own advice. This city is under my jurisdiction. If you interfere in my business or try to hurt one of my cute little slaves again, I may have to take more drastic actions."
"Woah," Naruto murmured, his eyes squinting. "This is like one of those old fashion stand offs. I've seen shit like this before. All we need now is a giant snake demanding sacrifices, a sake drinking toad, and a very polite slug and we'll have a classic stand off."
….
….
"What?"
Rias shook her head at Naruto while the fedora wearing fallen angel decided to pretend the boy had never spoken. It was safer for his sanity that way.
With a large flap of his wings, he took off to the skies, leaving only a parting comment in his wake.
"The same goes for you, Heiress to the Gremory family. My name is Dohnaseek. Pray that we never meet again, especially you, brat."
"Oi!" Naruto shouted to the sky. "I am not a brat! You take that back you flying sack of bird feathers!"
"Don't bother shouting, Naruto-kun," Rias said calmly as she turned around to assess how badly Issei was damaged. "He's already gone."
Naruto grumbled insults under his breath. Rias could not hear all of it, but what she did catch showed the breadth and width of his vocabulary. It was most impressive.
It was also very disturbing. Rias did not want to know what he planned on doing to that Dohnaseek with several dozen gallons of tar, rubbing alcohol and a rubber duck. She really didn't.
"At least now we know the fallen angels really are after Issei," Naruto sighed.
"Yes," Rias nodded in agreement, "Which means we can plan accordingly."
"Do you need any help here?" asked Naruto, gesturing over to the unconscious boy with a hand. "I'm not much of a healer, but I know the basics required to be a field medic." At the very least he could stitch the kid up.
"That will not be necessary," Rias said, giving him a smile. "But thank you for the offer."
Naruto couldn't help but smile back. "Anytime."