"Did you bring your wallet?"
"Yep."
"Enough clothing?"
"Uh-huh."
"Toothbrush? Overall cleaning supplies?"
"Yes, thank you for the reminders dattebayo." Naruto snarked, sending an annoyed look at his sister.
Mio huffed, turning her head to the side. "I'm just trying to help, maybe you forgot something and didn't think about it? I'm not going to be there to help you out after all."
"Help me out she says..." the shinobi returned disbelievingly. "If my memory serves me right, I've always helped everyone else, rarely have any of you freeloaders helped me out."
The red-head paused, considering.
"...I'll help out eventually." Mio shot back, confident in this.
"Key term; eventually." Naruto drawled with a teasing smirk.
Both teens were making their way from their home to Kuoh Academy, one decked out with it's uniform, and one without it.
Naruto was wearing a plain orange t-shirt with a gray vest over it, dark blue jeans, and orange-black sneakers to finish his ensemble.
Why was he wearing such clothing on a school day?
Why...because he wasn't going to class of course. As a matter of fact, he was gonna grab a taxi to grab a train to Kyoto.
All he had to do left, was see everyone off.
...That and make sure that the advice he gave them wasn't going to be wasted.
It's been a good three days since the 'incident' with 'Bapple' and Gama-tan, he had a couple of things that he had to do before he left Kuoh Town.
Speaking of which...
"Mio, you remember what I told you, right?" the blond asked rhetorically, seeing the gate of the Academy as they continued walking.
"Not at all." the red-head admitted readily, but before her brother could complain, she continued. "I didn't have to, you wrote it down on a list after all."
Naruto smirked, he did do that, didn't he? Man...he was so smart.
"...Careful there, don't want to congratulate yourself toomuch now. Like I said, I won't be there to bring your ego back down to earth." Mio said pointedly, a wry grin on her face nonetheless.
The shinobi chuckled. "Right, got it imouto."
The half-devil twitched, but didn't deign to reply. Instead focusing on the approaching figures of their friends as they reached the gate.
"Ah, there he is! Buchou! Naruto's here!" Issei called out, turning around to address the group behind him.
As expected, mostly everyone was there, waiting to give a farewell.
Honestly though...they were acting as if he was leaving for a month, this wouldn't take him longer than four days, max.
This was a 'get-in, get-out' situation, simple and quick. Unless some bad shit decided to happen...but his luck wasn't that bad, right?
"Glad you could join us, Naruto." Rias called out in greeting as the two siblings moved closer to the group. "Hope you had a pleasant break from school...while you left me to deal with Sona."
Ah, she was still sore about that, huh?
Yep, it was best that Gama-tan remained anonymous.
"Hey, I did cash in my favor, didn't I? Besides, because of me, you two got to spend more quality time with one another. That's always good, right?" Naruto stated, patting his back for a job well done.
"Oh yes..." the high-class devil grumbled. "It was a joy to deal with Sona after you blackmailed her."
"Buchou is a little sore about what happened, if you haven't noticed." Akeno said, her classic smile on her face. "It probably has something to do with how irritable the kaichou was."
Naruto gave her a tight smile in return. "Ah...she's...stillupset about that, huh?"
"What do you think?" Rias grumbled again, crossing her arms in annoyance.
Asia, who was standing nearby the red-head, moved closer to her fellow blond and whispered in his ear. "Sona-san thinks that you are somehow connected to Gama-tan and Sairaorg-san. She seems convinced."
Naruto sweat-dropped, she genuinely was a lot closer to the truth than everyone thought, and he could feel his sister's stare bore into the back of his skull for it...
"How bad is it?" the shinobi eventually asked, looking entirely incredulous.
"On a scale from one to ten? I'd say eight, congratulations for getting so thoroughly under her skin. I didn't think that anyone except her sister could do that." Rias eventually responded with a sardonic smirk.
Sona, to put it bluntly, didn't want to talk, look, think, or even be in the general vicinity of Naruto. For obvious reasons.
So it was up to Rias to make sure that she didn't try to hit the blond with some sort of retribution.
Fun days all around.
"So...she's going to be alright, right? I don't have to worry about student council members trying to catch me with a giant net?" Naruto inquired steadily, remembering how close those evil bastards came to catching him like a butterfly last time.
"I'd be kind of surprised if she let it go so easily actually." Akeno noted.
"Yeah...I think the kaichou was a little embarrassed, you got her pretty good. Especially since she was shown up by the bapple and Gama-tan." Issei noted, with a grin. "I'm happy to say that I managed to score a shot on Gama-tan that day."
The blond unintentionally began to glare at the brown-haired boy, did he have to remind him?
"...What?"
"Nothing." Naruto dismissed gruffly, before looking around. "Where's Yuki by the way? I thought that she'd be here-"
"Present."
The blond nearly jumped out of his skin, turning around quickly to discover the young hero behind him.
"In the name of-! Give me a warning next time!" Naruto complained loudly, trying to calm his beating heart.
Damn it...he was distracted by the conversation...he needed to give her a bell or something.
Mostly because he was genuinely somewhat terrified of her, those torture sessions of hers will forever scar his psyche...
Yuki raised an eyebrow. "You asked, I answered. You ready to go by the way? I want to leave as soon as possible."
Naruto sighed. "Right, right...let me just give some last second words of advice to everyone before I-"
He paused, realizing something was off with that sentence.
"...'We'?" the blond echoed, uncertain.
The young hero only nodded in return. "Yes, 'we'. 'We' are going to Kyoto. Are you ready to go?"
Naruto said nothing, staring at her owlishly, before turning around to look at everyone else to check if he heard that right.
"...Is she serious?"
Rias glanced from her queen to Mio, as confused as everyone else was.
Before anyone could answer properly, Issei moved up to the blond and wrapped his arm around his friend's shoulders. "Hey Naruto...this is a good chance, eh?"
Naruto gave the brown-haired boy a confused look. "...A good chance? For what exactly?"
The pawn simply responded by nudging him with his elbow, a perverted grin on his face. "Come on. You and Yuki-san are going to Kyoto by yourselves...you have a chance here, eh?"
The shinobi said nothing, eyes blinking repeatedly in his abject confusion.
The hero in question tilted her head slightly, not understanding as well. "...I'm coming so that he doesn't get himself into trouble. He's practically a trouble magnet, if you haven't noticed."
Yuki then dropped her bag, grabbing something inside it when she unzipped it and showed it to her friend.
Naruto instantly paled.
"...You also didn't finish doing your time while we were tutoring." she finished.
The blond backpedaled and hid behind the brown-haired boy next to him, using him as a human shield against his torturer.
"Ara ara...it seems that our kohai is traumatized." Akeno chirped, giving her king a grin.
Rias didn't reply, she simply took in the scene with satisfaction, this boy gave her excess work for the simple fact that he was bored or she was simply caught in the cross-fire of his pranks.
Felt good.
After lots of verbal complaints, Naruto finally accepted the fact that Yuki was tagging along, there was no harm in it he supposed.
The car that was transporting them had recently arrived and the duo was putting their luggage inside, with Naruto filling the hero in on his plans for Kyoto.
"So you want to speak with the yokai faction leader, hm? Makes sense that we take human transportation then...don't want to make them believe that you're siding with devils." Yuki said, thinking about what complications could possibly arise from such a meeting.
"Yeah, Rias noticed that too. Although...apparently she was more worried about that fact that I wouldn't get my 'full Kyoto experience'...or something like that. No idea why that matters though." the shinobi responded, giving the red-head behind him a look.
Rias, who was reminiscing about said experiences, gave the blond a haughty smile. "You say that now, but you have never experienced the splendor of Kyoto. I assure you, you will thank me for this."
The queen behind her sighed, her king and her japanophile tendencies...
Naruto finally turned to fully regard the high-class devil. "Hey...you remember what I told you to do while I'm gone, right?"
Rias raised an eyebrow at that. "Don't you mean 'what you suggested'?"
The blond shrugged, acquiescing the point. "Suggested then."
"Yeah, we remember."
Naruto nodded seriously, good.
They were talking about the suggestions that the blond made to his allies when regarding their training. Many of which revolved around self-improvement.
It wasn't much, but he felt that they needed to hear it from him, as someone who has the experience to back up his statements.
...Sometimes.
"Ah...by the way, apologies about the whole training center thing." Rias apologized, a rare sheepish grin on her face.
The shinobi glowered, how could he forget?
Damn her.
But at the same time, he got Gama-tan out of it, so maybe it was kind of worth it?
"...Whatever." Naruto grouched, turning away with a petulant pout on his face.
The 'Great Ladies' could only grin at each other with his attitude.
Meanwhile, Yuki, who was focusing on putting away the last of her luggage, felt someone place their hand on her arm.
A flash of long red hair caught the hero's attention through the side of her eye.
"Mio? Is there something wrong?" Yuki asked quietly, noticing the girl's disquiet.
Mio was giving her a steady stare, trying to formulate the words that she needed to say.
"...I want to come too." the half-devil admitted, gazing at the human girl with grim determination.
Yuki squinted her eyes slightly. "...Why?"
Mio squirmed slightly, uncomfortable with her own request due to it's short notice, but was silently hopeful. Since the hero managed to get a spot...she was hoping that she could too.
"I want to keep my family safe." was all she could say in the end.
The hero stared at the red-head for a few seconds, studying her face without comment.
Before closing her eyes.
"If you really want to keep your family safe...then you should stay behind."
Mio leaned forward, opening her mouth in protest...
"Mio." Yuki cut her off, giving the younger girl a hard stare. "I need you to remember something here..."
The hero leaned in this time, narrowed yellow eyes locking with wary pink.
"Naruto is a trouble magnet, but that doesn't just affect him. It affects everyone around him." Yuki started, stern in her demeanor. "When people target Naruto, many will notice his strength, taking note of his power and some of his enemies will still try to destroy him regardless. One of those many ways...lies in targeting those he cares about."
Mio's eyes widened, that was-
"...Naruto informed me of his suggestions for everyone else in regards to training, I think you should stay behind in order to follow his suggestions. For Naruto's sake, as well as your own." Yuki finished, eyes softening to the half-devil's issue.
The red-head in question bit her lip in frustration. The hero was right...but she hated the fact that she was right.
More than that, the thought of the two traveling together alone was...unpleasant.
Then the tension in her shoulders dissipated, remembering something important.
Of course, how could she forget...maybe this was fine after all?
"Alright...fine. You're right." Mio admitted, calming herself down to speak rationally. "But please...until I get stronger...help keep my family safe."
Yuki's eyes shifted from the worried half-devil to the subject of their conversation. He was currently complaining to Issei and Asia about how they hid the training center that Rias built. Much to both of their consternation.
The young human then turned back to give her friend's sister a confident nod. "Even if you didn't ask me, I still would have done so anyways."
Mio grinned at that. "Glad to hear it."
Yuki reciprocated with a small grin of her own, at ease that the conflict was resolved.
But before the red-head could say anything more, she remembered something, causing her to frown imperceptibly. Maybe she should...
Yeah, she should.
"One last thing. You should...ah...not be too surprised later should...something happen." Mio said with a large grin.
The hero's grin faded to something more wary, that grin on her face was kind of familiar...
Before she could comment on it, Naruto walked up to the two of them. "Hey Yuki, let's head out. You ready to go?"
Yuki nodded, eyes flicking to Mio for a moment, before focusing on the blond. "Right, I'm ready."
With that, the young girl opened the car door and slipped inside, telling the driver of their destination.
Naruto's eyes turned to his sister's, locking for a moment simply to stare.
Then the staring contest ended when the blond's lips upturned slightly.
"See ya later, Mio?"
It only took a split-second for Mio to smile in return, assured that he would be alright.
"See you later, Naruto."
Both siblings threw their arms around each other, enveloping each other whole as a goodbye, only letting go once the shinobi pat his sister's back.
Naruto quickly waved goodbye to everyone else, before sliding inside the car himself so that they get get moving.
The shinobi turned back to look at everyone as they waved goodbye, smiles and grins all around.
It was only while he was gazing at all of his friends, that he noticed that someone else that wasn't a part of the group was also paying attention to his departure.
Behind the group was a tree, behind that large plant was a figure hidden in it's shadow, watching him.
Koneko was staring steadily at him, unwavering as she did so. Her pupils; unreadable.
Naruto frowned as the car revved up, preparing to depart. Why didn't she say goodbye...? Was she that upset or...?
The blond shook his head; it didn't matter. The fact was that she was here...that was all that mattered.
So he waved in her direction, blue eyes cheerful as he did so.
The young rook's eyes widened slightly at this, before hesitantly waving back, obviously not expecting that reaction.
Then, as the car began to move, he moved his mouth, mouthing out some silent words to her.
Koneko didn't say anything as the car drove away, taking the mysterious teen that changed so much in such a short time. Eyes staring at nothing as her mind raced.
The words that weren't spoken...but were conveyed.
Be strong.
The white-haired girl did nothing but stare, barely acknowledging anything else. Ignoring the other students that were arriving to face the new day, unaware of the stormy emotions underneath the young girl.
"...Be strong...huh?" she couldn't help but mutter.
The lightest upturn of her lips appeared on her face, troublemaker as always...
Mio continued to watch as the taxi took her brother to his newest 'adventure'. He never did sit still, did he...?
"...He's gone." Issei said quietly. "It's gonna be a little quieter than normal for a while, huh?"
"Yeah. It's going to be a little strange, not expecting something to happen anymore." Rias agreed, blue-green eyes also focusing on where the taxi left. "But I doubt that he'd want us to focus on that."
The other teens nodded absentmindedly, feeling somewhat awkward of the idea of a Naruto-free Kuoh.
"Buchou." Akeno reminded, nudging her. "We should start the day, we don't want the other students to question why so many of us are out here standing around."
The red-head straightened her back. "Right, come on everyone...let's go."
Mio turned slightly to watch as everyone began to leave, heading back to Kuoh Academy so that their day could begin.
But someone stayed behind.
Someone that the young half-devil didn't really notice until now.
"...Kiba-san?" Mio wondered, watching the blond teen stare into space.
The knight jerked at someone calling his name, eyes snapping to the red-head in slight surprise. "Hm? Oh...I'm sorry. I was distracted, did Naruto-san leave already?"
Pink eyes squinted slightly, slightly annoyed that he forgot to say goodbye. "...Yes. He left already."
"I see...that's too bad." Yuuto said with genuine remorse. "I was hoping to ask him something...but I suppose it doesn't matter now."
The reincarnated devil then gave the younger girl a small bow, a forced smile on his face as he did so.
"Apologies, I have been...distracted lately, I'll see you later."
With that, the blond left, moving to join the rest of the Gremory group as they headed to Kuoh Academy.
Mio said nothing, she merely moved her eyes back to the road where her brother had left. Already ill at ease now that he wasn't there to make sure everything was alright.
Nevertheless, she grit her teeth and turned away. Determined to not simply fold to whatever life threw her way, refusing to continuously be a burden for him.
Whatever happened, she would find a way.
Naruto and Yuki quickly reached their train, giving their driver the money that Rias gave them and taking their luggage with them.
The shinobi frowned for a moment...was his bag always this heavy?
"Naruto, we're going to miss the train. Hurry." Yuki urged, moving quickly to catch the train that would take them to Kyoto.
The blond quickly followed, joining her as they went through the process of admitting their tickets. Afterwards, they quickly moved to grab their seats before the inevitable flood of people came.
It was only after they got their seats and secured their baggage, that they allowed themselves to relax.
Naruto leaned his head back onto his seat, taking the time to appreciate the calm after all of the hectic movements they had to make. It was quite limiting to him with the enclosed spaces and large groups of people.
It didn't take long for the train to begin moving, starting their relatively sleep-inducing voyage to Kyoto. It shouldn't take that long, but they should get comfortable nonetheless.
"Naruto, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Yuki asked quietly, leaning back to get comfortable as well.
The blond closed his eyes, allowing the steady movement of the metallic contraption to soothe his senses. "Not at all, shoot."
The young female said nothing for a moment, searching for the right words.
"...I heard from Mio during our tutoring sessions about your...reckless vow."
A wry grin appeared on the shinobi's face. "You're gonna have to be more specific than that."
He could practically feel the hero roll her eyes.
"I'm talking about your wish to change devil culture." Yuki responded, eyes focusing for any reactions on her friend's face.
His facial features, accordingly, scrunched up slightly. "Ah...that."
Naruto opened his eyes and regarded his friend seriously, leaning in so that he could talk to her without anyone listening in.
"I've...definitely given that issue some thought, I think I might actually have a way to achieve that lofty goal one day. But I can't change anything as I am now. I need to make a name for myself in the Underworld somehow first." the shinobi whispered conspiratorially.
Yuki raised an eyebrow, she supposed that was a pretty reasonable way to influence culture, but the bigger question still remained.
"How exactly would you even gain such influence? If you haven't noticed, devils that are in the upper echelons of society are quite...inclusive." the hero pointed out, yellow eyes inquisitive.
Naruto puffed up his chest, grinning. "This is where my brainstorming becomes awesome...you see, I think that if I manage to do well enough as a...uh...'broker' for peace, that I can get my name spread out fairly quickly through association alone!"
The hero nodded, that made sense and crossed with his former goals as it was. So she waited to see how he could expand on that.
...
...
"...And?" Yuki prodded, waiting for him to continue.
Naruto just scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well...that's all I got so far."
Well...that was a little disappointing.
Then again, the young female probably should have expected something like this already, it's not like the blond always made fool-proof plans.
"Yeah, a bit lackluster, I know. At least I got something to build on though." the shinobi admitted freely, leaning back again and raising his feet into the air playfully.
Yuki didn't look convinced, but for now decided to let it go as her friend continued to keep his feet in the air and looked at the window.
Naruto was silently watching the blurred scenery, marveling at it. He supposed it looked like this when he was running as well, but he was always focused on something else during those moments. Now he could just...watch.
It was nice.
The blond finally dropped his feet, allowing it to fall on the bag that he brought with him.
"Ouch!"
Naruto froze, turning slowly to look at the bag that was now under his feet.
Yuki stared too, since when did a bag say 'ouch'?
The shinobi leaned towards it, slowly zipping it open so that he could cautiously-
"Surprise!"
A certain succubus popped out of the bag with a large grin and an even larger bump on her head, courtesy of the blond's foot.
Neither of the other teens said anything, they just watched as the silverette tripped over herself and fell face-flat onto the floor.
"...Yuki?" Naruto asked, the tone more than enough to discern what he wanted.
"...No idea." the hero answered honestly, thinking back to see if she ever-
'You should...ah...not be too surprised later should...something happen.'
Oh.
Ohhhhh...
"...Naruto, I think you've influenced your 'sister' too much." Yuki grumbled, facepalming all the while.
Naruto was crossing his arms over his chest, giving the succubus a not-so-amused look.
Maria was just smiling and taking in the sights of the train, thoroughly content with the state of affairs.
Meanwhile, Yuki was just alternating between watching the two of them. Unsure what her blond friend would do.
As expected, Naruto eventually opened his mouth to ask the inevitable question...
Too bad Maria opened her mouth first.
"Mio-sama sent me to help out!" Maria claimed, looking entirely too pleased with herself. "So she forced me into your bag last night with some food so that I can sneak in! I didn't think Yuki-san would be coming too though."
The shinobi wasn't sure whether he should feel amused or annoyed, seriously Mio...?
The worst part was that the red-head told him that Maria was out getting groceries, more specifically; ramen. Mostly to give him some on his return.
He knew it was too good to be true...
Naruto then shook his head, the fact was that they were too far away to go back and drop off the silverette...so she was stuck with them, whether they liked it or not.
...Damn it, that sucks.
"So! How much longer until we get to Kyoto? I've never been there before! This is gonna be so cool!" Maria gushed, completely unrepentant.
The hero just placed her hand on the blond's shoulders as he stewed in his frustration. "Sorry, but it seems that we must endure her presence for now."
"Hey!" the succubus protested. "I'll have you know...that I'm very good company! Besides, you don't really have a right to talk!"
Yuki raised her chin in defiance. "I asked."
Naruto gave the young human a look. "Not really..."
"Informed." she quickly amended.
Maria nodded, giving them all understanding looks. "I know, we don't like it when our plans don't go our way. But sometimes...those plans get ruined by unforeseeable circumstances! So then I ask you...won't you let this slide? Just this once?"
The blond's facial features changed not a whit. "I did. For Yuki. You'd be the second."
The succubus blinked slowly.
"...Just this...twice?" she asked awkwardly.
Naruto sighed, he began rubbing his forehead in irritation. Why the hell did he have to deal with this again?
Seeing that her plea wasn't working, she tried a different tact. "Naruto-sama...come on! You can do this for me can't you? Look past your previous plan and make room for a new one! After all...the Naruto-sama I know would never allow a mere 'unforeseeable circumstance' to slow him down, right!?"
The shinobi's eyes widened. "...You're...you're actually right! I never did allow stupid shit to get in my way! Why the hell would I start now?"
After that, he quickly grabbed the succubus by the shoulders, giving her a grateful look. "Thank you for reminding me of that Maria..."
Maria could only giggle lightly. "No worries Nar-"
Suddenly the blond's grip on her tightened, his grateful look shifted to an oppressive one.
"Thank you for reminding me...that I really should just get rid of those 'unforeseeable circumstances'!" the human male declared loudly, before opening the window besides him and pulling the loli towards it-
"Nooooo! You jerk! Meanie! WHY!?" Maria wailed, flailing as the blond manhandled her.
"Hey...what can I say!? You gave me the inspiration!" Naruto retorted hotly, pushing her slowly to the open window.
Yuki could only cover her face as several passengers around them gave them the stink eye, they were causing such a ruckus...
As the two struggled for dominance, the hero's ear twitched as she heard a new sound, causing her own eyes to narrow. What was that...?
She looked up, noticing an air vent, frowning as she stared at it. This sound was...
*hisssss*
Realization reached those wary yellow pupils.
"Naruto! Maria!"
Both stopped moving, surprised due to the hero's vehement tone.
"Cover your noses with your clothes! Hurry!" Yuki ordered, bringing her shirt up to her nose to lessen the amount of air she took in.
Neither Naruto or Maria argued, quickly hiding their noses under their clothes as well.
All of them were silent as they waited, the blond and silverette only just hearing that strange sound from the air vent...
Then Naruto saw it.
Several passengers began to yawn, many more began to look entirely exhausted all of a sudden...
Finally, almost as if on signal, several passengers began to fall asleep on their seats. Completely and without warning.
"Sleeping gas." Yuki muttered starkly. "I think we have a problem."
The shinobi moved closer to her, eyes sharpening as he surveyed the train car. "Can you tell if it's lethal? I want to wait this out to see what's going on but..."
"No." the hero interjected. "It isn't lethal. But too much of it and it can-"
Yuki trailed off, the *hiss* sound coming from the vents began to dissipate.
The trio sent each other relieved nods, so they weren't put on a time limit, good. Nevertheless, they kept their noses covered, but at least that was one less thing to worry about.
Immediately after, the train under them jerked, slowing down and eventually stopping entirely.
"...Beautiful. Looks like we're stuck here." Naruto complained, looking outside to see where they were stuck at.
The hero shushed him, trying to listen to anything that may indicate where their enemies could possibly be.
A few seconds passed in total silence, ears straining to hear for any sign of what was going on without giving away the fact that they were still awake.
Then they heard it, leading their eyes to travel to the ceiling.
The banging of footsteps, on top of the train car...
Then the entire car was rocked with a distant explosion, rocking it around ,much to their rising concern.
"Alright...no more waiting around." Naruto growled, getting up from his seat and slamming his fist into his palm. "I'm going to find out what the hell is going on. No way in hell will I let some no-name punks ruin my vacation!"
"...This was a vacation to you?" Yuki asked with dull eyes.
Naruto completely ignored the question, focused far more in grabbing something last-second in his bag, then turning to give his two travel-buddies a look.
"You two coming or what?" the shinobi pressed, putting the pouch filled with kunai and shuriken on him.
Both girls glanced at one another, before sighing and standing up to join him.
"Lead the way." Yuki allowed, tilting her head in acknowledgement of leadership.
The shinobi grinned at that after putting his bag inside a seal for safe keeping, just in case.
"You got it."
The trio were currently closing in on the explosion from earlier, all of them quickly noticing the sounds of fighting a few cars down.
Maria looked past the two teens, trying to get a better view. "I hear something, but I don't see anything. If we keep approaching them from this angle, we are more likely to get dragged into a fight that we don't want. Anyone got any suggestions?"
The shinobi grinned at that.
"Did you really need to ask?"
With that statement made, the blond smashed a window near them and jumped out. Quickly grabbing onto the top of the train so that he could check ahead from above.
"Hopefully the guys from above cleared out, if not then I'll clean them up myself. You two get in a little closer, maybe we can pincer the bad guys before they try anything too crazy." Naruto suggested quickly, climbing on top of the roof.
"Makes sense." Yuki admitted slowly. "We can do that. Though considering you broke another window...they may be privy to our presence already."
The shinobi didn't answer her, he merely completed his climb and began moving to the car where the sounds of conflict were coming from.
Yuki sighed as she began moving as well, making her way to the next car. She sometimes couldn't tell if he did things because he was a genius...or because he had an insane streak.
Maria followed closely after, keeping up with the taller girl as they moved from car to car, taking note that she was beginning to hear voices emanating from the next one ahead...
"-found her. It was as easy as you said it would be, none of her bodyguards knew we were coming. We're ready to come back, her mother will no doubt send yokai to check on the train when it's not on schedule..."
Both females glanced at one another, it seems that whatever fight broke out was finished, there was a clear winner now.
Now all they had to do was wait...
"Question."
The hero turned to look at the succubus, annoyed at her timing. "...What?"
Maria tilted her head to the side, giving the other female a slightly shaky smile.
"...How do we know that Naruto-sama has given us the signal?"
Yuki blinked. That was actually a good question...
"Well, I'm sure that he will give us a suitably outrageous signal. Let's just wait for that."
Naruto was initially planning to creep his way on top of the cars, inching towards where the fighting was going on.
The second he got on top of it however, he noticed that he wasn't alone.
There were two cloaked individuals facing away from the blond, standing on the roof of the last car on the train. Seemingly waiting for something.
The shinobi knew that he had to act quickly.
Naruto sped towards them with incredible speed, making sure to keep his footsteps light so that he wouldn't alert anyone inside.
Neither of the two cloaked bastards knew what hit them as two arms wrapped around their necks and clenched tight.
The shinobi held firm as the two immediately began to flail their limbs, trying desperately to take in oxygen to their suddenly deprived lungs.
Hard blue eyes watched as the two slowly began to struggle less, their limbs losing strength as darkness began to overtake them.
After a few more seconds, they finally stopped moving.
Naruto slowly placed them down at his feet, making absolutely no noise in the process.
They were unconscious, the last thing he needed was to kill people that may be connected to some random faction...he didn't come here to fight.
Nevertheless, they proved themselves to be ridiculously aggressive, considering their actions.
Naruto regarded the unconscious duo, eyes narrowing a fraction as he realized something now that he spread his senses out.
Human. These two were human...
Was this a normal human attack? Or was this connected with the supernatural?
Before he could ponder the question further, he heard a door slam open and a few cloaked people slowly walk out of the train. With one of them holding a relatively decent-sized bundle over their arm.
This was the perfect time for an ambush.
"Ugh...waiting around for a signal is making me antsy...we should have made a better plan." Maria complained, her body was beginning to get sore here...
"Patience." Yuki recommended. "We will know when Naruto's ready...he has a better vantage point then we do."
The succubus turned to give the hero an annoyed glance. "How exactly are we going to know that Naruto-sama is giving us the signal?"
The hero didn't respond, choosing instead to pay attention for anything that could possibly signal for them to move. If this was Naruto that they were talking about...it could be anything.
Then she heard the faint sound of someone rapping a metallic surface.
She turned her eyes to the ceiling, hearing the constant sound clearly.
A signal.
"...That's it? I'm actually kinda disappointed." Maria said, pouting.
Again, the young human didn't respond. She merely materialized her katana; Sakuya, and prepared to charge out with the silverette besides her.
Before she could, a faint scraping sound began emanating from the ceiling.
Yellow eyes hesitantly looked up again as she saw a kunai with wind enhancing it make a hole through the roof, before retreating.
Then an annoyed blue eye used it as a peephole and glared at the female duo below.
"...Hurry up." Naruto stated gruffly, before the eye retreated again.
...
"That's better." the succubus stated with approval, standing up and stretching her body.
She was up for a fight!
The hero just stared at the ceiling, expression shifting from reluctant amusement to exasperation.
Did he really have to do that?
Nevertheless, Yuki stood up to join Maria, prepared to utilize the element of surprise to their advantage.
She held up her hand in front of Maria's face, with all of her fingers out and accounted for.
Then she began counting down.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
Both females quickly charged out, smashing through the door and running straight to the back of the car.
Naruto watched as the humans snapped their heads back to the train car that they just left, suddenly wary at the sound of someone slamming the door open.
Perfect.
The shinobi quickly jumped high in the sky, soaring over the unsuspecting group under him, and landed behind all of them. All while they had their attention focused on the train.
Naruto then moved up to the first human he could find, a man as far as he could tell, who was holding the bundle over his arm.
He quickly smashed his elbow into the back of them man's neck, a vicious blow that knocked him out the second it connected, causing him to smash into the ground in front of him.
The blond caught the bundle that fell from the man's grip, frowning once he did so.
A person?
His quick attack garnered the attention of the man's comrades, eyes widening in outrage.
"Damn it...!" a feminine voice cursed, as the cloaked woman charged at him with reckless abandon, bringing out an axe from under her robes to attack.
The remaining three broke from their stupor and made to follow, but unfortunately for them, they completely forgot about the ruckus from the train.
"Excuse me!" Maria chirped, as she struck a female human in the back with her foot, sending her sliding on the ground in an unconscious heap.
Another met a similar fate.
"Apologies..." Yuki muttered, as she brought the butt of her katana to the forehead of another human man, the blow making a sick *crack* and causing the human to crumple.
Naruto on the other hand, was watching the woman charge at him with fascination, only bothering to move the bundle from his hands to his right hand in preparation.
The woman brought her axe down upon the blond, a snarl emerging from her lips as she sent her weapon straight towards her enemy's skull.
The shinobi merely side-stepped the attack, far faster than the female could have reacted to, and brought his foot out.
He hooked it around the woman's feet...and pulled.
Suddenly, the female warrior's feet was pulled out from under her, causing her to slip and fall to the ground in a panic.
Naruto quickly grabbed her from the shirt however, pulling her back up to him, his expression not changing a whit.
The second that the force of the pull brought the woman up to him, he kept his fist clenched and motionless, watching the woman's face literally smash into his fist. Knocking her out with little difficulty.
All while still holding the bundle on his right hand.
As the female fell to the ground in a heap, the shinobi grabbed onto her leg and pulled her from the ground again, turning his eyes to the last remaining enemy combatant left.
The cloaked man looked like a deer caught in headlights, eyes snapping from the two females and Naruto himself.
"Hey...buddy."
The man's frightened eyes snapped back to the blond as he brought the woman up for him to see.
"...Lost something." Naruto said with a grin, flinging the unconscious body to the hapless human.
The body smashed into the man, sending him flying back to the train car and making a decently sized dent onto the metallic object, his now-unconscious body sliding to the ground.
Naruto, Maria, and Yuki walked up to one another and glanced around to assess the damage. Admiring their work.
"Well...that went well." Yuki noted, looking around and nodding at a job well done.
"Yeah, I suppose there's gotta be a first time for everything, right? Things don't usually end up going so perfectly." Maria agreed readily, a large cheerful smile on her face.
"...What are you two talking about?"
The two females turned to look at Naruto, his eyes serious as he surveyed his dirty work.
Then his eyes landed on his two friends, shifting from serious to positively gleeful.
"I'm here aren't I!? This all worked out because of my genius plan, so of course this went off without a hitch! Man...I impress even myself sometimes." the shinobi gloated haughtily, puffing his chest out in pride.
Maria just gave him a dull stare in response. "...Don't act so smart. You definitely didn't plan for this to happen, you just improvised every step of the way."
Naruto gaped at the accusation. "Eh? How can you doubt my sincerity!?"
"Is that a trick question!?" the succubus exclaimed, incredulous that he even had to ask. "Besides, even if you lucked out here, you should already know full well that your luck won't last."
The shinobi withered up slightly, suddenly despondent.
"...You don't have to remind me dattebayo..."
A sharp clap interrupted the two of them, knocking the blond out of his psuedo-depression simultaneously.
"While I'm sure this conversation is very important...we still have a bit of a dilemma here." Yuki explained, giving both of her comrades steady looks.
Naruto and Maria stared at the hero for a moment, before turning back to one another, and finally turning back to her.
""What's that?""
The hero could have sighed.
"...Like what to do with several unconscious bodies? Also...what's with the bag on your hand, Naruto?" Yuki inquired, eyes zeroing in on the bundle.
Naruto suddenly jerked, eyes widening as he immediately made to drop the bag onto the floor. "Aw...crap. I totally forgot! I think there's a person in here as well...hey, can the two of you grab these guys and put them in the train? Just in case someone comes by...I don't think I want to explain this situation."
Both girls nodded, and proceeded to do just that, as the blond himself made to open the bag which the human baddies from before tried to steal...or kidnap. Whichever.
The whiskered teen struggled to open the bag, the knot was done really well...so he decided to just open it his way.
He grabbed a kunai from his pouch, and cut the bag open.
Simple.
Naruto peeked inside the bag, not exactly sure what he'd find...
...
"...Huh...well...you don't see that every day." the blond mused, carefully grabbing the individual inside the bag and taking them out of it. Cradling the young girl in his arms.
It was a little girl, one that looked no older than ten years old. She had golden blond hair tied in a ponytail, fair skin, and was even wearing a miko outfit.
All in all, not exactly what you'd expect in a bag, just why the hell would someone want to kidnap this girl for?
As his eyes continued to study the little girl, he noticed several things that clued him in to the fact that the girl wasn't...normal.
For one...she had fox-like ears on her head.
Secondly, he could feel something furry where her read end should be...a tail maybe?
He shifted her around in his arms to check if he was right, maybe he was being too paranoid. It's not like she's-
Oh.
Tails.
Ohhh.
Nine tails.
Ohhhhhhhhh.
"...Shit." Naruto cursed, shifting the girl again so that she wouldn't be too uncomfortable.
Well...this was unfortunate.
He honestly had no idea how to deal with this, whatever he does can backfire spectacularly if done incorrectly.
That being said, he couldn't drag his feet. No doubt people were asking questions about why this train wasn't on schedule.
As the shinobi contemplated on this very jarring issue, his comrades had just finished dragging all of their adversaries inside the train, keeping them safe from view.
However, that wasn't the only thing that was happening while he was preoccupied.
A shadow was flitting across the ground, slowly getting bigger as the owner of said shadow flew closer to the ground and straight towards-
Naruto's danger sense practically screamed for him to move.
Following his instincts, the blond jumped and narrowly avoided a surprise attack from an airborne adversary that was intentionally trying to skewer him.
Blue eyes followed after the flying being, eyes narrowing as he remembered a creature that resembled the creatures' appearance quite well...
But he definitely knew one thing about it.
"Hey!" Naruto shouted. "You're a yokai right!? Why the hell are you attacking me for!? I just saved your princess!"
The yokai, a bird-like creature with a crow-like face, sneered at the blond's attempt at diplomacy. "Lies! Humans attacked her! You will pay with your life! I've already informed everyone else of your treachery!"
With that declaration, the yokai nosedived towards him again, trying it's hardest to kill the human.
Naruto's eyes quickly flitted back to the train, as two familiar faces were charging back outside to aid him in the fight that he got dragged into.
But he shook his head at them.
Yuki and Maria stopped in their tracks, frowning, but listening.
The shinobi gave them a thankful nod for listening, then refocused back on the yokai, readying himself to just the right moment...
There!
The yokai nearly skewered him alright, but at the last moment, Naruto allowed himself to fall backwards as the sharp beak that was aimed at his throat flew over him.
The shinobi then went on a handstand on the ground and pushed himself off from it, smashing his feet into the bird-like creature.
Almost immediately, the yokai's eyes bulged and the bird fell to the darkness that began to overtake it, falling into unconsciousness easily.
Naruto backed away from fallen form, scrambling to get inside the train cart so that he could talk to his friends on what the hell just happened.
"Ok...ok...what the hell. Can someone explain to me what just happened!?" Naruto complained, rubbing his forehead in annoyance.
This was supposed to be simple, just...where do these things go so wrong?
Neither Yuki or Maria responded, they were both too busy staring at the girl in his arms, as if she was actually a bomb that was about to go off.
"...Naruto...is that a kyuubi yokai?" Yuki inquired quietly, her voice barely a whisper.
The shinobi turned his head away warily. "...Maybe."
The hero could only facepalm, shaking her head all the while.
Maria poked at the unconscious girl's cheek, fascinated. "As much as I hate to say it...it should still be said."
Purple eyes turned to meet blue, a cheeky grin accompanying it.
"I told you so."
Naruto twitched violently, giving the succubus a dark glare for her cheeky attitude.
Yuki, finally breaking free from her immediate frustrations, spoke again. "Well...I think it's obvious what the problem is. That yokai was given the order to destroy the little kyuubi's kidnapper...and that so happens to be you. I doubt they'll believe you if you claim innocence."
The shinobi could have cried at the unfairness of it all.
"...Maybe I could change my appearance, make it seem like I ran away and leave the kid here for them to pick up." the blond began, looking for something...anything he could do.
Maria shook her head sadly, serious again. "Sorry Naruto-sama...yokai have a strong sense of smell...even if you tried to cover yourself with another smell, it would be extraordinarily difficult for them not to figure it out."
Naruto grit his teeth, eyes scanning for another option.
What could he do...?
He was already labeled as the kidnapper, so pointing the finger at the guys they fought would probably just get them executed, while doing nothing for him.
Leaving the girl here for them to take wouldn't convince them of his innocence either.
His eyes landed on Yuki and Maria, about to ask them for help in brainstorming. But then another idea entered his head, just by looking at the two.
Yuki and Maria...
"I got it!" Naruto exclaimed, fist-pumping. "I'm gonna head to Kyoto by foot with the kid, for her protection. But the yokai never saw you, so to them...you're just some random people that are not associated with the kidnapping! You two could find the yokai faction leader and get her to stop!"
The hero blinked, considering the idea. It had merit...although she had no idea if the faction leader; the powerful kyuubi known as Yasaka, would listen to them. It was still their best shot if the blond still needed to talk to her.
"Alright then, I'm going to leave and get a head-start. Good luck you two!" Naruto said, turning to leave the car immediately.
"Wait."
The shinobi stopped in his tracks, turning his head to frown at the female human that stopped him.
"What? Are you not satisfied with the plan?"
Yuki said nothing for a moment, yellow eyes stayed locked with blue, neither wavering.
"...Stay safe out there, no matter what."
Naruto raised both of his eyebrows in curiosity, but still gave her a crooked grin in response. "I can do that...can you do the same for me?"
The hero replied with a small smile. "Of course."
"Good!" the shinobi nodded, before turning to the succubus. "Maria, you may be a pain in the ass most of the time...but I'm hoping that I can depend on you enough to protect yourself and Yuki. As well as accept her help."
Maria's lips grew into a large grin after his comment, splitting her face. "No worries Naruto-sama...me and Yuki-san are going to get along juuuuust fine."
The hero twitched slightly, eyeing the silverette warily...she was beginning to regret this team up already.
With that Naruto firmly nodded, leaving the train car with the little girl clutched close to his chest and heading straight to the forest, undetected by his enemies.
At least he was supposed to be.
"Human!" a distorted voice roared out in challenge.
The blond, holding the girl close to his chest, turned to see how exactly his day could get worse. His legs already primed to move in case another asshole came to dive-bomb him again.
But what he saw only convinced him of the yokai faction's ridiculous diversity more than anything else.
Blue eyes stared as a large creature; consisting of a monkey head, combined with the limbs of a tiger, and a snake for a tail charged at him with reckless abandon.
"I knew that the damn bird shouldn't have gone ahead! I will destroy you in his stead!" the beast shrieked, getting ready to bring it's enormous paws to bear on the seemingly helpless human.
Naruto was having none of that, he instead turned around and jumped straight into the forest, disappearing into it's depths, with the chimera-like creature chasing after him in hot pursuit.
Yuki, who was well hidden to make sure the strange beast didn't see her, watched her friend go, filled with conflicting emotions battling in the pit of her stomach. Intensely uncomfortable with leaving the blond with what amounted to a flare for two factions to hunt for.
But it had to be done, in her own way...she was still doing what Mio asked her to do.
Doing her part to protect him.
Although she would be lying if she said she was just doing this for Mio's sake...
"...Hey. Don't worry, he may be way too cocky...but he's got a reason to be. He can hold out, even with someone to protect." Maria comforted, patting the hero's back.
Yellow eyes locked onto the silverette, accompanied by a slightly wry smile. "What's this? I didn't know that you cared, Maria."
The succubus immediately broke out in laughter, shaking her head all the while. "Oh ho! Yes! I do actually care. I care very much about his well-being as a matter of fact. I just choose to make sure that neither Naruto-sama or Mio-sama sees me worry that much is all."
Yuki raised a single eyebrow, interested. "Why would you do that?"
Maria turned away, a small smile present on her face.
"Why indeed? Anyways, I think we should be worrying more about how to get to Kyoto. Especially since this train won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Ideas?"
The hero stared at Maria, noting the shift in topics, but acquiescing nonetheless. "We walk, we have to disassociate ourselves with this event. Otherwise the human police may detain us since we're the only conscious ones here. After we create enough space between ourselves and the train...we find a faster method of transportation."
Yuki stopped, giving Maria an apologetic look for rambling. "Unless...you have a better solution of course."
Maria just responded with a shaky smile, she had absolutely nothing.
"No...that's good."
It watched.
It has been watching for quite a while now, witnessing the failure of it's comrades, the loss of the target, and the blond man's retreat into the forested area with a yokai pursuing him.
It wished it could have intervened, but it quickly determined that the young man was too strong, his comrades on the other hand...
The two females that waited for the blond to run, quickly left the train car after the area was clear. Moving to leave the tracks before human authorities arrive.
Excellent.
It stayed still for a few moments, waiting for the small party to leave it's line of sight, then quickly left it's hiding position deep inside the forestry on the other side where the blond disappeared to.
The sun's dying light reflected eerily off of it's armor and red visor, giving it a menacing look that was meant to intimidate it's enemies and inspire fear into it's allies.
For precisely moments like these.
It entered the train car where the unconscious humans were located, then leaned down next to one of the fallen young men.
The young man didn't respond.
The red visor continued to stare at the prone man, before quickly materializing a large broadsword out of nowhere and bringing it forth down on the man's head.
The man's eyes snapped open in horror at the oppressive killing intent, watching in slow motion as the deadly blade headed straight for his throat...
Then it stopped, right above his neck.
"...Wake up."
The man's heart was beating rapidly, eyes focusing on the dark figure in front of him. "Y-You're..."
"Enough talk." the figure claimed, moving the blade away from the human's neck. "The mission is a failure, utilize your Sacred Gear to transport everyone back to Cao Cao before local authorities arrive. You will inform him of your failure personally...Georg."
Georg swallowed, intensely nervous of such a meeting as he tried to fix the glasses that were smashed into pieces. "I-I see...very well then. Ar-Are you coming as well?"
The dominating figure nodded. "Yes...I have some information for him, he definitely wants to hear this."
The young bespectacled man nodded slowly, allowing his Sacred Gear to activate.
"Dimension Lost..." he whispered, allowing a fog to envelope himself and his comrades...
Cao Cao was sitting on his seat, waiting patiently for the group that he has sent after the daughter of the yokai faction leader.
Besides him, were several prominent heroes of his organization; the Hero Faction. The group that considered themselves the 'true' heroes of the world.
The black-haired young man glanced at the familiar faces around him; the beautiful Jeanne, the loyal Siegfried, the fierce Heracles...they were the future.
Cao Cao's eyes sharpened as a fog began to materialize out of nowhere, this was...
"...Seems that they've finally returned. Finally, now all we have to do is lure Yasaka into an unfavorable position for capture..." Siegfried muttered, already thinking of possible plans for her capture.
"Yeah! It was perfect timing on our part, wasn't it? To think that we could catch the head fox's daughter with minimum security...that's gold! Now we can bribe her and force her to dance for us! Like a puppet!" Jeanne chirped loudly, hopping up and down without care.
Heracles huffed, standing up from his seat and cracking his neck. "Damn...too bad. I wanted to have a chance at fighting that monster...it would have been an excellent battle to test my fists on."
Cao Cao said nothing, eyes narrowing slightly as he watched the fog lighten...
"...Looks like you may yet get that chance Heracles." the young leader claimed calmly, getting up from his own seat and walking closer to the recently materialized group.
Several forms were on the ground, completely unconscious, with only two individuals standing upright.
"Ah...so you salvaged the situation, hmm?" Cao Cao mused lightly, regarding the menacing figure.
It didn't say anything, merely bowing in deference.
Black eyes shifted to Georg, who was seemingly looking at the leader like a small animal caught in headlights.
"...Well? Where's the faction leader's daughter? What could have possibly happened to stop your success?"
Georg shrunk a little, pushing his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose. "W-Well..."
"Uzumaki Naruto."
Cao Cao froze, eyes turning back to the still bowing figure.
"...Excuse me?" the young leader questioned.
It raised it's head to face the young man that was his master, red visor visible again. "...The one who stopped them...matched your description of Uzumaki Naruto. He's here. In Kyoto."
The young man straightened his back, face...stony.
"Georg...utilize your Sacred Gear to get us out of this artificial dimension and back to where we left our comrades. Our plans have to change to take in this...surprising development."
Meanwhile, in the Underworld, a new development was taking place, one that would slowly influence a large amount of people. Especially as new and controversial ideas began to circulate between individuals throughout the land.
It was only in the initial stage, but the ideas were spread, and no one would soon forget them.
Blue eyes stared up at the plain white ceiling, unfocused as they looked past the physical into his mind's eye.
Riser Phenex was coming to terms with what has happened recently, only recently able to think too deeply on his actions.
...And the actions of Uzumaki Naruto.
The young Phenex's face scrunched up in self-disgust. How'd he allow himself to be used so...so easily?
But more importantly, how could he face the next day with any sense of self-respect or pride?
He's been awake for a while...but his loss of self-respect has crippled him to the point that he really didn't want to leave the room and face reality. It was so much easier to just lie here and let the world pass him by...
Riser closed his eyes, yes...maybe he wouldn't place his sister in any more danger like this...
"Onii-sama!"
The blond's eyes snapped open in surprise, eyes traveling to the door where his sister entered.
Before he could ask any questions, the younger female quickly moved past him and grabbed the remote control for the television hanging up on the wall. "You have to see this!"
Riser gave the younger blond a look of disapproval, but nevertheless glanced up at the television, unsure of what to expect.
"...-ounds incredible! So you've seen this young man in action yourself I assume?"
"Absolutely. Many of us were highly entertained by the spectacle that he performed, honestly...we assumed that this was a staged fight for our amusement. But his declaration after the fact was what took the cake for me."
The young Phenex stared at the television screen, facial expressions blank as he internalized everything that was being said.
Ravel was watching him closely, gauging for his reaction quietly...
"Indeed! For someone to make such a declaration...could he actually have the political muscle to back it up? Or is he just an idiot with a lot of power?"
"Normally I would say he's an idiot...but he did speak with the Maou before that. So maybe he isn't bluffing...?"
"Do you think he could actually be a threat to modern devil culture then?"
"...I'd say that it isn't a good idea to ignore him entirely. He just has that...aura around him. I doubt that this will be the last time we ever hear about this guy, I can tell you that."
Riser continued to watch with morbid fascination, it was him, it was definitely him...
"He's on the news...he's literally the subject of the news." Ravel whispered, looking entirely spooked.
The young man didn't say anything, he only gripped the bed sheets that covered his lower body tighter.
Insanity, he actually did that. That bastard actually...
...
What was he doing here? Moping around while that bastard gets media attention for making retarded statements!?
"Ravel!" Riser roared, swiping at his sheets and jumping off the bed.
The devil girl jumped slightly, surprised to hear such an authoritative tone. "Y-Yeah?"
Sharp blue eyes accompanied the scowl on his face as he looked at his sister. "Get otou-sama and okaa-sama, I need to speak with them. Quickly."
...He needed to speak with Maou-sama.
If a human could become the main topic of Underworld television, then he could move past this damn it!
"The question I want to know is...where did he come from? You'd think that he would be well-known. Hell, is he even a devil for that matter?"
"That's a genuinely good question...a lot of mystery surrounds this man. That's why so many are curious to find out more."
Grayfia watched the television with interest, this was an interesting development to say the least...
"Well...Naruto-kun definitely got the Underworld's attention. It's only a matter of time now...some powerful people will seek him out soon." Sirzechs muttered as he stared at the large flat-screen.
The maid nodded. "So it seems...I wonder what their thoughts on his declaration are?"
Before the red-head could answer, a green magic circle appeared close to them, lighting up the room.
Grayfia raised an eyebrow at it, that's...
As she figured, Ajuka Beelzebub appeared from the magic circle, looking especially grim.
"Ajuka..." Sirzechs said slowly. "...I suppose you've found something out about those girls I've asked you to look at?"
The young-looking man inclined his head, facial features dour. "Yes...the girls you placed under hibernation still have their evil pieces inside of them, so I was able to discern who the king is. I also erased their memories after I was finished scanning them, if that's alright with you?"
The Maou nodded. "Of course, so...who's the perpetrator?"
Ajuka frowned visibly, turning his eyes to the ground and refusing to make eye contact with his old friend.
"By the way...have you seen my little brother during your party the other day?" the Maou Beelzebub mentioned, seemingly switching topics.
Sirzechs blinked, uncertain, but answered anyways. "I don't believe so...why?"
Ajuka simply responded with a smile that in no way reached his eyes.
"I suggest that you keep it that way."
Blue-green eyes continued to focus on his closest friend, unsure why he would-
His thoughts were interrupted when another magic circle appeared behind Ajuka, this one spewing flames as a group emerged from it.
"I'm sorry for the interruption Maou-sama." Lord Phenex apologized, as he emerged from the magic circle. "But I believe that my son has some important information for you."
Sirzechs said nothing, he only watched as Riser Phenex stepped forward with a determined look on his face.
"Maou-sama...I must speak to you about a man that represents a grave threat to the Underworld."
"What about you? What do you think about the situation? As a high-class devil I mean?"
"I think that this brat doesn't know what he's up against. Our culture has remained mostly unaffected for over a thousand years, some random kid isn't going to change anything. Even if he tried...he would only face the staunch resistance that comes from a species that's resistant to change."
The older man that was listening to the news couldn't help but wryly note that devils always did like to talk big.
But to be fair, it wasn't like his people didn't either...
Azazel was sitting in his personal quarters, relaxing and drinking some wine to unwind from the long day. Researching was tough work after all~
The fallen angel was about to put the wine in his lips, ready to enjoy the faint buzz that came with drinking...
"But you have to admit that Uzumaki Naruto's name is already becoming well known, right? That means he has already made a lasting impression in a sense."
Azazel froze, his lips touching the tip of the bottle and aware on some subconscious level that he was looking like an idiot.
Oh...but it was worth it. This was juicy!
The leader of the fallen angels jumped from his chair, moving quickly through the hallways of the Grigori facility that he was staying at in order to find a certain someone.
Many fallen angels complained audibly when he nearly crashed into them in the narrow hallways, but he was too excited, like a kid racing to get his birthday presents.
After nearly crashing into several more researchers, he reached his destination and opened the training room to-
The second he entered, he was forced to duck as a body came flying straight at him, eventually soaring over him as the hapless fallen crashed into the wall behind him.
That guy looked familiar...
Purple eyes watched in complete fascination as his apprentice wrestled with another familiar fallen angel, pushing her back with superior strength.
Azazel clapped his hands. "Ok you two, that's good enough I think."
Both women stopped, separating from one another as they both gasped for more oxygen in their lungs, though it was obvious that his apprentice didn't have to take in as much.
"Azazel-sama...what is...the problem?" Kalawarner blurted out, desperately taking in huge gulps of air.
The Governor General merely pointed at the other woman. "I need to borrow her."
The young woman blinked at that. "Will this...take long?"
The older man merely grinned in response. "Come on, you'll love this. I promise."
Violet eyes regarded the fallen angel with suspicion, before moving to follow him.
Azazel immediately left the room, nodding silently at the fallen form of Dohnaseek along the way, his sacrifice wouldn't be forgotten.
They didn't walk far, the older man only deciding to take her to a room with a television instead of his room, knowing full well that the young woman would get impatient.
The Governor General immediately turned on the television once he found such a room, changing the channel to the news that he saw earlier.
The black-haired woman tapped her foot impatiently, frowning heavily at all of the secrecy. "Azazel-sama...can this wait? Maybe you could show me this later, I was in the middle of some important-"
"-we couldn't get a proper image for this broadcast, but we managed to have someone draw this young man's image, mostly by using the description that devils that attended the party gave us. So here he is; Uzumaki Naruto."
The young woman stopped speaking immediately, snapping her head to the television screen and staring at the visage. Suddenly entranced.
"...Now are you glad that I grabbed you when I did? You would have been quite upset if I didn't show you immediately. It seems that our blond friend has been quite busy...huh...Raynare?" Azazel muttered, smirking his enigmatic smirk.
Raynare didn't respond, she merely stared at the image that haunted her dreams of late.
"Nothing is over...until it's over."
A slow, almost reluctant, smile spread across her lips.
"...Seems I wasn't the only one busy." the black-haired girl whispered, closing her eyes in satisfaction.
Azazel watched the young woman, gauging her reaction of the young man that she hasn't seen in quite a while. The young man that she credited with the shift in her life.
"Well...this was indeed nice to see." the Governor General admitted, before his expression turned serious. "Unfortunately, I actually have to speak to you about something else now that you're here."
Raynare tilted her head to glance at her new guardian through the side of her eye. "Is it important?"
"It is, but not time sensitive. I was going to tell you tomorrow...but I need you to be aware that Kokabiel has gone missing."
The young woman's eyes widened. "What? How long has this been happening? Should we send scouts to search for him? Why go to me about this?"
Azazel raised his arms in alarm, trying to quell the rapid-fire questions. "Woah there! Relax! This has been going on for a while...but I have reason to believe that he's up to no good. You don't have to worry about the implications, no worries. However...if Kokabiel should do anything stupid...I want to call upon you to seek out the aggrieved parties and disassociate our faction from his actions."
Raynare frowned, looking intensely uncomfortable. "...Is it that bad? Will it be like my mother's...?"
The older fallen looked grim.
"It could be worse."
The black-haired woman turned away, staring at the ground with intensity, unwilling to meet her guardian's eyes.
"...So will you do it?"
Raynare continued to stare at the ground for a few more moments, before her face hardened in determination.
For what he's done...this was the least she could do.
"You can count on me."