"That power...isn't mine." the blond ninja began. "As a matter of fact, it is the power of a powerful being that is contained in me, an ancient power that, if used, negatively affects me...but it was never that bad before. Usually, the more power I utilize, the more uncontrollable I become. But I only really started using the initial stages of that power last time. Nothing advanced. So I shouldn't have lost as much control as I did..."
Now he had the the powerful kyuubi's full attention. "A powerful being? Contained in you? Well, the power that I sensed you use was different to anything I've ever felt before...but...well...strangely enough, it felt somewhat familiar to chakra. Which is strange...there shouldn't be a power that is comparable to chakra in the world. Let alone similar. Assuming that you're telling the truth, what kind of powerful being is inside of you?"
The shinobi's expression shifted to become even more serious, eyes sharpening as they were reaching a very specific topic. One that he wanted to reach anyways.
...This was it. The point of no return.
"That's...actually part of the reason I came to Kyoto in the first place." he began, explaining himself. "You see...I have one of the nine bijū contained inside me."
Yasaka tilted her head, perplexed. "...What are you talking about? What's a bijū? I've never heard of such a being before, and I am quite knowledgeable about all of the powerful beasts in the world. I'm sure I would've heard of it before now if it's so powerful..."
"That's because there's no such thing as a bijū in this world." Naruto noted starkly, taking a deep breath as he got ready to release a bombshell for her, knowing that he had to be honest right now. "...As a matter of fact, I myself am not from this world."
...
"...Hah?" she breathed out, golden eyes skeptical. "You're...not from this world? What are you-?"
Her mouth slammed shut as her eyes widened to the size of saucers, all in response to the blue aura that began to leak out of the blond in front of her, getting a front row seat to the large energy signal that he was giving out. Intimately sensing it thanks to her proximity.
This was...!
"Chakra." he stated grimly, golden locks floating in the air as his energy helped it defy gravity. "I'm purely human, one that has access to chakra. Not chakra that you have mind you, but very similar to yours."
Yasaka leaned in, drawn in to the power, feeling the warmth that it exhibited...feeling the essence that made up the young man in front of her-
"Yasaka?"
Golden eyes blinked, before the woman shook her head, refocusing. "Th-That's incredible...I never thought it was possible for a pure-blood human to have access to chakra. Except it isn't like the chakra that I'm familiar with either, it feels similar, but still different. I can't put my finger on it however... Then there's that 'bijū' business...are you really telling me that you're from another world? Are you being thoroughly honest with me?"
The shinobi allowed his chakra to peter out, meeting gold with his blue. "Yeah...I come from a different world, one that is filled with humans like me. There are creatures called bijū in my world, beings that are renowned for their great power...I have one of them. The kyuubi no yoko to be specific, ironically, though he most assuredly isn't a yokai...he's a bijū. As for how different our chakra are? No idea, how about we compare and contrast, hm? At the same time."
Yasaka eyed him for a moment, taking in the knowledge that he was imparting, considering...
"Before we do that, I need to ask you something very quickly." she interjected, carefully searching for the right words, wary of how close to home it was for the boy. "You...haven't told your friends and allies about this yet, have you?"
Naruto tensed up ever so slightly, his face becoming stony.
That was more than enough of an answer for her.
"...Then why are you telling me this?" she questioned softly, earnest.
The whiskered teen blew out some air, brushing his hair back as he looked away. "...You're a mother."
The kyuubi squinted her eyes slightly. "Excuse me?"
"You're a mother." he repeated, uncomfortably looking away. "I...I never had one. But I sometimes wondered what it was like to have one...so, in my dreams at least, I imagined that a mother would want to know about every possible threat to her child, no matter what. So I guess...I just don't feel like I have the right to deny you that knowledge if you believe your daughter is in danger. That's all."
Yasaka stared at him, suddenly wishing she could stop speaking, feeling that she crossed some sort of line somehow.
But knowing that they had to continue.
Yet...she didn't have the heart to do so.
So instead, a long drawn out silence began, with both occupants glancing away awkwardly, waiting for the other to continue.
The shinobi was the one to end it.
"Well..." he began, perking up his fellow blond as he began to speak. "There are other reasons. One of them was that I figured that you wouldn't tell my secrets to anyone since I saved you and your daughter. Another...but perhaps an even more important reason; is that...well...we don't have a bond."
The yokai didn't bother to ask, she merely waited for the teen to continue, knowing that he would explain.
He just shrugged slightly, a bemused grin on his face. "...It's much easier for me not to get hurt by people that I'm not friends with than it is for people that I am friends with."
This time Yasaka responded with a prominent frown on her face, remembering how protective the silver-haired girl was before he woke up. "Do you think they will dislike you for this?"
Blue eyes locked with golden ones again.
"...I prefer not to take that chance. Not until I'm sure that they won't judge me for it, especially considering what has happened. Besides, this power...is even more dangerous than before, telling them will just worry them. It's a precaution, alright?"
The yokai faction leader tilted her head, her lips flattening. "And when will you be sure that they won't be judging you for it?"
He didn't answer.
"...I see." she responded quietly, tone neutral.
"Look." he ground out, splaying his hands out. "I admit that my way of thinking isn't the best, but...I have some issues that have to be dealt with. Both externally, and internally, it will take time. What I need is time."
Yasaka raised her hand up, wordlessly pleading for him to calm down. "Relax Naruto-sama, I'm not judging you. I don't have the full story after all...only the piece that I'm seeking for. However...I do believe that you should speak with someone about this. Regardless if they know the full story or not. To at least get it out of your chest."
Even as she was speaking, the teen was shaking his head. "No. It's fine. I'll deal with it later. I can handle it."
An exasperated sigh, as only a parent could do, left her mouth. She knew she couldn't go any further than this. "Fine, fine...now. As for our comparisons?"
Naruto straightened his back. "Let's do it."
He would get no argument from her.
Both individuals slowly leaked their chakra immediately afterwards, letting it spill into the room, distorting the air as their power and energy signals became blatantly apparent to one another.
Using this chance, Naruto closed his eyes and focused on comparing the energy that he knew his entire life to the one that was flowing through the yokai mother, dissecting the differences side-by-side.
This process took a few moments, with both blondes remaining silent throughout the experience, just sensing each other's power through their 'sixth' sense.
Both sets of eyes snapped open after a few more minutes, both reaching their conclusion roughly around the same time, with their auras dying down along with it.
"...Yours is livelier." Yasaka pondered out loud, remembering the sensation. "It's hard to explain...but that was the gist of it. I'm not even talking about the 'feeling' that your chakra gives out, I'm talking about the energy by itself without any of your influence backing it up. Pure power compared to pure power. It simply feels more...alive."
The shinobi nodded, knowing exactly what she was talking about.
Back at the Elemental Nations, when someone's personality was strong enough, it would sometimes implant itself onto the chakra that that person utilized on his or her day-to-day life.
Lively was definitely a word that could describe him, so his chakra's general feeling could be 'lively' in this case.
But she was just taking about the energy itself, when it wasn't influenced by his personality, which by itself was more 'lively'.
And that observation was correct, in a way.
"Yeah...uh, listen, do the words; 'spiritual energy' and 'physical energy' mean anything to you?" he asked, trying to see if she could grasp the concepts which he himself barely understood.
He wasn't an academic damn it.
Yasaka just stared at him owlishly.
Crap, that would mean that he had to explain it...
Clearing his throat, the whiskered teen set out to do just that. "Well...back where I come from, chakra was composed of two things; spiritual energy and physical energy. These two concepts were part of a larger concept called...uh...what were they called...? Ah! Yin and Yang!"
The kyuubi nodded slowly, understanding, giving him her full attention.
He continued. "Well...essentially, these two energies needed to be combined in order to create chakra. But...from what I can tell, the physical energy in your chakra is lacking in comparison to mine. How do your people use chakra by the way? Do they use it for offensive attacks often?"
Yasaka tapped her chin with a finger, thinking on it. "Well...most of my people use chakra to create illusions instead of using it for offensive-based attacks; such as elemental and other energy attacks. The ones who do use it for offensive purposes are rather rare since it's destructive capabilities aren't much in comparison to say...light energy and demonic energy."
Her eyes slid back to the teen, studious. "...How curious. I can't deny how similar our energies are, or how my chakra feels less 'lively' in comparison to yours. So maybe...there's a connection there? I'm not entirely sure."
The shinobi crossed his arms together, reaching a conclusion. "Then I think the answer is obvious! My chakra, has far more physical energy in comparison to yours. The Yang piece of chakra is what's used to make powerful offensive attacks, so the fact that the chakra here is weaker to demonic and light energy in terms of power backs that theory up, I think."
Then he gave her a thumbs up.
"Basically, my chakra is better than yours."
The yokai merely huffed, somewhat put-out that his conclusion was probably true, if he was telling the truth about his foreign origin anyways...
Naruto leaned in, eyes gleaming. "Do you know how the yokai managed to obtain the power of chakra? Maybe there's some kind of connection to my people! Like, through an origin story, or something like that."
"Origin story?" she echoed. "Well...that's a very difficult question to answer. As there are many origin stories among the many myths and religions of the world, but if you're simply talking about the interpretation of how yokai have come to exist...then it would have to be that one..."
She inclined her head, closing her eyes as she recalled the legend that she learned of when she was just a little girl...
...
"Ah...on second thought, you don't really have to hear it...it isn't important." she excused quickly, waving her hands back and forth awkwardly, a tight smile on her face.
A deadpanned look was the only reaction she received.
"...Come on. Best just get it over with, Yasaka." he prodded, unsympathetic.
She turned her gaze elsewhere, a hint of pink emerging from her cheeks. "Is it really necessary though?" Can't I just-?"
"No."
The yokai leader clicked her tongue, her motherly and mature aura completely destroyed by her resistance. "...Fine. I'll just give you a basic run-down. The legend basically comes down to the actions of one of the most important Shinto gods; Izanagi. Who essentially, one day, returned from the Land of Yomi...the Shinto version of the western land of the dead...and took a bath to purify himself. Afterwards, while drying himself, the water droplets from his body fell to the Earth and imbued the land with supernatural power. Thus, the yokai began to emerge."
She turned away stubbornly, embarrassed. "Or...so the story goes."
Naruto stayed silent, staring at her, opening his mouth to ask-
Then closed it.
"...That's the yokai's origin story? You're all born from the dirty bath water from some god?" he deadpanned, his disbelief palpable.
Yasaka covered her face with her hands, shaking her head quietly.
"...You just made it sound so much worse..."
Ah. He apologized.
"Well, that origin story didn't help." the blond complained, feeling a headache come on from all of this. "Then I'm back at square one then...how am I supposed to get home like this...?"
"Home?"
Oceanic-blue locked with gold again, tired. "...That's the point of why I wanted to speak with you. I have to find a way back home, and I was hoping that maybe you'd might know of a way to help me get back."
Yasaka's eyes widened, was that what he wanted? To return to the world -which she still wasn't so sure about- from whence he came?
"I see...that is indeed quite the problem that you have. But unfortunately I don't think I can help you...as we don't have such knowledge of a different world. To be perfectly honest with you, I'm still somewhat doubtful of such a thing's existence."
A groan rumbled in the teen's throat, frustrated.
Was this all just a giant waste of time...?
An image of a young blond girl, smiling at him, emerged unwittingly in his mind's eye, erasing his feelings of frustration as soon as they appeared.
No...this wasn't a waste.
But...actually...just maybe...
"Naruto-sama." the yokai leader interrupted, dragging his attention back to her, breaking his train of thought. "Before we continue any further, I have to take us back to the original question that I gave you..."
Naruto straightened his back, flattening his lips, preparing himself for the inevitable.
"Go for it."
The blond woman nodded. "...This...bijū that you have confined in you, the being's power which pushed you into a 'berserker' state...I need to know if you're going to lose control to such a power again. Please...be honest. If not for your friends, or me, then for Kunou."
Her fellow blond didn't even hesitate, his voice firm and sure.
"I won't." he remarked, confident in this. "That power can only be accessed if I'm in a near-death situation or if I use the power manually. More than that...I'm going to avoid even touching that chakra from now on, I can't let that power run amok, not until I have a better understanding of why I lost control so easily. I swear on my life...you have nothing to fear from me, Yasaka."
A hush fell over the room, with it's occupants regarding one another carefully, and unreadable expressions dominating their facial features.
It stretched on, seemingly without end.
Until a crack finally emerged, ending it.
"...I believe you." Yasaka breathed, an easy smile gracing her features.
The tension that built up on the shinobi's shoulders eased as soon as those words left the yokai's mouth, mellowing him out. "Ah...yeah, that's a good thing. A very good thing. I approve of this."
The blond mother chuckled, using her sleeve to cover her mouth, amused at the awkward sentence that he stringed together. "I thank you for your time and for the...enlightening conversation, I vow, as the leader of my people, to make sure that your trust isn't wasted in me. That being said, I'm sure that you're tired and would like some time alone. I need to speak with my daughter, and to no doubt prepare for my subordinates' return from the field. So if you'll excuse me..."
As soon as she finished, she began getting up, smiling brightly at the young man as she turned around to leave the room-
"Wait."
She topped right in her tracks, noting the serious tone that the powerful male gave her when he raised his voice, tilting her head to lend an ear.
"...Your words...they reminded me of something. Something very important." he remarked distantly, as if embarking down a long-lost memory. "I...I think that you need to send someone to look for the leader of the group that attacked your people; Cao Cao. But more importantly...look for his weapon. His Sacred Gear. I don't know how long it will take for it to disappear or not, since Sacred Gears reincarnate or something like that, but you need to make sure that it doesn't fall into the hands of anyone...unfriendly. Please."
The yokai leader turned her head a little more, this time able to lock eyes with the young man that went so far to help her people, aware of hos serious this was by his tone. "...I understand."
The sun has begun to fall in Kuoh Town.
Mio wished that that was all that started falling though.
Rain had begun to pelt the relatively peaceful area, forcing her to call off her own search for the missing Peerage member, as she knew that the water droplets would begin coming down faster.
It was a pretty good time to stop anyways she supposed...she just wished that she checked the news earlier that day so that she could've grabbed an umbrella at the very least.
The red-head could only sigh at her short-sighted acts.
"...Are we stopping for today? Mio-san...?"
Pink eyes turned to regard her partner throughout the search, one of the few among their supernatural clique that was actually of the same year as her.
"...We don't really have much of a choice, do we Koneko-san?" Mio asked rhetorically. "The rain is going to get much worse, and we don't want to get caught in a downpour in the middle of the night. Best to preserve our energy and not allow ourselves to get sick over trivial things. Right?"
The rook grunted softly, disgruntled.
The half-devil exhaled in frustration, herself annoyed at the fact that they couldn't find their ally. Just where was the guy...?
Both females were in the middle of one of the market districts in Kuoh Town, which was still relatively full of people, but was obviously clearing out due to the weather and the sunset.
Mio was in the midst of taking out her phone, intent on texting Rias about their lack of progress, while still hoping that others had better luck.
"Do you think that he's safe?" Koneko suddenly asked, stopping the teen short from texting.
But only for a split-second, as she predictably began to multi-task by tapping onto her mobile device and answering her partner. "Definitely, I may not know him as well as most of you, but I can tell that he's tenacious. He's without a doubt safe. I'm actually more worried about why he left in the first place."
The loli couldn't help but agree on both accounts as the red-head skillfully began tapping her phone to send a text message to the Gremory princess.
It didn't take too long for her.
"Aaaaaand...send." the half-devil finished easily, before turning to the reincarnated devil, serious. "We'll find him. Then we'll get our answers. We don't abandon our own after all, right?"
A small upward twitch on Koneko's lips was her answer.
"Right."
Mio grinned, content that they were in agreement about not giving up so easily.
Pink eyes widened fractionally at the thought.
Then the thought crossed her mind a second time, as if she had to wonder about it, at least until a longing immediately beset her, nearly stopping her still with it's ferociousness.
But she managed to hide it, walking side-by-side with Koneko, who was not aware of the red-head's frustration.
...
She was going to call Naruto when she got back home.
She wanted to speak to her family again.
Rias sighed as she recieved another text from Mio, informing her of her failure as well.
Just where was he...?
"Nothing?" Akeno asked, tone worried by this point now that the day has passed them by.
The high-class devil merely shook her head sadly.
"Rias. Akeno. I found you two..."
Both young women perked up slightly when Sona called for them, grabbing their attention as she jogged towards them, Tsubaki by her side.
"Sona..." Rias muttered, nervous. "So...you found anything?"
The Sitri heiress turned away from them, uncomfortable.
Exhausted groans emerged from both 'Great Ladies', obviously disheartened by the news of another failure.
"Apologies you two, but I have gotten similar reports from the rest of my Peerage...we can't find him." Sona conceded, but her demeanor didn't become any less confident. "However, I wouldn't get too down quite yet. Everyone in my Peerage wasn't exactly in peak condition you see, as you called for that emergency meeting at quite an inopportune time...so we should all be able to scour Kuoh Town more thoroughly next time."
"Inopportune time?" Akeno repeated, curious about what the Sitri group could have possibly been doing to exhaust them to the point that their king would acknowledge it.
The Sitri heiress shifted her gaze to her queen, silently staring at one another, only turning back to Rias and Akeno after a few more seconds.
"We've been recently involved in destroying some stray devils that have been encroaching near Kuoh Town. Sometimes ones that have even managed when to occupy abandoned buildings. Your call interrupted the latest one, and it was an unusually powerful one, so we had to rush the fight in order to return back to the Academy."
Rias blinked surprised that her friend would go that far. "Ah...I see. I'm sorry then, I didn't realize that you were busy Sona."
A hint of a smile appeared on the black-haired girl's lips. "Nothing to worry about. I wasn't the one who defeated the stray devils, it was more of a training exercise for my Peerage than anything else."
The red-head felt a sweat-drop form on her forehead, suddenly sympathetic to the plight of her friend's tyranny.
"...How strange." Akeno murmured softly, tilting her head. "Why weren't we called in to deal with stray devils? Surely we could have lightened your load..."
"It was only two missions." Sona assured, raising a hand to ease the reincarnated devil's worries.
Ah.
Blue-green eyes aimed towards the sky, narrowing as the storm clouds began covering up the skies.
As she stared, a stray thought penetrated all of the ideas and plans that were being set up in her head, one that was born from genuine earnestness.
...Was a certain blond looking at the sky like she was?
But just as quickly as it had appeared, it was squashed, as all of the young woman's attention was once more placed in the present.
"I suppose we will just have to continue the search tomorrow. Can I count on your help, Sona?"
Sona pushed her glasses back up to the bridge of her nose, completely at ease.
"Do you even need to ask?"
Naruto stared at what looked like the endless abyss, mind drifting, flowing with the wind as easily as a small and flimsy leaf.
It's been more than a few minutes since Yasaka left him alone to his thoughts, giving him the chance to review everything that had happened before he lost consciousness.
Maybe that was a bit of a mistake...
The shinobi sighed as he stretched his arms, honestly somewhat tired, but unable to sleep now that he was fully awake.
Which was why he was taking the time to actually think.
Naruto raised his arm and eyed the palm of his hand, scanning it, remembering the feeling of skin and bone breaking under his fingertips...
He shivered slightly at that.
Just what was going on with him...?
Both; kyuubi's chakra and the after effects of senjutsu were worrying to the blond, and while he had theories for the senjutsu, he had no clue about why he reacted so negatively after taking in the power of his tenant.
More than that...what about that voice he heard before?
The one that goaded him on to kill Yasaka? The one that gave him the idea to push that guy with the glasses onto his ally's blades, letting them commit the killing blow?
Why did he torture that guy with the muscles?
Too many questions with no clear answers, as usual with him.
Well...he supposed he could just avoid using those powers until he had a better grasp about what was going on, but still, there were powerful beings in this world. He would have to rely on power ups to make sure that those he cared about were safe.
So, for a moment at least, Naruto allowed his head to comfortably lay on his arms, closing his eyes as he tried to grasp at least one of the problems he was plagued with.
Senjutsu.
To his embarrassment, he actually forgot to broach the subject with Yasaka before, mostly because his mind was foggy as all hell, and he didn't have the heart to ask her about it while she was finally getting the chance speaking to her daughter.
So that meant that he would speculate until he spoke with her tomorrow. Good enough.
Anyways, senjutsu required him to take in natural energy, right? Well...he remembered that Rias' jerk of an older brother mentioned how negative the natural energy was in this world.
So maybe that was having a negative effect on him? Maybe weakening him the moment that the senjutsu wears off?
That seemed kind of plausible, apparently Koneko's sister lost her sanity, and being weak for a little bit was much more preferable to going insane.
But kyuubi's chakra and that dark voice?
He had nothing.
Once more, he turned to stare at the hand which took many lives, suddenly feeling his heart constrict as he continued to gaze at it.
He wanted to take a step back away from it, but was unable to. His eyes dilated and his heart raced faster as he remembered the feeling of skin and muscle burning into nothingness under his chakra.
Of the blood which pooled under thousands of swords.
Of-
Monster.
"Naruto."
The shinobi nearly tried to jump a foot into the air, yelping as he was caught off guard by the young woman that appeared near him.
As soon as he got his dignity back, he allowed a reluctant smile to appear on his face.
"...Yuki." he said, his tone framing it as an acknowledgement more than anything else.
Indeed, Nonoka Yuki emerged from the moon-made shadows that befell the area, walking up to him as he remained laying down on the grass.
They were both located in a little garden that was right outside his room, since he took the chance to get some fresh air.
"...Naruto." was all she said, moving to his side, before plopping herself beside him, following his gaze to the sky.
Neither teens said anything for a little bit, with both enjoying the cool night wind as it brushed against their skin and their hair, letting it cool down any tension.
Except the shinobi kept staring at her, twitching faintly in exasperation after a few more moments.
"Oi, Yuki." he eventually drawled out, deadpanning. "What the heck are you doing here? I thought you were resting, and you should be doing just that, what with the beating you and Maria took."
The hero tilted her head to look at him, yellow eyes neutral.
"You seem frustrated." she verbally took note, as if observing a patent fact.
Well. She wasn't wrong...
"I'm only a ray of sunshine about ninety percent of the time, I got my moments too, you know?" the blond retorted, somewhat sarcastically.
Yuki took in his form, staying quiet as she did so, before finally opening her mouth to respond after a few beats.
"Are you ok, Naruto?"
As if it was a bunch of hot air, Naruto's frustration quickly petered out, dying out with the female human's concern.
"...Is that why you're here?" the shinobi wondered quietly. "To check if I'm alright?"
The hero nodded, eyes remaining glued to him, waiting for his responses.
"Ah...well...uh, thanks." Naruto started off awkwardly, clearing his throat to buy himself some time. "But you don't have to worry, I'm a tough guy dattebayo. If anything, you should be more worried about yourself. I mean geez, look at you! Come on, let me take you back to your room."
The shinobi pushed his hands onto the ground, trying to get himself to stand up so that he could help his friend to her room-
"No."
He froze in mid-action, the word that was uttered from the teen beside him was firm and unyielding, she was bent on staying here instead of returning to rest.
"...Why?" he questioned, moving his line of sight to her's, seeking understanding.
Yuki's yellow pupils glazed over for a split-second, recalling what happened just a few minutes earlier...
"You awake?"
Yuki grunted softly when she heard Maria's voice, choosing instead to ignore it in favor of falling back asleep.
"Oh come on! You're definitely awake! Get up, you lazy bum."
The hero groaned as she quietly determined that she would not be getting anymore rest, by this point she may as well wake up she supposed...
"...Fine. I'm awake." the young human grumbled lightly, opening a yellow pupil to glare at her partner. "...What is it?"
Maria grinned at first, happy that Yuki woke up, but then her expression turned serious, much to the hero's silent surprise.
"Thanks. Listen...this physically hurts to admit, but I need your help, Yuki-san."
The female human frowned, confused with how the succubus was acting, but she allowed her to continue nevertheless.
Realizing what the hero's intention was, Maria continued. "You see, Naruto-sama is probably in the middle of a conversation with the yokai faction leader, mostly about whether he's a danger to her people-"
Yuki immediately forced herself up, alarmed. "Wait, Naruto is being treated like a criminal!? But that-!"
The succubus raised both hands, trying to calm down her friend. "I know. I understand your feelings, but I'm sure you understand her feelings as well, both as a mother and as a leader. Besides, that's not the point...the decision has been made. It's what we...or rather, you will do afterwards."
Now the hero was considerably confused, and that confusion was manifest in the fact that she once more stayed silent. Waiting for an explanation.
"...I want you to go and speak to Naruto-sama, Yuki-san." Maria admitted, eyes firm. "He's going to tear himself apart with guilt at this rate, and he needs someone by his side to help him out of it."
Yuki squinted her eyes. "Why...can't you do it, Maria-san? I'm not saying I won't do it, just that you could have."
A self-depreciating smile split across the succubus' lips. "I don't think that I can actually help him with this to be honest, you see I'm...a bit of a coward. I can barely be honest to his face about any issues that I might have, what right do I have to talk to him about his?"
"Yuki?"
The young human female was snapped away from memory lane, thanks to Naruto's abrupt call.
"Ah, sorry. It's just..." the hero started, searching for the right words. "I suppose...that I'm just worried about your present state of mind is all. And don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, I can see it plainly."
The blond's expression became slightly uneasy at her assessment. "...I get it. This is about what happened at the forest, right? But...you don't really know about what happened back there, Yuki. I...did some bad things. Worse than that, I did them while enjoying the acts on some level."
He turned away now, facing the clear dark sky, conflicted. "I just...don't know. What if Cao Cao was right about me...? What if I really am a monster...?"
Yellow eyes narrowed into slits, their owner's temper flaring. "Taking advice from that man isn't advisable by any means Naruto, take it from me. No matter what happened, he has no right to decide what you are."
Naruto didn't respond, he kept his gaze aimed towards the sky.
Yuki forced herself up, grunting slightly since she was forced to rely on her only good hand to do so. "Naruto...you can't actually be taking Cao Cao's words seriously? He's a traitor to my people, a traitor to me...he has no honor or decency. So please...don't let him affect-"
"What if I told you that he wasn't the first one to call me a monster?"
The hero shut her mouth as the blond cut her off, her shock palpable as she tried to fathom the idea that he was suggesting.
"If...if there were people that called you such harsh things before, then they are obviously wrong." she ground out, no doubt in her voice.
"Think so? You think that everyone is wrong, except you then?"
"I think that they're either too quick too judge, or of the same moral character as my former sensei."
"...Or maybe they have a point."
This time Yuki stamped her foot onto the ground, getting increasingly agitated. "Naruto, that's enough! Just...why are you doing this? Why are you letting the words of a monstrous man get to you...?"
The shinobi turned away, his jaw set.
But the hero wasn't going to take no for an answer, as she quickly closed the distance between the two teens and placed her hand onto the side of his face, much to his complete shock.
Then she physically moved his face to meet hers, with the both of them being a little too close for comfort...
"...Please Naruto, talk to me." Yuki pleaded quietly.
Naruto's pupils took in her faint sense of genuine fear over him, despite her attempt at remaining neutral and logical in all of this.
The wavering of her pupils as well as the hint of glassiness in her eyes...
He didn't even realize that words were coming out of his mouth until he was halfway through.
"...This happened before Yuki." he whispered, eyes dull. "This power has hurt those that I've cared about...I-I don't know if I can stop myself if I should succumb to that power again. If I can do what I did back there...then what will happen with the people that I care about? What will I do to them? To you?"
The hero watched as the words slipped through his throat, seemingly making the teen look so much...older, even tired, right before her eyes.
This was weighing him down...
"More than that. There's absolutely nothing you or anyone could do to help me with this. If we face strong opponents, then I will have no choice but to use this power...that is a fact." Naruto explained, knowing that there were far stronger opponents in the world than Yasaka, Cao Cao, or a phoenix.
He needed time...damn it...
"No. There is a way for us to help." Yuki cut in as she moved her face closer to his, letting her hand continue to keep his head steady. "...We simply have to prevent anyone from pushing you that far."
...
"Hah? questioned doubtfully. "Are you sure that you understand the reality of the situation? It isn't that simple, ya know?"
The hero didn't even respond.
Instead, she chose to simply materialize a katana on her last good hand and viciously, without warning, stab the sharp blade into the ground. Cutting through the soil easily.
"Do you know why I took up this blade?" she asked without warning, seemingly switching topics.
Unsure of how to respond, the blond just gaped at his fellow teen with confusion, but Yuki continued unabated.
"I originally took up this blade in order to serve the Hero Tribe. Nothing more high-minded or idealistic, no ambition or any real end goal. I was essentially just another soldier among many soldiers under my faction. It was all in order to deny my sensei his wish...to become a 'hero' that is beyond that of what those in the Hero Tribe were. To prevent him that last victory."
She flashed a smile, one without any humor. "I was living life like a robot, doing as ordered without question. All in order to get back at the one who hurt me so. But now...the man that, even after he left, I revolved my entire life around; is dead. Gone. Just like that."
As she spoke, she gripped the handle of Sakuya tightly, eyes sharp as knives as they locked right with Naruto's gaze.
"He's gone, and I realized...that I don't have to live life while concerning myself about him. So the original intent and wish of this blade is now gone...but now I have a new wish, a new intent. One that I've made and forged from my own free will instead of as a child's response to a tragedy."
Now, inexplicably, Yuki's demeanor changed, moving from serious to light as her voice took a softer tone.
"Now I want to protect the people that I have grown to care for, as well as the boy that helped me reach this new point in my life. While I can't protect that boy physically however, I can at least help him protect his sanity. I will fight with him and continue to grow stronger so that he will never have to give in to a dark power...because that's how far I will go for those that I care about."
Naruto's eyes were puffy as he listened to her words, having to blink a few times to keep his sight clear. But as she finished speaking, he couldn't help but wonder aloud...
"...Where did you learn to say such things...Yuki?" he asked quietly, his lips twitching upwards as he brought his sleeves to swipe his eyes, shoulders shaking.
A chuckle emerged the hero's throat. "Who knows?"
"You just..." the shinobi breathed out, unable to find the right words to express himself. "That was...that was something else."
Yuki opened her mouth to joke that cool speeches were probably a one-off thing with her, but she didn't get the chance.
Mostly because Naruto suddenly wrapped his arms around her, strong arms surrounding her whole as his head fell onto the crook of her neck.
"Thank you." he mumbled, so softly that the young female human barely heard it.
But it made her heart beat faster, for some inexplicable reason that she couldn't really understand.
The close contact was...
Then an overwhelming feeling of urgency began to consume her as the hug continued, goading her own to commit a certain act, raising her blood pressure as well as her heart rate.
It just made sense to her, right then and there, with his arms around her.
Naruto slowly began to unravel his arms around the hero, eyes burning brighter than they ever had since he's woke up, about to thank her again-
Until he felt something soft and wet impact against his cheek, stunning him frozen.
Yuki was frozen too, staring at him with apprehension, unsure of why she did what she did.
She had no idea why she just pecked her lips onto his cheek.
But it felt right.
"...Was that wrong?" she asked quietly.
Naruto didn't respond, still too stunned to act.
Then his brain finally caught up to him.
A violent blush blew up across his face, reaching the very roots of his hair as he fumbled around to ask so manyquestions, unable to coherently string any sentence together however.
"I, uh, I mean you, I mean, why!? Not because it's wrong, but it came out of nowhere, unless you planned it of course, but still! Unless it means nothing to you? Did you actually just trip!? Is this an honest mistake!?"
Naruto was practically blowing up, short-circuiting all over the place as he rushed to try and comprehend the out-of-left field action that his fellow human committed.
Before she could even begin to try and answer...
"NOOOOOOO!"
Both young humans jumped, as a ear-piercing wail echoed across the small garden as a silver blur crashed against the blond, sending him to the floor in a heap.
"No! How could you Naruto-sama!? How could you make such an embarrassing face from just a peck on the cheek!? You're supposed to make such a face when you're staring at me! Don't look down on a woman's pride, damn it!"
Naruto had no idea what the hell she was talking about.
"Ah...! Wait! You saw!? So that meant you were watching us!?" the shinobi realized, outraged. "Damn it! Do you not have a sense of privacy, Maria!?"
Maria grinned, straddling him as she offered a thumbs up. "There is no need for privacy between friends. I can prove it right now by washing your back when we take a bath together-!"
"Hell no!"
"...So friends can do that..."
"Gah! No, Yuki! Don't listen to Maria!"
The succubus quickly moved her face closer to his face, purple eyes wide. "But more importantly, Naruto-sama, have you noticed anything different about me...? Maybe something really sexy...?"
Naruto's expression was dry when he, cautiously, decided to check on what the succubus was talking about, studying her with a critical eye.
...
"...Nice wraps around your body?"
Maria gaped.
"What!? Could it be that you're not just dense, but you are legitimately stupid sometimes, Naruto-sama!?"
The blond's expression didn't change a whit. "...Or maybe nothing about you has really changed."
The half-devil was about to complain again, glancing down at her body to check-
...
"...My tits are gone." she noted flatly, eyes dull.
Naruto coughed into his hand, disguising the laugh that wanted to come out.
"...Naruto-sama, you missed it. I must have run out of power when I wasn't paying attention...but I was actually a beautiful woman with a bombshell body, one that would have twisted you up in all sorts of messed up ways. I guarantee, you had no chance to fight my beauty just a few moment's ago. More than that, I'm more than positive that I would have given you the hardest-"
"Ok...ok...I get it." he grumbled, cutting her off before she said something dangerous. "...I also very much believe you. Yeah. Believe."
"...You really don't." she complained, before turning to Yuki for help. "Yuki-san...come on, tell Naruto-sama that I really did have an awesome new body!"
The hero blinked.
Then she shrugged her shoulders.
"...Traitor."
Naruto grinned and Yuki chuckled at the barb thrown, both far more at ease.
Maria couldn't even stay upset, as her features softened thanks to the far more pleasant expressions that both teens were giving out compared to just a little while ago.
It would seem that the blond even forgot about that little peck...maybe even dismissing it?
Who knew with him sometimes?
But still, as the two teens continued chuckling, the succubus couldn't help but chuckle along with them, the good mood contagious.
None of them noticed the two blondes that were watching over them.
Both Yasaka and Kunou were watching over the three figures on the garden, with the former amused and the latter extremely curious.
"...They look like normal people when you see them like this." Yasaka said, turning to look at her daughter, who was trying to get a better angle to see what was going on at the balcony.
Kunou turned around to regard her mother. "Naruto looks better, okaa-sama. Much better."
Indeed he did.
Gone was the borderline melancholy attitude that permeated his aura, even as he tried to get rid of it himself.
Now, she assumed that she was looking at the young man as he actually was, his real self.
A smile stretched across her facial features.
He was kind of cute.
"Hey, Kunou." the yokai faction leader mused lightly. "What do you think of Naruto-sama?"
As soon as she asked, the woman was practically blinded by her daughter's beaming smile.
"He's awesome! Naruto saved my life, gave me food, made me feel safe, taught me something really cool, and even used his body to protect me from danger! He's superawesome!"
Yasaka giggled, happy to see her child being so chipper. "I see..."
The yokai princess' expression shifted to confusion. "Why do you ask, okaa-sama?"
A sly smile appeared on her mother's face, much to her greater confusion.
"Curiosity." she said. "No come, let me read you a story."
Kunou's golden eyes brightened in excitement, willing to take any spare time she could get from her mother.
Azazel was worried.
He was really worried.
"Azazel-sama...! What are we going to do!? This is a disaster!"
"I know..." the faction leader returned darkly, trying to think of a way out of this mess.
He received a disturbing report from one of his spies at the Vatican, keeping tabs on the old fuddy-duddies in the church.
...It seemed that they were sending someone to Japan to take back the stolen Excalibur swords, someone powerful.
He supposed it made sense, what with the rumor mills spinning about Vretiel's battle with Naruto in Kuoh Town and all, no doubt very few would risk sending weaklings to the area now if they had a vested interest.
But that wasn't the problem, the problem was that it would only take them a day to get to Japan, as the informant only found out about this secret mission after it's been launched.
Which meant that this church agent may very well cross paths with his representative in a time when church suspicions against the fallen angels were at an all-time high.
Most likely? The agent would assume that the fallen angels and the devils were working in cahoots to steal the Excalibur swords, which...
He swallowed.
...Which could spark a war.
This could legitimately start a war, over a simple misunderstanding with suspicions all around.
Even more frustratingly, Raynare didn't have a cellphone or anything, since he didn't bother to give her one when she spent all of her time with him.
This was bad...this was really, really bad...
...Maybe he could call Vali to intercept the agent? Stall him so that Raynare could complete her duty?
...No, he would just make things worse. No way he could trust a battle maniac to calm down a powerful church agent, more than likely...he'd just goad the poor guy.
Then...that left one option.
"Hey...I need you bastards to hack into a few choice companies in order to access their databases, all to grab the cellphone information about a certain someone..."
One of his subordinates saluted and began to relay the order, before turning around for clarification. "Uh...sir, who are we looking for?"
Azazel grinned at the relatively young man.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
Rain...
Why did it have to rain when she got here?
The young woman was grumbling as she used her legs -her legs- to run past broken debris and yellow tape, trying to make it to shelter.
It really sucked that she couldn't use her wings, but she was too close to the humans in the area to attempt it. She would just waste more time in getting caught and then erasing memories.
No, better to go on foot, besides, she was very close to her new shelter.
It still sucked though, as she was getting her new outfit wet...
Due to Azazel-sama's complaints about the optics of a young woman representing him wearing what amounted to nothing but straps at key places, she decided to change outfits. Both as a favor to him and as a more...obvious shift away from the woman she was before.
Apparently, while it was better, he still had problems with it.
Damn old geezer...
She was wearing, in typical fallen fashion, clothes that left little to the imagination.
A dark grey, nearly black corselet framed her upper body, showing off exactly why fallen angels were known as seducers among the three factions. Not only that, but she was wearing a long skirt that stretched to her ankles with the same color palette as her top, an almost conservative choice...if it wasn't for the long slit that stretched from her thighs to the very bottom of her leg. Giving a peek to her newly toned body that she gained from trying to control her new abilities...
But all of that was getting wet now, much to her annoyance, as her clothes and hair stuck to her body now.
Raynare gasped when she finally reached the stone structure, safe from the annoying downpour, silently thankful that the structure was still standing.
It was a good thing that she knew this place, it would work as a safe house...even if it was run down.
Though...it was definitely a blast from the past, that's for sure.
The young fallen was currently in, of all places, a church...the very same one that she used alongside her mother as a base of operations.
Violet eyes took in the dilapidated building, seeing easily how thoroughly battered it was ever since her mother clashed with Naruto.
Her thoughts focused, almost as if she was single-minded, on that name...
Then she shook her head, she had to focus on the mission.
If he was here in Kuoh Town, then she could speak to him after she completed her mission. That was first and foremost.
...Then she could talk to him.
Anyways, she would use this church to rest up and head out tomorrow, despite all of the 'caution' tape that was strewn around the building...probably by the local human law enforcement.
So with that in mind, despite knowing that the church wasn't exactly a first-class hotel, she began searching for a place to lay down and get some rest...
Then her shoulders tensed.
She could practically feel someone's ill intents for her.
"Looks like I won't have much time to rest, huh?" she couldn't help but mention with some level of dry humor, as she turned around and faced her possible enemy.
As expected, from one of the doors that led to the church's underground, emerged a handsome young man wearing a school's uniform. His features shadowed as he carried a sword that scraped against the ground.
"...A fallen angel? Lucky me. I was hoping to find one..." the young man stated darkly, raising his sword into a fighting stance.
"...You're a devil aren't you?" Raynare questioned, prepared to make any last-second moves if necessary. "Are you a part of a Peerage? Because unless you're a stray devil, I suggest you back off, as I am a representative here to speak to the high-class devils in the area about a certain...incident."
The devil took a step closer, his bearing threatening. "I. Don't. Care. What I care about...is information. So as long as you answer a question I have...you will be free to go and do whatever you please. However, if you don't...then we will be having some problems. I suggest you choose wisely."
Violet eyes narrowed into slits. "Are you threatening me?"
The devil ignored her demand.
"...Where are they?"
The fallen frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't. Don't play dumb with me." the swordsman growled. "I know that your faction has some of the Excalibur swords in your possession! And if you're coming behalf of someone...then that means you should have some semblance of knowledge about them. So tell me!"
Raynare's eyes widened, panic beginning to take hold of her heart.
This guy knew about Kokabiel's...!?
No...if he had the full story, then he would know that Kokabiel wasn't sanctioned to do this by Grigori, so that meant...
"...Tch! Looks like there's someone else making a play here..." she complained, before glaring at the devil. "Sorry, but I have no clue where the Excalibur swords are, and even if I did...I wouldn't tell you anyways."
Kiba Yuuto smiled.
It wasn't a friendly one.
"I never did like fallen angels anyways..." he noted darkly, as he lowered his center of gravity to attack. "If you won't tell me willingly..."
Then he jumped, high into the air, raising his blade high with hate in his eyes.
"Then I'll simply make you!"
"...My my, you're quite hungry, aren't you?"
"...Yes, Diodora-sama."
"Good. I'm sure that you're going to get a decent meal soon. Probably tomorrow as a matter of fact...if my plans work anyways. Though...I think they will."
"Of course, Diodora-sama."
Diodora chuckled, almost good-naturedly, as he leaned back onto the dank sofa, wet with, what he assumed...was blood.
Not that he cared.
...Well...this was it.
If he failed his mission here, he would definitely be killed by his master, so he really couldn't fail this time.
But this time...he was playing smart. The long game, so to speak.
It was pure coincidence that his master, the illustrious Lucifer received information from an anonymous source about how poorly protected his one of his goals were. But unfortunately, he was still busy trying to rebuild a new home for their faction...
So it was a really nice coincidence that Diodora just happened to be in the area as well.
...Well, that was actually a lie. He was already planning on attacking the group in Kuoh Town anyways, mostly so that he could get revenge for half of his face...as well as to get a new -albeit unwilling- new lover.
Par for the course~
So it was a shame that he'd have to change targets, but getting rewarded with more power was still extraordinarily beneficial to him. So he'd live with it.
Besides...because of his new mission, he found a new slave! So it all panned out in the end.
...But to think that someone would leave such a specimen on the floor, dead. It was a travesty, a shame really. But he should thank whoever did inflict such a killing blow, as thanks to his access to this beast...he now had access to his followers.
Like animals, following their alpha, they follow Diodora through him.
It all panned out well for him.
Not only that, but even before that, he found a very confused and downtrodden young man to twist up! How lucky was he?
Now the pathetic losers here could waste energy, time, and more importantly...spread themselves thin enough for him to strike.
...How nice that he knew about Kokabiel's plans through his master, Lucifer-sama was a man that he really didn't want to cross...
Ah well.
"Don't worry everyone..." Diodora muttered, voice distorted. "You'll all get your own meals soon enough..."
A cacophony of roars and sick squeals were the only responses that he received. And the only ones that he needed.