Mio's movement stalled, her gaze moving back to the loli that seemed suddenly on alert. Her hazel eyes pinning her to the floor with unwavering intensity.
"...You stay here." the rook stated with authority, not about to be questioned. "...I need to go. Buchou's in trouble...bigtrouble. I'm going to go help her."
If anything, the half-devil was confused by this response. "Huh? How would you know that, Koneko? I don't sense anything wrong-"
"Trust me." the reincarnated devil replied, her voice clipped, expression stony. "...I need to go, you need to stay here and...protect that fallen angel. I'll be back soon...ok?"
The white-haired teen didn't really even wait for a response as she moved to leave through the front entrance of the house, her movements belaying her rush to get to her king's side.
Mio just watched her go, slightly numb, unable to comprehend what just happened.
Koneko just left her, just like that.
Yes, she didn't really even want her to come guard her in the first place, but there was some kind of comfort that she received by her sheer presence.
She wasn't alone in a house that was meant for a family.
As was becoming more distressingly common, her thoughts drifted back to her 'family', heart aching at the fact that they weren't by her side. Backing her up in a situation that very much needed some sort of silver-lining, which she very simply wasn't seeing.
Maria's lighthearted, yet crude, jokes and attitude.
Naruto's overwhelming -and infectious- confidence and can-do attitude.
Both precious.
The last time she was so alone, trapped in a house with such happy memories was...
Was...
No. No.
Stop. She had to stop now.
Yet the memories came anyways, even if she didn't want them to, forcing her to live through events in her life that she once suppressed.
Instead of the well-kept and comfortable house she was now inhabiting, she was beginning to see flashes of the ruins of another house.
Her breathing came out in short and shallow bursts, eyes dilating as she began to feel it.
Their blood...
Even though it felt like years ago...she could still feel their blood on her hands, splattered across her body, refusing to leave her no matter how much she washed.
...Back then, just like now...it was quiet.
The lack of noise was far more deafening than any sound that she has ever heard.
Say something.
She didn't want to hear it again.
Why won't you say something!?
*Ding Dong*
Mio gasped, her heart in her throat, as she was snapped away from what was very quickly becoming something dangerous.
She forced herself to stand, forced herself to throw that grim reality in the past.
It was the past. It had to stay there. No more, no less.
Her family was alright, they were alright...
They were fine.
They were fine. They were fine. They were fine. They were fine. They were fine.
The red-head's breath was suddenly knocked out of her body, forcing her to her knees as she grit her teeth, trying not to cough.
Her fist was embedded in her stomach.
That was it. That was enough.
She wasn't alone. Not anymore.
This was her home now, and it would stay that way if she had any say about it.
A crooked smile grew on her face, the young woman newly positive that she would get through this. All of this.
With those damn two troublemakers back home as well.
So with that, Mio finished her trek towards the door, easily swinging it open in order to thank the person that managed to temporarily get her out of her funk.
But the words of thanks died in her throat.
"Ah. Greetings. It's a pleasure to meet you at last...Naruse Mio."
A sense of restlessness gripped her heart, keeping her still as she gazed upon the young man in front of her.
Dark green hair.
"...How do you know me?"
Eye closed into a slit.
"Ah, that would be telling, now wouldn't it? For now...let's just say that you have a secret admirer. One that knows of your worth."
A well-educated noble's bearing and demeanor.
"An admirer, huh? Well...what is it that you want with me?"
Extraordinarily expensive clothes and flowing robes.
"Ah, to the point. I like that. Well...Mio-chan, I'd like to take you to your greatest admirer, he has great influence you see, and he could easily provide you with whatever you wish. Just name it, and it's yours."
A creepy smile.
"...And if I refuse your 'offer'?"
The young man's smile, already immensely unsettling, turned more ugly as the conversation progressed.
Just who was this guy? And who was this 'admirer' of her's?
She had no idea, but there was one thing that she did know...
"To put it quite simply." the young man murmured, his voice soft. "This isn't a request."
Someone that has a happy mask that covers half of their face was simply not a trustworthy person.
So when he essentially threatened her, she wasn't particularly surprised by it. Already coming to the grim conclusion that this guy was not a man that took 'no' for an answer.
"This could go either two ways, Mio-chan." the older male stated with authority, not even bothering with diplomacy by this point. "You could either come with me willingly, or I'll simply take you by force. I suggest that you choose wisely."
Mio already bristled at the far too familiar honorific, but ignored that for the bigger problem that was staring at her in the face.
...No matter how she looked at this, she won't be able to rely on anyone to help her out this time around. Everyone was busy with something else or, even worse, outside of Kuoh Town altogether.
The young woman's hand twitched, seeking to place some semblance of defense in preparation of a fight, or maybe she could even go for a preemptive strike-
"Did you really think that I'd give you time to think your way out of this?"
Pink eyes widened as she felt the creepy man's energy spike in a threatening manner, a magic circle forming in the palm of his hand.
"...You're a devil." she realized just then, growling in frustration.
A growing smile was the devil's only response. "Indeed. Diodora Astaroth, at your service."
If anything, the red-head's already rising sense of alarm skyrocketed, forcing her to take a step back just to cope.
This was the guy that Rias-sempai warned everyone about!
But why was he here, with her? Wasn't he after Asia-san...?
Before this line of thought could be extended, Diodora saw fit to continue the pressure by pushing more power into his magic circle, leaving the implied threat in the air.
"Last chance." was all he said.
Mio snapped her eyes behind her, looking back onto the house that she has been staying in for the entire time she's known Naruto.
Her sanctuary.
Her home.
No. Not just her home.
Maria's home.
Naruto's home.
Her family's home.
"Wait."
Diodora raised an eyebrow inquisitively, but he didn't go ahead and attack, so Mio took the chance that was offered and continued to speak.
"...I will not go with you willingly, there's no way that I'll allow myself to be taken away from my home. Not again. Never again. Not from you, not by anyone." she declared, her tone firm and unyielding. "However...a fight here would do damage to the place that I have come to know as my new home. This is the precious place that Naruto offered for Maria and I to stay in, the place where my family lives, the place where I can feel safe..."
Pink eyes narrowed into slits, her own aura becoming volatile as she glared at the former noble devil. "So in order to protect my home...I'm willing to accept it if you took me to a battlefield of your choosing. As long as it is still in Kuoh Town, I don't mind, even it it gave you a tactical advantage somehow. But this home, my family's home, will not be touched. Under any circumstances."
Diodora blinked slowly, staring at her, completely silent following her declaration.
Then he suddenly bent over, roaring in laughter at the prospect of this girl making such demands of him.
It was ridiculous! She was in absolutely no position to be so confident in her diplomatic skills.
"Very well!" the traitorous pure-blood relented with a dark smirk. "In honor of the guts that it must have taken for what you have requested...I will humor you and take you up on your offer."
Mio looked taken aback for all of about a split-second, before nodding firmly, affirming to the deal in place.
Not only would her home be safe, but the fallen angel would be safe from this man's wrath as well. All in all, this was without a doubt the best thing she could have done.
It was time for her to protect someone else, instead of being the one who was protected all of the time.
His dark smile still in place, Diodora spun on his heel and walked back onto the road, a jaunty tune emerging from his throat.
The red-head watched him move warily at first, then sighed, accepting of her fate.
She tilted her head just enough to look at her home, smiling softly at it, even at this grim time.
Then she moved to follow, determined to make good on the promise that she made to herself.
Naruto and Maria would come back, and they would come back home with everyone safe and sound.
Including herself.
Attention, we have arrived at the Central Japan International Airport. This is the final stop. I repeat, this is the final stop.
As expected, everyone that was still inside the large mobile transport began to file out of their door, rushing to catch their flight.
A certain blond was squeezing through the crowd, his cheeks squeezed together as he grumbled in annoyance at how crowded it was.
Naruto finally made it to the airport, with a little bit of time to spare to boot, and with a little bit of training done. Thankfully.
Every little bit helped.
Now all the shinobi had to do was find a place to wait patiently for midnight to come around.
...
And get some food, he was pretty damn hungry dattebayo...
As he rubbed his stomach, trying to do his best to ignore the occasional hunger pangs that plagued him, he made sure to glance up at the night sky that was visible to him through the glass ceiling.
The moon was high in the sky now, watching over the area like a mystical specter.
He still had some time before midnight rolled around it seemed, so what should he do in the meanwhile...?
Well, he should probably make a plausible story first, it would be pretty damn suspicious if he just walked up to this church agent and introduced himself when this was supposed to be a classified mission.
A sigh escaped his lips unintentionally, knowing full well that all of these thoughts, while important, were masking a deeper concern hidden in his mind.
It was a gut feeling, really. But he couldn't help but feel worried over what was happening back at Kuoh Town.
Hopefully everyone was doing alright, standing together against...well...whatever was going to happen over there.
Especially Mio...
Naruto shook his head firmly, gritting his teeth.
No, she was a big girl, she could handle whatever was going on without him. He was sure of it.
...But he was still worried.
Blue eyes shifted to the sky, staring at the bright moon in the sky, knowing that he had to deal with this incident quickly.
The blond had to return home, if not for his friend's safety, then for his own sanity.
So with that in mind, Naruto moved forward, mentally preparing himself for what might be quite the confrontation.
Diodora was casually walking towards his destination, not at all in any hurry to get there.
On the contrary, he was intentionally taking his time.
The longer that he led her away from the security of her home and allies, the further agitated and fearful she would become. Any confrontation with her after that would be quite simple.
Psychological warfare through tension was a very well established tactic in battle.
Of course...seeing the way her eyes flitted about, nervous, was quite the enjoyable thing to watch as well.
But honestly speaking, he'd much rather hear her screamthan anything else...her bravery was a little bit of a let-down.
Oh well, he had plenty of time to change that.
His only remaining eye opened itself up, a dark glint inside his pupil as he fully considered how to milk the current situation.
Beyond his blatant sadism, there was also the fact that there was an area of Kuoh Town that he knew would work in his favor in two aspects; to buy him time and to guarantee Naruse Mio's subjugation.
They were almost there...
"How much longer?" Mio asked quietly, voice somber and listless.
Diodora shivered, trying not to smile at her growing depression. "We're almost there my dear...I was hoping to give you time to reconsider your position by now."
Her pink eyes narrowed at him, disgust evident in those orbs. "...So is that what this entire charade was about? To intimidate me to change my mind? Sorry 'friend', but I'm not that easy."
If anything, instead of getting frustrated by her defiance, the traitorous devil seem to be pleased by it.
Almost like he reveled in her struggle...
It took her all of about a minute to remember that this was the king of those devil girls that Naruto captured back at Rias-sempai's summer home.
...She really couldn't lose to this guy. No way.
Not to his mind games, not to his strength.
"Rejoice, Mio-chan! We have arrived at our destination!"
Mio's attention was brought back to reality as she followed the devil's gaze, forcing her eyes to widen fractionally.
"...An abandoned house?" she whispered out loud, confused.
As she stated, the place that the devil led her to was that of a dilapidated mansion that looked like it was about to topple in on itself any moment now.
It's windows were cracked, the paint dulled, it's tiles falling off...
"This was my temporary base of operations for Kuoh Town, if you're curious." the cruel man commented, as if parting with a fun factoid.
The red-head snapped her head towards her de-facto captor. "What...? So wait...that means that...you were stationed here long enough to have a base here!?"
"Ding!" Diodora mocked, a dark smile spreading across his face. "Got it in one! Indeed...I've been watching you all verrrry closely...especially ever since that bastard left."
Mio frowned, taking note that the former heir of the Astaroth clan had a lot of venom in his voice when he said 'bastard'.
Then she quickly realized why that was, as there was only one person that this man could possibly hate so much.
"...Hoh...?" the half-devil questioned with a growing grin. "So I guess you still have something of a grudge against Naruto, huh? Well I guess that's to be expected...he did defeat you once upon a-"
A furious orange eye speared her with a look, as the man himself let loose a low growl at the temerity of the young girl.
Then he caught himself after noticing her widening grin, realizing that he was reacting just as she wanted him to.
She was, without a doubt, trying to get under his skin.
So the former high-class devil bit his tongue, forcing himself not to jump at her bait. "...Last chance."
Mio raised her chin, her grin disappearing as the moment of truth arrived at last.
"I refuse."
Diodora's face twitched, his patience all but gone now.
"Then fall."
Even as he was speaking, the very air itself shifted inexplicably around them, giving her the feeling that she was being moved...
A barrier...! A big one at that!
The red-head spread her wings out, jumping backwards to make magic circles on the palms of her hands, demonic energy pouring into them.
"Not so fast!" the traitorous devil screamed out, easily making his own magic circle which spewed magic bullets at extreme rates towards his 'backpedaling' victim.
Electricity quickly moved out of Mio's palms to intercept the green bolts of demonic energy, crackling through them without much difficulty and reaching for her enemy.
This time the former Astaroth heir was forced to stretch his wings to fly, using them to help him move higher into the air faster as her attack neared him.
As luck would have it, he managed to barely dodge the magical offensive as it shred apart the pavement that he was previously occupying.
Angered at this, Diodora raised his hand in order for another emerald-green magic circle to appear above his head, glowing brightly.
He didn't hesitate at all.
Countless of magic bullets came out of his rune-like construct, twisting around in the air in order to rain down on his opponent with deadly consequences.
Seeing this, Mio quickly switched to the defensive, using her left hand to make a magic shield to hold over her head as she turned around and ran from the 'rain'.
The red-head growled as she felt the attack make contact with her shield above her and the ground around her, smashing apart the earth and throwing up enough dust into the air that it clouded her sight.
Damn it...! She needed to get out of the fire zone! Fast!
Her right hand was already forming her escape plan, but she needed time to gather more energy first, so she just needed to hold out-
"Do you think that you're getting away!?" the insane man from above gloated, easily creating more magic circles around him to increase the pressure that he was placing on the girl.
This time however, his new magical constructs were aimed directly at her, all while he continued with his rain assault.
A two-pronged attack from different directions.
The half-devil clenched her eyes, forced to make a choice as she moved to turn at the end of the street block in order to use the buildings as temporary cover. Hiding herself to give her a mini-respite.
Diodora wasn't giving her that chance though, as the new magic circles did not spit out bolts of demonic energy this time.
Rather, beams were sent forward, which were easily controllable to the young man.
So much so that he actually managed to navigate them around the building that she was hiding in. Their large numbers overwhelming.
Not to mention the fact that his last bits of 'rain' were aiming for the area as well!
*BOOM*
They detonated as soon as they all converged, blowing up a piece of the small shop that his prey was hiding behind. The rubble falling all over the area. Covering the area in dust and smoke.
...
A single orange eye peered into the destruction, a flicker of worry passing through them as the young man considered that he may have taken this too far.
What if he actually killed her? Lucifer-sama needed her alive in order to properly take her inherited power...
As he was seriously trying to decide how he should delicately inform his lord, a blur shot out of the cover of the smoke and rose high into the sky.
Mio glared harshly at her enemy, doing her best to ignore the numerous scratches that covered her body, her left hand high above her head.
Diodora's eye snapped to her, widening slightly in surprise to see her well.
What he didn't know was that she was forced to use up a bit of her charged demonic energy in her right hand to get out of that in one piece.
Nevertheless, the red-head aimed the magic circle on her left hand towards him and fired.
As soon as she set her attack loose, the large fireball that appeared came flying towards him. Seeking to incinerate him with it's car-sized largess.
The former high-class devil scoffed, raising both of his hands to his front to create a barrier, stopping the pathetic attempt on his life in well swell swoop.
He succeeded.
The fireball crashed right into his barrier, barely denting it as it attempted to try and break through.
Unamused, the servant of the true Lucifer waved away the attack with his demonic energy, splitting the fire into two with derision.
As he did so, he quickly realized his error.
Mio closed the gap between them as she used her last attack as a smokescreen, buying her enough time to finish her preparations.
Her right hand was raised in front of her this time, her eyes scrunched together, focused on this one effort.
Even as she was moving, something below her was converging towards her position, helping her, standing with her.
Water.
Water from the pipes in the houses.
Water from the fire hydrants.
Water from the small ponds.
Water which she herself just made at that very second.
The very same water that Mio used to block most of the explosion that rocked her from behind that building. Much like what Sona did just earlier that day.
They joined together to create an elemental construct in front of her, which in turn was heading straight towards the enemy devil with reckless abandon.
On the other hand, all Diodora really saw after he got rid of the fireball that was thrown his way, was the large jaws of an oriental dragon's head made out of water. Of which, could easily swallow him whole.
Fear penetrated his dark heart at the sight, as he quickly flew backwards and formed new barriers to stop the 'beast'.
But since he barely had time to concentrate, those very barriers were far too weak to stop such a heavy concentration of elemental power created by demonic energy.
So it slowly began to catch up, it's creator gritting her teeth as she desperately tried to hit him, knowing that she couldn't keep this up for much longer.
As the maws slowly caught up to the former heir, his fear began to become more and more acute, his still-beating heart hammering in his rib cage.
"...No..."
Closer.
"No..."
Right in his face.
"NOOOOO!"
Diodora's bellow echoed across the sky, his hands glowing bright green as he released his pent up power to stop the unstoppable beast.
From his hands, emerged what could only be called a 'wall'. One that came down like a barrier that was made out of glass, which separated him from the water-based jaws that were about to engulf him.
The maws immediately crashed against the 'wall' that was put into place, viciously battering at it with overwhelming water pressure, cracking it.
Pink eyes dilated as the red-head focused all of her strength on pushing her water construct to break the border separating her and her enemy, pouring more and more power into her offensive.
However, her attack began to deform against the wall, slowly losing it's shape against the seemingly unbreakable shield.
It was obvious that the former heir of the Astaroth clan was barely holding it at bay though, since the cracks on the wall became more and more pronounced the longer that the water kept pushing against it.
Until...little by little...
*Crack*
The fissures made by her attack became too big...
The entire wall fell apart in short order, shattering into what seemed like a million pieces that fell towards the ground, like snow.
Unfortunately for Mio, her attack wasn't in much better shape either.
The maws that were supposed to take down her opponent was left as nothing more than a blob of liquid, which has lost it's shape after clashing against the barrier.
So all that was left for the magical attack to do was explode in a shower of water, not actually completing the task that it was sent out to do.
Said liquid splashed against Diodora, wetting his clothes and soaking him to the bone, but did nothing more than that as the leftover water rained down onto the ground.
Mio stared at the shower that she had inadvertently created, shaking slightly in her fatigue, as well as her faint despair.
Her grand plan depended on that large amount of water to crash against Diodora, in order to knock him to the ground so that she could finish him with a heavy dose of electricity...
At least, that was the rough draft of her idea.
But now what? She was fatigued by this point, and there was no way that that bastard would waste his chance to take her out while she was weakened. Let alone let her do something like that a second time...
That inkling of despair slowly bloomed in her chest, giving her a sense of hopelessness as she felt that her options were slowly being taken away from her. Giving her no real options to choose from.
She couldn't do this.
She couldn't do this.
Her confidence was being slowly drained the longer she thought about it, bringing her spirit down into a crippling depression that slowly forced her towards the ground.
Her body very simply did not have the will to continue this fight.
To put it more simply, she didn't have what it took to win, she was nothing but a burden...even now.
The red-head bit her lip, clenching her fists at the stinging truth.
She wasn't as strong as Maria.
She wasn't as brilliant as Rias-sempai.
She wasn't as talented as Akeno-sempai.
She wasn't as fast as Kiba-san.
Hell...she didn't even have the sheer guts that the pervert; Issei-san, had.
...But more importantly...
And at this self-realization, she truly then felt the prickling feeling of pain, as her eyesight became blurry and red.
...She wasn't anything like Naruto.
Not as brave.
Not as powerful.
Not as charismatic.
Not as positive.
Not as creative.
She was nothing like the person that she sometimes embarrassingly called her 'onii-chan'.
They were like night and day, with her being so far behind that...
That...
They almost couldn't even be considered family.
...To some, it could even be considered an insult. The gap was truly just that massive.
Did...she even have the right to call him that?
Mio had no idea, no clue whatsoever.
"But..." the half-devil whispered, voice still despondent at her grim thoughts. "Even now...I..."
Her feet tapped onto the pavement again, the rain that she made flowed down her hair and peppered her without relent, as she stared up at her sadistic enemy.
He glared down at her, his eye mocking.
"Have you seen how futile your struggle is now?" Diodora cackled out, his voice echoing in the din. "Give up! You stand no chance against me!"
Puffy pink eyes met his single orange one, the young woman hiccuping as she tried to stand tall, refusing to be cowed.
Even now...she...
Mio straightened her body, ignoring how heavy her body was because of her wet clothes, locking onto him with a brave face.
Then she paused suddenly, freezing, something clicking in the back of her mind, alerting her.
Hope flooded her chest as she finally found another way, giving her the energy to create one more magic circle on her right hand, focusing calmly, hoping that the young man didn't notice what she was doing.
Unfortunately, he did.
"...She hasn't given up yet? Hmph...this time, I better make sure I break her spirit apart properly this time." the disowned high-class devil remarked, smiling darkly.
He raised his hands up, with magic circles quickly occupying them.
The half-devil clicked her tongue, seeing magic bullets once more rain down on her, swiftly preparing to take her down.
Instead of moving to run away this time, she stood her ground, eyeing the magical constructs warily. Ready to move at a moment's notice.
As soon as the magic bullets reached her position, she did just that.
A twist of the body to the left as a fast object sped past her waist.
A flick of her head to the right before another object could cut off her ear.
A tilt of her leg so that the next demonic attack couldn't pierce her thigh.
Magic bullets kept raining down, as Mio twisted her body around to narrowly dodge the attacks from hurting her, intensely focused on this one objective.
Pink eyes blinked, momentarily seeing rocks moving at increasingly faster speeds instead of the attacks that her enemy were flinging at her.
Seeing a certain red-head that was grinning as she continued to 'help' her during her training...
Turned out that it did.
While she wasn't that much better physically than before, her reflexes and body coordination had improved by leagues compared to before.
Which was exactly why the ground was getting shattered into oblivion around her whilst still remaining unharmed, the 'rain' continuing at it's constant rate.
Diodora's eye narrowed, annoyed at this development.
He almost didn't care about bringing the girl back alive...this was becoming too annoying for him.
A snarl emerged from his throat at the fear he felt from this girl's last attack, driving himself to a frenzy to the point that he began to see red.
He moved to up the ante.
Several more magic circles appeared beside him, spewing more bullets as if they were assault rifles.
Mio had no choice but to stand her ground, her entire body bobbing and weaving around the magical constructs as they slowly tore apart the area around her, the rubble crashing against her skin after every small explosion.
But, slowly but surely, she was beginning to get overwhelmed.
She first got the hint when a bullet barely managed to graze against her hair at an awkward angle when she turned her head to the side. Burning off both of her ribbons which kept her trademarked pigtails up. Letting her long hair cascade down her back in all of it's glory.
Too bad she didn't have enough time to worry about that.
A bullet grazed against her right arm almost immediately afterwards, making her wince and crashing her concentration.
She quickly regained it soon after, but the more she got hit, the more difficult it became to keep up her dodging.
Soon after, a bullet pierced her stomach, forcing her to cough a little bit of blood in recompense.
Then her left shoulder.
Then the area right below her left collarbone, but luckily still above her heart.
But it wasn't until another bullet shot right through her right leg that she was finally brought low, crashing into the ground with a wet gasp. Her head knocking harshly against the severely damaged pavement.
As soon as she was down onto the ground, the 'rain' ceased, as the enemy devil was seemingly satisfied with the pain that he dispensed.
The red-head managed to drag her head up from the pavement to glare at Diodora with harsh pink eyes, her bangs covering up the blood that was flowing down from her forehead.
All she got was a triumphant smirk in return, looking down on her from on high.
Now she could easily see why Naruto didn't like this guy, as if she didn't already have enough of a reason to want him gone.
But it was fine...it was fine.
Because it was ready now.
Slowly, the half-devil brought her right arm from under her body out, ignoring the pangs of pain, as she raised it above her head. Aiming it at the renegade devil.
A relatively small magic circle was on the palm of her hand, ready to activate.
"This is it!" she declared, activating it, expanding it so that it was now twice her size.
Diodora's eye snapped to the magic circle, widening, forcing his hands to create another magic barrier like before. Predicting that this was another play at creating a charged magical attack.
Immediately, just like last time, a barrier that looked like a wall of glass appeared in front of him. Separating himself from the younger female, preventing anything from getting to him.
Mio's eyes narrowed at this, absolutely glowering at her enemy above, still keeping her right arm raised up.
The device on her hand which was about to release her next attack still glowing bright.
...But, suddenly, inexplicably, it began to dim.
Until the young female teen gasped and allowed her arm to flop down onto the floor, gritting her teeth as she grasped at it with her other arm.
Diodora stared down at her, confused for all of about a second.
Then it clicked.
"...You've run out of demonic energy, haven't you?" he almost whispered disbelievingly, a growing smile stretching across his face. "You've used too much energy when you were using different elements, so now you've thoroughly exhausted yourself...am I right?"
The red-head didn't answer, she just kept clutching her arm, teeth grinding against one another.
A chuckle escaped the servant of Lucifer, before he even began to break down into an incessant cackle that seemed to encompass the entire barrier that was placed. Ringing in everyone's ears, mocking.
"So this was your final attack then!? A pathetic show, I have to say!" he crowed, smirking smugly. "I have to say...your abilities, while diverse, are pretty pathetic considering that you're the daughter of the Original Lucifer! You really are a failure, aren't you?"
Mio lifted her head up, her gaze hooded by her long red bangs, giving him only a glimpse of her eyes.
"...You're right..." she admitted lowly, her eyes pained. "I...I'm the daughter of scum...but at least he was powerful scum, talented scum. Yet...I don't have that power or that talent. I'm just...average."
Even as she was speaking, the teen was already pushing herself off of the ground, a little bit of blood trailing down from her forehead to her chin.
She raised her chin, defiant, a small grin on her face.
"That being said..." she spoke up softly, her grin growing wider. "My 'average' self is more than enough to beat someone like you."
Diodora's smirk disappeared.
What the hell was she yapping about-?
All his thoughts ceased.
Suddenly overtaken by one, overbearing sensation that he was simply not used to.
Pain.
Something, he wasn't sure what yet, smashed against his back, sending him careening towards the ground at breakneck speeds.
The young man desperately tried to recover in the air, spreading his wings out to slow down his descent, furiousthat his enemy managed to pull a fast one on him.
But he didn't stop slowing down.
On the contrary, he began descending faster.
What...? Why!?
That was when he noticed, a key, yet small, thing.
His wings were wet.
His clothes were wet.
His entire body? Wet.
Diodora quickly realized that the water that splashed against him earlier in the fight was weighing him down, doing nothing but making him sink faster.
But no...that shouldn't have been enough to make him fall this fast...
Then another thing occurred to him.
The sound of wind was deafening to his ear, yet wasn't it louder than usual...? Even at this speed it was simply too loud.
And that was when he realized.
Wind.
Yet he didn't see her cast any wind! So how did she-!?
Then the final piece of the puzzle was finally put into place, making his eye widen to the size of a dinner plate.
She created this gust of wind behind him...! That was the only way!
It was a powerful gust that was pushing him down, nothing too impressive if she created it with a magic circle in close proximity to her body, but she didn't create it in close proximity to herself.
This...wasn't just 'average' anymore...
Only one that trained for years with the element should've been able to do something like that...
Yet, once more, his thoughts were cut off when the overbearing sensation of pain interrupted them, which was caused by the fact that he crashed into his own barrier.
The glass-like wall was shattered, as Diodora never bothered to reinforce it from his side, sending it all crashing down to earth.
His body eventually, finally, crashed down to earth, creating a decent-sized crater on impact while knocking the wind out of him.
Diodora squirmed on the spot, wheezing, desperate to get some air into his lungs.
As he was falling, Mio was already charging her next attack, knowing that she was drudging up almost all of her last reserves left. This wouldn't leave her totally empty, but she was definitely almost out.
So when he finally crashed to the ground, she was ready.
The teen slammed her hands to the ground, sweat glistening on her face, teeth bared.
Diodora barely managed to bring some much needed air to his lungs when he noticed that the ground under him was moving, almost as if...
His eye snapped to his -damnable!- enemy, who was shaking violently as her hands were clasped on the ground.
She could use earth too!?
That made all five elements...
What could she become with some proper tutelage...?
However, he had no time to think still, as he suddenly realized what exactly his enemy was up to.
"...You...devious cretin...!" he snarled out, bringing his arms out as he very quickly created two defensive magic circles to stop the two objects from smashing on top of him.
The earth under him was pushing against the foundations of two large objects, forcing them to tip and topple over, namely, on top of him.
He was in the middle of the street, using two magic circles to stop the two apartment buildings that were threatening to crash on top of his head and envelop his body whole.
By the time he even noticed the danger, they were already halfway there, so he couldn't even escape in time, let alone dodge.
He was stuck holding two buildings afloat.
"Hey...! I'm not...done...yet!"
Diodora snapped his eye forward, fear quickly overtaking it as he saw Naruse Mio charging at him, her left arm supporting her right, a magic circle on the palm of her right hand.
The red-head was clearly closing the gap, using the last dredges of her demonic energy for this attack on the palm of her hand.
All she had left to do, was imagine it.
Imagination, that was the key to all of her attacks, and this one especially.
She had to spin.
Spin.
Spin.
Spin.
Spin.
The ball of fire she created was rotating faster and faster as she poured her last bit of energy into it, concentrating it into a tight form thanks to the rotation.
The image in her head was of that time...so long ago...
Of a sphere, holding a maelstrom in it's depths, spinning at seemingly impossible speeds.
The rasengan.
...At least, that was the inspiration for what she was about to do.
Yet her attack was nothing like that, nothing at all.
Naruto's rasengan not only spun around in one direction, it spun around in every direction, giving it that grinding effect that made it so strong.
At least, so her brother gloated.
Her's did nothing more than spin in one direction, concentrating her power into a single point, like Naruto's, but without the grinding.
She wasn't even sure if it was possible to imitate that attack with demonic energy, yet she tried anyways.
This was the result, thanks to her training.
It was a pale imitation of a truly great technique.
Some bitter, dark part of her mind couldn't help but believe that it fit her like a glove.
Yet even if she was a 'failure'...
Mio jumped up, raising her spinning ball of fire, thrusting it forward at Diodora's face.
Even if she couldn't measure up...
A single orange eye watched the orb reach him, hallucinating in his fear of what was about to happen.
Instead of the young red-head that was about to shove an orb of power into his face, he saw something else entirely.
A young blond, with piercing blue eyes, soaring towards him, roaring out his attack's name as he raised his sphere and smashed it into his face.
Then his mind returned to reality, seeing his sister do the same.
"Even if I'm a failure...!" she screamed out, her face contorted in her effort. "I will still never lose to a bastard like YOU!"
The spinning fire smashed against his mask, it's flames spreading and engulfing that side of his face without remorse.
"GAAAAAAAGH!" he screamed, hands clasping his face as his mask melted, trying to put out the fire.
His concentration was broken.
And so were his magic circles.
Mio scrambled out of the zone of immediate danger, moving with all of her might to get away from the destruction that was about to happen.
She barely made it.
The ground under her split to pieces, knocking her off of her feet and onto the ground as the shockwave of what went on behind her also pushed her away.
Mio was sent away in a tumbling roll, as billows of dust overflowed her senses simultaneously.
She barely managed to tell, but as the world was spinning around her, she saw the remnants of both apartment buildings crash towards the ground, as the tops of both buildings ripped each other apart when they intercepted one another on the way down.
When the teen finally managed to finish rolling, debris was still falling all around her, but she couldn't tell what was going on more than that thanks to the dust cloud. Even while squinting.
"...D-Did I do it?" she asked quietly, peeking through her bangs to look at the the damage that the buildings have done.
The falling buildings have completely laid waste to the area, leaving nothing but the rough fragments of the once whole structures.
Mio crawled back up to her hands and feet, struggling to actually get onto her feet properly, but eventually managed it.
She walked -limped really- towards the ruins that were recently created, cautious, inspecting it for her enemy.
After a few tense seconds, her eyes snapped to the little bit of movement that she saw in her peripheries.
A harsh gasp erupted from the ruins, confirming her suspicions about where the former noble devil actually was.
The man himself was still buried deep in the rubble, with most of his body caught underneath, with only his single orange eye visible to her.
That same eye locked onto her when she limped closer, unwavering in it's intensity as she moved to stand in front of where the body should be.
"...Hate...you..." a muffled voice spoke up venomously, eye wishing death on her, if such a thing was possible.
Surprisingly, Mio was somewhat impassive to the man's words, just choosing to stare down at him with a neutral expression.
It took a little bit for her to actually take a breath and speak again.
"...I'm a failure...in your words anyways, even if they have a layer of truth in them." the red-head stated quietly, a hint of self-depreciating humor interlaced in her words. "But...just a thought...I think that someone that loses to a failure...is quite a bit more pathetic than the actual failure...don't you think?"
That single eye widened in outrage, as the body underneath began to rumble a little bit to the force of the devil's rage.
"...Both...you and your bastard of a brother...should die..." was all he managed to choke out.
But once more, the half-devil didn't care, opting to instead pick up a stray metallic rod that was lying on top of the rubble and raise it high above her head, focusing on Diodora.
She glared down at her enemy, jaw clenched at what she was going to do.
She's...never done this to a sentient being before...so she wasn't sure if she'd be ok afterwards, but this man couldn't be allowed to stay in this world.
Someone that even Naruto regretted to leave alive could not be allowed to stay that way.
"...Say what you will about me." Mio excused without much fuss, but her gaze sharpened just as quickly at what she said next. "But don't you dare speak about my Naruto like that."
Without much hesitation at all, the young woman thrust her rod down at where she felt the man's cold and dead heart was.
Blood splattered across the ground, it's obscene color spreading across the remains of the buildings that both of the combatants were occupying.
The single orange eye that was staring at the young female teen was blank for a few seconds, not reacting to the blood one way or another.
Then a surprising thing happened.
That eye widened in triumph.
*Clang*
A metallic rod clattered on the ground, slipping through limp fingers.
Mio wasn't paying attention to the rod anymore.
Rather, she was paying attention to the claw that pierced her stomach from behind, watching as blood slowly spilled from the wound and all over the floor.
It took a while for her to actually register what was happening, she just couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
She had it. She had this.
So then...what was this?
The claw exited from her body, leaving the wound wide open.
As soon as that happened, Mio fell backwards, unable to do anything else, numb.
It was all hazy, and clouded.
When she fell over, she met the very beast that attacked her from behind, seeing the malformed visage of a human-scorpion hybrid, it's mandibles clacking lowly.
She already knew what she was looking at.
"...Stray devil..." she mumbled quietly, eyes blank.
"Got it in one again...consider me impressed, Mio-chan~" the mocking voice of Diodora said.
He also appeared right in front of her, blocking the moon with his body.
...Wait, that was impossible.
How? How could he possibly be-?
"Confused about how I'm in such a good condition after such a dramatic attack?" Diodora asked, smirking darkly. "Well...let's just say that I took some...precautions when I started this battle."
Indeed, his body, while full of wounds and scratches, was still in pristine condition if one considers the fact that two buildings just fell on top of him.
Meanwhile, instead of verbalizing what his 'precaution' was, he jerked his head back to where he was initially entombed underground.
Warily, Mio allowed her gaze to follow through.
What she saw made her ill.
Two mutilated bodies were laid inside what should have been Diodora's grave, replacing him in effect.
And just by judging them on their disfigured bodies, she could tell that they were stray devils.
"...The mansion that I led you to when we started our battle...in that building I found the remains of a dead stray devil, one that was actually quite strong. It seemed that someone took the liberty to destroy the insane beast before I had arrived." Diodora mused out loud, tapping his charred chin in thought. "Not only that, but that stray devil seemed to have cowed the other stray devils in the vicinity..."
As if directed, several grotesque beings suddenly began appearing from around the vicinity, flanking the traitorous devil as if they were guards.
His single orange eye was dancing at the flash of fear that appeared in his prey's eyes.
"So after I revived him...not only did I actually win the jackpot by getting a new servant...but I've also gained control of all of the stray devils that were gathering in Kuoh Town by proxy! So when you left me for dead under those buildings...at least two of my slaves were already ready to throw their bodies on top of me and absorb most of the damage in order to preserve my life."
Even as he was speaking, the young man couldn't help but delight in watching the teenaged girl's pain.
He wondered what kind of face she'd make after he revealed why all of these stray devils converged on Kuoh Town in the first place?
Not focusing on that yet, the twisted man splayed his hands apart, smug in his demeanor. "In short, while you may have managed to nearly kill me...actually, no...you would have killed me with that little stunt of yours, it doesn't change the fact that you still failed to account for my back-up plan. In the end, you're still just a little girl playing with the big boys."
Mio was silent, focusing too much of her strength on keeping herself from losing consciousness, as she felt her blood continue to pool around her.
Diodora leaned closer to her, close enough that she could see why he used a mask to hide the other side of his face.
Burned beyond recognition, lips destroyed to the point that it couldn't hide the rotten teeth underneath, a jaw that was holding onto his face by a thread, and an empty socket without any trace of an eyeball.
She couldn't help but be a little proud of the damage she's done.
But her pride was cut short when she felt Diodora cup her cheek with his hand, eye filled with nothing but malevolence.
"...I'm supposed to bring you back to Lucifer-sama alive." he murmured, eye drinking her up. "But your attitude will be a problem...so I think I have to break you in a little bit."
If the red-head could have, she would have bit back with a harsh response, but she was barely able to stay awake. Let alone fight.
Nevertheless, the former heir of the Astaroth clan turned to his subordinate stray devils, giving them a single command.
"Hold her down."
Pink eyes widened, fear gripping her heart as she forced every ounce of any possible hidden strength that she might have kept in reserve to move.
To get away, now.
But two hideous stray devils moved closer to her, intent on following the orders of their 'master', their claws stretched out to capture.
Then they froze on the spot, moving their heads upwards to focus on something else.
As soon as they made that strange reaction-
*BOOM*
-something exploded right in-between the two mindless beasts, stopping their march forward.
Just as Mio was trying to figure just what was going on, she felt two arms hook from under her armpits and drag her back. Away from Diodora.
"Hold on! I got ya! We need to make a little bit of space though first!"
The daughter of the Original Lucifer felt her heart skip a beat as a gasp escaped her throat, unable to actually believe who came to back her up, of all people.
She was then unceremoniously dropped like a sack of potatoes, making her grunt at the rough treatment, until her body suddenly felt...soothed.
Bleary pink eyes watched as a green aura began to close down the wound that the sneak attack from earlier made, marveling at it.
She tilted her head up, locking with the concerned green eyes of a certain nun.
"...Asia-san..." the half-devil managed to croak, her strength slowly returning to her. "What...are you doing here?"
Asia was holding her hands over her body, the rings on her fingers shining and releasing a green aura which was restoring her physical body back to full health.
The human teen offered her a shy smile as she continued to heal her wounds. "W-Well...we were out trying to get some medicine, but then we somehow got caught inside this barrier..."
Mio blinked, unable to believe that these two were getting medicine at a time like this...
But considering they were here, she wasn't gonna complain.
"Yeah! It was a big coincidence that we got dragged into this...but now that we're here, we can finally do something!" the young man that dragged her back claimed excitedly, before offering her a thumbs up. "So don't worry about a thing, I got this!"
Pink eyes dully considered the red gauntlet that was giving her a thumbs up, unamused. "...Didn't you lose to this guy last time, though?"
Hyoudou Issei's facial features reflected that of confusion, giving her the impression that he had no idea who exactly he was fighting.
She was right.
The perverted young man turned his head to peer at where their enemies were now that the dust finally settled down...
"...You!" Issei rumbled lowly, eyes turning into daggers at the familiar visage of Diodora Astaroth.
The former heir of the Astaroth clan didn't look too happy to see him either, clicking his tongue in annoyance at the interruption.
"...Yeah, it's that guy." Mio coughed out, still a little pale from her injuries. "Look...thanks for getting me out of that situation, both of you, but that bastard over there made this fight personal. Don't interfere-!"
The owner of the Boosted Gear loudly snorted, cutting her off, much to her annoyance.
"What? You think that I don't have personal beef with this guy too?" he asked, completely serious. "No...I'm definitely joining in this fight. This is the chance that I've been waiting for!"
The reincarnated devil pumped his fist, his eyes burning with raw emotion as he glared at Diodora. "I...I couldn't beat this guy last time. I would have died if Naruto didn't intervene last time...but now it's different, I'm stronger now. Not only that, but now I can actually pay Naruto back for back then...by making sure his imouto comes out of this alive."
He then turned back to her, a shit-eating grin plastered across his face. "Basically, you're outta luck. Sorry about that."
Mio stared back at him, studying him, not responding for a moment.
Then she closed her eyes, sighing.
"...If you don't take him down by the time I get back on my feet." she stated matter-of-factly, quirking an eye open to give him a look. "Then it'll be you who's out of luck...Issei."
Issei smirked, taking the back-handed acknowledgement.
So all he had to do was bash this guy's face in before she recovered? He could do that.
The young man raised his red gauntlet, more than ready to let loose his new abilities onto the asshole that nearly took his beloved away from him.
"Now come on, Mio-san...lay down so I can continue to heal you." Asia coaxed the half-devil, who slowly followed with the 'doctor's' orders.
Mio tilted her head to the sky, seeing the moon reach it's zenith in the sky.
It was definitely late, and she couldn't help but worry about how everyone else was doing.
"...Are you looking at the same moon as me...Naruto...?" she wondered quietly.
She didn't receive an answer.
With that, the young woman finally decided to allow the nun to continue healing her. There was no way that she would let the pervert get Diodora all to himself.
Naruto looked up at the night sky, frowning.
It was midnight.
Well damn, how time flied when he was focusing on other things.
Strange enough, he just...had to look at the moon for some reason...
How weird.
"Hey, uh...excuse me, do you know when the airliner from...uh...I think it was 'Frankfort'...? No! Frankfurt! So yeah, when does the next flight from Frankfurt Airport come in?" the shinobi stammered out, a little embarrassed at his constant screw ups.
The man he was speaking to, a cashier from behind the counter for one of the many fast food restaurants in the airport, just stared at him blankly.
"...I do believe that it was announced that the Frankfurt flight has arrived earlier than scheduled, sir." the cashier replied bluntly, raising an eyebrow.
Naruto's jaw dropped at this burst of information, feeling a sweat-drop flow down his head.
"...Really?"
"...Really."
...
"Oh shit!" the blond cried out, jumping off of the stall that he was lounging in and running towards where he knew the people should've been getting out of the plane.
The cashier stared at the spot where the young man used to sit, his eyebrow twitching sporadically, realizing that the blond completely forgot to pay him for the food he ate.
Naruto quickly managed to reach the terminal where the church agent should have exited from, despairing when he saw plenty of people leaving the area, giving him the impression that mostly everyone had left the airliner already.
Damn it...! There were a hell of a lot of announcements, so of course he'd ignore a few of them! How was he supposed to know that the plane would arrive earlier than expected?
This was not his fault, damn it!
The shinobi scanned the area desperately, trying to look for someone, anyone that might look like an agent sent by the church.
Naruto winced at the thought, what was he thinking exactly? Of course an agent sent by the church wouldn't look...well...suspicious. They were supposed to be an agent after all.
Ah...but then how was he supposed to-?
"Excuse me sir, you seem lost."
The shinobi paused his thinking to turn around, on the verge of excusing himself so that he could continue his search.
But he stopped in mid-action, his blue eyes zeroing in on the clothes that the young man was wearing.
Said young man was wearing clothes that befits a wealthy priest from a wealthy church, with cross symbols all around his clothing, and what looked like...feathers around his collar.
His clothes were about as eye-opening and ostentatious as was humanly possible.
Naruto wanted to facepalm, but he didn't want to waste the chance that was given to him.
This was the guy, this was definitely the guy!
So the blond opened his mouth, about to tell him his rehearsed story-
"...You're troubled, aren't you?" the church agent asked rhetorically, giving the teen a sympathetic look.
Naruto paused in telling his story, befuddled at what the hell this guy was talking about.
The psuedo-priest just kept going, his green eyes beseeching him. "I sensed your hidden conflict as soon as I landed in this country, blaring out at me with the force of a hurricane...and I knew that you'd be searching for me."
The shinobi still had no idea what the hell he was on about, but the fact that he somehow 'knew' that he'd be searching for the agent shocked him.
Did he know why he was here then?
"You see..." the green-eyed man continued, rambling. "I have a special ability that allows me to control weather, but since I have such an abnormal amount of talent with that 'ability', I could actually use it to connect with others emotionally, to a certain extent. Especially with my Speranza Bolla di Sapone, but normally I wouldn't be able to actually feel someone else's emotions to such an extent...but yours were simply that powerful."
Naruto's eyes widened fractionally, taking in all of this information, but didn't respond outside of that.
It was by that point that the church agent suddenly stopped speaking, his eyes glued onto the blond's face, before a wide smile graced his features.
"I see. So you are aware of the supernatural."
The whiskered teen's eyebrows shot up into his hairline, gaping at what his fellow male just said, did he just hear him right...?
"You didn't dismiss my words." the unknown man stated simply, still smiling. "Most people, after hearing what I have just said, would have dismissed me as insane, yet you didn't. Only someone who was already aware of the supernatural would react in such a manner...or I suppose someone who was legitimately insane, but I doubt that this time."
"...This time?"
"Long story."
Naruto accepted that answer.
He could sympathize.
Though...to think that this guy could determine that he knew about the supernatural through such a roundabout way...
This guy was good, no doubt about it.
"Anyway." the psuedo-priest continued, getting back on topic. "I just wished to inform you about the current state of your psyche, as I'm sure that our meeting was supposed to happen, whether by luck or Providence's will. What you do with that knowledge is up to you, but I must be on my way. As I have a duty to complete myself. Have an excellent evening, sir."
And so the church agent turned on his heels, moving to leave and complete the job that his superiors gave him.
At least until the man felt a certain someone place their hand onto his shoulder, stopping him short.
"Wait." Naruto stated calmly, voice firm.
As told, the man waited.
"...Now, I don't know about the other stuff that you said, but I'll admit it, I came here to speak to you alright...about that very mission that you gotta do."
The church agent was silent for a few moments, still looking away from the blond teen.
Then he slowly tilted his head to look at Naruto, looking at him through the side of his eye. "...What's your name?"
A slow grin spread across his lips, raising his chin in challenge. "Uzumaki Naruto."
In return, a slow smile stretched across the other man's face as well. "...Dulio Gesualdo...but I suppose since this is Japan...it's Gesualdo Dulio. A pleasure to meet you."
Dulio then turned his body to face the teen, his dirty blond hair covering his eyes for a split-second.
"Very well then...let's talk."
Ruby eyes were locked unerringly onto the specter in the dark sky, giving the world illumination during the quiet night.
It was a beautiful sight, maybe even a romantic one if one were so inclined.
But it mattered very little to the young woman that was watching it, as such a thing wasn't meant for rulers. Such sentimental drivel were meant for those beneath her.
No...as a matter of fact, she wasn't even looking at the moon. Not really.
Her eyes were looking past the moon, past this world, past space and time itself to...something else.
A dream? A vision? She wasn't sure what would one call it.
But through the chairman, she saw it.
As the memory trickled back to the forefront of her mind, it was almost like she was transported back to when she herself personally experienced the vision, when she was still a little girl...
Back when she first reached her conclusions about life.
Back when she didn't really have anything more than the vague aspiration of 'becoming perfect' as her goal.
Her very first vision into another world.
The first time she saw that boy...
Yes...it was a repeat of the one that the chairman himself first saw.
The one with the boy and the mirror, where he simply stared at himself, almost as if he was trying to study about his own existence.
It was something that she could understand, especially as a child herself, back then.
She remembered hearing all about the old man's grand ambitions, how she would use this boy as a conduit to greater powers and abilities.
And she would, to an extent.
But while it aided her in her understanding of...certain things, there was something else that interested her far more. Both then, and now.
Back then, when she first saw the vision, one of the first things that she remembered seeing was a mirror.
At first, seeing the eyes that were reflecting off of them, she thought that she was looking at herself.
...She wasn't.
What she saw had already happened in that world, all she essentially was was a ghost that replayed an event for research.
She could watch, but not interfere.
So the mirror was reflecting off of the boy that was trulythere, the one that was right behind her, looking through her, staring at her with the mirror.
That was the first time that she met the boy that she would know as Uzumaki Naruto.
Ruby eyes blinked, focusing on the entity in the sky again rather than what happened in the past.
In her quest for perfection, it almost seemed appropriate for him of all people to be the one to stand in her way.
The principal road block to her success.
Over here, she was the undisputed ruler; a tyrant.
There were only two individuals that ever bothered to refute her supremacy, but neither of them ever tried to usurp her authority.
Not anymore.
Although, the one that fancied himself a 'king' sometimes grumbled a little, he knew that he was beat.
There was a reason that she was now known as the 'king of kings' after all.
But Uzumaki Naruto on the other hand...he didn't know about her sublime self, he had no idea.
...And even if he did know, something told her that he wouldn't bow to her. At least not without a fight.
Not only that, but if he ever caught wind of what was in motion in this institution, he would without a doubt come and stop her.
Unbidden, she felt the corner of her mouth twitch upwards.
It was fitting too...as she wanted to face him, even if he wasn't standing in her way.
Even if he wasn't the key to making herself complete.
...After seeing him for the first time in that vision, she would peer into the many key points of his life thanks to the chairman, studying him. Learning.
But, even back then, no, especially back then, she noticed a change in him.
It was something that she was sure that the chairman noticed, but compared to her, he never really cared about such a thing.
It was the boy's eyes.
They changed.
When she first saw him, his eyes had that dull quality that only those who have understood the fruitless nature of life itself could have possibly obtained.
It was the eyes of enlightenment, at least to her.
Of someone who has transcended normal thought and morality.
Yet...that changed.
Dull blue shifted to the lie that was the bright blue.
Why?
Why?
Why?
She couldn't understand it, she almost didn't want to.
Just why did he turn away from the truth?
Even as she was thinking, she absent-mindedly felt the tiles under her fingers crack and split apart, a snarl making her face ugly...
"Ah...! I found you at last! Listen, the chairman was trying to contact you, K-!"
The 'king of kings' turned her head to the side, looking at the woman that interrupted her thoughts.
Said teenaged female quaked at the look that she was given.
"Uh...a-apologies for interrupting you." the messenger stammered quickly, knowing her life depended on this. "But the chairman said that the arrangements have been made...and that you're free to go after you meet with him..."
Ruby eyes widened fractionally.
"I see...very well then." the purple-haired ruler replied, tone clipped. "Then inform the chairman that I'm on my way."
A flash of relief flitted across the messenger's features as she immediately scrambled away from the tyrant, aware that her life depended on her getting away.
Already forgetting about the measly existence that was just talking to her, the ruler pushed herself away from the roof, her cold heart beating a little faster.
Finally...they would meet.
Finally...
"...How annoying."
At least that was Shiba's clear opinion when it came to the side mission that he had to complete.
The traitorous hero had literally just returned back to the Japanese branch of the Hero Tribe, with many of his 'comrades' questioning where he has been for so long.
Thankfully Shiba had already traveled to the ruins of the Chinese branch, were the remnants of the Hero Faction were now temporarily stationed. And he took the liberty of obtaining evidence of his stay there, using that to belay the suspicions of others.
But apparently there were still some who were still dubious of his claims.
Of course, this request from the old man was one that he made when they made their 'transaction' with one another...and it did potentially put him into an uncomfortable position.
Oh...but the possible benefits...
Put simply, if Shiba used his sensing abilities to find Uzumaki Naruto again, and then give the old man his location...then a clash would inevitably occur in such an instance.
If something like that happened, then that would definitely take off the heat on the battered faction that he has inherited from Cao Cao.
But more than that, he could very much take out twoenemies at once.
The old man wasn't his friend, not by a long shot, so if Uzumaki Naruto could destroy the has-been and wreck his plans, that'd be mighty appreciated.
And if he died trying? Well...that wouldn't be a bad thing either.
As long as one or the other is weakened or taken out, he would be fine with this, that just meant that there was one less rival on the chessboard.
And thankfully...Uzumaki Naruto's energy signal was very easy to remember. It was quite vibrant.
So all he had to do was take some time off of his day to spread his senses...and wait for the young man to use his powers.
He would get a fix on him almost immediately, as long as he was near Japan anyways.
Shiba raised his head a little when his thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door.
He knew exactly who that was.
The young man swiftly stood up, his trademark smile and slit eyes plastered on his face, getting ready to play his part.
"Why hello there, Jin-dono." Shiba remarked warmly after opening the door, seeing the faction leader of the Hero Tribe on the other side of the door. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Toujou Jin, who was usually a lax man at the best of times, was strangely serious as he nodded to him in acknowledgement. "Shiba. Come, there's going to be a meeting among the elders in a few minutes in the Grand Hall, and we need as much information as you could provide about what happened."
The traitorous hero expressed light shock at this, despite the fact that he already knew that something like this would happen. "Oh? So the Hero Tribe higher ups are already preparing an appropriate response then, huh...? Sounds like a big deal."
The powerful hero nodded grimly. "It is. Which is why we need to be as informed as possible. Especially when we contact the other branches of the Hero Tribe, mostly around the Pacific."
Once more, the younger man was more than aware of that, but for simplicity's sake he just continued to act ignorant. "Of course, then please lead the way Jin-dono. I'll do what I can."
"Good." the Great Hero stated briskly, a small smile gracing his features. "...Just don't get 'lost' this time...would you...?"
Shiba twitched, back tensing.
"...Of course."
Sharp brown eyes remained on the younger hero, studying him without comment, before Jin turned on his heel and moved towards the meeting place. Not making any further comment.
Shiba watched him go, sweating slightly.
He sometimes forgot, but that man was indeed dangerous.
...More than that, he was suspicious of him.
The brown-haired man couldn't stay at the Hero Tribe for too much longer, one more slip up and he was a dead man.
He could at least take some solace in the fact that he twisted his son's mind for quite a few years, and since the boy was recaptured, that information should reach the 'Great Hero' soon enough.
A distraction like that would be more than enough for him to complete his task.
All he needed now...was patience.