The clouds were blown away by the question that grounded him again, leading him to curious violet orbs. "Huh?"
Akeno, intrigued, leaned closer. "Maybe what?"
The shinobi, rubbing his head as he nursed his headache, answered. "Maybe...no, wait. Uh...what was I saying again?"
He stopped rubbing his skull and pondered the question, looking adorable, at least in Akeno's opinion, as he closed his eyelids and seriously tried to remember.
Even if she wanted to, she wouldn't have been able to stop the fond look that entered her features.
"So...you've hated someone before?" she prompted quizzically, interested.
"Ah!" Naruto snapped his fingers in a 'Eureka!' moment, then grew serious. "Yeah, I've definitely hated someone before. Hell...back then, there was definitely a second where, when I saw that guy face-to-face, I lost it and almost ripped him to shreds."
Just thinking back on it made the young man a little uncomfortable, vividly remembering all of the events of that day.
The day he saw his home in ruins.
The day he learned that his sensei was dead.
The day that he met the man who killed his godfather.
The day that he nearly lost control of the kyuubi.
The day that he met his father for the first time, and learned of Uchiha Madara.
...The day that he left the Elemental Nations.
That day...was the day that changed a lot, and challenged him like no other.
He was still dealing with the ramifications of that day.
"That's...hard to believe. To think that even someone like you have hated before..." Akeno marveled at the thought, breaking him from his thoughts once more. "What could someone have possibly done to make you feel such an emotion?"
Naruto rubbed his arm, glancing at the floor. "W-Well...back then...he-"
Don't let her in.
The blond then raised his arm up to scratch the back of his head, flashing her a nervous smile. "Well, anyway, that was a long time ago. So it's not like it matters anymore, right?"
Scrunching her brows as her kohai changed the subject, the queen decided to let the matter drop for now, albeit with some reluctance. "...I see. Anyway, since you've felt this ugly emotion before, then you'd be able to understand my...problem."
Akeno took a deep breath, allowing herself a chance to gather her thoughts, then forged ahead. "...When I was a little girl, there were only a few people that I knew personally, since I lived in a small shrine in the countryside. Of those people, there was one person that I trusted among all others to keep us safe..."
She smiled softly then, eyes glazing a bit as she delved into memory lane. "...He was someone that I admired above all else, and...trusted, among all else. I knew he was strong, I knew he was brave, and...I knew that he wanted to protect our small family."
That smile fell apart, her expression darkening as she continued. "I trusted him...and yet...when I needed him the most..."
Naruto watched the devil's expression twist, switching from sadness, moving to anger, until settling into a cool apathy.
He didn't push or prod, he just waited patiently, literally seeing the difficulty she was having in sharing this with him, in forcing her to remember.
"He failed." she stated flatly, gazing up at him with a blank expression. "When we needed him most, when I called for him the most, when he promised that he'd be there when danger called...he was nowhere to be seen."
She chuckled bitterly, shaking her head slowly in her disbelief as she met the blond's eyes again.
"My mother paid the price."
Naruto kept up their connection for a little longer, before glancing uneasily away. "...This person...is he-?"
"I loved him." she interrupted simply. "As of right now? I couldn't care less whether he's dead or alive. If he had just done as he claimed he would then..."
She trailed off, shaking her head suddenly, her dark demeanor wiped away when she looked at the blond again.
"...Maybe if he was more like you..." Akeno muttered out, giving him a strange look.
At least to Naruto it was. "Huh? Did you say something?"
Taking a step back, pursing her lips, the queen considered the young man before her. "...Naruto-kun, just out of curiosity, why do you fight?"
Blue eyes squinted in uncertainty at what he had just heard, but then widened comically as their owner's mouth slammed to the floor.
Did she just-?
"Naruto-kun?"
She did.
"Uh..." dumbfounded, the blond had to drag his mind back to the serious matter at hand. "Well...it's kinda obvious, isn't it? I cherish those that I have befriended and come to care for, so...I do all I can to defend them. That's all."
Akeno nodded, seemingly expecting as much. "I see, but why do you cherish those people? I mean, it sounds obvious, but not many go so far to protect others, even if they are loved ones, you know?"
Accepting this logic, Naruto didn't need to think of his answer, since he was well aware of why he went so far.
No, all he needed to do was put it into words.
"Because my life doesn't have meaning if I don't have those people." he claimed simply, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.
Watching the reincarnated devil's eyes slowly widen, the blond quickly backpedaled on his previous statement, cursing internally at his poor choice of words. "That's not to say that I don't value my own life, not at all! It's just that...well...when I was younger, I didn't really...have anyone, ya know? I didn't know what it was like to have someone to care for me, so...when I grew older, and gained such people, I cherished those bonds with everything I had. You get it?"
Calming down from her rather dark assumption about her kohai, she scrunched her eyebrows when she actually acknowledged what he had just said. "You didn't have any-? But what about your parents?"
Akeno instantly regretted asking the question when she saw the blond's face fall.
Oh.
"I...didn't have any of those." Naruto murmured, glancing down uncomfortably.
Both teens fell silent after that, neither sure of what to say next following such a revelation.
One that definitely came to shock the young woman, since, judging by his general attitude, she just assumed that the blond wasn't wanting for anything in his young life.
That he had lived a comfortable and enjoyable life.
How wrong she was.
There was obviously more to the spiky-haired youth than just bright smiles, a habit of pranking, and incredible strength.
He had a past that, now that she was thinking about it, no one was really aware of.
Akeno couldn't help but find herself intrigued, wondering what else her kohai had shrouded up in his past.
Moving back from that thought, the queen tapped her chin, studying the blond before her.
A fond smile eventually made it's way to her lips, nodding confidently for some reason or another.
Before he could even ask, the beautiful ravenette finally decided to speak up again. "As I thought. You're seriously determined to keep everyone safe where you can, right?"
"Of course!" the shinobi retorted, his tone implying that it was obvious.
Akeno bobbed her head once, a contemplative air about her as she continued to study him. "...Yes...as I thought. If he had that kind of determination, then I'm positive that he would've..."
"Akeno?"
Blowing out a small sigh, Akeno flashed him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I'm just thinking that...you're nothing like hewas. Your determination to keep your loved ones safe, regardless of circumstance, marks you as the exact opposite of him. It marks you as someone who keeps his promises."
She drifted closer to him, her smile becoming brighter, and slightly mischievous when those blue orbs of his grew slightly wary at her approach.
With good reason too, since the very second that she moved close enough to the blond, she reached out and pulled his head towards her, comfortably nesting it onto her bosom while she soothingly combed his spiky mane.
She noticed with some satisfaction that the young man's ears began light up red.
Still, even if it was funny seeing the younger man fall over himself, she had finish what she had to say. "Naruto-kun...maybe it doesn't mean much to you, but looking at you, I see you to be the man that he wasn't and couldn't be. It's...soothing, having you be among the people that I could call a 'friend'. Please don't change that part of you, ok?"
Naruto tilted his head upwards as she kept her hold onto him, doing his best to ignore the soft feeling that he was pressing against. "Oi, oi...don't sound so sappy, alright? You're making this melodramatic dattebayo..."
"Ara." Akeno daintily placed her hand onto her mouth, looking amused if anything. "Sorry, but when a woman opens up a little bit, she retains the right to be a little inconsistent."
Watching her kohai proceed to complain loudly brought a grin to her face, any negative energy within her dispelled by the borderline-childish pout that he was throwing at her.
It only grew when he tried to wiggle a bit so that he could get some room, only managing to dig in deeper into the crevice he found himself in, making his cheeks grow hotter than before.
Truly, this young man had the uncanny ability to bring someone out of their funk, whether it be because of his bright personality or because of his silly antics.
Either way, she was grateful for it.
Letting go of his head, allowing the blond to take a step back and reclaim his dignity, the young devil twirled on the spot, facing away from him. "Thank you. For this."
Behind her, the shinobi quirked a single eyebrow. "For the talk?"
"Yep." she replied, her features content, even though he couldn't see it. "It was nice...getting that off my chest."
Nothing was really resolved or anything, but now that she actually told someone about something that she has been keeping close to her heart, she felt like she could redouble her efforts with the fallen woman.
Simply put, he has helped lift some of the weight that was holding her down.
In the spur of the moment, with this nice atmosphere, the young woman ventured to ask the blond a question that she hoped he would seriously consider. "Hey...do you think that, maybe, we could...do this again sometime? I mean, if you want to, of course."
Gone was the confident young woman that always went 'Ara ara' like a proper lady should, instead, in her place, was the teenager that had trouble dealing with her emotions, seeking help from someone she trusted.
And Naruto wasn't about to let her down. "Of course! Whenever you need a little pep talk, just find me. I've got your back!"
Still facing away from him, Akeno giggled at the enthusiastic response, taking a step to exit the room and enter the living room, sure that Buchou was done by now.
As she placed her hand onto the knob, she paused, another thought crossing her mind, one that could...possibly give her a new perspective.
It didn't hurt to try. "Hey...Naruto-kun."
Not waiting for a response, the young woman forged ahead without pausing. "That person you hated...you said that you met him face-to-face, right? But judging by what you told me, you didn't seem to have killed him even when you wanted to. So...why didn't you do it?"
At first, she didn't get an answer, leaving her words hanging loosely, leaving them to scrutiny.
It took quite a bit more waiting before she finally got something out of the recalcitrant blond. "...Because killing him out of hate would've restarted a cycle that I promised someone important that I would try my best to finish."
She turned around, eyeing him curiously as he smirked. "Besides, you should never let hate control you...it ends up badly, usually."
Akeno continued staring at him, even more interested in those small snippets that he lets slip about the life he led.
Chuckling into the palm of her hand, she smiled again.
Warmly.
"Naruto-kun..." she remarked with that same expression on her face, which refused to be wiped away. "I think I've said it before, but I'm pretty sure that you underestimate your influence on others. Which is why I'd like to give you...something of a warning."
She raised her other hand as she twisted the knob to the door, shaping it into a gun which was aimed at the bemused teenaged boy.
"If you keep doing what you're doing, then I can't be held responsible for the emotions that you'll unintentionally bring out from me...and from others for that matter."
Akeno then pressed the trigger, imitating it's recoil as she brought her 'gun' back, her features shifting into a slightly predatory one. "Be careful now...otherwise I might just come gunning for you."
With a giggle, the young woman then opened the door and stepped out of the room, leaving Naruto in a befuddled state.
"...Well, that sounded kinda ominous." he concluded under his breath, crossing his arms as he watched the door close.
He wasn't even sure where that 'warning' came from either.
More or less, he was just flat out confused to say the least.
Still wondering about the words that Akeno imparted him with, another stray thought wormed it's way into his skull, causing a frown to form.
"What the hell does this guy, that she hates so much, have to do with fallen angels?" he wondered aloud, scrunching his face in deep thought as he tried to form a connection that wasn't there.
Like a statue, he stayed there, attempting and failing to solve a puzzle that should've been solved when he got the damn package.
If it was a real puzzle, he would've asked for a damn refund by now.
...He really should've clarified with Akeno about the connection.
Blowing out air, the shinobi ruffled his spiky mane and made to followed the ravenette to the living room.
"W-Wait."
Pausing mid-action, Naruto turned around and witnessed a strange sight.
Mio was standing right outside the doorway to the next room, back rimrod straight, looking very much like a deer caught in headlights.
Huh.
"Yo, what's up, Mio?" he questioned, trying for the 'harmless' look, seeing as she seemed kinda tense in his eyes.
It didn't seem to work, since she still had the wide-eyed 'please don't hurt me' vibe going, in his professional opinion. "Well...I-I was just wondering whether I, no, wait, I meant you could...you know..."
Mio looked like she was about to blow up, her face was bright as a star and her eyes were turning into swirls, proving that she was on her last legs...for whatever reason.
Her stuttering wasn't improving that image either.
Then there was...the other person that may or may not have any idea what was going on.
"Go get him, Mio-san!" Asia whispered to the mess of a red-head, just loud enough that the blond could hear her as well. "I know you could do it!"
Now why was the nun providing her support like some kind of personal cheerleader?
So many questions he had right now...
"Um!" Mio squeaked out loudly, albeit with great difficulty. "You wanna...?"
She trailed off from there, clamping her mouth shut, a look of frustration crossing her features.
She then turned away from him, mood turning surly. "...Never mind."
Not saying another word, the half-devil trudged past the blond and went through the doorway to the living room with the air of a defeated samurai warrior.
Naruto watched her go silently, more and more baffled by the situation he found himself in.
"...Uhuuu..."
Deadpanning by this point, he turned to look at the teary-eyed Asia, who had her hands clasped together in front of her. "D-Don't give up...Mio-san..."
Yeah.
He had no idea what the hell was going on around him anymore.
"Rias-sempai."
Rias ceased wiping her long crimson hair down with the towel for a moment, focusing on the younger red-head that had just stormed into the room.
"I need some advice."
"Do you now?" the Gremory heiress asked rhetorically, placing the towel onto one of the intact couches in the room. "With what exactly? It must be quite the big deal since you've never actually come to me for advice before yourself."
Mio's lips thinned as she pressed them together, deadly serious, absolute in her resolve.
Her earlier embarrassment probably had something to do with it.
"I want advice on how to ask someone out to eat." she stated simply, leaving no room for interpretation.
Rias blinked, her brain malfunctioning at the request, forcing a reboot to take in this new information.
It was pretty quick, all things considered.
The next thing that the resident half-devil knew then, was feeling Rias' hands clasp her shoulders tightly, her face uncomfortably close to hers, with stars shining in her blue-green eyes.
"You have a crush!" she practically squealed, delighting at the concept of her adorable kohai crushing on someone. "This...! Ok, I'll help! I'll definitely help! Ask this onee-sama anything!"
Not even letting her get in a word edgewise, Rias leaned closer to Mio's face, the stars in her eyes somehow glowing brighter as her excitement grew. "So? Who is it? Come on, you can tell me! I promise I won't tell anyone."
Groaning, Mio shuffled backwards, trying to make some space. "Sempai..."
"Ok, that's fine. You want to keep it a secret, totally understandable." the high-class devil backpedaled on her earlier behavior, seeing that she was making the younger girl uncomfortable. "But man...to think that my cute kohai has her first crush...at the tender age of fifteen! And soon, if I have anything to say about it, she'll have her first date!"
Completely thrown off by her sempai's thoroughly girlish behavior, the daughter of Lucifer really had no idea what to say about this situation.
Nothing except nod pleasantly.
Turning around, she spotted Naruto walking out of the room that she left him in, no doubt after having checked up on the unconscious friend of Yuki's, since he took a while to leave the room.
He barely even acknowledged anyone as he entered the room, too busy grumbling about 'troublesome women'.
Unbeknownst to Mio, Rias tensed a bit at Naruto's entrance, but quickly recovered from it before anyone noticed. "Going somewhere, Naruto?"
Knocked out of his stupor, the shinobi looked at her as he continued on his way out. "Ah, yo. Sorry, but I think I'm gonna leave a little early today. Too many weird things have happened to me today...besides, I forgot that I need to pick up groceries anyway."
Next to the older red-head, the younger red-head scowled. "Oh...right. Naruto, can you make sure to grab some paper towels and some, wait, no, a lot of bleach, please?"
Still making his way to the exit of the building, the shinobi sent the red-head a deadpanned look. "...Maria? Again?"
Mimicking his expression, the half-devil nodded. "She wanted to try out this weird aphrodisiac that she found somewhere...so she splattered the stuff all over my room. I can't tell you how many noogies she still has to go through for that."
When the hell did she even find the time for that kind of stuff?
Newly exasperated, waved her as she opened the door to the exit. "Don't stay out too late, alright? And give Maria a couple of extra noogies for me."
Nodding at the reasonable request as Naruto closed the door behind him, Mio jolted a bit when the ground under her rumbled faintly, so much so that she barely noticed it.
"It wasn't me!" she heard her brother's muffled voice call out, declining all involvement with the latest strange event.
"Well..." Rias drawled lightly, grinning at the other red-head. "That rules out one possibility."
It really did too.
It wouldn't surprise her at all if Naruto really was the one responsible for the earth's sudden shake.
"Do you think that it has something to do with the people training downstairs?" Mio suggested, scratching her chin in thought.
One minute ago...
Koneko grit her teeth as her surge forward was halted mid-air.
Her hands were clasped against another pair of hands as small as hers, her hazel eyes locking with amused purple in the form of the scantily dressed loli known as; Naruse Maria.
"Hah!" she cackled with a competitive grin. "Did you think that you'd out-strength me!? Not in a million years will I let you! There's already too many super strong lolis as it is!"
The rook, focusing on overpowering her opponent, nodded briskly. "There can only be one."
Just like that, the two small girls stayed deadlocked with each other, unable to budge as the two of them refused to give up against the other.
While this conflict continued overhead, Yuuto was swiftly backing up as gauntlet slammed into the ground where he once stood, it's owner smirking.
"I'll catch you eventually, Kiba!" Issei declared, ripping his arm out of the ground in the process. "It's only a matter of time, ya know!?"
The knight, sweating a bit as he chanced a glance at the rather deep hole that his comrade made, couldn't help but wonder. "Uh...Issei-san? Aren't you a little...too eager to finish this fight?"
Slamming his gauntlet-covered fist onto his other hand, the pawn looked at the other devil with a look that suggested that he thought that that was a stupid question. "Of course! Do you have any idea what's coming out today!?"
Seeing the owlish expression on the handsome devil's face, the perverted boy growled. "...Today is the day that the next installment of my favorite hentai doujinshi comes out! I pre-ordered it about a week ago, and I want to get my hands on it! If I don't hurry up, then I know for a fact that some bastard is gonna sweet talk the vendor into selling my copy! I won't let it happen, damn it!"
Unfortunately for the brown-haired teen, a certain pervert-hating girl had just overheard what he had said from up above, earning a twitch on her usually stoic face.
Maria, noticing this, felt an absolutely evil smile make it's way to her lips.
She just had an idea.
An idea that could get her just a bit of innocent fun during this training session.
"Hey."
Koneko met with Maria's eyes, noting her dark grin.
"...Wanna take out the pervert first?"
The rook stared at her blankly for all of about two seconds.
Then she nodded firmly. "Truce."
As if through an unspoken signal, both girls let go of each other at the same time, seperating a bit as their devil wings were spread wide.
Then, as one, both girls descended towards the ground rapidly, gunning straight for-
"Ehehe...I can just imagine the erotic goodness that awaits my eyes when I get home~"
The completely spaced out perverted pawn on the ground.
Unlike Issei though, Yuuto had noticed the two small power types soar to the ground like twin comets, wisely coming to the conclusion that he'd better beat if before he was turned into a handsome pancake.
Said perverted boy would not notice the danger until it was too late...
Present...
"Very possible." Rias replied, switching gears immediately after her statement. "Anyway! Back to the topic at hand; your future date! Tomorrow, immediately after school, we're going to go over how to successfully ask someone out on a date! Be ready for it, ok?"
Mio, still unused to this energetic side of her sempai, nodded, feeling that maybe she had made a mistake in asking her of all people...
Still, her support had also managed to imbue her confidence with a much needed boost, especially after her complete failure earlier.
She'd get this down right, of that she would bet on.
Naruto had left the ORC's base of operations just as a minor earthquake shook the building.
Having no doubt that the two red-heads inside suspected his involvement, he quickly made sure to declare that he had no part in that whatsoever.
...Even though, if he were honest, they had justifiable reasons to suspect his involvement when things go weird.
Weird followed him around. All the time.
They may as well be best buddies by this point.
...Well, that and 'chaos' anyway.
Still, now that he had washed his hands of whatever new development had emerged, he could now focus on groceries.
At least, he could, if someone wasn't sitting casually on one of the trees, waiting for him.
"Yo, Raynare." Naruto called out blandly, not surprised to see her resting on one of the many tree branches up above as he passed through the small woodlands.
Obviously expecting him and waiting for him, the fallen angel didn't beat around the bush. "Naruto. Do you mind if I ask you something?"
Altering his course slightly so that he could lean onto the tree that the young woman was resting on, he crossed his arms behind his head and did just that. "Sure. It seems that everyone wants to ask me something today anyway."
She wasn't deterred in the slightest by his sarcastic remark. "...Do you know that that silver-haired girl that you live with; Maria, is a succubus?"
Naruto, jerking only a little bit by her knowledge, only hesitated a little bit. "...Yeah."
Feeling the fallen's gaze bore onto the crown of his head, she continued. "...Do you know what a succubus is?"
The shinobi shrugged. "I know that they are seducers or something, and that they're not well liked in the Underworld for some reason."
Yeah, he figured that last bit out back when they were about to go and take part in that party in the Underworld following Rias' cancelled arranged marriage.
He could remember Maria's reluctance to go, claiming that she wouldn't be well received because of her race.
Even now, it infuriated him to hear such a thing.
"Yes, both are true, especially that last one." she answered him bluntly, her eyes hard. "But why do you think that succubi are reviled in the Underworld, Naruto?"
The shinobi finally looked up, meeting violet pupils, frowning. "Where are you going with this, Raynare? What's going on?"
"I just want to make sure that you're aware of who you're keeping under your roof, that's all." the fallen woman replied easily, crossing her legs as she dangled them from her position on the branch. "So; do you know why?"
Staying quiet for about a few moments, simply staring up at the dangling feet that were hanging above him, he would finally answer. "...No, why?"
Those feet didn't stop dangling, even when she told him this next piece of information. "It's because succubi are known in the Underworld to be one of the races that served the Original Maous, and for Lucifer and his line in particular."
Naruto stiffened from his position at the base of the giant plant, his mind racing.
Of course, the first person that popped in his skull was the one he knew had the blood of the Original Lucifer running through her veins.
Mio.
Somehow sensing his state of mind perhaps, the fallen above explained herself. "Being the psuedo-apprentice of someone like Azazel-sama, I was pretty much forced to learn more about the world around me...especially in regards to the other Biblical factions."
Her face became wistful as she reminisced of her time in Grigori, recalling the numerous mishaps and hijinks that went on thanks to the seriously dysfunctional personalities there. "Yeah...they really had to drive those history lessons into me. I don't remember everything though, but from what I do remember...it's that the Original Lucifer had a powerful mistress by his side as he ruled the Underworld against Heaven, one who's name has been used to grace the devil's Capital as a matter of fact."
Raynare stopped swinging her feet and looked down at Naruto, looking grim. "Lilith. The first succubus in recorded history. As well as the one who made a decree that all succubi born of her lineage were made to serve Lucifer and his descendants...no matter the cost."
Then she leaned back onto the tree trunk, turning away from him as she looked into the sky. "...Or so the story goes. No one really knows apparently, so for all I know, some stuffy historian could have fabricated it, who knows?"
She had finished saying her piece by then, content with waiting for the answer that the blond would give her following this information.
That being said, knowing him, he'd probably say something that could land anyone else besides him in a mental hospital.
She wasn't too far off. "Don't worry about."
Raynare turned on her spot to look at the teenager down below once again, her incredulous look saying it all.
Naruto himself, while slightly disturbed at this information that he wasn't aware of, swiftly crushed any doubts that he had over the resident succubus.
She's had plenty of time to do bad shit throughout their time together, there was just no way that she was intentionally working to harm either himself, or Mio.
...That being said, it wasn't exactly unreasonable to believe that maybe, just maybe...Maria was helping Mio purely because of her lineage?
The shinobi shook his head, wiping such damning thoughts about his friend away.
He had no doubt that she had a past, a story, of her own's to tell. One that could clear everything up.
So, just as others have been patient with him, he'd be patient with her.
It was only right, as her friend.
"...If you say so." Raynare pushed herself off of the tree trunk and flared her two pairs of wings, taking flight. "That's all I wanted to tell you about, just in case you weren't aware. I'll see you back at the house later...I think I'm gonna grab a drink or something."
She mumbled out that last part of her statement, drifting off to the sky to do just that.
Naruto watched her go, all at once perturbed and enthused by two things respectively; the new information, and Raynare's behavior.
In her own painfully clumsy way, she proved that she gave a shit.
The shinobi scratched the crown of his head once more, not sure what to do from there, before figuring that he may as well just...do what he was going to do anyway.
Buy some damn groceries.
So, with even more shit to think about, Naruto kept his chin up as he marched towards the market district, mentally going over what the house needed.
It was just another day in the life.
"...I'm so hungry..."
"Shut up! Just...just wait, ok? I'm working on it!"
"But...!"
"Look, if you didn't spend all of our money on that fake painting, then we wouldn't even be in this situation!"
The bustling market district was always pretty chaotic at the best of times, though the day seemed to be a tad more crazy than usual.
Mostly due to the presence of two cloaked women, arguing over something, while standing right next to a charity box.
A charity box that was meant for them.
Suffice it to say, neither of them were having a good day.
"But Xenovia...!" the other cloaked woman whined, stamping her foot onto the ground. "It was a painting of Jesus Christ! How could I take the chance and not retrieve a painting of our Heavenly Father?"
The aforementioned Xenovia just ground her teeth together in response, trying not to lash out at her dense partner.
Not that she was much better, but even she wasn't this bad.
Fact was; Irina, Xenovia's partner, had blown all of their money away on a fake painting of Jesus Christ by some scam artist, and now they were currently starving without any hope of getting food.
So, Xenovia had devised a plan to get money; by setting up a charity...for them.
It hasn't panned out so far.
Honestly, to both young women, it looked like they both might literally die not from an enemy's blade...but from starvation in a first-world nation.
Neither of them were too keen to go out that way whatsoever.
"...Oi, what the hell is all this? You both look way too suspicious dattebayo."
Both church agents snapped their heads towards the blond that had appeared in front of their charity, carrying plastic bags in his hands, and a sweatdrop formed on his forehead.
Like lightning itself, both cloaked warriors bolted up and teleported in front of the spiky-haired youth, one's eyes pleading with him whilst the other's burning with determination.
"Please! Find it in your heart to help this poor lamb of God, heathen!" Irina begged the young man, her hands clasped together in a fashion eerily familiar to the man and her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
Meanwhile, her blue-haired partner was practically in his face, her eyes burning with such fire that it wouldn't really be out of place to be on the face of someone who was fighting for their very life. "God would look on you kindly for helping his Children. Would you be so cruel as to abandon someone in need, stranger?"
Said teen, whipping his focus between both warriors, was looking decidedly unamused by the double team. "...Aren't you two way too pushy to be asking anyone for anything?"
Neither of them seemed to have listened to the young man however, since they both stayed just as they were, in his face, and giving him their own best 'persuasion' attempts to give them money.
It took a little bit, but eventually Irina and Xenovia saw the sweatdrops that was beginning to pile up on the teen's forehead, becoming more and more exasperated with this borderline mugging he was facing.
"...Fine." he relented eventually, pulling out his wallet with a roll of the eyes. "I'll give you both enough to get at least three decent meals, so try not to blow it and-"
The blond was forced to stop speaking in his incredulity.
Mostly thanks to the efforts of the two idiots in front of him, who were both bowing deeply in front of him, their heads touching the cement street.
""Thank you very much!""
It was at that moment that the spiky-haired youth with strange whisker marks on his cheeks wondered how he got himself into these situations.
Swallowing his misgivings, he nudged the two bowing females with the toe of his shoes. "Alright, alright, I get it...no need to embarrass yourselves in public for my sake here. Just take the money and go get some food already."
Irina, with her bright violet eyes and her chestnut-colored hair now visible to the male before her, beamed so brightly that he felt like he was looking at headlights. "You have no idea how happy I am to meet a good soul in this foreign land! It soothes my heart to know that God's good will has even reached the Far East..."
Seeing the lost look that their forced benefactor was giving her partner, Xenovia intervened. "Basically; thank you for helping us out, even if we are foreigners."
"Yeah, that's what I thought she said." was his reply, turning his focus to the seemingly more level-headed one between the two. "So...you two are foreigners? What brought you two all the way out here to Japan?"
More relaxed around the man that helped save them from the very real threat of starvation, she answered simply. "We're on personal business you could say, for why else would we be so far away from home? Why else would anyone leave their home?"
Maybe motivated by her less than pleasant experiences in this strange land, the Church-aligned teenager was more than ready to finish this mission and return back to the Vatican.
Their acquaintance's blue eyes blinked. "...Home...huh?"
Irina cranked her neck to the side, her violet eyes scrutinizing the blond's face. "Are you ok? You look kinda...troubled."
Indeed, for some reason, the male teen had gained a far-away look after he spoke up, seeing yet unseeing, only getting knocked out of it by the question provided to him. "Uh...yeah, just had a lot on my mind is all. Listen, I gotta get back home, alright? So take this and get yourselves something to eat...and try not to lose all of your money a second time while you're at it."
Not waiting for a response once he placed the bills of yen onto Xenovia's palm, the blond spun on the spot and continued his trek back to his house.
Staring at the money that was casually placed on her hand, the blue-haired swordswoman snapped her head up to face the retreating back of the mysterious young man. "Wait! Can...you tell us your name at least, mister?"
He didn't stop to face her, only turning his head to the side so that a single cerulean eye could make contact with her's. "The name's Naruto. Now don't go starving, since I doubt I can bail you two out a second time!"
Watching Naruto blend into the crowds that still swarmed the market district of Kuoh Town, the wielder of one of the fragments of Excalibur clenched her fist, willing herself to remember that name.
If only to pray for that name when she returned back home, or maybe even to provide some kind of service to him in return for his aid to an official task force of the Church.
Either way, she'd do her best to remember him.
Little did she know, that they'd probably be meeting each other sooner than they thought.
Asia tiredly plopped onto a chair, her shoulders sagging as she earnestly continued to stay awake, refusing to knock out quite so easily.
Oh, but she really wanted to.
Those who stayed downstairs to continue training had just came back upstairs, with a few of them carrying some pretty heavy wounds.
Of course, it would be just Issei's luck to catch the majority of those wounds.
Not that the nun minded, if anything, her heart skipped a beat when Yuuto and Maria literally dragged the teen out of the elevator, deliriously wondering why he was hit by twin meteors.
Really, seeing him like that had only managed to reinforce her natural dislike for fighting in general.
But as soon as she healed him, he had sprung back up, eyes blazing at the sneak attack that he has apparently suffered from.
He was up and at 'em again, no worse for the wear.
And she just as quickly remembered why she had grown to tolerate the wounds that her friends inflicted upon each other.
In the end, even if the perverted boy raged, there were no hard feelings afterwards.
Only a drive to be better.
A tired giggle left her at the thought, forcing herself up to check up on the sleeping patient one last time before she left with Issei to go back home.
She made sure to check up on him at least twice a day, and this would be her last check up before the next day came.
Turning on her seat, she scanned the rhythmic breathing of Yuki's friend, noting the way the teenaged boy's chest expanded and contracted without a hitch, as well as the complete lack of stress on his face.
Nodding in satisfaction, the blond raised her hand and allowed a green aura to envelop it, placing it onto the sleeping man's chest, just in case.
Even now, she had to marvel how easily her powers came to her now, or how quickly it repaired bone and tissue.
In a sense, the role she had to play as the group's healer had done plenty more to improve her proficiency with her Sacred Gear than anything else ever has.
And she was doing it again, instead, using it as a method to detect anything wrong.
If she felt her power repairing something, that meant that there was obviously something wrong, something that may have to be looked at by a real doctor.
But at least they could use her powers as something of an alarm to problems down the road, if needed.
Any chance she had to help, she was trying to take. No questions asked.
It was the least she could do.
Concentrating back on her scan, Asia shut her powers off, closing her eyes as she breathed out.
It looked like he was fine-
"...Who are you?"
Green eyes opened, scanning around to find the source of the question.
Then they aimed down.
And met with another pair of green, blearily staring up at the nun with confusion plainly written on his face.
Her heart skipped a beat, but Asia managed to center herself and try for a brave smile.
"...Hello, Basara-san. My name is Asia Argento...and it's nice to meet you at last."
Chaos.
That was the word that could describe the current state of the Hero Tribe when the young hero finally returned from her latest duty.
All around her, there were small groups of heroes rushing about to complete whatever tasks that were assigned to them, some to check on the barriers that guarded their home, others to check on the alarm systems put into place, or some even to question eye witnesses to...whateverhappened.
All the young hero could gather was one simple fact from the sparse information that she has managed to overhear around her.
Their home had been attacked.
Somehow, someone had managed to sneak through the numerous barriers that separated their home from the dimension that normal humans lived in blissful ignorance, killing several heroes without alerting the rest of the base.
It was only when the security system, that was meant to detect any foreign presences that wasn't in their database's entries, actually detected roughly seven new signals that the alarm was raised.
But by then, apparently, it was too late.
At the end of the day, several heroes were dead, another important member kidnapped, and no one knew who was responsible or how it was accomplished.
...Except, there were rumors going around that someone knew who was responsible.
And that was precisely why the young hero that had just returned from her latest mission was rushing towards the Hall of Heroes, the place where it was said that the Elder Council was gathering to speak about how to precisely approach this major breach in security.
Again. Since the last meeting didn't seem to bear much fruit, if the grumblings of the groups of heroes were any indication.
Her cape billowed behind her as she continued to run, ignoring the various looks that she was being given along the way by her fellow heroes, many of which she knew; were pity.
Pity for the situation she had suddenly found herself in.
Not even managing to reach her destination, the young girl stopped in her tracks, saying nothing as an important member of the Council passed her by, speaking with harsh whispers to a fellow member about something or another.
All around her were important heroes or retired heroes, making their way back from the meeting that had obviously just been adjourned.
The young girl sighed, frustration piercing through her, not sure what to do next.
"...Kurumi-chan?"
Kurumi snapped her head up, meeting the mahogany eyes of an old man, an elder that she knew was a veteran from the Great War that had consumed the Biblical factions many years ago.
His life lengthened purely to aid the next generations of heroes.
"...I see." the elder looked at her, gazing into her eyes. "So you've heard..."
There wasn't pity in the man's eyes or voice, unlike the numerous other heroes that passed her by on the way here.
There was, instead, understanding.
She appreciated that.
"Kurumi-chan." the elder spoke up, grim faced. "I'm not sure how much you've heard, but we are in a rather delicate position at the moment. The heroes on base are thoroughly split on what to do, your father has retreated inwards and has not given any further instructions in regards to current events, and the Council...well, they are as split as the general population."
Sighing, the wrinkles on his face deepening, he shook his head. "...And it seems that some of my fellow elders are taking matters into their own hands. Going behind the Great Hero and the rest of the Council's back. I fear that they will drag you; someone who is connected to the young woman that is allied with the suspect of the attack, as well as the leader of our faction, into it. Hoping to use your familial ties to make whatever scheme they present have more legitimacy."
Kurumi stayed silent throughout all of this, as silent as she had been when she first entered the Hero Tribe base in Japan.
What could be said about the situation that hasn't already been said.
The far older man before her had said it perfectly; the faction was divided, and that wedge was being driven further apart.
Regarding the young woman's quiet form, the council member combed his beard idly, looking upon her with compassion. "I do not envy your position young one, as you will no doubt be dragged into a conflict that could pit you against your own family. So, take the advice of a senile old man such as myself before you continue to walk the path that you are treading, if you could?"
Taking a knee and forgoing the walking stick that he has been using, the elder met her face-to-face. "Whilst I myself take stock in your father's words, as well as numerous other members of the elder council, I will not force my opinion upon you. No doubt, you will be forced to make a decision for yourself, but before you do, I simply ask that you form that opinion yourself instead of through the influences of others...as that decision could very well have meaningful ramifications if my old mind hasn't fooled me."
For the first time in the entire conversation, the young girl, barely reaching teenhood, answered him, her voice wavering. "...Why are you telling me all of this?"
Just a few days ago, she was reading one of her older sister's rare letters back home, regaling her with the events that led to her befriending a young man that she has gotten close to in recent times.
Just a few days ago, the Hero Tribe's base was as impenetrable as the day they were built in secret, watching over the populace of this section of the world as they have done for centuries.
Just a few days ago, her adopted father, a man that she knew as a parent for as long as she could remember, was the indomitable, powerful, and wise leader of their faction.
Now? All of that was turned on it's head.
Now...she was forced to form an opinion that could possibly make enemies of her own family.
The elder looked onto her with sadness in his eyes, which have already seen much throughout his long life.
"...Because the previous generations can't always solve the problems of the present." he said simply, closing his eyes in resignation. "There is nothing anyone in the Council could do, locked as we are. No...if anything, whatever scheme that is being hatched by those who aim for an immediate reprisal might actually break the stalemate. So it falls on those who could be dragged into this; the newer generation, to solve this crisis, and hopefully mend these divisions before they grow too wide."
Clasping the walking stick that he had dropped, the old man who had served with Toujou Jin during the crisis years of the Biblical Great War stood back up, smiling sadly. "I wish that it didn't have to be this way, but I was trained in my youth to look for possible ways to gain an advantage against my opponent...and I'm sure that the other higher ups have noticed this as well. I can only hope that you choose wisely, young one."
Standing as tall as he could with his bent spine, the old hero hobbled along with the numerous other heroes, no doubt making their way home or continuing whatever other duties that they have.
Kurumi just stayed there, conflicted.
She clenched her hands into fists, glaring at the ground as she bit her lip harshly, tasting copper with her tongue.
What should she do?
What could she do?
Because she had no idea. None at all.
The young hero had no idea how long she stayed there for, simply staring at the ground, her mind roiling with strife.
It had been long enough for the area around her to clear out, with nothing but the occasional hero walking past the large walkway.
A sense of time would only return to the thirteen year old girl when a familiar voice called out to her.
"Kurumi...there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"
Pivoting her head to the side, she saw another teenaged hero run up to her, a frown marring his features.
His shaggy blond hair and dark sideburns, as well as his sharp eyes gave her a clue as to who she was talking to. "...Takashi."
Takashi nodded seriously, taking a step forward to her. "Kurumi, listen, I need a favor. I've been given a mission from one of the higher ups in regards to...the attack that happened the other day. They need information, and I've been chosen to lead a team to retrieve that information. So can you help me out with this?"
Kurumi felt her cheek twitch, recalling what the elder hero told her before.
It was happening just as he predicted.
On principle, as well as for her sanity, she initially wanted to deny Takashi's request outright.
But then, realization hit her.
The best way to find the truth...was to go to the original source, and find it yourself.
This was the best chance she had to find out what was going on with her sister, and help her, regardless of the circumstances.
The only chance that she could see.
She had only one thing left to say to the young man that offered her a mission that she knew could possibly damn her relations to her family.
But damn it, if they were wrong about this blond that they placed their faith into, then she would make sure that he would pay for it. "I accept."
Shiba was having a bad day.
Not only was he literally kidnapped by a group that served under a man that he was nominally allied with, that would've been humiliating enough.
No, it was the fact that he was temporarily outmaneuvered that managed to truly get under his skin.
Basically, Shiba had already requested for the old man to extract him from the Hero Tribe, who's leader was becoming increasingly suspicious of his activities.
What he had expected was for a the old man to divide the Hero Tribe's attention more by creating a fuss somewhere in Japan, forcing Toujou Jin to focus on that instead of Shiba, and then allow him to leave the village using the chaos to his advantage.
It was hard to keep track of several heroes during chaotic times, it was even harder to keep track of a single one.
He may not have requested as such from the old man, but they were both manipulators first and foremost, he knewthat the old man had read in-between the lines and realized that this was the most advantageous route for Shiba.
Which was why the old man had probably sent a task force to just retrieve him with all of the elegance of a horde of rampaging elephants.
Now Shiba couldn't use his high position in the Hero Tribe to sow dissent anymore, but even worse, he couldn't use the Hero Tribe as a possible proxy to get rid of his possible enemies down the line.
Like...the old man, in the future.
They may have been allies for now, but who knew how long that'd last, in reality?
Which was why the old man had most likely intentionally operated this 'rescue mission', to break his ties with the Hero Tribe, leaving him unable to go back unless he was forced to answer some hard questions.
It wasn't worth it anymore.
And to make matters worse, he was surrounded by thoroughly twisted young man and women to boot.
Old man Shiranui's pet projects were not exactly the epitomes of stability, that was for sure.
So, of course, he had to meet one of the crazier ones.
「Eh...don't you think it's strange, Shiba-chan? How obsessed Medaka-chan is with Naruto-chan?」
His strange manner of speaking wasn't helping either.
Shiba just stayed silent as he stewed over what to do next, annoyed that he was forced to allow himself to get caught without a fight, lest he answer questions as to why he was getting kidnapped in the first place.
「Seriously though, is Naruto-chan really that special? I've never met him, so I don't know. Isn't that a shame? If he's so special, then wouldn't it be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet such a person?」
Staying quiet, allowing the twisted boy right next to him to continue to talk as if he was partaking in a conversation, Shiba wondered whether he was actually going to go anywhere with his statements.
One couldn't really tell with this boy.
As if sensing his thoughts, the average-looking boy turned to him, his wide and innocent blue eyes meeting his closed ones.
Oh, how much of a lie were those innocent eyes of his.
「What do you think, Shiba-chan?」 the black-haired teen asked of him, as if giving him a say in the process. 「Do you think that I should go and see what all the fuss is about? Ah...but then again, what if I get my hopes up too high and ruin this momentous meeting by expecting something grand? I don't like being disappointed, you know? If that happens, then I'll have to do my best to make sure Naruto-chan is up to standard then, won't I? Don't want him to disappoint Medaka-chan.」
Nodding reasonably, as if his logic wasn't the most fucked up thing he has heard in a while, the one known as Kumagawa grinned at him.
It was such a twisted grin that Shiba genuinely wondered whether even someone as thoroughly selfish as himself shouldn't just do the world a favor and just off him.
「Ok, I made my decision! I'm gonna make friends with Naruto-chan! It's gonna be like in that Shonen Jump manga I've been reading! Where the hero gets brutally murdered by the antagonist in a fit of rage!」 Kumagawa exclaimed with excitement, spreading his arms out with a friendly smile.
That smiled faltered, becoming confused, before being replastered on like a new coat of paint. 「Oh. Oops. Wrong manga. Hehe, silly me.」
And with that, the boy disappeared from his sight, his disgusting feeling going away with him.
Now that Shiba thought about it, he never did correct himself about that manga comparison.