1: The Red Dragon

Kuoh Academy was well known as a former, yet prestigious, school for young ladies. That changed when a select number of young high school boys managed to earn entry with their grades. What many of the students didn't know, however, was that the school was owned and operated by Devils. Two clans called the school their own; the Sitri clan, and the Gremory clan. Both were powerful and old families of Hell.

At the moment, the heiresses of the respective clans were discussing something of an oddity. What was this oddity, you might ask? Well, he is a tall, lean young man in the customary male Kuoh Academy uniform. But instead of buttoned up and tucked in, his uniform was open down to a burnt-orange T-shirt beneath, and untucked, giving him a half-dressed look.

What stood out more than the appearance of his clothing was his skin. Many of the students of the school were rather pale, healthily so, but this young man had a naturally darker skin tone. Next came his hair. His hair was a mass of wild shaggy blond locks that partially hid his eyes under the long bangs at the front. And those eyes were as deep blue as a piece of lapis lazuli.

"He seems to be quite interesting, doesn't he?" Sona Sitri, heiress of the Sitri clan, said, pushing her glasses up her nose, "You don't see many with his looks walking around that aren't foreigners." Sona was a lovely young woman with a bob-cut, and black hair. Her eyes, however, were always stern and slightly cold to her peers.

Next to her was a buxom girl with radiant hair as red as blood, if only slightly messy. Eyes of a greenish-blue looked down at the young man they were observing, licking her lips, "Interesting doesn't do him any justice," she said, looking at her friend, "Can't you feel it? There's raw power coming off of him in waves. If that's not a Sacred Gear, then I'm an Arch Angel. And even if it's not, he's going to be a wonderful edition to someone's peerage."

Sona gave the red-head a slightly annoyed look, "As if you don't already have plans for him, Rias?" She said, returning her attention back to the young man as he made his way into the school. "What I'd like to know is where he came from?" She wondered aloud, tapping her chin in thought, "He's obviously a resident here, and has been for some time, but with strength like his, why haven't we found him before now?"

Now it was Rias' turn to look thoughtful, "That's a good question." She admitted, "With power like that rolling off of him, he should have attracted more than his fare share of unwanted attention." She smiled then, crossing her arms under her impressive bust, "Perhaps there's more to him than we think, hm?"

"Unlikely," Sona frowned, looking at her friend with her version of a deadpan, "Think about it. He's not a member of the Hero Faction, or the Magician Faction, at least not that we're aware of, and he honestly doesn't have the feel of one of them." She pointed out, "And he's certainly not an Angel, or a Fallen Angel. Him being here would be a supreme violation of the territorial treaty we have with the Governor General."

"Maybe he's an educated human, then," She said, frowning at the thought of such a human running around, "Right, I need to speak with him, and soon. If he knows about the Supernatural world, then we need to make sure he won't raise a fuss about some of the students here being Devils."

"Agreed," Sona frowned, "It wouldn't do for him to cause trouble on his first day."

=x=

He felt like he had the eyes of the world focused on him. And it was beginning to piss him off. Sure, he was used to being stared at, but this was getting very, very, very old. Surely he wasn't the only blond around, right? Of course not, there was one in his class, after all. What was his name? Ah, Kiba. The other boy was platinum blond pretty boy, complete with light blue eyes that had every girl in school fawning over him.

For some reason that, too, pissed him off.

Not the fact that the girls were giving him attention, of course not, but the way they were simply falling all over themselves to get his attention. Really, did these girls even know how that looked to anyone else?

'Well, he is a Devil,' said a rumbling voice in the back of his head, 'What female wouldn't fall for Devilish good looks?'

The sun-kissed blond groaned internally, 'Really, Ddraig? That's what you're gonna go with?' He asked the voice, who chuckled in reply, 'Now I know why you always gave me a headache whenever I made a dumb joke.'

This was one reason that the sun-kissed blond seemed unapproachable.

To the eyes of the other students in Kuoh Academy, third year student Naruto Uzumaki was what one would call a Yankee. Yes, he was lean, and athletic, but beneath that was hardened muscle that was akin to stone. No, he didn't go in for body-building, this was easy enough to see for anyone that practiced martial arts. No, this young man was a fighter. And it was true. His appearance had always given him grief, so much so that he actually thought about dying his hair black just to get the monkeys off of his back.

'But it's just not me,' he thought, sitting back in his seat and staring up at the ceiling. His assignment was already finished, giving him ample time to mull things over. 'Besides, I do love a good fight.' He thought offhandedly.

Thus the Kuoh Yankee would remain himself, and not really give a damn about anyone that didn't want to get to know him underneath his exterior. Though, out of the corner of his eye, he did catch one girl staring at him, though she was trying not to be noticed. She failed miserably.

Naruto cocked his head. She didn't smell like a Devil to him. Really, she smelled like something completely different. He hadn't encountered anything outside the occasional Stray Devil, or Demon, but she didn't smell like one of them, either.

'I think that girl must be a Fallen Angel,' Ddraig put in, making the boy frown, 'Don't be so surprised, Naruto. We both knew that one or more beings would become interested in you as time went by. And with your power growing each day, you're bound to attract even more attention now.'

Naruto said nothing and leaned forward on his desk. When the girl cast another small glance at him over her shoulder it was to see Naruto giving her a small wink. The girl squeaked and turned right back around. 'At least she's cute,' he thought.

'Oh, don't even think about it, Naruto.' Ddraig cautioned, 'Fallen Angels are far from the best kinds of mates one can have.'

Naruto snorted and closed his eyes, waiting for class to end. Really, why didn't he just quit and get a full-time job?

Before he knew it, however, classes had let out for the day, and Naruto was making his way home.

"Mister Uzumaki," someone behind him called out, "Do you have a minute?"

Naruto turned and found the other blond, Kiba, standing a few feet away from him. "What do you need?" He asked, sounding tired, and all around grumpy. This made the females around the pair of them glare. Naruto glared right back, giving off a small snarl for the added effect. It worked, and sent the onlookers scampering off.

"You really have to teach me that," Kiba smiled as the girls fled, "Now, I was asked to bring you to the Occult Research club room. Our president would like to speak with you."

Naruto's eyes began to narrow, "Why?"

"She didn't say," Kiba smiled in a friendly manner, "But I can only guess that she'd like to have you join us. You're free to turn her down, of course, but she'd still like to talk."

Naruto frowned slightly, 'Ddraig?'

As Kiba waited for his response, he noticed that the taller blond's eyes became unfocused for a moment, as if he were daydreaming. But as soon as the moment began, it passed just as quickly. 'What in the world?' The young man wondered as the blond Yankee nodded.

"I'll see her," he said, frowning, "But I doubt she'll be happy with what I have to say."

"Maybe, maybe not," Kiba replied, shrugging his shoulders, "Still, I'm glad you'll talk to her."

Naruto followed him out of the school building, silently building up a large amount of magic, and prepared for a fight if things didn't go well. Devil's did not have a good impression with him. At least Stray Devil's didn't. Now he was walking into the proverbial lion's den, and he was not going to be caught with his pants down.

Or so he thought.

"So huge," the blond muttered with slight disgust when he saw that the club house was in fact a small mansion.

"It is rather opulent, isn't it?" Kiba smiled, "The president's elder brother had it built for her when he found out that she had started her own club here." He said with a sigh, "She was rather put off about it, and wouldn't speak to the man for a month before he came and begged her forgiveness."

'Of course,' Naruto frowned, "Well, let's get this over with." He growled and pushed the door open.

Meanwhile, Rias was having her familiar watching the pair as they made their way toward her office with a slight frown. Apparently Naruto didn't like wealthy people, which most likely meant that he himself was from a wealthy family, and disliked it for some reason or another, or he was from the poorer side of the tracks, and detested people with money, period.

She sighed as the little bat fluttered up and out the window as the pair made it to her office and knocked. 'This might be harder than I thought.' She thought as the door opened.

"I've brought him," Kiba announced as the two blonds entered the room.

Rias smiled at her loyal Knight, "Thank you for that, Kiba," she said, "I'm sure you were busy with you swordsmen classes, so I'll take it from here."

Kiba gave a short bow that had Naruto raising his brow at him, and left the two alone with a click of the door. Naruto frowned and set his school bag on the couch, and crossed his arms, "So?" The young man asked. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Rias smiled at him, making him uneasy right away.

While he didn't know her, he had heard of her. Rias Gremory, heiress to the Gremory family. Possibly the most beautiful girl in school, and one of the Great Ladies of the Academy. And now he could see how people could say such things. Beautiful girls tended to make him nervous at the best of times, especially girls that seemed predatory such as this girl seemed to be. He could almost feel her sizing him up.

"First thing's first," she smiled gently, "Why don't you sheath your claws, Naruto? I have no intention of harming you, nor would I want to." She said, making him look at her in mock confusion, "I'm not blind, Naruto. I've been feeling the power that's rolling off of you all day. You're not an ordinary human. And I'm quite sure you know that I'm not, either."

Naruto's left eye twitched, "Not what?" He asked, "Ordinary, or human?"

Rias smiled seductively at him, "What do you think?"

Naruto gulped back a wave of nerves that threatened to make him weak in the knees. "I think it's time for me to leave if we're going to be playing stupid games," he said, taking up his bag again, "I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth, so I have things I need to do. So I'll say goodbye for now."

As he reached for the door, however, a red magical array appeared, baring him from even touching the handle. "I'm sorry," Rias said, rising from behind her desk, "I didn't mean to upset you." She sauntered around the desk to sit on the front as Naruto kept his back to her. "But you're quite right in assuming that I'm not ordinary, or that I'm not human."

"I know," Naruto growled, warning bells roaring inside his head as his magic flared to life, forming a thin veil of red around him. "I could smell it. Maybe ten percent of the kids at this stupid school aren't human." He turned around, a wild look in his eyes, "Now what do you want?"

"To talk," she said, holding up her hand in a peaceful gesture, "Nothing more."

"Then talk," the blond growled out, his magic beginning to fade slightly, though he kept it high enough that if he needed, he could and would send a blast at the young Devil if he needed to.

Rias nodded, no longer playing with him, "Let me get straight to the point, then," she said, "You are an unusually strong human that doesn't belong to any of the factions that harbor humans such as yourself. While you've remained hidden until now, with such a large amount of power, you won't stay that way much longer. A few days at this school, and you'll most likely be mistaken for a Devil, or even a Devil's follower."

"I've dealt with Stray Devils before," Naruto said offhandedly, "They're not worth the sweat."

"Stray Devils are one thing, Naruto," Rias pointed out, frowning, "A higher ranked Devil, or even an Angel, and Fallen Angel are far more different."

"I'm tougher than I look," the blond said stubbornly, "Look, I'm not looking to join any of the factions, alright? I'm not going to change who or what I am. No way in hell."

"Changing your race doesn't change who you are," Rias said, frowning, "And I'm not even going to offer you the change. That's up to you. If you want to become a Devil, then either I or Sona Sitri will be more than happy to help you our. And with your power, you'd be ranked up to a High-class Devil in no time. You could have your own Peerage, and place among our kind...but I'm getting off topic."

Naruto snorted, "For someone not offering to turn me into something else, you sure were trying to sell it." He said, sighing as he reached up and scratched the back of his head, "Look, I get what you're saying. You want me to be careful. Right?" He asked, gaining a nod from the girl, "Thanks, but I've been on my own for a long time now, and getting help from anyone feels more like a pipe dream to me more than anything."

"Not anymore, it's not," Rias said, "Look, I won't lie and say I wouldn't like to have you in my family, but the choice is up to you in the end." She frowned, giving the boy a hard look, "That being said, I have no intention of letting harm befall you at the hands of any other faction." She said, walking up to him, causing him to back into the door, "While this school, this very city is Devil territory, it won't stop others from trying to make pick a side. As I said, you're very strong for a human, so imagine what they would do to make you into a Fallen Angel. You'd have at least four wings right off the bat. That's very rare for a newly created Fallen Angel."

"And what about becoming a Devil?" Naruto asked, trying to keep his distance, "I can't imagine other Devils are going to be as polite as you've been."

"They won't," Rias sighed, and backed off, "And I can see you don't have a good opinion of us. I won't ask why, because some of my kind can be cruel, and all around horrible, but I assure you that we're not all like that. I treat my Peerage like a family. I'd be devastated if anything happened to any of them."

Naruto sighed, "You make it hard not to believe that," he admitted, "Alright. If anything does happen to me, like if I'm killed, or close to death, you an take me on as a member of your Peerage, but not before that happens," he said, driving his point home, "I'm going to stay under the radar as long as I can, which means I'm staying human as long as I can. I know I can't avoid it forever, but I can damned well try!"

Rias giggled, smiling at the young man, "You're very interesting, you know that?" She smiled before taking a slip of paper from her blouse, "This is a summoning spell. If something happens that you need help with, just think of me, and I'll be right there."

Naruto pocketed the slip of paper, "I really don't think I'll need it, but thanks anyway."

With that the young man turned to leave, Rias smiling after him as the door closed. She then frowned, "He was ready to attack me at any time," she frowned, going back to her desk, and sitting down, "What makes him mistrust others so much?"

"You really think he'd trust us so easily?" Sona Sitri asked as she appeared in the room via a magic circle. "I was across the school when I felt that power of his surging. I was half tempted to have my Peerage drop in on him."

Rias shook her head, "I'm glad you didn't," she turned to the window where she watched as the blond walked out of the building. "He's jumpy, that's for certain, and having more than one Devil to deal with might have triggered his fight or flight instincts. And that would have been a fiasco."

"True," Sona said, nodding, "What did you find out?"

Rias shrugged, "I really didn't find anything out aside from what we'd already suspected." She said, frowning in thought, "He knows about the all the other factions, somehow, but he didn't elude to being taught, or trained by someone. And he's strong. Far stronger than any normal human should be that hasn't been trained by a human faction."

"And taking him on as a member of your Peerage?"

"Only in the event he's mortally wounded." Rias sighed, which was more than she could have hoped for. She had half-expected him to turn her down flat. "He seems to think that he can go undetected a little longer."

Sona frowned and adjusted her glasses, "That's not a possibility," she said, frowning deeper, "A Fallen was seen among the students this morning," Rias looked at her friend in shock, "She didn't seem to have any malicious intent, but it was clear that she was watching our new friend closely for most of the day. Whenever I had my Peerage try to get close to her, she would vanish and appear again in the next class. She's bold, this one."

"As long as she hasn't harmed anyone, we can't really do anything, except warn her off of Naruto," Rias frowned, tapping her chin against her fingers, "What about when I had Kiba bring him here?"

"She was seen waiting at the gates," Sona said, "I have a feeling you may be saving Naruto's life sooner than you hope."

=x=

"Boyfriend?" Naruto blinked several times in surprise as he heard the girl make her request. It was the same girl that had been sneaking glances at him during classes. She was quite cute, as he recalled, and slender. The Academy uniform promoted those curves quite well, and drew attention to her modest bust. Her eyes were a striking violet in color, while her hair was a silky black. Not at all a bad looking girl. "Uh, why me?"

The girl blushed, "Well, you see, I kind of caught sight of you a few months back before school started," she admitted, fidgeting, "You were working at a ramen shop, and ended up throwing a bunch of thugs out the window - "

Naruto snickered, "I remember that," he grinned, scratching his head bashfully, "They were harassing the customers, so I made them leave."

"You were really cool back then," the girl smiled widely, "And I wanted to talk to you right away, but I could never catch you. And when I found out we were going to the same school, I was super happy!"

'Fallen Angels do tend to be attracted by shows of force,' Ddraig put in, though he sounded rather disgusted, 'I know you find her attractive, but keep in mind that she's from one of the factions wanting to take away your human life.'

Naruto ignored him for the most part, but conceded the point. The girl definitely didn't smell human, but besides Rias, she was the only non-human female to approach him harmlessly. "So what do you say?" The girl asked, "Will you go out with me?"

Naruto chuckled, "I don't mind," he smiled, making the girl beam at him, "But you know that I'm not exactly well-liked, right?"

"But everyone likes you," the girl frowned, "I heard a lot of the girls in class talking about how handsome you were, and the guys heard about some fights you'd been in over the summer."

Naruto grinned at that; some of those fights had involved him sending a few Stray Devils through a meat grinder. "Well, if you don't mind going out with me, then I guess we could - "

"Yay!" the girl squealed, and threw her arms around him.

Naruto stiffed up like a post, "Uh, I-uh, just thought of something," the blond stammered, "I don't know your name?"

The girl released him, smiling up at him, "I'm sorry," she blushed prettily, "My name is Yuuma Amano."

=x=

Within the first month of school at Kuoh Academy, Naruto and Yuuma went out every chance they could take. For Naruto, it was a first. A first at being around someone that was genuinely happy to do so. It was only thanks to his sense of smell, and Ddraig's constant nagging that he remembered that she wasn't human. But he didn't mention it to her, nor did she make any sort of moves toward him that would set off his internal alarms.

All the while they were enjoying themselves, Rias Gremory, and Sona Sitri were biting their nails at the very idea of a Fallen Angel waltzing around their school. She had all of the other Devils on edge as well, even though it appeared that she didn't mean any harm whatsoever. She stuck very close to Naruto, and the blond was loving every minute of it.

For Rias, it wasn't so much that he was in the company of a potential enemy, but the fact that he actually knew what she was. The day after she had asked him to her office, she had gone to him again, and cautioned him about the girl, Yuuma. Naruto assured her that he knew what he was doing. He even went as far as the show her that he still carried the summoning contract she'd given him.

Yet he still said nothing to the Fallen Angel.

Yes, he figured it was an act, but with each moment he spent with the sweet, and caring Yuuma, Naruto found himself falling harder and harder for her. At the moment, they were seeing a movie. It was one of those sappy, romantic type movies that Naruto would normally find himself falling asleep in front of, but with Yuuma clinging to his arm like a bur, that wasn't happening.

During a kiss scene, Naruto felt her hand tighten on his arm. Looking down at her, he saw that her face was aflame even in the darkened theater. Slowly, so she wouldn't startle, and giving her ample time to reject it, Naruto reached out, and tilted her chin up towards him.

It was the first kiss they had shared since they started dating, and Naruto's first period, but he couldn't think of anything better at that moment. Except a moment later when Yuuma leaned into him, deepening the kiss with a soft sigh.

Soft music began to play as the movie ended, and the two of them broke apart, breathing heavily. "Wow..." Yuuma breathed out, smiling up at him.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed, "Wow."

Leaving the theater arm-in-arm, the couple slowly made their way home. Yuuma, usually chatty, was quiet the entire time until they reached her apartment. Yuuma, as she had told Naruto the first time he walked her home, lived by herself. Naruto could easily relate. He lived off in a shabby little apartment that he could easily afford even on part-time wages. Yuuma lived in a very nice complex, though he had yet to see the inside, he could tell that it would cost him several weeks of his salary to pay for the rent here.

"I guess this is it," Yuuma said quietly, smiling shyly, "I should...I mean, you could..."

Naruto blushed at what she was trying to imply, and didn't find the thought at all unwanted, but he simply smiled, and reached up to pet the top of her head, "It's alright," he told her with a gentle smile, "We really don't need to rush things, ya know?"

Her grip tightened on his arm, "What if I want to?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, "Well, if you really want to, great, but..."

"But what?" Yuuma asked curious to know why he would hesitate.

Naruto blushed, and admitted, "I...don't have any condoms?"

Now Yuuma blushed, "...oh..." She released his arm, and moved towards her apartment complex. Then she turned around and rushed back to him, throwing her arms around the surprised teen's neck, and kissing him deeply. Naruto returned it a moment after their lips met, holding her against him tightly, her feet lifting from the pavement.

He set her back down after what seemed like hours when only moments had passed, both of them panting and red in the face. Yuuma smiled up at him as she slipped out of his arms, "Goodnight."

Naruto smirked at her, "Night." He said, and watched her enter the complex...and promptly lept into the air, clicking his heels together with a loud whoop. Yes, for Naruto Uzumaki, life could not have gotten better for him at that point.

Meanwhile...

Yuuma felt her heart hammering against her ribs like drum as she traced her fingers across her lips, her legs feeling weak after such a kiss. "This wasn't part of the plan," she muttered to herself. "Lord Azazel didn't send me on this mission to - "

"I sent you on this mission," a deep voice said, startling her as a circle appeared in her room. Out of it rose a tall, lean man that looked to be in his mid-twenties with jet-black hair, and a tuft of blond at the front. The red coat he wore did little to hide the twelve black wings protruding from his back. "So that you could keep that boy out of trouble."

"L-Lord Azazel!" Yuuma squeaked, "I-I can explain - I - "

Azazel chuckled, holding up his hand, "No need to explain, Raynare," he said, smiling at the girl, "He's quite the charmer, isn't he? That Uzumaki boy."

Yuuma, or rather Raynare, found herself blushing. "H-he is...Is that the reason yo picked me over Donhaseek, or Mittelt?"

Chuckling again the Fallen Angel shook his head, "No, not quite," he said, "I'm not Cupid, you know? Even I can't see a matching pair." He said, much to her embarrassment, "No, I chose you because I felt that I could trust you more than those two. I know you've all been in contact with Kokabiel, and that you've been looking into finding Sacred Gears for him to amass." Raynare gulped, "But given that Naruto's also quite powerful, and also in possession of a Sacred Gear, I thought pairing you two up might...change your mind about your allies."

Raynare frowned, looking down at her feet, "Kokabiel wanted me to either bring Naruto over to our side, or steal whatever Sacred Gear he might be carrying."

"I thought so," Azazel nodded, "But now that you've come to love him, could you follow through with that?"

Raynare opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. She shook her head. Five hundred years as an Angel, and she was left speechless at the thought of a boy one tenth her age.

"That's what I thought," Azazel smiled, reaching out to pat her on the shoulder, "Take care of him for now. I'm working on a way to change humans into Fallen Angels much the same way the Devil's create their Peerage. Soon, our numbers will increase."

Her face brightened at this. That had been her one real concern. That her time with Naruto was heavily shortened by his own human lifespan. "When can you complete it?"

"I'll have to run it by Michael, first," he said, "After all, his numbers need increasing as well, and I want this to be a show of good faith."

"And then you'll let me turn Naruto?" Raynare pushed, and the man laughed loudly.

"My God, you are moon-eyed over him, aren't you?" He chuckled, "You can turn him if he's willing, alright?"

"Yes, of course," Raynare nodded readily.

Azazel smiled, and stepped back, "Good, now remember to keep your eyes on him until everything is ready." He reminded her, "Kokabiel is nearly ready to make his move, and I wouldn't put it passed him to go after Naruto."

=x=

Naruto was grinning like a loon as he walked back to his apartment with a spring in his step. 'You know that nothing good's going to come of this,' Ddraig said, a green glow emitting from the blond's left wrist. 'Even if she doesn't intend to harm you - '

Naruto chuckled, "Come on, Ddraig," he said out loud, "She's been with me for over a month. Don't you think she would've done something by now?" He grinned as the old voice became silent. Having successfully silenced his nagging partner, Naruto continued on his way.

As he passed into the park, a foul odor reached his nose that made him gag. Rotting flesh.

A growl came from the bushes as he looked around. Out from the bushes came a grotesque creature with a misshaped human face, while the rest of its body was just a lump of molded, rotting flesh. A ghoul.

And it wasn't alone.

Naruto frowned as he covered his nose while more of the monsters began to appear. When all had appeared there were a total of ten of the disgusting beasts.

The smell was overwhelming, making him want to vomit on the spot. But he was already charging up a large amount of magic in his right hand. "Whoever sent you," the blond growled, his eyes hardening as he brought his right hand out of his pocket, preparing to snap his fingers, "they've just ruined my good mood after my date."

The ghouls paid him no mind as they advanced, their mouths dripping with venom.

"O seething fire, be as a holy beast to devour these impure creatures," Naruto recited, and snapped his fingers loudly as flames began to roar from his finger tips, "Flame Dragon!" The flames erupted from his fingers and swirled around him in a vortex of flames as they began to take the shape of an angry dragon, its jaws agape. "Now go!"

The dragon whipped around him and snapped the ghouls up like snacks as they cried out in pain while they burned to ashes. When all was said and done, nothing but a grey dusting of ash was left settled on the ground.

Naruto dusted off his jacket, "Whoever you are, let that be a lesson," he said loudly, "Next time, either, leave me the hell alone, or send something better than ghouls after me."

'Careful what you wish for, Partner.' Ddraig said, chuckling as the two of them continued home.

Hopefully this version is better than the former. Please review.