Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or High School DxD.
Replaced
Twilight in Kuoh Academy was a quiet place. It was also a beautiful place, which was why the blond Devil took his time to stroll to the Occult Research Club's room rather than to teleport directly back. The trees rustled as a cool evening breeze swept across the school, masking his soft footfalls as he ambled up the path to the old school compound.
The building, designed with Victorian sensibilities, was eerily silent, but that was the norm rather than the exception. The uniformed teen walked through the well-maintained corridors almost on autopilot, having been walking to the same destination every day for the past few months. He finally stopped before a large set of ornate double doors, etching a smile on his lips as he pushed them open.
He froze.
Issei looked up as the door creaked open, the panic and arousal evident in his eyes. The brown-haired teen was blushing furiously, a beautiful older student kneeling before him and sucking on his right index finger sensuously. Her long, purple ponytail swayed as she teased the newly instated Devil, her attention focused wholly on the wielder of Ddraig. The blond offered Issei a bitter smile, pressing his index finger to his lips as a signal to stay silent. He shut the door quietly, leaving the couple to continue doing whatever they were doing.
He had enough. It was time to leave.
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He folded the note in half neatly, pinching the fold and sliding across its length smoothly. Scribbling two names on the blank exterior of the note, he positioned it square on his desk. Offering his now sparse room one last, longing glance, he threw his packed duffel bag over his shoulder and shut the door behind him. His footsteps were heavy as he walked away from his accommodations, each step taking him further and further away from the home and family he had known for so many years.
The night sky was dotted with twinkling stars, the galaxies visible without the light pollution so common in cities. The blond had always loved the outdoors, and Kuoh was so attractive to him because of the wide, open spaces. But if they had gone to another school, he would have followed no matter what it was like. Inhaling deeply, he gazed up at the distant stars, wondering what could have been.
"Rias, Akeno," he greeted, turning his azure eyes to the two young Devils.
His traitorous heart skipped a beat, but he ruthlessly suppressed his joy at seeing the two most important people in his life. It helped that they both carried confused and disappointed looks upon their aristocratic features. Rias flicked her crimson hair over her shoulder, stepping forward with a stern look on her face. Her eyes glanced at the duffel bag he carried over his shoulder, her brow creasing.
"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded.
"Did Kiba-kun not tell you?" the blond remarked casually. "In any case, it doesn't matter. I left a note in my room. Feel free to read it at your own leisure."
"Naruto," the Gremory warned, concern evident in her voice. "I can't protect you if you leave like this. You'll be branded as a Stray Devil."
"I know."
"Don't do this," Akeno chimed in. "Buchō's pride…don't trample on it. We owe her our lives."
"It's the only path I see ahead of me," the whiskered blond muttered wearily.
"You…you idiot! Do you think…do you think running away will solve anything?!" Rias shouted, her eyes watering. "Why don't we sit down and talk about this, Naruto? Don't…don't go. I don't want…I don't want to have to hunt you down."
"You still haven't noticed, have you? Both of you," Naruto sighed tiredly. "You've made my decision easier then."
"Noticed what?" Akeno asked waspishly, angered at the teen's attitude.
"I thought Kiba-kun might have told you this, but I suppose he did keep it a secret. I didn't tell him not to tell you two that I was leaving, so I guess that's on me," Naruto chuckled. "I won't be a Stray that you'll have to hunt down, so don't worry."
"You…you think that's what I'm worried about?! Having to hunt down family?!" Rias screeched, magic gathering in her tightly clenched fists. "I'm worried about you, Naruto! Running away like this, this isn't you! You've always faced your troubles head on. Why…why can't you talk to us about the problems you're facing?"
"Rias."
"What," the Ruin Princess twisted around to regard her oldest friend.
Akeno was nearing tears herself, biting her lip as she gestured at the blond Devil. "Use…your [King], Rias."
The azure-eyed teen's lips upturned as Rias complied with the strange request, her trust in her [Queen] absolute. As her [King] piece resonated with the pieces within him, she gasped in shock, her aquamarine eyes widening in horror. "A [King] and a [Pawn]?!"
"Yes," Naruto intoned quietly. "I am no longer your [Rook] anymore, Rias."
"But…when? How?"
"How? That's easy. I took the exam to become a high-class Devil before this school semester started," Naruto explained matter-of-factly.
"And you never told us?" the purple-haired [Queen] asked dispiritedly.
"At that time, I didn't see the need to. This strength," Naruto murmured, raising his fist. "Was meant to protect everyone precious to me. I cared not for a Peerage, nor for fame. Becoming a High-Class Devil will raise your reputation back home, a reputation that you never really bothered to maintain. Sirzechs-sama was quite happy with my decision."
"At that time?" Rias echoed.
Naruto smiled dispassionately. "Until you brought Issei into the fold."
"What has Ise-kun have to do with all this?" Akeno growled. "Don't tell me you're leaving just because you feel threatened by his presence."
"I am," the cerulean-eyed Devil admitted freely.
Energy exploded off of Rias, her demonic aura flaring out impressively. "You…you are leaving us because of…jealousy?!"
"Yes, I am. Because Issei has taken my place in your hearts," Naruto replied coolly, unfazed by Rias' show of power.
"What?" Akeno furrowed her brow in repressed anger, lightning crackling in her hands. "Issei is just a perverted kōhai. You…you're my little brother. Our, little brother. How can you even…think that he's replaced you in our hearts? What gives you the right to assume such things?!"
"Because yesterday, when I walked into the clubroom," Naruto whispered. "You never noticed me."
Startled, the magic faded from Rias and Akeno, who could only exchanged confused glances. Naruto laughed in resignation, closing his eyes to quash the tears that threatened to spill. "I was returning from a contract. When I opened the door, I saw you, my dearest Akeno-neechan, sucking on Issei's finger. He noticed me immediately, but you never did."
"I was-"
"I know what you were doing," Naruto interrupted the purple-haired Devil. "I know you were trying to suck out the magic from his arm. I know you like to tease him. But you never noticed me."
Sending Akeno a meaningful stare, he continued his spiel. "When we were younger, you always ambushed and smothered me in hugs when you felt my energy close to you. As we grew up, you stopped being so affectionate, but you still greeted me and acknowledged my presence. Yesterday, I realised that I no longer mean as much to you as I did before. And the same goes for you, Rias."
"Just because-"
"She wasn't paying attention to her surroundings?" Naruto sneered at Rias. "Do you know that of your entire Peerage, only you and Akeno are unaware of my promotion? The rest all found out on their own. Even Sona-san knows."
"Sona?! How…"
"Because unlike you, who wields the Power of Destruction, she inherited far less from her parents," Naruto shook his head. "She has had to rely on intelligence and wit to win her battles. To her, knowledge is power. Did you really think she wouldn't be keeping track of everything going on in the Underworld? As for Kiba-kun, he noticed almost immediately the moment I got back from the exams. Koneko noticed when she sat down to play video games with Gasper and I. And Gasper found out when she asked."
"I…I never meant to…" Rias stuttered. "I'm sorry for not noticing, Naruto. But…but this doesn't mean we don't care for you!"
"It's been months, Rias," the blond sighed, running a hand through his messy locks. "That's why, since Issei arrived, I've continued to keep mum, to see how long it would take for the two of you to finally notice. But it only solidified things for me."
"And the [Pawn]? Whose Piece are you now?" Akeno asked in a small voice.
"Serafall-sama's," the whiskered Devil smiled fondly. "She volunteered when I asked Sirzechs-sama about leaving your Peerage."
"You asked Oniisama?" Rias goggled incredulously. "And he agreed?!"
"He did, because he understood and accepted my reasons. He wasn't happy about it, but Venelana-sama convinced him," Naruto replied seriously.
"Mother too? Why would…"
"Because they too, watched the Rating Game against Riser Phenex. They watched as, in your hurry to save Issei from getting hurt in a Game where you would only be incapacitated before being treated outside the barriers, you gave up on the match," Naruto answered in a dead voice. "They watched as you completely forgot about your other [Rook] still in the Game, a [Rook] with enhanced defences and is a high-class Devil who spars with Sairaorg on a semi-regular basis. A [Rook] you could have castled with to escape and regroup, a [Rook] who could engage Riser and protect Issei."
"I…I didn't think of that," Rias mumbled shamefacedly.
"You should have seen their surprise, Rias, when they learnt from me that you still didn't know of my promotion. They thought you knew, which is why they approved of your Rating Game in the first place," the blond snorted. "They assumed that you were going to rely on me for victory."
"That's not Rias' fault. You never told us anything," Akeno defended her friend heatedly.
"If that's the case, how come she never noticed I wasn't her [Rook] anymore?" he smiled sardonically. "I haven't been her Piece since she moved in with Issei. The [Rook] is on her pillow, in fact."
"That's unfair to her," Akeno hissed. "You knew she moved in with Ise, yet you put your piece on her bed!"
"No, you're right, it is unfair. But should a [King] be so unaware of her Peerage? What does that tell you about how much she cares?" Naruto retorted, as Rias stumbled back in guilt. "In trying to welcome Issei and Asia, she has neglected the rest of us. Gasper hasn't seen her in weeks. I trained alone for ten days before the Riser match, and I wasn't even greeted with concern when I returned."
"So this still boils down to jealousy then. I thought better of you," the purple-haired Devil snarled.
Naruto offered her a wistful smile. "I thought better of me too. But I'm a Devil, and I'm selfish. I love both of you, but I can't have either. Not when your hearts have been captured by Issei."
"That's nonsense! How could you just assume that-" Rias began.
"Grayfia teleported into my room one night," Naruto interjected, a wry smile on his lips. "Only to find it wholly absent of you. I've never seen her so surprised before. She professed that she thought you would approach me to lose your virginity and annul your marriage with Riser. Instead, you went for Issei."
"Is that it? You're…you're like my brother! I chose Issei because he's naive and malleable!" Rias argued weakly.
"And you're one of the two women I love," the blond confessed. "Which is why, when you blushed so prettily as Issei risked his life to crash your wedding, I asked Sirzechs-sama to leave your Peerage."
"Then when did you stay on after that? Why not just leave then?" Akeno shouted hoarsely.
"Because I couldn't let go. Because even though it hurts to see Rias so smitten with Issei, my heart swelled with every smile and every laugh," Naruto croaked out. "But when I saw you, Akeno, so engrossed with Issei that you didn't even register my presence, it was the last straw."
"Things…don't have to end this way, Naruto," the crimson-haired [King] pleaded. "You're still our dearest little brother. Give us a chance. We'll make up for all the things we've done wrong. Don't…don't leave. Not like this. Please."
"Dearest little brother?" the blond [Pawn] scorned, turning his back on the duo. "I thought I was, for many years in fact. All those years spent on the streets struggling to survive with Akeno. All those times we spent together as a trio, laughing and playing and sleeping together. But now, I'm just a former [Rook] that both of you forgot."
"Then do all those years mean nothing to you now?!" the [Queen] screamed in frustration, anger and disappointment.
"They mean everything to me. And that's why I have to leave," Naruto said bitterly. "Devils live for thousands of years. I can't…I can't bear to live with the two women I love, being in love with another man. Issei is a good kid. He'll treat the two of you well, perverted as he is."
Casting one last tearful glance back at Rias and Akeno, Naruto flashed them a wistful smile. "Goodbye."
He vanished instantly without a trace.
Author's Notes: This was a random scene that popped into my head one day, and I decided I might as well type it out and post it for fun. If anyone wants to use the premise or ideas for their own stories, feel free to do so! Just drop me a PM and I'll be glad to give you permission.