AN: Alright, I'll admit the response to this story has proven to be much more positive than I thought, given my general bungling of my first one, and the near-abandonment of my second of borrowing Naruto for a devil. That's cool.
Also, I should mention that Naruto will NOT be getting his Bishop in this chapter. Next chapter.
Oh, I feel I should mention: No, the Bishop from Ch01's Hint is not Kuroka. She was the most popular guess from the reviews, but I'm sorry to say it ain't her.
Disclaimer: See Chapter 01
Chapter 02: Inheritance and Becoming a Devil
Naruto woke to bright sunlight directly on his face and groaned. He had an absolutely massive headache, and as he tried to cover his eyes he realized that he couldn't move either arm. Opening one bleary eye and looking to either side his mind bolted awake in panic.
He could feel it now, the soft suppleness of the two naked women using his arms for pillows. He could feel also the stickiness that was unique to dried perspiration and saliva and another liquid he couldn't quite identify. He could smell it, a heavy muskiness in the air. And as he shifted a little to try and get full feeling back in his arms, he could also see it, the sheen that a body got only after an intense level of exertion.
Naruto also saw the beautiful swells of both Yugao's and Konan's naked curves. The supple skin. The toned muscles. The soft hair, and who would have guessed that both their unnatural hair colors were natural? He saw the long shapely legs, intertwined with his own. He felt their breaths on his neck, Yugao to the right and Konan to the left.
Well, he assumed it was Yugao on his right, considering his right eye was fake it was a little hard to discern much on the side of him in the way of colors, or anything for that matter. But if that purple tuft of neatly-trimmed purple hair between those legs that he could just barely make out with his left eye was anything to go by, it should definitely by Yugao on his right. Maybe he should see what could be done about that right eye of his? He really wished he could see out of it right now, if only to better take in the sight of her naked form.
Then he smelled it. From their breath came the slightest scent of something sweet and arousing.
He blinked. They DRUGGED US?!
Now Naruto was rather resistant to any form of drug, so to get past that was a feat in and of itself. That being said, he knew he was not immune. Which meant that either they gave him a lot of it, or they managed to increase the potency.
He cast his mind back, looking for his last clear memory. There were flashes of immense pleasure, and scenes that Jiraiya probably would have sold his soul for. Scenes that included both of the women on either side of him doing such lewd and perverse acts that Naruto could feel himself becoming aroused all over again, and only through sheer force of will was he able to calm down and see the images flashing through his mind with a detached clinical perspective.
It seemed that several days had passed, if the vague sense of time lost was any indication. He could even vaguely recall being fed some kind of seafood dish that inflamed his libido to levels that he hadn't known were possible. And there was a drink, too…
"Mmm," came a moan from his right. Looking over he was just in time to see Yugao's eyes flutter open, then snap awake in shock and realization. Then he was witness to the expressions that flitted across her face as she probably took the exact same route to identifying what likely occurred as he had.
They had been trained in the same Academy after all, even if the institution had fallen somewhat from her time in it.
Finally she sighed, and her eyes cleared and looked at him. "So, drugs?"
"Most likely."
"We're going to kill them for it, right?"
"Probably."
"Probably?"
He shrugged as best he could with her still using his arm to rest her head, his features somewhat resigned. "Yeah. I'll at least hold off until I hear their story. Then I thought that you might like to do the job yourself."
"Hm, I'll admit I do feel the need to cut something."
"As long as it isn't me, I'm fine with that."
"Hm," she hummed.
"What do you think they fed us?" Naruto asked, unintentionally staying quiet so as to not disturb Konan and possibly have another woman to deal with right now.
Yugao shrugged one shoulder, "I recall some kind of seafood dish, probably a kind of clam or oyster, which are natural aphrodisiacs, and in our emotional turmoil it wouldn't have taken much for us to make that leap. The drink though…" She trailed off, thinking. "It almost seemed like the stories I've heard of something called Chava. A drink derived from coffee that is said to inflame passions."
"It does," came a sleepy voice from the other side. It seemed that Konan decided to wake up and join the conversation.
"I've had it once before, as a young child. Of course, as a child it does little more than coffee would." She said, sleep still heavy in her voice.
"You're taking this well," Yugao said, eying the other woman suspiciously.
"Yes, I suppose I am," Konan admitted, "But then I was going to suggest something like this. Not the drugs, but the sex and potential pregnancies."
Naruto lost his composure, "What do you mean?!"
The blue haired woman sat up, not bothering to try and hide her naked form, he'd already seen it after all. "As the last of the Uzumaki bloodline, it would be your duty to see it continue. If the ritual Lord Gressen plans to use is the same kind as I'm thinking, then it will most likely replace all of your human blood with his own, which would end the Uzumaki line."
She gave the young man a gimlet stare, "Yugao and I are both human, or half in my case. We are the best, and only real choices, to make certain that the Uzumaki bloodline not only continues, but is not contaminated by other bloodline traits. As far as I know, my own abilities are singular, and not the result of my family's blood. And Yugao is completely human, so I doubt anything weird will pop up in her children."
"Be that as it may," Yugao interrupted, sitting up as well. "I still would have preferred to have a choice in the matter."
"Would you have turned it down?" Konan arched an eyebrow with her question.
Yugao snorted, "No. I've always wanted to be a mother, and with Hayate gone this was likely to be my last chance as a human. Besides," her features softened, "I'm still under oath to serve Naruto. If I can best do that by making sure his bloodline continues, I honestly don't mind as the result is something I want as well."
"Don't mind me," Naruto said from his position still laying on the bed, "It's not as if my opinion matters in this."
"I'm glad you understand," The two women said in unison.
He sighed. This was going to be a long morning….
XxXxXxXx
It really was a long morning. When a man in a red suit and with a long metallic-looking tail named Demiurge showed up to see if everything was alright, the three ninja asked him what was in the food and drink they had been given. Turned out that it was all considered only a minor enhancement for devils and demons, and the staff hadn't known that it would affect humans or half-breeds as strongly as it did. Which meant that Naruto and the others couldn't even be angry with them, as it was a simple mistake. Albeit one that was continued for a couple days before being found out as the culprit, but a mistake nonetheless.
Naruto sighed heavily, he was sitting on a large couch that was obviously placed in the room for some extra comfort. He placed a cup of perfectly ordinary tea, he'd made certain that it had been collected from somewhere other than the Underworld, down on a facing coffee table. "So, two days, huh? We were at it for two days."
He raised his eyes to the two women sitting on either side of him, noting silently that neither had really bothered with putting on more than a small white house robe. Not that he could say anything about that as he hadn't bothered with anything more either. "I don't suppose it's too early to determine if you're pregnant?"
Yugao chuckled, "I'd think so."
Demiurge, who had been standing quietly by the door after explaining the problems, interjected, "Actually there is a small spell that could be used to tell if your eggs have been properly fertilized. Albedo is almost certain to know it."
Naruto blinked, and looked suspiciously at Demiurge's placid face. He sighed again, "She practiced it in the hopes of using it on herself, didn't she?"
The older man looked surprised, "How did you know?"
"There are few reasons a woman that devoted to her lord would know such a spell," Naruto said quietly, his eyes never leaving Demiurge's face so he could watch the expressions flicker across it. It appeared that Demiurge had a horrible poker face.
"And those would be?"
"Number One: she is the recognized nurse or doctor of the House," Naruto replied seriously, holding up one finger to emphasize which point he was on. "Now, given her interactions with Lord Gressen, this is not impossible, as I'm fairly certain that she has not left his bedside for anything but necessary breaks. Showers and clean clothes and whatnot. However, I've seen many a nurse and doctor, mostly for reasons beyond my control and not of my own choice. She does not give off the feel of one."
Demiurge nodded with a faint smile, "You are correct. She is not our doctor or nurse. Please, continue."
Drawing in a deep breath, Naruto raised a second finger. "Number Two: she is secretly, or not so secretly, in love with someone and hopes to conceive. Thus she would learn the spell in question in order to be certain as quickly as possible that it is done. Again, given her interactions with Lord Gressen, and doubting her leaving of his side for anything but those necessary breaks, I would assume she is in love with him, and hoped that he would give her a child."
"Wait," Yugao interrupted, "Albedo is in love with Lord Gressen? Are you sure?"
Naruto nodded, "Demiurge's face gives me all the confirmation I need. He has a horrible poker face."
Said demon smiled widely. "Or I know how to use my expressions to mislead people into believing what I wish them to," he said slyly, then raised a hand to forestall any comments. "However, in this case you are correct. Albedo did indeed learn the spell in hopes that with the passing of Lady Kethry, Gressen-sama's wife, that he would deign to turn his love to her and grant her a child of her own.
"But it was not to be," Demiurge continued, "Gressen-sama was far too in love with Lady Kethry to fall in love that way again. Certainly he loves Albedo, but as a father would dote on a daughter. It is not as she wished."
"I see," Naruto murmured. He stared at his cup of tea for a moment longer, then looked at Konan and Yugao, getting nods from them. "Then please call for her. As much as I don't like how it came about, the continuation of my human line was one of the biggest things on my mind."
Konan stared, "Then why were you so against it earlier?"
"I wasn't against having children as a human," Naruto shrugged, "But I had wanted to discuss it with you two first on how to go about it. I wasn't necessarily going to propose to use your wombs for it though."
Yugao smacked him upside the head and scolded him. "You little fool, if you hadn't brought it up, I'm sure Konan would have. And I know that if I'd been given the choice, I'd have done it anyway, just as I said a while ago."
She glared at him for a moment longer, then dropped her gaze, "Though I'll admit I would have liked to have that choice. It is inconsequential now. What has been done is done."
Naruto rubbed his head where she hit him. Dammit, she hit hard! Although, he mused, She still doesn't hit as hard as Sakura.
"Ano-" Demiurge sounded a little confused. "Are you three really doing alright? I'd heard that humans tended to need a long time to get over their grief…"
All three of them gave him ruefully amused gazes, their previous discussion put aside for the time being, and Naruto answered him. "All ninja are trained from a young age, Demiurge. This training includes being able to push past grief, and to get it all out in one go so it doesn't consume us. It's a second-year subject, but it goes all year, and culminates in the raising of a pet and then killing it.
"I got kinda lucky in that," Naruto mused, "I got a rather ornery chicken that tasted great as a soup ingredient."
Yugao looked at him strangely, "A chicken? My class received hamsters."
Konan answered softly, "I didn't go through an academy, but I did have to kill a pet dog I had as a child so I didn't starve. I suppose the situation for me was just harsh enough that I learned the lesson instinctively."
Naruto shrugged, "Either way, ours was a 'kill or be killed' world. You grew up fast or you didn't live to grow old."
The two women nodded. They could easily agree with that. Demiurge, however, looked interested. A world where humans were trained in such a way could be a good place to harvest more servants or other materials necessary to help bring House Asmodai back into glory. He was his Master's Bishop, his every thought was on how to bring further glory to his Master's name. Even now as that Master lay dying in bed, if Demiurge could bring more glory to his name, then the demon-turned-devil would do just that.
"Now," Naruto continued, bringing the man's attention back to the present, "If you don't mind, Demiurge, would you mind getting Albedo for that spell while these two and I discuss a few things?"
"Ah, important secret things, I suppose?" Demiurge asked with an amused smile.
"Not really secret, but not really for outsiders either," Came a somewhat expected response.
"Very well, but please do not leave the room, we cannot risk any potential spy seeing you before the ceremony is complete." With that the man gave a small bow and left the room.
Once the doors closed, Naruto stood up and moved to look out a large bay window. "Assuming the 'leave behind Uzumaki children' thing is taken care of, I suppose the next thing to wonder is if this ritual will fulfil the requirement of death that could possibly free the Kyuubi from the Seal."
Konan and Yugao exchanged surprised glances. They hadn't thought of that.
"It's possible, I suppose," Konan said lowly. "I'll admit I don't really know much about the rituals of this world, mostly due to my parents dying when I was so young, so I had to try and piece together things from what they left behind, but I have to imagine that it won't so much 'kill' you as 'remake' a portion of you."
"It would be a good idea to find out for certain though," Yugao cautioned.
"The best person to ask would be Lord Gressen himself," Naruto mused aloud, one hand coming up to lay on the window frame.
"That is certainly true," Konan muttered, leaning back into the plush couch.
"Would not one of the servants possibly know?" Yugao questioned.
"I suppose," Naruto allowed, his gaze roaming over what he could see of the outside. It looked like they were placed in a room facing an inner courtyard which was dominated by a rather breathtaking fountain and surrounding hedge maze garden. He would be the first to admit that he didn't know much about flowers, but even he could see plants in bloom that either did not or could not exist in his world.
That black and grey rose for example…
He shook his head, no time to be wool-gathering. His right hand came up to trace the scar over his right eye. "Maybe I should see what can be done about this," He muttered softly.
Ever since he had lost that right eye, he had been slightly jumpy whenever someone or something came at him from that side. He assumed that his old teacher, Kakashi, had a similar problem with his covered Sharingan. Hypersensitivity could prove to be a problem eventually. His mind could only stay on alert like this for so long before it overloaded and caused an issue.
He wasn't quite as quiet as he had thought apparently, as Yugao voiced an opinion."You mean your eye? Yes, that could prove problematic later."
"I agree," Konan said quietly, "While it's impressive that you've managed for this long, the added level of paranoia can't be mentally healthy."
Naruto shrugged, a wry grin on his lips. "We lived in a world where just being associated with a particular village meant you could be killed at any time. Paranoia was every ninja's best friend. Though you aren't wrong," He conceded, "The human brain can only handle so much. I'm fairly lucky in that regard, as the Kyuubi seemingly doesn't want a braindead container, so its been keeping my brain from overloading so far, but only time will tell how long that lasts."
Yugao looked a little uncomfortable. "You mean you talk to it?"
Naruto turned his wry grin to her, "Not so much talk, as I get vague impressions. Any time my ability to become a braindead sack of useless flesh comes up, I get the distinct feeling of annoyance."
"Oh." Well that seemed to make her more at ease.
"Though we have had a few conversations," Naruto admitted blithely, waving one hand dismissively in the air. "Most of them boiled down to Kyuubi trying to either piss me off enough to remove the seal, or it using the hypocrisies of our world to shame me into releasing it."
Konan frowned a bit, "That sounds remarkably human-like. As if it really understands us."
"Oh, it understands us," Naruto stated firmly, "Never think otherwise. I managed to wriggle out of it that it has been sealed in at least two other Jinchuuriki before me, and through interacting with them it learned a very great deal. Enough that I almost fell to one of those shaming tactics."
"What?!" Yugao exclaimed.
"Yeah, something about missing the feel of the wind and sun on its fur, and just being able to lay in the shade of an enormous tree for hours for a nap." He said, taking a seat on a couch facing the two women. "I think that may have been one of the few times Kyuubi was being honest with me."
Both women looked as if someone had hit them with a club. The idea that the Kyuubi, the most dangerous and powerful creature that either knew existed, could act like a regular animal and just enjoy the wind and sun… it was too surreal for them.
Naruto gave them an amused smile, "You both seem to have forgotten the legend. The Bijuu were supposedly made from the power of an ancient beast of destruction, and the Rikudo Sennin's imagination. Having been created by a man, however powerful he might have been, was bound to rub off on all of them to some degree."
"Naruto-sama is correct," A soft voice interrupted, and they took note that they were no longer alone in the room as Albedo continued. "Any creation will unconsciously take on aspects of its creator. It is the same for creations of energy as much as of flesh, for the creator must impart some of themselves each time. This is a basic Tenet of Creation in all worlds."
"Ah, Albedo-san," Naruto said easily, taking her presence in stride, "What timing you have. I take it Lord Gressen is stable for a while? Or at least in no danger of passing while you are gone?"
"Yes, Naruto-sama," The beautiful dark-haired woman replied, "I believe you asked for me?"
"Yes, I was told you know a spell or technique to determine pregnancy as early as conception?" He questioned gently.
"Indeed, I have such a spell," She confirmed. "I assume you wish me to use it upon these two women?"
"If you would be so kind," He demurred, "Then we have a few questions about the ritual that Lord Gressen wishes to use. I don't suppose you would know someone we could ask? I wouldn't wish to tax Lord Gressen's remaining strength unduly."
"I myself should have the answers you seek," She said as she moved over to Konan and Yugao, her right hand lighting up with a soft grey glow. She paused with her hand a little ways from Konan's belly as the blue haired woman tensed slightly, "Do not worry, even we devils would not harm an unborn babe."
Reassured, Konan relaxed and let Albedo place the glowing limb upon her. A moment later Albedo moved over to Yugao, repeating the glowing spell as it seemed to have a one-charge use. Albedo nodded and stepped back to face the three humans.
"Well, the news is good, Naruto-sama. They are certainly pregnant, and while it is currently too early to tell, even with magic, just how many children will be born, it seems as though they will both bear you twins," The white-garbed woman said with a small smile.
Albedo would admit that she didn't much care for humans, but she was a woman who had longed for a child of her own. As such, knowing new life would be coming soon was something she delighted in. She'd just have to make sure Demiurge knew that both the women and the eventual children were off-limits to his experiments, or he may end up doing something without the Lord's permission.
Whether that Lord would be Gressen-sama or Naruto-sama, it didn't matter in Albedo's mind. The Lord was the Lord. And she served the Lord of House of Asmodai. If that meant keeping two women and their children safe from Demiurge's experiments, then so be it.
"Albedo-san?"
Hearing her name snapped her out of her thoughts. She turned her attention fully upon the blonde young man. He was handsome enough, she supposed, in a feral way. Bright cerulean blue eyes, sun-kissed golden and untamed hair, tanned skin from time spent working in the sun, and those three whisker-like markings on each of his cheeks. A strong jawline, and high cheekbones, as though chiseled from stone, and a powerful body with a distinct V-shape in the abdomen that many a man would probably kill for. This was a body meant to be used, not merely displayed.
The body of a warrior, came the unbidden thought.
But he wasn't her beloved Gressen. She may end up serving this young man, but she doubted if she would ever move on from her current silent love for her Master. Gressen saved her from a life on the streets in despair after her first Lord was killed in another realm.. For that alone she would always love him.
"Yes, Naruto-sama?" She queried.
"I was asking about the ritual," Naruto replied, easily brushing off her previous inattention. "Specifically what it all entails and what happens."
"Ah," She paused to collect her thoughts,"It's relatively simple in theory. Gressen-sama will bond your blood with a sample of his own and that of Kethry-sama which was kept in case of an emergency. In essence it will rewrite your genetic structure from your current parents, to that of Lord Gressen and Lady Kethry, instantly reincarnating you as their child."
"Will it count as dying?" He asked, keeping a sharp eye on her expression.
She shook her head lightly. "No. Your soul will not leave you for any length of time, it will simply be remaking you, adding or subtracting as needed to your DNA. As far as I know the only thing of yourself that will be unaffected will be your soul."
"Could it repair things that are currently missing?" Yugao questioned, thinking of his right eye.
Albedo paused to think, and then shrugged minimally. "I shouldn't think so. Why?"
Yugao gestured at Naruto, "His right eye is false, so I wondered if that would be fixed."
Albedo gained an understanding look. "Unfortunately, I don't think it will. It is much the same as the spell used by Ajuka Beelzebub in his Evil Pieces to resurrect other species as devils." She held up a hand to forestall their questions, "Which is something that I will explain at a later time, should Naruto-sama accept and become Gressen-sama's son. Suffice it to say, that when those items are used, the people they are used on do not regain lost limbs. As such, I doubt it would repair a lost eye."
Naruto had an understanding look on his face. "I see, this literally remakes me from Uzumaki Naruto into Naruto Asmodai. And these Evil Pieces you mention are something you don't really want information on getting around, right?"
Albedo nodded softly with an apologetic smile. "Yes."
He waved off her unsaid apology, "There's no need to be sorry, Albedo-san. These are things I need to know, so when the unexpected comes up I'll be ready for it."
She smiled in amusement. "You say that like it's a foregone conclusion that something strange will happen."
He shrugged and grinned. "You could say that. Trouble seems to follow me like a lost puppy, and delights in causing me frustration like a scorned lover."
Albedo blinked, then looked to the other two women. They nodded. Yugao had watched him as a child, and witnessed the trouble he got into on a regular basis. Whereas Konan had read the many reports the Akatsuki spies had found on him, and had honestly found it endearingly funny how much trouble seemed to love the boy.
She mentally shrugged. It wasn't her problem. She decided to voice a question of her own, "Naruto-sama? You mentioned you had a great many things on your plate that you needed to take care of. How are those coming along, if I may ask?"
Naruto blinked, then grinned again. "Well, you've answered two of my problems already. One was that I, as the last known Uzumaki, had a duty to leave behind children to continue my line. As you've stated, this ritual will mean I am no longer an Uzumaki save in spirit, which means that I would have had to get at least one woman pregnant."
He nodded to the two ladies across from him, "Thanks to your serving staff unwittingly drugging us, that has been settled. The next on my list was that this ritual not kill me, as I have another being bound to me by a powerful Sealing technique, and I really don't want to simply let it out like that. That could prove to be more than a bit of trouble."
Her rueful expression said that she felt this might be something of an understatement, and he just laughed at it. "The next item on my list was my missing right eye, which I will be looking into replacing with a working eye after the ritual."
Albedo blinked, "Why wait until after?"
"It's quite simple," he said, "It has to do with the following item on my list. I have to look at a scroll my Hokage and grandmother-figure left for me. It may or may not contain an answer to that problem, and if it does, I don't necessarily want to lose a gift like that because I was being hasty."
"Ah," She murmured. What else could she say? It was another inheritance of his, and he had every right to see it first. There was no doubt some incredibly sentimental things in there that he could probably only access as a human.
"I was wondering if you'd remember that," Yugao grumbled. She'd lugged it out of Konoha's destruction with her, he'd better look in it! She wanted to know what was in there too, dammit!
"Eh-heh," He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Yugao. I was originally intending to get to it right after the grief session, but then all of this other stuff came up."
Okay, yeah, that's a valid excuse, Yugao thought to herself with a small sweatdrop.
Albedo cleared her throat softly, just enough to get their attention. "If that is all, Naruto-sama, I shall return to Gressen-sama's side."
"Of course, Albedo-san," he smiled and waved aside her concerns.
"I shall have the Malachite sisters on standby outside the room should you need anything, Naruto-sama." With a small bow, Albedo left the room.
Naruto sighed, and leaned back into the couch. If not for her willingness to help he'd have thought Albedo didn't like him. He could understand it a fair bit, she was in love with her currently dying master, and Naruto was being given time to get his shit together before becoming the old devil's new son. That was bound to throw just about anyone for a loop, so rather than dislike him she was simply keeping her manner calm and respectful. It wasn't so different from how humans would act, so he was hardly going to hold it against her.
Besides, she was very nice eye candy. Even if he would likely never touch her in that way, he was hardly stopped from appreciating the view. Much like a bonfire, he could admire, but he wasn't going to touch. He also wasn't about to go and peek on her in the bath, unlike his teacher Jiraiya, Naruto had limits to how far he'd go to appreciate the female form. If they showed it willingly, such as a personal choice of dress, then he would look, admire, and move on unless they showed an interest in something more...
A thunk pulled him from his contemplations, and he looked down to see Yugao had plunked the large scroll on the small table that sat between the two couches. He looked up a bit and saw her glare, daring him to avoid it any longer. With another sigh, this time one of resignation, he reached out and opened the scroll.
Lines of neat and orderly fuinjutsu script met their eyes, and Naruto snorted. Fuinjutsu was always something of a passion of his, though most wouldn't have believed it. He easily recognized the locks that could only be undone by either a specific person (himself) or a certain family line (Uzumaki). Shaking his head, he muttered about blood seals, and bit his thumb. Running the bloodied digit with a small amount of chakra (people always forgot that part of the sealing, and he never did understand why. Even if it was tagged to a bloodline, it still required an active amount of chakra to unlock them!) and in response two folders, a jar of some kind of murky liquid, and several scrolls (some rather large) appeared.
Naruto blinked. "Any idea where to start?"
Shrugging, Yugao picked up one of the folders. This was going to take some time, so she figured she might as well start with the first thing she saw.
XxXxXxXx
"Are you certain about this, Gressen-sama?" Albedo asked her bed-ridden master anxiously. "There is still time, we don't need this human. We could-"
Gressen raised one of his emaciated hands to stop her impassioned speech. "No, Albedo, we do not have time." He coughed heavily, bloody spittle flying from his lips. "I'm afraid I was very much speaking the truth to young Naruto. I have at most a few weeks left, and that is only because I refuse to die just yet!"
"But, Gressen-sama," This time it was Demiurge who spoke up from his position at the foot of the bed, "This young man seems to be utterly normal. Aside from an odd feeling of a passive Sacred Gear, I feel nothing from him."
Gressen chuckled weakly, and turned his attention to the third member in the room. "And you, Cocytus? From what little you have seen of this young man, have you taken his measure?"
Cocytus was a hulking specter of blue armor with four distinct arms, and an obvious insect-like appearance. Yet despite this odd form, the being's very posture screamed that they were a warrior with few peers. The ever-present halberd clasped in one of their right hands didn't hurt that image either.
Though the three eyes on either side of his head and randomly clicking mandibles were somewhat unnerving to view at first.
A blast of cold air escaped the giant figure, approximating a sigh perhaps? His voice, for the creature was obviously male even with his appearance, was rough and had a heavy amount of vibration in it. "I cannot say for certain, but he has the trust of his two companions, and he has the bearing of one who has seen battle. With his world's primary profession being assassination, I would surmise that he has had to learn how to hide his very presence, lest he give himself away. It would hardly do for him to fail simply because his targets felt him coming."
"AH~!?" Came a disbelieving female voice from the shadows to the left of the large bed. A young woman with pale skin and bright red eyes appeared wearing a type of Gothic Lolita style dress. Her otherwise pretty face was screwed up in a disdainful sneer.
"What are you talking about you big cockroach?" The girl said sharply, "Are those six eyes of yours only for decoration? There's nothing of the warrior about the kid! Hiding himself? I say that he simply has nothing to show!"
Gressen chuckled softly, "So you don't see it either, my dear Pawn, Shalltear? You are in agreement with Albedo and Demiurge?"
Shalltear's head rose in a semi-defiant manner and nodded resolutely. She would never defy or dispute her Master, who had taken in a young Shinso(1) like her, and then cared for her like she was his own daughter. She loved and respected Gressen too much to ever shame him in such a way, but on the matter of this young human boy…
Gressen chuckled again, "And you, my fierce and loyal Knight, Cocytus? Would you not say the boy is a fit successor?"
Cocytus came to attention as he was addressed by his Lord. "I do not agree with the others, my Lord. I see great potential within him. I suspect, however, that he has been hindered greatly in his early development, as his walk is at once the confident stride of a young man, and the slightly hesitant step of an abused child. He is a contradiction, my Lord, and I would not pass my judgment until I know more."
"Abuse?" Demiurge wondered out loud, his voice cutting before Cocytus could wax eloquently as he was wont to do. "Why would they abuse a young boy? Even my own original demon race would never harm a child, for they are a precious resource for the future. Perhaps it would behoove us to take a closer look at the Malachite sisters' report."
Albedo sighed and shook her head slightly, "It's no use. They also speculated about possible childhood trauma, but they were unable to find out a reason for it. Although," She brought one finger to her lips in thought, "The young man did ask an interesting question earlier. About whether or not the ritual would 'kill' him or not. He seemed secretly glad when I told him that it wouldn't."
Gressen's eyes cut to her sharply. "He was curious about it counting as dying?"
Albedo backed up half a step in surprise at the demanding tone in her master's voice. "Yes, and although he didn't go into detail, he did say that he had a being of power bound to him and he didn't want to simply release it like that.."
Gressen's left arm draped across his eyes with a rustle of cloth. His time at war in the Ainz Ooal Gown military company came in handy in situations like this. The level of strategy necessary to ensure every member of the original 41 man squad came out of each engagement alive was incredible, and Gressen had been the company's primary strategist. His companions had jokingly called him "Momonga" after an ancient general of House Beelzebub who was said to plan so far in advance that some of the things he had contingencies for still hadn't happened. Call Gressen what you will though, he was rarely ever unprepared.
But this young man asking about death… it wasn't really unusual, humans were much more aware of their impending doom than most other races due to their naturally shorter life spans. However, for some reason this seemed at odds with what little Gressen had seen of this young man. A timid and slightly scared youth that hid behind a well-constructed mask of brash confidence. A mask that may eventually end up becoming truth with enough time.
Then there was to comment about a powerful being...
After several minutes, Gressen's arm moved away from his eyes. "It is possible that there is something that can only be fulfilled by the boy's death. Something that he dearly wishes not to come to pass. And if it is the release of a powerful destructive force, I can certain understand his reticence."
Nods of understanding came from all four of the people around his bed. His next words disrupted their trains of thought.
"But that is not our concern unless he makes it so!" Gressen stated firmly, his tone brooking no tolerance for dissent. "If, and only IF, he comes to us about it, will it become our problem. Until then it is best left in the hands of those three, who presumably have much greater knowledge than we. I say now, let none push any of them into telling us. This is my verdict, and it is final!"
All four dropped to one knee, a hand coming up to each of their hearts in fealty, and Albedo spoke for them all as was her place as Queen of Gressen's peerage. "As our Lord commands."
Suddenly a crippling weight settled on the entire mansion, forcing every servant flat to the floor. Even Albedo and the others in Gressen's room could not rise against the pressure, a power that clearly came from the direction of the room the three humans had been given. But before any of them could get a grasp on just what the pressure was outside of utter fury, it was gone as if it had never been.
A stunned Albedo was slow to pull herself back to her feet amidst a sound she didn't immediately recognize. After a few moments she finally pulled her scattered wits together to realize that the sound was Gressen's throaty laughter, a sound that brought both joy and confusion to her heart. It was weaker, more … arid than she remembered, but it was definitely his laugh!
"Weak is he?! Nothing special?! What say you now, Albedo, Demiurge, and Shalltear?! That was the unbridled fury the man I have chosen as my Successor! Would you say he is worthy now?" Gressen demanded, still laughing like a madman, his eyes burning feverishly. It was the gaze of man who had been given a gift far beyond his greatest expectations, and his people shivered to see it.
"W-what was that?" Shalltear's shaken voice asked the question that was on their minds.
Gressen calmed down quickly enough, a sudden heavy coughing fit helped in that regard. As he laid back in his propped pillows, he answered them. "That was undoubtedly young Naruto's unfiltered killing intent. Something has managed to rouse the sleeping dragon, and I'm quite glad it wasn't me!"
Albedo's body still shook a little as she tried to calm her nerves. "Are you saying that was the anger of a single human boy?"
"Yes, Albedo," Gressen sighed, his eyes closing, "That was all that one young man. Now, I need to rest. Wake me only if you need me."
The four Guardians bowed low to the now-sleeping figure, and gently let themselves out into the hall, Albedo closing the door behind them. Then she spun to her fellows peerage members, a fire burning in her golden eyes.
"Alright, you all heard Gressen-sama's orders. And while I will abide by them I want to know what so infuriated that human. Cocytus!" She faced the hulking warrior squarely, "I think that you might have the best chance currently, as one warrior to another. That bond of unspoken martial brotherhood may help you connect enough for him to speak with you."
The Knight just nodded. That unfiltered killing intent, he had felt a great sadness behind the anger. As a fellow warrior, the least he could do would be to lend an ear. And with this event firmly placing the young human as Gressen-sama's Heir, Cocytus realized that he should get to know his new Prince.
"Demiurge!" Albedo continued, never losing stride, "While we cannot importune the human to share his past with us, I feel we would be doing our Lord a disservice not knowing more. So you are to seek out anything of use from his former world, every possible rumor."
Demiurge nodded, his mind already whirling. This was a mystery, and he did so love solving mysteries. The fact that it was about their new prince just made it all the more imperative to get to the bottom of it.
"Shalltear," Albedo said, "After informing Sebas about Gressen-sama's orders, I need you to delve into the library. Look for possible reasons why one human''s death could mean so very much."
"And you?" Shalltear asked slyly, but not without venom.
"I will stay with Gressen-sama in case he wakes and requires anything." Came the anticipated response. The two of them had been hard rivals for Gressen's affection, but when Lady Kethry came into the picture Shalltear had decided that she could live with being like his daughter.
"Of course you will," Shalltear commented snidely, but quietly. She left quickly. She had her assignment, and only her King, her beloved Lord Gressen, could countermand Albedo's orders. Ah well, at least Sebas is tolerable. Though I still feel like giving him the abilities and position of a Rook was going somewhat overboard. The man could destroy buildings with his punch before that! The strength boost from the Rook piece was entirely unnecessary!
She was already halfway down the hall before she remembered something odd, Demiurge said the boy has a passive Sacred Gear? We probably should have asked which one… Meh, it won't matter.
XxXxXxXx
Naruto sat quietly in a cross-legged position at the base of the large fountain in the inner courtyard. He had jumped from the third floor window of the room he shared with Yugao and Konan to get there with as little fuss as possible after his not-so-little outburst. Now he was calming himself through meditation, an art he hadn't yet mastered but did find relaxing.
He needed the calming influence of his meditation due to the information he had just received from those folders Yugao had decided to look through, folders that were much more than simple dosiers. They were on his parents, and while he was happy to finally have their names, and even pictures, he was incensed about one thing: his father was the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato. The very man who placed the Kyuubi within Naruto at birth, was his father? His own father had doomed him to a life of misery and hatred at the hands of ignorant villagers who understood Sealing about as well as Maito Guy understood fashion?!
He shoved that to the side, his mind able to process things easier at the moment. He decided to focus on what he had learned about his mother. Uzumaki Kushina, a fiery-tempered woman with bright red hair and violet eyes, but a fierce friend. The only known survivor of the lost Uzushiogakure, homeland of the Uzumaki Clan, who had made a name for herself even in the Academy as the Red Hot Habanero.
She was also, not so coincidentally, the previous container for the Kyuubi. His mother had held the powerful fox before him, and apparently it had been because no one but an Uzumaki could properly contain it. Something to do with their naturally high levels of chakra, he hadn't been able to read much more than that. His anger at being used, his entire life, even his own Mother's life, by Konoha and the old Hokage, who he had considered like a grandfather, just to hold in a beast of power, became too much and had leaked out. Which had forced him to either vent it, which would probably have been a bad idea, or to find a better way of releasing the rage.
Admittedly he wasn't really thinking clearly at that moment, which was yet another reason he needed to cool off. He knew, subconsciously, that he was missing something, but he also managed to figure out that he needed to calm down before he'd be able to deal with anything more.
Alright.. Calm down Naruto. You can deal with this, it's no worse than those assholes who tried to teach you that your name was Demon. … Let's start with the objective facts, just like Jiraiya and that old toad Pa taught you. First, Mom was Uzumaki Kushina. She was brought to Konoha shortly before the fall of Uzushio specifically to become the container for the Kyuubi, taking over from Senju Mito, formerly Uzumaki Mito. She was later installed into the Konoha Shinobi Academy, in the same class as a number of my own classmate's parents, and Namikaze Minato, who later became the Fourth Hokage.
Putting him aside for the time being, once Mito passed away, Mom was pretty much left with only her distant cousin, Senju Tsunade, for a family tie. So she did what any child does, made friends. Some were of her year, some weren't. The most notable was a girl maybe a year older by the name of Uchiha Mikoto, who would later become the mother of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke.
Put them aside as well for later contemplation. Her life was fairly normal, mostly because only a few people knew she was the fox's prison. Though she was kidnapped some time shortly after becoming a Genin by Kumo- bastards! -and was rescued by Minato, which is probably what led to their eventual marriage. There wasn't much information on the time between that and my eventual birth, but it's safe to say she was involved at least partly in the Third War, and was more than likely responsible for teaching Minato the seal-work necessary to modify the Nidaime's Hiraishin technique so it could be used with those special kunai we learned about in school.
Kushina died at the age of 24, a few hours after giving birth. The suspected cause, aside from a massive hole in her body when found, was likely the post-birth removal of the Kyuubi from the seal she held it in. Still, a dying woman was capable of holding the great beast at bay long enough for the Fourth to seal it away again, this time within her newborn son. That's a feat that any child can be proud of.
The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, died as well, also at the age of 24. The suspected cause, once again aside from the giant hole found in his torso, was likely the price of the Shiki Fuin and Hakke Fuin Shiki, both of which were powered by the summoning of the Shinigami, who is said to take the soul of its summoner as payment.
This in turn left the newborn Uzumaki Naruto to the fumbling incompetence of the aged and retired Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Hiruzen, in his naivete, felt that the village would see the young child as a hero, and announced the successful sealing of the Fox to the masses. This was an unmitigated disaster, as the raw pain of loss was still rampant among Konoha's populace, and thus began the series of events that would shape Uzumaki Naruto's early years of living torture…
Naruto shook his head, Wait, I'm getting off track! Can't let my anger get away from me. Or with me for that matter. Moving on…
Namikaze Minato, beloved Yondaime Hokage of Konoha. .. Surprisingly little hard information on him. Orphan of the minor Namikaze ninja family, a supposed off-shoot of the Senju.(2) Given the hair and eye colors prevalent in the Namikaze, it's likely they split some time back and interbred with possible other clans. In either case, whether an off-shoot or simply a little-known family, the Namikaze were said to have been favored by the god Susanoo, and gifted with powerful storm-like chakra. -Side Note: might be why the Rasengan is more destructive in my hand than it was for Ero-Sennin- As the only well-known Namikaze, Minato was put on a pedestal early in his career when he was acknowledged as Jiraiya's apprentice and successor of the Toad Summoning Contract.
Past all of that there isn't much. Hero of the Third War, creator of the Rasengan, and given the credit for the Hiraishin despite his version being just a rather drastic modification of the Nidaime's original technique. Yet despite the lack of information, he was heralded as Konoha's strongest Hokage, and held in nearly the same amount of awe as a god. Died sealing the Kyuubi away into his infant son, along with the child's mother, leaving the boy with no defense against possible machinations. Noted as being an idealist, he most likely believed that the people of Konoha would proclaim the child as a hero, and treat him as a near-god. *Snort*
Another shake of the head, Just how stupid can a person be? I know I wasn't always the sharpest kunai in the bunch, but at least I had the excuse of being taught improperly! He was simply an idealistic moron. Then again, he was taught by Jiraiya straight out of the academy, so I suppose some of Ero-Sennin's personality would rub off somewhere along the line. But did it have to be an utter belief in humanity?
Lesson learned, Naruto thought bitterly, Jiraiya's dream was admirable, but about as likely to happen as seeing a pink hippo with purple polkadots dancing the Samba! I think.. I need to find my own path… though I should probably also talk to the Toads, don't want to just up and vanish on them. If they ever found me again Ma would never let me hear the end of it! But I'll need more space… Heh, guess I'm not so pissed at Dad anymore if I can worry about Ma getting angry with me.
With a firm nod, Naruto looked up and saw the two women above him gazing down with worried expressions. He just waved up at them and saw the worry replaced with relief. Standing, he placed a foot on the wall and began to walk back up to them.
Perhaps one of the most useful skills, the Tree Walking Exercise. He mused to himself, it is such an undervalued skill, but it really should have been taught in the Academy.
When he returned to the room, he took note of a new… person? Could he call this giant ice-blue beetle-thing a person? He supposed he had to, considering just how much other weird shit was going on lately.
He nodded in acknowledgement of the newcomer's presence. "And you are…?"
A blast of frigid air preceded a deep and slightly grating voice. "Cocytus, Knight of Lord Gressen Asmodai."
"Knight?" Naruto wondered under his breath, then he just shrugged. "Well, nice to meet you I guess."
"Indeed, the pleasure is mine," Cocytus replied formally. "I wonder if you would indulge this warrior's curiosity as to what it was that angered you so much that your killing intent could be felt throughout the mansion?"
Naruto blinked, then sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, sorry about that. Just a bit of information I wasn't expecting that caught me off guard. I'm good now. Oh!" He slammed one hand into an open palm, "I don't suppose there's a large, like enormous, area that I could borrow for a bit? Preferably out of easy sight?"
"Out of sight?" Cocytus let loose another blast of frigid air, "What for?"
"Oh, nothing much," Naruto prevaricated, waving a hand like the subject was of little importance. "I just need to contact a group of friends, and some of them are rather large. Easily taller than what I've seen of this mansion, come to think of it. It's just that I don't really want to incite a possible panic."
If Cocytus had eyelids he had little doubt he'd be blinking. He'd only heard of a few creatures that would easily stand taller than the Asmodai Mansion, most of them were relegated to mythology. Then again, he himself was, by mythology, supposed to be one of the areas of the Underworld of Greek Myth, a frozen wasteland no less.(3) Given that fact, he guessed that he shouldn't be surprised that there could be others.
He just hoped it wasn't theHekatonkheires.(4) He didn't want to be the one to explain why those monsters had shown up!
Cocytus nodded, "There is a substantial space in the mountain ravine behind the mansion. Shall I take you there?"
"Sounds promising,"Said Naruto with a grin, "Lead on."
XxXxXxXx
The area Cocytus led the three shinobi to was indeed large enough for Naruto's needs. The fact that it was also an enclosed valley that was owned exclusively by House Asmodai made the space practically ideal.
Flipping through the required handseals, Naruto slammed his hands into the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
A puff of smoke later and Naruto found himself being unceremoniously smacked face-first into the dirt. Standing in the place of the smoke were two small, but obviously old toads, each rather odd in appearance. One had a purple afro-like hairstyle and the other a white mohawk, and both were garbed in brown robes. The one with the mohawk also carried a staff… well, it would be a stick to just about anyone else, but it was definitely the proper size for a staff for it.
"Naruto-chan! What took you so long to contact us? We were starting to get worried when we heard about Konoha, and Jiraiya-chan's name blacked out on the summoning scroll just before that! What is going on?" The purple haired toad yelled in an obviously female voice.
Cocytus was starting to wish he had eyelids. He wanted to make sure this wasn't some kind of illusion!
"Sorry, Ma," Naruto said, rubbing his head and getting into a cross-legged position, "But I've had a heck of a time over the last couple days. I actually summoned you both because of certain things that have happened."
He spent the next few hours telling the two toads what had all happened to him, and he left nothing out. He found it rather liberating in a sense, as he had rarely unburdened himself like that as a child. By the time he was done he felt drained, and despite already being seated on the ground Yugao and Konan were propping him up on either side.
"So that all happened, eh?" The male, Fukusaku, said sadly. "That's quite the tale, Naruto-chan. Now, on to business. It's clear that you aren't harboring revenge, and this adoption by this devil sounds promising, but I get the feeling you want to ask us something else."
"Well, yes," The blonde admitted. "I was wondering about a few things actually. First, I have to ask if the Toads have any knowledge of devils?"
"Of course we do!" Shima, the female, said indignantly. "All of the Summon Clans are youkai, it's just that we tend to hide ourselves in pocket dimensions instead of living in a world that's easily accessible."
Fukusaku facepalmed. "Shima, we aren't supposed to tell anyone about that!"
"Well it's too late now!" Shima huffed, "Naruto-chan needs this, and I'm gonna give it to him!"
"Umm," Naruto interrupted before the two could start in on one of their infamous "lover's quarrels". "What about this ritual? Could it invalidate my summoning contract with you?"
Both of the toads blinked rapidly, looked at eachother, then back and shrugged, saying together, "I don't know."
"That's unhelpful," Naruto groused. "OW!"
Fukusaku retracted his staff from the boy's head. "We don't know, Naruto-chan, because I don't think it's ever happened before, that a summoner became a devil. Though I'll say this, the House of Asmodai has an excellent reputation."
"Really?"
"Oh my, yes," Shima said, "Especially the last Head. He really carved a name out for himself."
"Okay, moving on, would it be permissible for Yugao and Konan to sign the Toad Contract as holders for the children?" Naruto asked. He may lose the contract or not, but this way his children could still have something of him.
Both of the toads shrugged. "I don't see why not," Fukusaku stated.
Shima patted Naruto on the cheek, "We should get going, Naruto-chan. Just know that, whatever choice you make, you have the support of the Toads of Myōboku."
The two toads disappeared as they came, in a puff of smoke.
Naruto took a few moments to gather himself, and then summoned Gama, the holder of the Toad Contract. He taught the two women how to sign it, then they practiced it for a little while, so they could make sure they had it down correctly. He also called in his personal summon and friend, Gamakichi, son of the current Toad Boss, and gave the toad a short rundown on everything, wondering all the while he did, Why didn't I just bring him here with the Elders?
Making their way back to the mansion, Naruto's mind was clear. He had made his choice, and the support of the Toads was an important part of his decision. He was going to accept Gressen's offer, but he had a couple small revisions he wanted to make.
XxXxXxXx
Three days after his talk with the Toad Elders, Naruto sat in the center of a large circle that was lit up with a golden light, stripped to the waist. His back and torso were covered in intricate markings glowing with the same golden radiance. Outside the circle sat Gressen Asmodai on a plush throne-like chair, a single vial of dark blood in his hands, chanting in a voice much stronger than what Naruto had heard so far.
The incantation reached a peak.
The vial of blood became incandescent.
The circle rippled, peeling off the floor of the ritual chamber, and began to spin wildly around Naruto.
The vial shattered.
The blood shot over to Naruto, entering his skin.
The circle closed in, the glyphs on Naruto's body glowing brighter by the moment.
A soundless explosion.
The room fell dark, save for two sets of glowing eyes. One of them the vivid purple of Gressen Asmodai. The other…
The other set of eyes were a glowing silver-flecked blue.(5)
"Welcome to your new life, my Son."
XxXxXxXx- Ending Notes
Shinso is often used as a term to describe a "True Blood Vampire". What exactly makes them special aside from some extra abilities that a "Thrall" or "Bride" do not receive, I don't know, and at the moment I don't care. Either way, Shalltear Bloodfallen is a Shinso Vampire, and a powerful figure that required all eight of Gressen's Pawns.
Yeah, here I'm winging it and just throwing a cobble together. It's not likely to show up again, so just run with for me, would ya?
Cocytus, the frozen hell of Greek Mythology. It was for this very area that the character from the Overlord anime was named, and given his natural affinity for the cold I'd say he fits rather well.
The Hekatonkheires or Hecatonchires (stress on the third syllable;[1][2] singular: "Hekatonkheir" or "Hecatonchir" (Hundred-Handed Ones), also called the Centimanes or Hundred-handers, were figures in an archaic stage of Greek mythology, three giants of incredible strength and ferocity that surpassed all of the Titans, whom they helped overthrow. Their name derives from the Greek ἑκατόν (hekaton; "hundred") and χείρ (kheir; "hand"), "each of them having a hundred hands and fifty heads" (Bibliotheca1.1). Hesiod's Theogony (624, 639, 714, 734–35) reports that the three Hekatonkheires became the guards of the gates of Tartarus. The Hundred-Handed-Ones are "giants" of great storms, and hurricanes. (This is taken from Wikipedia.)
Yes, I did something to Naruto's eyes, both of them. What is it exactly? You'll just have to wait to find out.
Alright, for those who have pieced it together, and those who haven't, here is Gressen's Peerage! These characters will be of varying importance throughout the story, so how much they show up will be based on that factor. Also! Not one of them will be "inherited" into Naruto's peerage.
King: Gressen Asmodai
Queen: Albedo
Bishop: Demiurge
Knight: Cocytus
Rook: Sebas Tian
Pawn: Shalltear Bloodfallen
Yay for another chapter down! Considering I'm making most of this up as I go, it's coming along fairly well, even if I do say so myself. Here's to hoping for the next chapter to go just as smoothly! And for those waiting on my Master of His Fate rewrite… Sorry, still going over the original idea and fine-tuning it.
~Dreaming of the Phoenix~
