PA: This chapter was a bit of a pain, hence the long release time, one part was rewritten so many times that in the end I just went with what 'felt' right. I am pretty sure you guys will be able to guess which part it is anyhow but yes, it is here and I hope you enjoy it.
Following that though, I find it strange that many people found that Naruto sitting back and watching a simple game, as that is what the rating game is. The risk of any real injury is very, very low, worst they may suffer is a case of exhaustion... Honestly, why would he not take this time to see how Rias and her peerage stacked up against other devils.
On this note, the peerage has been decided and is revealed in this chapter. Plus some more interesting things are brought about, for clarification do see the bottom of the chapter, the words or phrases that I think people may not understand or may want expanded have been numbered and fleshed out at the bottom of the chapter.
Now for your reviews:
TheDemon'sRemorese: The position of knight was difficult, though I think people may come to find that the person that got the position of knight was a good choice.
Mithos Yggdrassil: Naruto and Rias have a talk this chapter. I hope it meets what you were expecting of to some degree.
WindyCitySlayer1: Of course, Naruto is not so weak that he would not be able to pluck the feathers from a bird when he is injured. Naruto's way of fighting does make some sense once you reach a point in this chapter. He is different from the Naruto that Rias and the other's knew.
fairy . tail's . storm . king: I didn't want to go with a knight that was already known for being fast. That was one thing I wanted to stay away from, I want Naruto to cover his group's 'weaknesses' with the evil pieces.
KnowPein: The coming arc is going to be a mix of canon and original. So yes it is going to be a different take on the canon Holy Sword Arc.
jdr733552: I don't know, I think the second pawn is quite fitting. Plus it is kinda cute.
welltall44: Some will forgive Rias more easily than others. I don't plan on it being all happy, or all mopy. Everyone has a different reaction or feeling to what happens around them, characters are unique, thus their reactions to situations should be as well.
Myth: You know, it can be kind of hard to pick up on words that aren't in place when there are no markers. I know what it is meant to say, so when I read through it doing my checks unless it is underlined by my checker, normally it will just look like how I expect it to.
Frozen Shadow 95: I have only watched the anime so forgive me; but I didn't really find her all that appealing as a character. Plus Naruto already has Kuroka and Irori, both are seriously strong mage types, while Rose will be joining later on down the path. I do not want to have his group specialised in one certain way.
Deiru Tamashi: Ophis and Great Red are the different halves of the creature that fought against Trihexa. Ophis, Great Red and God then sealed Trihexa whom was weakened from the fighting. As for the creature that fought against Trihexa in the 'Dream War'... Well I haven't really decided on what it would look like, but just imagine something super badass for now.
anon: Irori points it out later in this chapter.
Guest (Naruto's Mother): I have used Kushina a few times, I don't really understand what is so wrong with changing it up from time to time. I try to make my stories different, sometimes it means people need to be swapped out, other times it means that things and worlds get changed.
haseothesage: Why does the peerage need a second doctor?
The Platinum King: I was able to fill the knight spot, I think you might be surprised by the one I chose.
Cerulean Knight: The death of Riser would lead to the noble house of Phenex harassing him, so yeah it really wasn't worth the effort, just like it isn't worth the effort to kill Issei as he said.
Majin-kun: Well Issei gets into some trouble in this chapter, though we also get a sneak peak at some other vampire characters, I hope you enjoy.
me: Naruto's form was decided a long time ago, like when the story first came out. The one you see in this chapter is his final form at the moment. His next evolution will not be brought out for a very, very long time.
austinpowers97: I am glad you think so, I am trying to give this story a unique feeling. Naruto's actions and his powers play a large impact on that role.
Disclaimer: I don't own this.
Serafall was walking around the halls, she wouldn't openly admit it, but she had become lost. This place was stupidly huge, she wondered how many thousands of vampires called it home. Her fingers twitched at the hem of her skirt, she felt more alone here than she did in the Underworld. Everyone here was able to tell she was a Devil, that fact alone had kept her from being able to introduce herself to the strangers around her. They all seemed to be on guard. Kuroka had come back a few hours ago and vanished just as quickly as she had arrived, it seemed that it was at this point that the vampires around her became more 'on guard' than ever.
One had even said, 'Just try to touch the prince demon whore!' Straight to her face. She wondered if things were really all right, if the vampires were all on the same page. What if she was trying to invade? Would they act the same?
Thinking on what she had seen so far, it would make sense if they did. Their sharp eyes trained on her form while the weapons on their backs seemed to be itching to be unleashed.
She pursed her lips together in thought before taking a nearby seat, she must have sat there for five minutes before someone took a position next to her, a tired sigh coming out from their mouth. She turned her head slightly to see his palish skin, yet it was still a healthy human colour. His hair was dark in colour, pulled up into a high ponytail that looked similar to a pineapple. His eyes closed lazily and his lips pressed into a thin line, "You're drawing a lot of attention to yourself sitting here Maou Serafall."
"You don't think I am here to do something to your prince?"
The lazy looking male quirked his brow in what seemed to be amusement, "Not at all, it would be too much of a drag considering that he brought you here himself."
Serafall turned to face him fully, "Does everyone else know that?"
"No, just the Ladies of Umbra (1) and the Lords of Somnus (2). But that's enough of this for now, I was just told to bring you back but this is starting to become a drag."
"Umm, back where? I don't really want to go back to the Underworld right now," Serafall pouted, she had so much working piling up back in the underworld that it wasn't funny.
The dark haired male though scratched at the back of his head, "This is too much effort, why did Naruto send someone else... I guess this is his way of trying to stop me from sleeping all the time, doesn't he know that I need to sleep for at least 16 hours a day or I can't function properly?"
Serafall had to stop herself from giggling at the man's antics as he lead her through the halls, they came up to a solid wall where he touched it lightly before the wall expanded out and sucked them both in.
Once on the other side Serafall blinked in shock, the wall that looked so sturdy was actually more like a liquid than anything else?! She touched the wall and saw that nothing happened to her, which caused her brows to furrow, "Strange wall..."
"Just because you don't understand something doesn't mean it is strange Serafall."
The voice caused her to turn around and see Naruto sitting upright in a bed. Kuroka was slowly moving away as she let her hair back down, marks still present on her neck from where Naruto had fed on her, "Are you feeling better Naruto-kun~?"
"Yes, thanks for asking, normally Kuroka or Irori would be able to heal me, or I could do it myself, but this time it was out of our hands. Thank you for bringing her Shikamaru, you can go back to bed if you would like?" Naruto offered with a kind smile.
The now know to be Shikamaru let out a small sigh, "It is already pretty late in the day, I might wait until after dinner for that."
"Are you sure you aren't some kind of sloth?" A deep voice from the side murmured out. The attention was drawn to him and you were able to see a tall man, around the same height as Naruto and Shikamaru, thus he towered over the females around him. His hair was a red that was similar to those of the Gremory family, his eyes were sharp like a dragon or a large male lion that was awoken before he had gotten all of his sleep. His body was built like Naruto's, tight and firm, though he was a little broader in the shoulders than the slimline vampire. He like Shikamaru was clad in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He moved and stretched his body out, causing the silver bundle on his chest to shift and let out a small moan at being disturbed.
The silver-haired bundle stood up and stretched herself out as well and Serafall felt like she needed to cuddle and pet the young girl she saw, the Gothic Lolita dress didn't help the urge as the small bundle cutely yawned and rubbed at her tired eyes, "Mikoto..."
"I'm here Anna."
"I'm a Gashadokuro (3) you idiot," Shikamaru trailed out before going over to the couch and resting his head against the wall, Serafall watched as nothing happened which caused her to once again curse at the weird wall, "Don't make me visit you tonight, it would be a drag.
A wild grin came across Mikoto's face, "Try it, I'll show you just how strong an Ifrit (4) is when woken up."
"If you do that won't you stir up our resident Phoenix (5) Mikoto?"
"Hand of Fate (6) is taunting us," Anna pouted cutely at Naruto who lifted his right hand, what Serafall saw caused her gaze to linger on it, a strange feeling swelling in her chest at the sight of the silver skull ring with ruby red eyes in its sockets. The eyes seemed to look around and stare straight into the soul of Serafall, the silver was cold, she could feel it from this distance, it clung tightly to the middle finger of Naruto's right hand almost like a small crown.
Naruto let out a small chuckle as he placed his hands back under the sheets of his bed. Kuroka was seated by his side now with Irori staying close making sure that everyone was well tended to, "I am sorry that I can't stand to welcome you properly," Naruto gave a charming chuckle, "In fact I think this may be the worst I have ever greeted someone."
"N-no no, it is understandable. I think you are doing incredibly well considering that you came back from the dimension gap. To be able to have fought already, not to mention the briefing you gave the Maou and now able to talk again after collapsing yesterday... It is really impressive how strong you've become Naruto-kun!" Serafall cheered, a flash of the young boy she knew overlapped the current Naruto's image as he smiled at her before quickly turning back to the current one.
"I am just trying my best."
"Your best happens to be better than most people would believe Naruto-kun," said Serafall as she relaxed a little, his kind gaze calming her down.
Naruto gave a small shrug of his shoulders, "I mean I have had help of course. Lots of help to be honest, the elder vampires here helped me get onto the right path and Death spent quite a bit of time teaching me as well... Well I guess you might have figured that after I told you I met with him and saw his ring on my finger."
Serafall stared blankly, she wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, though it was true she had been thinking such things since she saw the Death's ring on Naruto's finger, though to hear from Naruto himself that he had been taught by death was something else. Her eyes widened slightly at seeing the crosses hanging upside from his ears, they must normally be covered by his hair, but now should could really feel that something was being cut off from Naruto, no something about him was drawing his energy inwards. He was a void, she couldn't actually feel how strong he is, "O-of course I did!"
Moka rose her brows while giving a suspicious look to Serafall, "Of course you did sweetheart."
"A-ah uh, Naruto the silver one doesn't believe me?~!"
"S-silver one?!" Moka roared in both question and protest at her name being replaced by a colour.
Krul on the other hand was finding herself to start liking this 'Serafall' character, she moved forward and wrapped an arm around Serafall's shoulders, "It's okay Sera-chan don't worry about the Silver One, she just likes to cause trouble for everyone."
"Uh N-Naruto-kun who is this?" Serafall was now at the point of starting to freak out, some random little girl had just started being all friendly with her for no reason. Well it would be pretty normal if she was in her Levi-tan outfit, but she was in somewhat normal clothes, that being a dress that she wore to important events.
"My sister, it is up to debate still on who is older."
"Sister... You have a sister?" Serafall looked at the short pink-haired girl who gave her a warm smile and showed off her vampire fangs, "Are you really his sister?"
"Yep, though I am under a hundred years old while brother is over two hundred, so I should be the younger one right?"
This had caught Serafall's attention, if he was over two hundred than he was actually older than her, her two hundredth birthday was coming up soon after all, "I-is that true Naruto-kun?"
Naruto rose a hand to his brow at rubbed at it lightly, "I have been aware for two hundred years, though I was only born just over two decades ago... Remember the whole thing about vampire mother's carrying their children for long periods of time to teach them everything?" When he saw Serafall nod he continued, "Well Kaguya carried me for over two hundred years. So if we are going by the whole 'vampire age' thing, I guess I would be around 221... Or 222, I can't really remember..."
Serafall blinked at him a few times, it would actually make a lot of sense, Naruto always seemed to be much smarter than his age would let on, if he was actually taught things about the world for that long before being born into it... Well it seemed to explain a lo to her, thus she nodded sharply, "That's good, it would feel kinda strange to have a crush on someone younger than me!"
The silence that came through the room alerted Serafall to the fact that she had said what was on her mind and not the 'I can live with that' which she had been planing on. Her face turned a colour that the Gremory family would be proud of as she tried to run away. Naruto sat there with a blank expression on his face, "T-that's not what I was expecting..."
"Muuu I didn't mean to say it~!"
"Troublesome, another woman," Shikamaru grunted out from the corner, "How many does that make now?"
"Six by my count, though I am not sure about Shoko..." Mikoto spoke up.
"I just want his child, I would make it enjoyable of course, but the child is all I really want," Shoko spoke with a small shrug of her shoulders, she would not deny the fact that Naruto was appealing, but sharing was not in her interests. She would rather go without loving someone than to have to share them with another, thus when her child was born she would love it with all of her heart, letting it know that it was the only thing that mattered to her.
A steady breath left the mouth of Naruto, "Well I am almost rested enough to begin travelling again, though I should probably feed a bit more."
Moka was instantly by his side, the collar of her top lowered exposing her neck, "If you must, though don't think that I am doing this because I care or anything, I just don't want my King to be seen as weak is all."
"The Silver one is a real tsundere Sera-chan, you should remember that!"
"Ah uh, what's your name?" Serafall questioned the one who had been holding onto her for the past couple of minutes now.
"Krul Tepes, Vampire Queen, though you can call me Tepe-chan or Krul-chan, either is fine! I will also accept 'The super adorable younger sister of Naruto', though it can be a bit of a mouthful."
"So is Naruto nya~" Came a pur from Kuroka who got a quick flick to the forehead from Irori.
"I thought I told you to stop looking at Naruto-sama when he was asleep?!"
"I have a good memory nya~ Though I have been practicing for when the time comes. so it will feel really good Naru-kun nya~!"
Mikoto and Shikamaru sighed while Anna gave a slightly confused look, she was pretty sure they were talking about Naruto's penis, the red face of Serafall who looked like she was about to faint also said that she thought the same. This group of people was weird, but she liked them, they were all close and their arguments were mostly just to rile each other up, they didn't seem to have any real hatred for one another.
"Will you hurry up Naruto, the room is cold and I don't want to- ah~!" Moka was forced to stop her act as the long fang's of Naruto sunk into her flesh, he was inside of her again he was defiantly the biggest out of everyone who had been inside of her and the feeling was just something that she couldn't quite put into words. Her entire being felt like it was responding to Naruto being in her. Thus she started to melt and was pulled onto his lap, she didn't even protest against it, nor the fact that Kuroka started to play with her hair this was bliss, she clutched to his shirt and could feel his magic resting just under the surface like a raging torrent ready to be unleashed at his whim. A shaky breath left her body as she snaked an arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder, letting him continue to feed until he was done.
Rias sat in the garden of her family, her eyes trained on the spot where a handful of years ago one would be able to see her and Naruto talking about random things or her trying to drag him into silly adventures of hers.
Honestly she caused him so much trouble when she was younger... Though did it really stop? Again he came and cleaned up her mess, though he did leave a massive one behind.
The whole Underworld is in a panic, firstly because Naruto came back in a grand fashion and secondly because he had just up and vanished again, this time taking Serafall with him. The Maou though seemed to be fine with it. This was not something that was missed on the higher houses, it seemed that the Maou either knew where they were, or they knew something that made them trust in Naruto.
She clenched her fists tighter, "Why did you just take off like that?" She spoke to no one.
"I have no idea what he sees in you," A voice replied from behind causing Rias to quickly spin on her feet and came face to face with a short pink-haired girl with bright red eyes.
Rias took a small step back, "Y-you're one of the ones that was with Naruto?"
Krul tilted her head to the side and let an icy smile slip across her face, "Yes I was with my brother when he cleaned up the whole issue with your marriage for you. Honestly the performance that you put on was quite sickening."
"Riser had more experience than me, not to mention the regeneration of a Phenex is hard to deal with!"
"Yet my brother defeated his entire peerage single handedly. It begs the question 'What is the worth of Rias Gremory without her Queen?' To many you are seen as little more than an obstacle that needs to be removed, a chain holding him back," Krul nearly growled, "You couldn't even defeat Crowley when he was outnumbered."
Crowley, that was a name that Rias had tried to forget. The vampire that had toyed with them and given someone enough time for Naruto to be taken away... What was that vampire's name who was taking him away? No they weren't given a name, just a rank, 7th Progenitor, she had seen the damage that had been left in the wake of the battle, it seemed like they were quite even in strength, Naruto and the 7th that is, "What does Crowley have to do with any of this?"
"Well Crowley has now risen to the rank I had back then, 7th Progenitor," Krul saw the way her eyes widened, "Ah so he gave my rank. I have grown since then, as has everyone, I will admit that you got stronger, though all the strength in the world isn't worth a cent if you can't hit with it."
"Who are you? Also Naruto doesn't have a sister! He would have told me about it if he did!?"
Krul gave a slight shake of her head, "Idiot how can he tell you something he didn't know about? I was conceived well after Lady Kaguya went into isolation, as were our younger sisters. My name though, it is Krul Tepes, Vampire Queen and now a 4th Progenitor. I could crush you without a second thought," To prove her point Krul appeared in front of Rias faster than the latter could process, her small hand resting on Rias' heart as she lightly touched it before jumping back and gliding through the air, a wide smile on her face, "Just like that. Poof and there goes the heiress."
Rias grit her teeth, "Then why don't you?!"
Krul was about to speak only for another voice to cut in, "Because Naruto would not like it. For some reason he believed that you would stay true to the promise you forced on him all those years ago," Krul sighed, she knew the voice all to well. There stood Moka, her back resting against a nearby tree as her red eyes glared at the two females before her, "Moka Akashiya, that is my name. 4th Progenitor and a Vampire Queen. My family serves the Blue Blooded Vampires. I am not happy with what has come to pass, if need be I will destroy any who get in Naruto's way, whether they be relative or friend. It makes little difference to me."
"Oh, do you want to help us kill father Moka?" Krul tilted her head before giving a wicked smile, "He is one that needs to vanish. If he doesn't Mina and Valerie will never be free."
"Are you speaking about Valerie Tepes?!" Rias' questioned gained the attention of Krul.
"You know of my younger half-sister? No, now that I think on it, didn't you add Gasper Vladdi into your peerage to replace Brother? it would make sense if that were the case, Gasper was always around Valerie when they were younger," A tired sigh slipped from Krul's lips, "Did you come to bring me back Moka?"
"Naruto will notice if you vanish for too long. He keeps a close eye on you."
"As he should, I am his precious little sister," A warm smile crossed her face as she spoke before entering a small skip, "Well let us not keep him waiting Moka," With that Krul vanished into a cloud of bats and flew off into the sky towards the direction of the main house, Moka following a moment after.
Rias looked back to the house and narrowed her eyes, were they saying that Naruto was inside? She quickly started to run back home, the chance was slim, but it was still there.
Earlier
Naruto and group, including Serafall, landed on the marble floors of the Gremory Household, "You're late," Came a calm voice as Grayfia walked into the open, "Rooms have been prepared for your entire peerage."
A slight flux of magic alerted Naruto to the fact that Krul had made an illusion of herself to go somewhere, before he could even utter a command Moka vanished as well, he figured that Moka together he didn't have much to worry about, either that or the entire Underworld would be hunting for them by morning.
Thus he gave his full attention to Grayfia, he had seen the expression fly across Irori's face as well, so it was clear that she understood what they had done. Naruto closed his eyes to calm himself, "I see that you were expecting us to come back, I should thank Kuroka for that no?"
"Indeed, though her estimation truly shocked us, in saying so she was only off by half an hour. Truly it is surprising that she would understand you so well," She saw the reactions of Naruto and his Queen, it would seem that they understood that two of their members had vanished and just planed to leave it at that, thus she would as well. After all they couldn't cause too much trouble now could they?
Kuroka grabbed onto Naruto's arm, dragging it between her breasts as she gave a light purr, "Of course! I know everyone about Naru-kun nya~!"
Grayfia was not willing to argue that point, though she was interested in why Naruto had a coat over his form now, it was black in colour and had silver moons on the edges of the high collar, "Naruto, now that everything is in order, would I be able to speak to you in private?"
Naruto rose a brow though didn't really question it, "Ne ne what's this about Grayfia-chan?" Serafall did it instead, even going so far as to get right up in front of Grayfia.
The maid in question blinked a few times, "Apologies Serafall-sama I didn't see you there. It is good for you to have returned to visit the Gremory household. What can we do for you today?"
Serafall blinked in shock, really Grayfia hadn't noticed her there? "A-are you messing around with me?!"
"Oh look Shikamaru feel asleep standing up... Naruto do you have a marker on you?" Mikoto questioned lazily, though there seemed to be a slight sense of happiness or hope in his voice.
"Mikoto's mean..." Anna whispered out.
"I suppose we can speak in private Gray," Naruto felt her heart trace increase as her magic kicked to life, "Oh you mean like that?" He shrugged the coat from his shoulders and Kuroka quickly donned it herself, "Very well."
"Excellent, if you will follow me?" She raised her right hand into the air and created a large purple portal in the air before stepping through it.
Naruto looked at his peerage and gave a warm smile, "Do behave while I am gone, also... Depending on what happened with the two of them, they may be in great trouble when I return," He stepped up to the portal before pushing off his front foot and floating through the portal.
When he came out the other side the sky was blood red while the ground was a deep purple. He slowly floated down to the ground seeing Grayfia across from him in a tight leather outfit. He rose his brows at the seen in front of him, "This is my combat outfit, I find it easier to move."
"Are you sure the enemy doesn't just find it harder to attack you when you're like that?" A small smirk came across the lips of Naruto as Grayfia gave a faint smile.
"Oh shut up."
"Dropping the Ice Queen act now that we are alone Gray? I feel a little honoured."
Grayfia let a smile work its way across her face, "I said some things last time that I can not take back. This is all I can really do, I must test you to make sure you are strong enough to go through with what you have planned from this point forward Naruto. Do forgive me."
Naruto gave a light shake of his head, "There is nothing to forgive, though I guess I should get a little serious now. My incantation, this is the final stage of Judgement Weapon and Wrath Drive! Judgement and Wrath intertwine, meld and rip the laws asunder!"
Grayfia shielded her eyes from the explosion of energy, she sent magic to her feet to hold her tight on the ground even then she wasn't sure it would be enough. The rush of energy past her and she was able to look at Naruto again, his skin had became ashen in colour, his eyes a pale lavender while his hair was now fully white in colour and came down past his shoulders. His clothing prior to the transformation had vanished leaving him in a flowing black coat that seemed to be made up of some kind of silk, his pants matched the coat in design while he held a large claymore that looked to weigh more than he did, intricate red runes coming to life on it as matching lightning started to dance on the blade.
Long horns protruded from his forehead while long bladed wings were fully spread out from his back, she could see that his nails had turned into claws and that his muscles had expanded under his skin, "Without this form I am Progenitor Second Class. Inside of it I have more strength than either of the First Classes," He appeared in front of Grayfia with a thundering boom behind him.
Her eyes widened as she quickly erected a shield of ice in front of herself, though she noticed her mistake and quickly jumped back as large spears shot out from her own shield towards her. He broke the sound barrier in a single step, then turned her own defence against her.
This was Naruto being serious, not the play fight that the Underworld had seen against Riser. She quickly formed a magic circle in front of her before firing a large blast of demonic lighting at Naruto, watching as he raised his claymore and blocked it with his own casing a large explosion to shatter out from the collision.
That was right, he had shown that he could use every element in his fight with Riser. Grayfia bit her lower lip, how should she approach this? She quickly twisted her hand out to the side as a very old magic circle came to life, one she hadn't used in many, many years, out of it a spear wrapped tightly in chains was slowly pushed forth. She grabbed onto the shaft and the chains started to break, leaving only small tails around the tipe of the burning red spear.
Naruto let a small smirk spread from the corner of his lips, "To think you would be serious enough to use 'Et scindite caelestis Draco Rubrum' (Tear of the Heavenly Red Dragon) against me. A spear made from the scales and tears of the now 'Boosted Gear'. How many years has to been since you touched that spear? Is it thirsty Gray?"
Grayfia twirled the spear around in her hand before pointing it at Naruto, her eyes narrowing in concentration. Naruto was right, she could feel that her spear was thirsty, it wanted to spill blood and wreck havoc once again. She would control it though, this cursed spear of hers would not take the lives of those she held dear. She watched as Naruto held his blade out to the side, the lightning around it becoming increasingly intense as it struck out at the ground around him creating large craters in rage, "Don't fret, my spear is angry to that I never use it... Break away the shell," The claymore in Naruto's hands cracked and revealed a pristine long sword in its stead. He drew the blade up, resting the flat side against the back of his free wrist as he pointed it towards Grayfia, "You never quite met Dracula, but you should at lest know this name; Băutor de Sânge? (Blood Drinker) It was the name of his favorite impaling spear."
The silver-haired devil tightened her grip on her spear, she had heard of the spear many times through history. It was nearly as famous as Dracul himself, though it had vanished just as Dracul had died. Many believed it to have been just an extension of his body because of such a thing, yet here it was, if what Naruto was saying as true. She moved to attack only to stop short and defend instead as Naruto was upon her. She widened her eyes at the pure malice that was coming from the long sword. It was sentient, it wanted to destroy everything. She didn't need to question anything else. Naruto had gotten his hands on a very dangerous weapon, "Some things are better laid to rest, that weapon is bad news Naruto!" She was holding him at bay with both hands on her spear. His lone hand not allowing her to push forward at all.
"The Judgement Weapon of the Tepes family is their soul turned into a weapon. Are you saying my soul is bad news Gray?" He moved to place his hand on her spear only for Grayfia to panic and dash away from him. It was an advantage that he had using only one hand, the strength of his Wrath Drive allowed him to match her power with one hand, leaving his other free to be able to grab her for a grapple, or even used to strike when they were locked in a power struggle.
She bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood, he had come this far in his short time away? She would have to be quick on her feet, dashing forward she watched as Naruto slid his front foot back, his blade going with him. He was planning on using a drawing strike to catch her off guard with its blinding speed. She entered a spin, her spear trailing around her as she did, a clone of ice appearing to her left as they quickly approached Naruto, he would only be able to effectively strike at one of them with the blade.
As she quickly approached Naruto she saw his gaze turn to her, staring directly int her eyes, his lips forming a wide smirk as he let his tongue out and trailed his lip, her eyes widened, her clones couldn't bleed. The blood on her lip had given her away. Naruto moved forward, his clawed foot connected with her clone, digging deep into it before flicking it towards her.
It shattered mid flight sending out large shards of razor sharp ice. Her spear quickly spun shattering each one as it came close. Her offence had been stopped before she could even really begin, "It's my turn now right?" He touched his earrings and the clasps came undone the crosses falling the ground as Grayfia found her vision go white.
Grayfia found herself laying down on a couch across from Naruto, a charming smile on his face as he sipped at the coffee in his hands, "Ah you're awake now. What did you think Gray? In your own words, am I strong enough to continue forward?"
She sat up and looked down at her trembling hands, they were still so cold, her entire body still felt cold. In an instant he had dropped the entire temperature of her dimension to a level where her body had stopped working. There was no logical answer behind his sudden increase in strength, it was mind numbing, prior to his leaving he could force the other members of Sirzechs' peerage to pay attention yes, but she could still toy with him. Now though... She was the one that was toyed with, he had baited her into drawing close. He showed that in long distance she would not be able to win from their first few exchanges, he could counter any spell she used after all.
That forced her into a close quarters match, one where he was no slouch, no one where he had played his hand as best he could. He reached his hand up and saw Grayfia stiffen in place, his smile dropped and he frowned, "This is one of the reasons why I don't like to get too serious. People tend to get scared now."
A tired sigh left his mouth as he stood, "Do try to be presentable, after all Rias is about to enter the room in quite the flustered state. My dear sister and Moka decided to pay her a visit while we were in your dimension. Moka nearly had a fit when I healed you, be thankful that the others decided that she didn't deserve any because she ran off without telling us anything."
Naruto tapped his fingers against his elbow in thought, "Don't be so put out Gray. What you experienced was something that only a handful have seen, not even those in my group have seen that. It is the power that I gained when training with Death, scary right?" He saw her head stiffly move into a nod, "That's why I don't use it. If I pulled it out every fight I wouldn't be able to be looked at the same way. At the moment people see me as me, could you imagine what would happen if I unleashed that power in the public eye Gray?"
Grayfia thought back to what she had seen just before her vision had gone white, it was a flash, maybe a trick her eyes had played, but she had seen Naruto, his hair was long and tied into a loose ponytail, his eyes were a glimmering gold. His skin had become its regular pale as bones had seemed to cover his entire being. The power he had, was he sad that it was so far above everyone else? Wasn't he the same before he left? Before he had found a rival in Sairaorg, she could remember such expressions about not having people that could understand him... Had he reverted back to how he was back then? A person that didn't believe that anyone could understand him? "W-what was that?"
"It is called God Eater, before learning from Death, I could not enter it of my own will. We needed to force my body to the point where it would have died without evolving further, time and time again so I could get used to the experience. We obtain power in order to protect those that we care about..." He didn't say any more, though Grayfia understood what he meant, 'Yet that power drives us apart', were his unspoken words.
God Eater, what a name for a strange evolution of Vampire, a faint smile worked at Grayfia's lips, "You do not have to worry about be saying any more Naruto."
"Thanks Onee-san."
Grayfia's face became red as she quickly turned away from Naruto, she loved being called that, it had been so long since anyone had called her that. Yet here the person she had once thought of as a younger brother had come right out and called her his older sister. She brought a hand up to her cheeks, trying to hide them from the public, she wouldn't let others see her being embarrassed if she could help it. Maybe she could try calling him Otouto? Her cheeks flushed further at the thought.
The doors to the room opened and Rias ran in, out of breath and her hair out of its regular maintained shape. Naruto's full peerage turned and faced her with varying looks, along with a happily waving Serafall. Rias turned her gaze to Naruto and her eyes became unsure, like she didn't know how to approach him any more, she looked down at her feet, "N-Naruto..." Her hands formed fists and loosened over and over again as if it were a way of trying to calm herself.
"Rias?"
Naruto's call caused her to snap her head up and look at him, blinking a few times in shock, "Y-yes?"
"Want to talk in private? You look a little nervous."
She was! If you can tell that someone is nervous you shouldn't bring it up! Everyone knows that right?! She cleared her throat a little, "T-that would be good, umm, do you mind if I bring Akeno with me? She has more or less been acting as my Queen since you were gone."
"That would no longer be private," Irori stated calmly, "If that is the case though, shouldn't I be by your side Naruto-sama? If Rias-sama is bringing her Queen than it would only make sense to bring you own correct?"
Actually that wasn't fair at all! Rias wanted to bring Akeno for morale support, it was clear that Naruto didn't need Irori, he didn't seem bothered at all! She looked around and saw the looks of the vampires that had spoken to her earlier, well at least Irori seemed to be a better choice than those two, thus she put on a small smile, "I don't see a problem with that."
Grayfia nodded, understanding the situation, "If that's the case then I shall escort you all to your rooms. Kuroka has already given me your requests, if there are any faults do please let me know so that we can tend to them as quickly as possible."
Naruto's good gave small shrugs before leaving with Grayfia sans for Kuroka and Irori, Kuroka bounded up to Naruto and wrapped her arms around him tightly, before leaning up on the tips of her toes and placing a quick kiss on his cheek, "Play nice okay nya~?"
"Of course I will, now please make sure that Moka and Krul don't start fighting in the halls, it would set a bad example don't you think?" Kuroka spun on her feet and moved a couple of steps away before turning back and facing Naruto, "of course nya~! I won't let you down Naruto-kun!"
Rias gave a nervous laugh as she watched Kuroka go, things had been incredibly tense while Kuroka was here by herself. Everyone wanted to ask her question, though she seemed to dodge them so easily and without any real thought. Not to mention that when someone really pushed about what had been happening with Naruto, well she got very defensive. Then finally when someone pushed too far she just up and left.
Then they were left with no way of contacting Naruto, thankfully Grayfia had already been briefed on what should be expected to happen, though it also showed how deep the trust and understanding between the members of Naruto's group really was.
A few tense minutes passed as they waited on Akeno, Rias was too scared to speak without her now that Naruto was in front of her, what if she said something wrong after all of this time? Would he just up and vanish again? Why did he leave after the rating game when everyone wanted to speak to him? Did he not care about them any more? What was up with his coat, did it mean something?! All these questions were running through her head and she didn't know which ones to ask!
"Rias? Rias, Grayfia-san said that you were looking for...me..." The words seemed to die in Akeno's mouth as she entered the room and saw Naruto standing there with a small smile on his face, "It is good to see you again Naruto-senpai."
"You saw me a few days ago Akeno, but yes, it's good to see you as well. I believe we should move somewhere where we can rest and have more privacy," Naruto offered.
Akeno now understood why Rias wanted her there. The heiress had actually been incredibly scared about this day, even more so than her marriage contract to Riser. The situation with Issei just seemed to make this fear even worse. To the point where she was now scared to be alone with Naruto, for Akeno it hurt to see her friend like this, trying hard to stop herself from shivering in front of him. She was in love with him, so much so that he often plagued her thoughts, yet she couldn't bring herself to speak, "I believe we have a room that was meant to be a purpose room for you Naruto-senpai," Thus Akeno took the lead.
The group following behind her down the halls and coming to a large set of double doors that she pushed open, it was dimly lit, enough so that those without the eyesight of a vampire would be able to see what they were doing without any issue and no brighter. The group of four walked inside, Rias hesitantly took a seat, finding that the material was very comfortable and gave a small wave of her hand to gesture that Naruto do the same.
Naruto did just that, he sat in the chair, to him it was a relaxing position compared to one of his normal ones, though to Rias and Akeno it still looked incredibly formal. Akeno looked around the room before settling her eyes on the duo, "Would you both like some refreshments?"
"Irori, could you please assist Akeno in making refreshments. I will have a coffee, cherry please," He saw the look on Akeno's face, "It is a method in which coffee is prepared for vampires, do not look so shocked, it is too amusing," A faint smile crushed his face causing Akeno to blush in embarrassment. Irori moved to her side and gave a small bow of her head, "Irori can be a little cold at time, she is my Ice Queen after all, though if she warms up to you, you will have a friend that will be with you through thick and thin."
"I am unfamiliar with this household still, could you please lead the way Akeno-san?"
Akeno gave a quick nod and the two left the room. This lead to the air becoming heavy and tense. Rias looked at Naruto and bit her lower lip, "H-how have you been?"
"Good, good. Things have been busy, but if I leave it like that, well it wouldn't very well be fair to you... So we can return to this later. I have had Arachna watching you to try to attempt to keep your peerage safe while still allowing for you all to grow without my major involvement... Even still I wish to know how you have been Rias, it has been quite a long time after all," His words rode through the air on a velvet carpet, so soft, smooth yet still holding a tone of nobility and authority.
Rias blinked a few times, "I... Well the thing is... What I mean to say is... I MADE A MISTAKE!" The words were shouted out from her body, leaving her panicked chest heaving as she looked down at the ground, she didn't want to see the look on Naruto's face right now, she heard his lips part to speak, they were moist a brief part of her wondered how they would feel against her own, though it was currently squashed under the guilt and shame she was feeling thus she quickly shook her head to stop him from speaking, "I shouldn't have tried to use my boy to escape like I did. I want to give my everything to you, when I saw you again I knew that for a fact. I want to keep my promise to you, not matter how long it takes for it. Even if you gave your first away, I still want you to have mine!"
She froze as she heard Naruto's feet touch the ground, closing her eyes shut, she couldn't watch if he was going to walk away. Her form though stiffened as she felt an arm scoop her up and pull her into his chest, holding her tight as she rested her head against the thin fabric of his shirt, "If that is your wish..." Naruto's voice warmed Rias and caused her to quickly nod into his chest.
"I do... I want to start things over and promise that I will save it all for you again."
Naruto leaned down a little and gave her a small peck on the cheek, at least that was the plan. Rias though had turned into it, crashing her lips against his in a sloppy and haphazard display of passion. Her hands gripped tightly to his shirt as she stepped up taller on her heels. Naruto's hand wrapping tightly around the small of her back pulled their bodies flush against one another, as if he was trying to let not an atom pass between the two of them.
Rias still though wanted to be closer, trying to gain more height only to stumble and lose her balance. Her hands shoot up to grab onto Naruto's body, due to his shirt more than likely breaking if she tugged on it. The sudden shift caught Naruto somewhat off guard, judging from the position they were in, Rias would more than likely damage her hands when she let go in a panic in less than a second. Thus he summoned ice behind her and quickly grabbed it, using it as leverage to spin them around and land on the seat that Rias had been in earlier. Now Rias pulled away, blinking in shock as she was straddling the waist of Naruto, "Uh..."
"Head in the clouds Princess?" Naruto mused aloud causing Rias to blush.
Despite that though she relaxed into him again, his arms wrapping around her body and holding her protectively, "Please don't leave again... I need you here with me Naruto."
"You want me to stay here? Then I guess I will have to reject the job offer I got in Kuoh."
Rias backed up a little to stare into his iceberg blue eyes, "You have a job in Kuoh?"
"Kuoh academy to be precise. I found out that your school needed a medical adviser and someone to teach those that wanted a higher level of education in the medical field. Thankfully I am able to supply my own staff to help nurse the students back to health should something happen," Naruto gave a light wave of his hand, "Though I do hope that you two will only come by to chat."
"Two?" Rias questioned in confusion.
Naruto gave a small chuckle, "The girls finished making our drinks a long time ago Princess, they have been waiting outside of the door, listening very closely to our conversation. So much so that the glass up against their ear may have molded to become a permanent part of their heads."
The door opened up and Akeno was forced to follow it as she was in fact frozen to the glass by her ear, a pleasant smile rested on the face of Irori as she moved inside and placed the tray of drinks onto the table, "How did you even know?" Akeno got out in a small huff.
"Vampire senses. Our eyes are so sensitive to light purely because of how heightened our senses are. It is the reason that the lights in this room are so dim, I can see perfectly fine in an abyss after all. So hearing someone press a glass up against a door is not beyond my abilities, nor is hearing their pulse through the glass," Naruto gave a light wave of his hand and the ice shattered allowing Akeno to pull herself away from the door.
"You could have told me Irori," Akeno whined out playfully, honestly it didn't hurt at all, it was just a small inconvenience.
Irori rose a thin brow as she looked at the raven-haired teen, "I thought it was quite clear that Naruto-sama could hear us. For example when you enter the sphere of his senses you should feel a light tingle on your skin. Once you notice the sensation, if Naruto-sama has not hidden himself you should feel him clearly able to sense you."
Rias blinked in shock, she hadn't felt it anything like that, were her senses that dull compared to those from Naruto's group? She shook the thought away, leaning again into Naruto as he used a vine to bring his coffee up and sip gingerly at it. Right now she didn't care, later, later she would see if she was really holding him back, if that was the case then she would do everything in her power to get strong enough to stand by his side. For now though, she just wanted to bask in being near him again after four dreadfully long years.
Mikoto was walking down the hallway, with him was Shikamaru, Shoko and Anna. For some reason he had become the leader of this little group, honestly he had no idea why. Yes maybe he had been part of Naruto's group the longest out of all of them, or maybe it was the fact that he was worth two mutation pawns and two regular ones, either way, this was the group that was not set on trying to get into Naruto's pants every night.
He had no plan for that period. Naruto was a good guy and a better leader, most of all though he was a good friend, despite his rather weak attempt to hide it behind a cold exterior. His thoughts were cut off though as something bumped into him, looking down he saw a scrawny brown haired boy who looked like he had just rolled out of bed, "Watch where you're going," Mikoto drawled out, honestly brats these days. He was all for having a good time and being a little slack, but seriously, running into someone was one of the fastest ways to start a fight.
The brown haired boy looked at Mikoto for a few moments before widening his eyes and quickly bowing his head, "S-sorry for running into you Gremory-san! I am looking for Buchou- ah Rias Gremory do you know where she is?"
Mikoto rose a brow at the boy's words, "I ain't no Gremory... Though Rias, yeah I think she is talking to Naruto..."
Issei got an angry look on his face, "That vampire bastard! Who does he think he is walking in and taking charge of everything like he is someone special! Just cause he is a little strong doesn't mean anything!"
Mikoto lost his curiosity, Anna stepped back from him while Shikamaru leaned against a nearby wall, his calculations putting it to be a safe position while Shoko quickly backed up with Anna, "Gaki... Don't talk about Naruto like that. You don't understand him at all."
"I understand enough. he just pisses off for four years without telling anyone and when he comes back everyone is cheering, yet he takes it in his stride as if he did nothing wrong?! He is an asshole and a bastard, I bet the reason why no one talks about his parents is because they knew what kind of person he was going to be so they left him!"
The sound of bones cracking rung through the halls as Mikoto tightened his fist to a level that would crush steel without issue, faster than Issei could process what had happened he found himself flying through a large series of walls, the bored gaze of Shikamaru watching him from his flight path, after the tenth room Issei lost his consciousness, it was quite a while still before he stopped while the occupants of the rooms he was passing through continued to scream in shock.
Flames started to roll off of Mikoto as he marched through the Issei sized holes, he felt a sensation that he was familiar with wash over his body as he continued forward, coming to see Issei being held up by a single finger that had tucked itself into his collar, an unhappy look on Naruto's face, "Care to explain why I was forced to catch a perverted Dragon Mikoto?"
The redhead in question clenched his fists tighter as giant wings of flames shot out from his back, threatening to set the room ablaze if it wasn't for the fast action of Irori who was quickly working on putting the fires out, "He... He badmouthed you and your mother."
The room became incredibly quiet, no one really knowing what to say, Kaguya was and still is a taboo subject, it was Rias though that broke it, shaking her head fro side to side, "I told him, I told him to calm down and I would explain everything to him once I knew what was happening. Mikoto-san correct?" She questioned getting a nod from the man, Rias was thankful that she was right, after all there were only two males that came to her house with Naruto, "Please let me deal with it. Trust me when I say that he will be punished, I can't have him continue to behave in such a childish way, he will not only shame everyone around him, but he will put them all in grave danger."
Mikoto eased the flames away before turning and starting to walk back through the holes he had caused, "Let him know... Next time I don't care how weak his body is... I won't hold back!" Rias nodded at his back, though she wasn't sure if he could even tell as he walked back through the mess he made, offering small apologies to those that he passed.
A tired sigh escaped the lips of Naruto, "At least we can be thankful that he didn't say anything like that to Moka or Krul..." He didn't need to say any more. Rias had met the two and she felt the anger and the ability of them. Issei wouldn't have even seen they were coming if they wanted him dead.
Krul also happened to be Naruto's little sister, while Moka was an attendant of sorts they would never let a slight like that slide. Irori gave a light blink before looking over to Rias who was gingerly taking Issei from his finger, the vampire in question just seemed tired, "Rias-sama, if you would allow, I have been practising new forms of punishment with my ice magic. I could help apply them so that your pawn learns a lesson if you would like?"
Rias let out a sigh, honestly why was Issei such an idiot, he should have just stayed in his room, she would have visited him and explained everything later... probably, "I don't think that will be necessary Irori-san."
"Hypocrite."
The single word had confused Rias as she turned to look at the now frowning maid, "Pardon?"
"You called for your Queen to defend your honour against Riser Phenex and he came, regardless of the fallout that may come after him... Yet here you stand, not allowing me, Naruto-sama's Queen to defend his honor. As I said, you're a hypocri-"
"Irori, please do calm yourself," Naruto spoke and Irori noticed how tired he sounded, her argument stopped at that moment.
Rias though saw what Irori had meant, she really did have no right ins topping Irori from defending Naruto's honor. In fact she could legally challenge Issei to a duel, a Low-class or Mid-class is not allowed to speak ill of a High-class and should such a thing happen, members from the peerage of the High-class hold every right to challenge the speaker to combat. There was no doubt in her mind that Irori would defeat Issei in the most brutal way possible. Thus she took a small breath in, "I will permit it with two exceptions Irori-san, that being that first you are not allowed to go too far, and secondly myself and Akeno will be watching you."
"I have no issue with either of those Rias-sama," Irori gave a small bow of head head before smiling, "Do you need to feed again Naruto-sama?" She saw the unfocused look in his eyes, his body was fresh out of surgery after all, and from what she knew he had released his full power... Normally he would have found a nice bed by now and crawled into it for a handful of days to recover.
Naruto blinked now that he noticed he was being spoken to, "Sorry but I am actually pretty tired. Is it okay if we continue this tomorrow Rias? I would enjoy talking to you some more."
Rias quickly nodded, "Of course we can!" She said maybe a little too quickly, "Are you sure you're okay though? Now that I look, you seem a little pale... Well paler than usual."
"I should be fine after resting for a few days, it is nothing to worry about."
His voice did little to ease their worries. The last time that Naruto had appeared to be anything other than healthy was when the Underworld was attacked by Hydra all those years ago... He and Sairaorg had taken quite a beating that day and thoroughly exhausted themselves, "If you need anything, I am here for you Naruto... Just like you are for me right?"
"Of course I am Princess," Naruto spoke calmly, though Rias could see his eyes struggling to stay open. She walked forward and hugged him, watching as his body moved on instinct to hold her as well. His arms became limp around her as his body fell into hers.
Irori moved forward with a faint smile on her face, "It would seem that Naruto-sama has fallen asleep on his feet again," She gently took Naruto from Rias and supported him on her shoulders, "I will take care of him from here Rias-sama. He should be up and moving about again tomorrow, though I will be trying to limit his actions to a more passive nature so that he can recover properly."
Rias nodded her head sadly, "Please look after him Irori-san. He is... He is very dear to me... regardless of my actions..."
"Naruto-sama's forgiveness will matter very little to those that have been holding back their desires based on the promise that was made between you two. When Naruto-sama found out he tried to hide the fact... Though his familiar was not so kind, yes Arachna likes you to an extent Rias-sama, though your actions could be considered a slight against the one she considers to be her Master, the one whom protects her and gives her a home... Just like the rest of us... Naruto-sama's forgiveness is not our forgiveness," Irori gave a small bow of her head, "I shall be going now. Though you should not move to speak about such events from now on, at least until you have gained some respect among the other members of our group. I would suggest starting with Anna, she is the nicest of us all."
With those words she left, not even looking back to see Rias, if she had she would have seen the small tears that were falling from her eyes, the heiress understood. Irori, Moka, Krul and Kuroka had all been waiting for her, so that Naruto and her could keep their promise, yet she had tried to give her purity to Issei to break out of the engagement with Riser.
She moved to the chair, leaving the knocked out Issei on the ground as she brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly, "Akeno... I think I need to be alone for a while... Could you please take Issei to his room, I shall speak with him tomorrow."
Akeno may have wanted to say otherwise, though she knew at the moment her King just wanted to abuse herself for a time, nothing she could say would change Rias' mood at the current time so she gave a small bow of her head and picked up Issei like he was a dirty rag, "It shall be done. Rias... You have a way of worming yourself into the hearts of those around you, I believe you will be able to reconcile with everyone yet."
"T-thank you Akeno... But I really want to be alone at the moment."
"I understand Rias..."
Akeno left to the sounds of Rias' gentle weeps. The next few days were going to be tense around here.
The lighting in this gloomy place had been reduced to a candle every few feet down a long and stone filled corridor. Light steps echoed as fast moving feet tore down the path. These feet belonged to a young looking pale blonde haired girl, her eyes burning red like a fire. Her path ended at large ornate wooden doors, a silver moon sat above a golden star.
The young girl rose her hand and tapped lightly against the wood, "Valerie... 'ist thou slumbering?" The young girl's soft voice seemed to have been discarded as no reply came. She was about to walk away until she heard the soft sounds of movement inside the room.
The door slowly opened showing an older looking blonde with the same burning eyes, a very gentle yet sad look on her face, "Mina... Aren't you tired from your duties?"
"Huff, banish thy thought. I harbour time for min young sister always," Mina spoke in a haughty tone as she tried to hide the small blush on her face.
Valerie gave a warm smile to her, "You really show that you are the older sister despite our looks... The way you balance the duties of a Vampire Queen are admirable..."
Mina gawked at the blunt words, "Hak?! Didst thou jest at thine body?!"
Valerie walked forward and wrapped her older sister in a warm embrace, "Your body is like that due to the fact that you're a pure blooded Tepes... It is nothing to be ashamed of Mina."
Mina though just held her sister, feeling her body slip back into a state of slumber. Inwardly sighing she picked Valerie up and moved her back to her back, drawing the veil around it closed as the beautiful dhampir curled up into the sheets that were drawn to her chest, "Thou needs to remember thine rest, disregarding it harms all around thou..."
Mina's thoughts drew back to her older sister, Krul. What had caused their perfect sister to leave like she did? Her thoughts drifted back to a conversation that seemed so out of place at the time. Yet when she had questioned her father about a brother he had grown angry before asking if she knew where he was... Krul left the next day.
She was never as strong as Krul... Yet she was named the new Queen as soon as Krul left, it felt... wrong. like she was just being used to fill the hole left by Krul's absence. She nibbled at her lower lip, looking out at the full moon that hung in the sky above them. Mina could picture Krul taunting her even now for getting lost in her thoughts even now. She gently brushed a few strands of hair from Valerie's face, Mina refused to lose both of her sisters, regardless if Mina was only a half-sister or not.
(1) Lady of Umbra= Umbra is Latin for; Shade, shadow, darkness, dark, obscurity and night.
(2) Lord of Somnus= Somnus is Latin for; Sleep, slumbers, drowsiness, drowse and Night.
While they both mean Night, which could be the reason for why they were given the name, it makes a little bit of sense if you think about how the females of Naruto's peerage, sans Anna, first made their appearance in the underworld, they were shrouded and difficult to understand, obscure. Irori acts like a shadow to Naruto always following him around while darkness could refer to the fact that the pure blooded vampires in his peerage will burn easily now instead of vanishing completely due to their new devil blood.
The males though can come across as tired, sleepy or lazy to others. It was how they got the name Lord of Somnus, or Lord of Sleep, a pretty crummy title, but I find it kinda fitting and amusing.
(3) Gashadokuro= A living skeleton the feeds on the starving. Shikamaru himself has a human appearance, though it is his shadow that takes on the form of a giant living skeleton. Now it may seem out of place that he said he would visit Mikoto tonight early on in the chapter, it may have lead people to believe that I was instead thinking of a Yokai or folklore that revolved around strangulation during sleep paralysis. I had at first though of making Shikamaru's character revolve around that, though in the end a Gashadokuro that comes out from his shadow felt more fitting. Though when we go to sleep we are 'fasting', it is why breakfast is giving its name, Breaking-fast. Fast is a term normally used for a period of time where you go without food, it can be seen as a starvation period, hence the starving skeleton visiting during the night.
It was a line that was put in before I really had set in what Shikamaru's character was going to be, though in this case it didn't need to be removed, though its meaning can seem a little out of place.
(4) Ifrit= An infernal Jinn, they normally live under ground and are large winged flaming creatures. They have been known to travel above group to find a partner if they can not find a suitable one below ground.
(5) Phoenix= flaming birds that have the ability to cry healing tears. When they die they are reborn from their ashes, this is the reason that Anna appears so young, recently she perished and is slowly getting back to her prime age once again.
(6) Hand of Fate= A sly reference to Naruto being the hand of Death, it was spoken about in an earlier chapter how Naruto's aspect was death, though when he met Death the full story was never revealed. Naruto had said it was hard for him to return and the next time it might not be able to happen. Death sent him back, next time Death may not be there, it is also part of the reason for Naruto's large power spike, not only did he do a lot of training in his time away from the Underworld, but he also became the apprentice of Death, this is symbolized by the ring on his finger, Death will do as he needs to, if the world is coming to an end then he will come and do what he is destined to, though if his hand it able to stop such a thing from coming to pass, than he is fine with that too.
PA: And there we have it everyone, some of those explanations were a little long, though did you enjoy them? Should I do that kind of thing more often? Well let me know what you think, for those of you who read 'The Hero' I shall see you there next!