"Well, you know what they say, fifths time the charm,"

"I think they only say that about the third,"

"Whatever!" Naruto grinned and waved his hand dismissively. Then he turned and went down the street. She watched him, admiring the view before she caught up to him. Rias kept in stride, she waved back to those who greeted them.

"I think that was better today," he said. "We'll get through it,"

It had turned into a 'we' now. It made her heart flutter, but he was the one most affected by it. Another test would be performed in a couple of days' times.

"We're going to the Hokage's right?" she asked. She recognized the route, but the clear tell was the Hokage monument, whenever it managed to crack through the buildings.

"Of course, since your brother had a message for the Hokage,"

Rias stared, his eyes were always genuine to the constant stream of attention. He noticed, "What? Something on my face?"

"Just this," she pinched his cheek.

"That's always a part of me," he nudged her hand away.

"I'm just thinking, that's all," she replied. He shrugged, there were always silences between them; it came with living together. She couldn't help but think about him. He never had family, did he ever feel alone when he was young?

Her head was centered around a possible solution for his problem. It was all she thought about during the past several days. The training he done, as well as the conversations they shared had cultivated into one possible answer.

All she needed was to talk to Azazel, or someone who knew about the spell and the knowledge required. Preferably the leader, as he seemed to have studied Sacred Gears. Thankfully, she had the means to meet him.

She hoped it worked.

They arrived at the Hokage's building, and they slipped inside. Outside the door, they heard a conversation, and she perked up when she recognized the voice. A quick knock and they were let inside.

Kakashi and Azazel were speaking to one another, making some mundane chatter about this village.

"Yo! What are you doing here?" Naruto asked.

Azazel turned to them, "Thought I'd stop by," He glanced at her for a moment. When she asked Issei she wanted to meet this man, she didn't expect he would come here to do so.

"A pleasure to speak to you again," Kakashi replied. "Despite the freeform means,"

"Trust me, the Fallen aren't quite as organized as you might expect,"

Kakashi eyed the man, "Have a good day, and may I ask for some privacy as I speak to my shinobi?"

"Certainly, until next time," Azazel bowed. She left the room with the man and went down the hall. It didn't matter if there were others that listened on their conversation, So, what did the great Gremory Heiress want to speak to me about?"

The epithet didn't bother her, but she wanted to get to the point, "You seem to be an expert, has there been any instances of souls being split and contained, other than dragons?"

His eyes flashed with curiosity, but he humored her, "yes, I can recall a couple. Dragon's souls are exceptionally powerful and durable. As far as my testing went, other supernatural souls aren't up to the task in which Sacred Gears are utilized."

"I don't need it to be stored within a sacred gear, I just need it to be housed within someone. Preferably, closer to a transfer, and keeping both people intact,"

"Hm," the man tapped in his chin. He seemed to have thought aloud to himself, "I suppose it's rather simple, a few modifications to the spell an –"

"May I ask for instructions for it the spell? It's important for the health of my knight,"

Azazel hummed, "Ah, yes, your pawn mentioned that about him,"

Rias frowned, her pawn was that close to this strange man that he had to reveal something like that so freely?

"You could have asked your brother. a definitely safer option I would think,"

Rias sighed, "This is something he would never approve, and I must ask you don't mention this to him. Please, I would owe you a great debt,"

"Such devotion and love to your knight, you'd be willing to split your soul to help him. How far would you go for his happiness? Would you go as far as convincing him to possess a harem?"

It was always about harems. She started to see why Hyoudou would get along well with him. She frowned, annoyed, but she wanted to say courteous to a person who can possibly help her, "You don't know him, but he's stubborn,"

Azazel laughed, "I will grant your request, just tell your knight that I was involved in the cure for his affliction. Fascinating really, this might bode well for them, in a way,"

She released a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thank you," she summoned her familiar and they quickly left on their way. Now she had to wait, and she hoped it wouldn't be long.


"Yeah, so that's pretty much it. Sirzechs wants to reschedule until next week,"

"That can be arranged, I'll compose a letter, and I'll drop it off at your apartment by tomorrow,"

Naruto grinned, "Great! Anything else you got for me?"

Kakashi leaned forward, folding his hands. "There's not much else for you to do until you're cured,"

"I kinda figured," Naruto replied. It was too bad the cure was to be independent from Rias, rather than cure the devil side of things.

"Keep up with the treatment,"

"Of course," he replied. There was something else that he noticed, a lot of shinobi were busy, particularly those of his friends. Two entirely different worlds, how would a war affect them both? It reminded him of the war. "Are you trying to get the other countries to join us?"

"A good assessment," Kakashi said. "Yes, it's good to be on a cautionary side of things, especially since, they also prey on the 'non-supernatural'"

That had always left a sour taste in his mouth, "Good," more thoughts of Mei's words echoed in his mind. Did she say those things just to see how they would react?

"I want to leave you with one last piece of advice, Naruto,"

His thoughts interrupted, Kakashi bore a smile that could be seen through his mask. "Hm? What's that?"

"I know you're looking forward to being Hokage, but for now, you're still young, enjoy your time. Being Hokage is busy work. Don't be in such a hurry, I still intend to be one for quite a while,"

Like fall in love? It always seemed to be on his mind, ever since Rias' confession. His mind went distant, "Yeah,"

He was right. He didn't have to stress over it now, he had years to learn all the nuances of being Hokage. He could take it easy, he could use it. Though, he'll make sure to keep it in mind.

"Good, you look better already. Guess I still have some tricks to teach my student,"

"Whatever! Have fun warming my seat,"

"How ungrateful,"

He wished he got a mission, it was something to prepare toward. If not, he could always had hung out with his friends. One entire day had passed into the next, it was awfully boring.

"Rias~" he groaned. "I'm bored~"

He lay on his stomach, his chin rested on the armrest as she looked up from her manga. She had brought out a lot from her room. He had seen the large collection, but she said it was only a small portion of her original collection. It was crazy how much she had.

"Where are your friends?"

"They're all busy," he whined. All sent off on missions to support the liaisons to the other countries or other important things. Sakura was always at the hospital.

"Did you not get another mission?"

"Ugh, no," He replied. He wanted to get back into the groove of missions. He had barely trained other than trying to control his devil power. In which he hadn't seen much progress, but he still went at it.

"We can go walk around, or maybe we can go back to Japan,"

"Japan it is," he said.

"Great!" she ran into the room.

He lazily got ready, but she was taking her sweet time in his room. "I should get a bigger place,"

The door was still open, so he went over to see what was taking her so long. She was searching under stacks of books and going through her suitcase and a drawer she had stolen from him.

"You really turned my room more into yours," there were a lot of her personal things, as well as trinkets she had bought. Bra's sticking out the hamper, a frame that once hung in her apartment. Stacks of magazines and her manga books.

She didn't bother to look at him, gather a bunch of clothing into a hamper. "You ran out of detergent, by the way," she placed one book inside before handing it to him to carry.

"Yeah, sure~ I'll just carry all your junk for you,"

"Thank you!"

Whatever. Naruto continued to hold it while she got ready. Soon enough, they arrived at her apartment. It wasn't empty.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?"

Three of Rias' peerage were present. Issei, Asia, and Akeno. seated in the kitchen or in the small living room. They looked to where they entered, teleported within her apartment.

Akeno perked up, her hand resting on her cheek. "Ah~ now there are the two lovers, is that what you've been two been doing? Have you been keeping him all to yourself?"

He glanced at Rias, her lips pressed into a line. Naruto was the one to speak, "Do you know how weird it is here? Two women asked me to give them babies, at least I would understand in my world. Plus, harems are always brought up,"

"Oh, how sweet. Whoever thought that Uzumaki-kun missed home,"

"Yeah, I'm secretly a huge softie," He shrugged. Naruto marched down the hallway, Issei had followed him.

"Senpai," he said.

"Issei," he sat down the hamper in atop the washer,

"Oh~" Issei said in wonder, "Is that–"

"I'm gonna stop you there, buddy. It's filled with my own dirty laundry,"

"Oh gross,"

He closed the slide, and Rias and Akeno were speaking to one another about her confession, he decided that he wasn't ready to face ridicule, so he went to his room. "What's up?"

"How did you get one of the great ladies to fall for you?"

Oh great, "Hell if I know," Naruto replied. He wasn't actively trying to make her fall for him, it just happened, "Even she barely knows,"

Issei seemed in a better mood than he thought. He decided to turn on the TV and play some games. Luckily, there was a second controller. He handed it to Issei and they began to play.

"Oh! You would not believe how my friends and I reacted when we realized Buchou slept naked,"

"Uh, that's going to be a no from me,"

"Senpai, please tell me you were able to see her luscious breasts, and what kind of coin?"

The image was brought again, "Yeah," he said automatically, "What do you mean by coin?"

Issei gasped deeply, "you must tell me how it looks, please senpai."

He grasped his arm pleadingly, and he shook it off. "I thought you'd be upset, this is coming from the guy who said 'this was my greatest betrayal' instead you're just your pervert self,"

"Oh that, it's not your fault senpai," Issei replied. Which seemed to be wrong in Naruto's opinion. "Anyway, I embrace my pervert self –"

"Shamelessly, I might add," He frowned. Issei was really good at the game.

"–Loving breasts and ass are natural for us all, perhaps girls too, whatever they might like. This is who we are, there's nothing to be ashamed for liking and appreciating the amazing thing that is the female body,"

Naruto thought about a technique that would be incredibly effective against Issei, it was almost too easy.

"Unless you're a total creep about it," he replied. Naruto remembered Rias on his lap, they could have done more. Yet, it wasn't what he was looking for–and just what was he looking for? "That was a lot of passion Issei, and it would have been really inspiring if it weren't about boobs. I like girls too, so it's a lost cause,"

"Then, as your fellow man, tell me about Rias' breasts,"

He didn't really have to think about it, "No, because, I'm really selfish and I want to keep that to myself," for some reason.

"How dare you," Issei replied, "but I respect that,"

Naruto lost again, "Why are you so good at this?"

"I'm really good with my hands. Anyways, did that strange fallen angel boss talk to Buchou?"

"Rias wanted to talk to Azazel? What for?"

"I don't know,"

That was weird, but it didn't matter. Naruto remembered he had a phone, he hadn't used it in forever. Not like he had much people to talk too, Issei, Rias, Akeno too.

Issei left for the washroom, and he was alone for the time being. He wondered where that cat-girl had gone off too, as well as her dragon boss. Vali too, he supposed. Not like he had much opportunity to see them, since the majority of his time was spent in his world.

Someone came in, but it wasn't Rias or Issei.

"Akeno, how are you doing?"

She smiled, she stood against the closed door. She swept a hand through her long hair. Her eyes sparkled with a familiar light. "Buchou has you all to herself, it's not fair,"

"Oh," Naruto replied. He recognized that look, a competitive edge. Specifically, Ino and Sakura to when they were children. Naruto recalled being jealous, "That's why Rias' didn't want me to come here,"

He missed his home too, he just felt more comfortable there. Akeno was a beautiful girl, but he didn't know her too well; that could change.

"I heard that you're a one-woman kind of guy,"

"That's normal though,"

She shook her head, and she came closer, seating beside him. She was so close, and her lips formed into a smile. How would they feel on his? Rias' wouldn't be pleased at all. He turned to the screen, still paused in their match. He didn't want to make Rias cry again.

Speaking of the loving Devil.

Rias forced the door open, a letter in hand. Her eyes widened in shock, flickering between hurt and anger. Her lips formed into a tight line.

"I–I need to speak to my Knight," she said. "Leave, now."

Akeno glanced to him, eyes alight with amusement. She did as was asked, she passed by Rias, "Bye~"

Rias glared daggers at the closed door. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Naruto decided to break the silence, "So, what–"

"We're leaving too," she interrupted. Rias walked over to him, she still held the crumpled letter in hand.

"Why? We just got here," he frowned. He stood with her, wondering what was so important.

"I'll explain when we get back home," she said.

Home? He thought. It was instant when he arrived back at his apartment, "There, we're here, now explain,"

Naruto turned to her, and she wasn't looking at him. Her features still formed into a frown, and she avoided looking at him. She was disturbed, but he couldn't pinpoint it.

"What?" he asked. "Are you upset?"

"I'm mad at her, not you," she replied. She bit her lip, and refused to look at him in the eye, "I–I know you're not mine, and, whoever you choose to spend your time with is not mine to judge,"

He scratched his head, uncertain what to say. This was the strangest he'd ever felt, "uhm, we didn't do anything…"

She sighed, and finally looked at him. "I made a promise after all, and you can choose to give your love to whoever you want,"

Rias had made one too many promises to him, just for his benefit. Everything I give is a gift, she had said. It made him feel guilty, because she was making sacrifices.

"Y'know, I never did say I would have liked to see you again, once I did get better," he replied. He remembered them saying that it might be a long time before that happened. It didn't really bother him too much. At least they were certain they could cure him.

"That means a lot," she murmured. She looked down at the letter, "I've been waiting for this. It's all I've been thinking about since you told me about your mother, and Kurama. I didn't think he'd get back to me so quickly,"

He furrowed his brow, "What are you talking? The letter?"

"Yes, I can make you better,"

"What? How?" he furrowed his brow, but she hadn't joked.

"I give you a piece of my soul," Rias confessed. His mind went blank and placed a hand over his chest. He remembered Kurama being ripped out of him, he would have died if the other half of Kurama hadn't been placed within him.

It was Kurama that spoke, "It would work, clever,"

"It's dangerous, isn't it?" he asked.

"Oh, no, not at all," she replied. A smile, but it was fake.

"You're lying,"

She flinched, her eyes blinked repeatedly, "I'm not,"

He frowned, his fists clenched together, "I can tell,"

"You know me so well," Rias closed her eyes, and fury and taken hold once again. " Let me do this! I was the one who did this in the first place, so it's my responsibility to fix it,"

"You're not going to die for my sake!" he replied. He gritted his teeth together, it was hard to think, "If that were to happen, then I deserve to turn into a monster,"

Her blue eyes turned defiant, steeled themselves into a calm resolve. "No one, not even you, will get in the way of the promise I made to you. I want to keep my word,"

Naruto flinched, he crossed his arms and looked away. "You don't have to do this, we'll find a way eventually,"

She shushed him, "Let me try once. I'll even do it your sleep if I need too,"

By the look in her eye, she was serious. The best he could do, was to make sure she was safe while he was conscious.

"Fine," he said. "What do we have to do?"

She grinned, eyes flaring in happiness. She went to the living room and moved the coffee table aside. "Lay down on the carpet,"

He did as she asked, and she kneeled over him. "Is that it? We all had these fancy seals just to help me,"

She leaned to the side and grabbed one of his kunai that had been on the table. "It's supposed to be fast, since they sealed dragon souls on the spot,"

Rias stared at her hand, the edge of the kunai above it. She dragged it across her palm, and she flinched when it cut through. "Sharper than I thought,"

Naruto couldn't bring himself to say anything, all he could focus on was Rias alone. He heard his ears ring. And his heart thumping out from his chest.

She said a few words that he didn't catch, nothing higher than a whisper. He felt her power, a pulse, and she glowed red, like she was one fire. Her blood stained hand hovered over her chest, she gasped sharply. He tried to rise, but one of her hands pressed him down. "It's fine,"

Her eyes were tightly shut, and she whimpered in pain. Her lips trembled, and her hands shaky. Her hand glowed and within the palm of her hand, was a dark orb. At first, he thought it was black, but it shimmered dark red; like blood that caught light.

It was a piece of her soul, he thought.

She held it over him, and she rotated her hand. She descended, and it went right through him. He gasped, it was cold and alien. He shivered.

Rias collapsed on top of him.

"Rias!" The process was forgotten.

He sat up and rolled her over onto his lap. She breathed heavily, and she blinked several times before it focused on him. "That hurt more than I thought," she said, breathless.

He swallowed a lump, "Are you okay? How do you feel?"

Rias stared up at him, sweat clung to her brow, tired sunken eyes. He held her and checked her over. She was hot to the touch, "Just–exhausted, more importantly, how do you feel?"

He released a nervous laugh, "More importantly? I don't feel any different,"

"Then try it, I know you want too,"

Naruto shook his head, "That can wait, right now, I want you to be okay,"

She rolled her eyes, "It's fine, just put on the couch,"

He did as she asked. She took a deep breath, and she shivered feverishly. "Go, try it, it'll only take a moment, right? I want to know too, do it for me,"

Naruto frowned. Rias was right, all he had to do was teleport somewhere far. "Don't close your eyes, this will only take a second,"

He thought about which seal to appear at, Rias' apartment was the best one. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the location.

Naruto heart beat like a drum, and he forced his eyes opened. It was the sight of her empty apartment. How long since everyone left? It didn't feel long at all. He expected it to come, but it didn't. If he took a step, would he feel it then? Another? Three?

There was no corruption of his heart, no darkness, or the locking of his limbs. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders, a paranoia that he didn't realize he carried had disappeared. He laughed. "She actually did it,"

He reappeared back home,

"So?"

Naruto flinched at the interruption. She -still sat on the loveseat, her chest noticeably rose and fell. She forced out a smile, but this time it reached her eyes.

"yeah," he whispered. It was unreal.

She laughed, "See! I told you it would work,"

He moved a hand over his chest, where Rias had sealed a piece of her soul within him. All done because of her love for him. Love made his parents sacrifice themselves for his sake. How could she had ever loved him for how he treated her? What a silly girl, he thought. He felt tears pooling, and he wiped them clean and took a breath

She had stared, a silent watcher. He made a clone, and it sprinted out the building to follow the order it had been given.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"I'm fetching Sakura, to check you over and make sure you're alright,"

"Oh, what's the matter?"

He looked away, "You didn't have to do that, I was going to get cured sooner or later, anyway,"

Rias released a weak laugh, "It was nothing, don't worry about it,"

Nothing, she said. It was an answer he expected and knew she would say. He had asked it anyway. He reached down, and swept a stray piece of hair away from her face. Her skin burned against his hand. She grabbed a hold of his palm, making it rest on her cheek.

"I love you," she whispered. The way those eyes bored into him.

He was silent, still so unused to a declaration. She was stubborn, bubbly, dramatic, and patient. How long would that last?

"I feel a little silly now," he replied, "and it feels like I'm only apologizing just because you did this for me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the times I made you cry, for making everything difficult,"

Her answer was immediate, "It's okay, I forgive you,"

His clone appeared, thanks to his father's technique. Sakura was with the clone, dressed in a doctor's garb with a bag of supplies. Her arms crossed. She found him first, "What's the emergency?"

"I want you to check up on Rias,"

Sakura noticed her and hummed when at her current state. She mentioned to him to sit out of the way, she went to Rias' side, and set down her bag.

"What did he do now?" Sakura asked. She brought out several items, some he didn't even know the names, but he didn't recognize a thermometer.

Rias smiled, "does he always get into trouble?"

"You won't believe how often, but he usually heals right back up without my help,"

Sakura's hand turned green, he recognized it as a diagnostic technique. She checked over Rias, a hand over her heart.

"It's my doing," Rias replied. "I transferred half of my soul?"

"Really? I don't know a whole lot, but from I do know, something like that can be fatal. But I suppose it's not a Tailed Beast." Sakura replied.

Rias glanced to him, before Sakure continued to speak. -

"I can see it, you put a lot of strain on your body, but, so far it's nothing serious,"

He sighed and leaned his head back. He stared into the ceiling for a long time, he stirred within his thoughts. Sakura and Rias made small talk, occasionally commentating on her state of wellbeing.

"All in all, I don't think there's anything that might be cause for concern. I would like to schedule a check up for tomorrow evening, I'll be doing it myself,"

"Anything else?" he interrupted.

"No, but Rias needs rest. I wouldn't recommend using your ch–, er, power anytime soon, or move around, or cause yourself any other forms of stress,"

"Yeah, okay, thanks for the help,"

"Of course, it's my duty to help the injured," Sakura replied. "Now take me back to the hospital? That thing is crazy useful,"

He reappeared back at her side a moment later. Rias glanced at him and yawned. She looked too tired to talk. He turned on the TV for background noise. He got a blanket for her, and covered her up. He made tea for her and placed the cup on the coffee table. Each thing he for her, she thanked him.

He was so distracted, he wasn't thinking about much else.

Naruto made soup for supper. He wished that it tasted amazing, but it was nothing special. She had fallen asleep while he cooked. It took some effort on his part to wake her, but she needed to eat. She fed herself, and he ate a couple of bowls of the plain soup.

"That was good," she sighed, and yawned.

"will you be alright on your own?" he asked suddenly. He couldn't wait any longer, he just needed someone to talk too. To get these thoughts out of his head. "I'll be back by tomorrow afternoon,"

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"I need to talk to someone important. I can leave a clone,"

She shook her head; her eyes had fluttered close several times. "No, it's fine, I might sleep until you come back."

"Do you want to sleep in the room?" he asked. Her eyes had closed, but she hummed. He picked her up, holding her gently. She snuggled in his neck as he carried her into his room and placed her down.

"I'll be waiting for you," she murmured.

"Yeah, if you need anything, you can always use that seal and I'll be there right away,"

Naruto closed his eyes and teleported himself in a forest somewhere outside the village. There was still a lot of time until sundown. He went still and gathered energy.

Somewhere, deep in the wilderness and past The Land of Stone, he sensed him. The other half of the OId Sage's chakra. He was further than he thought, but if he made a straight bee line at a full speed, he should be back to Rias by morning. There was no time to waste, he would even be using his father's technique to speed thing up.

His thoughts were thick and fogged, centered around Rias Gremory and the prospect of being a devil. It was all he thought about as he ran through forests and swamps. Through thick forests and great lakes, across plains and chasms in the darkness. Then finally, entering mountain ranges that spanned as far as he can see.

It was the early morning light when he found him. Sasuke was seated by a running river, a smoldering fire near him. A sword settled on the torn down log beside him.

Sasuke looked up expectantly. Behind a curtain of hair, the Rinnegan stared at him. "What's so important that you had to seek me out?"

Naruto found a large rock and brought it closer to the fire. He noticed the grey plumes of smoke from a village further down the valley. Buildings stuck out from the forest. It had been so long since those days of Team Seven. Now, they were each finding their own paths.

Naruto peered behind him, expecting Rias to be standing some distance away. He certainly didn't miss the limitation, but Rias' presence was an expectation. He felt free.

"I wanted to talk,"

Sasuke brought out a large flask and tossed it. He caught and found hot tea inside. It was a godsend in the weather and after all the running.

He let out a huff, and his breath was visible, "I'm not even sure where to start,"

"The beginning is as good as any,"

He shrugged, "Well, I guess it all started when I was training…" he explained everything. Since he got there, anything about Rias and all the trouble he had gotten into. The aspects of being a devil, and everything he knew about it. He left nothing out, he shared everything.

"I see," Sasuke replied. "If I knew it was that long I wouldn't have asked,"

Naruto laughed, "It feels short as I think about it, but it felt so long at the time,"

Naruto peered behind him, but again he found nothing. They were silent for a long time, until Sasuke broke it.

"So, what's bothering you is the longevity of a being a devil," Of course he would hit it right so quickly, that was him after all. His closest friend, a brother. "How long has it been? Two years since we fought?"

"Around there, yeah," he replied. He stared at his bandaged arm. Naruto tossed back the flask.

"It took some convincing, but you managed to steer me away from undertaking that path. I resolved to live a long solitary life. However, yours is not by choice,"

He smiled, he was glad that he got it, even if he wasn't worried. His wishes and dreams were safe now.

Naruto frowned, "How would you have done it?"

"It's easier when you have little to no friends, but you? You're all about your bonds,"

"It'll be strange when they all grow older," Naruto replied. "Dying to old age and all that,"

Sasuke sighed, "You expect me to let you go on ahead?"

Naruto looked wide eyed, "What?"

"Not that I'll turn a devil myself, I told you before, there are a lot of options for a long life,"

"You'd do that?"

"Naruto, you might as well be my brother in all but blood, but you're also my rival," he glanced. "While my current thoughts about this world currently more favorable, I'll help you. Of course, it's also likely that I would think your way of going about peace is worthless,"

Naruto laughed, "Look at you! Always gotta ruin a nice moment with being stupid all the time,"

Sasuke scoffed, "Moron, I'm being realistic,"

"Thank though," One person that he didn't have to watch wither to time. For now, he supposed he had little to worry about until the time came. If his friends lived a long life, that was good, at least they wouldn't have died to war. That's one thing he could do, to make certain their children fates were the same. To live a long life, without war.

"I wonder what the future holds for us," Naruto muttered. He imagined being Hokage, having children, everlasting peace.

"Being around you for centuries? An eternal headache,"

He smiled, "There were some tough guys over there, especially that dragon I mentioned. Who knows how actually strong it is,"

"It's not us that needs to be prepared for it,"

"Hell yeah!" He laughed. Sasuke smiled his small smile.

He'll manage with the long life. When he thought about home, he thought about love.

Rias had promised to abandon everything she knew just for his happiness. So, he can accomplish his dreams and goals. All for love.

What about for him? If he had been in the same situation as Rias, would he have done the same? It was a hard question to answer, if he had to be honest. What did that mean? That he wasn't in love with her? Did what he feel was guilt because he wasn't able to return those feelings?

Naruto sighed, and thought of an answer.

"I'll see you whenever you come around Sasuke,"


She saw him move around in the living room, he placed his jacket on the coat hanger and removed his sandals.

"Welcome home," she said. She thought of last night, how he cared for her.

He looked up, his eyes baggy. He yawned, "Rias, did I wake you?"

"No, I was awake for a while now,"

There was warmth and concern in his eyes, "How are you feeling?"

"Still tired, I've been dozing off in bed," she replied. She came closer and decided to tease him. "Celebrating the return of your freedom?"

He smiled, "In a way, I've been running all night, I could use some rest,"

"Why?"

Naruto looked to the floor. "I forgive you," he said. It left her breathless, "I kinda almost forgot, really, I haven't given it a whole lotta thought. I appreciate you telling the truth, a little selfish, but you also tried to do what you thought was right. I can't really blame you for that, it's the thought that counts,"

"What?" he asked. "I thought you'd be happy,"

"No, I kinda knew it,"

"You kinda knew?"

Rias smiled, "It's the way you look at me,"

"Oh, uh," he rubbed the nape of his neck. "To be honest, I'm a little confused."

"About what?"

She never imagined that his blue eyes could look so soft. "I don't love you, I'm pretty sure of that, but I don't really have much to go on,"

Of course, he had mentioned multiple times that he couldn't return what she wanted. Yet, why was he bring this up? "What are you saying?"

He looked away, a blush on his cheeks. "I–I want to find out if I can,"

It felt like her heart stopped, "R-Really?" she choked out. She didn't know what to say, this was almost unbelievable.

He rubbed his neck again and didn't stared away. "I uh, I know it's been rough through–"

All these words he was sayings, she couldn't help but weep.

"damn," he said. He pulled her hand, bringing her into a hug. She heard his smile, "I thought it all was over, of me making you cry,"

She tried to stop, truly. She laughed and cried. He leaned back, and she looked to him. He pressed both of his hands on her cheeks, wiping away her tears. She sniffed, and her next words came out thick and heavy, "This is completely different though, these are tears of happiness,"

A smile, "That's good, I don't feel like a total jerk now,"

Rias laughed, "Well, once upon a time, you were a big one,"

"I know, I'm sorry," he replied. "Can you forgive me?"

"I already have, didn't I?" she felt him, the heat of his skin, the firmness of his muscles. This was really happening. He stared with eyes filled with regret.

"I want to hear it again," he said softly.

"I forgive you,"

He shook his head, "What makes you think I'm not always like that? I wasn't kind to you,"

"I know you're not truly like that. All your smiles, and easy laughs, they fit you better than any scowl,"

Naruto stared silently, a warmth pooling in his eyes.

"What do you want?" his touches against her cheek were tender and intimate. He brought her closer, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and caressed his back.

"I know I'm being greedy, but I want so much," she replied. "That's just being a devil,"

"That's bull," he replied. He looked at her, a twinkle to his eyes. He swept a hand through her hair, fiddling with a strand. His warm hands settled on her waist, and he pulled her tighter.

"Fine, that's just me," she laughed. Rias felt more than safe to talk about what she wanted, both new and old, and simple and complex. "I want you. I want to be happy with you. For nobody to love me like you,"

There was a tinge of red in his cheek, but he still gazed longingly into her eyes. "Well, I guess I had it coming with that question,"

"I'm not finished yet,"

"You're kidding me, right?"

She smiled so widely, it hurt. She felt over the moon. She continued, and with each and every word, Naruto's face grew redder, "I want us to be together, forever. One day, I want to be your wife, and to welcome you home every chance you get. To never miss a day to say I love you. You'll never have to be alone again,"

There was one last thing she wanted to say, but she kept it to herself. Naruto looked away, sheepish. "You really are too much, did I tell you that?"

"once or twice,"

He laughed and shook his head. "That's a lot of pressure, y'know? But you do know what you want, I guess,"

"Is that so bad?" she asked teasingly.

His eyes had closed, and his face was red, flustered and embarrassed. "Just because you said those things, doesn't mean my answer will change right away, y'know?"

Rias laughed, she didn't quite remember the last time she laughed so much. "Yes, I know. I can wait, as long as I need too."

He was silent for a long time, and she busied herself with admiring him. His blonde hair, his features, their closeness. The entire time, he played with a strand of her hair. Naruto never had any parents, no one to show him how to be loved.

Finally, his eyes fluttered open. He had calmed himself, the redness had disappeared, and his blue eyes grew resolute. "I can at least make one promise. I can take this step by step. Hey, c'mon, don't laugh, I'm being serious here,"

"No, it's just– "she sighed, staring longingly at him. "That's what I've been doing this entire time,"

She didn't quite know when she put a hand up to his face, tracing his jawline, and twirling a strand of his hair. "What's the next step?"

"I was never much for thinking," Naruto was silent, deep in thought. He leaned closer and kissed her. It was chaste, quick, so it was over too soon. He looked to her reaction, and she felt her heart soar.

It wasn't the kiss, but everything else; his gentle touches, -his soft words, the way he looked at her. It was slow, thoughtful, and intimate. It was real.

"Oh. You're not going to cry every time like that are you?"

There had only been tears pooling at her eyes, "I don't think so, but that's the one thing I really wanted,"

He frowned, "You didn't mention that,"

"I didn't want to pressure you,"

"Really? That was the one thing, you didn't want to pressure me on?"

She laughed, and kissed him, short and sweet; like he had done.

"What else are you not telling me?"

Rias rested on his shoulder and held him tightly. She hummed, thinking of something else that she wanted. "I want to spend the rest of the day with you, "

"That's not much different than usual,"

"I know," she replied. She gazed into his eyes, how she loved this man. He was hers, and hers alone. "What does the future hold for us?"

He grinned, "I'm wondering about that too,"

As long as she had him, everything would be alright.

The end


A/N: Yup, that's the end. Did you feel it was rushed? Probably, I know it's far from perfect, but I did run out of steam…Yet, the story was about the resolution of Naruto's feelings, which I put in the summary, what you read in that what was you got, which was why I loved my summary. 1. Devil. 2. Hatred of Rias. 3. His feelings for her.

I also wanted him to act super tsundere for a little, just because.

I didn't want to go absolutely by introducing idea after idea, plot line after plot line. Or like, following canon. I think my projected total word count was 45k – 50k words. In which we went about 60k. Close enough.

However, that doesn't mean I did everything perfect. There are always things I could have done better. I mean. I did start this project drunk. I did intend to have some characters return, but I didn't follow through with that.

I did leave quite a few things for a sequel, which would make easier transitions for if/when I do. However, I currently have no plans to write a sequel at this point of time. I might do a epilogue or something.

Also, because, there are two directions I can bring a sequel. One lighter hearted and comedic, the other serious. They're nothing more than concepts, so nothing's set in stone. I can always fuse them.

Anyway, thank you for reaching the end of my silly story. If you read my other projects, then I'll be seeing you there. Wither is something I'd like to get back too.