Asia Argento didn't really understand how it happened, only that it did.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"I'll get it, Naruto-sama!"
"Please stop calling me that." The blond grumbled. "And don't bother, it's probably just another faction group come to pick a fight."
"You would think that they'd know better by now."
Bright blue eyes shifted to the woman floating next to him, her legs crossed and a blank expression on her pale face. Ophis had decided to remain in her adult form ever since the taco shack incident and he still wasn't one-hundred percent used to it. Naruto caught of glimpse of Vali's blush, his beady eyes shifting ever so slightly toward the woman's bust, and he stifled a smile.
I suppose I'm not the only one who isn't used to it. Naruto mused to himself, watching with barley contained amusement as the youth suddenly toppled over while holding his gut, a bit of blood leaking through the cracks of his clenched teeth.
Ophis smirked at the sounds of his gagging. "Keep mopping albino, oh and, you missed a spot." An ethereal snake phased through the ground right after the words left her lips, the area it touched turning a wicked black, the wood rotting away in seconds.
His good mood was ruined.
"My floor..." Naruto mumbled, shocked. "Why the floor...?"
He stood there in a daze for a moment only staring at the still smoking wood before he immediately threw himself onto his knees, a brush and a bottle of bleach magically appearing in his hands and a wild look in his eyes.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Asia watched this all happen in wonder. Practically hypnotized by it all. No matter how many times she stood off to the side and quietly watched them be them, it still amazed her. Exactly a month had passed since she'd decided to make a deal with this proverbial devil, who promised to grant her ultimate desire so long as she was willing to pay the price. After everything that had happened to her prior to their meeting, the choice was almost painfully obvious. At this point Asia was willing to pay any price.
"I'll just go and get the door then..." She trailed off, a sheepish smile on her lithe features.
Naruto nodded in the midst of his furious scrubbing. "Fine! But don't say I didn't warn you! You might end up having to heal another one of Vali's limbs again!"
The teen in question groaned. "Boss...why does she hurt me?"
Now she was here, one of them. Asia Argento had pledged her heart and soul to Naruto Uzumaki, to them, and to this place. But...
They were odd.
This place was odd.
And Naruto Uzumaki...he was the oddest of them all.
She didn't fit in with them, it was just that cut and dry, there was no other excuse. A tiny part of her regretted saying yes that day because of the fact, but she knew it was too late to turn back now, far too late. Asia was inches away from opening the door when it swung open, the sudden rush of wind sending her long flowing hair whipping about.
"Naruto Uzumaki! I challenge you!" Sirzech waltzed in, easily stepping past a dumbstruck Asia and pointing a finger at the madly scrubbing blond. "Last night was a fluke! There's no way in my nine hell's that you could have out-drank me! I'm hundreds of years old and a damn devil!"
"Damn it Dad, why me...?" Azazel sighed as he followed behind the eccentric Lucifer. "Tch, I really am starting to sound like Micheal."
"Ah...welcome to the Gutsy Toad...?"
Asia caught the brief wave from Azazel and visibly drooped.
The ex-General of Heaven and leader of the Fallen Angel's. The current Lucifer and head of the Underworld. The dragon of the void...
And him.
If she were to be honest with herself, Asia would admit to feeling like an ant standing among giants sometimes...just waiting to be crushed.
"Shut it you sore loser!" Naruto snapped, clenching the now dirty brush and swinging it dangerously at the crimson Satan. "I won fair and square, now get the hell out of my shop! I have to clean this damn stain that somebody," he paused to glare at Ophis, who only flipped a page in response. "made without bothering to stop and think first! Shame on you! This took me an hour to make!"
"Screw you I don't care about any of that! You cheated because you have, like, nine different livers right?! That's cheating!"
Naruto snarled.
"I have the normal amount of livers, thank you very much."
"I bet you don't even know how many livers a normal person has."
"S-Shut up! I totally do!"
Vali groaned, his knees pulled up and arms wrapped around them as his entire body rattled. "Help me..." He whispered, vision foggy. Let it be known that Ophis never held back.
"Actually, you should come with us. We have an interesting bit of news you might want to hear about." Azazel stopped a few inches from the raving blond, as cool as a cucumber draped in black, a smirk on his handsome face. "It might just be very important to you."
Naruto looked up at the older man skeptically.
"You sounded like a total weirdo just now."
Azazel deadpanned in response. "Look damn you, it's about your story. You said you crossed dimensions right?" At Naruto's nod, the Fallen continued. "Well we..." He suddenly paused, his violet eyes taking in the weird shop and its occupants until they landed on blue. "We might have figured out a way for you to go back home, Naruto."
. . .
There was a notable silence that lingered for more than just a second, and for the first time in a very long time Naruto couldn't quite come up with an answer.
"What?"
Azazel nodded once.
"We have a lot to talk about and we can't talk about it here, it has to be in private." Sirzech picked up where his where the Fallen left off, all traces of humor gone. The sharp glint in his eyes and the thin lipped frown on his face were odd, to say the least. He truly looked the part of Lucifer now.
Naruto sighed and then turned to a still reading Ophis.
"Keep an eye on the place, I'll be back later."
"Yup."
"Oh and, Asia, can you heal Vali for me? Thank you!"
Without another word spoken between them the three vanished in a familiar swirl, leaving behind a deathly quiet room. Naruto never noticed the frown lingering over her features, hidden behind her manga, and Ophis didn't want him too.
The mood was soured in a split-second. The bright and clashing colors of the Gutsy Toad did little to fill the sudden bleakness that remained in their wake.
A way home...
It had never occurred to her, to any of them, that he even wanted to go home. But lately...he's been different. And she wasn't the only one to notice. Issei, Vali, even Kokabiel. They've all caught it. That shark grin didn't quite reach his eyes like usual, and when he looked at you, it seemed as if he could barley stand the sight.
It was Issei that said it the best however.
"That warm feeling I get whenever he's around...it's gone."
Something was up, something had been up for almost a week now. But what?
By the door, Asia bit her lip, unaware of anyone's thoughts but her own.
If he goes home...what happens to my wish?
The coffee shop they'd visited was busy, but Naruto managed to find a corner for them to sit and discuss what was a very important subject. At least to him it was.
"Alright, talk. What do you mean by go home?"
Azazel and Sirzech exchanged a glance.
"Actually, we're waiting for someone else to join us." The Fallen voiced.
"Someone else?" Naruto asked, his brow raised.
Azazel nodded. "Yeah, it's not normal for him to be late either." He half-shrugged. "Well I suppose we can fill you in on the details until he arrives. Ever since you declared war on every other standing faction things have gotten a little tense. Don't get me wrong, it did what was intended. No one is eager to cross you and your...er, shop anytime soon. Humanity is safe."
"The Fourth Faction." Sirzech interrupted. "That's what they're calling the Gutsy Toad, and you and your friends by extension."
Naruto beamed.
"Cool."
"Yes...You may have less than ten members in your group, but the weakest of you is still enough to wipe out a city. And the strongest...Tch, let's just say no one is all that willing to go toe to toe with the Great Red anytime soon."
"Man, why does Red always get all the credit? Just because he's bigger doesn't mean he's stronger. I can take him!"
"Never-mind that. You and The Great Red both put on a helluva show last month. The Underworld is still reeling. A few of the Devil clans have actually united underneath your name and I'm pretty sure Ophis has a cult following." Sirzech interrupted again. "And from what Azazel told me, Micheal is up to his ass in complaints from various Arch-Angels and the Principalities. You really sent a message."
Naruto shrugged, leaning back onto his chair and leveled them both with a bland stare.
"That was the plan wasn't it? There's no point in being quiet about anything. Besides, I'm the best at being flashy and loud!"
Azazel chuckled at that. "That you are. However, like I said before, things are beyond tense between certain factions now. And there are rumors that a shady organization is acting behind it all."
"Okay, but what does any of this have to do with going home?"
"I'm getting to that." He said, crossing his arms. "I've a contact within that organization, we met up recently and he told me all that he knew. They don't have a name, but they do have an army, and a motive. To reach the 'other world'." Azazel paused to take a sip of his drink and let the information sink before continuing. "It may be a far cry from it, but that 'other world' might just be where you're from."
"When Azazel told me I asked Akuja to look into it, and lo and behold, there were a few notes and theories dating back to the first age. As it turns out The Rift where Ophis was born isn't as infinite as we first thought. It connects two points, our world..."
"...and mine." Naruto finished for him.
Sirzech nodded along. "We don't know why, but we do know that—"
"—I think I should take over from here." Three pairs of eyes moved to the fourth empty chair next to Azazel, where Micheal himself suddenly sat, a smile on his flawless face. "Ah, hello everyone. I apologize for being late. Gabriel insisted she come along and I had to explain why it was a bad idea for both of us to be gone during such a crucial moment."
"Wow, that was cool. I didn't even sense you." Naruto said, blinking.
Micheal's smile widened by a tiny margin. "Omnipotence." He explained. "One of the many abilities Heaven's Throne grants me. Azazel used to use it to peep on human women while they bathed behind Fathers back."
"Kehehe, damn good times."
Naruto smiled wordlessly. Most people hated the idea of peeping but the act only ever managed to remind him of Jiraiya.
"As Sirzech was about to tell you, this organization, who we believe to be scattered remains of what was the Khaos Brigade, want to awaken a creature that sleeps between this world and the other. The Beast of the Apocalypse. Trihexa. If Trihexa is gone, then passage to the other world is theoretically possible. However..." Micheal trailed off, taking a moment to judge each individual expression before continuing. "What I am about to tell you is my biggest secret, something even you don't know Azazel." He took a breath before continuing. "Our Father did not die in the Great War, only a shell of what remained died that day. Our Father...our real Father, gave his life to prevent that monster from ever waking up, for if it did, it would destroy everything and everyone."
. . .
"I know." Azazel said, taking another sip of his drink.
"Yes, I can see this might be a shock for you more than Naruto-san or Sirze—wait, what?"
"I know how He died. So do Naruto and Sirzech. I figured it all out a long time ago after I fell. The fact that I fell in general clued me into it."
Micheal coughed.
"Yes, well, uhh..."
"Ha! As awkward as ever! I really missed that about you brother." Azazel clapped his brothers back and grinned, ignoring Micheal's protest. "Bad news aside, sharing a morning with you makes this a great day!"
Naruto's smile stretched itself thin. Thankfully no one noticed.
"Trihexa..." Sirzech mumbled the name. "A being so powerful that The God of the Bible couldn't kill it, only seal it away." He sighed. "And here I thought we were finally making progress. It's like one step forward-twelve steps back, isn't it? Things aren't going too well downstairs either. There's been a lot of tension between the Pillar's and the Satan's, and someone is making moves behind my back that's bound to stir up trouble."
"Which is why we're all here now." Micheal said. " The leaders of our respective Faction, and yes, that includes you now Naruto." The angel silenced him with a glare before the blond could even speak. Somehow, even though it was a glare, the action was still relatively kind. "The church is angry, the God's are pissed, hell is a mess, and I'm losing my God damn mind in Heaven. We. Need. A plan."
Silence.
Naruto, Sirzech, and Azazel all simultaneously blinked.
"Damn brother, I didn't know you had it in you."
"Holy shit that's like the worst I've ever heard you say."
Naruto whistled in appreciation.
"S-Sorry." Micheal blushed at all the stares. Even the elderly couple a few tables away were looking at him. "I suppose I am a bit stressed."
"That's an understatement. I think the last time I remember you saying the word damn you locked yourself away for a whole year. Even Father couldn't get you to come out."
Naruto snickered at that. "That's funny. For being really strong, you sure are a big softie Micheal. No wonder Kokabiel never shuts up about you."
Micheal was inclined to ask what it was that Kokabiel said, but then he remembered the last time Kokabiel had visited, bringing an army of Naruto-clones and a few others unfamiliar faces, and he decided against it. It was nice to see Kokabiel again, but just as when he fell, the man's personality had done a complete one-eighty.
Amidst their tiny conversation, Sirzech snapped his fingers and grinned.
"I've got it!" All eyes turned to him, and very eagerly, the Satan explained. "I know how we can solve our problem! We just need to lure our enemies out of hiding, right? That way we can take them out all at once. So what better way to lure them out, then by giving them what they want? All of us, Hell, the Church, the Fallen, and Team Naruto! We'll get together and offer to talk about peace and all that good jazz! They won't be able to resist the opportunity! You'd have to be an idiot."
"That would be a good plan, if it didn't risk hundreds of lives." Azazel pointed out the one major flaw in his plan.
Micheal agreed. "Indeed. We might win, but at a cost. We'd be needlessly putting our people at risk."
Sirzech grinned in a very familiar fashion.
"Yeah...but we don't have to. You guy's forget about our secret weapon here. Ku ku ku..." Blue eyes shifted to Naruto, and he blinked in response.
"Who me? What am I gonna do? Oh! No wait don't tell me! You want me to recruit Red, and then both of us take a trip to the Rift and look for Trihexa and then we kick his or her ass and come back home right?! Cos I can totally make that happen!" The blond nodded along to his own plan.
"Uh...can you actually do that?" The Fallen general asked warily. "Isn't doing something like that, I don't know, stupid and suicidal?"
"Yep! But that's pretty much me! 50% stupid and 50% suicidal!"
"That isn't something to brag about..."
Naruto scoffed. "Of course it is. Besides, I think Red and I can handle ourselves just fine. It'll be a good bonding experience and if anything goes wrong I'll just blink us back. Granted I'll be entirely drained and at the brink of death considering how intense the battle will be and warping something as huge as Red will probably suck the life out of me, but hey, I haven't died yet so fuck it."
The two brothers were about to interject yet again, when Sirzech interrupted them.
"Hmm. Okay. You should do that, but first, listen to my plan." Two sets of eyes glared daggers his way, and the redhead shrugged in response. "What? You guys don't know Narubro like I do. We spend a lot of time together. Besides, he's got us watching his back so he'll be fine. All we have to do is be ready."
Azazel blinked. "That was actually pretty inspiring."
Micheal half-nodded. "Indeed."
"You two are like two peas in a pod. You know that?" The both scoffed at the same time, and Sirzech stifled a smirk at the act. "Anyway, back to my master plan. So check this out guys first we..."
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN JUST LET HIM GO?!"
Issei flinched at the sound of Vali's screaming. The ivory haired teen was, for once, glaring Ophis down, his nose barley inches away from hers. A visible fire in his eyes and a snarl marking his boyish features. Long story short, Vali was pissed. Why? Because Naruto Uzumaki, the wayward Shopkeeper, might have finally found a way back home.
And that meant that...
That he'd be leaving us.
"I mean exactly what I said. If that idiot decides to leave, let him leave." Ophis said, glaring back in her own way. Meaning that her eyes were narrowed ever so slightly. Also, a black and vile aura was seeping from her body. Ophis too, was pissed.
"A-Ah, w-we shouldn't be f-fighting." Asia tried to intervene but found that the combined pressure of both of their energies was too much for her, she could barely speak let alone move.
Her words fell on deaf ears, as expected.
"Don't you realize what this means? Boss won't be around anymore! He won't train me or the idiot, or go shopping with Asia, or spend time with you! No one is going to do that stuff for us anymore. Does that not matter to you?! Does he not matter to you?!"
Issei was at odds. This was the first time he'd ever seen Vali riled up about anything. And while his words did sting, they were true. Naruto had become a constant in their lives. Each of them derived something from him, a hole inside of their chests was filled because of him. Naruto had put the entirety of all humanity on his back for fuck's sake! He couldn't just leave! Right?!
He...He couldn't... At his sides, Issei's hands wound themselves into tightly clenched fists. Even Ddraig was upset.
Asia caught the act and she frowned. This is terrible. The ex-nun watched the edges of Ophis's lips twitch and a flicker of something come to life in her eyes. She watched the womans mouth open to speak, and her entire froze when the sudden wave of dread crashed over her and a vile feeling crept up her spine. And she, no, all of them, waited with bated breaths on what Ophis would say.
It was terrifying. They were terrifying. And he...
He was...he was...
He was standing at the open door of the backroom with a confused look plastered on his face.
"Yo, did you guys crank down the AC again? I told you not to do that, damn it!" Naruto cursed, crossing his arms and frowning. Like that the tension dissolved in seconds.
"Boss! You're back!"
"That I am my pupil, but not for long. I'm going out for like one to three days at the least, I don't know. It all depends on how long we take."
"We?" Ophis asked. "You haven't mentioned anything to me about another trip."
Naruto shook his head. "Afraid you're not coming on this one O. It's actually Red and I who are taking a road trip. You know, quality bro-time and all that good stuff. Plus I'm pretty sure he's going through a mid-life crisis right now after stuffing his face full of cow so I think he'll appreciate the chance to feel young again."
"Ah-huh...well, I suppose I'll just look after the shop then?"
"You know it!" Naruto blinked. "Oh, and hey Issei! Sorry I can't stick around buddy but I gotta go! Super important business to attend too and all that! Asia keep reading up on those books I lent you, and don't worry I'll be back before you know it! Everyone...be nice to her." He finished with a thin, totally non-threatening smile. "Anyway I'm off. I've got a date with Trihexa, bye guys!"
Ophis's eyes widened.
"Wait what—?!"
Unfortunately, Naruto was gone before she could even begin her sentence.
. . .
"Did he just say...Trihexa? As in...Eater of Worlds? Master of Death? God of Destruction? End of all things Trihexa?" Vali uttered, stupefied.
Ophis openly fumed. "That fucking moron!"