Disclaimer: First Chapter
Story Start!

The training had been going well enough.

'Well... honestly this is less about training Kiba, Akeno, and me... it's more about Asia and Issei catching up to us. Still... no, it's not surprising I guess.' Koneko thought to herself as she punched her punching bag. She was improving her stamina and ability to fight for prolonged periods of time by doing basic work outs like boxing, weight lifting, and moving her body as much as she could.

She had a lot of slack she had to pick up.

Rias planned to have her cover for Issei as he gathered power in his Boosted Gear, Issei's new Dragon Shot technique was going to be a trump card for them. It took more than 120 seconds for it to charge up though, since to use it at full power he needed to Boost himself 12 times. It was the second strongest attack, not counting Naruto, that any of them could do if you didn't count Rias unleashing all of her magic.

"... Selfish bastard..."

'Kiba and Akeno have been like this too... but they didn't understand the look in Naruto's eyes.' Koneko was training in the same room as Kiba, who was practicing his swordsmenship. Kiba and Akeno had taken Naruto's refusal to help harder than anyone else, being furious with him over it.

Even Rias was less angry than they were, actually more than any of them Rias seemed to be the most understanding of Naruto. Even Asia was more upset over what Naruto was doing than Rias was.

"I still can't believe it, after everything she has done for all of us... and he can't even be bothered to act like he cares." Kiba ranted to Koneko. Even if Asia and Issei were upset with Naruto, they were still his friends and Kiba wasn't free to speak this stuff in front of them. Koneko lowered her fist before she could strike the punching bag again.

Koneko bit her lip.

Should she say what she was feeling?

'Akeno still rejects her Fallen Angel side, and I reject my Nekoshou side, you're still obsessed over revenge, and Gasper is still sealed away... These are our biggest problems, and Rias hasn't really done anything for them. She has shown all of us love and affection, but the main focus of her efforts has always been Riser and the marraige.' Koneko decided against saying it out loud. She didn't want to ruin her friendship with Kiba over it. She loved him very dearly, like a brother that she had known for years, and to ruin what they had because she had awoken to an uncomfortable truth would hurt her too much.

She would hold her tongue.

"To-... Naruto, holds Rias to a higher standard than we do. It would be... unfair for us to make him fight, for a cause he doesn't believe in... Anyway, it's not like any of us are going to be doing our all to help Rias anyway... we love her, but I don't see any of us..." Koneko couldn't say her true thoughts, but she still had trouble keeping her mouth shut. So instead she tried to phrase it in a way that would be the least offensive to Kiba.

Kiba tossed his sword on the ground in anger.

"I'm going to do my best! All of us are doing our best to get stronger, and we're going to do our best for Buchou! You can't tell me that we-"

"We're all hypocrites, the only people being honest here are Naruto, Asia, and Issei! Asia and Issei are helping Rias because they truly believe they should, and Naruto is refusing to help because he believes he shouldn't! I love Rias, I love her a lot, and even I'm being a hypocrite!" Koneko shouted out at Kiba.

Koneko changed.

A tail appeared out of her read end, and she grew two white cat ears on top of her head. She gripped her fists tightly. Kiba stopped what he was about to say, and he looked down at his own hands as he understood what Koneko was saying now.

"... Only... you, me, and Akeno... we're the problem."

"Yeah... Akeno refuses to use her Fallen Angel powers, you refuse to use your second Sacred Gear, and I refuse to use my Nekoshou powers. We all say we're going to help her, but we clearly don't care enough to give it our all... we're disgusting hypocrites. Be mad at Naruto all you want, but at least he will give his all into doing what he believes must be done." Koneko agreed with Kiba when he realized what her point was.

If the three of them all gave it their all, then Riser's peerage wouldn't stand a chance against them. Akeno's Holy Lightning, Kiba's Holy swords, and her own Senjutsu would allow them to take a victory with ease if they so desired to. They would fight for Rias, and give it their all of course.

Only so long as "their all" didn't involve using those abilities.

"I can't... I refuse to use Holy swords, I can help Rias win using only Sword Birth instead of Blade Blacksmith... I don't need it. I don't need to use something... No... you're right... I'm such a damn hypocrite, aren't I?" Kiba whispered to himself when he tried to argue against Koneko.

He had to stop himself, because the very fact that he tried to find an excuse not to use his own power to help Rias was enough for him to see his own fault. He hated to come to terms with it, but his trauma with Holy swords was still as strong as ever.

"If you understand that, then how can you be angry with Naruto for just following his own beliefs? At least, unlike us, he isn't giving a half-assed effort to help Rias. Naruto is showing her far more respect than we are." Koneko had a couple of tears forming at the edges of her eyes. Days and days of training, and thinking about this, had left her with no choice but to come to terms with her own powerlessness.

She was strong, but she was too weak to accept herself for who she was. Unlike Naruto, who followed his own path and walked in front of all of them. If he believed something was worth fighting for, he fought with all he had. If he believed something wasn't worth fighting for, then he put no effort into fighting at all.

He didn't "half-ass" anything.

"Respect!?" Kiba couldn't believe that Naruto was doing that.

"Actually, I agree with Koneko."

Rias spoke up as she entered the room.

"BUCHOU!?" Kiba and Koneko shouted in shock, and Koneko sucked her ears and tail back into her body out of shock. She returned to the form they were all used to, and Rias just smiled sadly as she saw that.

More proof of her failure.

"... You can't be serious, you approve of his actions?" Kiba asked her, since she was the one who should be the most hurt by Naruto.

Rias nodded her head.

"I do, I think what Naruto is doing is the right thing for him to do. Naruto was the only person looking at this from an unbiased point of view. Yes, I do have a responsibility to others, and Naruto understands that. He puts others before himself, even before becoming a Devil you all saw him willing to die for the students of this school... because he believed it was his duty. That is the standard he holds me up to." Rias had been there, she had seen Naruto take bullets for the students, regular humans, of Kuoh Academy when the yakuza came to get him. He fought for others before he fought for himself, he had the mentality that needed to be respected.

He was showing his respect towards her position, he was actually treating her with respect by putting the same standards on her that he held for himself.

"I bet if your life was in danger, he wouldn't lift a finger to help you though!"

"My life isn't in danger, but honestly... Koneko, you know him better than I do. If I was in danger, would Naruto save my life?" Rias asked Koneko, and the girl had to pause.

She nodded her head.

Naruto wouldn't be happy about it, but he would give his all to save Rias' life if she was in danger. He would put aside his personal issues with Rias and save her life, giving it his all the entire time, to ensure that Rias 'the person' survived.

"I'm sorry Rias... I'm sorry that I can't give my all to help you... I just can't... I can't use Holy swords... no matter what, it's what I refuse to do-" Kiba was stopped when Rias wrapped her arms around him. She held him gently and lovingly, and she gently pat the back of his head while holding him to her chest.

She grabbed Koneko and pulled her into the embrace.

"Don't apologize, because I should be sorry. I've always thought that just showering you with love would fix everything, but I was wrong. I've been neglecting both of you, Akeno and Gasper too, for a long time. I should have been putting more effort into honestly helping you, but I thought as long as you were happy on the outside, eventually your problems would fix themselves. I've been very selfish and naive." Rias spoke tearfully to them.

Naruto's look to her had said it all, and she had understood what she had done to gain his ire. Naruto was very good at picking out problems with others, and he had her pegged from the very beginning.

"I'll do better... I'll be an even better knight, I'll get stronger and stronger for you." Kiba promised Rias as he wrapped his arms around her, accepting her affection.

Koneko would talk, but her face was on level with Rias' chest and was currently being completely smothered by it. She moved her face around enough so that part of it came out from Rias' cleavage.

'... I understand what Rias lacks...' Koneko thought to herself.

The capacity of a King.

Those words made sense now to her, the thing that Naruto had that Rias lacked was the ability to change others. Just by existing, Naruto was changing them all. His very existance in their lives was helping them to grow. The growth of a nation, the growth of a people, the growth of a person, those were all things to be inspired by a great king. Rias lacked the ability to help others grow through her own actions, she needed others to help her make changes. Rias admitting her own fault, and Koneko understanding what made Naruto special, both were needed before it finally clicked with Koneko.

'When I'm around Naruto, he makes me want to believe in him. His kindness, his strength, his glory... I want to be stronger, to become a better version of myself not just so I can help him, but so I can help others. Thank you Naruto... thank you for bringing me closer to Rias.' Koneko thought to herself. She finally accepted the hug and returned it, using her small arms to hug both Kiba and Rias at once.

There were no tears in her eyes, only the glint of happiness and hope.

"Koneko?" Rias asked when she saw the glint there.

Koneko just gave an honest smile.

"... I think I'm going to chase Naruto, who better than somebody like me to stand by his side? Somebody has to be there to tease him and knock his ego down a peg." Koneko stated to Rias and Kiba.

Both of them laughed a little.

"Go for it, that ego of his needs somebody like you." Kiba snorted in amusement, letting go of Rias and Koneko. "I'm going to train even harder than before. If you're going to try harder, then I'm going to try even harder than that. Only 2 days left until the Rating Game, I'm sure that I can make some progress in that time." Kiba told Rias as he got his sword ready for even more training.

Rias smiled at him.

"Once all of this is over, I'm going to set you up with a real therapist to deal with your issues. It's time we stop pretending everything is okay. Koneko-"

Koneko brought out her cat ears and tail again.

Rias was surprised.

"... I'm not ready to trust myself with Senjutsu just yet, but I need to stop running from myself. If you're strong enough to admit you've failed us, then I'm going to become stronger to support everyone. I'm not some weak kitten, if I want to be strong enough to chase a king, then I need to become a great lion." Koneko slammed her fist into her chest, right dead in the center, and showed her commitment.

Rias reached out to pat the top of her head, but she stopped and pulled her hand back, before she gave Koneko a thumbs up.

"Very well, show me you've got what it takes. I'll do my best to support you and your ambition, if there is anybody out there who can do it, my Koneko is that person. After all, I doubt any woman other than Asia and you even have a chance of getting Naruto-"

-In the Underworld-

"Well... she passes with flying colors!"

"Archer, you fucking idiot, her head was blasted clean off. How is that a pass?" Naruto asked as he looked at a headless Ravel, who was on the ground regenerating her lost head. In seconds she had her head back, and stared at Nobunaga with a look of anger.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?"

"You passed!"

"YOU BLASTED MY HEAD OFF!"

"Well, you still passed my test. You beat me in a game of Shogi, so you passed!" Nobunaga told her with pride.

The girl was highly intelligent, and of great breeding!

"You. Blasted. My. Head. Off. WHY!?"

"I don't like to lose, doesn't matter if it was a test or not. You beat me, so I needed to teach you a lesson. Just because you beat me, doesn't mean you won." Nobunaga stated with a grin. Naruto and Ravel just looked at her like she was an idiot, but Naruto shook his head in acceptance.

Ravel just sighed.

1 Test left.

"By the way, next is my Assassin... Jack the Ripper."

Fuck.

Chapter End!
Please Leave Me Lots of Nice Long Reviews, But No Flames Please!

Saber - Pass
Archer - Pass
Lancer - Fail
Assassin - Undecided
Berserker - Fail
Rider - Fail
Caster - Fail
Ruler - Pass
Foreigner - Pass