The Formula Of Life
Chapter 7: Kill The Innocence P2
Having finally lost his consciousness to the embrace of slumber, Tatsumi had hoped for a silent rest. While the kiss of sleep had been effective on the mentally and physically tired young man, Tatsumi had never expected his dreams to take him somewhere else. Finding himself in a frozen tundra, Tatsumi's eyes widened at the harsh and unforgiving conditions of the land. Though the hissing winds carrying blankets of freezing snow pelted against his exposed skin, Tatsumi's focus was never on the raucous cry of the wind. No, his focus was on the pair of gleaming red eyes staring upon him.
There they were again, the eerie red eyes. Those familiar eyes had haunted his dreams for a great deal of time, forever engraving his mind of the menacing red eyes filled with hunger.
"Finally human... We meet again..."
The voice was deep and rumbled along the very edges of his mind, resonating from ever inch of his surroundings. Tatsumi forced down his own feelings of fear and slowly forced his numb body forward. Moving step by step, Tatsumi fought off the shroud of fear that had shimmered over his body. The thing before him was what had caused him all that trouble. Tatsumi wanted answers, if Naruto couldn't give it to him, it would.
"I want answers!" Tatsumi all but demanded.
If the creature had been impressed with his facade, it did not show a sign. Crimson eyes studying him closely, Tatsumi reigned in his own shaking fist, hoping to put on an act of bravery. Or erase the fear that had been etched into his very own heart.
"Well? I'm waiting!" Tatsumi yelled once again, this time confidence wrapping its comforting hands around his heart.
"Interesting... Whether it is courage or ignorance, we shall see..."
A pregnant silence filled the air, as the human and the beast engaged in a silent battle of the wills, the harsh climate continued to rage on before them. Minutes passed without either side willing to back down. Tatsumi remained defiant against the animistic eyes.
"Very well then... A single question human... Use it wisely..."
The even tone broke the tense silence, ending the battle of the wills. Tatsumi kept his triumphant smile in check and settled for a nod instead. Though the small under layer of respect hidden by the creature's booming voice was not left unnoticed. Pondering on a question, Tatsumi scrunched his features before an idea dawned upon his features.
"Just what are you?"
Walking through the gates of Kuoh Academy, Naruto caught a fleeting glance at the rising sun before being ushered along by the wave of excitable students. Flanked by both members of his oh so small Peerage, Naruto walked on heading straight for the classes assigned to him. Ignoring the hushed whispers floating all around him, Naruto and his two companions fought off the giggles and whispers in their own way. While Reinhard smiled pleasantly at the silent compliments, Hilda on the other hand held a scowl of annoyance. Further irritating the young maid, Motohama and Matsuda gleefully watched her walk away, seemingly enjoying the deathly glare they received from the blonde beauty.
"Hilda, we don't kill humans..." Naruto muttered. As he gave his Queen a steadfast glance. The two blondes shared a look before Hilda huffed in compliance, only to have her anger ignited once again by the delightful cries of the two perverts. "No matter how perverted they are..."
Adding the last part as an afterthought, Naruto with the assistance of Reinhard ushered Hilda inside the school building and away from the perverted duo. Making their way through the student packed halls of Kuoh, Naruto's eyes rose ever so slightly when they landed on Tatsumi's familiar figure standing a distance away from himself. Giving the human a friendly wave, Naruto noted the human's slight change of posture but decided to no comment on it.
"Tatsumi, good to see you!" Naruto greeted with a smile.
"Uzumaki-san... We need to talk..." Tatsumi said, voice lacking the friendliness and warmth it once held days ago.
Nodding his head in compliance, Naruto gestured for the human to lead the way. Though the sudden change in demeanor had raised some flags, Naruto held a spark of interest of the events to transpire. Following the brunette as he lead them through the maze of hallways and up numerous flights of stairs, Naruto and his Peerage soon found themselves standing upon the roof of one of the many buildings that made up Kuoh.
"Uzumaki-san... This is about Hyoudou-san..." Tatsumi began, clearly unsure as to how to begin the conversation. Highlighting his nervousness was the twitch of his fingers followed by the clenching of said fingers. "His girlfriend... She isn't human, is she?"
"Oh? What makes ya' say that, Tatsumi?" Naruto asked.
Neither Reinhard nor Hilda showed signs of acknowledgement towards the claim, but their eyes had said it all. The slight rise of their eyebrows and shift of their pupils had been quite enough for Naruto to note their own surprise in the claim. Even so, none of the Devils overlooked the slight change in both attitude and posture.
Faltering under the gazes, Tatsumi attempted to vocalized his theory with little success. His theory revolved around the idea of his newly acknowledged Devil classmates believing the dragon sealed within his body. Though the idea itself held its own form of chaotic irregularity, the fact he even had Devil's attending his school was placed among the category the dragon sealed within him was.
"I-"
"Sacred Gear huh?" Naruto asked cheerfully, "Ya' managed to use one of its abilities already, huh? Tatsumi?"
"W-well... Something along those lines..."
"Ah... So that Sacred Gear of yours is hosting a creature..."
"H-how did y-"
Naruto withheld a small chuckle upon sight of the dumbfounded expression Tatsumi wore upon his visage. Spending a lifetime as the Hokage, Naruto had picked up a few tricks when it came to reading an individuals thoughts. Basing the assumptions out of the target's body language and movements, Naruto had easily been able to decipher Tatsumi's thoughts with little to no effort. The human's lack of concealment in addition to his tired mind had allowed a successful passage towards the realm of answers.
Stopping himself, Tatsumi's eyes widened upon spotting the knowing smile Naruto now wore.
Soaring through the moonless light, Kalawarner basked in the embrace of the frigid air, her skimpy outfit doing little to shield her from the forceful winds. Her visage withheld little emotion, other than the wicked grin eagerly gnawing at her lips. The pieces had been set and their debut would soon come. The Nun lied within the confines of their base of operations, her presence was the only factor left. The building excitement hammered against her chest, driving her further towards the abandoned church minutes away. Seconds from her target, Kalawarner felt pain.
Unquestionable blood splattered against her outfit, drenching the once beautiful fabric in metallic red. Dark blue eyes landing upon the arrow woven of numerous black filaments, she uttered a whimper of pain before a second arrow pierced the most precious piece of her body. Her beloved wings. The source of her never ending pride was left punctured and ruined. Body shrouded in a cloak of warmth, Kalawarner had little time to react against the surprising attack. Leaving her to the mercy of gravity. In seconds she would splatter against the un-moving ground leaving her as nothing more than a splatter of red.
Though the Fallen-Angel was ready for death, fate had other ideas. The black filaments which had pierced her body moments ago, unraveled themselves and entangled her busty figure. Escaping the confines of her body had been excruciating, it felt like a colony of ants marching out of her, the filaments attached themselves to others, binding her in a cocoon.
"You chose a bad day to fly, Fallen-Angel." The condescending voice of Hilda said.
Glaring at the blonde woman standing before her, Kalawarner hissed in response. Struggling against the crushing binds holding her a feet above the ground, she pushed the painful stings resonating from her two, heavily bound wounds, to the back of her mind. Focusing on her capture, Kalawarner continued to venomously glare.
"Devil!" She hissed. "Once Raynare finds out of this, she will come for me! Mark my words Devil! When I am free, I shall-"
Kalawarner never finished her sentence, the filaments raveled around her figure hurriedly disentangled themselves. Seconds later, she was left on her knees no longer held by the binds. In the span of ten seconds, Kalawarner regained her thoughts and the boiling rage exploded. Equipping a hand with a Light spear, she growled murderously before charging in blind fury. Flinging the weapon forward, she spawned a second before continuing her charge.
Hilda remained still, watching the Fallen-Angel's charge like a sentinel. Green eyes unchanged by the screeches of murder filling the silent night. Clasping the handle of her umbrella, the Devil flicked her wrist swiftly, allowing the hidden blade to spring from its scabbard and slice the incoming Light spear. Shattering the weakly constructed weapon, Hilda took a single step forward and leaned forward. Bringing the blade forward, the blonde Devil clashed it against the second Light spear within Kalawarner's hands, transfixing the weapon. Finishing its journey through the Light spear, Hilda's blade found refuge within Kalawarner's exposed bosom, sliding through the Fallen-Angel, swiftly ending her life.
"What a bother..." Hilda muttered, flicking the fresh blood off of her precious blade. "Just what are you planning, Astaroth... Allowing the human to go attack the abandoned church on his own..."
"Do you always think I'm planning something, Hilda?" Came the response.
Answering the question with a snort, Hilda sheathed her blade and turned towards her fellow blonde. Leaning against the trunk of a tree, Naruto smiled pleasantly at the other blonde without a care in his cheerful eyes. The same eyes that had captured her years ago, binding her upon the very same principles she had look down upon.
"And if he dies?"
"He wont." Naruto answered. "Reinhard is with him. I am confident he can keep Tatsumi and that pervert alive from a couple of second rate exorcists."
Accepting his response, Hilda noted the forceful change of topic but made no comment of it. The blonde she had accompanied for years remained a mystery to her till this day. The mystery of Naruto Astaroth continued to grow with each passing day, remaining unsolved. The mask of cheerfulness he constantly wore drove many away from the erected barrier.
"Just what are you hiding?"
Trekking into the exposed headquarters of the gathered Fallen-Angels, Tatsumi mentally prepared himself for the fight to come. Hands tightly wrapped around the handle of his Sacred Gear, Tatsumi steeled his nerves and glared at the short sword hosting his newly minted partner. Their daily exchanges had been both insightful and annoying. The creature's continuous pestering combined with his existence within a female dominated high school had resulted in a number of curious situations. Nevertheless, its offer of power had been seductive. His mentally during the near death situation involving the stray Devil had been frightening, the creature knew just how to use his words.
"We have to go now! Asia could be in trouble!" Issei hissed impatiently. Driving a foot into the ground below, digging through the thin layer of dirt, Issei frowned dangerously as the seconds ticked away without any form of action from the other two. "We can't wait any longer, Pretty boy!"
Acknowledging the comment with a smile, Reinhard unsheathed the blade resting beside his hip. "Very well then, Issei-san. We shall attack now."
Without a second thought, Issei charged. Blowing past the large wooden doors in front of them, the newly reincarnated Devil bellowed in rage as he rushed inside. Following the pervert with diverging emotions playing across their visage, both Tatsumi and Reinhard readied their respected blades. Within seconds of their intrusion, a number of exorcists flooded the aging room with light swords in hand.
"Devil! How dare you enter a location of the Lord!" One of the exorcists bellowed in rage.
"Where's Asia!" Issei growled. "Tell me!"
"Hmph, a shitty Devil like you won't need ta' know about that shitty nun~"
The all too familiar voice rang loud and clear. Reinhard frowned upon the sight of the man standing before him. His fingers tightened around his blade, Reinhard glared at the smiling man. Dancing across his pounding chest, the young swordsman felt an emotion he had long grown foreign to, anger.
"If it ain't the little shit I played with a few years ago~" Freed cheerfully smiled. "The old bastard Valper ain't here ta' bother with me, so how bout' I kill ya' tonight~?"
Chapter end
Sorry for the short chapter, I was busy with some other task so I just decided to post this short little chapter. Anyways, I will post more chapters soon for my three stories and hopefully go on a schedule. Eh, we'll see. Anyways, hope you guys liked this and it is only a small build up for the fights ahead. Please leave a review and thanks for reading!
King: Naruto Astaroth (Uzumaki)
Queen: Hildegarde (Beelzebub)
Knight: Reinhard van Astrea (Re: Zero)
Rook x2: ?
Bishop x2: ?
Pawn x8: ?
