The Fallen One
Chapter Five
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or High School DxD
RECAP:
"Hahaha… it is over now, thief!" Victor stabbed his broadsword into the ground, and rested his hands on it, while the massive lion roared behind him. "Now that Leo has come, you have no chance, so just tell me where she is!"
Naruto pulled himself off the ground, and ran a finger over the claw mark on his chest, "That's probably leaving a scar…" His eyes narrowed at the massive lion, and then he growled. "It's on now, you beast!"
"I can not believe you are losing to an idiot like this."
"Shut up, Ruin!" Naruto spun his sheath around so that the open part faced the lion, and his eyes started to glow a bright blue, "Lightning storm!" As soon as those words left his mouth, arcs of lightning flowed out of it and ran across the ground, before spiking into the air in a crisscross manner, while heading toward the lion at impressive speed.
The lion roared again, and then disappeared in a great show of speed. It dashed toward Naruto with a roar, but he just smiled. "As I thought." Naruto stepped on an arc of lightning, and then burst toward the lion, while flickering in and out of its view. He appeared to the left of it, and when it clawed at him, he disappeared and suddenly slashed the lion on its left side. After that Naruto went straight for the still laughing Victor, catching him slightly off guard, and slashing the man across the chest in the process, which made blood rush out of the wound and onto Narutos' sword.
He then disappeared and reappeared where he first stood, while smirking. When the massive lion saw him and ran at him, he just pointed the tip of his sheath at it, "Leo, meet my Leo." His sword pulsed with orange energy and then a massive stream of orange energy flew out of the sheath which formed a massive lion. Naruto's eyes glowed another bright blue as he spun his sheath around again, and poured even more lightning energy into the arcs on the ground. The arcs pulsed, and shot out more spikes, which stabbed into Victors' Leo, and then his own Leo rushed at it and bit into its neck.
Victors' Leo roared in pain, and tried to wrestle itself free from the attacks, but lightning spikes kept piercing its body and the other Leo would not let go of it. Victor watched with wide eyes as his partner was systematically destroyed in front of his eyes, "Damn you, Naruto!" He ripped his broadsword out of the ground and dashed toward Naruto, with his broadsword ready to rip Naruto apart.
Naruto's eyes dashed around, taking in Victors' movements, and when it gave off a blue hue he stepped on a lightning arc and disappeared. Naruto immediately appeared behind Victor and slashed at him, and when the man blocked his slash, Naruto pointed his sheath at him and countless claws shot out of it and tore into him.
Victor was sent crashing across the ground, and barreled into his almost dead partner. Naruto gripped his aching chest and just grit his teeth, "Time to finish this." He smeared two of his blood-soaked fingers across his sword, and it gave off a golden glow this time. "Time to die, Victor Angel!"
Victor smirked when he could feel Leo behind him, and then he touched the pendant hanging around his neck, "Next time, Naruto the chosen one." A golden light shot out of the sky and enveloped Victor and his lion, when it disappeared they were gone.
Naruto blinked in surprise, and his sword abruptly stopped glowing, "He ran away? What the hell?" As soon as he finished speaking, both his sword and sheath disappeared, and the pain from his chest greatly increased as a result. "Damn you… Ruin." He clutched at his chest, and sunk down to one knee in the process.
"Naruto! …*gasp* I came *gasp* as soon *gasp* as I could!"
Naruto turned his head in the direction of the voice, and saw a very pale and exhausted Tojiro swaying toward him. "Tojiro, what happened to you?"
Tojiro wiped the sweat from his brow and basically collapsed beside Naruto, "The sun man, I can't take anymore *gasp*" He crawled into Naruto's shadow and sighed in relief, "I was in such a hurry after Samael called me, that I forgot to take a cloak!"
Naruto winced in pain as he stood up, and then gave Tojiro a deadpan look, "Wow, you're pathetic man." He extended his hand toward Tojiro, and then smiled, "Thanks for coming though."
Tojiro took his hand, and then leaned on him for support when they started walking, "By the way, I saw that cute devil you've been with… huh, huh." He smirked at Naruto, and wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner, "She was so worried about you, dude… but don't worry, I sent her home."
Naruto sighed as he listened to Tojiro, and considered just dropping him and walking away, but decided not to. "Look, I hope you didn't talk to her like this man, it will just scare her off."
"Hey, who do you think I am? Of course I acted normal around her!"
"Naru-chan~!"
Naruto sighed yet again, when he heard Hinan calling out to him, and then saw her waving at him while sitting on a destroyed building while casually swinging her feet. "Hey, sensei."
Hinan suddenly appeared in front of Naruto and started to poke his wound, making him wince in the process. "Oooo~! That sure looks nasty, wonder if it will leave a scar! Any~way, so I saw most of the fight and I must say~ I'm curious how you stole that guys techniques!" She gasped dramatically and looked at Naruto with fear in her eyes, "Did you steal mine as well! *gasp* how dare you?! …just kidding, Fufufu, it's okay if you steal mine."
Naruto glared at Hinan, "Please tell me you weren't casually watching my fight, while deciding not to help me!"
"Well~…" Hinan gave Naruto an innocent smile and said, "You see, I sensed the energy going off close to you, and came to see what happened. Then I heard you tell that girl that this is your fight, soooo~ I thought I'd see what happens. And here we are!" She clapped her hands with a bright smile, as if she just saw a performance she liked.
"You're supposed to be my sensei, and that means helping me out from time to time!"
Hinan silenced Naruto by putting a finger over his lips, "Shh… and just enjoy the feeling of victory. Now come on! My daughter will patch you up!" With that said, she created a vortex and stepped through it.
Tojiro staggered after Naruto through the vortex, he stumbled as he landed but regained his footing through leaning on a chair, straitened his tie and breathed in deep.
"Okay, Naruto, I know you've been through a fight, but dude… you ruined my suit, and you're gonna have to pay for that." He looked at Naruto who was breathing heavily while leaning against a wall, and then went behind the bar to pour him a drink.
"What do you mean I have to pay? This piece of trash suit couldn't even withstand a scratch from a cat!" Naruto winced as a spike of pain ran through the claw wound on his chest when he shouted back at Tojiro, and then sank to the ground against the wall. "If anything, you should have come sooner and this wouldn't have happened."
"Hey, don't get an attitude with me just because a Vampire, which I am in case you've forgotten, couldn't come to your aid in the damn DAYTIME!" Tojiro glared at Naruto as he handed him a glass half full with rum. "Take this, maybe whatever Hinans' daughter will do to you won't be as bad when you're drunk."
"Yeah, I suppose her daughter is just as crazy as she is…" Naruto took the glass with a thankful nod, and gulped some of it down.
"Hey~ that's not a nice thing to say about your elders, now is it!" Hinan walked up to the two with a bright smile on her face, and then kneel down in front of Naruto, while looking at his wound, "Wow, I can see one rib poking out!" She poked the spot she was looking at, and then giggled when Naruto let out a hiss of pain.
"Stop that, mother."
Naruto looked in the direction the unknown voice suddenly came from, and his eyes narrowed when he saw someone suddenly floating in the air behind Tojiro, while being covered in a dark purple cloak. "The heck?" He tried to get a look at the persons face, but all he could see were pink eyes staring back at him. After a second of looking, Naruto could swear the eyes became bored of him and then shifted toward Tojiro.
"It's nice to meet you, Tojiro and Naruto."
"Well there's no need for sarcasm! If you don't want to be here, just say so!" Tojiro glared back at the person wearing the cloak, and then drank his beer in anger.
The two pink eyes seemed to widen in surprise, but Naruto didn't know why because the person clearly used a very sarcastic tone. "Yeah…" He took a drink of rum, and then looked back at the floating person, "No need to be so sarcastic… just be honest, we can take it."
"I wasn't…" The person floated closer to them, and the pink eyes drooped toward the ground, "Look, my voice just has a sarcastic tone, so trust me when I say it's nice to meet you two."
"Fufufu… O daughter of mine~!" Hinan suddenly spoke up and jumped toward the person, before hugging her, "I told you to leave the silly cloak behind! Why do you have to wear this thing anyway, huh?! It's soooo~ embarrassing, the boys will think you're some kind of demon spawn under this!"
"I am a demon spawn…"
"Hey, Naruto…" Tojiro tuned the mother-daughter pair out, and sat down next to Naruto, "You think this girl is good-looking under that cloak?"
"I don't know man…" Naruto tried to peer under the hood of the cloak again, but could still only see the girls pink eyes, looking at her mother fawning over her appearance. "Judging by how her mother looks though, I'd say she's worth any trouble she will most definitely cause."
Tojiro nodded sage like at Naruto's words and also tried to peer under the hood, but didn't have any more luck than he had. "She'll definitely cause trouble… just listen to that sarcastic sounding voice of hers. And look at how she always seems to be floating in the air, and then there are those pink eyes looking at you as if she's bored out of her mind."
"So, does that mean you're not interested?" Naruto glanced at Tojiro, and then took another gulp of rum to try and numb the pain coming from his wound.
"How did you even come to that conclusion?!" Tojiro glared down at Naruto and took a sip of his beer, "I was simply stating my observations."
Both stopped talking when the pink eyes of Hinans' daughter suddenly shifted to them, and then she started to float toward them. She stopped in front of them, and looked down at Naruto's wound. "Just a moment…" She brought a pale hand from under her robe, and pointed a slender finger toward Naruto's chest. Seconds later, a purple light shot toward his wound from a ring on her finger, and then Naruto's wound started to heal faster than they could look.
"That should do it." Her hand shot back under the robe, and then her eyes shifted between Naruto and Tojiro for a few seconds, before she spoke up again, "I'm not interested in two boys…"
"Wha-!" They couldn't even finish their question before she floated away from them. Naruto ran a hand over the place his wound use to be, and his eyes widened in surprise when he didn't even feel a scratch on it, "Damn, she's good."
"Fuck that! Did, you hear her say she's not interested in guys?"
Naruto nodded at Tojiro's question, but didn't say anything and just kept running his hand over his chest in wonderment.
"That means she's a lesbian… which also means she knows a lot of girls, which in turn means we need her as a roommate, because then we'll get to meet all her friends and then I can get some of that action bro!" Tojiro grinned when he finished relaying his master plan toward Naruto, and then started to laugh like a mad man.
"What the hell are you talking about, idiot!" shouted Naruto in return while raising his hand, ready to slap Tojiro back to his senses, but stopped short as he realized it wasn't such a bad plan. "Wait… that's actually a good plan… ha… haha… Hahaha…" Naruto broke out into laughter next to Tojiro, and they both toasted to the master plan.
"Let's do this!"
"Yeah!"
-The Fallen One-
A few minutes later Naruto and Tojiro sat in two chairs across from Samael, Hinan, and her daughter, with two bumps on their heads courtesy of Samael himself. "Now that you have calmed down, I feel you need to know a few things if you're to continue on this path." Samael motioned toward Hinans' daughter who was floating beside him, and then continued his speech, "This is Karasu, Hinans' daughter as you both know, and she will be the third member of your team from now on."
The newly identified Karasu bowed toward Naruto and Tojiro, and then said, "It's a pleasure…"
"That was definitely sarcasm, wasn't it?" Naruto looked at Tojiro for confirmation, and when he nodded in agreement, he continued, "Definitely sarcasm."
"I promise it wasn't." Karasu sighed when the two wouldn't believe her, and then just decided to stay quiet.
"Alright, alright…" Samael sighed, and then continued speaking, "Even I thought she was being sarcastic, that's not the point. The point here is, events I have not entirely prepared for have occurred." He swirled his martini around and then took a sip, "Then some apostle of God appears, and he says he is one of twelve while also looking for Athena… that was completely unexpected."
"Yeah… what was his name again? … Uhm V-… something I think?" Naruto scratched his head as he tried to remember the weird guys' name, and slammed his hand on the table when he finally did, "Yes, Victor, that was his name! But, remind me who this Athena girl is, Samael."
"I was about to, before I was so rudely interrupted." Samael sighed and then took another sip of his martini before continuing with his explanation, "Athena…" He took a deep breath to calm himself, "Athena is someone very important to our continued survival in what is to come."
Naruto threw his hands up in exasperation at that vague explanation, "Did you catch the meaning of his explanation Tojiro? Because I sure didn't."
"Nope." Tojiro finished his beer and also threw his hands up in exasperation, "That explanation did not explain anything."
"Fine, you want to know why Athena is so important?" Samael glared at Tojiro and Naruto, "It's because she will be the one to take the place of creator when you kill our Father!"
"…"
Silence fell over Naruto and Tojiro for a few seconds, before their eyes widened in surprise. Naruto choked on the rum he forgot to swallow when Samael finally fully explained who Athena was, and then he struggled to swallow it without spitting the rum in anyone's face. He stared at Samael for one full minute, with Tojiro doing the same, and then he finally came to his senses and narrowed his eye, "What do you mean she will take his place? How can someone just take his place?"
"Exactly! And who is this 'Athena' and why haven't I heard anything of her before?" Shouted Tojiro after Naruto finished speaking.
"It was need to know information only, and you did not need to know."
Tojiro's head spun around when he heard Mazikeens' voice coming from behind him, and his eyes went just a little wide when she glared down at him with her one visible eye, "Uh… Hey, sis"
"Shut up and pay attention, Tojiro, this is important."
"Fact is, my team and I were able to cut off, and separate part of God's power in our last battle. Through the work of our resident genius, Hinan, we then infused this power into a body that could in theory hold it. That theory held true." Samael took a sip from his martini and prepared himself to continue, "Let me put this into perspective for you young ones…"
He stood up and pointed to himself, "Other beings call me a god, but I am not. There are beings out there that get called gods, but they are not. There are true God's, however, and you have seen one… he is the one humans' call God, our father. He is the deity in charge of this verse, it can not exist without him, and we have found a way to replace him." Samael looked Naruto and Tojiro directly in the eyes, "Do you understand now?"
"Uhm… question…" Naruto looked to Hinan with a skeptical look, "How in hell did you cut off a piece of God's power?"
"Well, Naru-chan…" Hinan suddenly disappeared and reappeared in Naruto's lap holding his left hand, "…we cut it off with the sword sealed in this hand of yours of course. It used to be Lucifoo's you know."
"That explains it…" By now, Naruto had gotten use to the way Hinan acted,"…Father gave me his eyes, and you gave me the sword that can hurt him. Now he can't see what you're doing, and you can't hurt him."
"Yes, it was dangerous for us, but I knew one day you would walk through those doors." Samael sat down with the new martini he'd made and took a sip, "It was simply a matter of time, time I took to build up a new empire, one that will ensure our survival."
"That's enough, Samael, Naruto still needs to do some shopping and Tojiro needs to clean this place so we can open."
"Yes, of course, and Karasu needs to be shown her new living arrangements. Tojiro, you can handle that, Naruto you take care of your wardrobe… we can't have you saving us naked." Samael smirked and went back to work.
-The Fallen One-
Spending the rest of his day shopping for clothes was not Naruto's idea of fun, so he went into the fanciest place he could see and bought ten of their best suits. After that though, the rest of his day was free, which meant he had only one place to go.
"Hey, old man, can I get a chocolate milkshake?" He walked up to the counter and paid the man, before gong to sit at his normal table and think about what happened about two hours ago. "The last couple of months have been crazy." He rubbed his face, leaned back in the chair and sighed.
"Hey, nice to see you again, Naruto-kun."
He looked up in confusion, and smiled a little when he saw who was talking to him, "Murayama, it's certainly good to see you again." He smiled at her, and motioned for her to sit.
She smiled back at him and took the seat offered, "So, it's been a while hasn't it Naruto-kun?"
The waiter finally came with Naruto's milkshake and he thanked the guy, "Yeah, so what have you been up to?"
Murayama looked thoughtful for a moment before answering, "Hmm, just been busy with club activities and stuff. Nothing interesting though, anyway, I was thinking we could finally go on that date."
Naruto took a long sip from his milkshake and smiled, "Damn, that's good." He licked his lips and looked at the girl across from him, "You're in high school right?"
"Yeah, why do ask?"
He leaned back in his chair and looked the girl in the eyes, "Well, I mean, there's a lot of stuff going on right now in my life." He took another sip of his milkshake, "It wouldn't be fair to drag you into it."
"Who says I…"
"Naruto-san, I'm glad you're on time for our meeting."
He had to smile when he heard that emotionless voice, and without looking up from his milkshake he said, "Ahh, Koneko-san, you're here." He extended his right hand toward Murayama to shake her hand, "I apologize, but I think we've said what needed to be said."
Murayama shook Naruto's hand with a slight frown, but quietly stood up from her seat and walked away without a word.
Koneko waited patiently for the girl to vacate her seat and then took it herself, "That was awkward."
Naruto leaned forward and folded his hands under his chin, while looking Koneko in her eyes, "You're okay, then?"
"I can take care of myself, and I wasn't the one who destroyed four blocks of city property." She leaned back, and chewed on a piece of candy, "You don't look like you've been in a fight. Do you have a healer?"
"Ha, still trying to get information out of me." He couldn't help a chuckle escape, "I thought we were becoming so close too." He wiped an imaginary tear from his cheek, "You're starting to hurt my feelings. Did your master send you here?"
Koneko's facial expression didn't change at all, "Yes, she thinks you won't kill me for some reason."
"Hmm, now why would I kill my cutest friend?" He smirked when she gave him an annoyed look, "And she finally shows some emotion!"
"Why are you so happy, I just told you I'm here to spy on you?"
Naruto's smile faltered for a moment, and he scanned the little shop they were in. His eyes drifted back toward Koneko's and he thought for a second, "Maybe, it's because I hope you'll soon see how this Rias is using you. Maybe, just maybe, you'll realize I don't give a shit about Rias Gremory right now. Then you'll realize I just want to hang out with you, because I like you."
"I don't like the way you talk about Rias-sama."
"That suits me just fine; I don't like to talk about her, so let's change the subject."
"Fine, change it."
Naruto took a sip from his almost forgotten milkshake, "So, I saw Issei had a sacred gear, he must be super strong then."
"I guess." Koneko unwrapped another candy and popped it in her mouth, "Rias-sama and the others seem to like him."
Naruto signaled the waiter to bring two slices of chocolate cake to their table, "Hmm, so you like him too then, but just not as much as them?" He sipped the last of his milkshake and pushed it away from him, "Personally I think he's annoying as hell."
"Jealous are we?"
Naruto definitely picked up on her sarcasm, but ignored it completely, "Jealous? Hell yes I am, that guy gets to spend all day with you."
Koneko raised an eyebrow at that,"He doesn't spend the entire day with me, Naruto."
Naruto sighed, "Ugh, why do you have to be so sarcastic? I'm trying to profess my never ending love for you!"
"…And I'm trying to let you down easy without breaking that fragile Fallen Angel heart of yours." Koneko had to let a small smile slip when Naruto acted as if what she said hurt him deeply.
"Ha, I knew you demons were brutal, but damn you went straight for the kill on that one huh?" He ordered two more milkshakes for them, so, is there anything new going on in your life these days?"
"I'm going on a training trip soon, then after that I'll be busy too… So this is most likely the last we see of each other for a while." Koneko accepted the milkshake given by the waiter, and thanked him for the fast service.
Naruto frowned at her, "So, you're being dragged into someone's problems then?"
Koneko frowned right back at him, "If you're going to continue talking about Rias-sama like that, then I must thank you for the milkshake and leave." She took one final sip and stood up to leave.
Naruto sprang up from his seat and grabbed her arm, "Whoa, wait wait wait! I promise no more talks like that."
Koneko looked back at him with almost emotionless eyes, stared at him for quite a while and then looked down at his hand around his wrist, "Fine, now could you please let go of me?"
-The Fallen One-
"You know he wants to kill Rias Gremory, right?"
Samael shifted his eyes from his shattered piano, toward Hinan, "That can't happen, Lucifer would go on a rampage. The underworld would be in chaos, and we might lose the last true devil bloodlines."
Hinan giggled as she twirled her hair, "O, Lucifoo~ Hearing you say that would make people think you're starting to refer to yourself in the third person!"
"This is no joke, Hinan, if he goes berserk it would significantly affect our plan." Samael rubbed his forehead in frustration. He did not need this, he did not even sign up for this in the beginning. "To think this all started just because I wanted a vacation…" He took a sip from his martini, "…And then stupidly saved a human life." The last part came out as no more than a whisper, meaning only Hinan could hear.
"Whoever heard of the Devil taking a vacation…" Hinan leaped off the counter and started to head for the door, "…Should have known that old fart would not take it lightly, Lucifooo~" As she reached the door, a vortex opened before her and she disappeared through it.
Samael raised an eyebrow, "I don't understand why she always heads for the door." He finished his drink and then disappeared as well.
"Hope she's here." He was standing in front of a door with a plaque saying 'Dr. Linda Mirth". Without even knocking, he walked into the office, and as he entered he saw two people in it. A woman who seemed to be in her late forties, sat in a chair. She had blonde hair which was currently tied in a ponytail, her face showed a few wrinkles and she wore a pair of glasses. She also had on a pants suit, showing she was a serious person.
The women looked a little surprised when he walked in, but before she could say anything, he raised his hand toward the other person and he vanished in a flash. "Nice to see you again, Linda."
Linda leaned back in her chair and pinched her nose, "I sincerely hope you didn't kill my patient, Lucifer." She peered at him over her glasses and raised a trimmed eyebrow, "Why are you in the States anyway, I thought you moved to Japan."
Samael sat down and let out a sigh of relief, this chair always brought calmness to his mind that nothing else could. 'Perhaps I should just take it with me…' He smirked at the idea, but immediately dismissed it. "No, I didn't kill him and I came back to talk to you of course." He gave the room around him a quick once over, "Why do you still bother with these pathetic humans' little problems, it's not like you do it for the money."
Linda sat back in her chair, put her clipboard aside, took off her glasses and just stared at Lucifer's' smug look, "These days you only come to me when you are confused, Lucifer, what's bothering you?"
"My father came for a visit…"Samael shifted his eyes to the window, he realized that it was actually raining outside and then he started playing with his cufflinks, "…I wished so much that I could kill him then and there." His eyes turned red as he looked back at Linda, "It eats me every moment of every day, and it tears me apart really. I told her I could protect her, and after I couldn't do that… I can't even get revenge."
Linda kept her calm demeanor as she looked into the eyes of Lucifer, "You've been plotting your revenge though, haven't you?" She tapped her chin for a moment, trying to remember something, "This… Naruto, if I'm not mistaken, will deliver it for you."
"He might very well still change sides, Tojiro is keeping him busy, but he still loves your kind. I need him to see that my side is the side of justice."
Linda adjusted her glasses as she looked at Lucifer, "When you say Tojiro keeps him busy, what exactly do you mean… and why do you think it's necessary?"
"I mean he shows Naruto a good time, he shows him how life can be if he stays with us." He ran a hand through his hair as he continued, "I feel it's necessary because the kid is at a tipping point right now… and I plan to tip him in my favor."
"It troubles you that the love in his heart will win out in the end doesn't it?" A small frown showed on her face for but a second, "If he were to choose between the supernatural beings and humans today, who do you think he'll choose?"
"Humans, no doubt about it." Samael raised an eyebrow at the small smile on Linda's face, "That will change soon, no need to get excited." He cocked his head to the side, "Besides, I already told you that you'd survive… why do you care which race wins this fight?"
"Don't you think I'll be lonely, Lucifer?"
"Again with this Linda…" Samael threw his head back, and groaned, "As long as you have me you won't need anyone else."
"Yes, of course…" Linda smiled at him, "…and then I get killed by Mazikeen, right?"
"Hahaha… you're probably the only human she likes, and you know that."
-The Fallen One-
Naruto leaned back in his chair as he smiled at Koneko. They'd been talking for about an hour or so now, and it had confirmed his belief that she'd be a great friend to have… Even if he normally had to do most of the talking. He loved talking though, so a great listener was just what he needed.
He leaned forward again to whisper something, "So, there's this…"
He froze as a shadow fell over their table, and an overbearing sense of insecurity fell over him. He knew this feeling. He knew the being standing over him. He knew, but he also knew that it couldn't be possible, "No…"
"It's been quite a while my son…" The voice that spoke was old and gravely, it seemed to fit the old man in a robe. "Hmm…" He looked over to Koneko, "You're quite the complicated one aren't you…" A chair appeared next to the old man, and he took a seat at their table, "Ahh… finally some rest for these old bones. So, tell me young one, why is it you enjoy Naruto's company when he's stated implacably that he will kill your master?" He stroked his beard in thought at that question, "It fascinates me, really, it does. Such a complicated one, aren't you?"
"…"
"O…" The man chuckled to himself at his own mistake and reigned in his presence, "Sorry, I sometimes forget, you see."
Naruto sucked in a deep breath when the overbearing presence finally vanished. He looked at the old man in front of him and resisted the urge to fall on his knees and beg for forgiveness, "Why would you come here father?"
"Just a moment…" The old man held a finger up to pause any more questions from Naruto, "I believe I asked the young lady something, I would like an answer if that's not too much to ask."
Sweat had started to drip from Koneko's forehead the moment a shadow fell over their table. She'd never felt this way before. She couldn't even place the feeling to be honest, was she scared, insecure, apologetic, relieved, sad, helpless… what was this! "Who, who are you?" The power radiating of this… this being was something she'd never even imagined.
"Hmm… no one you should worry about, no really, I'm no danger… ask my son, I'm sure he will vouch for me." He smiled expectantly at Naruto.
"Yes, he won't hurt you." Naruto swallowed hard, "I think."
The old mans eyes shifted back to Koneko, "So, tell me, why you enjoy his company."
"I talk to him because Rias-sama wants me to get information from him. No other reason." She'd regained her composure now, and suddenly she didn't care who this old man was.
"Hmm…" The old man stroked his beard and turned back to Naruto, "She doesn't talk much does she? And when she does, she lies straight to my face." He chuckled at the nerve, "Hasn't happened in quite a while."
Naruto stiffened at that comment, then he and Koneko both disappeared. They reappeared a few feet from the old man, with Naruto pushing Koneko behind him as if to protect her. "Please, father, she meant no disrespect." He was now sweating, fear gripping every bone in his body because his father hated liars.
"O, here I thought we were having a nice chat. Why are you so nervous, Naruto, I told her I'm no danger… did I not?" The old man stroked his beard as if he was trying to remember if he did indeed do that.
"Naruto, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, but I think it's time you go Koneko." He looked at her through his peripheral vision and nodded toward the door.
Koneko looked at Naruto in confusion, "What's going on?"
"Just go, Koneko, I'll see you when I see you." Naruto looked to his side to show her a reassuring smile, but she disappeared before he even moved.
"Don't worry, she's been safely transported to her master." The old man smiled when he saw Naruto visibly relax, "Good thing I froze everyone around us… It would have been awkward explaining how you moved that fast."
"Thank you." Naruto took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the small part of him still worried about Koneko. He knew it was irrational to worry about her, his father never lied. "Can… can I ask you something father?"
The old man stroked his beard in thought, "Yes, you may ask me anything you want."
"Why did you leave?" It was a simple question, four words and nothing more, however those words had been tearing at his soul for longer than he cared to admit. It wasn't the only question he wanted to ask though; he just couldn't ask what he really wanted to know.
"You mean 'Why did you abandon me.'… Am I right?" The old man stroked his beard and motioned for Naruto to have a seat, when he finally did sit he continued, "I simply honored an agreement I made. I had no choice in the matter Naruto, but you had." He stroked his beard as he stared intently at Naruto, "You chose to leave Heaven, you chose to work for Lucifer. Why, this morning you even chose to go along with a plan to kill me."
Naruto looked at his father in shock and tried to say something in his defense, but the only thing that came out was, "How?"
"Hmm… how do I know all this?" A smile crept onto the old mans face as he looked at Naruto's shocked face, "Many are still loyal to me, I have ears and eyes everywhere." He raised an eyebrow as if he just remembered something and quickly stopped Naruto from speaking further, "Has Lucifer told you why we had a war so many centuries ago?"
When Naruto shook his head in the negative, the old man continued to talk, "Well, I'll keep it short, as I have many duties to attend." The old man stood up, and as he walked away from the table they were sat at he continued talking, "This verse can not support both human and supernatural creatures anymore. I wish to save the humans."
As a door suddenly appeared in front of the old man and opened, he said "Lucifer wishes to save supernatural beings." He turned around and smiled at Naruto, "You are the key to victory my son, I know you will choose wisely."
With his peace said, the old man walked through the door; it closed behind him and then simply disappeared. Naruto's ears were suddenly assaulted with noise all around him, he winced in slight pain, having forgotten he was in a shop and the people around him had merely been frozen for a while.
He sank down in his seat and rubbed his hands over his face, "What have I gotten myself in to…" He froze for a second as a face suddenly appeared in his minds eye, "Koneko." As he was saying her name, he rushed out of the store he was in and quickly tried to find her energy signature. Unfortunately his psyche was in too much turmoil at the moment for him to focus and he had no luck. As he looked around trying to spot her, knowing that he wouldn't, he whipped out his phone and called Samael. "Where does Rias go to school?"
Naruto heard Samael sigh at the other end, "You can't kill her, Naruto, that's the one thing I can't handle right now."
"I'm not going to do that, I promise, I'm not even going to start any trouble. Just tell me where to find her, please."
"Fine, I'll text you."
-The Fallen One-
As soon as he had been out of anyone's view, Naruto had taken off at his fastest pace. He arrived at the school in what felt like an eternity for him, but in reality had been just under a minute. 'Please be okay, Koneko.'
As he walked onto the school grounds he looked around for any of Rias' little entourage, but had no luck, "Hey you, bald kid, come here!" He pointed at the kid in question and glared at him until he finally came over. "Tell me where Rias Gremory can be found and if Koneko will be there."
The kid was terrified of him, he could tell, but he heard the mention of Issei Hyuuda being with Rias in some club house. When he finally got some directions from the kid, he sat off. As he stood in front of the club house, he thought about barging in, seeing if Koneko was alright and then just leaving.
However, he had promised not to start any trouble, so he knocked. As he waited for someone to open the door his thoughts drifted to beings that had lied to his father before, 'Shit, no, she will be okay. My father is not a liar, my father is not a liar, my fath...'
Someone finally opened the door but unfortunately is wasn't Koneko, it was Issei. He immediately summoned his sacred gear and got into a fighting stance, screaming "Intruder!'
"No, no, no! I'm just here to check on, Koneko!"
"I'm just suppose to believe that!b How stupid do you think I am!"
"Look, kid, just let me see Koneko and I'll be out of your hair... you have my word."
"No way! I'm not..."
"You keep telling me to run away like I'm some helpless little girl, Naruto-san."
Naruto couldn't help but smile when he heard that voice, even if it sounded a bit angry. He immediately ignored Issei and looked over at Koneko, "You're okay then?"
"Is that your automatic question when dealing with helpless maidens, that's the second time I've heard you ask them."
"I don't..." Naruto sighed when Koneko continued to glare at him. "I know you're not some weakling but I also don't want you to fight my battles."
"Koneko this guy is dangerous! We shouldn't..."
"It's fine Issei, you can go back to waiting for Rias to get out of the shower. We're going for a walk. Come, Naruto."
"Yes ma'am."
Koneko started walking away from both of them before Issei had a chance to respond and Naruto was right behind her. "I had never felt so insignificant before..." She looked back at the trailing Naruto with almost lost looking eyes. "What exactly is your father, Naruto?"
Naruto had to admit that in that moment when Koneko looked back in his direction with more emotion than he'd ever seen, he started to fall for her. "I... uh... cough... Father, as we male Angels... well I am a former Angel now I guess, anyway, Father is a true God."
Koneko turned a corner and then went on a little ways ahead to sit on a wooden bench, when he joined her she finally spoke. "You were truly scared of him, why?"
"He said you lied to him, he doesn't take too kindly to lies."
She stopped staring ahead of herself at nothing and looked Naruto in the eyes, "You were scared for my part, why?"
"Trust me when I say death would have been the best outcome for both of us if he'd been in a less forgiving mood," Naruto liked to think that he had nerves of steel, but the intense look Koneko gave him now had him on edge.
"He is far stronger than you yet you were willing to fight to protect me, why?"
"I've already explained how I see you as a friend. I protect my friends."
"Are you still out for revenge on Rias-sama?"
"Yes."
"A pity." She finally looked away from Naruto and her face went back to it's almost emotionless state. "Is this Father of yours a threat to Rias-sama?"
"It has nothing to do with her."
"Good." Silence lingered in the air for a while because Naruto felt she wasn't done yet. "I did lie to him."
"O, then what's the real reason you talk to me?"
"I feel a familiar energy from you."
"Heh... already confessing to me, seems my charms have no bounds after all!"
"Stop acting like an idiot. You know what I'm talking about."
"i figured you don't want talk about it."
"I don't. Have you already seen why? Is that how you know I don't want to talk about it?"
"The day we met I sensed that you would be the one to pull me out of my darkest our. I also sensed that you were in your darkest our. Ever since that day I've had visions of you, which is out of my control mind you, and I've tried to get as close to you as possible."
"You tried to butter me up with candy? I can't believe I'm friends with a wannabe pedophile."
"Wha...?! No, no, no, no you got it all wrong I tell ya!"
"Pff..."
He was ready to defend his actions from this sadistic girl one way or another when he caught her trying to contain a laugh, "That wasn't funny."
"It was." She looked back at Naruto and just stared at him for a moment, "So I am suppose to save you? What if I'm not this great savior you expect."
"I'll survive either way. My question is why do you doubt yourself? You're much stronger than any of those other slav... cough your friends."
"Did you see it with those eyes of yours?"
"No, you simply have more talent than they do."
"Why are you in my domain, Fallen Angel."
At the sound of that voice, Naruto grit his teeth and put his best fake smile on display, "I came to see Koneko, I didn't think it would be a problem, Rias Gremory."
"Last we met you vowed to kill me, forgive my slight hesitation when it comes to believing you're here for any other reason."
Rias stood in front of Naruto with her hands on her hips, Akino and Issei flanking her, ready for a fight.
"It's true he just came to check up on me, I'll explain why later, Rias-sama."
"You believe him, Koneko?"
"Yes."
Sensing that this is the perfect time to get out before any trouble is made, Naruto took it. "Time for me to go, great spending time with you as always Koneko. I'll text over the next week, okay?"
"Okay."
As he walked away from the angry redhead and her slaves, Naruto saw the value in skills that let one instantly move from one space to another.
The Fallen One
"Heard you banished my little brother over a misunderstanding."
"I did no such thing, Gabriel. He left of his own accord."
A blonde woman with eight pure white wings glared at the arch Angel Micheal, who was facing away from her and observing the human realm. "Always have an answer for everything don't you. I'm going to bring him back, my mission has been completed so I have free time."
Micheal turned around to look Gabriel in the eyes while sporting his kindest smile, "Our little brother chose his path, we've no choice but to accept his decision... even if it hurts to see him being manipulated so." Tears could no be seen rolling down his face.
"You dare cry!" Gabriel angrily grabbed Micheal by the collar and held him in the air, "You're the reason he is walking this path! I don't care if father told us to leave him be if he ever did this, I'll be damned if I cut my little brother off."
Micheal grabbed Gabriel's wrist as she let him go and prepared to turn around. She glared yet again but before she could say anything he narrowed his eyes and spoke in an even tone, "To go against God for your own selfish reasons would mean betraying heaven itself, made much worse by the fact that you are an Arch Angel. Do not force me to do something I will regret for all eternity, sister."
"Even if you could somehow scheme your way to a narrow victory against me, Micheal, only our father could make me a fallen." She glanced at the hand holding her wrist with an almost incredulous look, "Let go of my wrist or prepare yourself for a long visit in the med bay, brother."
"...Ever the reckless fool." He let go of Gabriel's wrist and turned around to look back down on earth, "You may talk to him but do not try to drag him back to heaven, it has to be his decision. Oh, could you ask him why he thinks he does not have flashes of people he does not know anymore. He'll ask how you know... just tell him you're his big sis and you always know things."
"He told me about those a long time ago, deuce."
"You're much closer than I thought. Good luck with his new friends, hope to see you again."
END.
AN: I wrote half of this about a year back and the other half these past two days. I have to apologize if the flow seems off but yeah... life happens I guess. Fun fact, I can't remember jack about DxD now so I have to re-watch the seasons I planned to incorporate into this story. Luckily that's just the first 2. Anyway hope it was a fun read, just thought after last chaps fight scene this one needed to have a little character development... with a sprinkle of foreshadowing of course.
As always, if you had fun reading/it sucked balls, like/fav to show your support or drop a review to tell me what you liked/didn't like about it.
