CHAPTER ONE: WHAT IF GOD WAS ONE OF US?

The Underworld, Forested Area, Just Outside of Gremory Territory

Perhaps a testament to the cool edge that was the lady Grayfia, her immediate reaction to the newborn staring at her, comfortably wrapped in her lord husband's robes, was to raise a single, silvery eyebrow in mild surprise. She had expected her husband to go into the tomb seeking riches or worthwhile items to bring back to the surface. Instead, he walked out with an infant in hand. Even for a Devil such as Sirzechs Lucifer, this was unusual.

Then he asked if they could keep it.

Grayfia was used to her husband's simplistic nature. The Great Satan Lord, who held the proud name of Lucifer, was a bizarre man to many, with his coupled passion and capability as a leader of Devilkind being balanced by his easygoing nature. Indeed, the Four Great Satans were an eccentric bunch in the typically well-mannered and collective Devil society.

Grayfia stared down at the child presented to her. The child – a boy, she guessed, based on his features – stared silently back to her. A small bushel of almost yellowish-blond hair; a slight pink tint to his otherwise pale skin; tiny lips and nose - these features were nothing uncommon or exceptionally eye-catching. In those regards, the child was like any other Grayfia had seen in her life.

But that wasn't what kept the Lucifuge woman's attention.

His cheeks were scarred. Three lines pointed outwards from where they pointed towards the boy's lips. Birthmarks, she might have guessed, but the marks were too perfect – too similar and perfectly alike – to be a case of simple skin irregularities. Reaching out with a single, smooth finger, Grayfia confirmed her suspicions when she felt the cheek marks offer some depth into the skin. They were peculiar but not the most dramatic aspect to the child's features.

Grayfia stared into the boy's eyes. They stared back at her. They followed her finger and looked over her face as the two tried to make out one another. The eyes weren't those of a child – they didn't hold that simplicity or straightforwardness newborn eyes usually held. Instead, the crystal blue eyes of the child seemed to, or attempted to, at least, understand its surroundings. This babe in her husband's hands was watching everything with a stern expression that made the boy seem like he was almost glaring.

Babies did not glare. They cried, whined, smiled, giggled, laughed, stirred in their sleep and occasionally held a blissful expression of uncaring to its surroundings. A newborn could not glare because a glare required emotions and negative feelings that it couldn't possibly have developed.

Yet here one was. Watching Grayfia with wary; looking like it would bite if she came too close.

Grayfia raised her head to look to her husband. Either he chose to ignore the abnormalities of finding this very stoic child inside of the decrepit tomb that seemingly hadn't been discovered for millennia as meer coincidence or he chose to ignore it. Based on his grinning expression, it was quite possible that either of the possibilities might have been the truth.

Sirzechs Lucifer was her husband. She loved him, fool and all.

Reaching out with her arms, she wrapped her hands around the bundle of clothing, taking the small babe. The newborn really was a tiny, weightless thing to the Devil woman. Having him in her arms, she supposed this was where most women would feel some motherly instinct towards the child put into their care. Instead, she watched as the newborn's eyes narrowed somewhat further.

This was a bizarre child, indeed. "Where did you find this little one, my lord?" She asked formally, wondering quietly if rocking the boy might assuage its tempered face. She doubted it.

Sirzechs watched the two quietly before answering. "I found him in the tomb."

"I assumed as much." Grayfia's calm, collective voice hadn't risen or sounded harsher than before, though her expression did show slight annoyance. "I meant specifically."

Sirzechs looked pleased at getting even a small rise from his usually stoic wife. "In the sarcophagus." He specified further, watching as Grayfia let one of her sharp, silver eyebrows rise towards her brow.

"Sarcophagus?" She wondered if she heard him right. Sirzechs nodded in reply, going into detail on his exciting 'adventure' into the bottom of the tomb. The untouched grave, the Japanese writing, the traps and defenses – Grayfia listened attentively to it all, holding back her questions until the end. "What was a newborn doing in such a place?"

This was mostly a musing to herself, but her husband answered her (sort of). "A good question! And one I intend to find out!" He said, turning away from the stone structure and making a wave of his hand out towards the grassy area. Out of seemingly nowhere, a large circle, glowing with vibrant crimson and decorated with various letterings and symbols, appeared before the two Devils. The infant, who was turned around in Grayfia's arms towards the strange runic symbols that appeared out of nothingness, widened its eyes.

"But for now, I suggest we save the questions for another time. It is quite late," he smiled, raising a hand and brushing it through the small tuft of blond hair the babe had, "and I think wittle Naruto wants to take a nappy!" The high-pitched, baby words coming from the Devil Ruler almost seemed to make the infant slightly irritated. Sirzechs figured he was just grouchy. Or tired. Or hungry. What did babies eat, anyway?

Grayfia, however, turned to her husband curiously. "Naruto?"

"Oh! Yeah, the name on the tomb was for someone named for an 'Uzumaki Naruto.'" Sirzechs informed, hoping his pronunciation was correct as the infant turned its attention away from the glowing crimson symbols on the ground and back towards his founder. "I figured it was a good name for him." It was a simple enough explanation to his reasoning. "Why? Don't like it?"

"I did not oppose." Grayfia stated, only being curious as to where such an unorthodox name had originated. Turning her head down to the newborn, the silver-haired woman said the name softly, testing it only for her own use.

"Naruto."

It was simply a means to test her tongue to such a unique word but found herself surprised to see the infant than turn to meet her gaze. It was a peculiar moment - the child did not seem as annoyed as it had before (though, how annoyed a small child could even seem to be was something of a question for later times). Grayfia was more curious: did it approve the name, perhaps? The idea was silly for a little one to even understand what was occurring but this blond child was silly in its own way.

So, turning her head back to her bright, cheerful husband, Grayfia merely finished her testing with a simple, smooth statement of her thoughts. "I do not object to the naming."

"Good! Then does that mean we can keep him?"

This managed to cause Grayfia's brow to furrow, along with the babe's. "My lord, he is not a familiar or pet to be found or purchased. He is a child. You do not simply ask to keep such a thing."

"Then what do we do with it?" Didn't the rule of finders' keepers work here?

"We will consider that in the morrow. For now, let us see to his needs and ready for the day after."

Sirzechs shrugged, grinning as he stepped into the crimson circle beside his wife. "Alright. But if we are keeping him, I expect to give him a little brother!"

This was meant in jest. Grayfia wasn't aware. "That can be arranged." She glanced down to the babe in her arms as the child's eyes widened around the circle. Very peculiar, this child. Very peculiar.

Sirzechs' eyes quickly lost their sense of playfulness at his wife's last words before the circular ring of energy glowed intensely, blanketing the nearby trees and structure in bright light. Then, just as quickly as it came, the light dimmed and was gone, leaving the area unmarked and untampered by Devilkind.

The two Devils and the newborn were nowhere to be seen.

Present day, Human World, Country of Japan

Kuoh Academy – a former all girls private school comprised of several architecturally impressive buildings. Having turned into a co-ed facility in recent years, the impressive standards of the school's facilities, faculties and students only increased with additional male gender ratio. The school was jewel amongst the people who lived in the vicinity and was the location where many bright futures would certainly begin. Comprised of several academic levels of learning; a primary, high school and college division, the academy was often considered an extravagantly well-crafted university for all ages. The students wore impressively designed uniforms; kept an equally strong united background of kinship through sports, festivals and other school-funded activities; and were all expected to hold a level of excellence that befit Kuoh Academy's reputation.

On this particular day, the sun shone quite brightly over the arriving students for early morning classes. Of note, in a sharp contrast from normal learning facilities, most of the students seemed eager to begin their classes for the day. Each dressed to in professional uniform and walked with pride.

Standing at the gates leading into the academy, a young woman watched her fellow students carefully.

The young woman was in her late teens, holding a slim figure along with her average build and height. She wore the standard Kuoh Academy uniform, similar to her peers, signifying her status as a student. The girls complexion was smooth and flawless without so much as blemish; her hair was short and kept from her face using a single, yellow hairclip around her left ear; her deep violet eyes were covered by bespectacled glasses that gave her the appearance of someone who enjoyed their studies, perhaps even more so then the already enthusiastic student body of Kuoh.

The young woman's name was Souna Shitori – Student Council President of Kuoh Academy.

Or, at least, that's how the majority of the students referred to her as. Her true nature was something far more impressive.

At the moment, Souna was frowning by the entrance gates. The reason was obvious to anyone who knew her; this was not her station. This was not her place in the academy. Souna was performing disciplinary work on behalf of the Student Disciplinary Squad – as a favor, as rumors of 'invaded female privacy' around the locker rooms and personal facilities had been regulating for some time.

Souna Shitori was a proud woman. She believed the Student Council had their selected tasks to uphold on a daily basis, as did the rest of the Disciplinary Squad. The Student Council organized funds and events to promote the happiness of the student body. The Disciplinary Squad kept the order of the academy preserved. Both held respectable positions, but were meant to work separately as to not endanger either organization of one another's tasks.

She denied them, at first, explaining as much. Then the captain of the squad fell to his knees, bowed to Souna in front of her entire council, and begged for just one day's worth of assistance so that they could catch the perpetrators.

Thus Souna relented, as she now found herself, alone, amongst the arriving students, watching carefully for anything…well, undisciplined.

By all accounts, this activity was quite uninteresting. And until she was permitted to close the gates to any late arrivals, she assumed she would remain in such a way.

Then a banana popped in front of her line of view.

"Mornin', Souna-chan!" A loud, cheerful voice rang out beside her, startling the Student Council President out of her relaxed state of mind, as she turned to the owner addressing her.

It was a boy who addressed her – a man, if she were to be more accurate. Tall with fair skin and dressed in the usual student body required outfit (though, he neglected to button his up at the moment, letting it hang loosely open). A tuft of long, almost spiky blond hair seemed to catch the eye first from this new addition to the schoolyard, which seemed to work in tandem with the deep blue of his eyes.

People were staring at them. One did not simply walk to the Student Council President. A certain level of address and proper decorum was required. Bow, show respect to order of authority, something!

The man just smiled his pure white teeth down to Souna without so much as a care as to his surroundings or the people around him.

The boy's name was Naruto Uzumaki. A close friend, if Souna were being honest, and had been so for many years now.

And in his outstretched hand, he shook the banana. "Breakfast?"

Souna stared at the offered fruit. Silently, she mused on how indirect and informal this action was. Not to mention how being 'offered a banana' from a boy in the early morning might have come off as a slight innuendo.

But this did not bother her. His disregard for social grace or decorum while in a presence of authority – such as her own – was refreshing.

She stared at his grinning face for a moment. "No coffee?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

In return, the blond's eyebrow twitched. "Coffee?"

Souna nodded. "It is usually customary to purchase a beverage of some sort when offering a young lady an early morning meal. Coffee is easy to carry and prevalent in quantity. Thus, coffee would be appropriate."

He stared at her, his grin falling. "You're kidding, right?"

"Not at all. Coffee would be most useful at this time. Even tea would be an appreciative second. It would help alleviate my boredom."

The blond's face offered a flat expression. "And I can't help with that?"

"Not as much as coffee would, no." She turned away from watching her peers to stare at her tall friend intensely. "Coffee would help."

The two stared at one another – crystal blue to royal violet. A mock battle of wills over the other. Though the boy wouldn't admit it, those violet eyes were deadly. As expected from someone who held the position she held.

And he didn't just mean that of the Student Council President.

The boy kept a strong front for as long as he was able but soon let out a defeated sigh. "Right, right." He groaned, lifting up the bag he held in his opposite hand, which from where Souna stood was well-hidden from her view, and pulled out a small cup. It was steaming. "Black, no sugar or cream?"

Souna stared at him coolly. She guessed correctly. The blond still enjoyed playing his little games with her. Naruto Uzumaki never grew up in the years she knew him. Nor did she desire that he would. It was a trait of his that she enjoyed. Soothing, even, in his nonchalant attitude.

And if it helped alleviate the dullness of the early morning, all the better. "Thank you for the meal." She replied, reaching out to take the offered beverage and fruit with her hands, the blond nodding in a dejected manner. She didn't even question how the blond was aware that she would even be around so early in the morning. The Uzumaki boy simply did things on the spur of the moment and worked with them as they were. Souna accepted this. For sanity's sake. "Now, what might you be doing here so early? Aren't you usually running to meet the second bell?"

His reputation of near-perfect, near-tardiness preceded him. "I was gonna bring Gasper some snacks!" He smiled, waving the small bag in hand, as he stood beside the black-haired president to watch the arriving students.

"Really?" Souna asked surprised. "That's generous of you. I figured it was Rias or Koneko-san's task to do so today."

"Yeah yeah, but I was up and hungry and figured to do something nice. And if I got to school early," he shrugged, offering his half-lie to the girl. There was more to his reason being here, but she didn't need to be made aware of it just yet. It was an assignment he was taking on personally as a favor to an…associate, he would call him.

In fact, part of his assignment was walking through the gates without a care or worry to be found.

"Well, I'm sure I speak for the rest of the students and faculty when I say your aptitude for actually coming early for a school day is nothing short of…" Souna paused in her humorous poking when she noticed Naruto's attention elsewhere. She blinked, turning to follow his gaze towards a group of young female students.

Of course, one in particular stood out from the rest.

Long, luscious black hair that flowed down to the lower back of her uniform. A curvy figure that women would die for. Legs that seemed to go on for miles – the girl at the center of the passing group of friends was a knockout by every definition of the male mind.

Souna didn't recognize the girl. She must have been a new transfer student. And obviously, she had Naruto's attention outright.

Funny, Souma thought, jabbing an annoyed finger into Naruto's side. I never pictured Naruto would be into such things. Simplicity was a word that described Naruto well. Despite his upbringing and overall ability, he wasn't usually one to leer at a passing female that caught his eyes. Rias would have a field day with this.

Naruto grunted, rubbing his poked side. "What, what?! What did I do?!"

Souna 'hmphed', sipping her coffee. "Don't you have snacks to deliver?"

Naruto groaned. "Yeah yeah, I'm on it." Didn't bringing breakfast to pretty young women mean something anymore? Or was it just taken for granted? "Later, Souna-chan."

"Hmph." Still peeved, Souna turned back to her watch as Naruto made his way towards the old school building at the edge of Kuoh Academy grounds.

Inside the Old School Building, Kuoh Academy

Women! ARGH! Even knowing them for a hundred years wouldn't give a guy a clear idea of how they work! Naruto thought irritably to himself as he rubbed the sore point where the aggravated Shitori woman had poked him unmercifully, making his way through a old, dimly lit hallway of the old school building at the far end of the academy with a somewhat vexed expression.

What got on her nerves anyway? He'd asked himself several times now. I was listening to her. I brought her breakfast! I was being a nice person! His irritable thoughts were starting to make themselves more visible on the youth's face. And to make matters worse, my little pigeon problem decided to fly a little too close to the sun!

"Argh! Seriously!" He yelled, "What do girls have going through their heads?!"

Either they were mad, turning mad, being mad, or doing mad things! Even his wife suffered from this from time to time - and she was as perfect as perfect got!

Groaning, Naruto figured it was just one of those things a man would never understand: the mind of a woman.

Maybe it was for the best. What dangers lied in there was perhaps best left undisturbed.

With that depressing thought in mind, Naruto walked to the very end of the narrow hallway he'd been traversing for the last minute, coming up to the hallway's end and stood before a pair of wooden doors. In appearance, these pair of wooden doors looked much the same as any other in the old building; somewhat worn, oak-made and with an iron handle to open with. The only striking feature that differentiated the pair from any other doorway was the noticeable barriers that separated any and all occupants between the hallway and the room beyond. From wall to wall, yellow warning tape stood between Naruto and the doorway, in addition to a sturdy steel chain that wrapped itself around the door handles.

By in large, the tape and chain definitely gave the appearance that the room was off limits to any and all trespassers; perhaps warning of some construction work being handled or of a structural weakness within. Either way, the message was clear to anyone on what these barriers were insinuating - STAY AWAY.

And so naturally, navigating a free hand around the tape, Naruto gave one of the doors a soft, but still quite audible, knock."Yo! Gasper! You awake?"

"Naruto-nii-chan?!" A muffled yell came from the other side of the door, as Naruto made out faint sounds of shuffling from the other end.

"I got snacks. Want some?" He yelled back, holding up his bag of goodies despite knowing they couldn't be seen.

"Yes-yes! Absolutely, nii-chan! Come in-come in!"

With that, Naruto moved around the warning tape, feeling a familiar unseen force attempt to press him back harshly to no avail, managing to pick the chains and locks tied around the handles before carefully opening the door.

Despite the warning signs that made the room out to be practically a hazard zone, the room was actually quite nicely made, once Naruto turned on the lights.

The room was a large, squared area, easily the size of a classroom from the main building. The walls were lined with pink and white striped wall paper, which sharply contrasted with the age of the building's structure. There were pieces of furniture, such as dressers and desks, pressed to the corners and sides, making the room come off as almost a storage area toppled with a bedroom. Even one of the lone boxes off to the sides had a small brown rabbit toy sitting comfortably on top.

The peculiarity of why this room had to have such fortifications to prevent anyone from entering would have been stopped then and there if that was the only thing to see.

Instead, the true eye catcher lied at the center of the room's structure. A large black coffin, decorated with a large Rosario-cross that stretched out from the bottom to top of its lid, sat comfortably within view of the doorway. A long white shroud hung above it, giving off a sense of mysticism and wonder to the clearly antique piece.

Then one saw it shifting and shaking with a small patter of grunts in between.

The rustling quickly gave way as the coffin's top was pushed upwards and to the side, showing off what appeared to be a young girl, lying comfortably on top of violet silk that covered the edges of the coffin. It was a startling sight to anyone unfamiliar with the old school building.

The apparent girl smiled brightly up to Naruto's entering form. She couldn't have been much older than fifteen, with short, almost platinum blond hair drawing down to the sides of her neck. Pale skin glistened in the dimly lit room along with twinkling pink eyes that held no small amount of intrigue to them. Noticeably, pointing out from the sides of the obvious bed hair, two sharply pointed ears could be made out by the new arrival to the room. The coffin-sleeper wore the designed uniform befitting a student of Kuoh Academy, along with very long stockings that reached almost to the academy skirt. This ensemble and appearance of a now excitable looking individual with a cute expression might have come off as adorable to Naruto, except for the small issue to the girl's person.

The issue being, aside from the very feminine air around this person, the girl – Gasper Vladi – was, in fact, very much male.

When first finding out this, Naruto felt very perturbed. He'd admit as much. While Gasper had been the first male to join his friend's 'club' and gave him someone to talk to on a similar (at least physically) basis of age and sex, the boy's unusual fixation with girlish clothing made Naruto call him, as his former sensei would aptly put it, a 'trap.'

"Nii-chan!" The boy-girl-whatever yelled excitedly, moving from his coffin as Naruto closed the door behind him.

Smiling to himself, Naruto pulled three chocolate bars from his small bag and stared at the boy. Time for the weekly routine. "Hey, Gasper," Gasper paused, staring at him. He should have realized what came next, "THINK FAST!"

With a twist of his wrist, the three brown bars of sweet chocolate were tossed at the young boy, leaving him to gasp in shock at the incoming projectiles, drawing his back away quickly as the items closed-in towards his unprotected face –

Then the platinum haired boy's eyes glowed.

"Oh, come on Gasper!"

"Ni-i-i-chan's mean to me!"

"I said I was sorry!"

"Why do you always do this to me-e-eeee?!"

"Because you're my friend! And friends help one another!"

"You tried to poke my eyes out with candy!"

"I failed, didn't I?!"

"WAAAAAAAHHHHH! WAAAAAHHHH!"

Naruto put his hand to his face and groaned, hoping to rub the irritation off his features as he sat beside the closed coffin Gasper had previously crawled out of. It was no use. This almost always happened – one step forward, two steps back.

Turning to where Gasper previously stood, Naruto couldn't help but be amazed at the three candy bars floating in mid-air. All forward movement, all pressure of gravity – everything within that small energy field Naruto could barely make out was stopped by the boy now crying in his coffin. Time and space stalled for an only guessable amount of time.

That was what was so special about the boy at Naruto's side – Gasper Vladi was a time stopper. Or, more specifically, a being that possessed the ability to stop time on anything he perceived. Through concentration and focus, Gasper had a unique, inheritable ability to humans called 'a Sacred Gear,' with this specific one allowing him to distort the very essence of the universe around a specific point or place.

Named the Forbidden Balor View, Gasper's Sacred Gear was powerful and difficult to control. Naruto remembered the first time he met him; he wrapped the boy in a chokehold of friendship (or something like it) and the next thing he knew, three hours had passed. He found Gasper crying in a corner of the room, hiding in a box. The poor bloy blamed himself. Naruto just found it awesome and, despite his mental age, asked if he could do it again excitedly.

But the thing that really struck Naruto was Gasper's origin.

Specifically, Gasper was a hybrid being – half human and half vampire.

Now, Naruto might have squealed on how cool his new best buddy was, but he'd never admit it.

Sadly, however, the Forbidden Balor View was difficult for Gasper to control. Even with years of practice 'offered' by Naruto in the most unorthodox of ways imaginable, Gasper still feared his powers. And as they grew with him, so did his fear until Naruto and his 'father' decided to enclose the boy into a part of the old school building for the sake of his mentality.

In a sense, Gasper was a shut in.

Now, Naruto made routine trips – either after class or at times as late as midnight – to check on the boy. Power and nerves aside, he was a good person. And Naruto could attest to understanding what loneliness felt like.

"Vladi, come on! I got class!" Naruto begged, knocking on the crying coffin. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? If you want, I can leave the bag here, okay?" He heard the crying die down to a sniffle. Progress in some form. Usually he'd cry for several minutes longer or until Naruto left.

Sniff sniff. "Y-you promise to leave the candy here?"

"When don't I leave them for you?" Seriously, candy? What was he gonna do with it; give it to Koneko-chan? She got enough candy as it was.

"A-are you sure you'll leave it?"

"Yes."

"Really sure?"

"YES."

"Really, really sure?"

Naruto stared at the coffin with a flat expression. "Bye Gasper." He made for the door.

"W-wait, nii-ch-"

"Byyyyyye Gasper!"

"Niiiiiii-chaaaaaaaannnnn!"

Gasper was always a work in progress. His leaving abruptly wasn't anything new. If Naruto stayed any longer he'd run the risk of being late and the last thing he needed was a report sent to his 'mother' over his absence from lessons she 'insisted' he partake.

Or worse; if a report was sent to Lady Venelana.

Unconsciously, Naruto shuddered from a slight chill at the thought of his 'grandmother' as he walked down the steps of the old school building and his clubhouse. Taking a moment to look it over, Naruto admitted the design wasn't so bad. It reminded him a little of his own office when he'd been the leader of his village.

The Old School Building was aptly named, to be certain, before the renovation of its foundation by the academy's 'Occult Research Club.' Restructured and redone to hold out impressively even amongst the newer buildings of the academy, the building was now used primarily for the club's purposes, as granted by the Student Council. The wood work was refurbished, the structure fortified, the furniture and decorations placed appropriately for design and compatibility – the work that the building had seen was akin to what famous renovators and architects worked on for company buildings or even major CEO offices.

The building had seen far worse days before his club president took charge of it three years prior and made it something of a 'castle' for herself.

Naruto glanced up to the corner window of the building. It was open, letting a small breeze fly in. Silently, Naruto wondered if his friend was waiting there for class to start. Wouldn't have surprised him; he remembered how she liked to enjoy a game of chess, either with herself or her club mates, before the start of class.

Naruto shrugged. If his president was feeling confident she'd reach her classroom before the bell rang, then who was he to question –

"SOMEBODY HELP ME-E-E-E!"

Naruto blinked, knocked from his musings by the sudden shout/shriek coming his way.

Turning his head, Naruto watched with growing perplexity as a quickly recognized young man from his class sprinted past him. Brown hair, fair skin, average height – Issei Hyoudou, the famous pervert of the academy. And by pervert, Naruto meant pervert. As in, this guy made every pervert who ever existed look like a young boy curious about female anatomy.

Even Naruto, who once created techniques to use one's sexuality against them, marveled at the lust for breasts the boy exerted.

Speaking of which, said boy's lust seemed to have put him into a rather bothersome situation. At the moment, he was running from the several females with looks to kill; specifically, the looks were coming from Kuoh Academy's female kendo club team.

"Pervert!"

"Drop dead, jackass!"

"You're the reason I can't trust men!"

"I will make sure you never reproduce!"

Ouch. That one even hurt Naruto.

Stepping to the side, Naruto watched Issei run past, gasping for air as he tried to outrun the physically superior females. He was certainly not a boy of physique and reminded Naruto in a roundabout way to the 'Green Beasts of Konoha.' Their 'fires of youth' really could come in handy for the young man running for the sake of his crotch.

Watching him and his desperate state of jog, Naruto chuckled silently. He didn't wish to see the boy hurt, but enjoying a good humorous situation wasn't a crime, right? It wasn't like he tripped the boy or anything as he ran past. Issei was a pervert to be absolutely certain but death of his unborn children might have been a bit extreme. Especially when rumors stated the captain of the offended kendo club was able to cut through solid iron with just her kendo stick.

Naruto mulled that rumor over in his head. His task was to protect the boy from stray 'pigeons' and poor mental states. Angry females weren't in his required assignment checklist.

Thus, with a last glance towards the open second story window, he picked up his step and made to move towards class.

He had a reputation of only nearly missing class, after all.

Inside her own little room on the second floor of her 'castle,' a rather endowed young woman looked out from her window to see a familiar set of spiky blond hair move towards the main academy building. Smiling, she wrapped a finger through her vibrant crimson hair and curled it gently as she watched the boy before he disappeared from her view behind some trees.

A shame. She considered blowing away the trees with the flick of her wrist for the briefest of moments. But that would cause a scandal amongst the students. She couldn't have that. Instead, she sighed in regret before turning and walking towards the door out of the room. Her vice president should have finished with her own preparations for class by now and neither wanted to be late.

Issei arrived shortly after Naruto, groaning and panting with minor scratches but seemed otherwise fine. He screamed and yelled at his friends, who turned out to have been the reason behind his need for a 'jog' and openly complained about having bluer balls then was healthy all the way to the start of homeroom.

But, by the end of the day, nothing special occurred beyond the basic lessons expected from a high school.

No surprise guests, no pigeons popping up, no problems.

It was a standard, boring day in Naruto's book.

Post-class chaos, however, quickly ensued.

Naruto chewed into an apple as he watched from the branches of an old oak tree a sulking Issei. After the school day had ended, the boy began to take the usual route towards home before deciding to stop on an overpass bridge and sulk about rotten luck or something. Naruto turned down his hearing capabilities around the time when the boy began to turn vocal about the unfairness of not having a girlfriend and how 'jerking off' was all he had to look forward to in his poor, high school life.

Naruto didn't really know how to relate to that. In his youth (wow that felt weird to say in a teenage body) he'd fought in wars that changed the very landscapes of continents. He'd nearly died on multiple occasions that he'd lost count. His constant training and focus made falling in love and anything to do with women one of the last things on his mind. Plus, when you have someone in your head who constantly knew what you were up to, doing anything 'freaky' ended with a loud roar of constant laughter that no amount of yelling could stop.

And on that pleasant note, Naruto perked his ears over the sound of passing cars when he noticed a certain female walk onto the bridge next to the moping teenager. This is where things got interesting.

"Excuse me," the young girl spoke up, catching the boy's attention, "you're Issei Hyoudou, right?" Issei stared at her, dumbfounded. The girl started to look conscientious of herself. "Or am I mistaken, perhaps?" Naruto took another bite of his apple as Issei answered in the positive. The girl's blush was practically glowing. "Uhm, hi! I, uh, I…um…" The girl shifted on her feet, looking uncomfortable.

Issei moved from his slouch position on the railing of the bridge to address the cute girl beside him. "Is there, uh, something I can help you with?"

The girl managed a nod. "Sort of," she answered softly, "I-I just wanted to ask you a quick question!" This time the words were practically yelled, hoping to be heard over the oncoming traffic below.

Naruto finished his apple and tossed it over his shoulder, pulling another from his coat pocket.

"A-are you seeing anyone right now?" She continued, red-faced and quiet once more, barely being heard by either of the two boys listening.

She seemed to recognize her own inaudibility, turning somewhat redder in the face than before and now actively avoiding Issei's gaze.

Issei, innocent to what was occurring, just looked confused. "Right now?" He asked, making sure he heard her right. She nodded. "Uh, no, I'm not."

The girl's mood brightened. "That's wonderful!" She yelled, before looking abashed at her sudden excitement. "That's wonderful because, uh, in that case, since your single, would you consider going out with me?"

Naruto could see from his tree that Issei was hooked.

"I've been watching you for a while, and I've seen you pass by this place and I thought you seemed…I don't know…gentle." She smiled slightly. "And very handsome and I, well, see, I-I think I'd…I'd…" Her face was full of blush and her stutter was adorable. She worked up the courage for one final yell of her confession.

"I'd like you to be my boyfriend!"

Naruto actually laughed from his tree spot, convinced the cars below the bridge would cover the noise. From his point of view, Issei looked like he just won the lottery three times in a row.

Issei managed a nod with a small 'uh-huh' much to the girl's great delight. She looked ecstatic as she made plans with the mostly dumbfounded boy on when she could pick him up to walk to school together. Issei gave the information, nodded at the appropriate times, then waved as the girl left her new 'boyfriend' to himself.

Issei stood completely still on that bridge for well over fifteen minutes, just staring at where the girl ran off to, before letting out a fierce cheer of joy and making a run for home. The sheer shine of his excitement would have otherwise put a smile on his blond watcher's face had the situation not taken a turn for the worse.

"Guess I've gotta watch him in the mornings, too," Naruto muttered, sighing as he dropped from the tree. At least he wouldn't have to follow him home today because now he started to get an idea of what was the deal with this new 'pigeon.'

She wanted the Emmy. She wanted the Golden Globe. She wanted to play.

And that was fine. Naruto liked playing games too.

The next few days were perhaps the best days of Issei's short life, by Naruto's opinion. His 'protective observation', as he'd begun to call it, out of annoyance to the word 'stalking' by his employer, was going well.

The girl – who, as Naruto found out, decided to go by the name 'Yuuma Amano' – became the favorite topic of Issei's life. She was the doting girlfriend, the heartthrob, the best a man could ask for in a 'lady friend.' Issei introduced her to anyone he knew, almost as if he tried to prove she existed to the people he met as much as to himself.

He obviously cared for her, which was a weird contrast from how Naruto expected the boy to act around the girl.

Apparently, Issei Hyoudou was only about 95% of a horndog, rather than the believed one-hundred percent. Good for him.

After little over a week of staking out the pair, Naruto finally received the info he needed to hear.

"Go out? You mean, like out out? As in, out with me?" Issei asked, looking at his girlfriend (he just loved saying that!) with wide eyes, as she smiled back excitedly.

"Uh-huh! I was thinking about this Sunday and if you'd like to go to the mall or something." Her voice was so sweet and innocent. She scratched her chin unsurely. "That is, if you want-"

"Of course I wanna! No doubt!" Issei interrupted, suddenly pumped. "This Sunday is perfect for me!"

The girl smiled, pleased. "Excellent." She told him a time, a place and gave him a quick goodbye before running off on her own, looking embarrassed. Issei waved goodbye before going into hysterics at the prospect of possibly seeing real 3D 'lady parts.'

Naruto shrugged himself off another tree and aimed back towards his apartment complex.

At least he knew what he'd be doing this Sunday.

Mall Area

Issei had to have been the luckiest guy on the planet.

Yuuma was a girl a guy dreamed of having in his life. Her smile, her enjoyment to his company, even her choice in clothing – how did someone like her exist? One minute, he'd been sulking about the world being against him and the next? God sends him an angel! His open perverseness made him believe he'd been cursed with poor fortune for the rest of his days! But now, with Yuuma-chan at his side, he just felt more accepted and brighter and cheerful –

And they were dating! How awesome was that?!

Their first date together made him laugh and lose all inhibitions to what he might do to ruin that day for her. Their first date was, by extension, Issei's first date, and if this was how it was gonna be like with her every day he knew her, he might just quick his pornos and magazines and live straight off of Yuuma's smile! (Okay, that might have been a stretch, but still!)

How had he, the leader of the Perverted Trio, managed to earn such a goddess?

They did everything he thought a couple was supposed to do on a fun date. They checked out a clothing store, messed around with various fabrics for the laughs and ate ice cream by the cup load. The entire date felt like one of those cliché date scenes you saw in those chick flicks his mom liked to rent out and cry to along with his dad. But, maybe they had some realism to them? Was this how happy people were together?

And best of all, he even got to see some of her over-boob! IT WAS AWESOME!

And now, as the sun was going down, Issei felt confident enough to hold her hand as they walked through the park. He was making a move! And working! She held on tightly to his hand in return, smiling gently to the ground with red in her cheeks. Issei noticed this and felt his heart flutter.

Perhaps this was love? It had to be. He wasn't thinking of owning a harem anymore. Just having her seemed enough.

In fact, just having her was starting to sound really good right then.

"Issei-kun?" Yuuma said quietly, getting Issei's undivided attention as they stopped beside a fountain in the park. The sun was lowering down, glistening off the fountain's flowing waters, with the trees offering them a cool breeze that flowed through Yuuma's hair, giving it an ethereal wave of serenity. It really hit the romantic mark.

"Ye-yeah, Yuuma-chan?" Issei asked, smiling as he tried to calm down his nerves, only wondering what this amazing girl was about to say.

"Can I ask you to do something for me? In honor of our first date together?" The way she said 'first' made Issei excited that there might actually be more for him in the future.

"Sure. You can ask me for anything." He said, looking at her smile and wondering if this is where he'd get his first kiss from. His heart was starting to pump almost painfully in his chest in anticipation.

"Good." She said, sighing before taking a deep breath and looking him straight in the eye. "Will…"

Issei's eyes must have been wide as he was prepared to practically do anything to keep this girl smiling for the rest of his life.

"Will you…die for me?"

Naturally, Issei blinked at that one. "Uh, could you repeat that, please?" He asked, laughing off what he must have misheard. "I must have something in my ear."

Yuuma's smile widened. "I asked if you would die for me?"

That time, he heard her. "Eh?"

Yuuma laughed silently, as she brought her hands out to her sides, her features turning dark as she looked at the perplexed young man in front of her.

Yuuma's appearance began to change. Her clothes started to take on a darker tint, twisting and changing into material that seemed akin to leather as it grasped tightly to her sides. What was once a rather innocent and cute shirt and skirt had turned into a rather scandalous dress that complimented her breasts and curves quite proudly.

The world around Issei began to twist and deform alongside Yuuma's appearance, with an eerie purple and black barrier surrounding the pair and most of the park with them. Aside from the two, however, no one else seemed to be around to be caught in this twisted state of reality.

Issei's eyes bugged as Yuuma began to cackle at her new state when a pair of long, coal-black bird wings sprouted from her shoulder blades, curling around her comfortingly. Then she pressed off the ground, keeping the wings outstretched as she hovered several feet off the ground, in front of the shocked (and slightly turned on) young man. He seemed to only be managing to make out the bare minimum of what was going on, with boobs taking up a lot of ram-speed in that perverted mind of his.

The look Yuuma gave her 'boyfriend' was sinister. "I will admit, Issei-kun, today wasn't all that bad. I did have some fun. It was a nice break from the usual hassle I have to go through." She lifted her arm up to her face, looking at a pink scrunchy Issei bought for her back at the clothes store. "It was very sweet." She mused, before turning to point her hand to the boy. "But like all things, this sweet memory must come to an end." Yuuma's hand started to turn a violent crimson, as the light twisted in air to form something that looked akin to a glowing, jagged spear.

Issei stared at it all from his fallen state on the ground. The wings, the spear, the barrier – it was too much! "Wait, Yuuma! Please!"

In return, 'Yuuma' only smiled. "Now! It's time to d-AHHHH!"

SPLASH!

The past minute seemed to be getting more and more unusual for the hormonal teen on the ground.

A minute ago, his girlfriend asked him to die for her.

Thirty seconds ago, she went full leather on him (could have been worse).

Fifteen seconds ago, she made a spear out of red light.

Ten seconds ago, she tried to stab him with said spear.

Presently, he was now looking at the backside of a familiar blond-haired boy, who only seconds ago grabbed a hold of one of Yuuma's wings, twisted it violently in a circle, and threw her into the fountain.

The blond-haired guy – Naruto, Issei thought he remembered it right – was staring intently at the water before glancing back quickly to Issei's prone, downed form. The look in his eyes almost made Issei doubt he had the right guy. "N-Naruto-senpai?"

Naruto lifted up two fingers. "Yo."

The water erupted from the fountain in front of them, turning their attention back to the winged woman, who now hovered several feet off the ground, soaking and panting at having just been man-handled into the park decoration.

Though Issei couldn't see it, Naruto's expression hardened. "Stay there," he ordered, getting Issei's brief attention, "I'll handle this." Issei couldn't even nod in acknowledgement before his blond peer took a couple steps forward, staring at his floating, leather-clad girlfriend.

'Yuuma' snarled as water constantly fell from her wings and body, turning her attention to the newest addition to park's confined space.

She met the blond's stare. "Who the hell are you?!"

"A big damn hero." Then he leapt at her.

Alright, just a head's up for all the people out there, I WANT TO THANK YOU PROFUSELY! For all the support, favorites, follows and reviews you've given me. I just wanted to say that, when I posted this story at 2 AM on a Saturday, after failing to get an internship I really wanted for the summer, I didn't expect much from this write up. I was down and not looking forward to a lot of things ahead of myself.

But, come eight hours later, I'm waking up to see that people LIKED MY STORY! THEY REALLY, REALLY DID! BANZAI, CHEERIO AND WHAT-NOT!

I cannot express the gratitude to the number of you who made me feel like I accomplished something, especially after that blow to my pride and worth. This story was something I just threw together, initially, with only a couple of hours of constant writing put into it, hoping to make it just a one-shot to keep the creative juices flowing.

But now? NOW I PLAN TO GO THE LONG HAUL! I have been inspired to bring a well-planned, well-developed story to the people who have put their faith in me.

I am, by far, not a gifted writer. I know that. I just try to make the writing look good without using too much extra words. I am working on my humor and my worth as a writer for the benefits of FF readers everywhere. I hope to bring the characters new worth and development beyond their original work. For me, THAT is what a great Fanfiction Writer can do.

I'll cut this whole lengthy message short and say, and I know this is still early in my writing career, but without you guys, I would probably be a mess this weekend and not looking forward to my upcoming exams and classes.

I have been inspired. And it is thanks to you guys.