CHAPTER TWO: ANGELS AND STAIRS DON'T MIX

The Underworld, Lucifer Mansion, The Past

Naruto Uzumaki was known as a paragon of strength, dexterity, ability and knowledge in his time as the Hokage – the leader – of his village.

He was revered for his charismatic nature and influence over the lives of millions. His very presence demanded absolute attention and respect, even in his waning years in active service. The air around him was vibrant and full of energy, regardless if he was having a friendly chat with a foreign delegate or taking a stroll through the forests to check on the generations that followed. His stature during times of conflict struck fear into the eyes of his foes as he stood at the precipice of armies. His smile warmed the heart, his laugh made grown men stronger, and his belief in the betterment of men made the world a brighter place.

So you can imagine the sharp contrast this new, miniature baby-form felt in comparison.

Over the span of several days under the care of the silver-haired maid-woman and various other maid-dressed members of the large estate the couple had teleported to, Naruto slowly came to understanding that neither his body nor consciousness were dead. That this was not some form of dream or his own personal hell. That he had, for lack of better understanding to the situation, been "reborn" into this newborn's body.

This created an interesting first few days.

Naruto was fully aware of everything that was going around him. As he recalled, children were often born blind or lacking a large level of vision outside of a certain distance. They were largely unsure of the world around them for quite some time. He did not have that issue; from the corner of his new crib to the violet sky outside of his bedroom, Naruto was seeing everything he could see in his previous life. Better, even. His eyes had started to dull as he aged but these new pair of eyes were clear and precise as they could have been (a positive to an otherwise unpleasant experience).

Naruto could hear, understand, feel and taste everything around his tiny body. He could hear the coos and baby words his caretakers used to try and get him to smile or laugh (in which he did, if only for how unbelievably weird the whole act was). He understood the silver-haired woman's questions to her staff on how he was acting or behaving, obviously curious to Naruto's most assuredly unusual 'baby attitude.' He could touch the soft fabric of his crib and felt the comfortable hold of his handlers as they picked him up for feeding.

That's when things got weird (or weirder, as the situation already was quite so).

Apparently, the idea of formula and bottles wasn't a common practice amongst the staff brought in to care for the boy. Naruto's attitude towards the first maid, who offered him her breast for feeding on the first night of his arrival at Lucifer Mansion, was anything but graceful.

To the blond's defense, the idea felt wrong. This was a grown woman – kind and smiling without hesitance – unaware to whom she held in her arms. She offered her breast for him to suckle on without as much as a thought or idea to how the situation truly was. The idea of…of…feeding in such a manner that left him as embarrassed as it did to make him aware of just how hungry his new body actually was.

It was a, surprisingly, difficult decision to make for the blond child-man. Feed or hold some level of pride as a husband and former leader of his village? He hadn't experienced the pleasure of a woman in such a way since his wife. Hadn't been tempted or considered to pursue anyone else. That knowledge brought him some discomfort at the idea of, even second-handedly, betraying her. It was just to feed and not by any means for pleasure, but the idea did him little good.

This turmoil lasted for some time. The maid was insistent and goading the boy in a cute voice, joking with her peers that the boy was a hard one to tempt.

That made it worse; being watched in the act.

Eventually, the hunger of the newborn's body pressed Naruto to do something he never imagined doing. And thus, after much regret (and a little silent apology) he fed. He was fed routinely in this fashion about once every few hours; his guilt rising as the days passed.

This was only one of the many pride-wrecking circumstances of his 'babification.' He wasn't even going to delve into the idea of his new body's bladder control problems.

Somethings were just too morbid to think about…

The initial passing of time was a painful thing for the reborn Hokage.

Naruto assumed quickly why children didn't possess much awareness with their initial stages of growth. Their incapacity for much more than drooling left little to be desired for the sake of remembrance. The awareness of his predicament made time seem to almost linger on far longer than it should. And while his body required copious amounts of sleep, which was a thankful reprieve from the limited existence he had been forced into, it was hard to watch the world around him work and move and live while he remained trapped within the fluffy and comfortable confines of his crib.

He was routinely visited by the lord of the mansion. The man – his founder – seemed enamored with the little Naruto whenever he had the chance to check on him. The lord Lucifer, as Naruto discovered his name was by listening to passing maids in his crib-room, was apparently a man of significant power and respect. He assumed the man must have been quite the warrior or diplomat based on the limited understanding of just what a 'Great Satan' was. Unfortunately, the image of a warrior was quickly diminished with the red-head's enamored attitude towards playing, tickling (Naruto laughed, he wasn't proud), and giving baby-Naruto attention he never actually received in his own lifetime.

Ironic. It took death and resurrection to give him experiences like those given by a father. Made awkward based on originally perceived guessing on the age of the red-haired man, when Naruto assumed he was probably several decades his elder in mentality.

Naruto watched carefully as time passed. His lack of voice and developed motor skills left him to carefully consider the situation he had been placed in and what this meant. Even after the months crept passed, Naruto couldn't recall anything past saying goodbye to his children.

It was a blank.

One second, dead. Next second, baby. It took time to accept that this was how it was.

Naruto remembered, after months of waiting, the first day he even found himself able to sit up straight, with initial assistance from the silver-woman. That felt like a small blessing, after being only able to lie on his back for so long.

Then came the lessons on how to rollover, followed quickly by how to crawl. He could see the maids surprise on how fast he took to both tasks once they trusted him enough to do anything more than sleep, eat, and occasionally spit up (he hated his baby body).

Then he started to walk. Six months into his 'imprisonment' (life in the crib) and he was making awkward steps around the mansion's halls. Naruto, who was described as the 'cutest baby ever' by the mansion's maids, smiled like a goofball the entire day, with the silver-woman carefully guiding him to ensure he did not harm himself. The lord of the mansion was 'gushing' at the level of awesome his son must have had to be walking so soon.

Naruto recalled when he was called his 'son.'

That had taken some getting used to, with no small level of hesitance.

Next, Naruto started to form words, slowly and quite literally feeling his vocal cords stretch, expand and grow as he did. He couldn't remember what the first word he managed to say clearly, but he remembered being asked to say it again and again by those around. Just for laughs, he started to say other, small, believable baby words to the amusement of staff and house owner.

Then he learned to run. Then he moved out of the crib. Then slowly, as months turned to years, the boy who lived in the house of Lucifer grew up for a second time.

Mall Area, Park Section, Present Day

Air superiority.

Angelic energy.

Strength and speed at near superhuman levels.

Weapons constructed from light and sheer willpower.

Angels, even Fallen Angels, were beings not to be trifled with. For thousands of years, the abilities of Angels altered very little, large part in due to their unbelievable effectiveness against their arch foes. When humans could not fight the Devil onslaught, the Angels fought them back. When the age of man seemed to be near its end, the Angels insured its survival. When darkness crept over the corners of the world, the Angels held the last light.

Even those of different religions, mythologies or legends knew better than to trifle with those whose power was gifted to them by someone who claimed the title of 'God.'

Yuuma Amano – best known under her true identity as the Fallen Angel, Raynare – was another who was led by this idea of battle superiority. Especially to those of Earth or the Underworld. She was proud of her capabilities and felt virtuous in her reasoning behind her actions on the current day at the mall. When there was a threat to the survival of her kind, she had the obligation to prevent its destruction –

After all, an Angel had the backing of God, right? How could anything they do be wrong?

This idealism of strength, reputation and absolute righteousness was not shared by the 'big damn hero.'

"AHHHH!" Raynare yelled, thrown backwards from the force of the kick thrown to her side by the blond miscreant; just managing to correct her hovering form before hitting the tree line. Glancing back to her assailant, she openly glared as the boy stood atop the park fountain, watching her struggle to hold flight.

Crossing his arms, Naruto gave her a hard look. "Fallen Angel," he shouted, catching the small change in her expression that told him she was surprised at his knowledge who, or at least what, she was, "step down. The boy is under my protection."

Raynare's teeth gritted into a snarl. "And just who the hell's 'protection' is he receiving?"

"Someone who's stronger than you," Naruto answered. "I have no issue with you or your Fallen. But the boy is not yours to take on some whim," he waved his hand off to the side. "Leave. Now."

His voice was unflinching and left little room for debate. His 'Hokage voice,' as he called it, left Raynare to fume from her position in the air.

What infuriated the Fallen Angel the most was debatable. The blond's ordering of her to step down; his claim of strength that surpassed her own – the strength of a Fallen Angel; or simply his interruption to the what should have been a quick 'kill-and-run' for the young woman.

Whichever the case, Raynare bared her teeth all the same, holding out her arm as the light around her distorted to form yet another spear.

From his position atop the fountain, Naruto watched as the girl, with an obviously practiced hand, twisted around in the air, gathering momentum before tossing the spear towards his head. Naruto had experience with sharp projectiles such as this before; trained to deal with them. So, with a simple twist of his neck to the side – milliseconds before the spear grazed by his head – Naruto proved he was never in any real danger.

Staring back to the Fallen Angel, Naruto's eyes hardened further. "Are you done?"

"Tsk."

"I'm warning you one last time, Fallen Angel. Leave. I won't tell you a third time." To be honest, he didn't even feel like giving her a second warning. 'Beatdown Therapies' were something of a specialty of his. But he owed her at least one last chance, out of appreciation to his employer.

Fortunately, she had pride issues. Which was good; he enjoyed people with pride issues.

Made watching them fall on their asses all the more fun.

The look in Raynare's eyes took a hint a fury to them, as she brought her hand to the side to form another spear. "Don't underestimate me!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Naruto yelled back, leaping down from the fountain as he continued to stare at the girl floating in the air. She was tense, frustrated and packing some serious firepower. But, unlike before, she wasn't throwing the projectile; opting for close range fighting in the air.

This was a wise decision. With any other opponent, Raynare might have had the advantage based on aerial combat expertise. Natural aerial beings almost always had an effective edge over those on the ground. If a ground-based opponent felt they had the advantage against an opponent of the air, and hoped to meet them mid-way for an attack, more often than not they were left with a unsettling surprise that the reality of aerial opponents were not to be trifled with.

However, Naruto was not that kind of opponent.

Taking a couple steps to gain momentum, Naruto leapt at the Fallen Angel, who raised her spear in preparation for his assault…

…Futile, though it was.

Post-combat survivors often take time to wonder the big 'what-ifs.'

In the case of the current conflict, Raynare would wonder several possible outcomes to her challenge with the blond-haired combatant.

What if she'd thrown her spear while the boy was caught mid-air? He couldn't dodge, surely. A quick toss of her spear, five feet before he even got within fist-throwing range, and he would have a spear lodged down his throat, right?

What if she dodged his initial attack? Let gravity take hold of him and as he fell, close the distance to his unprotected back with a swift strike to the heart.

What if, just for the sake of hypothetical, she went for the downed Issei while Naruto was focused on her? A fling of her spear as the blond attempted to meet her mid-flight, too fast to do anything to challenge its trajectory, with Issei having a decent sized hole in his chest? It would be a wound to her pride to admit she couldn't take her blond opponent (which, at that moment, she couldn't be certain of) but her task would be finished. A threat, eliminated. Retreat would be bitter sweet, but an accomplishment.

Yes. Combat, like life, was filled with the 'what ifs.' They could keep you awake at night, wondering what might have been.

But this was not a 'what if.' This was reality. This was the present.

And presently, Naruto was making his move.

Raynare evaluated the distance.

Ten meters. Seven meters. Five meters.

She pulled back her spear.

Three meters.

She was in the air. Her territory. And her opponent was coming to her.

She had the advantage with her spear. It had extended length – longer than his arms.

She was trained for this. Ready for this!

Two meters!

Close enough!

She pointed her spear forward and gave a thrust of her weight into her weapon. Her teeth were grit, her arms were taught, and her knuckles were white with how hard she held onto the spear.

This was her win, she thought. She won.

…Looking back to the 'what ifs,' she wondered if she looked into the blond's eyes, she would have realized her mistake to have even considered challenging such a man.

Naruto watched the spear. He watched the twitch of muscles on the Fallen Angel as she readied her attack. He saw her eyes judging the distance between them and figured she took into consideration the length of her spear to his arms.

She was capable. But she was young. She didn't have the experience of life and death situations he had.

And in this situation, experience is what mattered most.

He watched her eyes. He kept watch on her spear-point. He saw it narrow the distance towards his head.

It came within a hair's length of his head.

Then he dodged.

Raynare's eyes widened as the blond's head, like before, moved sharply to the side, her spear grazing past to only clip a couple of yellowish hair.

Her eyes widened as her eyes met the man's.

He never let his gaze turn away from her.

Then his hand went wide. He caught her wrist holding the spear. His other hand went for her bare shoulder, holding tightly to effectively stabilize himself off of the Fallen.

He twisted her wrist.

"Ahhh!" She screamed, feeling her bones crack as her spear fell from her hand, dissipating into the air before it even touched the ground.

Through the pain, she managed to meet his stare. Perhaps it was then that she realized her folly.

This was no human. It couldn't have been. To cause an Angel – a being of considerable endurance – such a shock from a simple wrist tightening did not seem possible.

But there wasn't the stench of Devil on him. Not the smell of a particular mythology or lesser religion. He held no demonic power that she could feel.

He felt human.

And yet, there was power.

Naruto was a man trained. He didn't care that Raynare was female when he nearly broke her wrist. He didn't care when he moved his hand into a fist to drive it into her stomach. He didn't even flinch when he drove his knee right after – Raynare wouldn't hold back, neither would he.

Then he performed his 'finisher.'

His hand still on her shoulder, Raynare wavered in the air after the severe blows to her abdomen. Naruto took Raynare's attempt to regain composure and air to perform a single-armed handstand over her head and shoulders, effectively landing on her back with his hand on her shoulder ensuring he didn't lose hold over the pained woman.

Even while holding onto some measure of control of the pain in her body, Raynare's eyes showed her surprise at the blond's actions, followed shortly by the absolute horror at what came next.

With hands moving firmly to grasp around black appendages, Naruto pulled tightly to Raynare's coal-colored wings.

Funny thing about the wings of an Angel. Similar to Devils, the wings on the backs of both races were often never seen in a motion similar to flapping. Both races released their individual hidden appendages when they desired so that they might be capable of achieving flight, but beyond that, the wings did no movement to signify that they had any control over the flight patterns of either beings.

And in a way, this was true.

The wings were largely symbolic for both races. They did not need to move so that their ability to fly could be obtained. Devils and Angels, using their own form of demonic or angelic energy, respectively, channeled their power into their wings to offer a form of limited gravity control to their person. Indeed, aside from that, the wings weren't necessary for much else.

It was this idea that the wings of the biblical lore were mainly for show that made others ignore them. It was a rumor spread by both Angel and Devil.

The reason was because the harsh truth was so much worse.

Raynare felt the shocks go through her body as Naruto pulled tightly to the wings. Thousands of painful needles felt like they were passing through her as the blond's grip never loosened. She tried shaking, screaming, waving herself in the air to throw him off but it was pointless.

He had her. And now the worst thing about having one's wings pulled, the things Angels feared most, was happening to her now.

They were falling. Fast.

"You idiot!" Raynare cried, feeling the air sweep past her as the ground began to close in quickly. She hadn't even realized how high the two of them were before their clash in the sky but apparently, they were quite high. And now, they were descending to the ground far too fast for her calm or reserved nature to come in.

At this height, the impact would surely-!

"You'll kill us both!"

"No. I won't." Naruto's voice, even over the wind, was heard as he watched carefully as he rode the back of the Angel down to earth. The ground was catching up quick.

He was prepared for this. "Get ready."

"To what?!"

"To fly."

He let go of her wings and jumped.

Raynare's eyes clearly showed her surprise. His words alone were what prepared her for the moment he released her wings from his grip, allowing her to once more channel her power into them. Even managing to take into account the push off from her back when the blond made his last minute retreat, Raynare caught her form in the air – barely a foot from what would have been her crushing end.

There was a cold sweat coming down her skin. Raynare panted for air she hadn't realized over her fear that her lungs sorely lacked.

Her body trembled.

She couldn't believe, over that heart-pounding moment of falling, that she was still breathing. That despite the soreness in her wrists and wings and the sweat beading down her skin, Raynare of the Fallen Angels was alive and unharmed.

She was alive.

She let herself fall from her hovering onto the grass. She couldn't remember the last time she appreciated the feeling of earth so much. Being an Angel, the air was their home, more so then any other race. But the grass - with its sharp pointed top but still smooth makeup - felt wonderful to her skin.

She felt like laughing at the irony of an Angel enjoying the surface of the Earth had it not been for the shadow that loomed over her then.

"Remember that feeling, Angel," Naruto's voice never seemed to crack or waiver as beautiful young Angel lifted her head to stare at him. "Remember: this is what happens when you bite off more than you can chew."

Then he turned from her and walked in the direction of the fountain. Issei was probably still there. The blond doubted he would have left. Under both the barrier and Naruto's words, Issei would have been too nervous to have done much of anything.

And besides, Raynare got the message. His employer would be pleased.

Propping herself up onto her arms before slowly moving onto her knees, Raynare stared at the retreating form of the blond. No fear or unease was evident on his features.

He planned this. Right down to the moment, he planned his win and made her out to be the fool.

But now, as Raynare watched him walk away, she wondered; was it his win?

Raynare glared to his bare back, before pulling her arm to the side. Amidst the stress and relief of being alive, she could feel the pull of energy as she focused it into her wrist. She was careful. Careful not to let the 'hero' see her focus or the light coming from her hand. His defenses were down, his consideration of her gone, believing her defeated. But he was wrong! She was a Fallen Angel! The strongest of the Three Factions! Trained in the art of combat since she was a child by the magnificent Azazel himself! She was not some dog to be put down by some…some…boy and his pretend belief that he was some hero.

She slowly began to twist the energy, slowing giving it substance and form, as she moved to stand with one leg on the ground and –

Froze.

She stared at him. The boy-man-hero-person. She stared at him as he walked away.

He didn't so much as bother to look over his shoulder. He was certain in his victory over her.

It was weird. She recalled what he did to her not a minute ago.

The falling. The anxiety. The belief that it was the end.

How calm he was. He didn't fear what came next. He either had the acceptance of what might occur or the belief he would survive.

And those ideas terrified her.

She fell to her knees again, arms holding her body up as she panted and felt stinging tears fall from her eyes.

I almost died. I almost died! I almost died I almost died I almost died I almost died I almost died…

Naruto stood from the corner of a tree, effectively hidden from the downed Angel, as he watched her eventually stand with a look of almost hollow acceptance to what had occurred before taking off in a shaky flight pattern to parts unknown. The barrier fell around the park area, showing the night sky and the mall now lit from the inside.

Naruto nodded, accepting the turn of events, before going back to Issei.

Like he figured, the boy hadn't moved. Perhaps he had a nice show as Naruto dished out some of the good old fashioned 'pain-train' on his girlfriend. Perhaps he just couldn't feel his legs after seeing such brutality on both party's' parts. Perhaps he was just obedient – either way, he didn't move much from where Naruto left him.

Which was perfect. Because Naruto knew what he had to do.

"Issei," Naruto spoke up, kneeling beside the boy as he got his attention. He was in some form of mild shock, judging by his eyes. Naruto lightened his tone somewhat, "how you feeling?"

Issei stared at him. "Fine. Just...yeah."

Naruto nodded. Expected as much. "I expect you have a lot of questions, huh?" Issei hesitated before offering a shaky nod. "And you're probably not too sure what to make of everything you saw here, hmm?" Again, Issei nodded. Naruto nodded with him, thinking everything over. "Alright, I can give you answers. But first, I'm going to need you to answer a question."

Issei waited a moment before speaking. "What question?"

Naruto lifted his hand. "What did the five fingers say to the face?"

"…What?"

SMACK!

In the circumstances throughout modern history, where a human discovered the existence of Angels, Devils or some other form of mythical being by accident, certain measures were taken to insure they and other viewing parties would not relay such discovered information to anyone.

Previously, the technique was called 'mass slaughtering.'

Thankfully, the realization that this caused more problems than solutions was realized. Thus, each race soon began developing techniques that, on the weak-willed, unconscious or shocked minds of humans, worked to remove the memories of what had previously occurred. This left fewer humans dead and caused less strife among the worlds and religious factions.

Naruto, however, knew no such technique.

Truthfully, that moment at the park was not one of Naruto's better moments. In fact, this might have been a move that went under the category of 'risky' and 'stupid' at the same time. He hadn't done something like that since he was a teen (well, a teen before the teen he was now – past teen life – whatever).

He panicked. He wasn't sure how to deal with this sort of situation so he figured the 'shocked mind, knock unconscious, thinks it's all a pretty dream' idea sounded pretty good.

Sadly, reality kicked in and he realized he had more work to do.

Issei Hyoudou's body wasn't heavy. Not at all, really. But carrying him around on rooftops, avoiding wandering eyes and potential bystanders, even at nighttime, was proving somewhat difficult and time consuming.

This wasn't Konoha, where people jumping over rooftops was a daily norm.

What I wouldn't do for a transport spell right now, Naruto thought to himself. But he had to keep this under wraps. No calling mom for this mess. His employer would not be pleased if he half-assed this at the end.

Thus, with a mindset of determination he held since he was a kid in both of his lives, Naruto made his way carefully into the Hyoudou residence.

Thankfully, Issei wasn't one to lock his window on the usually busy street of his house. With a quick tug, Naruto opened it to the inside of the pervert's bedroom, moved inside with Issei slouched on his back and quietly moved to place the boy on his futon.

Taking a moment to relax, Naruto looked over the boy's room. It was about what he expected. Magazines, books, dvds – 90% of which was porn. Desk, dresser, clothes, posters (porn-oriented). It was homey, for its simplicity. It vaguely reminded Naruto of his old apartment, minus the intense sexy-girl-themed collectables.

Funny how moving into a house and, post-death, being raised in large mansions gave one a perspective of 'simplicity.'

Naruto sighed, stretching out his limbs as he reached down into the boy's pockets and pulled out his phone. Over the last week, when Naruto was keeping 'protective observation' over the boy and his 'girlfriend,' Naruto knew that Issei had been rather attached to the girl through digital devices.

Going through Issei's phone, Naruto searched for what he needed. Thankfully, Issei was very thorough on naming things, so finding what he needed was no trouble for Naruto.

'Awesome Amano's' email address:

Delete.

'Yuu-My Girl's' social network profile page address:

Delete.

'BEST! GIRLFRIEND! EVER!' phone number:

Delete.

'Yuuma Amano Photos':

Naruto hesitated there.

In the small folder of Issei's phone, there was a group of photos with Yuuma Amano's – Raynare's – face in every one of them.

The folder seemed to be carefully organized. Each picture depicted Yuuma is some sort of laughing, smiling, happy or joking manner. There were even some with Issei in them, smiling brightly as he took the photos with enthusiasm. They didn't even seem explicitly sexual or dirty in nature (which surprised the blond), though a few did seem to get good shots of the top of her breasts during their date together.

In the end, though, the two seemed, generally, happy.

Naruto looked down from the phone to the boy sleeping off the knockout hit to the forehead. He'd be out till morning, at least.

Issei really liked this 'Yuuma.' The photos, the smiles, the interactions – he cared for the disguise of Raynare. Naruto wouldn't deny him as much. He was a serious pervert whom Naruto caught more than a few times staring profusely at the Fallen Angel's bust, even as she was trying to skewer him, but he had his saving graces.

He was a boy who still had the capacity to love and be loved like anyone else.

Delete.

But still, it needed to be done.

Placing the phone back into his pocket, the slight shifting of his clothing knocked a loose piece of parchment from his jacket's inside pocket. It caught Naruto's eye, brightly glaring over the light from the window, as he reached over and picked up the folded paper carefully.

He opened it and glanced over the contents.

The bizarre formation of runes and circles was the first thing that caught his eye.

Caught it, because the symbol was very familiar.

Pursing his lips, Naruto folded the flyer and placed it into his back pocket, holding back a groan.

"Rias…"

Complex Apartments, south end of city, a few minutes later…

"So, mission accomplished, right?"

"Depends. Am I still obligated to watch the boy?"

"Hmmmmmmm-nah! I think we've established he's not to be disturbed just fine. Nice work, by the way. Fear tactics-HAH! Very ninja! Couldn't have done it better myself!"

"...No, you couldn't. Will that be all? Are we clear on what I owe?"

"Yep! We're clear as Gabriel's horn! Both of them!"

"…I'm not going to even ask what that meant."

The other end of the phone died, as a middle-aged man laughed outside his apartment, clicking the phone shut and moving to go back to the comfort of the indoors.

The man fit the look of, for lack of better terms to describe him by, a bachelor. He was tall, opting to wearing a loosely-fitted, grayish kimono, even as it grew colder outside, and wore a pair of similarly loose sandals. Facial wise, the man might have been considered quite handsome. Tanned skin, boasting a goatee that had to have been trimmed and cleaned on a regular basis to get the sharpness that it had, with long, mixed-colored golden and black hair that seemed natural but shouldn't have been possible.

He walked with a casual step back into his apartment, smiling an almost victorious smile, as he looked to his 'guest' who sat silently by herself.

"Rayna-chan," he spoke up, as the long-haired Fallen Angel, Raynare, looked away from the small television in the room to offer a glance back to the man, "how are you feeling?"

The man's tone was soft. It made Raynare blush in embarrassment for needing his assistance. She was a proud Fallen Angel, damn it! "I-I'm fine." She said, trying to put as much pride into her voice, even with her disheveled appearance, though the stuttering didn't help her position.

After her fight with the blond warrior, Raynare attempted to recover her strength as best as she knew how; returning to the Underworld. With her well-supplied stock of tools and items, her home could see to her resting and healing needs. But at the moment, before she even opened a portal to vacate the planet, she recalled her lord's command.

She was to stay on Earth.

So, with gritted teeth, she realized she couldn't return to the temporary confines she'd made for herself since arriving on the different world. It was too far away and she was weakening fast. She considered other Angel locations, but quickly struck the idea down. They would laugh at her. She was aiming to raise her position amongst those who stood beside her – to make those around her know that she wasn't just a child who'd been taken in out of pity or mercy.

No. She couldn't go to the other Angels. But, then, the man standing behind her wasn't like the others, was he.

He was the one who, even during her fits, would not judge or throw her away.

Said man smiled, "I'm glad. You know, you had me in quite the shock when you dropped down here. I thought you might have done something you shouldn't have." His tone was in jest and his smile offered no knowing of anything beyond her sudden arrival to his abode.

Raynare had the courtesy to look abashed, however. "O-of course not! I-I-I was – I w-wouldn't-" she shook her head profusely, trying to shake off her embarrassment.

The man smiled, offering a faint chuckle to himself. Children. "Relax, relax! I believe you!" He assured her, watching as her face blushed further and gave a curt nod so as to not say something unprecedented again.

She was eating his food, lying on his couch, wearing a spare outfit he owned as her leathery dress was fixed and using the sheer energy of his presence to slowly heal her sore and wounded body. She was easing her battered body and soul off of a caretaker she swore, years ago, she would not need anymore.

And through it all, he could see her shame. Shame in herself as only a prideful Angel could feel. The shame that was driving her mad from the inside out.

She was gripping the arm of his couch tightly, shaking briefly before turning with a blushing red face and shouting:

"Thank you again for taking this worthless sheep into your home, Azazel-sama! I will be sure to pay back this immense kindness you have bestowed upon me a hundred times over! I swear it!"

One second, she was on the couch, the next, she was on her knees, bowing deeply to her keeper.

The man – now known as 'Azazel' – blinked at the display and words before laughing loud and deeply. "Alright, alright, enough of that. No need for the theatrics. I'm just glad you're alright. Can't tell you how nervous you made me, coming in as you did." That was a semi-lie. On any other day or circumstance, perhaps the words would have been more truthful. But he trusted his hired help to see his will done, and the results were to his liking. "Just relax. I'll make you another ramen cup! You know, I'm not sure why, but I have found them to be the most enjoyable things of late! Miso, pork, chicken – all of them! They really are delectable."

Raynare nodded. "T-that would be most kind, m-my lord." She stuttered out, as Azazel smiled and made his way into the kitchen, humming a tune as he made to make more food.

Raynare sat back on the couch. She was hardly watching…whatever-it-was that was on the black box. Her mind was elsewhere.

The blond. That blond, cold-blue-eyed man beat her. Sent her running with her wings in her arms and with a cold sweat to make things worse. He got her heart pumping like no foe ever had. She believed herself a growing elite in the Fallen Angel ranks. That her lack of experience in actual combat mattered little in comparison to the sheer mental, magical and physical training she put herself through to win over the affections and approval of her peers and superiors.

But he proved her wrong. She was nowhere near ready for the title of 'Lord among the Fallen.'

How many times had she sweat and cried to get to where she was? How many had laughed at her ambitious attitude when she said she would be the next leader of Grigori? How had the grievances of those who put her down, not only of the Fallen Angels, only made her strive to prove she was not just a freeloader to her people? How could they point at her and say she was not a true Angel? She, the untrue child of Heaven?

And now, as she stood amongst the leaders of her faction on Earth, how must the others have looked at her when she was told to babysit the Sacred Gear pervert.

It was a wound; a wound to her pride and her belief in herself. That she had been placed, not among the defenders or caretakers of those who were truly holy under the sky of God, but as some crotch-huggers new nanny!

The idea made her want to vomit.

She stood by, for weeks, watching him. The disgusting little toad. His actions to the females around him made her no less impressed with the human race then she had been ten years ago.

Though, perhaps they were not cockroaches, she would admit bitterly. Her lords seemed to find something admirable about the growing population and their worth, though she could not see what they did. To her, they were the 'grounded.' Unblessed beings whom, only after accepting their rightful place as those below their true father, could ascend truly in value to her.

But Issei was beyond redemption. His attitudes were purely based on lust. How unbecoming, in all manners of the word. She couldn't even prevent his actions without direct interference, which was forbidden to her.

She lasted a month, watching him. One could hardly blame her when she decided to take matters into her own hands soon after that.

She figured this was a test. It had to have been! Sacred Gears were dangerous and this boy – stupid, though he was – could have posed a threat to the great faction of the Fallen Angels. Humans had done so before. Why would that change now? Her lord Azazel must have realized this, must have been testing her, to see if she had the qualities to take action and realize the danger for herself!

The boy was perverse incarnate. An evil quality. It had to be snuffed out before it could fester and grow.

She told herself this throughout the time she knew him as Yuuma Amano. She even started to make it a game, feeling she earned as much. Maybe she would even get creativity points from her peers for the ingenious way she went about dealing with potential threat.

It had all been planned, almost realized.

And then he showed up.

And now, here she was, licking her wounds and pride like some struck-down puppy!

Her fingers dug into the leathery couch. This was not over. Not by a longshot! This was a minor setback to a major dream she held – the desire to prove that the Fallen were not just the outcasts that the other factions believed them to be. That they had hearts, feelings and power to challenge those who would see them crumble and fall back into the shadows of Perdition.

She would get stronger; prove her worth to everyone! And when the time came and she found the strength to challenge that blond haired hero she would -!

"Hey! Rayna-chan!"

The shout knocked the female Fallen Angel out of her internal rant, perking her up as she answered. "Y-yes, my lord?"

"You know, with everything that was going on, I almost forgot to ask: how did you get into such a mess, hmm?"

Raynare paused in thought. What would make her come out, wounded and sore, looking as she did?

"…I fell down some stairs."

"…You fell down some stairs?"

"Yes."

"…Stairs?"

"…There were a lot of them…"

Alright! Phew! That actually took longer than I thought it would! Mostly because of the realization that I CANNOT WRITE FIGHTING SCENES!

Or, at least, they aren't my strong suit. I can see why Game of Thrones opts to skip them in their first book, mostly. They are just difficult – you want the cool fight scene that works to how the characters are but describing every quick action into realistic description for the mind to accurately portray and make imagery towards is not easy (and those were a lotta fancy words I just wrote there...pineapple).

But oh BOY! When I got to the end, I thought, 'you know what? This felt like a good, built up moment in the story. Good development, good humor at the end – I can live with it.'

Plus, now I have the next chapter all realized on how I want it to go, without issue. Should help me post it fast, I hope (don't quote me on that).

Double plus, I just found out three hours ago I got an INTERNSHIP!

CUE FLYING DOVES OF AWESOME!

I'm starting in three weeks! So psyched! Now, at least, my parents won't nag me for not being a productive member of society! Woot-woot!

Anyway, I hope this chapter was enjoyable. I know it didn't move as fast through time as the last chapter did, but I figure this will be my buildup chapter to next time (seriously, I came up with some EXCELLENT dialogue for the next chapter).

Also, to my growing fanbase (if I might be so bold as to claim I have such a thing), I just wanted to say 'MAJOR PROPS TO YOU GUYS' for being so awesome this last week. I only started this story recently - even just recently became a writer! - but I have only been given creative and productive words of advice to making my work as enjoyable and clean as it can be.

Some even helped come up with some solid side ideas that could really solidify the universe that Naruto now lives in.

Make it 'coolio,' if you would.

It's only been two (well, technically three, now, with this new posting) chapters into this story, but I really do enjoy the words of advice and encouragement from you guys. And I know I can't answer all of your questions because, frankly, it is hard to hold back on potential ideas from the people who are the reason my story even is considered to be a good read at the present. If I answer one, it feels like I have to answer every question asked to me out of common courtesy.

But that doesn't mean I don't read every single review or PM you guys send me, trying to figure out new ways to expand and write characters beyond their canon counterparts. You guys make me want to consider every character as an advancement of the story. To push the plot and progression forward in unique, believable ways to a final showdown of epic proportions.

I don't believe in cannon fodder characters. I believe those are just characters that haven't been given the right limelight to show a side of them that can really make the story grand. And I hope to do that. Give readers an experience that makes them want to come back to read more, even years later.

Whether it's Naruto, DxD, a crossover or whatever, I owe it to the people reading to give the best effort I can to whatever I put down on my Word Document!

(That last sentence sounded cooler in my head)

Enjoy the weekend! And happy May 1st!