CHAPTER FOUR: RISING TENSIONS, PART 1

Lucifer Mansion, The Underworld, Eleven Years Ago

As Naruto's body developed into that of a small child's, the former Hokage started to fully recognize just how limiting his small stature was.

In his teenage or even elderly years before his 'death,' Naruto was still seen as a being of peak human condition and capability. Suddenly finding it difficult to perform even the easiest of his skills was demoralizing, at first. The less than adequate body's abilities made the former ninja come to the conclusion that, at the young age of six, he would begin returning to his regular training.

The age wasn't randomly chosen, by any means. When he was young, most youths began training in some form or another in early life to be successful members of the village military. It was accepted as proper and prepared them for the harsh realities of the outside world. So, at what he and his 'parents' assumed was his sixth year of age, Naruto resumed his previous life's training routine.

This was not without its challenges. Being quite small in stature, weak in muscle and generally inflexible, the copious amounts of work and physical exercises Naruto had hoped to attempt in were severely limited. His body just couldn't handle the initial strain of unused muscles to do quick movements or tasks no normal child should have been capable of. Even with his discovered thriving Chakra, the energy source that powered his immense abilities in his previous life, Naruto often found himself out of breath and collapsing from overwork (which, admittedly, after being 'caged' in his crib and under the watch of a caretaker for so long, finding himself out of breath from a workout felt good).

But there was something else to be concerned for, aside from bodily limitations; the fear of being caught while practicing his former skills. Of course, being caught throwing punches in practice or trying to throw a proper kick were not crimes to be criticized upon, even by his 'mother' who took some levels of extremity to insure her 'son's' safety. Physical training, from what he assumed, was acceptable. He understood quickly that this new world's beings – these Devils – were individuals who enjoyed their bouts of combat. Naruto relaxed in the regard of his punching and kicking practices, even with the idea of being caught in the act. In fact, when caught, he was usually encouraged to continue with cheers and enthusiasm.

This made him laugh, a bit. When he was a kid in his life prior, people put him down quite often. Now, he was being praised for his determination and for being 'just like his father.'

Life's full of surprises.

Anyway, aside from those small exercises, the few times Naruto tried to practice his 'other skill sets,' like walking a vertical slope or balancing a stack of books while remaining perfectly-still, he worked with care not to be discovered by anyone.

After all, how would he explain that? Walking up walls? The casual body flipping in the air? The meditating? Devils could fly, teleport and puncture stone with fist or magic (at the time, he considered this to just be some form of otherworldly Jutsu (he wasn't a hundred percent wrong)). But he wasn't a Devil. He was human. A child, at that. Even Devil children he became aware of during his small time in the Lucifer Mansion were not as enthralled towards training as he was. Their attitudes were like humans: playful and carefree.

Naruto, despite his best attempts, could not always replicate the relaxed nature of child in the new world. He was an elderly man. He'd seen wars and lost friends and loved ones. He'd seen the world and lived with the mistakes he'd made. He'd grown wise and conversant with his responsibilities. True, his visage and attitude could jump into an unusual way towards carefree and naïve, at times. His past family helped keep him the Naruto they knew and loved, and his 'new father' had a way of making him smile and enjoy the feeling of new-youth.

But needless to say, Naruto wasn't like other children. He couldn't be and that's what made him nervous about the truth of his unique situation. From the time he was found, Naruto kept a closely held secret over his awareness to the world around him. Having a child with the mind and skill of a man well past a century in age would not be looked upon easily.

Even Grayfia – his mother – still held the curious eye on him, from time to time.

So, early into his new body's training, Naruto decided that, at least for a time, he would keep what little training he found time to do a secret from his parents. He'd figured out how to explain anything that could be explained once he had a better idea of just how the world worked around unique (awesome) individuals such as himself.

Ironically, when the idea of 'brilliantly-deceiving-the-authority-figures-of-the-mansion' came to him, not a few seconds later, the lord and lady of the mansion came in to check on their baby boy.

Now, this might have not come off as peculiar had their 'son' not been holding himself upside down…from the ceiling…using only his toes…thirty feet off the floor…

He remembered the staring between them quite vividly.

"…Ta-dah?"

Surtr Second – the Ultimate Rook of the Underworld.

Created by Norse Gods two-three millennia ago, Surtr Second was a clone of the original mythological fire giant, Surtr, whom was said to have set fire to a dozen worlds with his army of giants in the past. Though defeated and cast into a shadowy pit that not even his fiery light could overcome, the Norse Gods feared he would one day return. To counter this, from the torn flesh of the old giant, Odin – the lord of the Norse Gods, All Father, and God of Many Things – conjured the new Surtr into the world.

But the clone was not created to perfection. In the hopes of retaining the abilities of the old Surtr, the gods allowed him to retain the power that gave birth to his fire – the passion and feelings that made them burn hot. But this was a mistake. The cloned Surtr was given the feelings of the original Surtr, but not his memories or the reasoning behind why he felt what he did. The confusion and disorientation were too much for the newborn giant, and soon after creation, he was driven mad with doubt of his identity or purpose, lashing out at those around him.

So the gods, in a bout of pity, threw the new giant into an icy tomb before his power could rise to challenge them. And there he waited for centuries; pained without knowing the reason. He would have died a slow and painful death had the newly appointed Great Satan Lord not come across the poor abomination.

Surtr was powerful but his mind and long duration of constant pain made him tired and weak. Sirzechs, seizing the opportunity, manipulated what feelings he could, twisting and breaking the mind of the new Surtr – an act of mercy to the pained and desperate creature. Broken, Sirzechs offered him one of his prized Evil Pieces – the Rook – for the sake of his salvation. Surtr, reborn with his mind undamaged and free of the torment that befell him, swore loyalty to the Devil Lord for 'stopping the fire.'

And thus, Surtr Second, as was his new name given to him by his master and friend, became a part of Lucifer's Peerage.

And now, as of Sirzechs's request, he was Naruto's new 'sensei.'

"You listen here, little-blond runt boy! Incredible Lord Sirzechs has placed you in my charge! To study in the ways of controlling your powers and being a complete badass in and out of combat! If you place your faith in me, Surtr Second! Then I guarantee! With a hundred-percent certainty! That I WILL! NOT! FAIL! YOU!"

If Naruto could compare the man adequately, just from the attitude he gave off, he would say Surtr was Guy-sensei's angrier brother.

Surtr Second held the appearance of a man in his early to mid-thirties, with long, spiky orange hair, huge hands that looked like they could crush Naruto's skull with the tiniest grip, and a build that brimmed with hidden power - like fire ready for some oil to be poured onto it.

The circumstances around this little turn of events were actually quite simple. After being scolded and praised from individual parents (take a guess which from which), Sirzechs brought Naruto before the only one he felt confident enough to set him upon for 'training.' In the Great Satan's mindset, Surtr was one of the kindest, most trustworthy Devils he knew. In addition to possessing as much power as his original genetic self, he was loyal beyond all reason and never failed to put his absolute best into anything he set his mind to.

By the Great Satan's assumption, Surtr would be apt in teaching his son.

"In my training, you will know what it means to respect authority! MY AUTHORITY! You will grovel on the ground! You will train until you bleed! You will cry for your momma! But by the end, you will be a mean machine like me! Now, what say you, runt-boy?!" He pointed down to Naruto, who wasn't even half of the fire giant's height. "Do you want to be an all-around, incredible, unbelievable, BEASTLY FIGHTING MACHINE?!"

Naruto, somewhat taken aback, nodded.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU?!"

"Yes, Surtr-san!"

"THAT IS SURTR-SAMA WHILE YOU ARE UNDER MY BOOT! NOW AGAIN! DO YOU WANNA BE AWESOME?!"

"YES, SURTR-SAMA!"

"OORAH!"

Church Facility, Present Day, 11:47 PM

In the center of the Church that stood atop the hill – several miles from Kuoh Academy – a young maiden sat quietly as she held her eyes closed and her hands together in soft prayer.

She prayed to those she knew, those she didn't, and those she had not met yet. She prayed for good fortune to all and to have the blessing of God placed in all men, pure or not. The young nun had been continuously performing her rites for some time - several hours, in fact. She did not seem to grow tired nor bored as she performed her duties of the lord. She was devout, to be certain, and seemed to enjoy her silent work.

This particular young woman's name was Asia Argento. A quiet, but sweet girl, who listened and fulfilled the duties of a nun since she was a newborn left in the church's care. She was a short teen at the age fifteen, nearing sixteen, with long blond hair that reached down to her lower back, green eyes, soft toned skin and wore a standard dark teal nun's outfit. Dangling from her neck was a silver cross that completed her image of purity and serenity. Indeed, it was improbable to imagine how someone could mistake the girl for anything but a devout Christian who'd put her life into God's hands.

Asia was not originally a member of the Japanese church she now resided in. Originally, she was born and raised in Italy. However, circumstances arose in the most unfortunate of natures and she was cast out from the only home she knew.

But the ever positive nun was not to be let down by this situation. She found hope, soon after, in the hands of those who'd fallen from God's grace – the Fallen Angels.

Ironic, though it might have been, the dark-winged figures took her in. Cared for her, even. They brought her to Japan to continue the work she felt passionate for. And through their kindness, she found new purpose with purging the evils of the world, far from her original home.

Her 'gift,' which some called a curse, was now being nurtured into something wondrous to the benefit of all.

And aside from that, even a cute boy she met found her burden to be…how did he put it…oh yes! Cool! It made the young woman's entire day to know someone thought she wasn't the witch others claimed she was. He was kind and generous – and to a complete stranger! It made her so happy to have met him…

Silently gliding up the narrow way to where the nun laid silently in prayer, a short, bespectacled man of growing age wearing the outfit adorned from priesthood smiled down to his new ward. Eventually, she would be doing the work that was set out for her. The priest was happy. She was truly special! And with her, he had set the perfect partner to protect and guide her in her duties; a partner of firmness and passion in purging the wicked of evil sin and doing it with a gratuitous smile.

Oh yes! They would do well together, he was certain!

Not wanting to bother the young maiden, the elderly man crept to the side of the room, spying with his little eyes a pair of hidden figures. Knowing them personally, he decided to greet them politely.

"A most harmonious night to you, Azazel-sama," the priest said, bowing to his benefactor and heavy contributor, as Azazel nodded in response, refusing to look away from Asia's praying figure.

"How is she?"

"Quite well! Yes, quite well!" The priest answered, moving to stand aside so the pair of Fallen could gaze upon her. "She is taking to her new accommodations quite well."

"Good," Azazel nodded, "then she should perform her duties soon."

The priest nodded. "Yes, but of course! I have selected her partner already and he is more than anxious to performing the lord's work."

Though keeping his features a mask of seriousness despite his desire to smirk knowingly, Azazel turned his attention to the priest. "Have you?"

"Oh yes! I assure you, he is a most clever boy! With a witty tongue and air to him, the two will be like peas in a pod before you know it."

"I shall take your word for it, then." Azazel replied before turning to his associate. "Raynare, will you be alright with your new station?"

The female Fallen Angel was, like her lord, a mask of detachment. Guard duty. Again. "I will accommodate myself to the new circumstances accordingly." The situation was preferable to the pervert, she would admit. She'd rather look after a devoted nun to the church and wisdom of God then some breast-eccentric child anyway.

She could accept this more readily than before, begrudging though she was to admit.

Azazel nodded. She was the perfect little Fallen. "That settles it then. Father Galilei, you are dismissed."

The priest – Father Galilei – nodded with joy on his features. "As you command, Azazel-sama." And with that, he left the two Fallen be. He had other matters to attend to, like getting his prized pupil ready for the big night ahead of them!

The two Fallen watched the nun quietly for a time, mulling over the girl as she was bathed in moonlight from one of the colored windows above her. The light seemed to enhance the girl's developing beauty, with blonde hair glistening ever so slightly with the shifting light to her breathing.

Azazel could appreciate it. "Quite the beauty, isn't she?"

Raynare nodded. "There are worse, my lord."

Azazel chuckled quietly. "Ouch. That's harsh. I mean, look at her," he waved a hand in her direction, "the way the moonlight hits her just right could make even an Angel fall, I'm sure."

"It is as you say, my lord."

Azazel held back a bark of laughter, instead opting turning and placing a calming hand onto his ward. "Make me proud, Raynare. I expect excellence from you, you know that."

Raynare, ever the prideful Angel, smiled slightly at the praise. "Thank you, my lord."

He smiled before brushing past, leaving the Wrathful Fallen to her duties.

Raynare would stand in the shadows for several hours to come, keeping a level of professionalism as she kept her eye on the nun. To her, the girl might have had the potential to be a wonderful nun to the church. She certainly had the determination to please others with heavy prayer – the air of innocence and perfection. Her devotion and poise were aspiring.

The rest of her, however, was lacking.

This youthful nun – Asia – was little more than a passing fancy of her lord. Just a girl with a Sacred Gear.

Her lord Azazel had taken a recent interest in Sacred Gears. This girl's sudden fallacy and banishment from her home church was a stroke of fortune to him. To be certain, what lied within her was a powerful artifact of God with levels of impressive potential, but nothing much else. She had her name and the clothes to her back but nothing else really struck Raynare as 'special.' She didn't even seem particularly interested in expanding its capabilities beyond the mere minimum of its potential.

This thought irked her, slightly. Given potential from God himself and not even attempting to perfect its power to its full was almost blasphemous. Raynare's opinion of Sacred Gear users wasn't the most positive to be found, having been educated in poor cases of its uses in the past, but to see one up close and know the girl was too fearful to touch its limits was almost frustrating.

She held back her thoughts and feelings, however. Her duty was to protect the girl. The girl devoted to the church. She was under the Fallen Angel's protection so long as she performed her duties well.

Azazel-sama saw something in the girl. Perhaps she was just not to the level of her lord to see as much.

Not yet, at least.

But for now, the Fallen Angel stood, vigilant, for hours to come, watching her new protectorate, only glancing occasionally towards the subject of her lord's interest in the colored mirrors of the church.

She would admit, the moon was a lovely shade that evening.

Nearing full…

Near 1138 Detrital Way, 5.6 Miles Out From Kuoh Academy, Next Day, 10:07 PM

Naruto casually walked down the residential street, hands in pockets and thoughts casually wandering to the reasoning behind being so far from his pleasantly comfortable apartment.

The reasoning behind his little stroll was with a desired intention. He was taking a request – free of charge, in fact, which was not a completely uncommon occurrence, considering the source.

Rias's Peerage was currently packed with help-requests for the night. Having been forced to forego on the previous night's work to assist with the Stray Devil elimination from high officials, Rias and her party were now busy making reparations to all disappointed customers.

Unfortunately, on that particular night, there happened to be an excess amount of requests that needed completing, it seemed.

The nature of a Devil's request was actually quite simple in description. A human (or, at least, most commonly a human) would make a call to a desired Devil's Peerage and request something of any sort of importance or desire to be completed by any member of the desired Peerage. No matter the request, so long as it was within the capabilities of the Devil in service, the Devil would ensure the success of the pact between the two parties. In return for the completed pact, the hired Devil would receive a small piece of energy from their host; something easily replenished by the human party but was something that would slowly increase a Devil's own power over a period of time.

But, for those who desired a deeper, more spiritual manner of speaking to the formerly mentioned request: a host would lose a small, replenish-able piece of their soul that would be internally recovered within themselves over the span of hours to weeks after the hired-Devil completed their desired task. This 'soul-fuel' would then be consumed by the Demonic energy thriving within the Underworld civilian's person, which, by the unique physiology of the Devil, would then increase their power by the amount consumed. With both work and payment finished, both parties would separate from one another with relative peace and fulfillment.

...Or, for the sake of utter simplicity:

A Devil's request was for Devils to help people do stuff.

They were then paid with a power-boost for what they do.

They would leave when both peoples were happy.

Everyone would win.

The end.

Requests ranged from any assortment of work that could be imagined to be given by a human to a being of heightened ability. Because of the open and rather easygoing nature Devils usually held themselves in, even the most embarrassing or ridiculous of demands were held with little to no actual discomfiture. Further, with the regulation that completely draining the soul of a human was now a crime amongst Devilkind, more requests were now being made without fear of 'damnation.'

Due to the often ease of these partitioned requests, Naruto once openly volunteered to assist Rias in her efforts to appease a particularly busy night the previous year. Rias was booked with work, even requiring her hand for some of the smaller potential requester, and Naruto, being the helpful individual he was, asked if he could assist in anyway he could.

Naturally, Rias accepted, and never forgot just how 'supportive' Naruto had been.

Now roughly every couple of months, usually against his will, Naruto would spend a night or two as a 'Substitute Devil' in assistance to Rias's Peerage.

It's D-rank missions all over again...

Coming up to the house of request - a dark, single-floor house of no real notoriety - Naruto stopped at the front door and knocked carefully with the back of his knuckles.

"Hello! Requested Devil! Here for your needs!"

Knock-knock-squeeeeeak…

That slight knock pushed the door open with a loud, audible, ominous sound. Naruto, with hand still up from where he'd knocked, glanced into the softly lit home. The only light to be seen was the low glow from a room in the far corner of the hallway.

Naruto stared at it. "Trap?" He wondered aloud, as he moved into the hallway and down towards the light.

The lit room was mostly unremarkable – dimmed lamplight behind a cover, couch to the side, a small liquor cabinet at the corner near the window – not much to mention about the standard living room. The only thing eye catching was the corpse lying next to the window; pieces of body flung around in messy heaps with the blood still pouring from the severed remains of whoever previously lived here. This wasn't the first corpse he'd seen, and certainly not the worst of shape. But in such a modern and well-controlled society as Japan, it wasn't exactly a common occurrence.

"'Punish the wicked'…Words to live by…"

A voice sounded to Naruto's side, as he twisted his head over to see a figure sitting casually at a dining room table. The figure – male by his voice – was silver haired in a long dark cloak.

"Wise advice to heed from a holy man…hehehe…"

The man turned his head, gazing up towards the blond's tense features, as he opened his mouth to smile quite unsteadily. His eyes were wide and intense as his tongue, longue and pink, slid out to complete the visage of true madness the man now exerted.

Naruto didn't know what to make of this new figure. He had an…uneasy look about him. His But despite his appearance of questionable sanity, there was one thing that caught Naruto's eye; a cross, silver and polished, hung around his neck.

An Exorcist.

"Teeheeheehee! I'm afraid you just happened to walk into the wrong house, my friend!" The silver-haired man shouted, his grin spreading wide across his face as he stood to meet the new addition to the household. He gave the blond a curt bow. "Freed Sellzen here! At your service!" The man – Freed – introduced himself, before grinning brightly and doing some sort of makeshift dance to Naruto's growing agitation. "And you must be the scared little pussy whose Devil ass this holy priest is going to exorcise!"

Naruto blinked uncertainly at this random 'priest'; looking over the disturbed and bloody area around him.

Great. Another psycho who kills for his god and enjoys it immensely. Naruto recalled someone remarkably like this in his life prior – even with the silver hair and the foul word choice. This brought a disturbed though to mind.

Oh shit did that guy reincarnate too?! He certainly hoped not.

"A 'priest,' huh?" Naruto started, crossing his arms as his features hardened before the cackling man. "Seems a bit odd for the church to send someone after some servicing Devils. What's the cause here?" It was usually the cases of murder or bloody conquest when the church decided to send in the big arms. They didn't send Exorcists to cause bloody murders.

In response, Freed's grin just grew further. "Oh, you know – population control, purging the ticks of the world in hard to find places, that sort of thing. Maybe you're familiar with our work? Don't scared f&#ks like you look into the holy warriors like me?"

He was after Devils, it seemed. Didn't even realize when there wasn't one right in front of him.

"Then what's with killing this guy?" Naruto pointed a thumb to the corpse. "He wasn't a Devil."

"Summoning you proved he was done being human." Freed claimed quickly, shrugging. "Human world, remember? Can't have corrupt souls just cozying around people like me, right?" He cocked his head to the side, laughing at the mutilated body. "It was the end of the line for you, sinner!" He giggled. "Oh! Those screams certainly put me at full mast! There's nothing like a good 'begging for mercy,' am I right?"

Naruto pursed his lips.

You could live for a hundred years and still meet one-of-a-kind personalities.

"Ahhh, but anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself," Sellzen said, reaching into his long coat with long, pale fingers, "my job is to kill the fools of the world. My job is to kill pesky little wastes of semen who call themselves Devils and men for the sake of my lord. My job, quite frankly, is simple."

He pulled out two items with strange gold runes etched into them; one looked like a handle of something while the other was clearly some sort of sophisticated gun. The handle glowed white as a long, slim beam of energy slid from its shaft, glowing and hissing in the air.

Freed's cocky smile widened. "Wanna take a guess what it is?"

Naruto stared at the two tools in the Excorcist's hands. A sword of light and a holy gun. Those are only for the best. Guess he isn't just some ragtag priest trying to make a name for himself.

"First, I'm gonna cut out your evil heart with my heavenly blade of God. Then, I'm gonna feed it to you. Then, when it's down your f&$king throat, I want you tell give me great detail on what it tastes like! That is, right before I pull this here trigger and blow your brains out!" Freed leaned forward to the wide-eyed Naruto, guessing the blond's fear must have been prevalent then. "HOW DOES THAT SOUND YOU SHIT-FACED F&$K-AAAAHHHHHH!"

SLAM!

The silver haired, howling priest was no longer standing before the blond haired youth, spouting his little perversions of the mouth. Where once Freed Sellzen had felt the touch of the earth under his boots, now he only felt a sense of weightless dropping, coupled with an immense, blunting pain in the side of his cheek. His screaming told him he was in pain, and the feeling of his upper back smashing unceremoniously into the back walls of what was quite the distance behind him only suggested more of that throbbing, undesired sensation would follow.

He felt blood in his mouth. His own.

He wanted to curse, profusely, but the pain in his jaw stalled him for a brief moment.

As for Naruto, his fist was extended outward to where the Exorcist once stood, trembling as he felt it smash into the priest's face, eyes wide. "I cannot tell you how good that felt." He slowly smiled. "I mean, who wouldn't want to punch someone who just got their kicks off of some guy's death?" Rhetorical question. "I mean, don't get me wrong; I'm not like you. I don't get my kicks off of doing this often. But right now, I would like nothing more than to put you through every single bit of the pain you made that guy feel." He started to walk to the prone Freed. "Every. Single. Bit of it."

Freed held his mouth as he felt the blood slide down his chin, falling onto his uniform.

He wasn't smiling anymore.

"I have to tell you, I have met some freaks in my time. The whole tongue, crazy eye and psychotic rambling thing? It's been done. You're no different than them in a lot of ways. But you know; you get off on this killing thing way more than they ever did."

He stood over the Exorcist; bringing his hands together and squeezing them tightly to create audible cracks in the air. "Do you know what happened to them?" He asked with a tone that suggested he didn't need for the man to answer. "Or maybe I should just give you a demonstration?"

Freed growled angrily, raising his holy blade to the air before slashing down towards the blond. Naruto saw it coming easily and easily caught the man by his wrist before the sword could even come close to his skin. Freed raised his other hand, lifting the gun to point towards the blond's abdomen, only to be caught and gripped with a fierce tightness.

Pop.

And like that, the wrist was broken, and the gun dropped from his hand with a sharp cry.

But Naruto wasn't finished.

Bringing his head back, the blond shot his forehead forward, smashing into the Exorcist's nose with a crunch. As Freed cried out, Naruto pulled his arm away from its grip on Freed's broken wrist and smashed it into his abdomen. Then to his ribs. Then to his cheek again. Then, reaching up to the priest's head and getting a firm grip, Naruto pulled back his arm before ramming it forward into the wall, Freed's head taking the impact with full force.

It was all very painful.

And then, just for good measure to make sure the crazed Exorcist didn't get any more ideas, Naruto forced a knee to his crotch.

Not his stomach, not to his sides – his crotch.

The scream that followed was as sounding:

"DAAAA-IIIIEEEEEHHHHH-AAAAAAAAWWWWWW!"

…Eh, he had it coming.

"YOU WHORE-F#%KING, CHEAP-BITCH PIECE OF SHIT!"

…Aaaand another one. Just for good measure.

Eventually, Freed's screams died out, his body falling to the ground to his sides as Naruto released his hold, letting him whimper as the foul-mouthed priest held protectively to 'himself.' The blond reached for the two weapons of the Exorcist that fell to the floor, holding them tightly before they were crushed by his grip.

Naruto let the pieces fall next to Freed's downed form.

"Hate you…hate you…soooo much…"

"Yeah, not overly fond of you, either," Naruto returned, kneeling down to the whimpering man, "but I need answers and I need them now. And for that, I'll have to hold back on breaking any more of your ribs. First question: who sent you?"

Freed wasn't so easy to answering questions, however. "Ahhh…did my holy speech not give you a hint, you petulant piece of sh-AHHHH!"

Naruto pulled a particularly sharp piece of the shattered holy weapons and drove it into Freed's arm. "Answer me. You don't want to know where I'll put this next."

Ninja training: harsh but effective.

Torture wasn't particularly his forte or favorite past time, but Naruto was starting to realize this entire week was dedicated to putting him in bad positions and a bad mood.

Angels attempting seemingly random murder; Stray Devils eating humans as snacks; and now a priest getting his sexual high off of innocent deaths – seriously, if this arc of craziness went on for a month, he was moving back with his parents!

Freed grunted as Naruto pressed the sharp edge of his former holy weapon further into his shoulder; wiggling it around to the sound of Freed's pained shouts and gasps for breath. "You're not making this easier. Tell me now or I'll push this so far into your-"

"PRIEST GIRL! GET IN HERE! NOW!"

Freed's sudden scream stopped Naruto's pressing down further for a moment. "…Priest girl?"

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Naruto turned his head suddenly, noticing the newest addition to the blood soaked room. A young woman stood at the doorway, mouth agape as she stared at the chopped body of the former attendant.

Naruto studied her. Long blond hair, innocent green eyes and a nun's outfit – definitely a woman of the church.

Naruto moved away from Freed and got ready for any kind of attack. She might have looked innocent but that meant squat when half your generation of friends could kill someone as easily as buy groceries.

Freed, grunting, managed to move himself from his pained, crotch-holding position on the ground to glare at the nun. "Stop the screaming and help me out here!"

But the nun was stunned. She couldn't move her eyes from the body (or what remained of it).

Naruto, slowly and carefully, moved in front of the torn-to-shreds person, averting the young woman's view. "Who are you?" He asked, getting a better look of her. She didn't have the air of insanity or being an Exorcist to her. She was an enigma to the rest of the room's chaos and damage; a brightness to the otherwise unsettling atmosphere.

At the moment, she seemed to have her mind knocked out of its stump from Naruto's obstruction of her view of the body. "W-what happened here?" She asked, her voice and body trembling as she tried to make sense of the scene before her. Either she was a great actor or actually shocked by what was going on. And Naruto, though born in a world of ninja, was starting to suspect the latter. "W-who did this?"

"Shut up with the whining!" Freed yelled. "Get over here and heal me before Freed-junior is out of the question!" The nun didn't move. Naruto wouldn't have let her, anyway. It was a matter of practicality: if she was a healer, letting her help a man like Freed right now wouldn't help anyone.

"Who are you?" Naruto repeated; his voice rising in tone as he got the nun's attention firmly on him. Looking away from all the blood and loose skin seemed to help a little.

The blond haired girl regarded him. "A-A-Asia. Asia Argento." She – Asia – managed to stutter out, swallowing hard. "I-I'm a new nun in service to the c-church of this town." She closed her eyes to avoid the blood at her feet as she bowed to the boy in front of her. "I-I am pleased to meet your acquaintance!"

Naruto stared at her. "Naruto Uzumaki," he carefully introduced himself, "and likewise."

"Hey! Bitch! Hurry up and heal me!"

Asia didn't seem to hear him. "U-Uzumaki-san. Who did…?"

Naruto risked a glance back to the body he was helping to avert from the girl's view. "Take a guess," he pointed his thumb over to the downed Exorcist in the corner, still holding his 'precious.'

Asia's eyes widened at the implication of what he was suggesting. "N-no! Sellzen-san is a man of the church! He wouldn't-couldn't do this!" Her devotion to the belief a man under God could do no wrong was almost touching.

Then Freed ruined it.

"Hey! That was my kill! I put great effort into memorizing his screams for later use! I will not allow some pansy to take that away from me!"

No one wanted to assume what he meant by 'later use.'

Least of all Asia. "W-what?"

In the last several hours, she'd been paired with Freed to begin purging the city of evil. Freed had come off as a dedicated, if a bit excited, member of the church. His belief and sense of right was astounding. The several houses Freed 'sensed the summoning chant of evil' from and took action against during the earlier hours of the day had made him come out happy and cheerful, ready to move onto the next one soon after. The reason she came into the current house the three of them were in now was because Freed had taken quite a lengthy bit of time to vacate, unlike before.

But now, Asia almost doubted her own ears, as the silver-haired priest claimed, quite profusely, to have killed the owner of the house. Before he left Asia to set up a protective barrier to prevent Devil teleportation, he claimed to sense the evil energies of a Devil's evil work within and went to purify it – not mentioning what was intended for the human inside.

This thought brought a colder though to Asia's innocent mind.

Freed had previously said the same thing about a house they arrived too prior to the one they were currently in.

And, like before, he'd said a similar thing to the house before that, as well.

And, as she recalled, the one before that.

And the one before that.

And the one before that.

And the one before that…and the one before that…and the one before…

Asia's felt weak as her eyes widened; ready to vomit what little lunch she had left in her stomach.

Her hand went to her mouth, holding back a scream, as her eyes watered.

All those houses…Those people…There were children…!

Naruto, as he watched the nun's features, started to suspect this girl might have not been the accomplice he believed.

Freed, growling and scowling at the situation, managed to shakily make it to his feet. He turned a glare to the nun. "Oh, screw you! Just standing there, crying like a little witch! Dagh! Who's leg do I gotta hump to get good help these days?!" Freed made to approach his assistant. Even without his weapons, he was still physically stronger than her. And hey, what a girl didn't know, a few bruises could fix–!

But before Freed could even move to intercept his partner, the situation took a turn for a worse (for the priest, at least) when a red, circular glyph appeared in thin air, shining the room in crimson as familiar energy crackled around it.

Freed dared a glance, grunting in pain with every move. "Oooooh shit."

Asia looked perplexed at seeing such prominent energy in such a confined space. The amount of magic energy – it was unreal!

Naruto just stared and smiled.

Out from the fiery red glyph, Rias and her Peerage casually walked into the homestead, confident strides masking the determined appearance of each of them. Kiba had his sword at his side; Koneko checked her gloves to ensure their fitfulness; Akeno strode in with a smile, standing beside a fierce looking Rias. They all still wore their academy uniforms, though Kiba seemed to opt to remove his jacket and replace the missing clothing with a tight belt with a sheath at his side – looking ever the Knight beside his King.

Rias took in the situation carefully. The houses that called for fulfilled contracts between her Devil peerage had almost all been killed off by the time they arrived. Blood and death on immense levels. Even the families that weren't involved had been slaughtered. Rias attempted to contact Naruto prior to his arrival to the household but, as usual, was unable to contact him (dead battery, go figure). She attempted to reach the house via portal but, until a minute ago, an incomplete barrier had prevented their arrival.

She feared the worse.

Now, seeing Naruto unharmed with the whimpering Exorcist scurrying away, she allowed a small amount of relief to wash over her. "Naruto, are you alright?" She had to ask, as Naruto glanced her way with a nod.

"I'm fine, Rias. Just taking care of this-"

"SHIT SHIT SHIT!" Freed yelled, scampering away from the Peerage to the far side of the room, watching where he went as he cursed his rotten luck.

The girl was supposed to put up the barrier! Freed thought angrily. She was supposed to prevent this f%$ktard of a situation from happening! Now look – we have ourselves a good old classy gang bang! And worst of all, I'm about to be rocked in the most unpleasant way possible!

His teeth were grit as he tried to assess the situation in one word. 'Shitty' came to mind.

Backup! I need backup! "F%$king help! I need some help down here! Weren't you supposed to help protect the little priest bitch?! Get down here, NOW!"

Despite the wickedness of Freed, it seemed his cries for help were quickly answered. From above his head, a swirl of black and violet energy expanded, throwing an ominous tinge to the already disordered room's appearance. The air seemed to contort and shift in different direction, not unlike Rias and her Peerage's previous form of transportation.

Koneko stared at the portal, pointedly. She sniffed the air. "Fallen Angels. A lot of them." She said this quietly, though 'a lot' was sounding pretty accurate right then from what she could tell. "Time to leave. Now."

Rias glared at the cackling priest and the wave of energy. The situation was deteriorating fast. "Akeno, get ready to jump us out of here!"

"Yes, Buchou!" Akeno's hands began to spin in smooth but controlled movements, summoning the power within her as she made to move them back to the club room.

Rias turned to Naruto, whose eyes stared at the vortex. "Don't do it Naruto!"

Naruto glared at the energy above Freed, his mind going over what was happening. Exorcists killing people who were summoning Devils; church nuns being used for barrier maintenance; and now the Fallen Angels were supporting this?

What the hell is going on here?!

"Naruto!"

"What?!"

"Run! Now!"

Naruto blinked. Right. Army of Fallen Angels, spears of light, pain all around…

Naruto turned to Asia, who the entire time seemed horror struck at what was happening – what she had helped to do – without moving from her kneeling, pained poise. Naruto moved a couple steps to her. "Asia! Are you gonna be alright?" He was tempted to take her then. But the question was 'what then?' He didn't know what this girl was to the Fallen – prisoner, assistant, what? From what he guessed, she was the unaware helper to a mad priest who got his kicks off the death of others. He was hesitant to leave her with such a man, though.

Asia seemed to register the situation, as she moved her tear-filled eyes up to the blond. "G-go!" She yelled. "Get away from here! Hurry!" She couldn't possibly have understood just how severe the situation was, but understood the tension between the Devils, Naruto, and the portal for the incoming Fallen.

Being a pure woman, Asia wouldn't stand to let people be hurt, no matter the reason.

So she told them to run.

Naruto's features hardened, nodding and gesturing to Rias with a quick, "run!" before jumping out the nearest window onto the outside world and away from the coming Angels. Akeno finished her incantation as the new glyph of red energy engulfed Rias and her little club in bright crimson, seeming to evaporate them into thin air.

Then the Fallen descended.

The City, Rooftops, a few moments later

Naruto leapt over the buildings around him, touching down for the briefest of moments before leaping onto another.

He was sprinting towards Kuoh Academy; keeping to the shadiest and darkest parts of the city in the hopes of not being caught by either the people below or the potential pursuers. Figuring the priest, he might have pointed the direction Naruto decided to move in as a means of payback for the potential loss of his future psychopaths. And while Naruto couldn't sense ill intent creeping behind him, until he reached Kuoh, he wouldn't be stopping for a second.

Naruto's mind was fixated on this weird movement by the Fallen Angels. Supporting crazed Exorcists? Not their usual game. So unless they were outsourcing to alternate sources of stupid, the only conclusion was that this couldn't have been a sanctioned move by the Fallen Angel government. It was too rash – too blunt – to have been. He knew the Fallen Angel government. He'd dealt with their government. The Fallen Angels desired peace; quite heavily, in fact. They wouldn't have made such a rash move without provocation and especially not against a Peerage with as close ties to Lucifer or Naruto for that matter.

Outside interference? Probably. War? Might have been the desired end result. While attacking some less renowned High Class Devil's Peerage contract holders might have been a daring move, it would probably not be enough to incite war chants among the Devil clans. Attacking the heir of the Gremory House, however, would have similar reparations to attacking the 72 Pillars, themselves.

In other words, if this information were leaked that the Gremory House's Devil-contracted humans were being targeted by Exorcists, there would be retribution.

And with that thought, Naruto reached for the phone in his pocket.

"…"

Dead battery. Go figure.

First charge, then he was getting some answers.

1138 Detrital Way, 5.6 Miles Out From Kuoh Academy, 10:58 PM

Raynare looked quietly over the mutilated body of the previous home owner. Smaller bit and pieces of him were being scavenged and cleaned from lower members as they tried to fix the clusterf %k of a situation they were in.

She turned to the pained priest as he cried and cursed while one of the Fallen sent to assist was healing his…'wounded pride.' He had no shortage of foul words and petty thoughts to shout as he watched the Angels try to make sense of what was going on.

As far as they were able to make out from the nun's ramblings and the priests disgusting language, Freed Sellzen decided to go on a murder binge against anyone associating themselves with Devils. And even then against those who weren't ('had to cut all ties,' he claimed).

Raynare held no true love for humans. They were the 'grounded,' after all. They were a different species – nothing else. She allied with them when needed, viewed their progress over the course of her short life, and that was it; they held no real need or desire of thought from her. She felt even less fond towards the Devils, for obvious reasons. She enjoyed the thought of doing combat with the Devils, even. Fallen Angels were always given a backseat in assumed worth because they didn't have their own world –

Heaven to the Angels.

Underworld to the Devils.

Earth to the Humans.

So where did that leave the Fallen?

They were the outcasts. The nomads of Earth and the Underworld.

How pitiful, she thought, how it must have seemed to the other Factions to have these wandering no-names, taking the resources and space of their worlds. The humans might have been unaware and the Great Satan Lords might have granted mercy and freedom in their world for them but this was all an act. Raynare could not imagine how the leaders of the races must have seen the Black Feathers: as a waste of space? Freeloaders? How could they see them as anything more than annoying cockroaches – groveling at whatever scraps they were deemed worthy to hold onto?

The thought left the Fallen Angel furious.

But despite her own personal feelings, she held no hate for humans. Neither prevalent love nor hate – they were what they were. And she was fine with that.

But the bloodshed of this home's human…and the other human homes Sellzen had ventured into…

It was unsettling, even to the Wrathful Fallen.

Asia stood away from the rambling priest. She didn't seem well, holding herself tightly as a pair of the Fallen asked her silently what had occurred. They were kinder then Raynare would have been. Not that she would have been necessarily cruel, but she would have demanded answers quickly. Others had been sent to assess Sellzen's escapades on the other homes – cleanup duty, as it were. This was going to be a long night.

She glanced around to her peers, scattered from wall to wall of the room, performing any simple task they could of to improve the state of the homestead and renew its previous disposition. Each one was significantly older than she and specialized in the tasks that were currently being conducted. Silently, she marveled at the coolness each one held, dealing with this horrible situation without expression. What horrors or travesties had they witnessed to desensitize them to this massacre? Certainly, one or two of them had likely fought in the Great War - a time were horrible, unnatural occurrences were most likely the norm. But the rest? How many years of age were they? What wars, assignments or gross situations had they been required to work through for the sake of continued Grigori preservation?

Was this what it meant to be a professional? To be able to take everything that was thrown at you - that was required of you - and take it without complaint? Was this what separated Raynare from those of centuries-millennia worth of experience with life?

She could honestly say she wasn't sure.

She hazarded the thought of calling on Azazel. For advice, for council and understanding on how best to deal with the Freed character.

But perhaps she shouldn't. Calling upon the head Fallen for every situation might have made her appear weak or undependable. When she requested a shift of duty from the Hyoudou boy, Azazel was more than accommodating. He'd admitted his fears might have been misplaced and encouraged a new station for her.

She'd been gracious when he hadn't asked past her…incident with the stairs…

How could she ask for his continued assistance now when everyone around her was doing their best to make this night look better than it was?

These were troubling thoughts she forced herself to move past as she watched as one of the Angels questioning Asia moved to her side. She corrected her composure. "Anything new?"

"Well, nothing aside from Sellzen's attack on Devil sites. Apparently, the nun wasn't aware of his actions. She's in some shock."

Understandable and Raynare was already aware of this. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, that's what I came to talk to you about. We got confirmation about the individual who attacked Sellzen before we arrived."

"Devils." Raynare knew this already.

"Yes, but we have a name to go with the attack," Raynare lifted an eyebrow. The priest hadn't been so vocal, only calling his attacker a 'pussy' and 'cock-lover.'

"And? What was the name?"

The Fallen coughed lightly, clearing his voice. "Naruto, ma'am. A Naruto Uzumaki. I hope I got the pronunciation right…"

What have I done…oh my lord, what have I done…?

Asia wasn't good. This much was certain.

Dead bodies, murderous priests, Fallen Angels cleaning up the mess left behind – it was a full day for the nun. Having a hand in causing the deaths of numerous households that, similarly, the Fallen were playing cleanup crew for was also a disheartening circumstance.

She was devastated. She just wanted the day to end. She wanted to go to the church, fall to her knees, and pray for all those lost to Sellzen's blood craze. She wanted to pray for forgiveness and for her foolishness. She'd made a mistake that had cost many others their lives. She wouldn't live down the images of the house owner's torn body for many years to come, this she was sure of; the thought that she had a part in this man's death was…

She told the Fallen Angels everything – everything she knew from the time she set out with the priest to the point of their arrival.

She told them about the Devils. She told them about Freed's crimes. She told them about the blond boy who leapt out the window before they arrived – everything. She admitted to telling the boy to run and confessed her unwilling part in the attacks on the humans. The Fallen hadn't been resentful – they accepted what had happened readily and did not blame her or call out a fault.

She was all too happy to know that no one blamed her but herself. She would live with this pain but grow stronger from it, as her lessons had told her. On the side, she wondered what the church would think of this. They kicked her out once – what more could they do? She could only repent and admit to be an unwilling and unknowing accomplice to the man while seeking the wisdom of God in finding what she was meant to do from then on.

Oh lord! Forgive this humble servant! She meant no harm to be given to anyone and asks to be guided onto the righteous path ahead!

Her musings continued for some time, the guilt eating inside of her. Aside from God, the church, and the Fallen Angels, she wondered silently about how her mistake might look to the boy from the day prior, and how he might react to knowing her fallacy.

The thought made her eyes grow watery again as a dark figure loomed over her.

Asia looked up, attempting to compose herself in front of the female winged figure before her.

She sniffed sadly. "C-can I help you, Angel-san?"

Though Asia couldn't register the look, innocent as she was, the Fallen Angel's features were hard and unkind as she glared to the girl. Even if she was aware of the cruel appearance of the woman beside her, she wouldn't have been aware of the reason.

"I am guiding you back to the church," the Fallen's voice was firm and uncompromising. "We will figure out what to do then."

Asia nodded, standing as the Angel pressed a hand to her shoulder, pushing her towards the door.

Despite the treatment, Asia felt relief. The night was finally over. The next day would bring new respite and warmth to her heart.

She didn't realize how she should have truly felt then.

Church Facility, 11:23 PM

Raynare closed the door to Asia's room roughly as she finished her escort task back to the church. Her teeth were grit and tight, her grip having not left the handle to the door due to her squeezing it tightly.

The Fallen Angel was furious. Absolutely furious.

Upon discovery of Asia's involvement in the blond haired boy and her pacifism to seeing him unharmed, Raynare found herself overcome by raw fury. It was an uncertain fury; why her anger was now directed to the nun child wasn't entirely clear to her.

Was it because of her willingness to let the boy go? To warn him of their coming? Perhaps it was the way she seemed collected in the fact that Naruto wasn't the attacker of the household? Was she simply an outlet to the building rage that seemed to be growing every moment her mind thought of the blond haired hero?

Naruto Naruto Naruto!

The mind of a Fallen Angel was often one-tracked when their sin took over their senses. In the case of Raynare, young as she was, her ability to control the urges brought on by her sin of wrath was minimal at best. In fact, she rather encouraged those feelings to take over. To her, the wrath and fury to fight against those who thought the black-winged Angels were beneath them made her strong. Made her stand out amongst the smaller Fallen who didn't strive for higher positions.

She was trained by Azazel-sama himself! She had aspirations and the dedication to pursue the positions set forth by her lord and master. She would do anything to make him proud of her. He was the father her own father could not be and when he smiled to her, she could only imagine that the joy she felt was what she would have felt if her father had lived to see her grow.

So yes. Azazel-sama was her inspiration. To pursue his position and to gain his attention was her deepest desire, though it wasn't to a level obsession to see him look upon her positively (obsession was his thing). She wished he would see her worth; no more, no less. Especially when many saw her as the 'freeloader among freeloaders.' Azazel-sama saw her as a trophy that could be polished to shine brightly above all others. Her reason for becoming strong was to prove the worth of the Fallen, by any means, so as to hear his kind words.

But Naruto was against this. She wanted to prove herself with the elimination of Issei Hyoudou and found herself defeated. She wanted to defeat the Stray and feel some confidence in her strength but the blond had beaten her to it. She was to protect Asia Argento from the horrors she might have faced – and he was there.

Naruto.

Raynare's hand left the doorknob and slammed into the wall beside her; leaving a decent, hand-sized dent into the stonework. She felt as if she were choking on the fury, even going so far as to consider taking her anger out on the child in the room over just to ease the pressure in her throat. It wouldn't be Naruto, but at the moment, she felt like spreading the anger out on something.

It was this temperament that made Wrathful Fallen subjugated to prejudice and fear amongst even her own kind.

But to the figure walking towards her, it was this attitude that he desired dearly.

"My, oh my! My dear Fallen Angel-sama, you look troubled," Raynare turned her head to the voice, watching as Father Galilei casually walked beside her, offering a small bow of his head in simple respect.

Raynare acknowledged his presence. "Can I help you, father?"

She wasn't up for being disturbed amidst her anger, so the father spoke quickly, "I just came to see how our dear Argento-san was holding up. I heard she had quite the unorthodox night, hmm?" His tone was kept friendly and his smiling face didn't hold the slightest hint of ill intent.

"So it would seem."

"But now? I dare say it seems you could use some advice, as well. I haven't seen such a troubled female – or Angel, for that matter – for a very long time." He opened his arms up to the woman. "Come! Confess what thoughts trouble you this night!"

Raynare stared at the man. "My troubles and thoughts are mine alone." She made to brush past him and retire for the evening. The girl would not be awakening anytime soon; best now to rest and wait for her continued duty in the morrow.

Moving past the father and down the hall, Galilei scratched his chin as his smile widened. "Then, perhaps I could offer you something more than just kind words?"

"What could you offer me?" She didn't pause in her walk down the hall.

Despite this, Galilei smirked. "An opportunity."

Raynare, to her credit, didn't stop on the dime like the father hoped she would. It took her a moment to realize she was curious about what sort of 'opportunity' a man such as the priest might have had.

She hesitated for a brief moment, turning her head slightly, catching a glance over to the man.

Hook. Line. Sinker. "Do you know what's possible when the moon is full and a Sacred Gear holder is within your grasp?"

Asia listened. She listened for a good, long while.

The sound of Raynare slamming her fist into the side wall alerted her to something amiss from outside her room. She made to check in on what was wrong before she made out the voices.

She heard the father speak of 'opportunities.'

Asia listened to the boasts of the power the full moon held; how Sacred Gear holders were swayed by its hold and how an encantation was made to obtain what was given to humans by God. She heard the man talk about power given and rightful places taken by the Fallen Angels. She heard how the priest talked about Raynare's place in the Fallen government would be nothing more than 'lap dog' so long as she remained where she was.

She heard the father play the melody of desire to the Fallen Angel's ears.

And she heard her guardian admit her 'interest' in such an idea.

That was all Asia heard before she made for the window of her apartment, opened it quietly, made sure to carefully leap to the soft ground below and sprinted to the city.

Complex Apartments, South End of the City, 1:57 AM…

Azazel stared silently out of his apartment's window, mulling over recent occurrences with a glass of fine white wine in hand.

The past six hours had not been forthcoming with good news…

Renegade Exorcists; crazed priests; garrisons missing and now Raynare is nowhere I can sense.

The grip on his glass tightened at the thought of his missing pupil.

By all accounts, his female ward was quite young. Roughly ninety years of age and experience and she thought she understood the universe. Frustrating, really. Azazel wondered if he'd been like this when he was her age, some thirty-forty millennia ago.

It was possible. Children did act out, even Angels. He recalled Father liking to forgive him, though, even when he tampered with his little inventions and creations.

Now, pranks could lead to 'falling' as a punishment.

Sad, really. It was 'all work and no play' up in Heaven.

But that was neither the issue nor the present concern. At the moment, Azazel's control over his faction was being challenged. What was worse, it wasn't over a portion of his people in either the Underworld or a group in Europe or the States – but right under his nose. That was a challenge of his personal control.

By whom, he could only guess. And while his guesses were usually pretty accurate, without proof, moves could not be made without appearing rash or hasty with the 'misplacement' of Raynare.

And everything was going so well until now…

Giving Raynare the task of watching someone of such small worth as the perverted Hyoudou boy was brought upon for a simple desire – humility. Her growing pride, temperament and even sadism were widely becoming known, as was her growing unease with those outside of Angelic background. She often believed herself better than those with thousands of years of duty and began to speak out against her ranked superiors (with the exception of Azazel himself). Her entitled nature wasn't a trait Azazel desired from her; she was too young, too innocent and precious to him to allow such dark emotions to drive her to into doing something she would later regret. And she would – Azazel could attest to decisions made in life that he wished he could take back.

When he realized the perverse actions of Issei Hyoudou might have been too much for her, and that such a life altering decision might be soon upon her, he came up with a plan to counter this –

Naruto.

His capability was meant to put her down a peg; to make her acknowledge the value of others who weren't Angelborn and reflect on her lack of supposed invincibility.

Naruto was an exceptional human, but a 'grounded,' as Fallen Angels sometimes called humans and those without the ability to fly, and that alone would burn her. When she arrived at his home after her run in with the boy (or, 'stairs,' as she called the situation) and had subsequent days of rest to replenish her lost sense of worth, he decided that she'd learned her lesson and deserved a reward for it.

That's when he introduced her to Asia Argento.

Was this decision done too hastily? Perhaps. He doted on the girl; that much was known. He wanted to see her flourish and blossom as if she were his own.

But now she was nowhere to be found.

All he could do now was wait and send Baraqiel and his legion to search for his lost pupil. Baraqiel - Azazel's most loyal and devoted lieutenant and lifelong friend - did not hesitate in his willingness to assist in the search for his lord's missing ward. He'd been the first to volunteer in the searching, in fact, and having known Baraqiel for more years than Azazel could count, the Lord of Fallen was certain the serious, rigid man would go to any lengths, search the depths of the Underworld or even storm the Gates of Heaven themselves, if it meant finding Raynare, safe and sound.

THAT was loyalty.

Of course, once Azazel considered the idea of Heaven itself, an uncomfortable laugh forced its way through his lips, especially with the troublesome idea that came with it.

Maybe if I pray, Michael would be willing to help me -

Riiiiiing! Riiiiiing!

Azazel blinked from the thought, reaching into his pocket and glanced at the caller id. An eyebrow rose at the name.

This… might have its uses. He thought, carefully considering what he would say before taking a deep breath flicking the phone open.

"Before you say anything," he started, "I want to say that I have had no involvement in the actions taken against your 'aunt's' Peerage in the last several hours. Some of my people have gone off the map, along with an Exorcist I am sure you are acquainted with by now. Be certain, I am doing everything I can in locating them presently. If any information comes up, I will forward it to you first before all else."

Azazel held his tone firm and cordial and held back no information pertaining to Fallen Angel involvement. The associate on the other end was a capable ally and, while not quite a 'friend,' he was an acquaintance of some familiarity. He wasn't someone he wished to see ties cut because of this unfortunate circumstance that even he, Azazel, founder and leader of the Fallen and Exiled organization 'Grigori,' could not have foreseen.

Thankfully, after some bated breath, he got a reply.

"I'll keep in touch."

The other line ended; leaving Azazel to do little more than sigh at the ill-fated happenings. Taking a long sip of his wine, Azazel looked out over the city from his balcony.

It could be worse, he thought, allowing a grin to slowly come to his face.

If Naruto's handling things then maybe this could end better then I hoped.

He certainly had a way of doing the impossible...

Old School Building, Club Room, moments later…

Running a hand over his eyes, Naruto groaned as he leaned back into the sofa, letting the phone slip to the table with an audible clang. His opinion of the last three hours could be summed up into one word: problematic.

Rias was handling the situation carefully. One of the first moves she wanted to make was to call on the Underworld's higher authorities but realized that doing so would more than likely create a warzone out of the entire city (or even the country). While not yet a fully recognized adult amongst the Underworld's higher class, that didn't mean she had to feel incompetent. She was a Gremory – excellence in upholding the nature of the Underworld was a task befitting one who belonged to the 72 Pillars.

But this resulted in the question of how do you handle a situation that involved Fallen Angels and the church without causing a multi-world incident?

At first she opted for a simple approach; sending her Peerage and familiars to secure locations around her contract holders. If nothing else, she would receive news if any more contract holders were being targeted. Which, in the circumstance that another attack would occur, motions could be made to assemble the Devil hierarchy for a possible all-out attack. Regrettable as it might have seemed, one incomplete-Peerage and a son of Lucifer would not be enough to handle an army of Fallen.

Secondly, she had Naruto sweep Kuoh Academy for any disturbances. She wouldn't put it past an enemy with familiarity with the Devil contract holders to not decide to attack the main stronghold of her Peerage while the situation was on the brink of chaos. And Naruto, while only one ally to her cause, was more than capable with dealing, or at least stalling, a potential onslaught while Rias worked to secure her people.

And all the while, Naruto made some calls.

To make long conversations and calling in favors short, no one was aware of what was occurring. This attack was an unprecedented move, as he expected, and wasn't a move spoken on open channels. Whoever organized this attack wasn't making noise and that meant he (or she) was either taking their sweet time to make their first move or they were exceptional at not making a peep about their plans. Both ideas were annoying to consider.

Azazel was his last call. He was the only Fallen Angel in his immediate contact list and one who was avid with answering and making calls (Dohnaseek couldn't afford a cell phone to save his life). Naruto opted to make him his last call out of security purposes; if he had anything to do with the slaughtering that happened…

But Azazel answered quickly enough. He certainly made it obvious he wasn't the one who orchestrated the attack on Rias's contracts. Naruto, despite being only over the phone, could hear it in his voice. The man wasn't entirely trustworthy – he always seemed to have his own agenda in the matters of the world – but he wasn't a liar. His skill was in the truth and telling you exactly what he wanted you to know.

Whether this was good or not, now that he realized the head Fallen Angel wasn't behind his rogue associates, was an uncertainty. This was happening right under his command and he wasn't even aware…

And I thought ninja were the backstabbers and political coordinators. Naruto let out a long breath, closing his eyes as he stretched himself out over the couch before the door behind him opened to show Akeno's elegant form walk in. Turning his head, he gave a small wave before closing his eyes to allow himself an ever so brief reprieve.

Akeno, grinning, walked up behind the couch and leaned down towards the blond. "How are you doing?" She asked quietly, her voice soft as she tried not to disturb him.

Naruto offered a small shrug. "Tired, actually. Really tired."

Akeno smiled still, lifting a hand as she ran it through his lengthy blond hair. "You've had a full day."

"Hmm." Naruto hummed, silently enjoying the hand going through his hair. It was soothing.

"Koneko and Kiba are heading back now. No incidents. Looks like we stopped the Exorcist before anyone else got hurt."

"Hmm…"

Akeno's smile widened as she watched the blond slowly drift off to her touch. "I just put Buchou into the separate bedroom next door. She almost fell asleep at her desk. Looks like she'll need a wakeup call in the morning, it seems."

"You going to bed?" Naruto groaned out, surprisingly relaxed by the simple hair play.

"I am. Just wanted to say goodnight before I headed home." She said, as she gave one last touch to the boy's mess of hair before standing and walking to the door.

Flicking the light switch on the wall, Akeno smiled as she saw the boy doze off. It would seem she would have to wake both of the club room members when morning came.

Offering one last, quiet farewell and a long glance at the tuft of blond hair, Akeno left the club room and made her way out of the Old School Building.

A minute passed…

Five minutes passed…

Ten…

Thirty…

An hour passed, then a soft buzzing came from the phone on the table, lighting up the room before a hand moved over it to pick it up.

Flicking it open, the owner of both appendage and device looked over its contents.

Place in the Sun

Exact Location Unknown. Special Note: Within City Limits

Missing Asia Argento

Request: Protect

Reward: 10,000,000

Additional Info: Death Invalidates Request. Unknown Designated Time of Finish

Accept/Reject

Naruto stared at the message in the dark club room.

Click!

Looks like I'm skipping class. Naruto thought, standing up and making for the door. Time to find me a Priest Girl…

The City, Mall Area, 3:21 PM

Naruto was a former ninja. Naturally, a certain level of tracking and navigational skill was expected. Whether through tundra, forests, deserts or even over an ocean, ninja prided themselves over their abilities. They could spot natural disorders from man-made ones and follow paths accordingly.

Despite this, however, the City was HUGE!

Naruto found himself checking every dark corner and alley he was familiar with. A major problem with searching the City was in part due to the overabundance of man-made disorders. The population was just too vast to make it easy to discern what might have been the priest moving around or just a human or city animal of some sort. He looked into forested area; park areas; the area surrounding the church, police stations, hospitals, the sewer system – anywhere someone would naturally hide in the situation that they were being pursued or wanting to hide from others.

Going well into his twelfth hour of search, Naruto was starting to groan from his lack of progress in finding the nun.

No gossip, no rumors, no sign of a long-blond headed girl; his initial results were starting to feel like they were insulting his ability.

Seriously? SERIOUSLY?! Nothing?! How – how could it be this hard to find a Priest Girl?!

Normally, calm professionalism would override childish frustration any other day of the week. Lack of sleep, food and outcome was starting to frustrate the blond, however. Plus, calls from Rias and Akeno, asking why he missed class were becoming annoying after the fourth call (from each).

Now, standing atop the mall area's main building, Naruto looked over the people. They were eating, talking, walking and enjoying the last work day of the week. None had a care in the world as the blond tried to make out any sort of abnormal dressing from teens and children alike.

Fuming slightly at yet another failed attempt in his search, Naruto looked over the park area; glancing over the tree tops to make out the slight fountain area he hadn't had a 'scuffle' with a certain foul-tempered Fallen not even a week ago.

He would have laughed.

How ironic would that be if she was hiding there –?

A glowing violet glyph appeared, only just visible over the trees, just beyond the fountain area.

From atop the roof, Naruto stared at it.

Huh…

A few minutes earlier…

Being born into a church system, raised by a church system, and tutored by a church system did not necessarily mean that one's life was expected to be poised, petite and without enjoyment. There were restrictions, lesson plans and obligations but they were not usually overwhelming to the point of exhaustion or anger. It was a system that had been in place for centuries; modeling and educating young men and women into valuable members of the church to spread the good will and knowledge of their Lord God. There was nothing wrong with it; it was not for everyone, to be certain, but it wasn't as horrible as some media made it out to be. Nuns and priests found the life adequate and fulfilling. And that suited them just fine. To some, the love of God could sustain them indefinitely.

But to Asia Argento, the last few hours had been the most fun; most exciting; the most incredible hours of her life!

The mall, the arcade, the food – everything she'd experienced since midday had been invigorating and unimaginably exquisite! She'd never imagined the world was as it was; so full of wonder and enjoyment that spread out far beyond the church!

Since her escape from the Church, Asia kept to the thickly wooded areas she grew familiar with while she 'worked' with Freed the previous day. She hadn't seen Fallen garrisons or search parties but didn't want to put it past them to be searching for her via magic or enchantment. She slept when she could and made movements when she thought she was closed to being found.

But Asia was not a woman of notable stamina or endurance; her strength was slowly waning from lack of sufficient rest or food. She realized, after avoiding another open area, that it would only be a matter of time until someone from the church discovered her.

Interestingly, it was amidst this distraught acceptance that she came upon someone she hadn't expected to see; the boy from a couple days before who kept her company.

It was her belief that God's blessing must have smiled upon her then. The boy was the kindest, sweetest, most heartfelt individual she'd ever met. He bought her food, brought her to an arcade and even won her a gift! They walked and talked and he saw her, not as the nun or Sacred Gear holder she was, but as a human being. The way he smiled and believed in who she was erased the self-doubts in her heart. The last several hours of running and depression all but evaporated with but a flicker of his ever-glowing smile.

He was the brief flicker of light in her world full of darkness.

Indeed, as the two walked through the park after enjoying their time at the 'mall,' Asia knew she was truly happy being around this boy.

She wished it could last forever – she truly did! – but then she saw a flicker of black from the corner of her vision and knew her time was over.

"Ah! Sorry-sorry!" She apologized, making quick motions with her hands, arcade-won toy still held tightly, as she moved away from the wonderful boy. "I-I'm afraid I have to leave now! T-the church is expecting me! I have to go now but I'll s-see you soon, okay?!" She didn't wait for him to respond back. She turned and ran in a random direction, away from her friend, as the boy yelled after her nervously.

She ran for some time, deeper into the wooded area. She was sure the boy did not follow her; he was kind and sweet and honest and she did not want him to be involved in her situation. To Asia, she did not deserve to stand beside someone as wonderful as he. She was just a sinner; someone who failed to uphold the will of God and was excommunicated because of it.

She knew her place in the world now. And now, her punishment was upon her.

Stopping in a small clearing, Asia caught her breath as a large violet glyph appeared, symbolized with intricate designs and energy. It glowed brightly as a pair of smooth, flawless slender legs fell from the runic energy, followed by a tight, leathery clad torso with a similar voluptuous shape. Then a beautiful face with long, night-sky dark hair followed.

Raynare touched down to the earth, her black wings unfolding as she made a display of her ability. The message was clear; Asia was trapped.

Looking down to the nun, Raynare smiled as she looked to the small stuffed toy held tightly in the nun's arms. "Did you have a fun day?" Asia didn't answer her. Despite trying to put on a brave front, she was trembling. This only made Raynare's grin widen. "Are you going to run?" Asia shook her head. Where would she run to even if she did manage to escape the Fallen Angel? "Are you going to come then?"

Asia hesitated for a moment. This was condemning herself; she understood that. If she went with Raynare she would most likely die. She wasn't a fighter. Going against the trained woman would have been stupid. There wouldn't be a shining knight to save her – just a quick end for the sake of what was inside her.

If she fought back, it would only end badly.

Carefully placing the small, yellowish toy onto the grass, Asia walked over to the Fallen, who placed her arms and wings around her carefully in a tight embrace.

Raynare's mood was definitely improving from the previous night as she raised themselves towards the hovering energy. She had the girl, learned the spell, had fellow Fallen Angels beside her and the backing of a very well informed priest and psychotic Exorcist (she could have done without Sellzen's help but it seemed he came with the packaged deal). Now, with the time nearing, she felt herself relax with the young nun in her arms.

Soon, she would have all that she desired.

Asia's eyes were closed, holding back tears, as she tried to think of the good in her life before the inevitable bad that would soon come.

If she had kept her eyes open, right at the last moment, she might have noticed a figure running towards the open space of the park…

Naruto cursed; his face contorting as he ran into the clearing, only able to watch helplessly as the Fallen Angel's portal closed. If he'd been a few seconds earlier, he might have prevented the teleport from occurring. But now, all he could do was make out the briefest of details as the two figures disappeared into thin air:

A pair of dark-colored wings and familiar long blond hair.

Now they were gone, without as much as a hint to their new location.

Naruto reached into his pocket, fumbling for his phone.

He needed professional help; anyone noticing teleportation anomalies, high fixtures of magic or even an idea of what a group of rogue Dark Feathers would want with a nun in the first place –

Squeak!

Naruto stopped in his step, turning his head down to the sound of the noise as he lifted his foot off the ground. There, slightly smooshed into the earth was a yellow and black ringed mouse-toy of some sorts. Obviously, it was some sort of cheap arcade crane game figurine; Naruto vaguely recalled seeing something like this a few times in his chance meetings within the mall.

Reaching down, Naruto brushed off some stray pieces of grass as he lifted the toy carefully. Glancing between the toy and where the portal was, Naruto carefully put the toy under his arm before starting towards the mall area.

Hours passed with no sign of Fallen Angel movements; no signal from Azazel or anyone on contact and no proof that there even was a rogue Fallen Angel faction.

Naruto concluded that this was a very well-coordinated operation.

The blond checked a number of hidden or holy sites that the Angels could set up from. A group of rogues couldn't stay out in the open; they would need somewhere to rest and hide while they worked underneath Azazel's thumb. This assumption seemed to make the most sense so Naruto started quickly by going through a mental list of well-known locations a secret organization might frequent with the safety of home field advantage.

The first location was, of course, the city's church.

It stood at the edge of the city, atop a considerable hill that overlooked almost the entire city. It was quite the view, and a strategically sound defensive position.

Arriving, Naruto expected a heavy show of activity, with adequate amounts of Black Feathers, church faculty and maybe even the mad Exorcist. Instead, the location was quiet, with the only prominent activity being a lone priest-in-training, who swept the outside steps with little enthusiasm. After a few minutes of staking out the area, Naruto guessed this would have been too obvious of a location to take the nun and moved on.

He went down the list from most to least likely locations, each proving less occupied or active as the day went on. Old office buildings, an animal shelter, even the sewers – no results, with each location showing less and less evidence of trespassing as time went on.

This came with no small quantity of irritation from the lack of success.

Desperately, Naruto decided to risk 'spreading' his search. Having a few more eyes looking around the city would help in his search of the girl, and time was running short as it was.

With a quick flick of his wrist and several bursts of smoke, several doppelgangers appeared around the original blond. Their likeness was so uncanny, no difference could be found on any of the look-alikes. They were, essentially, 'clones' of the original. Naruto held back a smile as he looked between them, before giving a quick shout and watching as the several copies of himself spread across the city in all direction; becoming his new eyes and ears as he returned to his own searching.

This continued into the late evening. Every inch of the city seemed to have been searched – no Exorcist, Fallen Angel or Priest Girl.

The sun was down and a dire look crossed the blond's face.

He needed Rias.

Old School Building, Club Room, 11:43 PM

The Gremory heir looked up to her nephew from behind the club's desk.

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"'No, you won't help me find the Fallen Angels' or 'no, I refuse to help you?'"

"Both."

"…That is very unhelpful."

"Yes. I am aware."

Naruto groaned. "Why?"

Rias gave him a hard stare. "Why? You are talking about going up against the Fallen Garrisons of Heaven. Consider that for just a moment."

Naruto didn't, keeping to the matter at hand. "There's a girl who needs my help."

"Asia Argento. Yes, I am aware. You've mentioned her several times now." Rias pursed her lips. "But I am also aware of your position as a son of Lucifer, a valuable asset of the House of Gremory, and a close relation to the Underworld and Devilkind." Frowning, she crossed her arms. "And now you want to go save a girl – a nun – from a group of Fallen Angels? On your own? Tell me: does that sound like it wouldn't be the cause for a political shitstorm?!"

Naruto thought that over. "It probably would." He admitted. "But that doesn't matter. This isn't about Devils, Angels or politics; this is about helping someone who needs help." He crossed his arms, mimicking Rias. "Besides, I have information that suggests the situation with the Fallen isn't a move made by their government but by a rogue faction of some sorts. I believe that qualifies as 'reasonable action' by your Peerage and myself."

This seemed to catch the Heir of Gremory's attention. "Oh really? And how did you come by this information?"

Naruto didn't outright say he was aware that the Fallen Angels involved were rogue members of the Fallen government. His contact with Azazel was kept strictly secretive, even from his father. 'Missions,' contacts, travel arrangements - since his arrival in Japan, Naruto was able to coordinate his private and public life without interference from his family. He wished to keep it as such, so he'd been vague about his findings and reasoning for discovering the missing nun and his beliefs around the renegade Fallen Angels.

"I have my ways," the blond returned, equally persistent in avoiding direct answering her. "Call it a hunch, if you want. An educated one."

Rias's eyes were almost drilling a hole into the boy's head – aiming to unveil his secrets. "I see."

Naruto, regardless, remained undaunted. "The point is the girl might be in danger. I'd bet that for whatever reason the rogues need her for, it's going down tonight and the longer we wait, the better chance whoever's behind this will finish her off soon." That thought wasn't exactly comforting, but this wasn't the first rescue operation he'd dealt with. "If we deal with them now, we might not only be avoiding war talk, but also manage to save a life. Isn't that worth the risk?"

"If it were a Devil taken hostage, yes," Rias answered with a hard tone. "But a nun of the church isn't my ally. I have nothing to gain from preventing the situation between the Fallen Angels and the girl. Without proof that this isn't a sanctioned action, I might very well instigate the Second Great War. Even to save the life of a member of the church, the Fallen Angels will see this as an act, not just by the Gremory House, but by the son of Lucifer, and by extension Lucifer himself, which will bring down the wrath of Heaven along with the Fallen Angels." Her eyes seemed to radiate red. "Millions – maybe even billions – of lives could be lost with you wanting to save Argento-san's life. Would you still risk all of that just to save her?"

Naruto didn't hesitate.

"Yes. I would."

Rias stared at him. Oh how I love you. "Then you do it on your own." She stated, rising from her desk and making past the blond towards the exit of the club room.

Opening it, Akeno peered inside, smiling calmly. "Just remember," Rias spoke up, "whatever choices you make will affect more than one life." She gave one last glance back to her oldest friend. "I hope you're ready to take responsibility for that."

Naruto didn't wait long to vacate the club room.

Even in his advanced age (for a human at least), his high-strung days of jumping into the rings of fire weren't completely behind him. He still wasn't one to hesitate when he felt the course of action was the right choice to make. He enjoyed, occasionally, being reckless to a fault (his bachelor party was still a blur) and it was a trait many found endearing.

Even still, the prospect of billions of lives weighing on the decisions made in the next few hours was something to consider, at least for a moment, before making to the door.

Alright. Not in the city. Should have considered that. Naruto opened the closed club door. Then that means they must be stationed –

He opened the door, coming face-to-face with the smiling Kiba, sword strapped to his side, and the stoic Koneko, who adjusted her gloves accordingly into a comfortable position.

Naruto smirked to the two of them. "Outside the city?"

"Outside the city." Kiba replied, crossing his arms and perhaps looking a little smug at getting one over his male friend.

In return, Naruto laughed out a groan. "How? How did I not consider that?" Lack of food, sleep and now the precipice of a multi-world war weighting on his mind might have played a factor in his lack of common sense. "And how did you two even know where they were at?"

"We have our ways." Koneko's reply was monotonous as usual.

"Really?"

"You shouldn't underestimate the House of Gremory, Naruto. We know things," Kiba's smile was a contagious thing, and Naruto's grin grew as he felt demonic power form around his feet, holding a level of mischief behind it.

"Yeah yeah – quit your smiling and let's go!" The red energy devoured them in a shine of light that lit the hallway for the briefest of moments before going dim once more, with the three Kuoh Academy students nowhere to be seen.

Around the corner, Akeno smiled to Rias.

"You are a most doting aunt, Buchou."

"Shut up."

Outskirts of the City, Abandoned Church, 11:49 PM

Every city has their abandoned buildings; their little secrets; their troubled areas that people try forget for the sake of keeping up the appearances of a stable community. In the case of the near-desecrated church, which barely held itself together at the limits of the city, this might have been one of the few areas in Japan that might have been considered for all three of the non-mentionables previously stated. It held a long, endearing history that needn't be mentioned. It was old, abandoned and held fond memories too many now past from the world, nothing more.

The church's structure was actually quite simple; grayed, previously white wooded walls, dust covered windows and patches of unkempt grass areas could be seen, even from the outside. And while nowhere near as large or old as Kuoh Academy's old school building, especially after its renovation, the church still managed to appear elegant under the moonlight and dense, untampered forests around it. It was wild, yet peaceful, with a good distance away from any wandering eyes from the city's populace.

Which was why, only recently, the area had become the new hotspot for the renegade faction of Fallen Angels and church members.

Atop the roof of the 'abandoned' church, a young woman sat quietly, rocking her legs in boredom as she waited for something – anything – to happen. She had with medium length blonde hair and a peculiar, almost cosplayic Lolita black outfit. Her eyes were blue, her skin was a shine of slight tan under the brightly lit moon and her stature was considerably short. Despite appearances of her being a young woman, or even a teenage girl, this woman on the church was well over a thousand years of the human world, with considerable life experience on the side.

Her name was Mittelt. She was a Fallen Angel – rogue, as it were. And she was upset.

"AAAAHHHH! COME ON ALREADY!" Mittelt shouted to the night sky. "Something happen already! I'm bored!" Centuries of life experience meant little to her, it seemed, in the way of understanding the value of patience. "This is the worst! Guard duty is the worst thing ever!"

She was going on her fourth hour of looking out around the central area around the church. Her associates/other guards were going through the rounds, so now she was all alone, required to lower herself to the church's roof and relax amongst the dust, dirt and insects around her. Needless to say, like most Fallen Angels, she wasn't pleased with being required to remain 'grounded' with her duties.

Mittelt ground her teeth as she tapped her foot impatiently on the roof. What I wouldn't give for some action…

Funny as coincidences worked, a bright light shone at the corner of the forest line surrounding the church at that very moment. Catching the corner of her eye, the young-appearing Fallen Angel turned her head curiously, just as a small group appeared from the air. Two boys, a girl and each wore an academy outfit from the school across the city and into the stinking Devil territory.

Mittelt smiled. She recognized the design of the outfit by what Raynare mentioned. Which meant –

"Oh! Ask and you shall frickin' receive!" The Fallen Angel watched as the first of the academy students walked quickly towards the church. He was tall, with bright blond hair and a fair complexion under notably piercing blue eyes. The boy behind the leading blonde was of similarly good-looks, with a straight poise and a heart-pounding smile, followed by a young girl of ashen-hair and an even smaller stature than her.

In most cases, blue eyed blondes were her type of men to be interested in getting to know better. His stride was tense but without stutter as he made his way towards the church doors. He certainly was a man of some prowess that would usually catch her eye amongst a crowd. But, she realized with some reluctance, that she wasn't lucky enough to believe she could meet a hot man like that while on guard duty; especially in the middle of the woods and at a time such of night.

So he was an enemy.

Mittelt, sighing sadly, watched him curiously. Either he was brave, prepared, or really stupid. Needless of his reason, she got her 'action' and was going to make the most of it.

So, quickly ridding herself of any reluctance to attacking such a hunk, she decided to maker herself known to the advancing blonde. Stepping casually off the side of the roof, she let herself fall to the earth below, directly in front of doors of the church and barring the three newcomers advances.

"Oh joy," the Fallen shouted, catching the small group's attention, "looks like it's my lucky night! Running into a group of lowly Devils on their way to the party!" She brushed stray hair from her face. "Who could ask for more?"

The lead blond, who was now close enough for the Fallen Angel to see rather interesting birthmarks (at least, what she assumed they were) on each of his cheeks, looked her over. "Uh, do I know you?"

Mittelt giggled; even his voice was masculine. "Mittelt's my name!" She introduced brightly. "The most awesome, completely incredible Fallen Angel there ever was!"

The lead blonde and his associates looked her over with somewhat blank faces. "Of course you are," the whiskered man stated with mocking enthusiasm, "and I take it you're here to…stop us?"

"Yep!"

"…From whatever's going on inside?"

"That too."

"…And what's going on inside, exactly?"

"Teehee! Can't say! It's for me to know and you to find out!"

The blond stared at her. "I can do that." He moved towards her, fists clenched and any sign of friendliness lost.

Despite the aggressive attitude (and, perhaps, being slightly turned on by it), Mittelt only smirked in return and raised her hand skyward.

Snap!

The blond stopped. Around the church, a rippling purple veil of Angelic energy surged around them. From atop Raynare's head, a pair of violet glyphs appeared, rapidly depositing a new pair of black winged individuals – a man and a woman – into the immediate area.

The woman was rather scantily clad woman; wearing what might have been considered business attired had it not been two-three sizes too small in both bust and waist area. Her eyes were a dark shade of blue, with matching colored hair that reached down to below her waist. The new Fallen Angel was pale of skin and large in bust size.

This was Kalawarner. She was, to Mittelt, a promiscuous woman in appearance.

Or a slut. Whichever.

The other Fallen was a male of mysterious appearance. Tall, wearing a gray fedora and trench coat, he appeared tough and formidable in presence alone. A real professional who took no nonsense from those around him.

Dohnaseek. He dressed like a detective from those old crime films she used to enjoy.

Or a pimp. Either or.

And now, with backup that evened the odds between the Devils and Fallen, Mittelt was feeling rather confident as she turned her attention away from her associates back to the blond at the head of his little invasion group. She hoped to see surprise, disturbance, even fear.

Instead, the stud's eyes were now staring quietly at her male comrade.

"I'm surprised to see you here," the blond's voice was low but still hearable from the small distance away.

Confused, Mittelt wasn't sure whom he was speaking to, before the man beside her spoke up to her surprise. "Honestly, the feeling is mutual."

She turned her head to Dohnaseek. He looked displeased, even more than usual.

Huh?

"I wouldn't have guessed you'd team with a bunch of rogues. Doesn't that seem a bit beneath you?" Mittelt turned her head back to the blond, whose arms were crossed, annoyed.

So they know each other. She figured. Her surprise wasn't just hers, however. Behind the leading blond, the two other Devils seemed equally interested in how one of her partners knew the blond in front of them. Okay, not the only one who's seeing this as weird. Good to know.

"They offered me more then what I was getting from this limited style of life," Dohnaseek answered, crossing his arms in return. "I would not expect you to understand – you who has only lived in luxury amongst the enemy." The male Fallen shook his head as blond crossed his arms, looking at him with disappointment. "Who are you to judge me? Hmm?! Let me tell you something, truly righteous Uzumaki." He pointed a gloved hand to the hard-expression of the blond. "When you have lived a life as long as I have, seen what I've seen, suffered and lost what I have, then – ONLY THEN! – may you criticize the decisions I have made!"

Mittelt, and apparently Kalawarner and the other Devils, based on expressions, seemed to be missing some context.

Wow. Naruto stared at his Fallen acquaintance. I think I just got an Uchiha-spiel flashback here.

Arriving to the church – meeting an eccentric Fallen, being trapped in a barrier, and now finding Dohnaseek was seeking an end to his 'boredom' through illegal, potentially war starting moves – made the last three minutes rather exciting, to say the least.

But, having heard this song and dance before, he decided to skip the pointless talk, skip the witty chitchat and move forward with what was needed to be said:

"I'll call you an ass right now!" It was a good start. "Whatever is going on here, it isn't good! This isn't you – you enjoy pancakes, sausages and milkshakes! Not kidnappings and anti-government organizations!" He pointed a finger to the Fallen. "Right now, I have a Priest Girl to save! I don't have time for philosophical debates on what's right or wrong! So either you tell me what's going on and get out of my way, or," he brought his hands up and slammed a fist into his open hand, getting his unsaid point across.

The Angels stared at him. "Fine." The middle Angel – Mittelt, he recalled – seemed to be confused, irritated and slightly excited as she raised her hand to the side. "I'm cool with skipping the pointless banter. I'm just here for the ass-kicking! So without further ado - !"

Shing!

A spear of light – pinkish in color with a strong pointed edge – appeared in her hand. "Let's get crazy!"

Naruto watched as Dohnaseek and the scantily Angel followed suit; shines of blue and yellow lighting the area around them as they held the threatening weapons of angels beside them.

"Don't hesitate to take him down," Naruto heard Dohnaseek shout, watching him swing and twist his dark blue spear around him in preparation. "He isn't someone you can hope to hold back against and win."

"Ha! Really?" Mittelt looked over the blond. "He doesn't look so tough; especially for a Devil."

Dohnaseek looked to the girl. "He's not a Devil."

"Huh?"

"He's human."

"WHAT?!" Mittelt didn't take this well, looking between Dohnaseek and Naruto in absolute surprise. "Him? He's human?!" She pointed a hand to Naruto. "You're not a Devil?!"

Naruto pursed his lips. "Trying to skip useless conversation here! …And I am."

Mittelt looked him over again. She seemed to be…appreciating that info, it seemed. "Just went from a nine to a ten." She smiled excitedly, confusing the blond further then he already felt towards the blond Angel. "But, business before pleasure, I'm afraid." She raised her spear to her side, letting her wings stretch from her back and take flight along with her fellow rogues.

Naruto stared at his would-soon-be attackers, before turning to Kiba, who looked very confused about the conversation going on between the Fallen and his friend, and Koneko, who just raised her fists, ready for a fight.

"Stop." He held his hand to them. "Wait here. I'll deal with them." He turned away before they could begin protesting. "If I need you, I'll call."

He trusted they would stay back unless called, as he walked forward to the Fallen Angels. He wanted this done fast, and while he trusted the abilities of Koneko and Kiba, he didn't want the Fallen killed and he was certain the two Devils wouldn't hesitate to go in for the kill if needed to.

Koneko would, if by accident, and Kiba had…bad blood with Fallen…

Yes. Less risk. He needed answers, not corpses.

So now, standing before the Fallen, he put his distracting thoughts behind him. All he could think about was who would attack first, who would make the first mistake, and what questions to ask the last one standing.

He decided to take Dohnaseek first.

Abandoned Church, Hidden Basement Level, around the same time…

Asia Argento was chained to a large wooden cross overlooking a group of Fallen and Exorcists, atop a large stage that overlooked them all. Unlike the church above, the lower levels of the room they currently occupied was well-lit and kept an air of clean. It was a large room stretching out as long and as far as the level of the church above, and glowed brightly with lit torches. Whether it was a room added after the Fallen's occupation or was there in it's the original creation wasn't clear to Raynare, who stared quietly over the preparations beside the chained nuns.

The nun was unconscious; put to sleep to not unsettle the moment at hand. What would happen next, she didn't need to see and sleep would dull the moment.

A 'mercy,' it was intended to be, though not many might have seen it as such.

Nun in chains. Ritual items prepared. Raynare looked over the needed preparations carefully. And now, she glanced over the clock overhead, only three minutes left.

She smiled to herself. Everything was going as planned.

Abandoned Church, First Level, around the same time…

Freed Sellzen was frustrated.

After a rapid session of Fallen Angelic healing, he was up, ready to kill and pissed at everyone blond in the world.

As his fingers twiddled with his re-forged holy gun and his other hand stroked his new sword of light, his thoughts went back to the fight with the tool from the night before. The Fallen who'd taken care of him thought he was defeated handedly. Freed disagreed quite vocally.

No-no, see I didn't f&%K up. He told them/himself. I just underestimated him. I went in a little too over-confident. But of course I was a little over-confident! I mean, look at me! I'm me! I'm a big deal! And you know who's really at fault here?!

The girl.

'Oh, murdered people are soooo scary!' WELL MAYBE THEY WOULDN'T BE, IF YOU WEREN'T SUCH A PUSSY!

Freed's fingers rolled into fists as he heard a round of fighting from outside the church.

Now once I get rid of that little-blond prick – AND DESTROY THOSE UNHOLY DEVIL SHITS – there will be nothing left to get in my way…

Dohnaseek was on his side under a number of fallen trees.

Kalawarner was strewn up like laundry on church roof.

Mittelt was held against the church wall a foot from the ground.

Naruto held the Fallen Angel; one hand holding said Angel up without much effort while the second arm punched a hole into the woodwork to the left of her scratched and bruised face.

That was a warning shot. "Talk. Or I decide if I should break your wings before your legs."

Mittelt, groaning and in no small amount of soreness, grit her teeth as she tilted her head to look down to her assailant. "Jokes on you, I like it rough."

Naruto's stare wasn't compromising. He reached around her back, stroked a small part of her back, and watched as a pair of black wings sprung out.

Mittelt didn't seem to expect the sudden, forced reaction from her back appendages. "W-what are you-agh!"

Naruto gripped one of her wings. It wasn't a harsh grip, but it was more warning then he was used to giving and Mittelt understood what one wrong word would mean for her.

"I could break you like a toothpick."

"O-o-ok-kay! I'll talk-I'll talk!" Mittelt's eyes were wide and she didn't like where Naruto was going with this. Seeing her associates treated like ragdolls, the last female Fallen Angel didn't like her odds, especially when seeing Uzumaki's friends waiting patiently off to the side, just watching him work.

They didn't seem too perturbed with his actions. "W-what is it you-?"

"What are the rogues planning?" Naruto interrupted. "And where is Asia Argento?"

She stared at him. "I-in that order, or-agh! Okay, okay!" She felt the grip on her wing loosen. "A-a ritual is being done on the nun to extract her power!"

"What power?"

"T-the nun has the power of Twilight Healing within her!" Seeing his still confusion, Mittelt knew she had to elaborate further, lest he tug harder. "I-it's a Sacred Gear! She has a Sacred Gear!"

Naruto's eyebrow rose. A Sacred Gear? What does that have to do with any-?

He paused in that thought. Then his face turned to the ground, looking over the dimly lit grass before turning his head up to the sky.

The moon shone; its fullness offering the only source of light in the forest.

Naruto's confused look was replaced with a dawning revelation.

"Oh!"

Dropping the Lolita-outfit wearing girl, Naruto turned around to stare towards the night sky, looking to the moon carefully as if hoping his eyes were playing tricks.

"Oooooh."

He ignored the coughing (and cursing) of the Fallen Angel as he reached for the phone in his pocket, flipping it open.

11:58 PM.

Ooooooooh…

Tick.

11:59 PM

…shit.

"Kiba! Koneko!" Naruto's yell was enough to startle the two mentioned Devil's from their patient watching. "Inside! Now!" He didn't wait as he moved past the fallen Mittelt, feeling she was effectively out of the fight, before forcing a hard leg forward and nearly breaking the doors of the ruined church off the hinges.

Stepping in, Naruto took in the decrepit state of the church's innards, watching as a familiar, bad-mouthing priest stepped up from behind the lone altar at the end of the room.

Freed stepped out, clapping with a feral grin. "Well well well! So happy to see you all again!"

Kiba and Koneko, stepping up beside Naruto, readied themselves for the mad priest. Naruto stared at him for a moment before ignoring him to stare around the room.

Very few dust abnormalities. Asia isn't being held here.

"So sorry I had to interrupt our dance from the night before, but you know how these things happen, right?"

No, wait, defense is too heavy. Has to be here. Just not in this room. His eyes strayed to the altar. There's shifted dust…

"Now, see, I pride myself on not letting anyone get away from me. You might even say it's a thing of pride for me. So when I was forced to let you brimstone stinking turds get away…well, I wasn't happy."

Naruto ignored the comment from Koneko about the Exorcist's language, instead staring at the dust around the altar.

It's not tied to the floor. He sniffed the air. Warmer source of air coming from the cracks around the altar. Secret passage? Probably.

"But, it seems fate it smiling on me tonight! Now I get the chance to eat you all, piece by piece, while I listen to the sweet serenade of your screams – OH, HAPPY DAY!"

Exorcist has a defensive position between us and the altar.

"Now, if the little one and the pretty boy would quietly off for a second, doing whatever you want, I don't care, I want to have a little 'chat' with the blond pussy here!"

Almost certain that's where she's being held.

He took a step forward.

Move now.

"Because, honestly, I've been planning on kicking your ass thoroughly since last night when you KICKED ME IN THE -"

Naruto leapt forward, faster than the Exorcist had time to prepare for, landing to his front before lifting his leg back and punting the silver-haired nutjob in his pride and joy…again…

Freed's eyes were wide and unmoving from the sudden shock and pain running through him.

Why? He wondered. Why does he keep kicking me in the dick…?

Sellzen fell to his side, unconscious.

Naruto stepped over the prone man, pressing his hands to the side of the altar and giving a hard push to send the religious stand crashing into the wall.

And, wouldn't you know it, secret staircase underneath.

Bitchin'. "Let's go." Naruto jumped through the passage way, leaving his friends above with literal leaps and bounds, seeing the dim light of torches and the growing shine of a brilliantly bright light of a familiar ritual being completed.

No no no no no no no no no no no no no -!

He made it into the lower ritual room, just as Raynare, standing atop a large stage at the far end from the staircase, lifted her arm, which glowed with a not-quite Angelic energy, and slid it into a chained, unconscious Asia. The smooth appendage felt no resistance as it swam past the girl's outer layer of skin, neither damaging nor seeming to even touch the nun's soft skin.

But the sudden screams that came from the quick awakening of the Priest Girl, however, made wondering if the process was pain free impossible.

"NO!" Naruto grit his teeth, eyes wide as Raynare slowly drew her arm back from the glowing hole in Asia's chest, holding a glimmering green orb between her fingers.

Naruto didn't wait; he ran towards the stage.

"YOU BASTARD!"

His run was hampered by the sudden arrival of swords of light and dark-clothed Exorcists. They were meant to impede-to slow him down; stepping in between the blond and his intended target. But Naruto didn't even have to stop to answer the challenge, as now a moment later, a white and blond blur ran past his side, clashing sword of light with demonic sword in sparks of energy and fight.

Kiba grunted, holding the dark-clothed men back before lifting both colliding swords over and, with a quick twist of wrist, managing to get past the man's defense and slash past his dark cloth. "Don't worry about us!" Kiba shouted, Koneko moving beside him as Naruto quickly ran through the opening in the Exorcists' ranks. "Get to the girl!"

He didn't have to say it twice.

Naruto made it to the stage, leaping the stairs between himself and Asia and landing beside the Fallen Angel. He stared at the unconscious girl, chained to the cross before lifting his hand, offering a flick of the wrist and watching as the chains holding her chip and break.

He caught her before she hit the ground.

Breathing slowed. Not trying to stand. He placed a pair of fingers to her throat. Heart beat…same as her breath. Naruto held the girl carefully in his arms, gritting his teeth. Asia Argento was dying; that much was clear.

"Asia. Asia! Stay with me, okay?! Don't fall asleep!" Naruto didn't shake her – it would have done little good at this point – but he tried to keep her awake by any means.

In response, Asia groaned, her eyes looking up to make out the blonde's figure before grunting in pain, curling herself in the his arms.

Naruto looked her over, trying to think of his next move. Even if I put the Sacred Gear back now -

"OH!" Raynare's sudden gasp caught Naruto attention, turning to see her press the glowing green orb into her chest, the light sinking into her chest without much resistance. The process seemed to be quite energizing; Raynare appeared quite excited as she watched it sink into her breast. Her screams and sighs were eye-catching and Naruto, if the situation not so intense, might have felt uncomfortable around such pronounced moaning.

As it stood, however, his thoughts were only on how, once again, he was too slow to stop even the Fallen Angel from taking the Sacred Gear into herself. And now, it made retrieving the Sacred Gear much more difficult…

Raynare stood above the kneeling Naruto, a heavy blush on her face, panting and smiling as she felt the energy of Twilight Healing flow through her. This energy…this feeling…it's unreal! "Wow! Oh, wow! This is incredible! Unbelievable! A gift of God within an Angel! Has this ever been before?!" She laughed, watching the blond as he glanced her way. Her smile turned nasty. "All those who looked down on me – put me down, abused me – will now know not to mess with the soon to be champion of the Fallen Angels!" Her hands went to her sides. A soft glow of green surrounded her. "And this was meant to just be used for healing?! HA! As if!" This was power; simple, pure power. And it was hers.

Oh what I will do with this…

But first, she thought with a smile, she had one thing to deal with – a matter of pride, to be certain, but still something she couldn't leave behind.

"You know, Naruto," Raynare spoke up, catching the blond's attention with the use of his name, smirking, "in any other case, I might have let you take the girl and run. I don't exactly need her anymore; I got what I came for and I really don't enjoy watching anyone dying from the inside out." Her smirk slowly turned nasty. "But, I'm afraid you're a loose end; I had to go behind my superiors once before when you interfered with the pervert – and now, I've had to do it once more with this little one, and, low and behold, I find you here interfering with my plans again." She brushed long black hair out of her face. "You challenge me. You, dare I admit, beat me. And, had you been a minute earlier, you might have even saved her and stopped me again." That spoken truth of time missed which changed the difference between a life saved or lost made the blond twitch. Raynare thoroughly enjoyed his painful revelation. "I can't, in good conscience, let this string of coincidence go." She raised her hand, feeling her own Angelic energy mix with that of the Twilight Healing's, to produce a far superior spear of light.

"So, would you be a dear and die for me?"

She threw the spear, only a meter away, at the blond and his hard staring eyes.

It was amazing how a small moment can be the change between life and death; astounding how Naruto's only just-missed attempt of a rescue resulted in the suffering, innocent girl in his arms; agonizing for the blond when he considered this fact of his limited power to save this girl.

Second handedly, she reminded him of his youth – his previous youth – and those he failed to save when a moment required him to give that extra bit of effort. Those who died in his arms and wouldn't see lives fulfilled because of someone who aspired to change the world by force. In his later years, he didn't hesitate to give everything when fighting a foe; if he hesitated or didn't give it his all, people might have died. And now, as a reminder to why he didn't show hesitance in any decision he made, this slowly dying girl, crying in his arms, was like being hit by an Akimichi in full giant transformation in the chest.

But now was not the time for guilt.

He failed; he'd admit as much. But now was not the moment to mull over the failings of a life prior; now was the time to make the decision on how to deal with the nun, the Fallen Angel and the Twilight Healing inside of her.

So, devising a quick plan, he made his move.

By the time Raynare lifted the spear back to throw, Naruto was already scooping the suffering nun into his arms and when the spear was half way to piercing the area where he laid, he was already in the air, making a run for the exit.

His escape didn't go unnoticed; Exorcists ran towards him, raising sword and guns in attempt to stop his escape. There were a minor threat to him, but that didn't stop him from appreciating the sudden interference of Koneko and Kiba, who jumped to his side and pressed back the advancing Exorcists.

"Go!" Kiba shouted. "We got your back!"

"They shall not pass."

Naruto offered them a brief glance before nodding and running past the action, jumping over several steps towards the fresh air of the church above, leaving the sounds of Devils fighting rogues behind.

He wasn't aware of the glare that followed him as he ran.

Naruto set the blonde nun onto one of the church bench; gently pressing away any dust or cobwebs to make sure her comfort was genuine. He brushed her hair out, covered her in his dark academy jacket for warmth and checked her condition carefully. Face red, skin pale, beads of sweat falling across her brow -

She was dying. No stopping that. Even if he put the Sacred Gear back, she would still die.

A Sacred Gear's mechanics were something he was only vaguely familiar with. It was tied to their internal anatomy, almost; removing it was like removing their soul and energy. The method of retrieval, in fact, was also something he was familiar with from work he'd seen before. He was beating himself, mentally, on how he missed the signs, the clues – he'd taken the situation too lightly in his confidence that all would be well, ignored his training, and was now forcing the girl he watched over slowly pay the price for his stupidity.

His hands were clenched into fists; there were only a few options left in saving her and none were to his liking because most would require further sacrifice on her part.

He couldn't do that. Not to her.

It was during these dark considerations when allowed Asia to slowly wake from her pain to look upon her savior. It took her a moment to realize where she was or who was beside her, but she smiled nonetheless when she recognized the glowering face above. "N-Naruto…?"

Her voice was weak and low but Naruto still managed to hear her. Leaving his thoughts, Naruto knelt beside the girl, looking her in the eye. He wasn't sure what to do now; his mood was too dark to smile with but his features did soften somewhat with her gaze.

"Asia," he greeted calmly, "hey."

"H-hey." Her smiled didn't falter as she stuttered and curled further into the warmth of the jacket. "Y-you came here to save me?"

Naruto's expression faltered. "I did."

Asia's smile only brightened, not seeming to notice his dark mood. "Really? I'm so glad. Thank you."

Naruto's insides tightened. "I didn't save you." His tone was clipped. "I was too late. I failed." His hands tightened into fists; causing his nails to dig into his hands enough to cause a minor amount of bleeding.

He ignored it, keeping his eyes on the bright young girl in front of him. "I couldn't stop them from taking your Sacred Gear."

Asia's smile softened. "That means I'm dying, aren't I?"

How she said it… "Yes." He answered honestly. "I'm sorry."

Asia shook her head. "Don't be," she said, "it's alright. You came to save me and that makes me happy!"

Naruto stared at her. "Wha-"

"I'm okay, Naruto," Asia whispered, raising a weakened hand out from the jacket and up to the blond, "really, I'm fine. You came to save me, of all people, and that makes me happier then you could know." She sighed, almost peacefully. "I don't have any regrets now."

Naruto stared at her. "But you're dying." He told her. "You're dying for no reason-"

"It's okay," She told him again, interrupting him with a smile that almost brought tears to his eyes. "I accept it. I knew my life would be hard the moment I discovered what I could do but I didn't let it change me!" She seemed on the verge of tears. "I knew people would look down on me for what I could do; I knew I wouldn't have the blessed life like those around me but that's okay. I accept it." Her complete relaxation to what was happening was astonishing.

Naruto's eyes met hers. In his life, he'd known how to read the suffering of others by the teachings of those around him. He knew the pain; even just by looking into their eyes, he could read what they experienced or felt through their lives.

When he looked into Asia's eyes, he saw himself.

"You didn't deserve this." He told her, reaching with his own hand to grasp her own. How small, it was. How cold. "You didn't deserve to be used or abused or hated because of what was inside of you."

"But it is because of it that I got to meet so many wonderful people." Her voice grew stronger for a moment, showing the truth and happiness in her statement. "I got to help so many who needed me. I got to meet you and see Japan and taste aburger for the first time! I got to experience something many could only dream of!" She coughed a little, catching her breath but not allowing her smile to falter. "I know I am probably unimportant to the grand plan of this world but that does not mean I must regret the choices I have made or the forget people who have affected me." Her bottom lip trembled. "I've made mistakes and have seen mistakes be made but that is no reason to doubt the inner benevolence of those around you. I have faith that this was for a reason, beyond what I could comprehend, and that makes it all worth it. So do not worry.

"I have lived and seen a great many things…and I have absolutely no…"

She paused.

Naruto caught this. "What? Have no what?" He was fixated on her words. The passion, the energy and serenity of it all; this girl was amazing and so pure it was unbelievable. It was heartwarming, even in the dark situation around them.

Asia hesitated for a second, her smile disappearing for a brief moment to look surprised before allowing herself to grin again. This time, a tear fell down her cheek. "Well," she started, "I guess I do have one regret."

That caught the boy's attention. "What? What is it?"

Asia seemed enamored in her thoughts. "There was a boy. A boy I met not long ago. He…he made me smile. He treated me with kindness and thought I was 'cool.' He helped me, gave me food, brought me to an arcade and said I was his friend before anyone else!" Now tears were falling down her cheeks quite profusely. "He's my only-" she coughed violently. Her time was nearing. "He was…my only…regret…" Cough cough!

Naruto held her hand tightly. "W-what was his name?" He was trying to comfort her at that moment. It was the least he could do.

Dying was like falling asleep. And sometimes, you just wanted to do it with a friend beside you.

Asia's coughing was becoming sporadic. Her chest was pounding the last bit of energy she had left. Despite this, she smiled and cried as she thought of the boy who was kind.

"He was so…so kind…" These were her final words. "And I regret…leaving him…now…"

The coughing slowed. The harsh movements of her body dulled to a relaxed state. Her eyes dulled and closed and the breath left her lungs.

The grip around Naruto's hand left her, and it slid down off the edge of the bench, unmoving and pale.

Asia Argento, nun to the church and pure of heart, was dead.

Naruto stared quietly at the Priest Girl; pursing his lips as he watched over her.

"Why?" He asked, turning his head slightly to look behind, seeing a familiar promiscuous form which sat quietly to the side, watching them. "Why would you do this?"

Raynare stared back to his kneeling form. "Hmph. It's none of your concern." She stated, standing up. "I needed power, I found a way to get it, and the girl was the cost." Her tone was harsh and blunt, as she walked towards the two humans in the church. "And it was a price I was willing to pay."

Naruto, turning his head back to Asia, shook his head in frustration. "I just don't get you. Power? What good is that when someone has to die for it?" He reached for Asia's hand that fell off the bench and placed it over her chest carefully, as if not to wake her. "She was a child who only wanted to help people. She wanted friends and people to acknowledge her. She was in pain because no one saw her as anything more than a girl with a power she didn't ask for and ridiculed her because of it." He was trembling. "What gave you the right to take what little she had left from her?"

Raynare smiled cruelly, laughing. "Right? My right? Well, that's simple really: my divine right. My right of strength. I had the power to take what I wanted and was encouraged into doing so!" Where this attitude was coming from, Raynare did not know but it felt good. The freedom to say whatever she wanted without consequence – she had power to choose her own way of life. "And what? You think she is the only one who's suffered in life? HA! I can guarantee you she hasn't thefaintest idea what true pain is!"

That caught Naruto's attention for the briefest of moments before continuing to tend to Asia's unmoving form.

"She cried, she was hurt, people disliked her – bagh! That is nothing. I have lived decades longer then she and have known true suffering!" She was breathing deeply, her face contorting into anger before she calmed herself forcefully to regain composure. "So the little nun didn't have a perfect life? Boohoo. No one will care."

Her spite and ridicule of the dead was surprising, even to her. But it was her true, ugly feelings at the moment. Her rage was driving her now; and it was turning her into something ugly.

Naruto was quiet for a moment, taking in her words.

Then he nodded. "You're right…she isn't the only one who's had a hard life. Not really." His choice of words surprised the Fallen, not expecting such a casual agreement from him, as he stood up carefully from his knelt position, hardly making a sound. "People are always going to have it hard because that's just how life is. We suffer to build character and make us who we are. That's just how it works." He gazed up to the broken ceiling. "Our decisions and choices, similarly, define who we are and how we choose to deal with the hardships that are placed upon us. Like how we decide between choosing one choice, one evil, over another." Naruto seemed relaxed looking down to the pale Asia, even as he turned his head to look at the Fallen from the corner of his eye.

"So what does that say about you?" He caught her surprised expression. "What does your suffering say about you? Do your decisions really define who you are? Or," he turned around, eyes closing as he took in a deep breath, "are you just pretending to be someone else to make life easier?"

Raynare watched the blond with a careful eye; his words and poise proving to be a sharp contrast from her previous observations. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Naruto didn't answer immediately; instead, he appeared to be thinking over some thought of his own that took his attention away from the slowly frustrating Angel. "I'll explain it to you later," he told her, lifting his head in the direction of Raynare but still keeping his eyes closed, "but for now, I need to get that Sacred Gear back to Asia."

He had a plan. And one, for better or worse, he planned to stick with. And it would require Raynare's 'cooperation.'

The Angel, now thoroughly annoyed with the blond and his random words, stepped back with a snarl. "What? Get it back? To the corpse?!" She laughed, her hands both raised to her sides, channeling energy through them to make two spears of light form around her. The small amount of effort it required to perform such an advanced technique made her smirk confidently. "And what if I don't want to give it, huh?! Are you planning to take it from me?!"

"Yes," Naruto opened his eyes, showing, instead of the previous and familiar crystal blue Raynare had familiarized herself with in her dreams, a pair of dark red slits.

"I am."

AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH! NIGHTMARE CHAPTER! NIGHTMARE CHAPTER!

Sorry it took me so long to update! Exams, internships and the fact that I wanted a nice long chapter under my belt didn't help things!

I was really worried about this chapter (though, I think I've said that with every update). Length, information, tense situations - just the fact I tried my best to please everyone with detail in parts that weren't heavily detail oriented – NOT EASY.

AND NARUTO'S DIALOGUE IS THE MOST IMPOSSIBLE THING TO GRASP! HE IS OLD, MENTALLY, BUT YOUNG IN BODY! HOW DO I GET THE RIGHT MIX OF THAT WITHOUT GOING TOO OC (Own-Creation)?! Make it humorous, make it serious, I don't know which to choose from! It's hell!

But, regardless, here it is.

Note: I will start updating more frequently, no worries. This story is going the distance. I just had other things to look over first with my growing work in 3D and stuff.

Also, just as a reminder, I have a poll on my page! If you haven't voted on it, you'll want to soon! It ends June first!

Also, just got The Witcher 3 – ADDICTING. HIGHLY recommend it!

Oh, and, ahem: OVER 22,000 WORDS ON THIS CHAPTER!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY EVERYONE!