The Beast of Gremory

by Mudsaur

"Strive for the Throne of God and you shall have it."

8. He Tends His Flock like a Shepherd

Alright, so…I understand the last chapter wasn't 'universally accepted.' I knew that would happen. I was trying to show that I could take the story further than just the pure DxD plot but it seemed to have been met with mixed reviews. It was a tough bullet to bite but a necessary one for the story progression.

I assure you, though; the Chapter Seven was NOT a filler (seriously, WHY would I make a fifty-seven-thousand-word filler?! I'm not THAT crazy!).

Nothing I put in that chapter was, by my grand scheme for the story, unnecessary, even if it might have seemed that way to some. Every character, item, or connection holds importance for later chapters. I know this is a Fanfiction, meaning we want our story now and done. But I'm setting things up later down the road. More out of practice so that, when my own novel is finished, I can say I've had practice setting things up for later chapters or books. The same goes for the Beast of Gremory; ten-twenty-thirty chapters down the road, you might just like the foreshadowing you got from the last chapter.

Now, for those who liked it, excellent. I am glad you were accepting of the world-building I was attempting to do. If not, but are willing to give me a chance to see my work, HOPEFULLY, improve, then here's the proof I can still move forward.

This chapter is returning to more of the central plot.

With fun.

And less detail many of you will want to ignore.

I think.

I might have failed epically on the detail part, come to think of it.

This IS a thirty-thousand-word chapter, after all. I was wanting it to be ten-thousand, but I got carried away.

Sorry about that.

Anyway, I do hope this makes up for the last chapter's great-not great fandom review. I originally wanted to post this chapter next week for Halloween, as a treat, but I haven't seen many posting of chapters lately for stories I've been reading, so figured I should offer an early treat to my dedicated fans!

HERE WE GO!

---

CHAPTER ONE: HE TENDS HIS FLOCK LIKE A SHEPHERD

Naruto's Apartment, Japan, 7:53 AM

A comfortable stream of liquid fell over Naruto's face as he stood under the showerhead. Eyes closed and features relaxed, the naked blond felt oddly comforted as the water fell down his brow, onto his chest, and then dripping down his legs onto to the tiled floors. The warmth of the water was soothing aches and pains he had not realized where there and the stench that had accumulated through his searching of a nice portion of 'the motherland' was now being washed thankfully away. His once growing sense of weary seemed to stall while his head dipped further into the water, feeling something alike to a small reprieve or second wind.

For Naruto, the time in the shower would have best been described as the 'calm' in what would undoubtedly be a long, drawling 'storm' of a day. School work and common teenage obligations, things he didn't often look forward to even on the best of days, would undoubtedly pester and press what small acceptance he held towards the already heavily barring environment.

And yet, he had his reasons for going.

Despite the less than excitable materials and lessons offered, he couldn't say that there weren't incentives for his routine partaking in the act of being a 'normal high school student.' This relatively peaceful teenage lifestyle was certainly a contrast to how he once spent his previous-earlier years of life. Where once he had to worry about a knife being thrust into his heart, now the worst fear Naruto had was forgetting to study for an exam (though he still kept his guard out of old habits). And perhaps he could even admit that it was somewhat 'charming' to see a newer generation of children study and learn and grow into a field of their choosing.

To see teenagers laugh, shout, exercise and commune with one another. Without a backward reason like 'trying-to-build-up-their-teamwork-to-ready-themselves-for-a-harsh-life-as-a-ninja-or-discover-the-weaknesses-of-a-comrade-so-that-you-may-use-it-against-them-should-they-go-rogue-and-betray-their-village-for-personal-reasons.'

Or of similar motives.

It was peaceful in this new world. Or relatively, at least. Naruto could understand and appreciate this fact, thinking back to the peace he himself had helped create and organize.

He felt older in those moments. Very old.

But barring older memories which crept on him at inopportune times, unwavering peace and happily growing children were hardly the main reasons for Naruto's staying at Kuoh. They were positives, sure, but hardly enough to keep a wandering and curious man like Naruto in one place for too long (at least without obligation). Though it might have been a motivation that bordered on the overly simple or even downright childish, it was an unquestionable declaration to say that, no matter how nice and simple his new way of life was, were it not for Naruto Uzumaki's friends – Gasper, Koneko, Kiba, Souna, Akeno, Rias, and now Asia – the ninja hero would have felt no reason to stay in such a place longer than he had to.

It was the main reason why he decided to venture into the deemed 'Human World' in the first place. To look out for his 'aunt' and her Peerage during their first long outing from the Underworld. To ensure her safety and offer aid whenever she may need it. After all, even with the knowledge that Rias was a growing and capable woman that showed true promise as both a leader and a future head of the Gremory Household, she was still very young and her Peerage…well, let's just say that she did not choose the easiest group of young adults to form a bond with.

The Peerage King's experience with troubled children was simple and limited. And although Rias' distinctive maturity benefited her when it came to controlling or assisting those around her, it was obvious to anyone that she was still learning.

A Devil, she might have been. But a teenager, still, in body and heart.

Naruto helped whenever he could or was asked. Offering advice which she'd grown to appreciate immensely, though had once or twice commented on where his wisdom came from – playfully, of course. But if truth were to be told, prior to nearly a month before, when Asia Argento had seeming been unceremoniously made into his roommate, Naruto's interactions with Rias' Peerage had been somewhat distant of late.

The reasons weren't harsh or ill-intended. The Uzumaki simply did not interact with Rias or her Peerage as often as he had in the Underworld or at the beginning of his journey to Japan. The motive for was mostly based off of the idea that the red-haired Devil needed to feel secure in her abilities and that mayhaps his presence would have done little good in forwarding her own desire to better herself.

With Naruto around, Rias felt safe in that whatever decisions she made because if they were wrong or missed some crucial piece of information to them, her nephew would have been more than happy to point it out to her. He was the buffer to her, in that way. And sure, having a guide or second mind to any leader was not a bad thing to have, but sometimes it seemed as if Rias had become too complacent to Naruto's own knowledgeable side-advice. The human teen understood that, if the Peerage King became too comfortable with being corrected on her mistakes, then she might fall short in actually thinking up the consequences prior to her taking action.

He did not mean to sell her short, and maybe Rias would have grown just fine even with him by her side. Maybe he should have had faith in her; the Lady Gremory had been vocal in the past on his absence from her Peerage's life. He often told her he was busy or otherwise occupied, and she had steadily begun to doubt the authenticity of his reasons for being absent.

Prior to Asia's joining, the few times Naruto routinely saw need to interact with the Gremory Peerage were only when he came to check on Gasper Vladi's wellbeing; aid Rias in her Peerage contractors on rare nights; or very rarely help in the apprehending of a Stray Devil – which measured to only three times, although that number was still considerable in itself.

Otherwise, the blond hero was largely vacant in the Gremory Devils' lives.

But, as said before, this was only the case until Asia Argento joined.

It took some time for Naruto to admit that the young miss Argento's being placed into his apartment-home had not been done so casually. That there was some thought placed into where Asia would stay had not occurred to him until sometime later. Kiba was more than capable of holding a young woman in his apartment, Akeno and Rias had larger homesteads than Naruto, and even Koneko lived in a relatively comfortable space which, along with being closer to Rias and Akeno's place, held a more feminine touch to it. When Naruto first took the Priest Girl home with him, it had been under the pretense that, once measures were made, she would then be moved to a more hospitable location, owned and controlled by the Gremory estate.

When no such actions were taken, even after the first two weeks of their rooming together, Naruto began to feel somewhat…tricked. Especially when Rias began to routinely send over vast amounts of clothes, food stuffs, feminine products (of which Naruto hadn't the mind to understand their uses or what they were needed for), and brush off any and all questions pertaining to Asia's relocation that the blond inquired about. In the most casual and nonchalant way she could.

So now, Naruto was playing 'escort' for the newest member of the Gremory house. Between frequent club meetings, Peerage orders, and now Devil lessons, Naruto had begun to spend more time with the Peerage than he had in the last six months.

His plan of isolating himself had been effectively thwarted.

All as Rias Gremory had undoubtedly planned.

He would have laughed had Naruto not been the one to be so effectively played.

Knock knock knock!

"Naruto-kun! Naruto-kun!"

Knock knock knock knock knock!

Said boy opened his eyes, turning his ear to the origin of the noise.

"You must hurry, Naruto-kun!" A muffled girl's soft shout came through the doorway, sounding worried. "School will be starting soon! We have to leave!"

Naruto stared to where the noise was coming from. Though he appreciated his roommate's concern, and silently wondered how long he'd stayed in the shower to raise such worries, he was still confident in that the two of them would make it to the academy with time to spare.

He had a reputation of only near-tardiness, after all.

With a quick lift of his arms overhead, a silent appreciation of the loud snapping sounds that came from his tight muscles, the blond in the shower gave a loud shout; "Alright, alright. Just hold on!" His hand casually turning the shower off and quieting the stream of the water. "Just give me a second. I'm getting out, I'm getting out…"

---

A half a mile from Kuoh Academy, sidewalk, 8:43 AM

It was not by mere chance that the young man, Issei Hyoudou, known infamously as the most perverted student of Kuoh Academy, had decided to grace the pair of blond teens on their way to the academic facility.

In fact, through the last month, his morning meetings had become somewhat of an expected routine.

Though he acted, at first, as if it were the work by some good luck or fortune that he would run into the pair, meeting some mile or so from their destination in the early mornings, Issei quickly gave up the ruse to point out that he indeed enjoyed meeting Asia whenever he could, much to said girl's delight. The brown-haired youth would meet with the former nun, with large smiles and kind greetings, and then walk with one another side-by-side to class.

Today was no different in that regard. They were smiling, talking about their weekends, and honestly seemed to be enjoying one another's presence without issue or discomfort. By that regard, they seemed as if like two great friends, enjoying a warm morning's walk to school. Both were dressed in their uniforms, comfortably so, held their school packs on their person in some fashion – Asia, with a handheld school bag, and Issei, a backpack – and seemed unhindered by the usual Monday blues which came with school life.

In that way, Naruto was pleased with their enthusiasm, even as he walked some twenty-thirty steps behind the two, watching the pair silently.

As Issei had his way of conversing with Asia in the mornings, Naruto had his ways about watching the two teens quietly from the back. Partly out of amusement, but maybe also out of some sense of instinct or protective consciousness. He was friends with Asia, as the month as roommates had no doubt drawn the two closer together, and was protective of her as a result. She was additionally naïve and innocent to whatever the world held, which only time and wisdom would help ease. And although Naruto largely doubted the idea that Issei Hyoudou had any sort of notions that would have been unacceptable for the Devil girl, at least on the basis of legality, the former ninja still felt something personal in the way ensuring her safety regardless.

So, as this morning was like many mornings before, Issei met with Asia, the two shared in conversation on their walks to the academy, and Naruto silently watched the two from behind.

It was a pattern followed, but still a good morning.

---

Kuoh Academy, Main School Building, Homeroom 139, 9:04 AM

Naruto sat quietly towards the back of the classroom, stifling his third tired yawn since arriving and looking down the lanes of desks to the students who were either making themselves comfortable before their teacher arrived or communing with one another on things that were of little personal concern to him.

He looked quite bored sitting in the back. Not that he was, of course. His eyes looked tired but he did seem to be watchful in his own way.

Issei was sitting by the front, leaning next to a window as his two school friends, who boasted equal levels of perversion to his own, were shouting about some manner of video or show which caught their eyes over the weekend. They seemed excited by the prospect of watching it again, if going by how their hands made groping gestures and their faces lit up with joy. This received some manners of confused or disgusted looks from the class around, who quietly commented on the misfortune of being placed in a homeroom with such perverts (one of the nicer nouns used to describe them), but if Issei and his friends noticed, they did not say anything in response.

But the three only caught his attention for a moment.

Asia, on the other hand, held his attention for a bit longer.

The first day of Asia's venture to the academy just so happened to also be the first day Asia had been placed into Naruto and Issei's homeroom. As coincidences went, this wasn't as exceptional as Issei and Asia being aware of the other had been, or them trying to be killed by the same Fallen Angel. There were only a limited number of classes to be found which could hold second-year high school students, but the surprise was still there. Whether this was by Rias' doing or not, Naruto could not say. But it still surprised the Uzumaki with her introduction to his class. And for Issei…well, he was certainly one of the more vocal of the male recipients whom acknowledged the young lady, and expressed immense gratitude to whatever god would listen on their luck to having such a wonderfully cute and polite individual placed in their homeroom.

Presently, Asia sat at her desk among other pretty young teens, discussing whatever came to their minds with a polite enthuse. The new Bishop had grown rather close with the class's inhabitants and had done so quite easily. Her personality was charming, respectful, and held no signs of deception or alternative motive to it. Her nun background was serving her well amongst the similarly aged group of teen girls and looked content to just talk about this or that or whatever else her friends were discussing.

All in all, Asia was happy.

Naruto muffled another yawn, his hand going up and culling whatever sound might have tried to escape. He would attempt – for maybe another moment or two – to rest his eyes for what length of time remained before he would inevitably have to feign interest in whatever his class's professor decided to teach the impressionable youths of Homeroom 139.

---

Behind the Main School Building, Track Field, 10:23 AM

Just off to the side from the center of the school's large and well-kept grass area, an equally neat track could be found. Track, as in, a fine tarred running space. As in, with large stands for large crowds, a wide open space, some areas for other sports and food stands – the usual stuff. It was there for the obvious sports specialized by the student body and used for events that might have been hosted.

Now, as was the norm for most of the school year, the area around it was often used only in the after school hours of the day. As mentioned, it was used for sports (duh) and a few other events that needed the open spaces but was used for little else otherwise. Sure, maybe you'd find a student finding solace in a book on their lunch break or see a couple friends lying on the clean-cut grasses, but truthfully, unlike the rest of the educational facility, Kuoh's track field was often barren of people during the day.

Of course, this is mentioned now because, contrast to the usual, there was now a significant number standing on the field.

Dressed in provided athletic attire – organized for convenience by gender and sized to each individual – a large grouping of students stood around in a large circle by the grassed center of the track. They were looking towards the middle of their makeshift ring, with several giving loud shouts of encouragements alongside wild pumping of arms, and having an obvious delight in whatever it was which held their focus.

From the main building, it seemed as if something interesting was taking place. But with the thick grouping of schoolboys and girls of a few different ages – the three high school ages, to be exact – blocking whatever viewings that could be seen from whomever was outside the large circled cluster, it seemed the only clue of what was happening would be through whatever excited cries were heard. The sounds were muffled through the windows, with students only making out stifled screams. But through a few opened class windows and the building's back doors, the noise and cries were quite simple to make out.

"NARUTO!" One of the shouters screamed. "COME ON! KEEP GOING!"

"YOU CAN DO IT! DON'T GIVE UP!"

"THINK OF YOUR MALE PRIDE, MAN! YOU CAN'T LOSE TO-TO-HERRRR!"

Ugh, shut up. A tense, struggling and red-faced blond thought as his arms lowered his tense form once more to the grass-covered earth. He might have expressed his opinions verbally were it not for his open mouth struggling to take in deep breaths of air. Beads of sweat passed down his neck and brow to the shadowed ground and his fingers started to twitch under his weight as he continued his efforts to perform yet another demanding pushup.

"NARUTO! NARUTO!" A group of boys, and a few girls, started chanting. "NARUTO! NARUTO! NARUTO! NARUTO!"

The boy who was being chanted for only shook his head as he lowered himself for another, only encouraging louder screams and shouts of reassurance to come from his peers.

Shifting his gaze away from the earth after pushing himself back up, if only to get his bright and now weary eyes off the wet, sweated grass for a moment, and looked to the person beside him in a similar look of duress. The only other individual in the circle of onlookers who'd managed to keep pace and still hold themselves up against the blond second-year.

"DON'T LET THE BOYS WIN!"

"BEAT HIM! HE LOOKS LIKE SHIT!"

"KICK HIS ASS, KONEKO-CHAN!"

Koneko – or rather, Koneko Toujou – only pursed her lips tightly at her enthralled fans' cheering; keeping herself quiet and focused as she pressed herself up for another lift up from the ground. Her silver hair slid over her face, mostly covering up the strained expression she wore. But laying beside her, Naruto could see her entirely.

She was tired, which was no surprise; Koneko was perhaps the strongest member of the Gremory's Peerage. But even still, going on eight minutes of consistent, quick pushups (under an admittedly hot spring day) was not doing either the Rook or the former Hokage any favors.

The reason for their duress, and why they were continuing this showing of strength that certainly none of the other students had even a lasted a tenth of since beginning, were for reasons actually quite simple. Kuoh Academy, though primarily a school famous for its excellent academics, was also a proud facility of a renowned athletic program. Whether a student was in a sports affiliation, club or team, the school nonetheless expected a credible level of fitness from all of its pupils. And thus these semesterly events with the several grades were made as a partial event to show the physical excellence of each individual. As well as provide an outlet of competition to all levels.

Naruto had performed admirably in the previous Kuoh Academy Athletic Events he'd otherwise been forced to participate in since his enrollment. Unsurprisingly to those who knew him, he was the top of the class in these occasions, but only kept to a reasonable level of ability shown. He did not see a reason to run a hundred-yard dash in under a second, nor feel the need to perform pushups with a singer digit. No, no; he understood the unfairness his strength and agility would put him in to his peers – a sentiment which Rias encouraged her Peerage to follow when he told her of his capable, but by no means astounding, performances.

But still, maybe it was his pride which kept him from allowing those around him to best any of his scores.

He was old in mind. Not in heart. And these 'whippersnappers' could learn a thing or two about there 'always being bigger fish.'

To an admittance of truth, Naruto looked forward to these little events in a small way. His old academy days had events similar to these to test the average ninja-in-training's aptitude and physicality. Barring any sort of hand-to-hand combat or moments which dealt with sharpened tools or weapons, Kuoh's little physicals were a nice way to relax and get out of the classroom for a while. The days when the events were held were usually warm and comfortable and there was nothing like putting on a good, light bit of exercise to keep the mind active.

But now, to Naruto's quiet resentment, he could not stop himself from silently admitting that the 'relax' of these events was now sorely missing.

As mentioned, the teenaged blond had performed adequately in the years he had performed in these events – never going overboard or beyond the need to show that he was of a solid physique. But never in the last three years had he performed these events with anyone from Rias' Peerage. Circumstances had, coincidently, separated the academy's Occult Research Club and the former ninja from ever competing with one another. With Asia in his class, he naturally figured he would compete with the former nun. Who, though a Devil now, still had ways to go before achieving a modicum of strength that would have put her above her human peers. But the human teen failed to consider the idea that another of his friends from the Underworld would join him.

And as it turned out, that friend just so happened to be Koneko – Kuoh Academy's proclaimed 'Mascot.'

Oh, what a terrible occurrence that turned out to be…

"PUSH, NARUTO! PUSH PUSH PUSH PUSH PUSH-"

"HE'S LOSING IT! HE'S LOSING IT – KEEP IT UP, GIRL!"

"MALE PRIDE, MAN! MALE! PRIIIIIIIIDE!"

"KONEKO KONEKO, SHE'S THE BEST! SHE'LL BEAT YOU DOWN JUST LIKE THE REST!"

Naruto watched as Koneko bit her lower lip; maybe out of some attempt to keep herself focused or maybe so she didn't snap at those surrounding them.

She was not one to appreciate the limelight. And not being able to do her usual business of simply glaring towards whomever showed her excessive amounts of attention to shut them up was now waring down on her patience as well as her pride.

Koneko attempted to block out the noises around her and focus on her pushups, not wanting to break stride for fear that she would lose then. For that is what it was, then, for Naruto and Koneko: a contest. The first physical event of this semesterly occurrence – a pushup counting experience – had swiftly turned into a competition between the two. Egged on only further by those several classes worth of students surrounding them.

Out of everyone in Rias' small Peerage, there was no one more proud of their physical capabilities, nor more adamant in proving their worth to those around her, than Koneko Toujou. Yuuto Kiba was chivalrous and kind but not the most competitive of youths, preferring more to stay in the back of events which transpired that did not require his immediate touch. Akeno Himejima was soft and, at times, eccentric to a fault, but was not often one for competitions. And while Rias could be a competitive woman, Naruto doubted she would not have yielded at some point in this event, if only to not go overboard on her showing of strength and to keep to the status quo that she and her party were as human as everyone else.

But Koneko held no such reserves. She would continue to push until her opponent yielded or her arms gave way.

The Rook of Gremory was a very competitive woman.

And, as fate would have it, so was Naruto.

"SECOND WIND! HE'S GOT HIS SECOND WIND!"

"Nah, nah. He's done, HE'S DONE!"

In the past, Naruto would have appreciated the encouragement (and even lack-thereof) from his peers. He didn't receive a lot of praise or acknowledgment as a child in his prior life (biggest understatement of his past life). But now, panting and sweating, all he could do was put about 90% of his focus towards pushing himself to perform another pushup and another 10% towards not telling the masses to collectively f&%k off.

And from what he could tell from strayed glances, Koneko seemed to be holding very similar thoughts.

As happenstance would have it, it seemed only then that the ashen-haired girl would notice that her competitor was eyeing her from the side. Her head lifted only a margin more so that her eyes would be able to meet Naruto's for a moment, neither making a gesture of overly acknowledging him in an open way nor fully denouncing his presence entirely.

But this was not unusual for her. The Rook was by definition a stoic child. Unquestionably, the exhaustion of this grueling task was draining whatever energy she could have used to recognize him in even a semi-sort of way. Even to receive a small glance was something remarkable. Koneko was seen by many as unfeeling, apathetic and even harsh at times but that didn't mean she was, well, mean. Her…'history' with trusting others made her the way she was, though the details need not be delved into yet. She was just a closed-off child who had (serious) trust issues.

But even still, Naruto recognized the girl's value in the friends she'd made. If Koneko Toujou saw you as a friend, then you would have her friendship for life.

"TEACHER, TEACHER! I THINK HER BACK ISN'T STRAIGHT! SHE'S CHEATING!"

"OH, DON'T BE AN ASS!"

And speaking of friendship, Naruto's eyes strayed away for a moment towards the crowds around, dipping himself in-between for another pushup, before his eyes found another blond of the second-year high school class at the edges of their crowd-circle.

"Uh, uhm. Uh, g-go Narut…K-Koneko-chan, you can…um, Naruto-kun, you're doing…ohhh…"

Poor Asia. So uncertain for whom to cheer for. And certainly, Naruto and she were roommates and had developed something of a relaxing bond with the other. But in the times where Asia took to her lessons in being a Devil, she and the Peerage had grown quite close in the private times together. And in only a month! Whether it was by Rias' strong leadership, Akeno's motherly nature, Kiba's nice guy attitude, Koneko's willingness to help those around in her own quite way or maybe some combination of the sorts, there was still no question that Asia's ability and easily to connect-with personality had done wonders for her easing into her new life.

Naruto huffed out a laugh at the nun's uncertainty before dipping back down to the earth and lifting himself again; returning his eyes to Koneko, whom never stopped in her own staring, and offered a strained smile.

"Hey," he managed to huff out, dropping for another, "you maybe," another drop down, "wanna just," another drop, "call this," another, "a draw?"

He watched the girl carefully as she lifted herself up. Her eyes were narrowed and weary, her skin laced with sweat, and the way her body shook only spoke of the sheer drive which kept her going.

Her lips trembled; her breath was certainly warmer than normal, misting the grass below her; and every gasp for air was quick and deep.

And for a moment – a foolish, naïve moment – Naruto actually believed Koneko would take up his proposal.

But then her face contorted. Her expression hardened and a resolve, not their before, arose in her eyes. Her fingers pressed harder into the grass, her back straightened and even the sweat on her brow seemed to almost evaporate. Her lips which once quivered went firm and stiff, and her eyes - hard and provoking.

"Not a chance." Was all she said. Then she fell for another, more controlled pushup, and picked up her pace.

The challenge-given was all too clear.

Naruto held back his grown with a tired laugh, not bothering to shake his head to the stubborn girl. He thought then to, maybe, break off from this childish attempt to provoke him onwards and conserve what strength he had left for the rest of the day ahead. The events ahead would only be more difficult now, and what classes remained after wouldn't be with professors he could slouch and take an easy time with.

It would have been the wiser – the more adult – thing to do. To just let the young girl have her victory and relax for the day ahead…

…

…

…

…

…But, then again, his body wasn't exactly an adult's, now was it?

He dropped back to the sweated earth, smiling good-naturedly, and followed the younger girl in the exercise.

She had her pride as did he.

And all the while, the crowds cheered.

---

Kuoh Academy, Old School Building, 11:47 AM

The scholastic exercise events were not as exciting after the initial contest between Koneko and Naruto.

Partly due to both abnormally strong teenagers being understandably fatigued from the event and partly due to both lacking any further urge thereafter to prove their individual worth.

Both were worn and sore and seen at times to lean off the other for stability. The two did not seem to be particularly interested in whatever came next and instead seemed more interested in catching their breath and working to not ache further in any way imaginable. They allowed their fellow classmates to strive in whatever came after while the two teens performed casually from behind.

Their teachers, mercifully, did not hold their lack of efforts after against the two.

Small kindnesses, it seemed.

Afterwards, when the day's athletic proceedings were concluded and the classes separated for lunch, Naruto decided against following his peers to the cafeteria and instead wandered away from the Main School building. Instead his thoughts went towards finding some warm bed of soft, un-sweated grass and gain some modicum of rest before classes were to resume.

Maybe even with a small visit to see Gasper, whom he had to forego visiting over the weekend while on business in Russia (there was some thousands of kilometers between Oymyakon and Kuoh. It wasn't exactly easy to jump back and forth between the two locales).

He had in his pocket a bag full of soft treats for emergency situations such as these, and knew he'd have to apologize for not going to see the little vampire. Cooped up in a cold, hardwood coffin for an entire weekend? Rias might have brought Gasper food regularly but it wasn't as if she had the time to commune with the boy as often as she would have liked. She was a busy young Devil. Which meant, since the rest of the Peerage was heavily restricted from conversing with the high-strung fainthearted Bishop by order of Sirzechs Lucifer himself, it was up to Naruto to break the rules a little and visit the young bloodsucker whenever he could.

Those who abandon their friends, after all.

Anyway, as coincidences would have it, it was these thoughts about the young half-breed which brought Naruto to the Old School Building's kitchen in the first place.

First, he thought about the Old School Building. Which then brought up thoughts about Rias and her Peerage whom hosted their club frequently in the spacious building. Which then happened to remind the human about the comfortably dim-lit room which often held said club's meetings. A room which he assumed would be comfortably vacant of any disturbances or club members at that point in the day. A room which, as his wearied mind would have it, recalled a long couch. A couch on which he spent a short night's rest on before being rudely awaken to a request to save a lady of the church.

And in his tired mind, Naruto's recollection of the couch was now accompanied with a shining, brilliant, golden shine around it's leathery surface. Complete with a resounding, perfectly vocalized choir singing something which vaguely sounded along the lines of 'please come sleep on the couch / this lovely, lovely couch/ do it do it do it DO IT.'

As Naruto walked into the renovated school building, he admitted that his 'mental choir' was making a convincing argument.

A very convincing argument.

And besides, he was on break. Twenty-minute nap, twenty minutes with Gasper – he'd be back in time for class before the first bell rang.

Two birds, one stone, and with time to spare. He'd call it genius if it wasn't a common occurrence for his 'Uzumaki original plans' to go wrong in minor to extreme ways.

Today would be no different.

He made his way through the building's entrance and to the stairways leading towards the upper floors. Down the hall to the east wing on the second level, past some doors used now primarily for storage or other small uses, aiming for the fifth door to the right. It was the room he had familiarized himself with over the years. And even with the limited light of the hall – the decorative lights kept dim in the day and the shades pulled down on the windows to block out the sun – he knew his way without issue.

Perhaps it was because of his tired state, or maybe it was because he allowed his guard to be down and thus made unaware, but as he passed the fourth door on his right, he quietly missed the light shining under.

It was only after taking a few steps ahead, and just reached out for the club room's door handle, when the sound of a door's opening echoed to his side. A light beamed out into the dark hallway, illuminating it somewhat, and showing off the making of a feminine shadow.

The shadow shifted, a footstep was heard, and then the lean figure of a rather buxom young women stepped out curiously into the hallway.

"Naruto-kun?" The voice of Akeno Himejima rang out into the otherwise quiet hallway, catching the attention of the youthful blond as his fingers only ever so lightly brushed the door's brass handle.

Caught by surprise, Naruto straightened himself and turned his head to the voice's owner. In contrast to her usual appearance, Akeno's expression was not that of smirking enjoyment or hidden delight, but rather surprised and curious. She wore an apron over her school uniform, which had a few stains from what Naruto could only guess were some sorts of bakery batter, and had just a bit more of her hair pulled back by the orange ribbon she usually wore to keep her eyes cleared from the lengthy ebony strands.

She was cooking, Naruto assumed. The room besides the clubroom was a kitchen. The blond did not frequent it often, as the others had declared it as Akeno's territory, and was rather surprised by her appearance.

His facial expressions conveyed that surprise as he blinked owlishly towards her. "A-Akeno-chan," he stuttered. "Hi."

"Ah, hello." Akeno returned, her face turning from surprised to generally pleased and smiling. "What are you doing here? Buchou is still in class, I'm afraid."

"Ah, yeah." Naruto was aware of this. Rias made a bit of a show at the beginning of their year, expressing her desire to perhaps change her schedule so that she might be able to eat with her 'favorite cousin.' She didn't get her way, to her disappointment, and was in a somewhat foul mood for a week after. "I was just, um, going to…" He tried to think of something else besides 'I wanted to sleep on your couch' but even he had too much pride to admit to something like that.

Akeno smiled and gave a light laugh, amused by the boy's obvious uncertainty on the subject of his actions. "Oh my, you weren't by chance coming to see me, were you?"

"Ah, no," the blond answered without much thought, "I actually didn't even know you were here." Akeno never mentioned her lunch hour. Naruto only assumed it must have been with Rias, like years prior. Since the school year began, he'd never even seen the ebony-haired beauty, nor felt the obligation to ask her when she held her lunch period.

As mentioned, he hadn't been the most attentive friend to Rias' little Peerage. A fact being made very clear of late.

Akeno, for her part, did not try to hold back her enjoyment of the boy's blunt words. "Oh, Naruto!" She cried out in an acted bit of sadness. "How could you be so uncouth to a girl? So uncivilized?" She sniffled and dabbed a small finger to her eyes, wiping away crocodile tears. "You barbarian!" This was not the first time Akeno had taken such an exaggerative attitude in her innocent poking of the boy. Nor would it be the last time she would. She found it entertaining to see how those around her reacted to her over-the-top persona of a teenage girl.

The reactions usually left her with laughter.

And above all, her favorite target to her act was the boy standing before her.

Naruto, for his part, was too exhausted to react so loudly. Instead, he held back a yawn with his hand and gave a weak, "Sorry, sorry. My bad."

"Oh! Well, it certainly doesn't sound like your apologetic in the least!" She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to look displeased. "Oh dear! If only Buchou were here to see her precious nephew acting in such a way! To his dear friend, no less! Oh, it would break her heart, it would!"

"Ah," Naruto started again, a little more awake and aware as his hand reached back to scratch his head, hesitantly, "I'm…really sorry?"

The teen's words only seemed to amuse the young Akeno further, who placed a single digit to her lips and seemed to deeply consider his 'apology.' "Hmm…well, I suppose I may be able to forgive you…" she began, before leaning forward and offering a practically sinful smile to the human boy. "If you were to help me in the kitchen…for a little while…I would really appreciate the company…"

Her tone was suggestive and enticing to the ear. And coupled with her now hanging endowments, which were certainly eye-catching to almost every male's view, Akeno could have had many a men hanging by her words; slack-jawed and absolutely without issue to her request. Of course, whenever Akeno acted in this sort of manner, it was difficult to say whether she was simply playing with a man or not. She certainly hadn't a boyfriend to speak of, nor ever felt the need to date besides having some rather devoted male suitors pursuing her with vigor, so it was always a question of if her attitude was meant to garner a desiring want from a man or not or simply to play with them, as her own devilish-self.

Akeno always turned away any and all pursuers; claiming to be interested in playing, but not in being, with a man in any sort of way.

Was she a tease?

Yes.

Did any of the boys who vied for her attention care?

Not in the least.

And that was how everyone involved seemed to like it.

Naruto, at the moment, looked at his friend and wondered silently on why she was whispering to him then. The dark-haired woman had lowered herself in a sort of half-bow; had her eyes half-lidded, staring, as if tired; and seemed to be curiously happy, with a light blush to her cheeks, as he gave her his undivided attention. Naruto recognized the girl's actions, of course. He'd seen them before, and ruled out the possibility of her being sick or unwell. Akeno Himejima, as the former Hokage would admit, was an unusual character who performed unusual actions unlike anyone he'd known before. Not easily read or understood, the young woman acted in a way that the boy couldn't relate towards or recognize.

Sometimes she seemed to be playing with him. Sometimes she acted not unlike some longtime friend, caring and happy in his presence. And sometimes – times such as these – she appeared to almost be…teasing. Teasing him with something, he guessed, but for what reasons he hadn't the faintest clue.

He tried to understand Akeno – tried to for years – but seemed no closer to understanding the cunning Queen of the Lady Gremory's Peerage since the day they first met.

Although, Naruto would admit, he did prefer this present 'teasing' attitude she seemed so entertained with. At least when compared to how she acted when first coming to the Gremory Palace all those years ago…

Sorry. That's a story for a later date.

Anyway, back to Akeno's request: "Ah, well, you see," Naruto started as mind ran quickly to think of a way out of this requested kitchen duty, "I'm kind of…hungry? Yeah, right! Hungry! And I really think I should go and grab something to eat before, uh, class." Not for the first time in a while, Naruto applauded his quick yet simple thinking, shallow of a response as it might have been (hey, you be tired and hungry and come up with a lie on the spot!).

But Akeno appeared ready for such a wayward answer, continuing to give him a look that might have been the very definition of sinful. "Oh, please, Naruto-kun?" She breathed in a faux-desperate way. "I would be ever so grateful if you would…I'll even make you a…snack…" Her eyes were starry and a wondrous shade of deep violet that were all too easy to be lost in. And her words – a tone of pure sex, coupled with a pair of tempting lips – were something few men would have had the control to say no towards.

Naruto happened to be just one of those few men. By ignorance, rather than choice. And in his eyes, he did not see an almost-perfect definition of dark-haired beauty which captivated the eyes and minds of so many men throughout the young girl's short life. Instead, from the former Hokage's point of view, he saw before him a young woman, asking for his help.

And that was enough.

He breathed out a long, tired breath. His old mentality of 'help others then help yourself' kicked in and he knew his plan was lost.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, deflated but with a small smile and nod, "I can help."

"Heehee. I knew you would."

---

Kuoh Academy, Old School Building, Forbidden Wing (Gasper's Room), 12:22 PM

SLAP!

"OW!"

"Come on, Gasper, focus!"

…

…

…SLAP!

"OW OW!"

"You gotta be faster than that!"

"Naruto-niiiii!"

"Focus!"

…

…

…

…SLAP!

"OWWW!"

"Man, you stink at this."

"Naruto-nii-chan is being me-e-e-eeeeean!"

Naruto let out a tired sigh as he laid back away from the now teary-eyed Gasper. The half vampire in turn was looking over his hands, red and twitching, as he tried and mostly failed to hold back whimpers from escaping. He waved his hands around, trying to let the room's cool air stop the persistent stinging his hands were now forced to endure, and was now silently wishing he'd never asked if Naruto would be interested in playing his little game.

'Hot Hands,' as Gasper had now discovered the game was aptly named, was not a pastime meant for the soft of skin.

The objective: slap the other's hands.

Hard. And quickly.

It sounded like fun to the closed-off vampire when he first learned of it on one of his lengthy digital escapades into the worldwide web. He'd wanted to play it with someone for some time and had grown excited to share his new discovery with someone he was sure would enjoy it just as much as he. But Naruto, to his surprise, had not visited him for the last few days.

So, quelling his excitement to play until the return of his longtime friend, Gasper had tenaciously awaited the arrival of the blond human. Growing all the more excited by each passing hour until he was sure Naruto would return and practicing his 'technique' for their 'inevitable showdown.' His first words upon seeing his room's door open were, "Naruto-nii! Naruto-nii, I have a game I want to play! Come here, come here, come here! I have a game I want to show you!"

A game, unsurprisingly, Naruto discovered to be rather adept at playing.

Now, for his part, Naruto almost felt bad for the feminine boy. Whimpering and fighting to hold back tears, Naruto imagined that if anyone were watching them it would have looked as if he were doing harm to a young girl. Didn't matter that it was the young vampire's choice to play such a ridiculous game to begin with, he looked like a villain here.

The worst thing about it was that this whole situation started off: Gasper wanted to play a game he just learned and Naruto decided 'why not.'

It started simple enough – with Naruto and Gasper taking turns on both sides of the game – until Naruto brought out the candy and asked his sweets-enjoying friend wanted to make the game more interesting. If Gasper could avoid Naruto's 'slap' just once, he'd get the bag he brought. If not, Naruto would keep the candies himself.

Gasper, thinking he could do it in a small, rare moment of self-confidence, agreed to the terms.

The rest (the last couple minutes) was history.

"Meh…me-meh. Meeeeehhhh…" Gasper's hands trembled in the stinging pain as he tried to keep his discomfort silent as best he could.

Naruto rolled his eyes, reaching over to a box at his side and plucking the small bag of treats into the air.

"Okay, Gasper," Naruto spoke up as the younger boy's whimpers quietly receded, standing from his spot on the hardwood floor, "I gotta get to class. It's been fun but you lost, so-"

"Noooo! Naruto-nii, please!" The young vampire leapt from his spot on the floor and latched on to Naruto's legs. "No no no! Please, one more chance, Naruto-nii! Please! Please please pleeeeaaassseee!"

Naruto stood silently as he watched the boy beg at his feet. For candy, of all things.

Quivering lip, beady tear-filled eyes, whimpering noises from the mouth and a slight tremble in stature. If Naruto didn't already know how Gasper would have taken his usual response to this pitiful appearance, he might have slugged him then. Boy dressed like a girl, girl dressed like a boy – he'd pound whoever. He didn't have any disagreements.

There were things to throw away your pride for but … candy?

Seriously?!

"No," the older of the two teens said, reaching down to pluck the back of his crossdressing friend's shirt collar. "No." He raised his hand with the collar still tightly in his grip, lifting the younger boy to eye-level with barely a sense of effort on his part. "Nooo…" Gasper, if he had any quarrels with being manhandled, did not outwardly comment. Rather, his expression remained the same; worried for his friend's departure. With his snacks. "No, Gasper. No."

"B-bu-b-bu-but but but…"

"Gasper…no."

"Bu-but I-I-I-I tr-trie-tried re-re-really hard!"

"Yeah, that's great," Naruto said indifferently, not giving much care to the vampire's weeping or begging, "but you lost and that happens. Plus, I gotta get back to class. We'll try this tomorrow, okay? You, me, whole 'nother bag of candy." He hoped that would alleviate the boy's distress. "I mean; it's not like it's going to kill you to go a day without-"

"Nooo, pleeeeaase!" The boy suddenly began to struggle and writhe in the air with the former Hokage's words falling on deaf ears. "One more chance! One more chance and I'll get it! I promise! Come on, Naruto-nii, give me another chaaaaance!"

Gasper's words were drawn out. Desperate. And his wriggling only added further emphasis to absolutely pitiful sight. And Naruto only stared down at him. Quiet, but with a slight look of aggravated annoyance.

Staring at the quivering boy in his hand, Naruto let out a sigh which expressed his deep weariness before casually turning his eyes away from the forlorn, puppy-dog eyed vampire's expression towards the far side of the room.

An old grandfather clock – somewhat dust-covered and worn with age – casually sat behind Gasper's casket, clicking away the time. Naruto recalled actually being the one to put the clock their himself when helping the boy move into his new abode; far enough from Gasper that it wouldn't disturb his sleep with hits ticking, but close so as that he may be able to casually rise from his rest and discover the hour of the day. And now, Naruto, taking note of the time, realized he had, admittedly, time still to spare.

He looked back to the boy and his tear-filled eyes. Then to the clock. Then back to the boy and his begging gaze.

He narrowed his eyes, looking like something between annoyed and glaringly angry, then let out a long, drained sigh.

Crap.

He dropped the boy, hearing a light 'eep' as the feminine boy hit the wood floor ungracefully, and sat himself back to his original spot. He rubbed a hand over his eyes, wiping away ever growing signs of his lack of sleep, and stared towards the surprised Gasper.

"One chance. I'm gonna give you one. Last. Chance." He punctuated his words, reaching out to pull the small bag of candies and give it a little shake. The candies rattled appropriately, easily getting the smaller youth's attention. Gone were the tears and the fearful expression, replaced with a now hopeful enthusiasm. He looked ready to jump his longtime friend in a vicious embrace. "One, you hear me? One. Because I'm just that nice of a guy. Hit my hands once and this," he gave another shake of the bag, "is all yours. If not…eh, Koneko still likes chocolate, right?"

Gasper's tiny stature shuddered at attention, getting back into a sitting position in front of his senpai and holding his hands out quickly, lest Naruto change his mind.

As before and as the game required, Naruto had his hands placed under the softer, thinner hands of Gasper. The younger boy's hands were colder than his own, Naruto silently noted, but cared little for such a fact. All vampires, even half-breeds, were cold-skinned by nature.

"Gasper," Naruto spoke up, taking Gasper's focus away from his hands and staring into his cerulean orbs, "relax, alright. Relax," the boy was stiff as a board. He was tight and stiff in the shoulders where he needed to be lithe and nimble. "Take a deep breath. And keep breathing." Gasper did not react immediately, pausing to the older boy's words before nodding and following his instruction.

Controlling one's breath was important, Naruto understood. It was one of the first things Surtr Second pushed into Naruto's young mind when they started his training. And as a side note, it was also one of the first things taught during his early days on Mount Myoboku. Although, the consequences if Naruto failed in his breath exercises on the mountain were a bit more severe (of the turning-into-a-giant-stone-frog variety).

All Gasper had to worry about was losing some candy, the lucky bastard.

"Control and power come from the breath," he continued. "Use your breath to find the center of your power. Use your breath to control it. Allow the air in your lungs to flow through you." He started to sound less like a friend helping and more like a sagely-teacher, then. Definitely not like how the average teen acted, and especially not for a teen like Naruto.

If Gasper noticed, he did not comment, instead trying to follow his friend's instructions silently.

"Breath in."

Gasper did so.

"Breath out."

Gasper did so.

"Breath in."

He repeated.

"Breath out."

Again, he did so.

"Now, keep breathing and follow my hands."

Naruto watched as the boy lowered his gaze back to the space between the two teens, breathing deeply and releasing the air in routine, controlled repetitions. Gasper did not think, only followed the instructions given. His focused was to the hands, now, and looking for the slightest motion from the fingers underneath. The slightest jolt in the touch, the twitch out of place, the briefest-faintest sense of air between the palms touching. Every notion that might have suggested a shift or misplacement in the usual feeling of hands pressed together.

And all the while, he breathed.

Naruto didn't hold the same focus to the hands s Gasper did. He watched the younger boy's features. His poise, his focus, his lack of worry or fear in failure – all good. While Gasper's eyes were to his hands, Naruto's were to the vampire's pink irises. No shift or sign of distraction.

Just right.

Without looking away from the younger boy's eyes, his focus on the boy's focus, Naruto moved his hands around as fast he was able, twisting them around the smaller hands.

Gasper's eyes widened.

And then, Naruto felt his hands move downward.

Quick, steady.

And hit nothing but still, cool air.

"…"

"…"

Gasper's eyes lost their absolute focus. His arms stretched wide and hands out as far from Naruto's as possible.

His mouth was slightly agape, eyes widening in surprise and blinking as if he could not actually believe what had just occurred. Or, maybe, he did not know what had occurred.

His eyes turned away from the spot where Naruto narrowly missed his intended slapping-targets and up to his friend.

Naruto himself seemed mildly surprised. His expression was not as calm or cool as before. Just sort of surprised.

And happy.

He turned his hand to his side, reached over to the small bag of treats, and gave it a quick toss to the vampire. Gasper, for his part, quickly caught his little bag of candies. His eyes suggested he still didn't believe what had happened.

The older blond stood from his spot on the ground, putting his hands in his pockets and gave off a bright, proud smile to his friend.

"Good job, Gasper. You earned them."

It was simple praise but Gasper laughed. A small, not really humorous one. More a laugh of… contentment.

Relief.

With a steady hand, Gasper opened the tiny pouch and carefully procured a single, chocolate-covered balls inside. It was no larger than his thumb, squishy and fresh, circular and delectable. And when he plopped it into his mouth and suckled on its covering, he could have declared, then and there, that that was the best piece of candy he'd tasted in his entire life.

Gasper savored the treat and its flavor for a long while, not even noticing his friend move over to his room's door. He didn't notice the way the blond smiled to himself, watching. He didn't know how Naruto wondered and thought about how his young friend's hands seemed to disappear from where they were in the brief moment where the youth's eyes widened. Where the youth's eyes, in that quick widening, had shifted in shape and darkened in color as they directed their power onto the world. Or, specifically, on Naruto himself.

The effect of Gasper's powers – the power of the Forbidden Balor View – was instantaneous.

And against someone unprepared or lacking in power? Unstoppable.

His back turned to young vampire, who continued to gleefully devour the chocolate-covered sweets. Naruto allowed himself the smallest of laughs to escape his lips as he left Gasper's dwellings and made his way to the building's stairs.

Not bad, kid. Not bad.

---

Kuoh Academy, Main School Building, Room 212, 1:44 PM

Three young girls watched from the corners of their eyes as a pair of blond teen males sat idly by in the corner of their free study room.

They eyed the two with interest.

One of the boys they knew quite well, by their own admittance, and were grateful to have been put into the room with. Yuuto Kiba, or simply Kiba as he was better known, was the perfect gentleman in their eyes. Always having a kind word to offer, respectful to teacher and student alike, and without question an attractive specimen of the academy's male standard. He was often found surrounded by friends and associates or others who were drawn to his charisma and charm during this hour in the day. The three young girls were no different and often hustled to join his admiring crowds whenever he arrived. He never seemed to mind the trio's, or anyone else's, attention and was always the chivalrous friend. He would always smile, talk kindly and keep himself open and agreeable with everyone he came into contact with. The people who knew him would vie for his attention and would seek ways to gain his favor. Perhaps even with the chance for him to return their feelings when it came to the girls of the Kuoh Academy.

Kiba was known, almost famously, as the 'Prince of Kuoh Academy.'

Many felt this title was well-earned.

The three girls, sitting away from him, had planned to follow their usual routine and commune with him in a friendly-intimate way.

But today, they made no such moves.

No one in the classroom did. No one. Besides the three, most everyone seemed to have an interest in looking to the corner of the room but made no motion to close the distance between themselves and Yuuto Kiba.

The reason why was because…well…he had company.

The other blond – who sat on the opposite side of the desk from Kiba – was…well, actually, the three girls weren't sure who he was.

This new blond was a bit taller and held a more athletic build than their Kiba's leaner physique. His hair was a spiky yellow, perhaps dyed, and cut short by comparison to Kiba's longer strands. Whereas Kiba's face and poise were gentle, charming and handsome, this new boy's features were harder, sharper, and more defined. By no means ugly, the girls could admit, but he seemed aggressive in a way. Perhaps because of his cheeks, which seemed scarred in their eyes. Maybe they were birthmarks, one of them suggested, but the perfect ridging and symmetry they had were too intentional. Or his choice in uniform dress, which was more open and relaxed when compared to how Kiba kept his clean and perfectly set.

He was an oddity, without question. Not a normal teenager.

If anyone was aware of this boy and understood the relationship between Kiba and himself, no one outright said it. In fact, the classroom was largely quiet; sure, some individuals in the room actually took the time to study or familiarize themselves with academics, but most others were intrigued by the unusual happenings.

Maybe the quiet was in an attempt to discern whatever the two boys were talking so intently about? Who's to say.

But still, a newcomer to the room was hardly a reason enough for anyone who wished to get closer to Kiba to throw away any and all chance to talk with their class celebrity. After all, this wasn't the first time someone sat around him, communed with him, only to have a great number of others join up to converse alongside. Kiba, perhaps intentionally for this reason, sat in the center of the classroom for that exact reason; so that everyone who wanted to talk with him would have room to do so without issue.

He was considerate like that, the young girls thought.

But even still, this odd teenager would not have been enough to dissuade anyone from talking to Kiba if they wanted to. Odd appearance aside, he was still just a teenager. It wasn't as if he were flashing anyone a look which promised pain or death if they got too close. In fact, Kiba and the blond seemed unaware of the attention the two were receiving in their corner. Anyone could have just walked over, sat beside them, and probably done as many had before when it came to large groups swarming their handsome prince.

But there was a reason no one a move to do so.

The cause for why no one in the classroom went over to sit and talk alongside Kiba was because the pattern that was often kept when it came to talking with their wonderful second-year peer had been broken.

By Kiba, of all people!

And it was done in the most unusual of ways.

The scarred-cheeked blond, whom no one in the class had seen before, walked into the room, quietly and without anyone really caring or taking notice of him, and sat himself down into a corner. He lowered his head to the desk, making a pillow of sorts out of his backpack, and closed his eyes without a word. Kiba hadn't even noticed him immediately, talking to a small party of upperclassmen before his eyes casually wandered to the corner of the room.

The girls remembered the way his eyes stood up, surprised.

The reason why they remembered it was obvious: he never made such an expression before. Not towards any of them, at least.

He smiled – a large, happy one – and begged his pardon to the upperclassmen before making his way over to the resting teen. He sat before the desk the other teen was napping on then gave a light knock to the wooden counter.

The sleeping blond raised his head, looking momentarily annoyed at being disturbed, before registering who it was who bothered him. Kiba, sweet and kind as always, gave a light wave and a look that almost appeared teasing or joking to the three of them.

Yuuto Kiba did not tease. Or joke. At least, not to them.

After a long yawn from the formerly resting intruder to their classroom, and perhaps a mumbled word or two of disapproval to Kiba's friendly wake-up, the two blonds began to talk with one another with recognizable familiarity. Although the three girls could not make out what was being said, Kiba certainly talked with a high level of enthusiasm to his weary-looking companion. And although the scarred-blond seemed content to talk with Kiba, it was unquestionable to say that the Prince of Kuoh Academy was most definitely the one enjoying their conversation the most. Kiba laughed, spoke eagerly, and generally had this air of delight at whatever the two were discussing that made their corner of the room seem brighter somehow.

He'd never been this way during any of the conversations he had with the girls. Or any of his other classroom peers, for that matter.

If it were a woman, the three girls might have been jealous.

…Actually, on second thought, even though it was a boy, they were still jealous.

They were like this for a while. Just…talking and laughing.

Then a girl – tall, blue-haired with matching pair of eyes and a face which spoke volumes of a powerful confidence underneath her powerful posture – walked into the room and towards the pair of them. She was a fit looking girl, second-year, and looked amused as she stood over the two boys, who only just noticed her presence when she gave a short laugh at their inability to see they were being visited.

Tsubasa Yura was her name. The girls, and those of the classroom in general, knew her quite well. By reputation, of course. She was a member of the Student Council, after all. And her appearance in the class was startling. Rarely did those outside their status quos attempt to even approach someone on her level of the educational hierarchy, let alone speak to.

From what those watching could tell, the two boys seemed to recognize her. Kiba being familiar with someone such as Tsubasa didn't seem to surprise anyone. Kiba was Kiba. But when the azure-haired council member turned her head after addressing Kiba politely and made apparent small talk with the mysterious newcomer, most eyes in the room pressed their ears to eavesdrop.

The girls couldn't make out much. The teens in the corner spoke in casual, quiet tones. Speculation of what they might have been discussing would be a part of later rumors between classes tomorrow. All that anyone could make out before Tsubasa made her leave was the newcomer looking up to the girl's expectant gaze, thinking for a moment, then nodding.

"Alright," the classmates could hear, "when does she want me?"

---

Kuoh Academy, Main School Building, Student Council Office, 4:52 PM

The Student Council of Kuoh Academy was a student run organization, created and in-action since the school's inauguration.

The idea behind its creation was a simple one; a government system devised by the students, for the students, and run by the students. Its platform would hold power over school facilities, events and organizations, essentially being in the power scale of the educational hierarchy just below the teachers. They would organize and facilitate everything from the elementary to the high school levels. Anything and everything progressive at Kuoh Academy first went through the Student Council's Office.

To have such a powerful caste of students was a move considered too risky by many observers, fearing that students with such levels of control over their peers would abuse their new powers outright and ruin the reputation of the school before it even began. And certainly, in the first years of Kuoh Academy's founding, there were troubles and flaws in the system. Young women not being given proper lessons on holding their places in the Council, not listening to their peers or attempting to maintain a healthy educational environment were common complaints. There was, admittedly, some disturbances and failures in its initial founding.

The school's administrators, however, expressed that this was a natural course in any new system of order. Like with Kuoh Academy in general, they expressed their intents to have a foundation for which strong female minds could be molded through the works and requirements of the council's work. They decided their students needed to understand the importance of voting, and how improperly electing students into positions they were unfit or were otherwise inappropriate for them to be in could be downright disastrous for everyone.

Call it unorthodox teaching, if you'd like. Because it was just that. Unorthodox. But the founders had high hopes for their students and their abilities. There unusual practices would not change that.

Either they would prosper or they would fall. Kuoh Academy was made for the exceptional and the brilliant.

But these troubles were from so long ago, few cared to think about it today. The flaws in the system had been rectified. The problems fixed. Issues and corruption had been worn thin and an entrustment of power and control was firmly set into whomever sat on the council's golden seats. In between the time of the first Student Council and the present one, there were good, bad, mediocre, wonderful, or just outright forgettable groups of students who tried to make Kuoh Academy all the more recognizable; nationally and internationally. But as time went by, the bad councils became fewer and the good ones became more frequent and prosperous.

And as it so happened, the Student Council, which presently resided in the private room dedicated to the student-run government, was largely considered the most prosperous and effective one to date.

Speaking of the current council and its personal school room – placed on the fourth floor of the academy with a view looking over the front entrance, with a series of well-polished desks and leather chairs adorning the large room's sides and a nice center table with sofas surrounding it for visiting guests – presently, the room was largely unoccupied by council members. The room usually had three or four members working diligently on one thing or another, so to see the room near barren of life or activity was strange. Especially at an hour were the sun could still be seen in the sky. It might have seemed unusual to some who knew how diligently Kuoh's council worked.

But, in truth, there was no need to worry.

As mentioned, the room was only 'largely' unoccupied. Not barren.

Sitting on the twin sofas across from one another, with only a table, a small black-and-white board with tiny carved marble pieces scattered around it, and a tray of small mints between them, a dark-haired bespectacled young woman and a familiar blond male sat quietly as they looked at the board between them.

The young woman, slim in figure and proper in appearance, seemed comfortable as she quietly looked over the board with violet eyes. Her companion, a rather stern-looking Naruto, seemed troubled as his cerulean eyes scoured over every inch of the game board, thinking and planning with notable effort as his fingers swept over pieces in an effort to decide which move to make next.

It was no great mystery that the former Hokage's mind was not as attuned to this sort of game. A game which required thinking several steps ahead of one's self and your opponent. Random and unpredictable – those were words which described him best in his tenure as a ninja. He acted on instinct which provided him a cunning intellect of sorts, which suited him well in countless situations. It was something he became famous for in his life; dubbed from an early age as Konoha's Number One Unpredictable Ninja, in fact. His astute prowess and seemingly random actions astounded opponents and friends alike, and made him a bitch to deal with on the fields of battle.

So, perhaps, it would not surprise anyone who knew him that this simple, straightforward and ultimately restricting game of chess was causing him some level of displeasure.

Do I go with the pawn? He wondered silently. No, no, she'd get that with her…castle-thingy. Uh, how about the pointy-hatted guy – GAH, wait, she had him too! Wait, wait! The horse-knight! He can move! He can-AGH, she has a queen there! What the hell?!

He raised his hands to his head and through his hair, groaning loudly and pulling at locks of blond hair irritably.

His opponent watched him from her side, allowing herself a small, amused grin as she shifted the glasses comfortably with a single digit.

"Do you wish to give up?" She asked after he stopped his groaning. She knew the answer before he said it, of course, but couldn't help but watch as his distressed expression turned to an annoyed glare directed her way.

"You haven't beaten me!" Naruto declared, pointing a finger across the table towards his smirking 'adversary'. "I still got something up my sleeve! Just you wait!" He turned his eyes back to the game, ignoring the quiet laugh of the girl as she shifted her legs to a more comfortable position.

A moment passed as he looked over his pieces before a hesitant hand reached out to pluck the white castle-like piece from his side of the board and dropped it on the opposite side of the board.

He tapped it, carefully, not yet leaving the piece alone. His eyes looked around his lone castle-piece on the field, looking for any dangers it might have had, before nodding to himself and releasing his hold on it.

He sighed, relaxed, pushing himself back to the couch and rubbing his face with tired fingers.

He gave a light chuckle, eyeing his female opponent confidently. "Take that!"

"Alright then," the dark-haired young woman smiled to him, moving a smooth, soft hand towards one of her black, pointy-topped pieces to his side of the board, leaving it there, quietly and without so much as a second thought.

Naruto's eyes looked surprised as he stared at her move. Her next words, however, made his mouth open wide, small gasps for air escape his lips, and a twitch under his left eye to develop unexpectedly. The girl adjusted her glasses again. The glare they had as they reflected the lowering sun through the open window made her look positively wicked.

"That's checkmate, Naruto."

She sat back into the couch, with her legs crossed and hands placed comfortably on the bit of skin between her school stockings and her skirt, and allowed a moment to look passively pleased as her opponent straightened himself stiffly and look over the board.

One moment passed.

Then two.

A third.

A fourth, even.

And finally, after a fifth-

"GAAAAAHHHHH!" The Uzumaki screamed, wide eyed and looking more awake then he had the entire day before. "Are you kidding me! How?! I mean, seriously?! How?!" He asked no one really in particular. But his little show was giving his audience an amused smirk. "I-I saw it! There was-it was-I made that move and-HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!" He gave another crossed groan/yell, shaking himself wildly as if he'd developed the worst headache in the world.

This went on for a short while. Whether it was because of his defeat or perhaps out of embarrassment for someone significantly younger then himself (mentally, at least) defeating him in a game of strategy, logic and ability.

A man who coordinated vast forces of ninja from around the world in brilliant tactics, organized the development of nations onto technological and cultural revolutions beyond anything seen in centuries, and brought a lasting age of peace through unity and brotherhood – was bested by a teenager.

Shikamaru would never let me live this down.

He sighed to himself, wiping away weary and self-annoyance from his features, and glanced tiredly at the girl. She was sitting there, quietly, legs-crossed and smiling in a way that was too innocent to not be mischievous.

A younger man might have been embarrassed at such a defeat and playful mockery. But an older one…well, he still felt something akin to wounded pride. But he knew better, and instead offered something of a 'surrendering grin.'

"Ah, crap. I lost," he relented. "Good game, Souna-chan. Good game."

The woman – now recognized as Souna, or Souna Shitori, as was her given name by Kuoh Academy records and duly elected Student Council President – smiled a little wider as she nodded to her opponent. "Thank you, Naruto. That was an enjoyable match," she told him truthfully, her fingers already moving to place the darker pieces on the board back to their original places on her side. Although Naruto was not on the level of opponent which could make her sweat – not like her father or mother, certainly – he did still offer an entertaining reprieve from her daily duties on the rare occasion she had time to do as she wished.

Naruto had always been an entertaining youth for as long as Souna knew him. He echoed a natural brilliance of life and light like no one she'd met before. He was undoubtedly a pleasant individual to spend time with whenever the hulking work of council duties or her own 'private work' with her friends held her down from her spending time on herself.

Rare were the times the two were together; the last time they'd seen one another, she recalled, he 'offered his banana' to her. They exchanged a few words in greeting, small jabs at humor about coffee of all things, and small talk on the other's lives.

It was such a small, average moment.

It turned out to be the highlight of Souna's week.

In the end, all Souna Shitori could say about her blond friend was that Naruto Uzumaki was…fun.

And…she liked that about him…

The left side of her lip twitched, however, as a thought crossed her mind and her eyes turned back to her longtime friend.

"Naruto…" Souna spoke up, a hint of warning in her voice, "I thought I told you how to address me when we're alone…" Usually, Souna Shitori held a tone of which expressed a desire for order or stability in her presence. Rare were the times where she spoke with an underlining edge of intimidation.

Naruto, for his part, appeared confused at what she seemed to be telling him, shifting his eyes to the ceiling in thought. Then his face brightened. "Oh! Oh, right! I remember now!" He laughed to himself, silently pleased with himself with recalling. But his quiet recollection did not seem to pacify his friend, who gave him a harder, more-pointed look from across the table.

Her silent message was well-received, as Naruto felt something like a cold sweat begin to build on his brow. "O-okay…um, s-sorry Sona-chan…"

For those unaware, this slight shift in name would be nothing important. A letter missing – big whoop. But to Souna, who now wished to be referred to as 'Sona' by her blond visitor, this small change seemed to be worthy of some small importance, as she lowered her hard gaze on the boy and finished returning the pieces to the board, looking effectively pacified.

"Apology accepted." She stated curtly, sitting back in her seat and having her stern gaze fixed back towards Naruto. "Now, while this has been an amusing reprieve from my duties, I must confess that this was not my intended reason for asking you here this evening."

Of course Naruto already figured as much, but couldn't help but let a small laugh escape. "Really? And here I thought you just wanted to kick my ass in chess, again."

"Hmph. Hardly. I actually wanted to ask you for a favor on your part." Souna – sorry, Sona – adjusted herself on the couch, looking more business-like now.

"A favor?" Naruto raised an eyebrow to her. "What kind of favor?" If it was something even her colleagues in the Student Council couldn't accomplish then it might have actually been serious. Perhaps it was something so grave that it needed to be done in the privacy of Sona's office space?

The bespectacled young woman noticed the concern on his features and lifted a calming hand. "Relax, my request is a simple one," she told him, "I was hoping that I might be able to entrust a message to you for delivery to a mutual friend of ours."

The 'mutual friend' was obvious. "Rias."

Sona nodded. "I was planning on meeting with her club later this evening and hoped to invite my council with me," her newest member, a young second-year boy, had yet to meet Rias and her small party. It would be good of him to know who he would be dealing with in the future. "If you would simply tell her that we will be hoping to meet sometime this evening, I would be most appreciative."

To come unannounced to someone's personal territory would have been a rude gesture, otherwise. There were procedures to follow when meeting with someone such as Sona or Rias. A 'gesture of announcement' prior to another's arrival would suggest that neither party would be overstepping their boundaries.

Only in emergencies would such formalities be tossed out the window.

Naruto listened carefully from his spot in the room, silently marveling at such a peculiar asking from his longtime friend. "You know you could just call her, right?" He offered his thoughts. "I mean, that's why we got cell phones in the first place. It would take, what, two minutes, tops?"

Sona smirked somewhat, looking then as if she were dealing with a child who did not know better on a matter of importance. "Yes, well, that doesn't seem like the most formal of methods of messaging her, now does it." She looked down at her posture on the couch for a moment, rubbing a wrinkle out of her skirt before glancing back to the curious blond. He still didn't understand, so she elaborated. "Making a request for audience or making an entrance into another's territory, a message should be sent prior. Preferably through a method which is appropriate to one's position. Partly out of respect, partly out of courtesy. It's only proper, you know this."

Naruto honestly argued with the idea that an impromptu visit to Rias' club would have any sort repercussions. The two third-year students were close; had been so for many years before they even ventured together into Kuoh Academy. And when the two could see each other every day by walking a short distance to the other's club/council room, apartments, or classroom, it seemed rather trivial to send a message to say 'hey, coming over, be there in five!'

Ironically, this method of announcing one's arrival to another body of power was actually used quite frequently in Naruto's older days of life. Of course, post-Fourth Ninja War, this practice of communing or announcing the arrival of another had become trivial or even meaningless with advancements in communicative technologies, though parts of his world still held to the old ways closely. Coming and meeting without prior notice would have been the epitome of insolence, and at one time would have been a warranted enough reason to dishonor or even execute an uninvited person.

Naruto doubted such an extremity would ever occur between the two young women, but if they really wanted to act like grownups, who was he to argue?

"And you want me to give Rias this message, because…?"

"Well, I suppose I could have anyone on the council do it for me," Sona admitted, "but I thought this way would be more efficient. My friends are off fulfilling their duties at the moment. We're actually quite busy this week, the requests for our assistance have been rather high. However, I have made time this evening in the hopes of engaging Rias in a friendly bit of conversation. With any luck, she'll be able to meet with me, and this matter can be settled with little hassle." She explained this all to him as if she were a big-wig at a company of grand standing, with her cool and flawless tone conveying her every idea and plan as if it were without fault or problem.

Naruto tried to think for a moment about how tonight would go. He understood, based only off conversations early in the day, that Akeno and Kiba would be away from the clubroom to deal with their individual contractors but would probably be available later, and could only assume Koneko and Asia would be free this evening.

Rias would probably be around, too. She hadn't received many requests of late, with few having the potential to actually request someone of her rank and ability.

So, with those thoughts, Naruto nodded. "Yeah, alright. I can tell her."

"Excellent," Sona nodded in return, looking as pleased as her usually hard features allowed. "Then I believe our business is concluded." She stated matter-a-factly, to which Naruto answered her with a long stretch of his arms to both of sides, earning a relieved groan and several snaps of tightened muscles. Sona found the action uncouth, but not outside of Naruto's usual character.

"Alright," Naruto bellowed, smiling brightly as he lifted himself from the couch and moved around the room towards the open windows of the room. A nice breeze greeted him as he did so. "I'll give Rias-chan the message when I…"

His words stopped short.

Sona, still watching her friend from the couch, looked somewhat curious at his sudden pause. Something had caught his attention as he stopped by the room's large window.

By design, the Student Council's office was positioned westward in the direction of the school's entrance, looking out over the city. On warmer days, the Council liked to open the windows to allow a natural breeze to come in and cool the room. Sona had, in fact, opened the windows herself before Naruto's arrival, thinking to give the room a little comforting circulation before they went down to business.

It was comfortable and efficient. The entirety of the council approved of the room's overall design.

Sona quietly observed her friend as he leaned himself forward, trying to get a better viewing of the outside from his position. Naruto seemed to be enjoying himself. Looking calm yet absorbed by whatever it was which held his notice. The Student Council President's didn't wait long before standing from her space on the couch, now somewhat curious as to what might have captured her blond-headed friend's attention so intently, and moved herself to be positioned at his side.

He gave her a small, satisfied look before turning his cerulean eyes back out.

Sona followed his gaze, tilting her head to see what had taken so effortlessly her active friends attention.

The first thing she saw was the sun. It was setting and only just moving past the trees and buildings which made up Kuoh's horizon; it's golden-orange glow gave everything a reddish tint to it. There was a soft wind which bristled the leaves of trees and shook the branches, students whom may have just been leaving the school from clubs or late afternoon studies, and perhaps a couple birds floating above the tree lines towards some unknown location. The sounds of distant traffic could be heard but didn't seem to destroy the scene or viewing, and small clouds which flew overhead, orange and faded, gave the sky some feeling of liveliness to it.

It was a view Sona often saw as she worked in her office space. One she'd grown to recognize with her long hours working.

And if she were to be honest, she did not find it at all compelling.

By her own admission, the young president never considered herself an individual who enjoyed the finer sights of life. They were simply things that never appealed to her like they did others; the natural growths of forests, the formations of rock chiseled from years of rain and decay, or the power of nature's storms.

Sona was a lady of facts, disciplines and order; an appreciator of handmade things and efforts given. Things of nature or natural creation…they held little interest to her personally, but she would not sully them or their worth for others. She would more often find herself intrigued with the intricacies of a city and how every part was controlled and worked like a well-oiled machine to see the next day finished and plentiful, all organized by the intentional hands of many others. Or perhaps dive into a fine novel and its complex characters, being able to connect an author's feelings or decisions onto the real world and improve herself from the experience of understanding.

Those were the things she liked; the things she could understand and manipulate herself.

To see it improved upon. Bettered. Her reasoning for taking up the role of Student Council President was with this single goal in mind in the hopes of improving Kuoh Academy beyond what any president had ever done before.

She was ambitious woman. A fact many knew.

But Naruto was different, it seemed, as Sona turned her gaze away from the landscape and to her friend who quietly looked out of the office window and towards the front gates of the academy. Her eyes took an inquisitive edge to them, as if they were attempting to study him and understand why he appreciated this simple thing.

To understand what he saw which she could not.

Her eyes looked over everything. The way he looked out over the trees and courtyard with the sun hitting him in a way which made his body shine and shimmer. The way he stood, appearing almost picturesque as he looked over everything their window could foresee. The way his hand, rough and course, held the wall at his side, balancing his form while he attempted to angle himself to take in more and more of the sunset view. And the breeze; the way it ran through his hair, coupled with the orange glow of the lowering sun, made it seem like a yellow flame dancing.

But his eyes, above all, were the most captivating jewels of blue. Sona once admitted, in private conversation, to being envious of the boy's eyes. Those natural orbs of aquamarine had a soul-piercing power to them, she was sure. They portrayed the emotions and truths of their owner so openly, they were easy to fall behind and trust the man behind them. And now, as their colors mixed with glow of the setting sun, those thoughts about their impressiveness only seemed to be bolstered alongside her jealousy of his eyes.

She could not look away from them. From him. From all of him.

Staring at Naruto then, even for that short bit of time, Sona imagined that maybe she could understand, if only a little, what others felt when seeing something in nature.

What a fleeting feeling, it must have been. But it was there.

It was…regal and…nice. She thought she could see it then through this careless, happy boy she knew so well.

She wanted to watch Naruto. For a few moments longer, at least. But it seemed her wish would not be granted, for as she stared, Naruto felt the pair of violet eyes on him, taking his attention away from the window.

"Need something?" He asked her softly, knocking Sona out of her silent stupor.

"Ah, no-no. I'm good, thank you." She quickly replied, moving a smooth hand up to the bridge of her nose and adjusting her glasses. They seemed to have shifted on their own between when she moved from her place on the couch to the boy's side. She hadn't noticed, and was now feeling somewhat self-conscious of her own appearance standing next Naruto.

For his part, the former Hokage didn't seem to be bothered by his friend's fidgeting. He smiled to her, content and in the moment, before looking back out the window and taking one last fleeting glance over to the lowering sun over the trees and homes.

He felt nostalgic, then, with the wind, the leaves, and the view. He remembered having an office with a view like this. A great view which looked out over his entire village. He remembered taking his children to see that view so many times, sitting on his lap to look out the large window and point down to people below.

'They look so tiny,' his youngest would always say, amazed at being so high.

'I wanna squash 'em,' his oldest, and certainly loudest, would declare as he pressed his tiny thumbs to the glass and tried to smear the humans.

They made him laugh.

He pushed himself from the wall and window – the glow of the sun losing itself on him and the breeze falling flat through his golden locks – and stepped back more carefully into the room. He was tempted to take the quick way out of the school building, but Sona had scolded him harshly for the last time he decided to leap out her window without caring if someone saw him or not (though, to be fair, it was almost reflex to jump out of a government leader's window for him).

And so, Naruto moved past his friend and towards the doorway leading to the lengthy hallway of the fourth floor hallway. His hand reached for the brass handle, barely having his fingers graze over the cool metal, when a voice spoke up from behind.

"Actually, Naruto," Sona's voice rang out, surprisingly loud in the large room, catching her friend's attention as he turned himself away from the door. Naruto stared in her direction as she stared back to him, her features holding a recognizable hardness to them before she quickly turned her gaze away to the corner wall. A carved wood clock was held up, ticking away the time of day at an ever constant pace. "…Ruruko shouldn't be back for some time, I think. Her clients are quicker than the others, but I think there's still time before she returns."

Ruruko Nimura, first-year Student Council member. A girl who liked to smile, wear her hair in ponytails, and only barely kept within academy dress code with an obnoxious pair of green-striped stockings. Naruto recalled meeting her once before when she officially joined Sona's group. She was endearing, he guessed was a word best used to describe her, but pleasant enough to have conversations with still. She was a good pick for the Council.

But as to why Sona was telling him this, Naruto could not guess. "Okay…"

Sona kept quiet for a long moment. Her eyes still watching the clock. "I…I would…would you mind…" Her lower lip tensed by her failed sentencing. She was starting to look irritable. "I…that is, I wouldn't mind having another game with you." She paused again. Her lower lip tensed some more, and her eyes narrowed angrily for some odd reason. Her arms crossed themselves tightly over her school uniform, with her tone growing a bit harder as she forced herself to look away from the clock and towards her friend. She almost seemed to be glaring at him. "Chess, I mean. I would like to play chess with you again. Today. Now. If you have the time."

Her words were clipped and to the point. Naruto blinked at her, confused, before turning his focus towards where the shorter female had stared so furiously at a moment ago.

He studied the time for a second, looking at the clock hands carefully. Usually, he would already be in the Occult Research Club's clubroom by now. And usually, by that time, he would be doing homework, or talking to one of Rias' Peerage, or maybe just staring at the ceiling, waiting for something to happen, bored out of his mind.

Going to the Old School Building now sounded about as fun as watching grass grow. Not that having his mental-ass handed to him by Sona was any better, but at least it offered a few thrills and made the time pass much quicker. Plus, Naruto told himself, it was Sona who was asking. The girl he used to sneak out with during sleepovers to raid the family pantries; skip rocks by the lake under the full moon; or tell stories of ancient warriors taking on beasts the size of mountains to her great enjoyment and delight.

How could he say no?

"I think I got time," he finally answered, grinning softly with his voice holding an underlining sound of amusement. He waved a finger at Sona, looking increasingly amused by the second, "Just you wait, Sona-chan! I'll beat you! This time, I'll definitely win!" He laughed loudly as he went back to his spot on the couch and went about picking his individual pieces again, placing them in their proper places and readying himself for another, probably gruesome, game of chess with Kuoh's Lady Strategist.

And all the while he smiled and snickered and worked to position his pieces in their rightful places, Sona stood by the open window. Watching him, with ever stony-eyes and serious expression.

"Maybe," she spoke softly, navigating herself back to her spot on the couch, "I don't think I would mind if you did."

---

Old School Building, Occult Research Club clubroom, 7:53 PM

The couches in the Occult Research Club are amazing.

Seriously. MVP of the day: leather couch.

Top of the line black leather. Over six feet long in length. Cushions which your body could almost sink into.

And those soft pillows on the sides? Yeah, those rocked, too.

For the first time that day, Naruto found his head pressed against a comfortable surface and able to close his eyes for longer than a few blissful moments. His mind thanked him; his eyes closed off to the thankfully dim-lit room around him; and even his breathing slowed as his form tried to drift away to the land of dreams.

This moment would have been perfect, were it not for the loud, active voices and sounds that echoed around him.

"Wisteria-san was very pleased this evening. She seemed rather concerned with an issue she was having in her office, but I believe she only needed an ear to hear her out – her husband has been away overseas and her sister has been busy her second child. In addition, she seemed to enjoy my sukiyaki and we are expected to meet up again this following week." Kiba, always so professional.

Naruto thought he could actually hear the nod coming from Rias. "Excellent. Akeno, anything from Eiji-san?"

"Well, my day's work was simple. Eiji-kun wanted to talk about his troubles with his younger brother. Apparently, he hasn't been focusing on his studies and whatnot. And with Eiji-kun supporting him through college, his mother taking ill and in the hospital, and his wife being rather neglectful lately, I think the poor guy just needed someone to listen to his worries." A giggle. "But he was very kind. He made a lovely bit of tea for the both of us. Honestly, such a sweetheart. I think he was very pleased with our meeting together."

"I expected nothing less." Rias sounded pleased. "Koneko? You have someone scheduled for tomorrow evening, correct?"

"Hmm. Two guys. Hanji. Morisawa. Shouldn't be a problem." Came a droning response, followed by sounds of chewing. Hard candy, probably.

"Very good. Oh, and Asia-chan, Hayato and Daiki-san have requested you again for this coming Thursday. Do you think you can handle two contracts in one evening?"

"Oh yes! I-I think I can handle it!" A chipper answer as always. Naruto made a mental note to have his Thursday night free. Just in case.

"Glad to hear it. I've only heard good things from your people. I'm very pleased with your results."

"Oh! Thank you, Rias-san!" He could practically hear the smile on her face.

Naruto shifted on the couch, his arm over his eyes and trying to block the additional conversation which followed as his mind tried but failed in keeping out the outside noises. It wasn't exactly the club's fault; this was there room for use. He just happened to be using it as a makeshift bedroom.

"Asia-chan, would you like a refill?" Akeno's voice chirped up, Naruto hearing the sound of moving china on his side.

"Yes, please! Thank you!"

A familiar giggle. "It's no problem at all. Kiba-kun, for you?"

"I'm good, thanks."

"Koneko-chan?"

"…I'm fine."

"Naruto-kun?" Naruto stiffened in his spot, reacting to his name. He lifted his arm slowly, turning his eye to the smiling ebony-haired youth in his vision. "Would you like something to drink?" Akeno asked him sweetly, holding up a kettle of warm tea to his view.

Naruto's eyed her for a moment, slowly coming back to his senses, as he eyed the warm drink in her hand before casually turning his gaze around to the rest of the room.

Koneko snacked on her treats, Kiba looked to be reading some novel, and Asia was enjoying her tea and communing with those in the room. The three sat on the couch across from him, not asking for him to move or offer space to any of them. If he felt embarrassed for taking an entire couch for himself, he didn't show it.

And Rias, as usual, sat at her throne at the end of the room, behind a solidly built desk and in a large chair of a similar, soft material as the couches. She seemed to have been writing something intently a moment before, her pen still held tightly in her fingers, but the red-haired beauty had her attention strayed away towards her young nephew as he eyed his surroundings tiredly.

She was smiling to him. Entertained by his weariness, it seemed. Her blue eyes seemed touched with a silent cheerfulness, and her smile only matched her mirthful expression.

She was teasing him. As if he were a child just waking up from a nap.

Feeling a bit self-conscious, annoyed and attempting to avoid her mocking gaze, Naruto growled out, "I'm fine, thanks," then turned himself further from the views of those around him.

He could hear Akeno's amused giggles. Then Kiba and Asia's, though there's were quiet chuckles rather than blatant laughs at their friend's 'suffering.' If Koneko cared about his displeasure she didn't comment, only chewing loudly on her snacks.

Naruto felt effectively cowed. Over one-hundred years in age and he could still be brought down to feeling like a kid.

Oh the shame.

Rias looked on as Akeno left her nephew be, returning to her self-given duties with a smile. Asia and Kiba followed suit, looking amused and gladdened by their friend's embarrassed actions. She smiled to them, her kind Bishop and Knight, before shifting her gaze back to her nephew, seeing him move on his commandeered couch. She noticed how he hid his face, pushing it into the cushion in his attempts to avoid the others' gazes.

However, from her place at the side a slight peak at his face as he tried to cover himself from the others view. She could only just make out the slight tint of red on his cheeks.

Ahh, he's embarrassed. Her entertained mind thought, quietly holding back a laugh of amusement. So cute.

She watched him for a little longer, seeing as he tried and failed in his attempts at falling asleep over the conversations in the room, pulling a couch pillow over his ear in a meager attempt to block out the noises around him.

Honestly, Rias could have told him his presence was not necessary and that he could go to his apartment to rest. She was more than capable of ensuring Asia returned to his apartment, safe and sound, every night if it would comfort him. But, of course, Rias was also fully aware of her nephew's less than exceptional attendance in coming to her clubroom in the last several months. His reasons for being absent from most-everything she and her group did was causing something of a concern for her (and surely the others, though she would argue her worries were more severe than theirs). When asked, he would offer some excuse or reason for being unable to attend, or just outright not be found available to speak to. His cellphone would be off, or he wouldn't answer their calls or texts, and don't even get her started on his inability to answer any means of magical long-distance communication. You would only send the Gremory Heiress into a rant.

So, in a way, this last month had been something of a vacation for the group; maybe no one would admit it, but having Naruto around, sleeping though he was presently, made the dimly-lit room seem a little brighter and lively.

They had the gang back together. And if that meant using Asia's safety as a means to have him visit them more often…well, she figured some sacrifices would just have to be made.

Rias smiled wickedly to herself, certainly believing herself quite the manipulator then, returning her gaze to a mix of papers which stretched from homework to contractor letters of gratitude.

Then, a disturbance in the room shook everyone's attention to the clubroom's door.

Knock knock knock knock.

Rias found herself slightly out of place, as did the rest of her Peerage. Her eyes had widened by the surprising noise. While sure, it wasn't as if no one beside her Peerage came to the room, it was odd to find someone visiting at such a late hour.

Kiba and Koneko turned their attention to her, looking curious. Akeno kept her eyes on the door, looking slightly defensive in case of emergency. Asia looked between the door and the others, not understanding why no one was answering it. And Naruto…well, he didn't seem as attentive or alive as the others, but he didn't have his head pressed so closely to the couch cushions as before, his ear perked for additional noise.

Knock knock knock knock.

Rias still stared at the door, not really sure what to make of it, but seeing as it would be rude to wait much longer, gestured for Akeno to proceed.

Akeno gave a curt nod, still smiling but with no amusement to it, casually walking to the room's door and twisting

"Oh my!" She shouted, opening the duel doors to the room further. "Buchou, I believe we have guests."

Rias looked curious as Akeno opened the door further, revealing a group of several individuals on the other side. Her face brightened considerably when she recognized the first person at the door. "Oh! Sona! What a surprise!" She shouted loudly, standing from her desk and waving her hand inward. "Come in, come in!"

From just outside the doorway, surrounded by several young individuals wearing Kuoh Academy regulated uniforms, the stern-looking Sona softened her features into a small smile and nodded to her longtime friend. "It's good to see you, Rias," she replied in a tone appropriate for greeting, stepping carefully into the decorated clubroom, followed by her band of fellow students – a half-a-dozen or so young women and a single, standalone male, "I hope you don't mind my sudden invitation into your clubroom. I found my week unusually busy with requests and could only find time to meet tonight."

"Of course, of course! You know it's no problem at all." Rias replied back jovially, still smiling and uncaring of the large group which had made its way into her room. "Would you like to have a seat? I could have Akeno prepare something for you or your council, if you'd like."

Sona actually had her small smile grow a little. "Thank you, but that won't be necessary. I actually came to hopefully discuss the matter of this weekend with you." She stated, adjusting her glasses with a slender hand. "I hope it won't take up too much of your time."

Rias' eyes perked up with curiosity, looking somewhat surprised and amused as she lowered herself back to her chair. She knew what the Student Council President was referring to almost instantly. "Oh really?" She asked with a smile. "I take it it's this young man your sponsoring for Familiarity?" She waved a hand towards Sona's group, gesturing to the lone boy standing.

Sona nodded, raising a hand and addressing her companion. "This is Genshirou Saji. Second-year student, honor roll, and the latest student-elected member to join the Student Council."

The boy – now introduced as Genshirou Saji – smiled and offered a small bow in the direction of Rias and her group. Saji was a tall youth with dull-colored blond hair. He stood casually at his President's side, wearing the academy's required uniform, though seemed to have foregone the required blazer sometime before. His undershirt had its sleeves rolled up, showing off simple pink-tinted skin underneath. His overall expression was friendly enough, holding his lean stature casually even in the presence of others, and seemed to be generally a well-adjusted fellow by only appearances alone.

Naruto, tilting his head to the side of the couch and looking at the boy, recognized the boy from a few months prior one of the Student Council's elections.

He remembered voting for him. He thought Sona would like him. He wasn't mistaken.

"Hi there," Saji spoke up, "It's nice to finally meet you. President Sona has only spoke highly of you and your 'club.'" The way he phrased the word 'club' would have seemed curious to most others not familiar with the two.

Rias, however, took it with a small bit of humor. "The pleasure is all ours," she replied pleasantly as the young man took a step back with the rest of the council. Rias turned her attention back to Sona. "Well, I congratulate you on his appointment to your council and his rise to being allowed Familiarity." The congratulations sounded genuine enough, but Rias' smile widened a bit, looking almost ominous then. "But there's going to be a bit of a snag in your plans, I'm afraid."

Sona remained stone-faced to her declaration. "And why's that?"

Rias stifled a small laugh. "It just so happens that I've also decided to elect a member of my group, as well. Asia Argento, my newest member, has more than earned her right for Familiarity." She leaned forward in her desk, taking a look which could almost be called challenging. "And I just so happened to want this Sunday to introduce her to Zatouji, myself."

Sona's eyes widened only a margin, while Saji and the rest of her council actually looked quite startled by this new development. Kiba's eyes matched most others, wide and surprised, and even Koneko turned her attention away from her snacks to look up to her King. Akeno looked between Rias and Sona, smiling a smile very similar to Rias' own, but was politer and willing to hide it behind smooth fingers.

And Naruto? He wasn't even trying to sleep now. This was just as much of a surprise to him as the others.

Asia, for her part, looked confused to what was being conversed, but Kiba offered her a quiet, "Congratulations," while Koneko gave her a firm 'thumbs up.' She took it in stride, but still wasn't sure what this meant.

Sona quickly took back control of herself, looking ever serious again. "Well," she began, "I must say, I congratulate you on finding a new Bishop." The president said generally, offering a small nod to the former nun to her side. "But I do question whether Argento-san is ready yet. It hasn't even been a month yet since she joined and you're nominating her for Familiarity. I honestly wonder if she even has the ability to hold a Familiar. I even made Saji wait before offering him Familiarity, and I find his ability noteworthy."

To outside forces, this conversation seemed to be turning into something quite odd.

"I am aware of your concerns," Rias replied back, "however, Asia-chan has only performed admirably this past month. If I didn't feel she was ready for her own Familiar than I would not recommend her." She turned and offered a small, less-devious smile to her Bishop, who could only smile back sheepishly and pretend to understand what was happening around her.

Sona, however, only rolled her eyes at her friend's declaration. "Why am I not surprised?" She asked, mostly to herself, largely ignoring Rias and her mirthful stare. "So what will this be, hmm? The third time? Hmph. I'm starting to think this is intentional." Sona gave a hard look towards her seated friend, who only seemed to enjoy herself further under its gaze.

"Purely coincidental, I assure you."

"Yes,I'm sure…"

Rias seemed to be enjoying her little playing with her friend. Even though Sona seemed to be less than thrilled with this development. The dark-haired girl was probably even wondering why she brought up her wanting to introduce Saji to Zatouji and his woods; her oldest friend's reaction to her announcement almost seemed written in stone.

Rias Gremory. To Sona, she was ever a joker behind a noble form.

Perhaps she should have known better.

For her part, Rias quietly held back her enjoyment for a moment longer before speaking again. "Alright, alright. We'll figure something out between the two of us." The two heiresses always did, as anyone who knew them could attest. Rias rose from her chair and navigated herself around her desk towards the standing council president. The smile she wore lost some of its teasing-edge, looking friendlier now. "But, if we are going to discuss this weekend's events, I really wish I had prepared something for you and your friends to nibble. Honestly, Sona, you're making me feel like a bad host!" She laughed with herself. "Truthfully, when I saw you at my door, I almost couldn't believe it was you. Sona Sitri, Student Council President, not even bothering to announce herself before visiting. So unlike you!" Rias said these words as if they were scandalous. Sona quirked an eyebrow at her words. "I expected at least a call, a text or something – to just walk in on my clubroom, unannounced? It's so daring of you." Rias said this in good humor, of course. Whether her friend came over in the early morning or midnight hours, her presence was always welcome. Despite Sona's adherence to policy and tradition, Rias felt that the two had known each other long enough to forego such silly traditions.

It actually somewhat surprised the young Gremory Heiress to see a lack of prior notice come from her friend. Perhaps this was some form of progress.

Sona, however, gave a confused look to her red-haired friend. "But I did," she stated in her usual cool tone, "I had Naruto meet me earlier for that exact purpose. He said he would tell you I was coming…"

Rias blinked now, surprised, and turned her blue eyes to the boy laying comfortably on her couch.

The rest of the eyes in the room followed, turning to Naruto who stared back innocently to them.

He was too tired to even look sheepish at his discovered fault.

"…Oh, right," The blond started, turning his head up to the crimson-haired woman in the room. He smiled, "Hey, Rias-chan. Sona-chan told me to tell you that she was planning on coming over sometime today." He blinked for a moment, eyes moving up to the bespectacled youth by the front of the room, who'd eyed him with a look of growing annoyance and disbelief, then turned back to the redhead in the room. "And she might be bringing the Student Council with her." He added as an afterthought.

He closed his eyes and lowered his head back to the soft cushions then, not caring of the several staring eyes pointed his way.

The room had quieted down considerably. Maybe now he'd get a few z's.

"Just…thought you might want to know that…"

---

Ah, yes. Perhaps some elaboration is in order here.

Ahem.

Souna Shitori: recognized lady of elegance and beauty by students and admirers alike with a brilliance in all manner of classwork. The undeniable victor in the school's Student Council election, winning by a landslide vote against any and every opponent who came to challenge her claim to the Council's leadership position, held a gift for persuasion and leadership which added a certain charismatic edge to her usually stern looks. Known almost famously within and outside the walls of Kuoh Academy, Souna Shitori was a marvelous young woman whose name was said often with praise to her ability or achievements, with many believing, post-graduation from either the Academy's high school or college, the young woman would go on to do many and wonderful things.

The possibilities for her seemed limitless.

All in all, Souna Shitori was a talented and hardworking young lady. Those facts could never be denied. But they were hardly all that could be said about the young lady.

In fact, by many others admission, they were merely the tip of the iceberg.

In actuality, Souna Shitori held a far more recognizable and regarded title. A name more readily recognized around the span of a dozen worlds and beyond the small, green world of the humans. A name which, though different only minutely to the one her peers and colleagues called her by in public, held a spark of fearful recognition and respect to it for many and all species aware of it.

Souna Shitori was only a mere alias to the teenage girl. Her true title was that of the lady Sona Sitri; heiress to the Sitri Household, one of the few remaining great houses of the Underworld, and sister to one of the Four Great Satans, Serafall Leviathan.

Sona Sitri was a Devil. A Devil of rank and status equal to that Rias Gremory, herself.

Speaking of whom, perhaps it might have seemed strange how two high-ranking and important Devils such as Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri could have found themselves curiously in the same location on the Human World. Devils of higher authority were infamously territorial, and with two Devils placed into the same city along with attending the same school of the same year? Well, it might have seemed worrisome for those who were unfamiliar with the history behind the two heiresses.

Before Kuoh Academy, before the formation of their individual Peerages (Rias' Occult Research Club and Sona's – surprise! – Student Council), before even Naruto had introduced himself into their lives, the two children had formed something of a 'sister-ship' with the other and had spent many days and nights in the other's presence. No doubt brought upon by the already familiar connection of their individual mothers, for whom both were famous in their own ways and close friends which spanned to centuries prior, the two daughters had shared everything in their youths from toys to baths and everything between. Whenever a momentous occasion occurred in either of the two young girl's lives, one could be sure to find the footprint of the other close by, laughing and smiling and enjoying whatever goings-on were occurring.

It was a lovely sight, really.

Their connection was a famous one. Many Devils and other species alike wondered what the future would bring to these young heiresses.

Only bright and great things, many imagined. And unquestionably together, as well.

However, as what came as a surprise to many was when in the early days as a pair of Teenage Devils, an occurrence arose when they announced they would be attending an educational facility…in the Human World.

It was certainly the juiciest gossip to hit the Devil community. What spurred such an action forward, many asked. Was it study the Human culture? Its weaknesses? Its strengths? To perhaps garner some valuable member to their individual Peerages, to which Rias had already adamantly begun early in her life at assembling her own powerbase, whereas Sona had curiously spent little to no time at amassing her own party. Maybe their enrollment in a Human School was to encourage an attack by the Angels or maybe to increase their individual powers by way of Contracts. And Rias was even taking her young nephew with her – and for the sake of keeping the list short on just how many rumors and implications came from THAT tidbit of information being released to the public, let's just say the idea of a young man with no blood relations following a pair of young, attractive females had a certain appeal to many of the Underworld's public chatter.

Gossip is gossip, it seemed, no matter the species or world.

Anyway, the girls devised where exactly they wished to go and why easily enough; Sona, to somewhere credible and prestigious, and Rias, to Japan. Kuoh Academy turned out to be an easy choice thereafter, as both parents of the two children happened to be heavily invested into the academies development.

Coincidence? Maybe. The lords of Sitri and Gremory certainly played it off as such. And it made enrolling into the academy all the easier for the two girls and, in the case of Rias, her Peerage easy.

And as further coincidences went, the year Kiba and Naruto decided to follow their King and aunt into the Human World just so happened to be the same year the motion to make Kuoh Academy a gender-neutral academy took place.

'Coincidences,' am I right?

But anyway, the transfer from the Underworld to Kuoh Academy seemed rather positive. Rias began to send her Peerage out onto their assignments to contractors around the city, and Sona began to calculate and evaluate every student from the elementary-level to the college-based students on their worth or value and convince them to join her Peerage (which subsequently also meant her Student Council). And although the two girls spent less time with one another as their responsibilities grew, they still kept in touch from time to time, exchanging gossip and rumors and whispers on their lives.

And if nothing else, the two Devils always seemed to make time for a reoccurring theme of disciplining a certain Son of Lucifer…

---

In truth, forgetting to deliver a message of such low importance was really nothing to be so upset about.

Truthfully, Naruto could attest that forgetting something so minor as this was nothing really to be punished on. The ninja could affirm that in his previous life, he'd made far more grievous errors, worthy of reprimand, than just not passing a message from one friend to another.

Okay, yell at him, say he did wrong. That would be the worst of it. It would be quick and easy and Naruto would pretend to learn his lesson and promise never to do it again.

Simple. Quick. Done.

Unfortunately, when it came to Sona Sitri and Rias Gremory, it seemed disproportionate retribution was a moniker for their dealings with him and his rare bumblings.

On one of the couches, Naruto sat. Sitting up, looking glum and bored, as he tried to pry his attention away from the lectures being spoken at him. And on the other couch in the room, Rias and Sona had taken their positions, sitting comfortably with legs crossed, looking ever lady-like as they spoke quickly on Naruto's lack of remembrance. Their Peerages stood behind them, watching the showing with varying levels of interest and amusement. They were there to look as if they were judging the blond boy, though anyone could see the weariness in the youth's eyes. He probably didn't even know they were there, or at least couldn't have cared less for their viewing of his being 'ripped-a-new-one.'

This had been going on for now somewhere between ten or fifteen minutes. One of the Kings would often chip in and add a tidbit on proper handling of the situations given, or another would mention a prior instance where Naruto had less than successfully coordinated between them on a matter of importance. With Naruto silently grumbling how he didn't try to remember all of their less-than perfect moments in the Underworld, only to be further lectured on his mumbling.

Now, usually, Naruto would admit that he enjoyed these kind of moments. Two girls, teenagers or children depending on how you viewed them, criticizing a former war hero and leader of an entire military and living community – that's funny.

It was fun, Naruto would admit. Like playing ninja with his grandchildren – it was all in the act which made it fun. The blond would whimper, keep his gaze to the floor, and occasionally cry crocodile tears at his being yelled at by his two oldest friends. He would beg for mercy, apologize thoroughly, prostrate himself to them and swear he would never make such a blunder again. When they were younger, Rias would relent and say Naruto had learned his lesson, offering him a hug. Sona would forgive him, but in her own, stern way.

And he was sure the two girls weren't intentionally mean in their scolding. They never hit him or hurt him. He could remember times in his youth where he would be roughed-up by one of his teammates for even just asking the wrong question. With his 'aunt' and her friend, the two seemed to follow an act to their 'disciplining' of Naruto as much as he took up the act of 'being-the-one-who-did-wrong-and-should-be-punished-thoroughly.'

It was almost a show, rather than a punishment. More for the enjoyment element of it happening, instead of the execution of penalties for minor faults.

And on any other day, Naruto would have acted out his part and amused the masses watching the three of them. On any other day, he would have remembered to pass along his message to Rias with issue of forgetfulness.

But today, Naruto was tired. And he just couldn't put up the act for them.

He sighed there on the couch, shaking his head as Rias and Sona began mentioning something which happened when he was eleven. They looked ready to go through his whole life of minor faults which, even if they only connected with his mistake today in the most minor of senses. But this time, before they could start up another riveting reminder that keeping one's word was an essential part of everyday life, their blond friend lifted a wearied hand in their direction.

It stopped and silenced them quite easily. Maybe because he never made such a move before? Either way, Naruto let out a tired sigh, looking up to the two with piercing blue orbs.

"Aren't you two going to figure out what to do this weekend?" He asked them. It seemed as if the reason for Sona's venture over had been forgotten in their little trial of their younger friend.

Rias actually looked a little surprised at Naruto, who sat quietly, looking between the two expectantly. He was right, of course. She knew this. Prideful though she might have been, Rias was able to acknowledge that, though ripping Naruto a new one was occasionally enjoyable, there were others in the room, waiting to get on with their evenings.

Rias exchanged a glance with Sona; her friend looking to be under the same impression. The crimson-haired young woman couldn't hold back the sheepish grin from crossing her lips, nor the sigh of resignation from their lecture. "I hate to admit it, but Naruto-kun has a point."

Sona nodded, amused. "It would certainly seem that way. Which is something I thought I would say only in my worst nightmares," Sona actually had a growing smirk cross her lips, with Rias joining in her teasing with a stifled laugh. The Peerages behind the two Kings, who were familiar with Naruto and his antics, tried to hold back amused smiles and laughs as Naruto pouted across from them.

I have good ideas. The former Hokage thought. Sometimes.

"We have to stay focused on the matter at hand. The…'Familiar Master' will only take one of us to fulfill 'a contract sworn under the moon goddess herself,' as he so colorfully puts it."

Zatouji was a familiar associate to the Gremory and Sitri houses. He offered his services for free, but declared he would only assist one house at a time (something about every moon only accepting one King every month or some other cracked up reason or another). Of course, there was simply the matter of finding another individual who could perform the ritual of Familiarity, but both children of the Underworld knew that the best master around was undoubtedly Zatouji. His services in all manner of beast taming to breeding were second to none and sought after by many.

Quirks and all, the man had spent his life besting and understanding beasts of all types. One would do well to stick with him.

"This means we have decide on who will be selected. Do you have any suggestions on how we should do this?"

Naruto listened from his spot on the couch, watching the two girls begin their discussion and silently reminisce about the times before where the Peerages of Gremory or Sitri had need of Zatouji, the Familiar Master.

As Sona mentioned before, Rias had an oh-so unexpected wanting to visit the Familiar Forest whenever the Sitri Heiress expressed her own desire to visit. Now, being the respectful and courteous friend, Sona made sure to tell Rias whenever she had decided of a member of her Peerage had shown themselves capable enough of sustaining and hold a Familiar. She did not want to seem inconsiderate if by chance the two happened upon the same time wanting to have a member of their Peerages take on a Familiar of their own.

But, of the few times she told Rias of her plans, it would only just so happen the crimson-haired youth's Peerage would have a member who just fit her qualifications to holding a Familiar. During their times in the Underworld, Rias had only ever introduced Akeno to Zatouji and his forest. And even then, it had taken her several years before the King allowed her Queen to do so. Rias was a worrisome King; always worried if her members could handle the demands of holding a Familiar or not.

But in those times where the two girls had to decide on who would be allowed to meet with the Familiar Master, they always decided upon who would go by way of competition or game.

These challenges only happened twice.

Twice, the houses of Gremory and Sitri waged war (figuratively).

In their first matchup, sometime into their first year of high school, Rias and Sona battled alongside their Queens in a battle of epic, tennis proportions. Balls flew, threats were shouted, non-subtle uses of magic were flung with great tenacity. Naruto, and a large group of students who had been attracted to the bout between the academy's beauties, found themselves thoroughly entertained.

The match ultimately ended in a win for the Gremory girls, with the tennis court being shredded and burnt to unrecognizable degrees after. Naruto was still unsure how no one in the school caught on to their magic and powers.

The second matchup was held sometime during their second year. Rias and Sona had declared a swimming competition, with the fastest set of swimmers being declared the winners. Naruto was, regrettably, occupied with a bit of 'homework' (was in search of Greek goddess whose father desired her presence back home) and so could not make it to the event of that year. From what Naruto only heard, it seemed this challenge was just as popular as the one before; the school's male populace would not stop talking about it for several days after its completion.

Sona was victorious in this bout, which Naruto held little surprise towards. The girl was…adept when it came to aspects of the watery realm. The Sitri house was special in the makings of the ocean, as it so happened. Why Rias decided that a battle in water against a Sitri, of all things, was a fine idea Naruto would never know.

But all the same, the pool looked as destroyed and broken as the tennis court by the end of that day.

But now, a third competition was now being discussed. And it sounded just as worrisome to hear as one might imagine.

For when a Sitri and a Gremory go into battle, expect ruin to follow in their place…

---

"How about dodgeball?"

Naruto had visions of the school's gymnasium falling to the ground.

"Nah, we don't have the members for that. Oh! How about baseball?"

A sudden image of the baseball fields being lifted into the air, flipped, then dropped like a sack of potatoes took hold of the blond's mind.

"Baseball isn't my cup of tea, I'm afraid. Hmm. How about running? First group to run a mile around the track wins."

The track and field was burning. And burning. And burning.

"Pass. Doesn't sound at all that exciting. Oh! Capture the flag! Around the entire school! That sounds way more fun!"

Kuoh Academy. Gone.

"Hmm…maybe…how about tag?"

Their conversation continued like this for some time. Back and forth between ideas. Why one idea worked, why one didn't. Why this game would be fair, why this game wasn't fun. It was becoming a point where just convincing the other to agree to a challenge would be a victory in itself.

From behind the King's couch, Akeno and Asia quietly passed cups of tea and small cookies to everyone waiting. At some time between discussions on water polo and javelin tossing, the Gremory Queen and Bishop passed behind their leaders and towards the kitchens, working up a quick kettle of tea and warming a batch of sweets to be passed around to the two parties.

Both Peerages knew how stubborn and steadfast their Kings could be. Having small appetizers to bide the time was almost a requirement.

Naruto, for his part, was left out of the snack and drink exchange. Not that he minded much. His head was pulled back over the top of the couch, his arms stretched out and wide, and his eyes closed off to the world. Although he still casually listened to the Kings and their discussing, his mind drifted out and in between caring about their discussion (he almost choked on his own breath when the idea of a magic tossing contest at a tied up Uzumaki came up) and the need to sleep which begged to be embraced.

Sadly, years as a trained ninja had made even the most obtuse noises keep him awake.

However, at one point, his friend's conversation did take a turn towards an interesting idea around their Peerage's duties. 'Which Peerage could procure the most successful contracts in three days?' Obviously Rias was at a disadvantage, expressed as much, and then began to argue about alternative ways to using their Peerage in their little games. Everything from tug-of-war to mud-wrestling.

Naruto laughed then, reminded of how a certain young boy once made it a challenge for himself to perform his duties above and beyond the call of duty to surpass a certain jerk in his team. He remembered that kid thinking he could take on the world and do it all on his own. He remembered that blond idiot messing up more times than he could count.

There was a time he fell off a waterfall.

A time he took on one of the world's deadliest assassins to save a metal-plated headband.

And then, there was also the time he took on his sensei in a secret test to decide if he was ready to be a ninja. It was, admittedly, one of his more exciting moments in his youth. He remembered it like it was yesterday. A challenge unlike any other. The experiences alone were something to never be forgotten, and still brought smiles to his face. Like when he was tied to a tree, humiliated by beating himself up (don't ask), and even had a couple fingers shoved up his-

Wait.

Naruto's eyes perked. Wide and alive.

His head slowly lifted from behind the couch, turning to look between the two girls who were now arguing about whether basketball was a fair sport or not.

He leaned forward from his couch. His gaze was unfocused, looking almost interested in a spot on the floor.

Waaaaiit…

He focused his eyes on the table in front of him. Then to the two Kings, arguing about the legality of underage gambling in Japan. Then to the girls and boys who made up the two Peerages behind them, smiling and enjoying their quiet party as their president and buchou worked around their issues to come to a solution on what exactly the two parties should do.

His mind was working. Tired though it was, it was starting to form a small plan.

A simple plan, really, but one which grew larger by the second. A plan which held his utmost interest.

And all the while, no one was aware of the way Naruto's eyes moved between them. With a growing smile finding its way onto his lips.

See? I do have good ideas.

---

"I have a game we can play."

The soft voice rang out in the room, catching everyone's attention. The two Peerages turned their attentions away from the Kings, who they themselves were silenced by the voice to speak up over their discussion, and turned them back to the blond by the couch.

Naruto was smiling to them. Smiling calmly. And he looked far more awake and alive then he did the entire day.

Perhaps this should have been a warning to all parties.

Rias was the first to respond. "What was that? You have a game?"

Naruto's smile brightened a little more. "I have a game we can play." He repeated himself.

Now it was Sona's turn to ask. "What sort of game?"

"A game to settle on who's going to the get their Familiars this weekend." Naruto smile grew a little more, as the people in room grew a little curious.

"And what sort of game did you have in mind?" Sona asked, racking her brain to wonder what sort of thing the blond would conjure up to put her and Rias through.

Naruto's answer was a simple one. With a smile which grew into a large grin, the boy replied to his friend's question with only two words.

"Survival Training."

The room went quiet after that. It wasn't an answer any of the teens expected. Even Akeno, who usually smiled at strange disturbances or happenings, looked curious and puzzled by the blond's choice in game.

Rias was the first to speak up, looking skeptical at her nephew's choice in 'game.' "Survival Training?"

The former Hokage nodded. "Survival Training."

Sona shook her head. "How is Survival Training a game?"

"Or fun?" Rias added in. No point in having a challenge if they couldn't laugh about it afterwards.

Naruto only chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, I admit, I don't know if it'll be fun for you guys, but I can definitely say it will be a challenge." He said to them, before pressing himself from the couch and standing tall before the Devil in the room. His grin never wavered. "First, let me start with where my idea takes place," he pointed a single finger up to the ceiling, "I know this little place two miles past the highway on the north side. There's a clearing with a sakura tree in the middle. Nice area, solid breeze, great for picnics. I would like you all to meet me there this Saturday as five A.M., sharp. And trust me, you can't miss it."

He made that point clear. And it seemed his idea got everyone's attention, at least. So he continued, lifting another finger.

"Second: Rias, Sona, your Peerages are going to face off against a special opponent. Namely, me." Naruto silently appreciated the shocked looks of the people in the room. He spoke up before anyone could start arguing against him. "You'll be required to bring everything you would usually bring to train with. Weapons, equipment, magics – whatever you think you'll need to beat me. And I expect you all to come at me with, and I am not kidding here, the absolute intention of destroying me." His voice took a harsher edge to it, letting those in the clubroom understand he wasn't joking and allowing the implications of his demand to hang in the air.

Sona's Peerage began talking with themselves, sounding off put by the idea of fighting a human.

Akeno only smiled to him, keeping her thoughts hidden.

Kiba, in contrast to the others, had a rather hard expression as he stared directly at Naruto's grinning face. He understood the situation, better than most of the others. His fingers looked as if to be already searching for a weapon to draw.

Koneko stopped her snacking and gazed warily at Naruto. She was in a similar boat to Kiba.

Asia, bless her heart, was questioning with Sona's Peerage on the fairness of Naruto going up against them all. It seemed dreadfully unfair to her. And…she wasn't exactly wrong.

And all the while, the two Kings stared on to the boy. Quiet. Contemplative. Analytical.

Naruto was pleased, and so lifted a final finger.

"And third: don't consider this a challenge between just your two Peerages. You're going up against me. And if I win, I decide who does or doesn't go. And if I think Saji or Asia aren't ready to take on Familiars, then I am more than willing to say that neither of you are allowed to go meet Zatouji this weekend."

If his second rule caused a commotion, his third rule caused an uproar. But not by the Peerages, no. Instead, the two Kings rose from their seats, glaring at the blond in front of them.

"NO WAY!"

"NOT A CHANCE!"

"THAT COMPLETELY RUINS THE PURPOSE OF US COMPETING IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

"WHY SHOULD WE WORK FOR NOTHING IN RETURN?! THAT'S ASININE!"

Naruto kept quiet for a few moments, letting his two friends vent. He guessed he should have foreseen this sort of reaction. Rias and Sona were hardly children being offered an opportunity that had no choice but to accept. They were, by all accounts, adults in the world. They didn't need to follow Naruto's little game, unlike the blond in his own time.

And they did make good points. Several more even after their initial yells, in fact. But, in a moment of either sleep deprivated thinking or a blossoming genius that only came up with sleep deprivation, the Uzumaki teen felt he had a way to alleviate the tension between the himself and Devils.

He raised a hand up towards the shouting girls, no longer smiling or seeming amused over their yelling. His gaze was hard now, looking unquestioning and firm as he stared the two down.

"Let me finish." The human spoke up over the Kings' yelling. Tone hard and just a bit intimidating.

And indeed, the two Devils did quiet after a couple more seconds of expressing their thoughts. Rias' face still matched her hair and Sona looked ready to rip Naruto's world asunder, but the two quieted, at least. They didn't sit back down in their seats, however, deciding to instead meet Naruto's gaze standing and await his next words.

"I have a condition to add to the third rule. An incentive to make this a little more interesting for the both of you." He paused himself, looking between the two girls. He never lost his smile, and seeing only the tiniest of signs of interest from the two made his next words all the more fun to convey. Though he felt the need to take something of a calming breath before spouting his next words. "To the winning group of my Survival Training, I've decided to grant a single wish to their King." He smiled a little wider then. "Sound like fun now? Whatever your wish, if it is within my power to do so, I will fulfill it to the best of my ability. I promise."

Naruto concluded his little game with those final words, putting his hands into his pockets and looking between the two Kings expectantly.

The Peerages stood idly behind the couch, looking over to their Kings. Rare were the times when they appeared speechless; so enveloped in Naruto's offer. And he promised, too! He said the p-word. That meant he was speaking the truth. And a wish – any wish – they had, he would fulfill.

A Devil was not a Devil if they did not have desires, wants, and a selfish edge to their character.

And the two teens had plenty in spades.

Blank-faced and looking stunned, perhaps this offer seemed too good to be true for the Gremory and Sitri Heiresses. Their minds already began to wander the vast recesses of their desires. Considering and thinking and picturing whatever it was that they so wished. Ever. From the simplest want to the things which they dreamed about at night, the two were suddenly wrought with an overwhelming drive to consider each and everything that their hearts had even remotely considered wanting.

And for Rias, one wish spoke up above all.

It was a desire which she had held onto for many years. One Naruto was familiar with, but denied her every time she asked. She had challenged him, goaded him and begged for his acceptance to her wish. But he only told her no; saying he was quite fine as he was.

"Anything?" The Princess of Destruction asked, trying to keep her voice calm and in-control around the others watching.

It did little good; everyone could sense her anxiety.

She trusted her nephew, she truly did. But Rias had to be sure that what he offered was real and true.

Sona didn't say anything still. Perhaps Rias had conveyed her question for her. Or maybe her mind roared with possibilities on what she wanted then. It was not every day Naruto Uzumaki offered you anything. And being perfectly aware of just who they were speaking with made this 'wish' all the more tantalizing.

The Sitri Heiress never let her eyes leave the boy in front of her. Maybe she thought, should her eyes look away for even a moment, his offer would be broken or this would all be some dream. A cruel, evil dream.

She didn't look away from the boy. But she did allow herself to smile.

Naruto turned his eyes over to his aunt. Her one-worded question, thought spoken softly and clearly, rang loudly in the room for a lone moment.

Maybe he sensed what she was asking for; her eyes certainly gave away an idea of what her desires were, not that he didn't already have some thought on the matter. After all, what would the great Rias Gremory, heiress to a vast and grand house of the Underworld and a woman who could have nearly every want or wish she had in mind taken care of with but a few words, want from a man such as himself that she could not get from another?

He nodded to her, his grin failing only for a second, put off by the thought of what Rias was asking of him, but decided to remain true to his word.

"Anything."

Everyone could see the Lady Gremory's face brighten immensely to that one word. Her blue eyes flared with excitement and hope, her cheeks glowed red and lively, and an almost childlike enthusiasm rolled off her in great amounts. Her body shifted, as if wanting to dance around, but decided instead to grin as brightly and happily as her face would allow.

"Deal!" She shouted, nodding with confidence and enthusiasm before turning her eyes to her friend. Sona still seemed to be thinking it over. Or maybe thinking of the possibilities, it was difficult to say.

"I…I…" Sona found it difficult to speak. Her Peerage had never seen their leader in such a manner. Sona Sitri: calculative, calm, strong leader and future head of the Sitri household, was stuttering.

"Come on, Sona," Rias whispered beside her. Her excitement was almost the easiest thing to see in the whole room. "Come on! Say yes!" She urged her on. Her want of this was all too evident. Sona actually became worried, wondering if she looked similar or not.

"Well, Sona-chan?" Naruto spoke up again. "What do you say?"

The human teen was actually finding this all very amusing, offering a relaxed smile to the unsure Sitri. It had been some years since Sona turned into a stuttering, unsure shadow of herself while Rias lost all signs of composure and decided to enjoy the present moment like a child in a candy store.

Sona still did not answer for a moment. By her logic, there was only a chance to win in this circumstance. If she lost, she would only have to wait a month until she would be allowed to take Saji to the Forrest of Familiars. Not a bad downside, really. Sure, it would sting her pride to lose to Rias, but it was hardly something to worry about. And even the prospect of her challenging Naruto did not worry her as much as perhaps it should; they were friends, after all, and he never really struck her as one to go overboard in an attempt to harm his friends. And her Peerage was quite capable, if she would be so bold as to say. Enough to give her blond-haired friend a run for his money, she was certain.

By all accounts, there was a major gain to win – a Familiarity Contract and a wish from her capable friend – and only a minor price to pay should she lose.

The logic and math was there, but still she hesitated.

The reason was obvious, actually. Naruto's smile left her on edge. The way it twisted around his face – like a familiar cat in her favorite Charles Dodgson novel (his birthmarks not helping that image, in the least). The way it covered the lower part of his face but then stretched wide as if to say he knew something the others didn't. A fact which Sona never liked. Rare were the times where the child of Lucifer smiled in such a way. She could count them on one hand. And whenever the time came where that smile came into place, some unpleasantness or trickery soon followed. And it usually was to his amusement and everyone else's melancholy.

So yes. While Rias might have seen fit to put her hat into this competition without issue or regret, Sona allowed herself to hesitate-

"I accept."

-for a few moments longer.

Rias grinned only brighter at her friend's confirmation, with Naruto matching her excitement in a more controlled way. "Alright then," he said, "I guess all we have to do now is wait till-"

"Wait, hold on! I'm calling a timeout, here!"

Naruto actually turned his head to the origin of the noise. "Hmm? Yeah, what's up?"

Saji looked the blond human in the eye, pointing a finger to him. "What do you mean 'what's up?' This whole competition is-is-ridiculous!" He shouted in a voice most certainly not meant for the indoors. "How can you think to take on us all like that?! It's-it-IT JUST WON'T WORK! You're gonna get your ass-whooped, and then what?! Are we supposed to feel good about kicking some overconfident Devil's ass?!"

Naruto blinked at him. "Uh, actually, I'm not a Devil," he corrected, "I'm human."

Saji's uncomfortable expression only grew. "THAT'S EVEN WORSE!" The idea of having so many Devils against a single human seemed like a terrible one to him. Perhaps it was some lingering humanity that didn't want to dogpile a human so willingly? Or maybe the idea struck him as bullying?

Either way, Naruto tried to shake away the boy's uncertainties a smile and a worriless laugh. "Ah, don't worry about me! I'll be fine! I promise, you won't hurt me!"

Now Saji had an expression which seemed equal parts shocked and aggravated. "And-AND WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"

Naruto felt a somewhat childish pleasure at his mocking. So this is what Kakashi-sensei felt like… "Oh, nothing," he said to the boy, making his tone as casual and nonchalant as possible, which only spurred the newest member of the Student Council further, "nothing at all."

He stepped around the table separating the Devils and himself, silently amused by Saji's mutterings and cursing as his fellow council members tried to settle him down with little success. The former Hokage could feel several pairs of eyes on his back as he began to move towards the door to the clubroom, leaving his audience watching him as he went.

But Asia decided to speak up, then. "Wait, Naruto-kun, where are you going?" She asked, speaking up for the first time since Sona's Peerage arrived. Her roommate had never left the clubroom before she was ready. The action left her surprised.

Naruto had a calm smile on his lips as he turned his head around. "I need to go out and grab a few things. Need to be ready for the big, scary Devils." His tone was absolutely mocking, no hint of worry to be found at the thought of taking on two Peerages worth of capable, adept Devils on his own. Although Saji made the most obvious face at being considered so casually by the blond in the room, the others held their thoughts on the matter to themselves. The Kings of the two Peerages eyed their friend warily and with narrowed eyes; knowing his capability and reputation, but having enough Devil Pride to not like being underestimated. "Remember! Five A.M., two miles north! Don't be late!"

Naruto gave a small wave to the party in the room, moving past Sona's less-than pleased looking Peerage and towards the clubroom's door.

"Oh, and I almost forgot! For next Saturday," The human teen spoke up again, pausing at the door and voice echoing loudly so everyone could hear, "I would definitely skip breakfast if I were you."

Both Peerages and Kings stared idly as Naruto turned his head slowly back to the occupants of the room. His eyes were closed, his smile was pleasant, and this foreboding sense of absolute dread oozed off his person.

"You'll regret it if you don't…you might even throw up…"

---

When compared to the rather exciting Monday, the rest of the week passed with relative ease for Naruto Uzumaki.

He went to class, he did his homework, assisted Asia in whatever she needed assistance in, and happened to be the watchful eye from across the road whenever the Bishop dealt with her clients – the same routines he had followed for around a month now. This pattern of work could be boring for the boy from time to time, but he did not complain. He performed a similar ritual of 'protective observation' with Rias and her Peerage on their first days out to support contractors. The nostalgia made him smile, and was further increased by thoughts of the coming weekend.

How will they do? He wondered once or twice. Kiba and Koneko both fared well and with minor issue against the Rogue Exorcists at the church the month before. He was proud of them, in that way. Although the rogues may have been, but they were numbered in greater quantities and held quite a number of holy items. Their survival and victory spoke volumes of their skill and talent.

Not to mention the fact that Naruto had seen neither hair or sign of the Knight or Rook since leaving them the night he issued the challenge.

He could only assume this meant his words were being taken seriously.

Then there was Akeno, who would perhaps pose the greatest challenge of the small Peerage. The young Queen was something of a natural when it came to the magical arts; her skill was honed and pushed well beyond what most Queens would be capable of with decades or even hundreds of years of study and practice. Her usual showings of magic were flashy, destructive and handled with relative ease. Naruto often found himself impressed in the rare showings of her power, but also found he needed to remind himself that, behind her cheerful and nonchalant ways of dealing with the world's situations, Akeno was still a woman trained and fully capable of killing.

But if it wasn't her abilities which didn't give him reason to care for his wellbeing in the coming days, it was knowledge of her character that did.

In addition to finding a certain glee when it came to showing off her prowess for combat, the dark-haired young woman also seemed to have found a liking in showcasing her endurance and pain threshold. The ex-Hokage could honestly say he never met someone like her and was almost glad for that fact. The expression she made when Rias' Peerage had been sent to deal with their first Stray Devil…it wasn't psychotic as much as if she were finding her onslaught of magical attacks to be the most riveting experience of her life. Not to mention the Stray's screams only seeming to push her forward to some sort of emotional high.

Naruto wasn't sure what to make of it all. In a military mindset, this sort of behavior would require psychological evaluations and therapy to get to the root of. But this wasn't the military, obviously. And true, having known Akeno for years, the blond could safely admit that, beyond her obvious joy for going into battle and being dealt pain onto herself, Rias' Queen was a well-rounded and kind individual with a charming and wonderful personality. Being powerful, bright, caring and very helpful in all manners of the Gremory Heiress's life, Naruto would admit that Rias had chosen a fine and powerful Queen.

But still…the way her face lit up when she threw a bolt of lightning down onto that runaway…he made it a point to never piss her off.

And similar to Kiba and Koneko, Naruto found Akeno suspiciously unavailable during the week. The only time he'd seen her, she'd walked into the room to deliver a round of snacks and drinks to Asia, himself, and her King before leaving quickly to pursue some other mode of work she failed to elaborate on.

But Naruto noticed her. She hid it well, but he noticed the way her clothes held to her skin through a thin layer of sweat. How her hair was only just disheveled out of its usual style, suggesting it was tied quickly and without the usual care given to it. Even the way her hands gave a slight shake when she handed Rias a cup of tea was a signal to him; a sign of intense working out or, as was more likely the case, concentrated spell-casting.

He would have to keep an eye open for her.

And then, finally, there was Rias; physically, she was superb. Agile, lithe and with still enough build to hold her own in a fight. No one would not deny the evidence that a steady workout routine was followed rigorously. And although her abilities focused more on her demonic potential, that was not to say she needed to be unfit. Rather, her abilities required just as much physical training and excellence as they did mental. And where Akeno found excellence in all manners of magical manipulation and control, Rias had always found her power in the art of destruction and ruin.

And then came her abilities as King. She held the trust of her Peerage, the presence and tone of leadership, and a military-taught understanding of using one's surroundings to their advantage. She understood the strengths and weakness of those around her and worked mental strategies to best place her Servants in a way to optimize the best results. With a bonus happenstance of having any and all feelings of concern of dishonor towards the idea of using another's weaknesses against them thrown as far from her mind as possible from a very young age.

The education of the Gremory Household had not gone to waste with their Heiress.

Rias would not be worn down easily, and with her motivation and powers, she very well could be the most dangerous or wildest of Naruto's challengers. And with her entire Peerage at her command, she would spare no expense in seeing her nephew brought to heel. They would come at him with everything they had and more. And coupled with Sona's Council, for whom Naruto had little knowledge of their ability or strength, there might have been a challenge ahead for the Uzumaki.

The thought left his aged mind with a feeling like childish glee.

---

Two miles north of the highway, Sakura Tree Clearing, nearing five A.M.

The clearing was quiet as the first students arrived onto its open field.

Of course, maybe to no one's surprise, Rias and Akeno walked casually first into the area, looking relatively rested and pleasantly pleased as they did so. Rias held the largest and most expectant smile between them, while Akeno only stood by her side and awaited the arrival of the others. Instead of their usual school uniforms, both had opted for a more comfortable, athletic-fit attire of sweats and loose jackets. Although it was nearing summer, the early morning air was still frigid and chilled, making their warmer choice in attire very appreciated.

The two took in the dew covered area then sat under the sakura tree, which offered a pleasant spot to wait under its fully bloomed leaves.

The next to arrive was Sona, but unlike Rias, she had opted to bring along her entire Peerage at the same moment. Whether this was meant to intimidate her friend and opponent or not was difficult to say, but Rias certainly felt amused by her appearance, trading a few quips and barbs at the other having the guts to show up.

Sona only showed mild amusement to her friend's cracks. She, like Rias, Akeno, and the rest of her Peerage, decided for a more physical, form-fitting choice in clothing, with a few of her members carrying items and belongings that were of some obvious importance to them. After their small greetings, the student council walked a small distance away, speaking in quiet whispers while a few members began pointing and motioning to spots around the area.

The Sitri's strategizing was in full motion.

But Rias wasn't worried, especially as her Knight and Rook entered the clearing. Kiba offered his friends and fellow club members a friendly wave, while Koneko repeated the gesture with held back yawn. The younger girl was a sleeper, Rias knew, and so insisted that Kiba assist in her waking. It seemed the order was well-made, as the ashen-haired teen walked towards the tree her King and Queen were using for cover, plopped herself down by its side, then comfortably fell into a dreamless sleep.

Rias allowed it, gently brushing her hair as she rested before speaking softly on what moves the three still-awake members of her Peerage would have make when their blond friend made his appearance.

It was nearly five minutes before five when Asia arrived at the clearing. This wasn't odd or strange, but the lack of her roommate's presence was met with quizzical looks.

"Um, Naruto-kun said he would be around soon," the Bishop told her King. "He-he was just getting a few things ready before I left. I'm sure he'll be here soon!"

Rias nodded, her mood not dampened and decided to begin relaying her plans and thoughts on their surroundings before his arrival.

And all the while, she smiled and looked as if it were her birthday.

---

Same location, 5:37 A.M.

Sona lifted a curious brow as her eyes took in the small specs of the sun rising over the edge of the surrounding woods. Her hand went to the edges of her outfit, lifting a bit of cloth to reveal a small wristwatch.

Her eyes narrowed at the time.

"He's late," she said, mostly to herself, while her council began to sit or stand idly around the grassy area. Some looked over the area, looking for the teen boy, while others had begun to laze about quietly in the grass. It was not commonplace for any of them to be awake at such an hour, and a few of her Peerage looked certainly unused to this hour of the day.

Saji was one of the few still standing. Her newest pawn was unquestionably the most eager of her Peerage – besides herself, of course – to do combat with Naruto. His pride was still wounded by being considered so half-heartedly, it seemed, and appeared ready and willing to prove wrong in his assessment.

His King could only give a small smile at his enthusiasm, crossing over to him. "You should relax," she told him, drawing his attention from the woods. "You'll need your head on straight if you want to beat someone like Naruto."

The taller boy shook his head. "I'm fine, Sona-san. I need to keep my head in the game," he turned his head back to the woods. "I'll show him. I swear, when I get my hands on him, Naruto Uzumaki won't know what hit him!" He made punching motions into the air, looking inspired at the idea of his defeating the human.

Sona watched him from the side. His enthusiasm was…endearing, she guessed. But she frowned all the same. "We'll take him together," she told him, her attitude towards him becoming harder and uncompromising, "don't do anything stupid, Saji. Naruto isn't the kind of guy you take on without a plan."

Her pawn recognized her tone as one not to be argued with, softening his expression and smiling sheepishly. "Ah, right. Um, sorry," Saji apologized, "I'm just excited, is all."

"And that's fine. Keep that feeling. But stick to the plan. One careless factor could put not only yourself, but the entire Peerage in jeopardy." The Sitri King adjusted her glasses over her face. Just around the edges, her gaze appeared frosty and cold. An unspoken warning towards her naïve Pawn. "Do I make myself clear?"

Gulp. "…C-crystal…"

---

Same location, 6:12 A.M.

Everyone in the Gremory Peerage laid by the sakura tree. It wasn't able to offer much in the way of shade, with the sun only just making its way of the tree line, but it had its comfort to it. Birds and other animals were loudly making their ways through the morning, the sounds of crickets and other insects slowly losing their volume over them.

There was a peace to it, in a way. Koneko was still able to sleep under the noise.

Kiba had begun to look disgruntled with the lack of happening in the area, bring out his phone several times to check the time, before letting out a long sigh and turning to Asia. "Uh, Asia-san? Did Naruto give any indication when he would be here?"

He asked the question on everyone's mind. "Ah, no. I'm afraid he didn't." Asia said, looking almost apologetic about it.

Kiba frowned, turning to Akeno, who had her phone pressed to her ear. "Anything?"

Akeno moved the phone from her ear, shaking her head. "Sorry, Kiba. Naruto-kun just isn't answering my calls." She lost track of how many times she'd called, but she guessed it was maybe ten or so times now. Sona herself had taken some time to make a few calls, each ending the same way. It was the only conversation either Peerage had in the area, with each unanswered call only pushing the morale of the teams further down.

Even Rias was starting to look put off by the lack of blond.

"Should we…go looking for him?" Asia asked, stifling a yawn and looking with tired eyes to her King.

Rias had considered it, thinking that it would not be some great sacrifice to send Asia back to her apartment to check. But her eyes always lingered to the Sitri team during such moments.

None of Sona's team looked ready to leave. They were laying around, relaxing on the grass.

She took note of their superior numbers and shook her head. "We'll wait," Rias told them, "Naruto should be here soon. He just…his phone probably died or something. He'll be here. I know he will."

---

Same location, 7:21 A.M.

"…I swear, ten minutes. I can go find Naruto, grab him, and be back here easy."

A reddish-brown haired young woman stared intensely into Sona's eyes, lifting ten fingers up to her as if it would assist in her explanation. The girl's expression was intense as she waited expectantly for an answer, even as the King raised a single, slender brow to her.

In the time passed since arriving at this spot, Sona had considered sending someone to venture forth and retrieve the rather absent boy. She'd considered it long before this moment.

Maybe her youngest Pawn? She was usually chipper and would enjoy the exercise and reason to move around. Or her Knight, the one who was speaking to her now, would make quick work of reaching Naruto's apartment in short order. Or she could have developed her own means of teleportation and appeared out the boy's apartment, if needed. Although the magic took time to prepare, and even her Bishops still needed work on their development of them, Sona was well-versed in space alteration magic. It would have been little trouble to her.

But then, Sona would cast her gaze over to her opponent's side. And while indeed, the obvious numerical advantage was to her benefit, Rias' Peerage certainly held more experience and expertise than her own. If she were to stand a chance against such experience, she would require every bit of strength her Peerage held, and even a single member missing in a crucial moment could tip the scales in her opponent's favor.

If Naruto arrived just as one of her Servants went away to look for him, it would cut her Peerage's fighting ability. Maybe just enough to mean defeat.

"That won't be necessary, Tomoe." Sona told the young girl – Tomoe Meguri, her Knight – calmly. "Naruto will be here soon, I'm sure of it. I wouldn't put it past him to be preparing something for us at this very moment…"

She told her this, but didn't look so sure. And Tomoe, although looking ready to argue, relented and backed off towards her previous spot. She didn't seem to have the energy to argue, maybe because of sleep her lack of breakfast, her King couldn't be sure. She had opted to forego breakfast, herself, deciding it would not do well for the Sitri heiress to…to puke in front of her friends and peers.

She felt confident in herself, though. A little missed breakfast wouldn't be a problem. She'd gone to school several times before without sustenance and had functioned just fine-

Grrrrrrrrrrr…

…She hoped no one heard that…

---

Same location, 7:53 A.M.

Koneko lifted herself carefully from the ground. Her mouth opened in a small yawn, raising a small hand to her eyes and wiping away dry rheum from them. She felt her stomach ache with emptiness, now somewhat cursing herself for not giving her friend's warning the finger and eating a pancake or five that morning. But Kiba had to remind her of Naruto's warning, and she reluctantly agreed that she did not feel like throwing up on a weekend.

Still huddled by the tree, Koneko looked over to her friends, who glanced over to her with what seemed to be forced smiles.

This made her curious enough before she took in the area around herself.

"…Where's Naruto?"

---

Same location, 8:34 A.M.

"AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH! WHERE THE HELL IS HE?!" Saji yelled out to the clearing, not caring if anyone would respond to him or not. Birds in the nearby trees stirred and flew off in fright, with the forests around quieting around him.

Both Peerages looked over to him, but barely acknowledged his shouts. Many were wondering the same thing, but hesitated to voice it themselves. Maybe because of some sense of pride or personal reputation or even due to the collective lack of energy around them. The waiting alone was proving a truer hassle to the psyches of the King's and their Peerages than they believed their challenger could have ever presented to them.

The morning was starting to warm up, the light breeze passing through was well-liked, but this lack of entertainment or happenings was boring to the teens. Many had hoped to be moving and fighting by now; maybe even finished and preparing the rest of their days ahead.

There is a saying that 'there is nothing more dangerous than a teen with too much free time' but it seemed more true to say 'nothing is more detrimental to a teen than too much free time.'

Still, whatever the saying was, no one looked happy with their over three-and-a-half hours of waiting.

Saji fell to the ground after, losing much of his temperament and now looking a bit miserable in his spot. He grumbled to himself, pulling at a few pieces of grass and letting it flow in the wind, slowly, before letting out a long, tired sigh.

Grrrr…

"…Shit…this is so stupid. And…I am sooo hungry..."

---

Same location, 8:52 A.M.

Naruto entered the clearing with a greeting wave of his hand. "Hey guys! Good morning!"

"YOU'RE LATE!"

"WHERE WERE YOU?!"

"WHAT THE HELL, NARUTO?!"

Naruto raised a casual hand behind the back of head, laughing almost regrettably. "Sorry I'm late. I was on my way when I just happened to get lost on the path here. I was trying to find my way back when I happened to come across a rather lovely walkway through a nearby park. And, well, I do like my walks. So I guess I just lost myself to my thoughts before remembering I had to meet you guys here…"

He offered something that looked like a pleasant smile to them. But his charm was met with…well…

"I'm going to gut him." A girl in Sona's Peerage growled out. "I am going to gut him with a goddamn smile on my face."

"I'll hold him down."

"I'll supply the tools…"

The amount of malevolence, mixed with some seeping levels of Demonic energy from certain teens, was a bit worrying at a glance.

"Uh, yes, well…" Naruto continued to smile but it looked forced and a bit sheepish to everyone, "maybe we should get started then, hmm?" He made his way towards the tree at the center of the clearing, ignoring to the best of his ability the openly hostile looks he was receiving from his associates and friends alike.

It was only as he passed by the two Peerages that anyone really took notice of the blond and his choice of clothing; tanned shorts, light-orange hoodie, and wrapped around his shoulder was a duffle bag. It was decently sized and filled with several somethings poking out at its sides. His choice in clothing, casual and bright, was curious enough. Surely, he wouldn't be able to move well in such an outfit. But the thick bag at his side is what really made the surrounding teens curious.

Naruto either didn't notice or care at the eyes around him, lowering his large bag to earth and undoing the zipper.

The effect was almost immediate.

From the zippered confines of the bag, a strong aroma of cooked meats, vegetables, spices and various other wonderful scents seeped out and around. The glorious smells swarmed the bag, filling the air with an unearthly warmth and almost making the area around it seem brighter and lively. The several pairs of eyes widened around the bag, scrambling and looking closer into the bag to see what could possibly make such a wonderful fragrance.

They imagined it was food of some sorts. And they weren't entirely wrong.

Instead of food, plain to see, there stood several boxes, tied together in a ribbon and stacked together in three rows.

Bentos, as they were known as by the Japanese people. The secret boxes of delicious goodness, revered by the masses. Even behind their closed confines, such a smell could pass out to the people around.

It made mouths water.

GRRRRRRRRR…

No one seemed to care whose stomach – or stomachs, as was more likely the case – growled then. Even the usually calm or nonchalant were finding the sight almost majestic in its wonder. Like tiny treasure chests inside a larger, admittedly uglier-looking chest, its prizes and worth hidden from the normal eye.

Who knew skipping breakfast could be so…disheartening.

Naruto, again, by either simple unawareness or choice, did not acknowledge the looks around him. Reaching into the side of the bag, at the corner of the boxed foods, the blond procured a small, black device and lifted it out from the bag.

A clock, as was obvious by its design, with the two ticking hands and the large bell on its top. Those around were curious as Naruto looked it over, smiling and twisting a small knob on its back a few times and producing a steady, loud clicking noise began to then rise from its behind.

Looking pleased, Naruto put the timepiece down to a small part of the tree. Then, with a few low groans from the teens, he zipped the duffle bag shut, cutting off the tempting smells.

"Alright. We're ready." He told the group, turning to address them. He stood tall, looking fit and ready, contrasting to the peers around them. Reaching into the hoodie's small pocket, Naruto procured a pair of small spheres, tied by small pieces of strings.

Those around him looked curiously at the two balls, before the blond gave them a light shake.

The two gave off a light ring.

"Bells!" Asia shouted, surprised. The others came to the same conclusion, staring at the two silver bells now with further curiosity.

"That's right, Asia. What I have here are two bells. And your job is to take these two bells from me before noon." He lowered the bells to the waist of his pants and, with a quick twitch of his fingers, managed to tie them both loosely to a strap. "The team which can't take a bell by noon will get no lunch," the eyes looked to the bag, then back to the blond as he lifted a free hand and gave a light pat to the sakura tree behind him, "and, I will personally tie the failing team to this tree."

Eyes widened at this part of the declaration. And Naruto's pleasant smile turned a bit wicked.

"And I will eat my lunch right in front of you. Because I can. Both Peerages need to only get one bell to avoid being tied to the tree. Are we clear on that?"

Everyone nodded, like children in school. This game of his was sounding…interesting, if nothing else.

The teenage minds of the Devils were making sense of the game, when one of them had a curious question come to their mind. "Wait, Naruto-kun," Rias spoke up, "what happens if we both get a bell?"

Saji caught on to her question. "Yeah, that's right! Who wins then?"

All eyes went back to Naruto, who shrugged. "Simple. I do."

"SAY WHAT?!"

Naruto actually laughed a little. "Yeah. That's one of the only ways I can win. That and keeping both bells." He pointed a finger to Rias. "The only way you can win is if you get one or both of the bells, and Sona's Peerage doesn't get anything. Similarly, if Sona gets one of the bells, or both, and you fail to retrieve one, then she wins." His finger turned to point at Sona. "However, if both you and the other Peerage holds a bell by the end, then neither team wins." He paused for a second, and shrugged again. "Or loses, I guess. But I would consider it my win by default."

"But, then, if no one wins or loses," a silver-haired girl from Sona's Peerage spoke up, "who goes to the Familiar Forest? Who gets a Familiar?"

Sona and Rias, together, voiced a question of their own. "Who wins the bet?"

Naruto stared down to the staring, quizzical eyes around him. They all appeared expectant, waiting for his answer.

The young man could only let out a long sigh, shaking his head, and looking almost as tired as those around him. "What, I wasn't clear? If no one wins, no one gets what they want. If I'm not impressed with either team then there will be no Familiar Forest, no Familiar, and definitely no wish. Do you understand?"

---

There was a light horror, now, on the Kings' faces. The blond's words were not minced. They were uncompromising. Almost cruel.

Gone were the usual, joyful blond. And now, this Naruto, who they'd never seen before, had taken his place.

And it seemed the Peerages reflected similar feelings.

"Hey, hey, come on guys! Relax!"

Or, at least for the most part.

"We haven't lost yet! We can still do this!" Saji was the first to speak up over the downtrodden looks, raising himself high and looking to his friends and, admittedly, associates-who-were-also-presently-enemies. "He's one guy! We're an entire Peerage. Two of them! We'll just…dogpile him and we'll get those bells, no sweat!" He finished his rallying speech with a thrown fist into the air, smiling widely as if he wasn't one of the many who looked ready to grovel at the bag of food before.

And actually, for a moment, it seemed to relieve some of the tension in the Peerages. And for a small, brief instant, it looked as if he were able to build the morale, even a little, back into the teens.

It was a nice moment.

Then Naruto shook his head. "I wouldn't be speaking so loudly, if I were you. New Pawns should remember why they're the lowest pieces in every Peerage."

Okay, now he was being cruel.

Everyone stared between the two blonds. Sona's Peerage began to glare, aggression now taking over their former fears and uncertainties. Even Sona had a rather nasty look come across her eyes, pointed towards the orchestrator of this little challenge. Rias and her Peerage, knowing the boy better than almost everyone from Sona's Peerage, could only wonder just who was talking through their friend. Never, not even during times where they were tasked with facing Strays, had Naruto Uzumaki acted in such a way.

No sign of joking or good humor.

That sort of sight was unnerving on someone like Naruto.

They decided they didn't like it.

And with Saji, well…it was something of a point of pride for himself to be one of Sona's Pawns. He took the position with some measure of self-confidence and joy, knowing it was the lowest part in the totem pole of the Peerage system but never let it bother. Devils long before him had managed to raise themselves from the lower ranks to positions of power and reputation. And, like most pawns, a part of him wanted to show his worth. To rise up in the hierarchy.

Before his resurrection, Saji was made aware of this system and where he would stand in the grand scheme of the Underworld. And though he hid his feelings behind a smile and never told aloud how he felt on such a system, to be told he would begin so low and be considered so insignificantly, had bothered the young man. He did not want his new King to think less of him for being so downtrodden by his small feelings.

But his King was wise. She knew how he must have felt. She did have a Pawn before him, and had discovered how the usual newly made Pawn reacted to such news. And so she confessed, after his resurrection and to his great wonder and enjoyment, that he himself had taken, not one, but four of his King's precious Pawn Evil Pieces. A rare thing to occur, which signified a new Devil's inner potential.

To Saji, being told this had nearly brought him to tears. To be told he had worth by someone he admired deeply.

It had honestly been one of the best days of his life.

But now, this guy, who dismissed him and threw mud at the thing which gave him pride, thought he could do away with his words without quarrel or issue. Just like that!

The lone male council member would not take this insult, reaching his left arm out and pointing it towards Naruto. "That's it! You asked for this! Absorption Line, set up!"

The air around Saji's hand shimmered and twisted with a violet glow, compressing the light to the middle of his hand before it twisted into a blackish form of sorts. The light continued to encase itself further around this developing black form, growing and developing ridges and features that were too precise to simply be coincidental. It wrapped around its creator's hand, forming an almost gauntlet around the hand. Around its top, just by the knuckles of the hand, a small opening like a mouth formed, with a pair of violet pearls developing just above it all, looking as if they were a pair of eyes. And once the formation and violet light had dissipated, and the black form stopped in its growth on his hand, something which resembled a baby lizard had effectively bonded himself to the hand.

This was a Sacred Gear. The recognized Black Dragon's Pulse.

Absorption Line.

Naruto regarded this transformation of Saji's arm with a raised eye. Said boy proceeded to bring his now geared arm back, appearing as if readying himself to punch the air. "Now, Absorption Line! Atta-!"

FWOOSH!

"Okay, okay, let's settle down now."

Saji actually stopped in his motion. Not because of the other blond's words, those wouldn't have stopped him then. No, instead his hand, his stature, and even his head were suddenly rendered motionless by what felt like two iron claws grabbing his geared arm and head. He could feel the rough skin of fingers in his hair, uncomfortable and uncompromising in their hold. And his hand was no different, except it had now been twisted around to have placed the mouth of Absorption Line close to where the back of his head was.

He couldn't even turn his eyes around, try as he might for a few seconds. The fingers were constricting and infallible in their hold. But he knew that the voice of Naruto Uzumaki was definitely coming from right behind him.

One moment, he was in front of him, standing under the tree.

The next, he had effectively rendered the Pawn of the Sitri Household helpless.

H-how? How did he – he was so FAST! The Sacred Gear user actually felt what he could imagine was what people called 'a cold sweat' slowly make its way down his brow.

Naruto actually let out what sounded like an annoyed sigh behind him. "Would you slow down for a moment…we haven't even started yet." His nonchalant way of talking still made the whole moment twice as unnerving for those around him. As if this circumstance were common occurrence.

To his credit, though, Naruto actually did turn his eyes around the small place and look to the group of teens.

Kiba had his eyes wide and watching. He probably only just managed to keep an eye on Naruto. Koneko, who usually looked so uncaring to a situation, now had her stance widened and looked ready for combat. Akeno didn't appear too unperturbed but had lost her friendly features watching him. One of her hands was flat palmed and, though not too noticeably shown, shined quietly with power. Rias didn't seem to believe Naruto's words or actions still, but looked about a second away from ordering him to release her friend's Pawn.

And Asia…her face was just full of worry. For both of the blonds, it seemed.

And that was to say nothing of Sona or her Peerage. Friend or not, the Sitri King was not so weak-willed as to allow someone in her Peerage be hurt if it was uncalled for. And although Saji had made the first move, she didn't expect Naruto to be phased by her newest member's still growing power. To cause him injury would have been excessive. And that said nothing of her peers, whom looked just as ready to make a move should Naruto pose a threat to their fellow council member and friend.

It was almost touching. But everyone's faces had something else in common that Naruto noticed easily.

Everyone looked nervous and unsure of what would happen next. Not quite scared or afraid but definitely conscious of what was happening in front of them.

Naruto Uzumaki, placing the attack-point of Saji's Sacred Gear, to Saji's head. Pointblank.

…Maybe I went a bit far here…

Naruto was actually starting to feel bad. Sure, he expected and was trying to get this kind of reaction out of the boy, like how he got a reaction from his old sensei. At the time, the show of ability and speed seemed almost cool and showcased that the man was not to be taken lightly. Truly worthy of his high rank and position.

But Naruto was mentally smacking himself for not remembering the abrupt fear he felt towards his sensei when he handled his aggressiveness with a very similar motion to what he just used. The knife to the back of his head, to the soft part of the skull, and the way he was handled as if he were little more than a child throwing a fit (which he kinda was, by his embarrassed admittance, but that was beside the point). And although he tempered that fear well after and managed to fight without hesitation, it was mostly out of the consideration that his sensei wouldn't likely kill him.

Did the Devils know he had no intention of doing harm to them? That they were meant to attack him with the intention to kill and not the other way around?

Now, mind you, he didn't feel all that bad about what he did. He certainly didn't have any intentions to hurt the boy. And, for the most part, he was planning to take this day as if it were a small game. Like when he messed with his grandkids while they spewed fireballs and threw sharpened tools at his head – he could handle them just fine without any real concern, got a small workout for his troubles, and enjoyed his time with each of them.

But the teens weren't his kids, grandkids or ninjas in-training. They were teens. Devils, yes, but still mostly teenagers and even former human teenagers who'd more than likely never seen any real combat in their short lives.

So the former ninja decided that, maybe, he needed to fix this.

"Buuuut," Naruto started, loosening his grip from the back of Saji's head and hand and stepping away from him in the hopes of cooling the increasingly tense air coming from the boy's Peerage. Saji's instinct was to moved away from his handler quickly before turning back to the boy, still shocked at being handled so easily. But before a sense of defeat or weakness could set itself inside himself, the human boy put on a genuine, almost kind smile to his face, catching his former captive's attention, "You did have the right temperament there. I can respect that." Naruto slowly slid his hands into his jacket's pocket, a non-threatening or aggressive gesture, and actually let off a small laugh, "Hmm…well, what can I say? Maybe Sona-chan really did choose a good Pawn, after all."

He offered a casual shrug, as if he weren't sure himself, and left it at that.

Moving away from the tree and past the two groups – while sending what he hoped came off as a quick apologetic grin to the Sitri party – Naruto moved to stand some ten feet from his friends and now challengers. He didn't notice Saji's look, for which the male council member was silently grateful for, as he looked to be embarrassed by the boy's the secondhand compliment.

But the shocked expression was gone now. And Genshirou Saji looked ready for a fight.

The former Ninja gave a look to the forests around him, checking out the area he had to work with before turning back to the teen Devils. "Okay, no more waiting around! Are we doing this or not?!"

His yell was meant to enthuse the two groups, and it seemed it worked. Suddenly, both Peerages were looked hard and ready as they stood on opposite sides of one another. A few crept away and further towards their prospective groups, eyeing the other carefully with sideways glances towards the lone ninja.

The human teen raised his hand to the sky.

"Everyone, get ready!"

Sona's Peerage got into several stances. One young woman – the previously mentioned Tomoe Meguri –procured a long, slender sword from a long sheath at her side; a long, double-edged blade which shined under the day's sun. Another of the girls pulled out what looked like a short sword attached to a black staff, twisting the weapon around herself before pointing it downward at an angle towards Naruto's person. Saji already had his Sacred Gear ready and pointed forward, aimed still at Naruto but not looking nearly as fierce or troubled as before. And several other members procured floating sigils and magical formations around their hands or person, with Sona herself holding a pair of large, intimidating sapphire-colored glyphs almost half the size of her person.

"And…"

Rias' Peerage followed suit. Kiba placed his hand to the earth below him, causing the soft soil to glow brightly. From the ground rose a long, black-edged katana, which he himself pulled forth quickly, gave a few practice swings with, and readied himself into a stance. Koneko, looking steely-eyed, pulled a familiar pair of black, fingerless gloves from her pockets and fastened them to her hands tightly. Asia, not one for combat, stepped back and away from the others. Akeno, like those from Sona's Peerage, had erected a few golden sigils around her person, smiling almost wickedly as she looked over her opponents. And as for Rias, her person glowed with blood-red power, compressing itself around her hands and looking almost as if it desired nothing more than to destroy anything its conjurer wished.

Naruto looked back to the two group, now ready, and threw down his arm.

"BEGIN!"

---

And done!

Thirty-three-thousand not so easy words to put together (plus a thousand in author notes)!

Only took me half-a-year or so to finish!

So, let's see what's happened in that time:

Bleach ended (my Ichiruki pairing part of my soul is crying).

Boruto has a new series (still trying to work my head around the canonicity of this story and the Boruto story, I'll keep people posted on that).

We're still working on the President part of the United States (holy crap, I am NOT going near that with a ten-foot pole).

Watched and read Gate: Jieitai Kano Chi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri. And I recommend it to people who don't think too much on it. Otherwise, you realize (and I apologize for this rant, I feel I'm better than this) that the author's a hypocritical, pro-militaristic over-patriot who only thinks Japan is good and every other big name country is evil. Seriously not kidding here, great and fun series, but the author is a bit of a right-wing nationalist with his story and his extreme pro-Japan idealisms you can see in the reading (which makes sense, as most author's ideals and beliefs can be found through reading their work). It can get a little unnerving and irritating. The author has a talent for words, I'll give him that, and it really is fun to read the manga or even watch the lighter anime, but suspend your brain's careful thinking on the matters. Otherwise, it can be off-putting for foreigners.

Dragon Ball Super is a thing. Has been for a while, but decided to binge watch the episodes recently after the show picked up. And…I think I'll just stick with Funimation's Dragon Ball Z or Kai from now on. Super just doesn't appeal to me (may be the Japanese voices, you just can't beat the dubbed voices in this case).

Almost time for Doctor Strange (please don't mess this up, please don't mess this up, please don't mess this up…)

I discovered the Bleach (S), SAO and How to be an Adventure Abridged series (HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEM, FIND THEM ON YOUTUBE NOW).

Tigers are making a comeback in population numbers (good for them, favorite animal here).

Pokemon Go made me get fit (TEAM VALOR, BABY!).

And I've started writing my own book, online comic and cartoon script. Just wanted to see if I could, plus I would love a writing position for something in the future (as would every other fanfiction writer, I'm sure). Will be posting the comic on deviantart, with a link to it on my page as soon as I get a few pages done.

…

…

…I think that's most of the cool stuff I care about.

Pointless drabble to others. Me? I am pleased.

Sorry for the long A.N.

Anyway, as a favor, please tell me what you thought of this chapter either through review or PM, if you prefer. I TRIED to take your words and considerations, harsh though some may be, in so that I could improve as a writer. With the detail in my last two chapters being difficult for some (I WARNED YOU! I WARNED YOU IT WOULD BE HARD!).

I am a detailed person, but I can see how reading so much detail can hurt the eyes. Especially with how FF makes you read stories (prefer iBooks myself, in that regard) so I will try to aim for less detail when I can.

I make no promises, however.

Now, with that said, a little snippet of the next chapter.

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…

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Next Time on The Beast of Gremory:

Naruto finds himself pressed against the full might of two very determined Peerages. Can he handle the pressure?

Fights will be fought, insults will be thrown, and…is that FLIRTING?!

Who will win the right to a Familiar? Who will win the bet for one wish?!

It's a Peerage vs Peerage vs Uzumaki Showdown! And it's gonna be goooooood!

Find out what happens next in the second chapter of Book 2:

'God's Got One Hell of an Alarm Clock!'

SEE YOU SOON!