Note: Sorry about the wait for this, decided to take some time off as I mentioned on my profile. I've been pretty much writing every day or every other day new and old stories for the past year or so and decided August was gonna be like "vacation time'" I suppose.
If any of y'all read chapters for my other DxD fic "The Catalyst" both chapters 3 and 4 are currently published on my P4tr3on, so if you want to read them with early access you can consider going over there. If you don't care about that, just ignore this message. I felt like people should have the offer, in case they were interested.
Anyhow, as you were on a guest account, JayLito - Good to hear from you man, if you want to chat again just let me know, and it's all good.
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改行
-Chapter 13-
Confirmation.
改行
Naruto stretched as he walked around on top of the roof of Kuoh Academy, his eyes darting out over the academy grounds that were just dimly lit by the moon and the occasional scattered lampposts that lit some of the paths between the different buildings and club-designated areas.
It had been two days since he'd started his new project with Kuroka. The dark-haired woman had been over the past two days and even stayed the night in the guest room as they'd practically been having the nerdiest time of his life.
It was most probably because of how much it reminded him of senjutsu from his old life, but he was also having a ton of genuine fun.
To him, it also felt like she was having a good time, even when he didn't understand what she meant, and then had to explain it a couple of times for him to properly understand it all.
In short, unless he misunderstood it, she was also having fun doing something more lighthearted compared to what their usual relationship was about.
Which in turn made him able to see more of the person she actually was. Sure he'd seen it before, but she was behaving a lot more laid back around his and his peerage's home these days, to the extent that Kurama had started to call her a couch dweller.
She'd denied it of course, but it was very much amusing to see. In the end he was just glad that they were all getting along properly.
Though he was soon pulled out from his line of thought, as he heard footsteps approach him.
"You're late," A voice called out from his left, and the dark-haired boy turned his head to send a sheepish smile in the direction of the crimson-haired heiress of the Gremory household.
Not wanting to miss his chance to do something he'd always wanted, he lazily waved his hand, "I got lost on the road of life," He chuckled, but then thought about it once more, "How can you tell me I'm the one who is late when you arrived after me?"
Rias rolled her eyes and crossed her arms under her chest, "That's got to be the tardiest excuse I've ever heard," Though there was a hint of humor in her tone, "And I can say that because I was here first when you didn't show up I decided to take a small walk back to the ORC to see if everyone had gotten home safely."
"You make it sound like I'm some side character with a quest in a video game," Naruto sweatdropped.
The crimson-haired girl tilted her head in a mischievous manner, "Oh? Are you not?"
"Nah, that ain't me," He responded with a shake of his head.
With a look of amusement, Rias walked up to stand in front of him, "Really now? Then which character would you be?"
Naruto shrugged his shoulders as if the answer was easy, "The main character, duh."
Rias shook her head with a small sigh escaping her lips, "You're so full of yourself… Anyway, where is your new bestie hiding? I figured you two would arrive together. Speaking of, I'm amazed you managed to convince her to meet here instead of on neutral grounds."
The Sitri let out a small grunt as he sat down at the edge of the building, his legs dangling over it, "She'll be here soon enough, she's probably making a quick reconnaissance to make sure it isn't some kind of ambush."
"She thinks I'd do that? And even go as far as to loop you into helping me out with it?" Rias asked with an uncertain look in her eyes.
Naruto shook his head, "No, well, I don't think so at least. There, however, isn't a thing as being too careful in her situation. If this had turned out to be the biggest lie I've told in my life, I'm sure she'd rather have been ready for it instead of just blindly trusting everything I say."
Feeling more relaxed, Rias nodded in acceptance, "That's fair enough… Good that she is being careful, devils might not all be bad but there are some bad apples among us."
"Exactly, so I don't blame her for being a little bit careful. Especially since I had suddenly suggested that we do it here," He chuckled.
"Why did you ask to meet here instead? You didn't even give me a reason," She questioned curiously.
Lifting his legs up to cross them on the roof instead, Naruto propped his elbow down on his leg and raised his palm to rest his cheek on it, "I have a surprise for her."
"Naruto…"
"Don't worry, it isn't anything bad. I think it's something she really needs, and I can only really give it to her here because eh… Well, it's somewhat out of my control," He pondered out loud, as he watched the windows of a couple of classrooms to try and spot what he was looking for.
The Gremory heiress hummed thoughtfully, "Well, that's nice of you at least. Even though you're leaving me quite curious… Y'know, you're a very strange devil."
"Are you and Sona having some kind of contest to see who can insult me most?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
Taken back by the sudden question, Rias shook her head with an amused laugh, "No, no, not at all! It's just that… You're a bit strange per devil standards, y'know, many devils have some kind of sin… Things like greed, lust, stuff like that. Yet I don't think I've ever seen yours."
Naruto visibly became stiffer at the thought of it. He'd once been wondering a lot about why he became a devil, the common propaganda was that devils were evil, and thus he thought that since he'd been reborn as one… well, then perhaps he'd done something bad.
It took him a long while along with everything else to figure out why, but in the end, the only answer he came up with was that they weren't all evil. People like his sisters, and the few friends he'd managed to make, weren't bad people per se. Sure they could make extreme decisions, but that didn't make them bad.
Whether it was his devil blood or simply results from his previous life, he had a pretty good idea what his sins were. And it wasn't something he felt like openly sharing with just anyone.
"Well, let's just say you haven't seen them yet. Who knows, maybe I'm a lustful pervert. Maybe that's the reason I got a hot spring in my backyard, so I can peep on my female guests," He teased with a slight smirk.
Feeling the tip of a shoe kick into his side, he winced a bit at the flustered look on Rias' face, "I swear… You're hopeless sometimes."
"My, my, if I knew we were having this much fun I'd have hurried,"
Hearing the now familiar voice, Naruto grinned and stood back on his feet. Turning around, he came eye to eye with the raven-haired beauty walking his way, her amber eyes locked on him as a cheeky grin lifted her face.
"You made it," He greeted calmly, though a glance to Rias made him realize that he was the only one that wasn't at least a bit worried.
The Nekoshou nodded her head and put a hand on her hip, "Of course, I said I would, didn't I?"
"You sure did, so! Kuroka, let me introduce you to the king of Shirone's peerage, this is Rias Gremory." Naruto started, making a gesture with his hands toward Rias as he did the introduction.
The amber-eyed woman nodded her head in a greeting, "Pleased to meet ya."
Rias looked a bit uncertain for a bit, but given there had been no sign of hostility so far, she figured that there most likely wouldn't be any, "Likewise."
Kuroka eyed her for a second, before something caught her senses, "You seem a little on edge. Though I guess that's fair, given my so-called reputation probably precedes me."
"Yeah, sorry about that. I don't mean any offense by it, but given that Naruto is here I trust everything will be done without incident," The red-haired girl responded with a small smile.
With a mischievous smile Kuroka started to grin, and stepped up to Naruto's side to give him a slight elbow in the side, "I wonder why that is? Is our prince charming your knight in shining armor or something?"
Naruto rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest and gave a slight smirk, "No, but I already said I'm ready to go a few rounds with you. If you think you can keep up, that is."
Kuroka raised a brow and flicked her finger against his nose, "We've got company genius, out of context that sounds rather dirty. Imagine, she might think you meant sparring."
"Now who's bullying who?" Naruto replied with a glance toward Rias, who seemed very flustered at the innuendo that Kuroka had decided to imply
The raven-haired woman chuckled a bit and rested her hand on the taller boy's shoulder, "Yeah, yeah, I'll behave. Maybe. Oh well, should we get to the point already, or are we gonna play this verbal game of cat and mouse all night?"
Clearing his throat, the red-eyed devil gave a quick nod, "Right, well, we all know why we are here. Sirzechs and I have a plan, which is to clear Kuroka's name and prove her innocence. We already have those steps ready, the only issues that are unsettled at the moment are two things. First, we need to wait for some kind of event to draw attention away from the matter to kind of cover it up, so we don't upset certain factions more than we most likely will."
As Naruto paused, Rias took a deep breath, "And the other issue is the case around Koneko. I've agreed to hear you out, I trust Naruto a great deal which is why I'm open to potentially trusting you too," Rias paused, and looked at Kuroka, "Though I want to make sure that I do this first. She is part of my peerage, and thus my responsibility. I hope that the desire to keep her safe is not a problem."
Kuroka's hand tightened slightly as it clasped around Naruto's shoulder, she could feel the boy's eyes glancing at her as she breathed slowly to keep herself calm. It wasn't that the suggestion made her angry per se, but she felt that since it was her sister, it should be her responsibility to keep her dear sister safe.
"I must say that… I feel like that should be my place to do, but I also understand what you mean. As I said to Naruto, I'll entrust the two of you with her safety until I can do it myself again, since that's my sisterly duty," A rare kind of determination filled the woman's eyes, to which Naruto couldn't help but slightly smile.
Rias gave a slow nod of her head, "While I can accept that, I'll still continue to watch over her as she is a part of the house of Gremory now, but I will not stand in the way either."
With a slow nod, Kuroka seemed to visibly relax more and her grip on the boy's shoulder eased, "Alright… Well, do you want to hear my story now?"
There was a moment of silence before Rias shook her head, "No, I won't need to hear it."
"What?" Kuroka and Naruto asked in unison, looking at each other in slight surprise before turning back to Rias.
The Gremory raised her hands defensively, "I don't mean that in a bad way. I just don't think I need to hear it. I trust Naruto and my brother, and I know the matter is in safe hands. And I just, in general, wanted to see you for myself, and unless there is some kind of deception that no one has managed to see, then you genuinely care about your sister."
"Of course I do, she's my adorable little Shirone after all. I just want things to return to normal… Or well, as much as they can after everything that has happened," She opened up, making Rias give a small smile in return.
"I don't want to keep the chat short, but I've promised Akeno to meet somewhere. Some peerage business, so I hope you'll excuse me to be on my way."
Naruto nodded, "Sure, I don't have anything else to say. What about you?" He asked next, turning his head down to Kuroka who met his gaze.
Thinking about it for a second, the amber-eyed woman turned back, "Just one thing. I want to say I appreciate this chance."
"You're welcome," Rias smiled, "I trust we'll talk more soon about how we'll approach the thing with Koneko?"
Giving a quick thumbs up, Naruto responded, "Yeah, one of these days I'll bring Kurama along. We'll discuss the plan. We aren't completely finished with it yet, so it might take a few days to try and predict how the approach will go, but I'll give you a call once we're ready to figure out a time and place."
"Very well then, now, if you'll excuse me," Rias finished as a magic circle with the Gremory symbol in the middle. And soon disappeared from sight, leaving Kuroka and Naruto alone.
Kuroka removed her hand from Naruto's shoulder and took a few steps forward. Taking a deep breath of the chill night air, before she turned back to look at her new 'partner in crime' again, "I guess this concludes tonight, huh?"
"Hmm, not quite. There is still one more thing, but first of all; how're you feeling?" Naruto asked as he stuck his hands inside his pockets.
She raised a brow at him, "There is more?" Kuroka first asked, but then took a second to respond to his question, "I'm… good, I think. It was nice to clear the air and get another person in our corner. Makes the chance of us winning feel bigger, y'know?"
He nodded his head, "Yeah, though I have no doubt we're gonna win no matter what, but you're right. It does feel good to have someone in your corner, that's why I appreciate my peerage as much as I do."
Kuroka had to let out a small smirk at his optimism, "So what is it we're waiting for?"
Naruto grinned and sat down on the edge of the roof again, patting the seat beside him, "I got a surprise for you, come; sit with me."
With a small tilt of her head, she dropped down beside him, a mischievous glint in her amber eyes as she nudged him in the arm with her elbow, "If you're trying to romance me under the moonlight, then you need to try harder, pretty boy."
Knowing fully well that she was just teasing him, Naruto let out a chuckle and leaned back, and rested his weight on his palms, "Nah, that ain't it."
"Then what is it? C'mon, the anticipation is killing me here," She responded with a slight pout, resting her chin on her hand.
Pointing toward a section of the school, Naruto said in a quiet tone, "Look at the windows to the far right, ground floor, it should be there any minute now."
She hummed at the cryptic words before she turned her head toward the school building. Kuroka sat there silently for the next few minutes, but she soon started to get a bit restless and impatient.
Just as she was about to turn her head and question what exactly they were waiting for, the lights out in the hallway flicked on and one of the doors started to open.
Her amber eyes widened slowly in the next couple of seconds, like a small white-haired girl left one of the classrooms and started to walk down the hallway, a bag slumped onto her back as she walked.
"...Shirone?" She mouthed out quietly and started to lean forward to get a closer look.
Placing a hand on her shoulder so she wouldn't just fall over the edge of the roof, Naruto gave a small nod of his head but remained quiet.
The raven-haired woman's lips slowly curved upward as her eyes fell into a soft gaze, "She's grown so big now…"
Naruto stood up to his feet and took a few steps backward to leave the woman alone with her thoughts for a little bit. It was most likely the first occasion in a long time that she'd seen her sister so close up in person.
He couldn't help but smile at the look on her face as she watched her sister walk down the school's hallway until she rounded a corner and got out of sight.
Kuroka let out a soft breath as she fidgeted with her kimono for a solid minute or so.
"You alright?" Naruto asked slowly.
She seemed surprised to hear him but turned her head with a small nod nonetheless, and stood back up.
"Yeah, I'm okay. It was just a bit… I don't know how to explain it, I think I was caught off guard by your surprise," She admitted with a slightly sheepish look.
Naruto chuckled at her reaction, "I hope you mean that in a good way, I figured that you probably hadn't seen her for a while… And I wanted to show you some sign of faith, y'know?"
To his surprise, she gave the most genuine smile he'd seen to date, "Thank you… You probably don't know how much I needed that, not sure how to properly thank you though."
"No need to thank me, I'm happy to help," He chuckled idly.
Tilting her head slightly, she stepped closer with a small mischievous smirk, "My, my! If there's no price for your services I might require them more often."
"When you say it like that you make it sound very dirty," Naruto sweatdropped.
She rolled her eyes a bit, "That's the point, duh. Now do you want your thanks or not?"
"I just said you don't need to thank me." He repeated again.
Kuroka could only sigh at him, but stepped up to him nonetheless and wrapped her arms around him. Resting her chin against his shoulder, she let a smile split her face again, 'You might be a goofball, but you're alright.'
Surprised at first, Naruto felt her engage in a hug, he returned it with a small squeeze after a couple of seconds. While he didn't want to focus on it, he couldn't quite ignore how soft certain areas felt when pressed up against him like this. Since he wasn't as oblivious as he was in his previous life, he had no issue admitting that she was very beautiful, and this only managed to further fuel that line of thought he'd been developing.
Unbeknown to him, the Nekoshou was in the middle of having a similar thought process.
They stayed like that for a couple of seconds before the hug broke off, and Kuroka took a step back, "There, my fee is paid. So do you have any more surprises?"
"No more surprises, at least for now." He replied as he stuck his hands inside his pockets.
"That so?" She started and stretched her back, she didn't quite feel like going back just yet, the night was still young as they said, "Hey, wanna go out for a drink?"
"A drink?" He questioned.
Kuroka nodded, "Yeah, y'know, a type of liquid that makes you drunk."
He rolled his eyes at her, "I know what a drink is."
"Could've fooled me." She teased in return.
Naruto had to sigh at her playful attitude, "Sure, we can go for a drink. I wonder why though?"
Surprised at the question, Kuroka shrugged her shoulders as the wind rustled through her kimono, "I just don't feel like going back yet, plus, I have a few questions for you. And I think it'd be rather awkward to stand and talk on a roof all night, so I figured we might as well go somewhere warm and comfortable instead. Plus, I can feel the toll it's starting to take on me, y'know trying to stay hopeful can be rather exhausting."
He immediately understood what she meant. It couldn't be easy seeing her sister from such a short distance without being able to do anything, and inside just keep hoping that their plan wouldn't mess up.
"That's fine with me, so do you know a place? Got to admit I don't know the good drinking spots around here just yet," He admitted.
Kuroka gave a quick nod of her head, "Yeah I know a place, well, it's the only one I know considering I'm not usually around these parts. It's a nice enough place, just a small bar but the liquor is good."
Naruto chuckled and offered his arm, "Very well then, shall we?"
Snorting at his gesture she did a quick bump with her elbow against his arm before accepting it, "Just don't push your luck pretty boy."
"Wouldn't dream of it," He replied cheekily, as they started making their way toward the spot that the feline had in mind.
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The time Naruto returned home that night was around five in the morning. One drink had escalated to be a couple more than he had imagined, and in the end, the two had just sat and talked about anything and everything.
And the bar Kuroka had suggested was exactly how she'd described it, just a small and cozy place. A hole in the wall as some people would likely call it, so there weren't really that many people there. Which allowed them all the time in the world to just talk without too many interruptions aside from a few tipsy strangers wanting to give their own two cents on occasional topics they were talking about.
Since he'd been a recluse for the majority of his second childhood, he'd kind of forgotten how fun it could be to go out and do something like that.
Chuckling a bit to himself, he walked in through the front door and tossed his jacket and shoes into a corner, figuring that he could deal with it in the morning. He continued through the hallway and into the living room, where he spotted Kurama draped over the couch watching some show on the TV on his own.
The Youkai lifted his head in a lazy manner and rested it in the palm of his head, "Oh shucks, you're alive, I'll call off the search party," He remarked in a sarcastic tone.
"Very funny, now move your legs off the couch, I need to sit down," Naruto retorted and slumped down on the seat next to Kurama, throwing his feet up on the coffee table as he sunk down into the couch cushions.
Kurama raised a brow as he put his arm up on the armrest, "You reek of alcohol, are you drunk?"
With a shallow chuckle, Naruto waved his hand, "Past tense, I was drunk. Now I'm just tipsy."
The orange-haired man let out a snort and looked back at the show he'd been watching, "Did the meeting go that bad?"
Naruto raised a brow and looked at Kurama, "No, it went surprisingly well actually. Now, all we've gotta do is wait for a good moment to clear her name, and she'll finally be free. Well, that and to also start working with Koneko in regards to senjutsu, but I'll just leave the hard stuff to you since that's your area of expertise."
Kurama let out a slight hum, "Then why are you drunk? And yeah, I'll see what I can do. Just know that I can only introduce it to her, it won't be easy and she'll probably hate the idea. In the end, it's up to her, I can't force her to understand it or come to terms with it."
"I get that, and so does Kuroka, but still. She wanted me to say thanks, it means a lot that we're all willing to try and help out here. And I'm drunk cause Kuroka wanted to have a drink. All of this had taken its toll on her and she wanted to relax, not surprisingly though." Naruto responded.
The queen of his peerage waved him off, "Tell her it's no sweat. Guess you'll have to deal with a hangover tomorrow, first time for everything huh."
Naruto shook his head and sank further down into the pillows, "Nah, I'm a time mage. I can just push the time into reverse and feel fine, though I can't say the same for Kuroka though." He chuckled.
With an amused laugh, Kurama too slumped his feet up on the coffee table, "You should start making contracts like the Gremory girl, you could probably earn a fortune by selling the cure to hangovers."
"Got a feeling that supply and demand won't fit together, so I'd rather keep that trade secret in-house," Naruto snorted, "By the way, thanks for the favor."
Kurama looked at him from the corner of his eyes, "Hm?"
"Y'know, making sure Koneko hadn't left the school. Would be a tad bit anticlimactic if I had said there was a surprise and then left her hanging," The dark-haired boy sweatdropped.
"Oh yeah that, no problem. I'd rather do that instead of listening to Veldora ruining his pants over a new manga he discovered, I swear I have no idea where he gets the funds for that stuff," Kurama mused.
The Sitri had to let out a hollow chuckle, "I bet his bed is a few inches off the ground with all the manga stuffed beneath it, but I guess he's just taking advantage of our small fortune. Being a devil sure comes with a few quirks."
Kurama gave a slow nod of his head and turned back to watch his show. There was a couple of minutes worth of silence before the orange-haired man finally let out a breath he had been holding, "So, since you aren't going to bring it up, I will."
"Bring what up?" Naruto questioned.
With another sigh, he turned his head again, "When are you going to ask her out?"
Naruto blinked, "Who?"
"Didn't know we had an owl in the house," Kurama commented.
Rolling his eyes with an elbow planted firmly in his former Bijuu's side, Naruto shot him a glare, "Very funny shithead."
Kurama let out a quick grunt before rubbing his ribs, "I aim to please. Really though, when are you going to ask Kuroka out?"
"Why would I do that? I don't know her that well." Naruto asked, and soon found the ceiling much more interesting.
This time it was Kurama's turn to roll his eyes, "Please, you practically know her life story at this rate. And don't try to dodge it, you two seem to have more fun than that kid Konohamaru and his group playing ninja back in the day."
"We've only known each other for so long though, don't you think that's kinda rushing it? I will admit I like hanging out with her, and it's fun. I just don't know…"
The Youkai shook his head, "In a world like this where people go on dates without ever having seen each other in person, no, I don't think it's rushed."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked curiously.
Kurama let out a sarcastic laugh, "For better or for worse this world has these terms that'd be beyond comprehension back in the elemental nations. Things like; internet, blind, and speed dating. Hell, I even saw a show on the TV the other day where people went on dates in a dark room, and the climax of the episode was them seeing each other for the first time."
Naruto laughed with him for a second, "Yeah, Veldora showed me some of those shows. Still kinda unbelievable to me."
"Listen, kid, if I'm to be serious for a minute you need to follow my line of thought here. This world is different, we're no longer in the elemental nations where you didn't know which day was your last. People died and it'd never make the front page, because that was just how life was back then," Kurama started, and took a look at the dark-haired devil to see if he was still following.
At this point Naruto had put his attention back to Kurama instead of the ceiling, his hands folded on his stomach, "Yeah I get that, but I just… don't know."
Sighing Kurama stood up from his seat on the couch and walked toward the door, but before he exited the room he leaned in against the frame, "You've already given up your right to live once, you sacrificed your bloody life. This world is different Naruto, and you have a right to be selfish at least once for everything you did."
Before Naruto could answer, Kurama quickly continued, "A date is nothing more than two people that are close getting to know each other under a bit more intimate circumstances, no one says you have to waltz up to her in a rain storm and get down on your knee with a bouquet of flowers."
"That sounds oddly specific," Naruto commented with a raised brow.
Kurama shrugged, "Veldora wanted to watch some anime but found some Korean drama shows instead, the damn fool nearly emptied two boxes worth of tissues."
"Sounds like him."
The Youkai let out a quick chuckle, "Yeah, but I need you to understand what I'm saying. You have a right to pursue something that might make you happy, and you might as well test the waters. If it works out, great, if it doesn't? Well then it isn't the end of your life, and I doubt you'd lose her as a friend if that was the case."
Naruto remained quiet as he took in the words because he knew to some extent that they were true, but there was still something bothering him deep down, "She doesn't really know who I am though… I'm an imposter in a stolen body, how am I supposed to explain that?"
"No matter what you decide to do, you can't keep that a secret for the rest of your life. Eventually, people close to you will find you slipping some things, and you'll need to explain it. You might as well start with the person that already let you in on her own secrets."
Once again Naruto remained quiet as he flipped the idea around in his head, though he didn't get much of a chance to reply before Kurama waved and started leaving.
"Just keep it in mind, as I said no one says that you have to do it now. Just hold onto the thought, and if it feels right then ask her. If it doesn't, no sweat. Anyway, I'm off to sleep."
Naruto nodded with a slight chuckle, "I thought you were watching the show?"
Kurama grunted, "It was boring anyway. Anyhow enough with this sappy stuff, for now. Later kid, I'm gonna catch some shut-eye."
"G'Night," Naruto replied and leaned his head back to continue staring at the ceiling.
改行
After Kurama had returned to bed that morning, Naruto had decided some air would do him good. After exiting the small mansion, he'd leaped onto the room and laid down to stare at the sky. Shikamaru had enjoyed this a lot, so he figured he might as well try and see what all the rage was about.
As he'd gotten comfortable, he folded his fingers underneath his head and let out a hollow laugh to himself, "I bet Ino and Sakura would have their day made if they saw me like this. Oh well, I never was one to overthink things. I might as well take it as it comes, no point in dwelling on what-ifs. Kurama might be right, I guess a broken clock can be right twice a day after all."
"Had you said that a couple of weeks ago, I'd have been tempted to disagree."
Naruto quickly sat up and turned his head around. As much as he felt that the voice was distant to him, he couldn't deny that it was familiar for one specific reason.
Standing up on his feet, the dark-haired boy turned around and met the gaze of the newcomer. His red eyes met the violet ones of the dark-haired bearded man standing in front of him, who was wearing a set of seemingly dark and noble robes, finished off with a black cape swung around his shoulders.
Naruto visibly fidgeted more in place as a sense of insecurity started to wash over him again, a feeling he'd grown way too used to feeling over the years of growing up in the underworld. Though despite the situation, it wasn't this man's fault, but just his own.
"Dad?" Naruto asked after a few seconds of silence.
Josiah Sitri, head of the house of Sitri, nodded swiftly in his son's direction, "How've you been, son?"
The younger Sitri tapped the tip of his foot against the roof as he dug his hands inside his pockets, "I've been fine… Man, this is awkward."
Lord Sitri gave a brief chuckle at his son's comment, "Why is that?"
Naruto let out a brief snort as a faint smile settled on his face, "Of all the problems I'm juggling around with, I hadn't expected an awkward family reunion on top of it all. It just took me a bit by surprise, that's all."
His father let out a seemingly amused grunt at the revelation, "That so? I see… I heard you're going to have an unofficial battle with your cousin of the Agares."
He gave a slow nod of his head, "Yeah that's right, it's here in a couple of days."
"I'll cut to the chase… I know that your childhood was anything but expected, and circumstances led to you being different from the rest of us. While your sisters were more consistent in regard to pursuing a proper family relationship with you, I can't help but feel as if I've failed as your father," The head of the Sitri revealed with a somber tone.
Naruto hurriedly shook his head, "No, you haven't failed. It was always my own fault. For some reason I always felt out of place, it's kinda hard to explain… I think I just needed to get away for a bit to gain some perspective."
Lord Sitri let out a few chuckles, "Still if I was unable to comfort and reaffirm you as your father I clearly didn't try hard enough. All I can hope is that I still have the chance to right my wrong."
With a loud sigh, Naruto slumped up against the chimney, "I got a feeling you'll match Sona's stubbornness about this, so I guess I'll just give up."
"Well she probably has it from somewhere within the family, and while I'd like to claim it as her mother's responsibility she'd probably beg to differ."
The red-eyed boy couldn't help but let out a laugh, "Yeah, knowing women… it'd probably be a bit of a discussion. One I'd rather not participate in."
Josiah let his lips curl upward into a slight smile, "I agree."
There was yet another brief moment of silence as the father and son duo stood and stared at each other, both seemingly waiting for the other to start the conversation again.
At this point in time, Naruto decided to be the one to continue the conversation for once, "So… Why are you here dad? Not to sound rude or anything, but I didn't expect visitors at… I guess it's about six in the morning now."
Josiah chuckled, "Forgive me, this was the earliest I could fit it into my schedule. Your older sister reminded me that I needed to make an effort so that you wouldn't drift further away now that you've moved out and properly begun your own life."
"Should've guessed. Whether or not she's here, she's still the queen of unexpected entries. I bet Sona would agree with me there," Naruto joked idly as he scratched his cheek.
With a shake of his head, Josiah pulled something out from under his arm and held it up in front of him, "I came here today because I wanted to give you this."
Now curious, Naruto stepped away from the chimney and walked closer to his father with a brow steadily rising upon his forehead, "What is it?"
For once smiling fully, Lord Sitri patted the fabric he was holding and dusted it off, "Long ago, my father wore this through his first battle and passed it on to me. His words were simple, I was to pass it on to my own son in due time if I had one. Like my father before me, I wore this robe through the great war."
"Dad…" Naruto started, but as his father held up a hand to silence him, he paused.
Josiah sighed, "This will be the first attempt at fixing the gap between us. Since you're now going to head into your first real fight. Even if it's an unofficial rating game, I want you to wear this if you want to." He finished and offered the article of clothing to Naruto.
The younger devil hesitantly accepted it and held it up into the light of one of the street lamps and unfolded it. As the fabric folded down, he realized that it was a black cloak with a large dark blue symbol of the Sitri house on the back. Several signs of usage along the fabric, but overall still in good shape compared to how old it supposedly was.
Deciding to try it on, Naruto flung it over his shoulders and clasped it shut around his neck.
Looking himself over for a brief moment, Naruto let out a sigh and rubbed his head, "Fine… but you better come and watch me then."
A small victorious grin split on the older devil's face as he nodded his head deeply, "I wouldn't miss it for the world. Now then… Tell me about your peerage."
改行
Finally, back after my break, I managed to get this done around the end of August so it'd be ready for when I came back.
B/N: sorry for the delay. I'm a lazy ass that procrastinated for… a few months.
I hope that Lord Sitri's name isn't throwing too many people off. I figured it'd be a bit awkward to just call him Lord Sitri whenever he was mentioned, especially since it's Naruto's dad in this story.
Got a small question for y'all: What did you think of Kurama pushing Naruto a bit? I talked with a few people in regard to him pushing Naruto toward asking Kuroka out, without forcing it. Kurama knows Naruto well, and he should know the signs of it all - plus he also says he doesn't need to rush ahead, just keep it in mind. I hope I did it well enough.