Note: This is three chapters worth of story! The (official) voice I pick for both Naruto of the 458th Universe and the Firebrandverse, after looking through several animes and video games in dub, will be Kyle McCarley. Having heard him in the upcoming BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle as Hyde, he sounded exactly like how I wanted Naruto to sound.
OP: Hot Blood by Nana Mizuki
Naruto, Shino, Chelsea, and Kagura had just returned to the Namikaze Household. The older Namikaze sibling congratulated Naruto for finding himself a girlfriend after so long, promising a nice feast she planned to prepare for tonight and that Shino and Kagura were invited to join. When they took off their shoes, he and the others noticed another pair of shoes. Was Seekvaira visiting again? When they entered the living room, they noticed Jiraiya having tea with a woman Naruto didn't know or recognize.
"Oh, Naruto, you and Chelsea are back," said Jiraiya.
"Yeah...Who's the lady?" Naruto asked.
"Shi-Chan!" Chelsea happily yelled, surprising the blond.
"It's been a while Chelsea," replied the smiling woman.
"How do you know her? Who is she?"
"That's right, you've never seen her until now. I only mentioned her once. This is Shizune Katō, she used to date your father." Hearing this, Naruto fell silent. In front of him right now...was his father's ex-lover.
"You look just like your father..." she told the blond. She walks up to him and attempts to hug him, only for Naruto to distance himself from her.
"Is she just visiting?"
"No, she is not. Starting today and so on, she'll be your legal guardian while I'm away on my book tour," Jiraiya answered, surprising everyone present.
"She's going to be living with us?" asked Naruto, voicing his disbelief.
"Yes, I am. It's so sudden, but I hope we can get along...as a family..."
"...Shino, let's go to my room." Looking at Naruto, she wondered what was going on in his head. Was this woman someone he despised? Figuring she'll ask him when he's ready, she nodded before following him up the stairs.
"It's nice to meet you Shizune. I'm Kagura Mikazuchi, Chelsea's girlfriend." Shizune turned her attention to Chelsea, a look of surprise on her face.
"You're..."
"Yes, she and I are a couple." Chelsea interrupted before telling her, "It's a long story."
"I have time to hear it, " the woman replied with a slight smile.
1 hour later...
Naruto's Room
"So she's your father's first love?" Shino asked as she read some of Naruto's manga while the latter worked on a Gundam. "She's very pretty," Naruto said nothing as he worked on a model kit.
"You barely said anything after your godfather told you Shizune was going to be living here as your guardian." said a worried Shino.
"I know nothing about her other than the fact that she and my father were "very acquainted." To just arrive after so long and start living here...Am I supposed to feel happy about it? Why decide to come into our lives now?"
"She must have her reasons for doing so. You should try to get to know her. It'd be nice to have a motherly figure around the-"
"She's not my mother," Naruto interrupts, looking angry. Realizing he unintentionally hurt Shino's feelings, he apologizesd Understanding, she tells him it was okay.
"...Were you closer to your mother?" Naruto only nodded before saying, "She can never be replaced." Having said that, he takes a look at a picture of a younger him and his mother Kushina on his desk.
"Chelsea already accepted her. I don't..." he finished.
"So having someone who's not his mother being his new mother is what's worrying him..." Shino thought to herself. The two are interrupted by Chelsea entering the room and telling Naruto that she needs him to grab some ingredients from the grocery, and for Shino to help her prepare for dinner tonight.
"I got it. I'll try to be back as soon as possible," Naruto told Shino before kissing her on the cheek, causing her to turn red as he lightly smiled and left his room.
"...You're definitely not going to get used to that any time soon," Chelsea told Shino. "So do I call you Shino-chan now?" This makes the girl turn a bright shade of red on her face.
Agares Mansion
"Nothing..." Seekvaira said to herself as she found herself at square one once more. Seekvaira had been trying to figure out the mystery behind Infernus ever since she was introduced to the demon. The Kindled One...The Primordial Demon of Fire...The Usurper of the First Flame...What was Infernus? Seekvaira comes out of her thoughts when she hears a woman enter her studies. The woman had long purple hair and red eyes and wore a light purple business suit that hid her curvaceous body.
"I'm sorry Seekvaira, I should've-"
"It's fine Scáthach, in fact, you came at a good time. I was just about to lose it," Seekvaira interrupts with a smile.
"Is it about Infernus?" asked Scáthach.
"We know nothing about him other than the simple fact that he's a demon and that he controls fire." Sighing, Seekvaira suggests that the two go out for drinks. "It's been a while since I last saw you so let's go out and drink, me and you...Actually, if I recall, someone wants to have dinner with me and make amends. Let's go bring "her" to dinner."
Elsewhere in Japan
"I wonder what Chelsea's planning on making for dinner..." Naruto asked himself as he carried three bags of groceries.
"...I'm going to have to sit at the same table as "her"...Should I eat in my room?" Deciding to take his mind off of it until he gets home, Naruto figured he'd get some junk food from the new convenience store that just opened on the street across from him.
Better Buy Convenience
Entering the store, Naruto was impressed by the overall simple but decorative style of the store had that attracted customers.
"I think I should do my junk food shopping here from now on."
"Welcome to Better Buy Convenience. Is this your first time here?" Turning around, Naruto is shocked to see the girl he saved from her attempted rapists. She works here now?
"Yo-You're-"
"Hmm? Have we met before?" asked the girl.
"Nope, this is the first time! Definitely the first time!" he replied.
"O-Okay..."
"Hey Seiko, do you know if- Oh, hey Naruto." Looking over her shoulder, Naruto is surprised to see Joichi again.
"JoJo?"
"I told you not to call me that. Only-"
"Now now Joichi, be nice to him." said the girl now known as Seiko.
"...If you say so."
"Is there something you need Joichi?"
"Yeah, I wanted to know if they were out of the special double-layered almond filled chocolates," said Joichi.
"Is your mother craving those right now?" she asked with a smile.
"Yeah. I swear, she never has cavities," Seiko informs him she was about to restock them and to wait before leaving to restock.
"...Girlfriend?"
"Yeah, she's my girlfriend. We've been dating for two years now." Joichi replied before smiling. "I saved her from being harassed by some gangsters. A few days later she came to me and asked me to be her boyfriend. I didn't really think of her as my type but...I slowly began to love her. I don't say "I love you" to her, but I'm sure that she knows it...Tell me, how did your date go?" asked Joichi. Naruto tells him what happened during their date, including the part where he and Shino had to stay at a love hotel until morning. During that part, Joichi held back the urge to laugh. After hearing that the two kissed and had become a couple, he congratulated him. "I hope you and her make amazing memories together."
"Thanks, JoJo."
"...I guess I'll let you call me that from now on," said Joichi as he tipped his hat with a slight smile on his face.
"Joichi, I restocked the chocolates. Now I have to get back to work."
"Alright thanks, Seiko." With a smile, Seiko blows a kiss towards him before going off.
"I'll let you get back to your business. See you later Naruto." With that, Joichi left to grab his chocolate while the blond devil went to grab some gummy candy. Looking through the aisles, Naruto noticed another familiar face. That of the petite girl with white hair and hazel eyes who was holding a cart full of assorted snacks. Turning her head, the girl noticed him right away.
"Hey..." Naruto replies, the girl doing the same. "It's been a while...How was the cake?"
"It was delicious," she answered. Finding the girl's gaze a bit intimidating, Naruto grabs the snacks he wanted before attempting to leave.
"I need your help." Naruto stops in place, turning his attention back towards the girl. "I can't decide on what ramen to choose." Walking over to the girl, he sees a shelf full of exotic cup noodle ramen. When asked what sort of ramen she was looking for, the girl said, "Surprise me." Looking at the selections, Naruto had to admit, even he would have a problem choosing between the flavors in front of him. As he was looking, he found one flavor that he remembered trying and enjoyed. Grabbing it, he hands it to her.
"Pineapple Salt Ramen, I consider it to be one of many rare gems in ramen flavors," he said with a smile.
"Pineapple?"
"Trust me, you won't be disappointed," Naruto replied. "Well, let me know how it tastes if we meet again." As soon as he said that, he went home, leaving the girl to look down at the packaged ramen in her hands.
Moka's House
Seekvaira and Scáthach had just arrived at Moka's front door. Right now, Seekvaira was nervous. How well will this dinner go? Was Moka even home? Setting her thoughts aside, Seekvaira rung the doorbell. The door opens.
"Good evening Moka, it's-" Seekvaira stopped her sentence as soon as the door opened completely. It wasn't her, but a woman who looked like she was in her 30s. Her body measurements were curvaceous, and she had an amazing pair of DD-Cup breasts. The woman had chin-length white hair and bright yellow eyes and tanned skin color, and she wore a white tank top and black yoga pants. The woman had a serious and intimidating look on her face that scared Seekvaira.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Sc-Scary!" was what Seekvaira thought when looking her in the eyes.
"You don't look like the usual mailman who brings Moka her loot crates."
"Seekvaira? I wasn't expecting you here." From behind the woman, Moka appeared, curious as to why Seekvaira and a mysterious but attractive purple-haired woman were in front of her house.
"You know them?" asked the white-haired woman.
"Yes, I had planned to have dinner with her tomorrow, but it seems that she wants to do it now," replied Moka. "Can you watch Kokoa while I'm gone?" The woman only nodded before letting Moka go with Seekvaira and Scáthach.
"A Devil's her friend huh...should I tell her?" The woman wondered. After thinking it through, she figured it wasn't her business unless her Master made it her business. She also knew that Moka could protect herself, otherwise...
"Archer, can you help me with my baking!?" Kokoa yelled from the kitchen.
"Sure, just hold on."
105 minutes later...
Namikaze Residence
"So good!" yelled Chelsea as she happily stuffed her mouth. Shizune, Chelsea, Shino, Kagura, and Akame had prepared a large dinner for everyone to eat together, with Jiraiya complimenting Shizune's skills, surprised she could cook now.
"I couldn't let Tsunade have just sake and sushi every day of the week," replied Shizune. "Is it good Naruto?" Caught off guard, he turns away and said it was good, though he didn't look psyched about it. Looking back, he looked at how happy everyone looked, and how different it felt to see Shizune sit in the same spot his mother used to sit. For once, the table was full. There weren't two empty chairs left now.
"Naruto? Are you okay?" asked Shizune. Embarrassed, Naruto ate at a fast rate while telling her that he was fine while his mouth was full and acting tough. Noticing how he acted just now, Shino smiled a bit.
40 minutes later...
"Well, I'm off. Be nice to Shizune while I'm gone."
"Okay," replied Naruto, Chelsea, and Akame.
"Shizune, take good care of them," he told her, with the latter replying by saying she'll treat them as if they were her own, which bothered Naruto. Putting his hat on, Jiraiya left through the front door.
"Well, time for bed. Come with me Kagura." Kagura blushed as Chelsea guided her lover to her bedroom. Akame decided to call it a night as well before going to her room. Shino offered to go wash the dishes before leaving Naruto and Shizune alone.
"So...I'm officially staying with you and your sisters..."
"It seems so..."
"...I know this is sudden. To come here and find someone you barely know living here with you. Since I'll be watching over you and your sisters, I'd like for us to get along Naruto," Shizune said as she smiles, opening her arms to him in an attempt to offer him a hug. Naruto said nothing before leaving to go to his room. This seemed to sadden Shizune.
"Give him time, I'm sure he'll warm up to you." Looking at Shino, she asked if she was Naruto's girlfriend.
"Ummm...Yeah...Wow, it's going to take a while to get used to being asked that," Shino replied.
"I can tell that Naruto doesn't like me. I'm sure Jiraiya told him that his father and I were..."close". I don't know how to get through to him, or how to connect with him...He's definitely not like his father..."
"I'm sure he'll come around..."
Escapade
Saitama, Japan
"Maaan, this hits the spot!" yelled a drunk Seekvaira, who began to down another glass of expensive liquor, with Moka just watching. After they had eaten dinner, Seekvaira had convinced the girl to come with her and Scarlett (Scáthach) to go out drinking.
"Seekvaira, you can really drink."
"Moka, let me ask you something. How does a girl like you...have such amazing hair?" Moka blushed when Drunk Seekvaira called her hair amazing.
"It's silver, with pink at the end. It's so exotic, I wish I could have hair like yours, mine is just so plain. I mean it's blonde. It's not special at all." Drunk Seekvaira complained to the girl.
"I think your hair is nice Seekvaira." Hearing Moka's compliment, Drunk Seekvaira is brought to tears as she hugs the surprised girl. "You're so nice Moka! I rarely have any girls my age who are as nice as you!" Moka lightly patted the girl's head in response. Feeling better, the drunk Agares girl asks Moka why she hasn't consumed any alcohol yet.
"Oh, I can't drink."
"What? Come on. Drink with me Moka-chan! We gotta celebrate this amazing friendship together." Sighing, Moka takes a small sip of alcohol before coughing.
"This tastes like nail polish!"
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." said a somewhat drunk Scáthach, a pyramid of empty glasses on her table. This left Moka bewildered. Looking down at her glass, she tries another sip.
"Huh, I'm actually getting used to this."
Several drinks later...
"So because of that prank, my sister Kokoa came to be known as Hot Kokoa!" Drunk Seekvaira couldn't help but laugh at Drunk Moka's story. Drunk Moka decided to join in on the laughs as well before letting out a big belch. The two girls laugh even harder following this.
"You are a very fun person Moka. No wonder why you're so popular with the guys and girls." The equally drunk Moka brushes it off saying she's just being herself and that the ones who use popularity to get what they want should kiss her ass.
"Seekvaira, Moka, I think you two have had enough to drink for one night."
"What? No, whatcha talking about? If anything, we haven't had enough to drink." Drunk Moka replied. "We're just getting started!"
"Unlike you two, I can handle my alcohol. Also, I think it's time we brought you home Moka."
"What? That blows, it's a Sunday night. Let's do more!" Drunk Moka told Scáthach.
"I agree, let's go get some Japanese Tacos! Instead of beef, they use fish for them! I never tried any but Naruto had some for lunch one time when he was at work and it made me hungry when he ate it!" Drunk Seekvaira yelled in a happy tone as she pumped her fist in the air. "There's a place that sells them 50 minutes away from here."
"Wait, how are we going to get there drunk and hungry? We walked all the way here, and the place closes in 2 hours." said a panicked Drunk Moka.
"Scarlett call an Uber, my phone currently has sooo many buttons right now it pisses me off and scares me at the same time!" Scáthach sighed as she agreed to call for a ride.
Naruto's Room
The new couple had spent a whole hour playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Switch, with Naruto constantly beating Shino.
"This time I'll beat you," she told her boyfriend.
"Are you sure you don't want to try another game Shino?"
"The next one, I'm sure I can be first!"
"What's going on here?" Looking to their right, they see Shizune enter the room, curious as to what the two were up to.
"I'm trying to beat Naruto in Mario Kart," Shino answered.
"Mario Kart huh? I played this a lot with Tsunade's younger brother Nawaki. Can I have a try?"
"Sure, I need to go use the bathroom," Shino said before handing her the controller and heading to the bathroom. When Shizune started sitting next to him and began to select her character, Naruto started feeling uncomfortable.
"I used to play video games with Nawaki like this...He's Tsunade's little brother. I even play video games with my Uncle Dan. We don't do it anymore since Nawaki is older now and became a JSDF soldier and Dan became head of his own hospital," Shizune told Naruto.
"I didn't ask..."
"I know..." Having selected her character (Rosalina), Shizune raced Naruto (Shy Guy), ending with the former winning first place. This surprised him. Looking at her, he was met with a grinning Shizune. "First try..."
"The next one will be different," he replied. Again, Naruto lost. As minutes went by, he found himself pulling a Shino. "This time I'll beat you."
"You can try...Shino has been in your bathroom for a while now...Are you having fun?" Shizune asked.
"It's not fun when you're not winning a single match," he told her before turning off the game console, deciding it was time for bed.
"We should play more games like this sometime."
"I doubt it..." This seemed to sadden Shizune a bit before she gave the blond a gentle smile, saying, "I'm okay with waiting. I'll eventually break that hard shell of yours, Naruto." Shizune got up before telling the blond good night and leaving. Getting up, Naruto noticed Shino coming out of the bathroom.
"How did it go?" she asked.
"...It was all right."
"Just all right?" Shino asked, a question mark appearing above her head.
"I'm not going to warm up to her," Naruto replied while looking away. Smiling, Shino asks if he enjoyed being competitive with Shizune. "...I will admit that she's good at racing games."
"Good enough for me." Scratching the back of his head, Naruto went to the bathroom as Shino prepared to go to bed.
"It was all right huh?"
Tacos of the Deep
"Mmmm...Mmmm!" the drunk Seekvaira and Moka savored every bite as they chowed on stack upon stacks of Fish Tacos as a bored Scáthach looked on.
"I can't get enough of this! This just tastes sooo good! In fact, I like this so much, I think I'm going to buy this establishment," Drunk Seekvaira declared. "That way, I can enjoy this every day."
"What? No way, nuh uh. That is selfish and you know it," replied the equally drunk Moka. "This is the people's fish tacos and I'll arm wrestle you for it." Taking the challenge, Seekvaira and Moka attempt to arm wrestle, only for the two to pass out and fall asleep.
"...Alright, I'm taking you two home," Scáthach told the sleeping girls, paying the bill before picking them up and leaving the restaurant.
Taxi
Waking up in a taxi, a now sober Seekvaira looks around and sees a sleeping Scáthach and Moka on her right.
"You and I have had too much to drink for tonight huh Moka?" Seekvaira said to the sleeping Moka.
"Naruto..." Seekvaira was surprised when the girl muttered her Rook's name. "I am sorry...It's my fault for not saving you." Tears flowed down Moka's face as she slept. Lightly smiling, the Agares girl gently pets Moka's hair. "There there now...All is okay..."
"Mmmm...That feels nice Naruto..." Hearing this, Seekvaira couldn't help but find it cute. "Nyahhhh..." Now, Seekvaira found Moka precious when the girl meowed like a cat. "I can see why Naruto finds her cute..." Slowly taking out her phone without waking them, Seekvaira takes a picture of Moka sleeping before taking another one where she's taking a selfie with the sleeping girls before sending the pictures to Naruto's phone before she resumed petting Moka. "This was a good night for us both..."
Moka's House
Opening the door, the mysterious woman says hello to Seekvaira and Scáthach before thanking them for taking Moka out as they handed her the sleeping girl. "Did she enjoy herself?"
"She had a really fun night," Seekvaira told the woman.
"Glad to hear it. Well, you two have a good night." With that, the woman closed the door behind her.
"Alright Scáthach, let's go home as well." Nodding, Scáthach and her King made their way back home on foot.
"I wonder, we can use magic to get home, yet you want to walk? Why's that?"
"It's nice to just have walks like these while gazing upon the stars..." Scáthach could only smile as she agreed with her King.
"The stars do look beautiful tonight..."
Namikaze Residence
Naruto's Room
In his bed, Shino lied asleep, smiling as she dreams. Naruto lays by her as he looks out the window and admires the starry sky. Hearing his phone buzzing, Naruto checks it to see the photos Seekvaira sent him. Smiling, he says, "My goodness..."
As the days went by, Naruto and Shino grew closer as time passed. As he promised, Naruto helped Shino move to the large one-room house across the street. Moka had helped the girl move as well, having made up with her best friend, their friendship strengthened. Shino's friend Kyouji Shinkawa, to Naruto's surprise, offered a helping hand as well, though the Rook was suspicious of Shinkawa's reason for helping the two out of the blue. Through Shino, Naruto and Kyouji became friends, though the latter kept his distance from the blond, either from envy for his relationship with Shino or from his fear of the Rook.
When Moka found out Naruto and Shino were dating, she approved, though inside, it hurt her seeing the two together. But as long as Naruto was happy, Moka was okay. During the days she and Naruto weren't hanging out, Moka would go hang out with Seekvaira, watching anime she'd recommend to the Agares girl, shopping, and going out for karaoke, with Chelsea joining them sometimes.
In "Fatal Bullet", Naruto had improved in skill thanks to Shino's tutoring, raising his AGI, DEX, LUK, and SEN stats to high levels while his STR and VIT stats were at mid levels. While playing, Naruto had found himself excelling in mid-close range combat, wielding a rare 8 gauge tactical shotgun and an ultra-rare flaming whip chain. To those who fought him, he was like a "video game demon", deflecting bullets with the chain while gunning them down with his shotgun. Due to his amazing agility and his mastery over his chosen weapons, he was given the title Helljumper. To Naruto, he couldn't help but find it a fitting name for him and decided to take the name for himself, even wearing a mask to make him look menacing (Arsene's face from Persona 5 Royal) in battle. With the skills he learned from playing Fatal Bullet, he used that in his fighting style, actually managing to almost defeat Alivian, who commended the blond Rook. When asked how he learned to move as he did, Naruto simply said, "I had a great medium to improve my moves."
At work, Naruto had completed a new invention: A pair of headphones that completely canceled sound around the user while enjoying music. It also functioned as hearing aids for deaf people. If endangered, the headphones would alert the listener to their surroundings and make sure that the listener was safe. It quickly became a popular music accessory for consumers and cosplayers alike, mainly due to the option to customize the headphones to their liking before purchase.
The relationship between Shizune and Naruto, sadly, didn't improve. While Naruto responds with a good morning to her, that was it. After that, he would just avoid her and mind his own business. Despite the lack of improvement, Shizune hoped that she'd find a way to connect with him. After all, if Naruto still said good morning to her, there was still hope for them.
During the days that passed, Naruto noticed more news of his Firebrand persona were popping up, people selling merchandise on Firebrand. That included t-shirts, hats, and tattoos, that asked what and who Firebrand was. He even saw a few graffiti art of him sprayed on walls. For him, he felt uneasy about having merchandise about him. He also didn't like the news calling him an unneeded vigilante who killed for justice. Yeah, he killed, but that was because the ones he killed were very bad people, people who raped, tortured, and killed for their amusement without being punished. the only times when Naruto didn't outright kill them was when they were just simple robbers and thieves. As long as they didn't unnecessarily kill someone or have a very shady personality, they won't end up being immolated, or worse.
It came as a surprise when Seekvaira found out about his vigilantism and allowed him to do what he wanted. Though she didn't like how he exposed himself, as long as the people didn't know who he was, she was okay with it. She even gave her Rook pointers on how to effectively become a better vigilante.
6 weeks later...
Agares Corp Building
Naruto's Office
As usual, a smiling Naruto was keeping himself busy with his own inventions, mainly on a pair of gloves that had a function he had yet to implement, which would help adjust the focus of his attacks should his powers increase. Entering the room, Seekvaira noticed Naruto's smile and asks what was going on that made him smile like that.
"Today is Kagura's birthday. Usually, I just give her books or some little trinkets that she likes to collect and put in her room. Since I got this job, I've been saving up my money to get her something she might like." When asked what he had in mind, Naruto showed her a picture of a beautifully crafted katana that had a sheath decorated with flowers and a bronze dragon enveloping it.
"Wow, that is an impressive sword," Seekvaira said, commenting on the masterpiece. When asked why no one has claimed the sword, Naruto said that the owner of the sword was scary and that they wouldn't dare buy the sword from the owner. He admitted that he never saw who it was and wondered why everyone found the owner scary.
"Knowing you, I'm sure you'll be able to buy the sword from him...or her."
"I hope so. Tell me, what brings you here Seekvaira? Are you just here to watch me work?"
"No, I'm here to fight you." Her answer surprised the blond. "If you want a reason why, I was put in another arranged marriage with some jerk, whom I immediately declined and sent away, but he wouldn't leave me alone. Finally, I got rid of him by telling him I'd make sure that I'd never let him reproduce if he were to lay a hand on me. The worst part of it was that I wanted to kick his ass, but since I couldn't really show my feisty side, given my image as an "elegant and somewhat graceful noblewoman", I couldn't do it."
"Am I hearing this right? Glasses wants to fight you?"
"I am curious about how she fights," Naruto told the flame demon.
"Basically, I'm a way to relieve that urge to beat up that guy?" Seekvaira answered with a yes, with Naruto agreeing to fight her.
"This'll be the first time you and I are going to see how we fight. I'll make sure to impress."
"Interesting, I was going to say the same thing. Just make sure it's not long because I need to be home before the birthday starts."
"Oh yeah, we'll definitely be done with the fight before that. I don't want you to miss her birthday."
Unknown Forest
Using teleportation, Seekvaira and Naruto arrive at a forest that will become their fighting grounds.
"No weapons, just magic and close combat. Agreed?"
"I'm okay with that." Seekvaira directs a smile towards the blond Rook before getting into her battle stance. Naruto transforms into Firebrand and tells his King he's ready.
"Alright...LET'S BEGIN!" Producing fireballs in both hands, Naruto throws them at Seekvaira, who quickly forms two tao mandalas and uses them to deflect the fireballs.
She quickly forms them into bladed fans and hurls them at Naruto, who avoids it before punching the ground, creating an eruption of fire that goes towards Seekvaira. To the Rook's astonishment, Seekvaira slammed her palm onto the ground, causing his attack to stop in place for a good two seconds and reversing the attack, sending it towards Naruto instead, knocking him back.
"Did she just kick my ass?"
"Wow, looks can be deceiving," said Infernus. Distracted, Naruto doesn't notice Seekvaira creating a fiery line that constantly emitted sparks, which she used to entangle Naruto's left arm. Pulling as hard as she can, she finds herself unable to pull the blond towards her. Realizing he's still in a fight, he effortlessly pulls his King towards him as he prepares a punch. Seeing this, the Agares King takes out a rune stone and quickly chants a shield incantation before her Rook's attack connects. Though she's sent flying backward with a lot of force, Seekvaira easily gets up without a scratch.
"How did-"
"Rune Magic, one of my other specialties." Naruto quickly goes on the offensive, closing the distance between them and preparing a flaming punch. Seekvaira blocks it with a mandala. Smirking, Naruto's attack creates a concussive force that goes through her defense and hits her from behind her shield. Seekvaira quickly recovers and takes to the air, sprouting wings and firing off several light bullets from her fingertip. The Rook quickly dodges the bullets through several evasive maneuvers that would make Black Panther or Captain America proud, not that they were real. Teleporting, Naruto appears behind Seekvaira and forms a spiraling sphere of concentrated flames, dubbed the Burning Sphere. Before it can connect, he sees that she's not underneath him anymore.
"Above you." Hearing this, Naruto's eyes widen when he realized she was above him now. Before he can ask her how she did it, he receives a kick from her, sending him crashing into the ground. Lucky for the Rook, an impact like that didn't hurt him. Looking up, he quickly caught a punch from Seekvaira.
"Wow, your hands are smooth Seekvaira." The King thanks her Rook for complimenting her skin before being asked what sort of lotion she used.
"Oh that's easy, I use-" Before she could say more, Naruto interrupts her by spewing a stream of flames from his mouth. She quickly but narrowly avoids it before creating distance between herself and her Rook.
"Wow, got distracted there for a second."
"Well, I guess that makes us ev-..." For some reason, Naruto's face flushed. Wondering why, Seekvaira noticed he wasn't looking at her. Looking down, she realized that the last attack had burned some of her clothes, exposing her breasts. Even Seekvaira's face turned red.
"DAAAMN! NOW I WANT TO SUCK ON THOSE BREASTS!" yelled Infernus.
"So that's how big they are without your bra holding them together..."
"Narutooooo..." The blond devil had a look of fear on his face as he witnessed his King emanating an aura of devil energy from her body. "I didn't give you permission to look at my breasts..." Covering her breasts with her left hand, Seekvaira got into a fighting stance that Naruto recognized as Bajiquan.
Before he could blink, Seekvaira was already in front of him. The King proceeded to throw several punches, kicks, and elbow strikes at the blond, who quickly but narrowly parried her strikes with his hands while avoiding her kicks by being quick on his feet. Back against a tree, Naruto ducks as Seekvaira destroys the tree behind him.
"I give up, I give up!" he yelled, but Seekvaira wasn't having it. In a large display of power, Seekvaira slams holographic constructs of a giant pair of Gundam boots onto her Rook, then she makes them into legs and then claps Naruto with large Gundam hands, before forming the body around her. She then forms the head and crushes him with it, assembling the whole Gundam around her after. Unable to move, Naruto was met with a 1.7 meter tall Unicorn Gundam made from his King's magic. Looking down upon her Rook, Seekvaira forms the Gundam's Beam Magnum in front of him.
"I THINK THIS IS GOING TOO FAR!" Naruto yelled. "Infernus, do something!"
"It was nice knowing you." Naruto was shocked when Infernus decided to let his host take the punishment.
"This'll only sting a lot..." With that, Seekvaira fires her attack.
Two hours later...
Opening his eyes, the Rook found his head laying on Seekvaira's lap. His King had some time to repair her clothes before laying his head on her lap, using her energy to heal him as he was unconscious.
"Oh, you're up," she said with a smile.
"...You're really strong Seekvaira. Had I been an actual enemy, you'd ground me."
"That's right Naruto, praise your amazing King," said Seekvaira, who couldn't help but proudly smile to herself.
"The first attack I used on you, how did you do all of that?" asked Naruto. Seekvaira goes on to explain that what he saw was her family's Time Magic. With it, she could freely manipulate time to an extent. She could increase her reaction time, reverse damages, and even stop it altogether, and that was only the tip of the iceberg. However, she admits that her ability to stop time is unmastered, only being allowed 3 seconds before time resumed. Seekvaira had used it when Naruto used his ground pound before reversing it to hit him instead. She also used it when Naruto was about to hit her with his Burning Sphere, stopping time so she could move out of the way and appear from above.
"That explains everything...I wouldn't mind fighting you again."
"Same here, I enjoyed sparring with you, up until the last few minutes...You were holding back during our fight, weren't you? An attack like that wouldn't hurt you at all." Naruto could only chuckle when asked the question. "No wonder why it felt so easy. That means your control over the amount of power you use has improved after your mission in Germany."
"...You can be scary when you're angry."
"Of course. I'll only allow you to see me in my underwear. I never allowed you to see my breasts exposed."
"It wasn't intentional..."
"Though I wouldn't mind if...Never mind."
"Well, I should-" Before he could get up, Seekvaira rests Naruto's head on her lap once more. "Just lay down for a while."
"See...Seekvaira..."
"It's been 4 weeks since we've hung out. You've been sent on missions, cooped up in your office, off being a vigilante, and hanging out with your girlfriend and your family. Have some time for your amazing and powerful King once in a while, even if all we do is this for now."
"...You know...It's been a very long time since my mother did this for me." Mentioning his mother, Naruto has a saddened expression on his face.
"Something wrong? You can tell me anything. After all, it's my duty as your King to make sure all my peerage members are happy."
"...My father had an ex...A first love named Shizune Katō." This surprised Seekvaira, who was unaware of his personal life, having been busy herself for the last two weeks. How much did she miss?
"She arrived the day after my date with Shino, and she's been living at my house since then. She sits on the same spot my mom used to sit...She plays video games as good as my mom...She even cooks as good as her." Listening to Naruto, Seekvaira understood what was going on. "I know I have to get along with her, but I don't know how to go about it."
"Huh, so you CAN be stubborn at times...From what you've told me about her, I see the problem."
"You do?"
"You're afraid of her." Hearing her answer, Naruto asked what she meant by being afraid of Shizune.
"You're afraid of Shizune replacing your mother. From what you've told me, everything about her reminds you of her. The cooking, the video games, the sitting area. As a result, you try to ignore and reject her. Am I right?" Naruto said nothing as she exposed him.
"I guess this is another reason why you're my King."
"Wow, keep the praises coming...So why fight it?"
"You're really sounding like a psychologist now." Seekvaira simply taps Naruto on the nose before calmly telling him to answer her question.
"...If there was a reason for it...I never got to say goodbye to her. Has Chelsea ever told you about what happened to my parents?"
"Yes, a former employee blew up the building, killing them."
"Chelsea never told you this, but Akame and I were on our way there with Jiraiya, to where my parents worked." Seekvaira had a look of sadness as he continued. "We saw the explosion happen. When the medics and the firemen came to check for survivors, my father was fatally wounded, at Death's door. My mother was the closest to the explosion and died instantly. We only got to say goodbye to my father before he passed. I haven't even visited their graves after the funeral..." Should her parents ever pass away, Seekvaira would also want to say goodbye to them. For her Rook to not be able to do the same for his mother...
"...You don't have to accept Shizune as your mother, at least not until your ready to visit your mother's grave. For now, just try to get along with Shizune. She may not be your mother, she loves you like one. Don't reject the chance to finally have one in your life again. She's been living with you for 6 weeks now, I think you should try to be nice and open yourself to her."
"...You and Shino ask a lot from me, not that I mind..." Seekvaira could only smile when her Rook said that as he got up. "I think I'll go get that present now. I'll see you later Seekvaira."
Gozen's
3:25 pm
There it was. The katana Naruto saved his hard-earned money for. It was on full display, and today, he was going to buy it for Kagura. Looking at the store, he noticed a Help Wanted flier on the door. Wondering what sort of help the owner of the shop would need, he brushed it off, having a part-time job already. Once inside, Naruto found no one at the counter. Looking around, he saw several weapons and armors on display, each masterfully crafted into what he'd consider "art". Perhaps he should purchase some armor here and say that it was for a medieval fair or cosplay...
"I wonder who made all these..."
"Who's there?" Coming out from the back was a girl with white hair styled in a ponytail with red eyes with fair skin. She looked about his age and wore clothing that made her look like a blacksmith, which he concludes was her job.
"Oh...A customer...What brings you here?" she asked with an expression that made her look menacing.
"Are you the owner of this shop?" asked Naruto.
"You could say that...Now I'll ask again, why are you here? Are you purchasing something or not?" Naruto could tell right away that this girl was the reason no one would buy the sword. Even he was a bit afraid to approach her. That was until he noticed she was slightly shaking a bit. Reaching his hand out to her, the girl freaks out and backs away, a blush on her face. This came as a surprise to the blond devil, who found the girl's expression cute.
"You're actually shy, which makes you look scary around others...am I right?" The girl simply nodded her head as the blond directed a kind smile towards her.
"I'm just here to buy the katana that was out on display so-" Immediately, an unnamed businessman comes into the shop.
"Hello there, I'm here to buy that katana-"
"Can't you see that I'm with a customer right now?" the girl told the businessman, her "menacing look" returning, scaring the customer and making him bolt out the door.
"That happens almost every time a customer sees me. This is why I don't run the shop when my aunt and uncle aren't here," she said with a sigh.
"If I may...Are you the one who made the katana?" The girl nods her head yes, surprising Naruto.
"If the buyers want that katana or any of the weapons and armors I've made, they have to ask me first, since I forged it. But whenever that time comes, I...you know..."
"Uh-huh...If you allow me, can I buy it?" Surprised, the girl asks if he really wants it. "Yeah, it's for my sister's girlfriend's birthday, and she really loves collecting masterfully forged swords."
"Sure, how would you like to pay for it? Cash or card?" Naruto hands the girl his credit card as she proceeds to sell her sword.
"I'm so glad that someone bought it. I was worried that people would get sick of seeing it on display and not buy it. I worked really hard on making that a masterpiece."
"I can see that from the craftsmanship...Were you the one who posted that Help Wanted flier?"
"You...You saw that!?" she asked, with an embarrassed look on her face.
"It WAS you..."
"...Because of my shyness, I tend to scare customers away whenever they ask to buy what I create. I can only sell them if my aunt or uncle ask them for me. So...will you take the job?"
"...I already have a part-time job, one that pays a lot." Hearing this, the girl sulks in a corner. "B-But if you're still hiring, then-"
"YES, I- WE'RE STILL HIRING!" she yelled as she quickly got up in his face and slammed her hands on the counter, surprising him. Blushing, the girl tells him, "It would truly help to have another pair of hands here working the register. I honestly choose to make weapons and armors over being upfront."
"I don't mind," Naruto said with a smile.
"Then you're hired...Your workdays are whenever my aunt or uncle are not in the shop or are unavailable to work the register."
"Sounds good. Well, I guess I'll see you later...I'm sorry, what's your name?"
"Shirabi Gozen," Naruto tells the girl it was a beautiful name before leaving with Kagura's present. The girl known as Shirabi couldn't help but direct a smile towards the blond as he left.
"Though that's not my real name..."
On the way home...
On the way back, Naruto saw Shizune coming out of a store with Kagura's birthday cake in hand. Looking his way, the woman smiled as she asked if he was on his way home as well. He only nods yes as he sports an aloof and callous expression on his face.
"I see...Want to walk home together?" Naruto said nothing as usual. This seemed to sadden Shizune, but she smiles anyway and walks back home with the blond.
While walking together, Shizune looks down at Naruto's left hand, wanting to hold it. She attempts to reach for it, only to stop and pull it back. Seeing this, the Rook thinks about what Seekvaira told him before taking the woman's hand and holding it in his. This surprises her.
"We do live in the same house after all," he said, answering her early question. This made Shizune smile as she looked at Naruto, the latter looking away from her as she did it. "Are you sure you'll be able to hold that cake with just one hand?"
"Don't worry about it. It's safe in my hands...You don't have to act like you don't care Naruto." The blond tells her he doesn't know what she's talking about. "I'm sure you know what I mean..."
Rome, Italy
Courtyard
Nighttime
[The Path to Isolation (feat. Casey Lee Williams)]
Standing alone was Xenovia, now wearing an upgraded version of her battle attire that came with a pair of holsters for her guns, and arm guards. Over her attire was a black trench coat. Forming Kanshou and Bakuya with her Projection Magic, she steps into the courtyard as her magic power rises, having sensed something afoot.
A devil appears out of thin air and walks towards her, a perverted grin on his face, eyes glowing red. Three more appear, surrounding the exorcist. While her back is turned, one of the devils leaped out at her. Xenovia immediately decapitates it with one of her short swords, making it disappear into black smoke. Two more appear and move in, but she leaps backward and beheads the first one before using its headless corpse as a step to leap toward the other one, cutting off its head as she lands atop one of the large columns surrounding the courtyard as her swords disappear before tracing a regular broadsword and holding it in her right hand.
Immediately, she traces her left hand along her blade to pull out a line of holy light, channeling her magic through it. She flings the slash before her, taking out the remaining devils in front of her.
Thinking that it's over, she's stunned as sees more of them appearing as they approach her. Taking a deep breath, Xenovia prepares for battle once more.
Forming another broadsword in her left hand, she propels herself forward, slashing through one before repeatedly stabbing another in the heart and dismembering yet another. More and more keep coming at her, and she takes them out, once even with a toss of the sword her right hand. When still surrounded, Xenovia, increasing her power, slams her hand onto the ground, which causes swords to protrude around her, stabbing her opponents. They all disappear into black smoke.
Xenovia takes a moment to breathe after this. Out of nowhere, a flaming spear flies towards the bluenette, who narrowly avoids it. Looking behind her, she sees Firebrand in front of her, shock and anger overcoming the girl as she charges at him, with the sword in her left hand raised.
Immediately, Firebrand disarms her and knocks Xenovia to the ground, holding her arms back. Strengthened by her anger, Xenovia headbutts the devil as she uses her now free right hand to pull out one of her Beretta 93Rs and fires at the devil, wounding him severely.
Getting up, Xenovia found herself standing over Firebrand once more, her gun aimed at his head. Once more, she struggles to pull the trigger at first, but after recalling her nightmares and the pain he put her through, she finally pulls the trigger and kills him, though it leaves her shocked that she shot him as the devil disappears in black smoke.
[Music End]
"Well...Well...Well. Look how far you've come." Looking to her left, Xenovia sees Esdeath approach her, holding a strange orb that was the cause of the illusions created for the girl's training.
"You finally pulled the trigger. And to think, it took you two weeks to finally destroy all these illusions the Mage Association made for your training." As she finished, she drops the orb onto the ground, shattering it into many pieces.
"It's because you helped me..." Xenovia answered. Looking down, Esdeath noticed the girl's right hand was shaking a bit. Seeing this, the bluenette uses her left hand to stop it. "Don't worry about it, once you pull the trigger on the real one, you'll become stronger."
"You're right...I'm going to turn in for tonight." Esdeath watched as Xenovia walked back to her room, a smirk on her face. "Very good, my Xenovia. You're becoming a strong warrior indeed, and you'll continue to grow stronger thanks to that anger and rage. Soon...you'll be mine."
Xenovia's Room
On her bed...Xenovia held the "Sleep Well?" letter in her hands, staring at it for the past 20 minutes. The letter in her hand was the last good thing Firebrand did for her before he revealed himself as a Devil. She held the letter tightly in her hands as she prepared to tear it up. To her annoyance, her hands trembled, not allowing herself to rip it into pieces.
"Why?" she asked. "I pulled the trigger...I should be ready to destroy this...Yet..." Tears flowed down her face as a few drops landed on the letter. "Why is this still hard for me?" Xenovia recalls the good moments she had with the devil and the events that happened after that day in her head as she laid down and held the letter close to her chest as she wept, conflicted with her emotions and everything she went through.
Elsewhere
"This it?" asked a Fallen Angel, with another one answering yes as he explained that the location was correct and that whatever they were looking for piqued Kokabiel's interests.
"But there's nothing here..." Sighing, the Fallen Angel's friend takes out special runes made by Kokabiel himself and places them onto the ground, creating a portal that revealed another world. It was a large forest the lead to a large castle that looked like it had been there for more than a century.
"There we go. See? There was something here. Come on, let's go back and report to-" Before he can finish, the Fallen Angel and his friend are cut down by exorcists under the employ of Syura, who now had a white x-shaped scar on his face he received from Naruto. Taking out a magic orb, Syura contacts Esdeath and tells her that he found what the Fallen Angels were looking for and that he would need back up.
Namikaze Residence
"Happy Birthday Kagura!" they yelled as the popped the confetti, with Kagura caught by surprise.
"You said we'd be alone today," she told Chelsea.
"Wouldn't be a surprise birthday party if it didn't have the surprise in it at all." Smiling, the birthday girl asks for a birthday kiss, with the oldest Namikaze sibling giving her said kiss. Naruto had to cover Shino's eyes as Shizune looked on, having witnessed two girls kissing for the first time. Moka was blushing as she watched while Akame played it cool.
"Ahem!" Naruto got their attention as Chelsea smiled and said, "That was one of my presents for her. It had to be a big one."
"If only there were girls who were into both sexes, I'd totally be down for a threesome, maybe more!"
"Fuck off." Several hours into the party, everyone got together for presents. Opening the first gift, from Naruto, Kagura's eyes widened when she saw the katana he bought her.
"Oh, my...Naruto...this sword is amazing! How did you-"
"All the money I received from my new invention went into that," he answered. Smiling, she asked for a hug, with Naruto giving her one before she proceeded with the next gift, from Akame. To everyone's surprise, it was a red, form-fitting motorcycle outfit with a black stripe along the left side of the outfit, with black flower petal designs. It also came with a helmet.
"Akame, you made this?" She only nodded as Kagura smiled and thanked her for it. "Opening a card from Shizune, Kagura found two tickets to New York for herself and Chelsea, the couple looking at the woman with a surprised look on their faces.
"It's congratulations for getting into university for both you and Chelsea. I figure you two should go out and have fun outside the country for a bit before you start your first days." The couple thanked Shizune for the gift as Naruto is left surprised by how big it was, not to mention thoughtful. Chelsea had always talked about how she wanted to explore New York. Next present, from Shino, Kagura received an envelope full of cash. The girl didn't know anything about Kagura, so she decided upon cash at the last minute.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know what you like so-"
"It's okay, I don't mind it at all. Even the simple things matter." Shino smiled as Kagura accepted the simple gift.
"I have a gift too," said Moka. Wondering what it was, they follow Moka outside. To their surprise, it was a custom-designed, red and white, one-wheel motorcycle.
"You got me a Road Warrior!?" Kagura yelled. Moka looked proud of herself as she explained how she won a dance competition in America to win it. "I've always wanted one of these! You're amazing Moka!" said Chelsea's lover, holding the girl in her arms, her breasts pressed against the Moka's face.
"Oi, Kagura, Moka can't breathe," said Naruto. Realizing this, she lets go before apologizing to the girl.
"I think I saw my life flash before my eyes..." she said, her hair ruffled up a bit. After the birthday girl received her gifts and the cake was eaten, Kagura went home, using her brand new motorcycle as Naruto and Moka did dishes while Shino left for home.
"It's just a few more weeks until we start our first day at Kuoh Academy..."
"Yeah...A lot has happened to us, huh Naruto?" he simply nodded yes in response. "...You're still Naruto...right?"
"Some things about me have changed...but I'm still here," he assured his friend. "It's a shame, I checked my schedule and found out we have separate classrooms. It made me sad...We always took classes in the same room..."
"I saw it too...But I'll make sure to make time for you in-between classes."
"Promise?"
"...Promise. Ouch!" Looking at his right pointing finger, he found a small cut on it. Seeing this, Moka stared at the blood that slowly trickled down, an instinct of hers slowly kicking in.
"I should get a band-" Out of nowhere, Moka takes his finger and puts it in her mouth, licking the small cut, to his surprise and embarrassment.
"I've always wanted to taste it...and it's how I always imagined it to feel..." Moka kept Naruto's finger in her mouth for a long 10 seconds before she snapped back into reality when her friend asks if he could have his finger back. Letting go, she blushed at her actions. "Oh! All better now! No more blood! Eheheheh..."
"That was...nice of you."
"Oh, I just remembered, I should be getting home now! My father can be strict." Moka said goodbye to Naruto, bolting out the door after. As he watched her leave, he couldn't help but smile as he resumed washing the dishes.
"Do you have a boner? If you do, shame on you. You have a girlfriend."
"I can't help it, it just happened." He told the demon inside him. "Probably the Devil in me acting up."
"If only she was sucking somewhere else, cuz that was HOT!" Naruto ignored him as he worked on the dishes.
Later...
Naruto's Room
Looking at himself in the mirror, Naruto checked himself out as he wore the Kuoh Academy Uniform.
"You look ridiculous in it." Naruto ignored the demon.
"Naruto nii-chan! How do I look?" asked Akame as she entered his room and showed off how she looked in the female Kuoh Academy Uniform, minus the shoulder cape.
"You look really good in that Akame." This earned Naruto a smile from her. Infernus comments on how hot she looked and that the designers did well in the development of the girl uniforms, especially in the breast area. The demon's host chose to ignore his comment.
"Let's walk together on our first day, Naruto nii-chan."
"Sounds good, however, Shino's school is on the way, and Moka is walking with us so it'll be the four of us first." Hearing that Shino was going to walk with them, she innocently pouted at this, earning an apologetic smile from her older brother.
With Moka
At home, Moka, in her white underwear and brassiere, recalled the taste of Naruto's blood as she gently pressed her fingers to her mouth.
"I wanted more..."
"Master?" Moka screamed a bit when the white-haired woman entered her room.
"Archer, I thought we promised on knocking first before entering." The woman known only as Archer apologizes to her with a gentle smile.
"I just wanted to see you in your academy uniform." Understanding, Moka tells her that she was just about to go grab it. Seeing her all happy, Archer asks if something good happened. Remembering the taste of Naruto's blood, she tells Archer, "I tasted Naruto's blood for the first time, and it was delicious."
"Naruto, huh..."
"Archer?" The woman said nothing, making the girl worry. After calling her name the second time, she snapped back into reality. "Sorry...I-"
"You do that every time I mention him. Why?"
"I feel like I heard that name...long ago..."
"Was he someone who shared the same name as the Naruto I know?"
"I think so...or...Sorry, I still can't remember anything from my past."
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure you'll regain your memories somehow, it just takes time. Besides, I'm here to help you, both as a Master and a friend." Archer smiles when Moka vowed to help the Servant.
Rome, Italy
Mapomine's (Mapo Tofu Restaurant)
Morning
Hearing the door open and the bell ringing, Mary walks in to welcome whoever entered. To her surprise, it's Xenovia, who looked emotionless and tired to the Servant.
"Are you okay Xenovia?"
"I'm...I'm dealing with some things..." said the bluenette.
"Would you like to order something for breakfast?"
"Just the usual..."
"One mabo ramen, with one large poached ostrich egg," yelled Mary as she went to make Xenovia's order. As she waited, the bluenette decided to take a sip from her glass of water. As she picked it up, she plays back how she killed the fake Firebrand last night. Her right hand shaking, she accidentally drops the glass, shattering it and getting water all over the floor. Mary rushes back to the bluenette and asked if she was okay.
"I'm fine...I'm sorry about the glass," Mary assures her it was fine as she cleans it all up. Entering the restaurant, Wave and Ritsuka see Xenovia seated in front of them.
"Hey Xenovia," Wavecalled out to the bluenette, who doesn't respond.
"She's scary," Ritsuka told Wave, commenting on Xenovia's unapproachable presence. The two take the two seats on her left as Mary tells them to wait until she's done with the bluenette's order.
"So Bols has been in retirement for more than two weeks, and he's been doing really well," said Wave. "He may even receive Three Michelin Stars for his restaurant."
"I see..."
"...Oh, this is Ritsuka Fujimaru. He's the newest member of the Jaegers." Xenovia blankly stared at Ritsuka, which made the newbie feel uncomfortable. Nonetheless, he introduced himself to her.
"Ritsuka Fujimaru, it's nice to make your acquaintance. I'm a bit of a rookie still, but I hope you can rely on me, heh heh..."
"What do you mean a rookie? Your use of Mystic Codes and Code Casts are beyond amazing, and you're a pretty good fighter when you try."
"Why are the two of you here?" asked Xenovia, sounding annoyed.
"...Yesterday, Fallen Angels working for Kokabiel opened a portal to a hidden gap between the three worlds, similar to the Dimensional Gap. The Church has asked the Jaegers to help what's remained of Wild Hunt to investigate. Even Kotomine is there."
"You three better make sure he comes back to me safe and sound, or else." Mary interrupts as she hands Xenovia her order. The last part scared the two guys. Smiling, she asked them what they'd like to order. After receiving their orders, she heads back to the kitchen to make their orders.
"As soon as we're done eating, we'll be heading there immediately. Esdeath is busy dealing with another mission, so she asked you to be her substitute."
"I see...Very well then." Getting up, Xenovia leaves. When asked if she was going to eat her food, Ritsuka tells Wave to look at her bowl. It was already empty.
"How did she do that? We were talking to her the whole time."
Agares Mansion
11:00 am
"If there's another mission, I'm...Sirzechs?" Naruto wasn't expecting Sirzech to be meeting him alongside Seekvaira. Him being here meant this was REALLY important.
"Glad you could make it Naruto. Have a seat." Sitting down, Naruto prepares to be debriefed on his new mission.
"Just now, The Church sent the Jaegers, with the exception of Esdeath, and the Wild Hunt to investigate a gap that was discovered by the Fallen Angels." When asked what made it so special, Sirzechs goes on to explain how it wasn't something any of them knew about, and that whatever was inside the gap must be important to the Fallen Angels, since the one who ordered them was Kokabiel.
"Do you have any photos on it?" asked Naruto.
"I had my griffin check it out. Here's what it saw." Looking at the photos, Naruto saw a castle and several trees surrounding it. When looking at the castle, Infernus says something through his host that surprised Seekvaira and the Crimson Satan.
"Oolacile..."
"What?"
"Naruto, we need to stop those fools from exploring that castle."
"What's in that castle?" Seekvaira asked the demon.
"There's a dungeon underneath the castle, and a seal that's keeping something from escaping."
"This is a first. If what you say is true, you need to get there right now Naruto. Your mission is to prevent them from destroying that seal, by any means necessary. If you can't, destroy whatever is behind that seal," Seekvaira ordered.
"Got it."
Oolacile
Keito walks beside Syura as three men under the latter's control follow behind, making their way towards the castle.
"To think that I'd have to work with YOU, of all people."
"I'd have to say the same to you. But I guess it's fine since I can tolerate seeing your ugly face, that has somehow become even uglier,." Keito joked, angering Syura. "I have to admit, it puts a smile on my face knowing that the Church still has need of my talents. I don't mind running my mapo tofu restaurant for the rest of my life, but-" Keito stops and tells the others to stop as well. In front of them was a silver-armored knight covered in darkness, wielding a sword in his right arm. Immediately the took notice of his broken left arm.
[Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss OST: Sanctuary Guardian]
"Look at this, a knight is challenging us with a broken arm! Either it's brave or foolish!" Syura said out loud. "Men, attack that knight!" Keito tries to stop the men from attacking, but his warning falls to deaf ears as the knight crouches, then leaps high into the air towards the men, slamming his sword onto the ground, knocking them back.
The knight attempts to slam his sword overhead and towards one of Syura's men, but it's immediately blocked by Keito, who was using his scythe to block the attack. His scythe's pole was golden with several joints/sections that he could use to extend it or make it into a flailing whip. The blade was made of blessed silver, with thrusters on both ends of the blade. The exorcist kicks the knight back before admonishing Syura for his reckless order that could've cost him a man.
"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"
With Xenovia
Entering Oolacile, Xenovia, Wave, Ritsuka and Kurome rush towards the castle.
"I sense two strong energy sources coming from the castle, one of them being below it." Wave told his teammates.
"We'd better hurry," said Xenovia as she and her teammates pick up the pace.
With Keito
Syura is knocked to the ground by a back fist strike from the knight before being protected by Keito, who knocks the enemy back with a kick.
"I can't protect you and fight this guy you know."
"Shut up!" Syura yelled as he teleports behind the knight and tries to strike him with a punch, only to have his attack blocked by his blade before being sent flying into a wall with a kick, knocking him out. Keito tries to strike it with his scythe, only to have it parried before being elbowed by the enemy, sending him crashing into a wall. Keito struggles to get up as the enemy slowly approaches the exorcist.
"I have a shot!" yelled Syura's archer as he fires an arrow that hits the knight's shoulder.
The knight is not affected by it as it pulls the arrow and snaps it in two before appearing in front of the archer and bisecting him. Another one of Syura's men tries to strike it from behind, only to have his sword broken by the knight as he slices him in two. The last of Syura's men tries to beg for his life, only to be killed by a thrust of the enemy's sword.
The knight lifts the corpse up by the blade before swinging it fast enough to remove it from the blade. As it prepares to attack Keito, its attack is blocked by Xenovia, wielding a traced Balmung.
"Xenovia!?"
"It seems you've been having some trouble," she said as she noticed the corpses of Syura's men.
"It's has been a while since I've fought," he replied with a smile. "I'm glad that you're here."
"I promised Mary to bring you back to her alive." Arriving, Wave, Ritsuka, and Akame prepared to do battle.
"This knight...I don't think we'll be able to win against this thing, even if we do it together." Hearing this from Keito, Xenovia tells the others to go on ahead, choosing to fight the knight alone, to everyone's surprise.
"Are you sure you can handle him?" asked Ritsuka.
"I don't know, but if I can fight him, I can find out how strong I've become," she responds as she threw off her jacket. Kurome suggests staying with Xenovia, only for the bluenette to reject the idea. "With the skills you have, you'll only slow me down, maybe get yourself killed." This angered Kurome as she clenches her fists.
"Our objective needs Keito alive, so it'll be helpful if all of you protected him." Understanding, Keito tells the others to follow him. The knight tries to stop them from entering the entrance to the dungeon, only to be stopped by Xenovia.
"Your opponent is me," she told the knight as she parries the knight's sword swings. Kurome looks back and sees Xenovia effortlessly holding her own against the knight as she gives the unsuspecting bluenette a look of jealousy.
[Music End]
With Naruto
Entering, Naruto asks Infernus if he knows what they should expect as he transformed and rushed towards the castle.
"If there's one person I know of that'll attack us, it's Knight Artorias." When Naruto asks who that was, the demon tells him he was an ally of his who was formerly a rival. "He's become something not human anymore. His wolf, Sif, if I remember, is also trapped within the corruption. I promised him I'd come back and save Sif, but after...some personal circumstances, I couldn't fulfill it. By now I'm sure that Sif has perished..."
"You? Making promises? That's new, coming from you," Naruto told the demon.
"You didn't think I made promises? I figure as much since you don't know me well. Knowing from experience, he's going to be a tough person to beat."
"Is there anything else I should know?"
"Yes, Manus, Father of the Abyss." When asked who that was, Infernus' only reply was, "One tough motherfucker back then. As of now, that's up to debate."
Chasm of the Abyss
Keito casts a light spell that illuminates the area around them as they move. Looking down the deep pit, Ritsuka asks the others what they think is below the end of it.
"If Kokabiel is interested in this place, it's nothing good. Which is why we need to destroy it," Keito replied, answering the rookie's question. Hearing Keito's answer, Kurome rushed ahead as she cuts down the mysterious phantoms that slowly floated towards them. Wave yells at her to wait, but she wouldn't have it.
"I AM NOT WEAK!" she yelled as she cuts the phantoms down, one by one. Eventually, she gets overwhelmed until one of the phantoms comes into physical contact with her and begins absorbing her power and life force. Wave yells her name as her body slowly gradually becomes weaker until Keito sliced the phantom with his scythe.
"What were you thinking? Charging off like that?" asked Keito. Kurome, weakened, struggles to stand, even when she's using her katana for support. Sighing, he tells her to head back.
"I don't want to go back! I have to-"
"It's your fault for going ahead." Kurome clenched her teeth in anger as Keito asks Ritsuka to head back with Kurome.
"But I want to-"
"That's an order Ritsuka. Someone has to protect Kurome in case that knight Xenovia's fighting isn't dead." Understanding, Ritsuka takes Kurome back as Keito and Wave continue on. Seeing how far they advanced from the entrance, he sighs.
With Xenovia
The knight known as Artorias releases an explosion that knocks Xenovia back. The bluenette recovers quickly and lands on her feet. Balmung disappears from her hands before she traced "Kojiro's Katana" and "Kiku-Ichimonji Norimune" (Sakura Saber's weapon). With the sword in her right hand, she parries Artorias' sword strike before spinning around until she's behind him and cutting the back of the corrupted knight's left leg and then his right leg, making him kneel in pain. Turning, the knight attacks once more, only to be parried once more and having his right arm chopped off before being run through the back of his chest by the bluenette's twin blades, which exits through the front.
Artorias drops to the floor, his sword unable to be wielded by any of his arms. Calmly, Xenoviashe walks in front of him before stabbing him in the head.
"Ssssif..." Artorias' body disappears in a flash of light, now freed of the corruption. Only his sword remained.
With Naruto
"...Artorias is gone." This surprised Naruto, who asks how he knows.
"I sensed his corrupted energy fading. Whoever killed him must be stronger, maybe more skilled than him." Wondering who it could be, Naruto realizes who it might be, increasing his speed. He had to know.
With Xenovia
With the weapons in her hands vanishing, The bluenette walks over to Artorias' Greatsword and claimed it as her own, having defeated him in fair combat, before sending it to a personal dimension only she could access. Before she can proceed, she stops as she hears footsteps running towards her. Looking back, Xenovia has a look of shock in her eyes. It was him, the one person she was waiting for. The one she wanted to kill the most: Firebrand.
"Xenovia?" Naruto said a shocked look on his face as he reunites with her.
"You..."
"You're-"
"FIREBRAAAAND!" yelled Xenovia as she charged at Naruto, tracing Gáe Bolg and attempting to strike him in the heart with it.
[Angel Beats OST - Unjust Life]
Reacting within a single second, Naruto blocks the attack with Igneox. "YOU! I FINALLY HAVE A CHANCE TO KILL YOU!" she told the blond Rook before kicking him back and performing several thrusting motions with her spear. Naruto blocks the attacks with his weapon before gaining distance between himself and the bluenette.
"Xenovia...I'm glad that you're alive," he told her.
"Why? So you can try to kill me again!?"
"No! So I can try and talk to you. I don't want things to end like last time," he answered.
"Then that makes it easier for me to kill you!" Jumping into the air Xenovia traced a bow before turning Gáe Bolg into a Broken Phantom and using it as an arrow, launching it towards the blond Rook. Sensing the power behind the attack, Naruto forms a 10-layered shield of solid flames to stop it. To his surprise, it starts to break through, eventually destroying his defense.
The Rook narrowly avoids the attack that sends him flying backward, hitting a wall. Tracing Kanshou and Bakuya, Xenovia charged at him once more as Naruto recovers and narrowly avoids the attack that leaves a large cut on the wall behind him before taking out Igneox and splitting it into its dual staves mode, engaging her in close quarters.
"Wow, this chick got better," said Infernus. "It's no surprise that she's good with swords, but it seems she can form legendary weapons out of thin air. To be able to kill Artorias using weapons from legendary heroes...There's no doubt about it, she has officially become a threat to us. Having the ability she has, she can definitely kill us if we're not careful."
"Xenovia, just for a few minutes, you have to listen to me," Naruto begged the bluenette. "I need to stop your friends from-"
"I have no need to listen to a Devil, especially one who's ruined my bond with Griselda and continues to haunt me in my nightmares!"
"I did what?" Seeing an opening, Xenovia pulls her left hand back and proceeds to thrust one of the short swords towards Naruto, who quickly spins around until he's behind the bluenette. The blond quickly kicks her forward before readying himself for more of her attacks.
"What do you mean? I need to know!" Naruto said, worried about the girl.
"So you can just smile and be entertained with the pain you've put me through!?"
"Because I worry about you! Do you think I did what I did to kill you!?" he yelled. "I had no choice."
"You had a choice! You could've given up on your mission and be the one I gave a damn for and stayed!" Naruto's eyes widened when she said that. The bluenette continued her assault as he continued to parry her attacks while listening to what she had to say.
"You, someone I felt I could connect with, more than others, betrayed me! Lied to me! Killed a head exorcist! Left me to die!" As she fought Naruto, tears flowed down her face. "I wished that all of it was just a nightmare and that I would wake up with that letter next to my desk! But everything, all that has happened until now, is real, and I hate it! Everything I went through until now, it's all because of you!" Finally, Xenovia lands a scratch on Naruto's right cheek before the latter creates distance between them by sending the bluenette skidding backward with a non-lethal fireball.
"I tried to destroy the letter you left me, the only good thing that remained from you, several times, but I couldn't...I couldn't...But now that you're finally in front of me..."
"I...I didn't mean to cause you so much pain Xenovia...I'm-"
"Save it...just save it. I'm not here for an apology from a Devil. I made up my mind the moment you came to me." Naruto is visibly hurt by Xenovia's choice as the bluenette wipes away her tears before pointing one of her blades towards him.
"If this is your choice, then so be it. I'm pressed on time as it is, and you're making it worse for both of us. I was hoping to use non-lethal force to fight you and tell you everything, but it seems that even now, you still won't listen to me, even if I beg. If you insist on trying to kill me, then so be it. I have a job that needs to be complete and I can't let you or your exorcist buddies unlock those seals below this castle. I'm not going to enjoy this."
"I don't plan on trying to kill you, Firebrand. I WILL kill you. This time, it ends with you dead." Xenovia casts Reinforcement to completely transform the short swords in her hands into longswords, turning them into Kanshou and Bakuya Overedge. At the same time, the flames around Naruto burns brighter as his eyes give off an intense glow. with Igneox now in twin swords mode, Naruto clashed with Xenovia once more.
[Music End]
Chasm of the Abyss
Arriving at the bottom of the abyss, Keito and Wave find a sealed entrance in front of them.
"We don't know what's behind it, so make sure you're ready once I've unlocked the seals," he told his teammate, who nodded and prepared for battle. Keito begins chanting several incantations, summoning a spell circle from under his feet as he did so.
With Naruto and Xenovia
One after the other, Xenovia's blades broke as Naruto destroyed them with every strike and every parry both enemies executed. The blond devil eventually found a brief opening and quickly swung his right arm downward. Xenovia caught his hand before his weapon can connect before performing Irimi Nage Throw (Aikido martial arts move) on him, slamming him to the ground with a lot of force. She quickly traced a silver dagger in her left hand and holds it in a reverse grip, attempting to stab the Rook under her. Naruto quickly teleports to avoid the attack, reappearing above her as he cocks his right fist and envelops it in concentrated flames.
"Hiken!" Throwing his fist forward, he launched a column of fire at Xenovia. The bluenette avoids the attack before throwing her dagger at him, only for Naruto to knock it away with his left sword before propelling himself towards her. Tracing Balmung, Xenovia blocked his strike.
The blond quickly flips over her and spins his body counterclockwise, blades ready, only to be blocked once more by Balmung. Naruto moves back to avoid the bluenette's horizontal strike, forming Igneox into its normal staff mode quickly and blocking her relentless sword strikes. Moving to the side to avoid her thrusting strike, he pulls out his sawn-off shotgun and fires a concentrated shot at her. Xenovia quickly reinforces her body right as the shots hit, leaving her unscathed but sending her flying into a wall, giving Naruto enough time to bind her arms and legs with shackles of flame that, while they don't burn, they prove strong enough to hold Xenovia down. Angry, she struggles to free herself but finds that she can't break free.
"Wow kinky," said Infernus, referring to how Xenovia was shackled to a wall.
"Those shackles of flame will hold you until I decide to free you. Though we are enemies, I still care for you. I'd like to tell you everything, but right now, I have a mission to com-" Before he can finish, Naruto sensed an attack coming for him and blocks it with Igneox. To his surprise, it's Kurome.
"What are you doing here Kurome!?"
"Circumstances forced me to come back. To my surprise, I find you restrained and at the mercy of Firebrand. To think I'd finally show you that I'm not as weak as before."
"He's mine! I won't let anybody but me kill him!" yelled Xenovia as she struggled with her restraints.
"I never thought I'd have the chance to see you again," said Naruto, directing it to Kurome.
"Funny you say that. I was thinking the same THING!" Kurome pushes the blond back before jumping to the air and swinging her blade downward and struggling to bring it down on her opponent.
"Hey Kurome, you shouldn't leave me behind you...What's going on here?" Looking behind, Kurome sees that Ritsuka managed to catch up to her. Looking slightly to the left, she sees that she's engaged in combat with Naruto. "Firebrand!? Don't worry Kurome, I'll-"
"Stay back! I don't need any help, especially from someone as weak as you!" she yelled, directing it towards the rookie before being roundhouse kicked by her opponent knocking her down.
"Never leave yourself open," he told Kurome as she got up and prepared to fight him again.
"Wait," he told her, holding his weapon-free hand up, confusing the girl. "Wow, you actually listened," Naruto said, surprised.
"Is this the part where you acknowledge my power and beg?"
"No, nothing like that...I just want to ask you a question." This had the Jaeger raising a brow before asking what his question was. "Does the name Akame ring a bell?" Shocked, Kurome angrily asked him how he knows her sister's name, surprising him before he turned serious.
"So my hunch was right...you know her. Or should I say, you're related to her? The resemblance is spot on..."
"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION! HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME!?" yelled Kurome.
"Because my parents adopted her." A shocked expression appears on Kurome, Xenovia, and Ritsuka's faces as the answer is revealed to the former.
"Akame is..." The shocked Xenovia knew the girl well. She always saw her and Kurome together when they were little. If her memory was correct, Akame was strong, enough to impress the bluenette every time she watched from a distance. She rarely talked to her, but she considered her as someone who was reliable whenever you needed an extra pair of hands. She stood up to bullies and she never lost a fight to anyone. When she heard of Akame's adoption, she was told that a wealthy Japanese couple adopted her. To hear that the family that adopted her were the parents of Firebrand...What was Akame doing with them? Was she being treated right? Did they adopt her and use her for their own sick entertainment? Did they brainwash her to be their servant?
"They made the right choice of adopting her if it meant that she'd grow to be like you if they didn't."
"Where is she?" asked Kurome, a murderous look on her face. Naruto, seeing this, figured out the girl's intentions and formed an angry and defensive look on his face.
"Safe from all of this, and from you."
"You will take me to her so I can kill her!" Hearing this come out of her mouth not only shocked Xenovia, unwilling to believe that Kurome wanted to kill Akame, but angered Naruto enough that his flames turned an intense red before he appears in front of Kurome in an instant. The girl narrowly blocks Igneox's strike, feeling the weight of the attack.
"How can you say that!? She's your own sister!"
"A devil like you would never understand..."
"Maybe so, but if killing her's your idea of a family reunion, then I won't let you lay a hand or blade on her, nor will I let you see her!" Naruto roared out, kicking her away before relentlessly attacking her, with Kurome now on the defensive, finding herself narrowly evading his strikes with Igneox and shots from his shotgun. There was no way in hell he'd let Kurome see her. As her big brother, it was his job to make sure she was safe from danger, even if the danger was her own blood-related sister. It sounded cruel of him to tell the girl that, but unless Kurome had a big change of heart and way of thinking, Akame would be out of her reach.
Xenovia struggled once more to free herself, angrily pulling her right arm forward. Seeing a small crack form on the flame shackles, she keeps going. No longer standing as Kurome struggled in the fight, Ritsuka fires a Gandr curse at Naruto, which hits him in the back, briefly stunning him. The blond quickly turns back and fires a stream of flame at Ritsuka, who quickly casts a Quick Evasion spell on himself to avoid the attack, following it up by firing several blasts of magic towards the Rook, though it doesn't faze the devil.
"I didn't ask for your help!" yelled Kurome.
"You may not have asked for it, but you definitely need it," said the rookie as he reinforced his hands while using all his might to catch Igneox between them, surprising the blond.
"The weight of this attack is heavy, but..." Ritsuka quickly disarms Naruto of Igneox before narrowly avoiding a shot from the devil's shotgun and using the devil's own weapon to hit the back of his head. Naruto is unfazed as Ritsuka has a look of surprise on his face. He swore that the "Use your enemy's own weapon against them plan" would work.
"...You were supposed to be hurt by it," he told the blond.
"It was brave but stupid," Naruto told him as he pulled his left fist back to ready a punch.
Breaking free, Xenovia takes out one of her Beretta 93Rs with her now free right hand and uses the gun's blade attachment to cut off the shackles before taking out her other pistol and lunging at Naruto as she performs a downward strike while he was distracted with Ritsuka, stabbing him in the back and making him roar in pain. He throws Xenovia off of him before reclaiming Igneox and backhanding the rookie with enough force to break through the wall. Ritsuka crashed through several trees before stopping, lying on his back in pain. While he was glad to be alive, having used a lesser version of Reinforcement on himself before he was knocked out of the castle, he was in so much pain right now.
Kurome, running towards the blond from behind, slides on her knees as she cuts the back of Naruto's right leg, forcing him on his knees. Going for another strike, Kurome's downward strike is blocked by the devil's shotgun as he uses the blunt end of it to hit her in the stomach before hitting her in the face with Igneox, knocking her out. Naruto quickly but painfully takes Xenovia's guns off his back after.
"That should be it. I should get to the bottom while I can! I have to-" Suddenly, five swords find themselves embedded in his back. Due to the pain, Naruto dropped Igneox before he turns and finds that Xenovia was the one who sent the swords flying towards him. The bluenette had learned that with the swords she produced, she could not only wield them by hand, but she could telepathically control them to do what needed to be done.
As Naruto tried getting up, Xenovia traced two more swords and sent them flying through his legs, forcing him to his knees. Getting up, she slowly walks toward him, stopping in front of him. With her left hand, she took two of the five swords embedded in her enemy's back and pins his hands to the ground with them as he screams in pain. He struggles to move them but Xenovia forced the two swords to embed themselves deeper into the ground before picking up his shotgun and aiming it at him once more.
"Do you remember this moment? You at my mercy, your gun in my hand?" she asked.
"Yes...I remember this all too well," he answered. "I don't blame you for feeling how you feel now...But...*coughs blood*...will killing me really help you feel better?"
"Of course, it will!" she shouts. "By ridding myself of you, I can finally get over this pain in my heart...I can finally..." Xenovia calmed herself before continuing. "I can finally be over you."
"...I see."
"First, tell me, where Akame is." This surprise Naruto, who asks why she wanted to know.
"I'm rescuing her from your family after I deal with you and this mission."
"Rescuing? She's already been rescued. Rescued from this, from what we're doing..." The bluenette asks him what he meant by Akame being rescued already. "You think I'd allow her to be involved with all this? No, never in her life. She'll live the rest of her life being a normal girl. That's all I want for her, and all I'm going to say," he replied. "If you want to kill me so badly, you should do it while I'm still pinned instead of asking me all these questions." Hearing his response, Xenovia's eyes widened, finding herself conflicted like last time.
"I don't understand...Protecting her? Rescuing her? Letting her live a normal life? Trying to apologize...How would a Devil be capable of saying things like that!? Especially you!?" Naruto stayed silent, allowing Xenovia to speak her mind. "Why do you do this to me!? I spent day after day, preparing myself for this, to finally end you, only to have this feeling of hesitation! Why!? I don't understand!" Again, Naruto didn't say anything, angering the bluenette.
"Say something to me! Tell me why!" she yelled out, her left hand over her heart. "Why...I want to know why..."
"...I think deep down, you already know the answer." Xenovia stayed silent when Naruto answered her. Before Xenovia could say more, the ground under them begins to shake before breaking apart as they fall into the abyss. As they're about to hit the bottom, Naruto, knowing Xenovia was just a Human and that the fall would kill her, painfully pulls out all of the swords embedded in his body before going over to her and holding her in his arms as he uses his body to cushion her fall and save her.
Chasm of the Abyss
With Keito and Wave
7 minutes ago
Having finished his incantations, Keito casts his spell of unsealing, dispelling the seal in front of them. Walking forward, he and the Wave find a large pit filled with darkness in front of them. Looking down, Wave asked Keito what he suppose was down there. Instead of answering, Keito falls silent when the two hear a demonic roar coming from below as a hand swipes the ground beneath them, forcing them deeper into the abyss. Getting up, Keito and Wave find themselves up against the Father of the Abyss himself.
"So this is the evil Kokabiel was seeking to free. Well, a mission's a mission, let's kill it!" he said as he took out his scythe before throwing three Black Keys towards the monster.
With Naruto and Xenovia
Now
Opening her eyes, Xenovia found herself on top of Naruto, the latter taking most of the impact of the fall, thus saving her. She was a bit surprised that he chose to save her. As she wondered why he did it, Naruto winced in pain as he opened his eyes to find the bluenette on top of him. Realizing her "enemy" still breathed, she angrily gets up and traced a sword to fight him once more.
"Really? After I saved your life?" he asked. "A thank you would be nice..."
"I could've reinforced my body and survived the impact," she told the blond before hearing a loud roar that catches both hers and Naruto's attention. "What is that?"
"That was what I was trying to prevent you guys from releasing." Looking down at him, Xenovia asks what he meant by that. "Manus, Father of the Abyss. I was supposed to make sure that The Church didn't break the seal. Now I have to kill it." Naruto painfully gets up before grabbing his shotgun. While he was pretty fucked up from their battle, Naruto still had a lot of fight in him to not let the pain hinder his mission.
"That thing...Manus, I have to kill him before he gets out. Right now, what we're doing, is not important...Put aside your anger towards me and help me fight that thing."
"You expect me to work with you? After all you've done?"
"What do you think?" Looking at the pit Keito and Wave fell in, she ponders on what she should do. Firebrand was weakened enough that she could possibly kill him now since his healing factor was slow at the moment. On the other hand, she promised Mary that she'd protect Keito, who was currently in danger alongside Wave. Sighing, she tells the Rook that after Manus is killed, they were going to settle things. While it wasn't the kind of answer he wanted, Naruto weakly smiled a bit.
Chasm of the Abyss
With Keito and Wave
"GRAND FALL!" yelled a wounded Wave as he tries to attack Manus from behind with a powerful kick. However, Manus twists his left arm in a back swiping motion and sends Wave crashing into a column, knocking him out. Keito swings at Manus while avoiding his magic projectiles while destroying the ones he couldn't avoid with his scythe. Raising his catalyst, Manus slams it down on him, Keito blocking it with his weapon. The exorcist's arms begin to feel the weight of the attack as Manus slowly applies more weight, attempting to crush him.
"I have gone rusty...Not good. Mary is going to kill me if I die now." Just as he's about to lose strength, five spears of flame appear above Manus and embed themselves into his back, injuring him and freeing Keito. Looking up, the exorcist sees Naruto and Xenovia arrive, landing feet first before preparing to fight.
"Why-"
"It's a temporary truce," Naruto interrupts.
"...You did save my life so-"
"Focus," Xenovia said out loud, grabbing the two boys' attention as Manus, using his Catalyst, fires dark orbs of magic at them in a fan shape spread. Keito casts a holy shield spell that protects them in a spherical barrier, which immediately breaks as soon as the attack is finished. Naruto rushes towards the monsters, fists ready as they catch fire.
"While I may not have Igneox with me," Jumping to the air, Naruto brings both flaming fists down onto the monster's head. "my punches are a force to be reckoned with." He jumps back to avoid a long arm sweep before Xenovia rushed forward and, with Caladbolg: The Rainbow Sword, thrusts it into the monster's chest before making it into a Broken Phantasm, which explodes. She then uses Time Alter Magic to narrowly avoid Manus' long arm slam by strafing to the left.
She traces Kanshou and Bakuya before launching herself forward and slashing at him while using Time Alter to avoid his attacks. Naruto backs her up by parrying some of Manus' physical attacks while dishing out his own at the monster before taking his catalyst and breaking it in his hands, angering him. The Rook then forms a sphere of burning energy in his right hand and thrusts it into Manus' chest, dealing moderate damage.
Keito pulls out four Black Keys as Naruto sets the blades on fire before the exorcist throws them towards Manus. He blocks it with his left arm, with the burning blades being embedded in it before igniting the arm, causing him to scream in pain. Manus goes berserk as he swung the burning arm around, the three avoiding his attacks. Breaking a large stone pillar, Naruto throws it up in the air before jumping towards it and grabbing it. He then slams it onto the monster, breaking it into pieces.
"If we keep piling on him, we can kill him."
"Let's hurry, I'm starting to lose a lot of strength," Naruto told the exorcist.
"Then let's give our all in one large strike," said Keito as he infused his scythe with enough holy energy to make the blade larger. Xenovia begins tracing several swords around Manus as Naruto takes out his shotgun and infuses his power into one explosive shot. With one swing, Keito sends a wave of holy energy at Manus as Xenovia launches her swords and Naruto pulls the trigger on his gun. Just as they're about to connect, Manus destroys all of their attacks by surrounding the entire arena in darkness that comes back in on him, dealing large damage to the three. Naruto's shotgun is also destroyed during the attack. The blond Rook and the male exorcist try to get up, but can't find the strength to do it, having received too many injuries.
Xenovia had managed to survive the attack and stay standing by reinforcing her body with her circuits. She tries to trace Kanshou and Bakuya, but her injuries won't allow her to properly use Projection. The bluenette reinforces her arms before blocking a barrage of black orbs. Within seconds, her defense breaks and she takes the full force of the attack, screaming in pain before falling to her knees. Seeing her in pain, Naruto tried to force his body to move but fails.
"Come on, move! Don't quit on me at a time like this!" Looking at Xenovia, he sees Manus grab her before proceeding to crush her in his hold. Naruto couldn't stand it when he heard her screams of pain as she held herself together by reinforcing her whole body.
"I guess it's time." When Naruto asked Infernus what he meant by it was time, he simply said, "Give me control over your body."
"You're asking me to do that?"
"You don't have any other options Naruto. In about 2 minutes, she'll be done for. Either you allow me to have control or allow Xenovia to die."
"...Fine."
"I must warn you. Since this is the first time I'm using my full power while possessing your body, with permission, of course, I'll become dormant after I'm done killing this guy so...be ready for post possession."
"I think I can manage without you for a while."
"Let's just hope you can."
"Before we switch places, can you do something for me?" asked Naruto.
"Since you're allowing me to exact vengeance upon Manus...Very well. What is it?" With a loud roar, a pillar of flame surrounds Naruto as his wounds heal in an instant before his body is enveloped in bright white and orange flames, with black flames acting as his eye (The Cover Image of this fic should give you an idea on what I mean. This is mainly to keep his true form a secret.). Looking at Naruto, Keito is surprised by the amount of power the Rook's giving off.
"Ah, it just feels great to get this all out, even if it's just temporary..." said Infernus as he launched himself forward, slicing off Manus' left arm before rescuing Xenovia. The monster roars in pain as the demon heals Xenovia before directing an arrogant look towards the monster.
"I don't know if you remember me, but I was human before. Now, I'm more. This time, I finally end you!" Manus launched a wave of black orbs at Infernus who, with a simple wave of his hand, destroys the attack by burning them into nothing.
"I remember that move, it was fucking annoying." Not wanting to outright kill Manus right away, Infernus takes his time to mercilessly beat on the monster with his fists until the monster was near death. While Manus tried to escape, Infernus wouldn't allow him to. Infusing crimson flames into his right hand, Infernus does something Naruto wouldn't expect from the demon.
"This hand of mine is burning red!"
"It's loud roar tells me to grasp victory!"
"ERUPTING!"
"BURNING!"
"FINGER!"
Thrusting his hand forward, Infernus obliterates Manus, the sheer force of the attack shaking the whole abyss. Seeing how the demon effortlessly eliminated Manus was a large surprise to the weakened exorcist.
"Well, that was satisfying. Not only did I avenge Artorias, I also killed that asshole, Manus."
"You just killed him that easy. Without even trying."
"That's how powerful you'll be when you fully master this." As he said that, Naruto asks if he can get his body back. "Are you that ready to get rid of me? Very well then. Just remember this: As soon as you get full control over your body, you won't be able to use my powers for a long while, and I'll be unavailable to talk to you.
"Will this happen a lot?" asked Naruto.
"Nah, just this one time."
"Well, at least I don't have to tell you to fuck off for a while." While he didn't show it, he kinda liked having Infernus freely speaking his mind, though the blond wouldn't tell the demon that.
"I expect you to fuck your girlfriend while I'm unavailable." As he said that, Infernus gave Naruto his body back. Having full control over his body, the Rook asked if the demon was still there. Hearing no response, he concludes that Infernus was now dormant.
"Could've at least said see you later," he said before sighing. Looking at the injured Keito, he asked him if he needs help getting out of the abyss.
"A Devil offering aid? Don't see that every day," The weakened Keito responds as Naruto helps him up. Looking at Xenovia and Wave, he grabs them before teleport back to the surface. Appearing back inside the castle, Naruto sets the three down before going over and picking up Igneox from where he dropped it.
"Well, my mission's accomplished so-"
"Wait." Naruto stops to turn to the injured Keito, wondering what he has to say. "Thank you for your help. If you hadn't helped out, we wouldn't be alive right now."
"An exorcist thanking a Devil, never thought I'd see the day." Keito only chuckles before turning serious.
"...Xenovia, you put her through a lot you know." Naruto has a look of sadness on his face as he directs his attention towards the unconscious bluenette.
"I know...I didn't mean for her to go through that much after that night. This may not be much effort but...I'm sorry."
"...Sorry has its moments where it's enough," Keito said with a smile. "However, if there's anyone who needs to hear that apology, it's her."
"I'm sure she'd be too stubborn to let me say it...Say...do you think it's possible?" Keito raised a brow as he wondered what Naruto was trying to ask him. "Devils, Angels, Exorcists, and Fallen Angels working together...Do you think it's possible?" This surprised Keito. Never had he been given the chance to have this talk with a Devil. Most of them tried to kill him up till now.
"I don't know...But, after what happened down there...I think it's possible." This earned him a smile from the blond.
"I think it's possible as-"
BANG!
Looking down, Keito and Naruto see a gunshot wound in the latter's chest. Turning around, the Rook gets shot three more times in the chest by Syura, a large smirk on the man's face.
"Finally...FINALLY! I get my revenge on you!" yelled Syura as he shoots Naruto's in both his knees. The blond winced in pain as he falls.
"Great, this asshole." Pulling the trigger, Syura finds out that he's out of bullets. Tossing it aside, he calmly walks over to Naruto and kicks him in the stomach, knocking him on his back.
"That was for scarring my face, you damn dirty Devil." Continuing on, Syura proceeds to repeatedly kick Naruto in the side as he insults him before deciding to beat him to death with his own fists as a weakened Naruto attempts to block the assault by putting his arms in front of his face.
Slowly opening her eyes, Xenovia bears witness to Syura repeatedly beating on a wounded Naruto. For reasons she couldn't understand, she felt her anger rising towards Syura as she felt her body move on its own. Seeing the Rook get hurt, she traced a long sword in her hands and blindly runs Syura through his chest with it, pinning him to the wall behind him.
"You...Why did you..." Pulling the blade out, a shocked Xenovia can only watch as Syura falls to the floor, unconscious from the large injury he received. Why did she do that after seeing someone she hated get hurt? Using this moment, Naruto created a sling portal to Seekvaira's mansion and escapes through it just as Xenovia comes out from her shock and yells for him to stop.
"Don't go..." Xenovia cried out as tears streamed down her face. "Don't go..." Keito could understand what she was telling Naruto. She didn't say that because she wanted to fight and kill him. No, there was a deeper meaning to those two words, but kept it to himself as he slowly healed himself enough to get up and check on Syura. Hearing a heartbeat, he sighs. While he didn't like the guy, he had no choice but to heal him or be questioned about it.
"He'll live, though I'll have to erase what happened just now from his head." Xenovia said nothing as she stared at the space where Naruto created a portal to make his escape. Finally, after everything that just happened to her, and after all the nights she spent awake, she collapsed. Keito rushed to catch her before she could hit the ground.
"Don't worry Xenovia, I got you...As usual, you tend to overexert yourself..." Hearing footsteps, Keito turns to see an injured but still alive Ritsuka walking towards him, a weak smile on his face as he waved at him.
"Did I miss anything while I was unconscious?" he asked.
Agares Mansion
Naruto falls onto the carpeted floor as he painfully gets up from it and yells for Seekvaira. Instead of Seekvaira, Alivian hears him and catches the Rook in his arms, just as he fell unconscious.
With Xenovia
Nightmare
Here she was again. Replaying the same events that happened that night. She'd find Naoko, Irina, and Father Takumi dead and Firebrand would be standing over their corpses as usual. Once more, she'd get stabbed and end up clutching her wound in pain.
"How many times has this happened Xenovia-chan?" asked the fake Naruto. "Again and again we play this scenario like a song that goes on replay. Just stop resisting and let me have you. That body just calls to me." Xenovia tries to fight him once more, only for the fake Rook to rip her clothes off and attempt to force himself on her. The only difference, she couldn't wake up from it.
"Why? Why can't I wake up?" she asked out loud.
"Oh, this must be my lucky day! You're actually stuck in here until I'm satisfied with you! Don't worry Xenovia-chan, I'll make sure you slowly start to love this." With his left hand, he holds the bluenette's hands above her head as he licks her neck and gropes her left breast. Xenovia screams no and tries to get him off but he's too strong. "Your breasts feel amazing. I just want to suck on-"
"Get off of her!" Turning around, the fake Naruto gets thrown off by the real Naruto. Xenovia has a look of surprise as Naruto confronts his fake.
"What are you doing? I was just about to suck on her breasts!"
"Have you forgotten how we felt that time? When we stabbed her?" Stopping his struggle, the fake Naruto recalls the feelings he felt on the night he stabbed Xenovia, immediately falling on his hands and knees as tears fell from his eyes.
"What...What was I going to..." The fake Naruto looked at the naked and wounded girl as the guilt inside him grew. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." Following this, the fake Naruto disappeared in a burst of particles, the real Naruto forming a sad look on his face, recalling the pain he felt when he ran the blade through the bluenette. With the fake game, Naruto went over to a defensive and wounded Xenovia, healing her stab wound before putting his jacket over her in order to cover her, to the bluenette's confusion.
"How did-"
"It's a very long story. All you need to know is that I made a deal to put some of my energy inside of you as my..."friend" healed your wounds in the real world. I'm going to disappear soon since I was only here to make sure you were okay mentally before I left. For now, this is goodb-" Before he could finish, he's tackled to the ground by the bluenette.
[Fate/Zero - If you leave]
"Why..."
"Huh?"
"You killed a priest...Stabbed me and left me to bleed...Made me suffer from nightmares...Made me break my friendship with Griselda...Those things should hurt me more than being stabbed, shot, and burned. Yet...the only thing that hurt me the most..." Xenovia struggles to finish her words as she tears up. "THE ONLY THING THAT HURT ME THE MOST...OUT OF ALL OF IT...WAS SEEING YOU LEAVE!" Naruto lets Xenovia vent her anger towards him as she starts pummeling him with her fists, though he remains unfazed.
"ALL THAT PAIN! ALL THAT RAGE! YET I COULD NEVER BRING MYSELF TO HATE YOU! I THOUGHT BY KILLING YOU, I COULD GET RID OF IT! BUT SEEING SYURA HURT YOU...I NEVER WANTED TO SEE THAT! AND AFTER THAT, YOU LEFT AGAIN! NOW, YOU'RE LEAVING ME THE THIRD TIME...EVEN IF THIS IS MORE THAN A DREAM, EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT REAL IN HERE...THIS PAIN YOU'VE CAUSED IS THE ONLY THING THAT'S REAL! IN AND OUT OF IT...IT'S TOO MUCH...TOO MUCH..." Finally, she stops punching him before crying in his chest, her tears making his shirt wet.
"If things had played out differently, I would've stayed, but I couldn't...I don't know what I can or need to do to make you feel better. I can say sorry to you all I want, but I know you won't accept it. I can tell you everything about Takumi, but you still won't listen to me. I just hope that when the day comes that we meet again...I can help you get over how you feel so we can put all this behind us."
"...I'll just end up trying to kill you..." she told the blond.
"True...But I'll be ready for you as many times as I need to be until I can get through to you...It's almost time for me to go."
"Just answer me this. Why...Why would a Devil like you say stuff like this to me?"
"Isn't it obvious?... Because I genuinely care for you, Xenovia...Even if I'm just energy that fades into nothing, the feelings I have for you...They're real to me."
"...When you disappear, will the real you remember anything about what went on here?"
"...No, my real self won't know what happened here," he answered.
"Good..." To his surprise, Xenovia looks up to the blond and kissed him on the lips. With that one act, Naruto, knowing he won't remember any of this, finally understood the reason for her anger. After they part lips, he comments on how nice they felt, smiling as he fades away.
[Music End]
Oolacile
Opening her eyes, she sees Ritsuka staring at her up close, freaking her out as she lets out a girly scream. Ritsuka screams as well as he backs off.
"Oh, my heart just skipped a beat!"
"Where's Keito?" she asked the rookie. He tells her that after he healed Syura, Keito went back to the abyss to make sure there weren't any more monsters left."
"I see...I'll go see if he's okay." Ritsuka, surprised by the bluenette's now calm presence, says, "Okay", looking at her in disbelief. She tells the rookie to watch over Wave, Kurome, and Syura before going after her friend.
"...Good talk Xenovia."
Chasm of the Abyss
As he's looking around the abyss, Keito noticed Xenovia appearing from behind. "I thought you'd still be asleep."
"I'll sleep when we get back to The Church...You were right Keito." Hearing this come from his friend caught him by surprise. "I have to stop. Take a break from all this. At least...just for a while."
"I understand...You deserve a long rest...You look better than the last few weeks. Did you bump your head or-"
"I don't want to talk about it," she replied, blushing as she looked away. After shrugging his shoulders at her, Keito resumes his search. As they looked around, Xenovia finds what remained of Naruto's shotgun. She picks them up and stores them in a dimension before standing back up. Out of nowhere, the bluenette heard barking noises coming from near the entrance to Manus' pit. Walking towards the sound, Xenovia finds an illusionary wall and destroys it, finding a male grey wolf laying on the ground, protected by a barrier that was produced by the shield in front of her. Taking the shield, the barrier fades. Getting up, the wolf slowly approached the bluenette before sniffing her. Putting her hand forward, she finds herself happy that the wolf was friendly as he licks her hand.
"You're a friendly one aren't you? What's your name?" It simply barks, though, for some reason, she could understand him. "Sif? But you're male...Where's your master?" Hearing this, the wolf whimpers in sadness. Wondering why, Xenovia recalls Artorias calling out the wolf's name, just before he died by her hand. With a look of sadness, she apologized to the wolf before hugging him and regretfully telling him his master won't come back.
"At least he's in a better place now...Would you like to come back with me? I'll make sure to take care of you, Sif." Hearing Xenovia tell him that, Sif happily licks Xenovia's face. "I take it that's a yes?"
"Xenovia, there you are. I was-" Seeing Keito, Sif growls at him, scaring him.
"Easy Sif, he's my friend."
With Naruto
Dreamscape
Walking aimlessly through a dark landscape, Naruto comes face to face with a beautiful girl with bright white hair sitting at a fire, who looks up at him.
"You're not Infernus, yet you are..."
"Who are you?" asked Naruto.
"I'm afraid I can't answer that just yet. Now's not the time," she told him.
"Then when?"
"I'll seek you out when it's time. For now, wake. You've rested enough...Bearer of the First Flame."
Agares Mansion
Opening his eyes, Naruto finds himself in a large, royal-themed bed. Naruto observes his surroundings before crealizing that he was in Seekvaira's room. Feeling something in his right hand, he looks down and, to his embarrassment, sees Seekvaira in bed with him, naked, his hand groping one of her breasts. He screams as he falls off the bed, waking her up.
"Oh, you're up," she said as Naruto blocked his eyes from looking at her body. "Naruto, it's fine. After all, I can see your massive erection." Looking down, Naruto covers himself up. Seekvaira teases him, telling him he's shameless for getting an erection for her.
"Where are my clothes? How long have I been unconscious?" Seekvaira tells him that his clothes were in the laundry and that he was out for two days. She had to cover for the blond when his family asked her where he was. She told them he was in London to visit an art gallery for her. "Two days?"
"Yes, you were shot pretty bad, and you didn't heal as fast as you should have."
"...About that..."
A change of clothes later
Agares Dining Room
"So Infernus is asleep?"
"Yeah, so right now, I'm just a regular Devil."
"I don't mind. With or without Infernus, you're still a valuable member of my Peerage," she told Naruto as she sipped her coffee. "Did anything happen after he left you?" Naruto went on to tell her about the girl he saw in his dreams and how she called him the Bearer of the First Flame.
"I'll be sure to have Ange order her agents to look out for her. Whoever she is, she may hold the answer to Infernus himself. That is...if she exists in the physical plane." Getting up, Naruto thanks his King for breakfast before taking his leave.
"A girl with bright white hair...Bearer of the First Flame...You truly are an interesting one, Naruto Namikaze," said Seekvaira, forming a smile on her face after.
Namikaze Residence
"I'm home..." He heard nothing but silence. Wondering where his sister had gone, he sees a letter on the fridge from Chelsea, picking it up to read it.
Dear Naruto,
Kagura, Akame, and I are in New York right for two weeks. Akame's choice to come with us was last second so it's only you and Shizune at home. Try to get along with her. Also, don't forget the condom I taped on the back of this letter. You'll need it for when you and Shino decide to fornicate.
- Chelsea
Naruto checks the back of it and sees the condom she taped behind it.
"What kind of person do you think I am?" Naruto sets it and the letter on the counter before opening the fridge to grab a soda. As he takes a sip, he hears a noise coming from the garage. Curious, he enters it to find Shizune working on a car. The woman was wearing a t-shirt along with a pair of jeans, and her face was a bit messy from the grease. To his surprise, he saw her working on a Black 1972 Ford Torino. Shizune, acknowledging the blond's presence, apologized to him for not welcoming him home.
"It's fine...Is that-"
"A 1972 Ford Torino? Yes, it is...It was your mother's." This was a surprise to the blond, having never seen her ride in that car. "Well to be accurate, it WAS hers, but she gave it to me as a present. I stopped fixing it after her...Well, you know. For some reason, I decided to work on it again. This was going to be a surprise but-"
[Fate/stay night: [Unlimited Blade Works] OST II - #20 New Dawn UBW Extended]
"Do you need help?" he asked, setting his soda down. Hearing him ask to help out surprised the black-haired woman. Smiling, she says yes to the blond as he picked up a wrench to help out. The two spent three whole hours working on the car. While he kept the usual blank expression on his face, Shizune could tell Naruto was enjoying himself. Satisfied with their work, they decide to stop for today.
"Before we go inside, check the glove compartment. There's something I want you to have." Curious, Naruto checks the car's glove compartment and finds a glasses case that contained a pair of black-rimmed glasses.
"They're your mother's glasses." To see these again was a larger surprise to Naruto than the car. He remembered wearing them one time, his mother smiling with him as he wore them. "While those didn't correct her eyesight since she had perfect vision, she wore them during work, calling them her lucky glasses. She gave them to me as a present and as a memento, before I left for America...I'm giving them to you. I figured since you're her son...those should be yours so... " Naruto didn't say anything to Shizune as he stared at the pair of glasses in his hands.
"I need a minute by myself..." Understanding, Shizune leaves, though not before thanking him for helping out. Now alone in the garage, Naruto puts on the glasses. As he does so, emotions overwhelm him as he hugs himself and cries. It was like his mother was here with him, not physically, but spiritually. Unknown to the blond, Shizune was listening in from behind the door, understanding the emotions he was feeling. She lightly smiled as she silently said, "You truly are Kushina's son..."
[Music End]
20 minutes later...
Coming out of the garage, he sees Shizune getting ready to go out for lunch.
"You going out?" he asked.
"Yeah. It's been a while since I've lived in Japan, so I don't know remember many good places."
"...Would you like me to come?" Instead of answering, she gives Naruto a warm smile. Realizing why she's giving him that look, he looks away, embarrassed. "Don't take it the wrong way. I figured you'd get lost while trying to find somewhere to eat."
"I'd love it if you came with...Are you going to keep those glasses on?" she asked. Noticing he hasn't taken off his mother's glasses, he awkwardly adjusts them and tells her, "Let's just go already." This makes Shizune chuckle a bit as she and the blond left the house.
With Keito
Mapomine's
Keito washed the dishes as Mary dries them with a clean towel and sets them on a rack to dry.
"Xenovia seems to be getting better and better in the past two days."
"She still has some anger in her, but it's not as big as before. It doesn't help that she's still with the Jaegers, but at least I know that she's slowly getting back to her old self. And ever since she adopted that wolf, she's been very occupied with him." Mary hugs her lover as she voiced how glad she is that Xenovia was doing okay.
"So has she done anything new other than care for her pet?"
"She found a passion for cooking, which is a surprise considering she's more of an eater than a chef (Fun fact: Her VA Risa Taneda originally voiced Erina Nakiri). What's more, Xenovia has decided to get into gaming," he answered.
"Not a hobby I'd be interested in, but if she loves it, who am I to judge?" Keito lets out a chuckle as he continued scrubbing the dirty plate in his hand.
With Xenovia
GameSmart(er)
Exiting the store, Xenovia holds a bag containing an AmuSphere and her copy of "Fatal Bullet" in her hands. She had heard from a small group of young exorcists that it was a game that did well to vent out their stress and anger. Though she wasn't familiar with video games, she heard that it didn't require a controller and that the game would give her the ability to freely move around within a virtual reality. Looking down, she unhooks Sif's leash and tells the wolf it was time for them to go home. As they're walking back, the bluenette recalls the moment when Naruto revealed to Kurome that Akame was living with him. Sif stops as his owner stops in place, looking up as he directed a look of worry towards her.
"Sorry boy, we're going to take a small detour before going home."
Church Records Room
Entering the room, Xenovia finds Naoko working at the desk. Seeing her friend enter the room surprises her, who asks for her reason for visiting.
"Do you remember Akame?" she asked.
"Kurome's older sister?"
"Yes. Do you still have the records on the people who adopted her?" Searching through the cabinets, she finds Akame's records and gives it to Xenovia, who proceeds to look over it. "Kushina and Minato Namikaze..." Going over to the computer at the front desk, she searches for their names as Naoko looks on, wondering what the bluenette was up to. Finally, Xenovia finds what she's looking for.
"Naruto...Namikaze..." she said to herself as she looks at his image on the screen.
With Naruto
Downtown Tokyo
In his Firebrand persona, Naruto looks over the city, Igneox in hand.
"You didn't have to come." Appearing behind him was Ange.
"Well, I was bored and needed a distraction and a change of pace for myself...Might as well take up some vigilantism with you. It'll be nice for you to have someone watching your back...This doesn't make me your sidekick or anything." Naruto only smiled when she said that.
"...You're very popular with the people," said Ange, noticing the merchandise being sold in stores and the graffiti. "How long have you been out doing this?"
"Several weeks." Ange whistles in amusement.
"...Will you be fine doing this? Without your "inner demon" helping you?"
"While I may not have Infernus for a while, it doesn't mean that I'm powerless, or that I can't still help people," he replied.
"Well said, Firebrand." Hearing a cry for help, Naruto transforms as Ange puts on her mouth mask before going off to give out violent justice to the wicked.
TO BE CONTINUED...
ED: arcadia † paroniria by Eri Kitamura
Post Credits
On the way to Kuoh Academy...
Walking with Naruto, Akame, and Moka on their first day at school, Shino voiced her disappointment on being unable to attend the same school as the three.
"It is, but hey, I'll still be able to pick you up and walk with you back home." Blushing, Shino looks away.
"T-True...Do you like the bento I made you?" she asked him.
"Yeah, I can't wait to open it." This makes Shino happy as Akame looks on, a bit jealous of the bespectacled girl. After waving goodbye to Shino as she enters her academy, the three resume their walk towards Kuoh Academy. As they're walking, Moka takes a look at Naruto and smiles. Taking notice, he asked Moka what she was thinking.
"It's just...I always preferred you with your glasses on," she answered, earning a blush from the Rook.
"I-It's my mom's, and it's not like my vision has gone bad again. It'd be a waste if I was given these glasses and not wear them," said Naruto as he frantically adjusts them out of embarrassment. This makes Moka and Akame chuckle a bit. As they neared the gate, Naruto sees the white-haired girl again. Noticing him, she voiced how surprised she was that they're going to be first years at the same academy.
"Naruto, do you know her?" Moka asked. Naruto tells her they met at a bakery the first time, and at a convenience store the second.
"Great, another one..." Akame thought to herself.
"If I recall, we never gave each other our names. I'm Naruto Namikaze." Naruto offers to shake hands with the girl, who introduced herself as Koneko Toujou before shaking his hand. As they're shaking hands, a young woman of short stature watched them from several feet away. She had red eyes and long, dark brown hair that she ties into twin tails held by two big, red scrunchies. She has straight bangs that hide her eyebrows, as well as two small strands of hair that fall at the sides of her head, the one falling at her right side being a bit longer. She also has a beauty mark under her left eye.
"So he's the final member...How troublesome..."
Apologies for the very long wait. There was so much going on in life that I had to prioritize it before this.
Anyways, from what you've read, Infernus is now dormant inside of Naruto, due to going all out for the first time in his host's body. To help explain it better, it's like Goku using Kaioken with Super Saiyan Blue for the first time. Even with Infernus being unavailable for the time being, Naruto will still be out helping people and killing bad devils, fallen angels, and people.
When Naruto begins his first day at Kuoh, he'll be wearing glasses again. Why? Stupid reason, but I played a lot of Persona 5 and liked the idea of the protagonist (Ren Amamiya) wearing glasses in order to keep a low profile during his probation. For Naruto, it's mainly to keep a low profile. I might do a little something where whenever he takes off his glasses, girls are immediately attracted to him, but it's only a possibility I'll consider if convinced or if I simply want to do it for no reason.
As you've read, Shizune will be staying at the Namikaze Household as their guardian. To have Shizune included will be important, as it will help Naruto grow and eventually get over his mother's death. There will eventually be a chapter about it, maybe a story arc, but that won't be for a while. For now, Naruto is warming up to her a bit. Shizune's appearance will be like how she is now in the Boruto series. I mean, even if it was a short cameo in a Boruto episode, she has aged really well.
After reading the third act of this chapter, I think a few or more readers/viewers alike should have an idea on what other series has found itself a place in the lore of this story. Reason for that is because, like other stories with Naruto crossing over to that universe, it was either forgotten, discontinued, or unfavored. I felt that a universe like that would fit in this universe in a way that would somewhat work. If possible, anybody who's familiar with this series would be helpful in making this happen since, in the future, I'll do a chapter on Infernus' past.
Shirabi Gozen, a girl that was introduced in this chapter, will go to the same school as Sinon. She'll also help Naruto make some armor for him in an unknown chapter. In return, he works part-time at her shop. Her identity should be simple to find out.
At Kuoh, he'll interact a bit with Sona, and he'll also make contact with a few other DxD characters. Characters like Maki Harukawa, Peko, Eucliwood, and Rinne will make appearances as well, the latter two being students at Shino's school.
You read the scene where Moka has tasted Naruto's blood, which gives hints about her vampire nature that will be revealed in the future, which may or may not impact their friendship. For now, I'll just stick with trying to find ways to make the two feel distant. The chapter also reveals that Moka feels responsible for her friend being shot, due to being a vampire, and that with her abilities, she could've easily taken the shots and kill the crazed fan. The guilt is pretty strong in her.
Moka has summoned a Servant! Mainly an Archer-class Servant whose name is unknown. I would've done a backstory behind it but let's just say that Moka summoned her two weeks before Naruto's date with Sinon. Eventually, you'll see her in Archer's summon in a deleted extras part 3.
It seems that Xenovia has somewhat become her normal self. She still wants to kill Naruto/Firebrand, but she's more calm about it and not filled with all that anger and rage after "Naruto" destroyed the fake in her nightmares. Now she'll be able to sleep. For her, her love for him and her anger towards him was a really large conflict in her. She wants to see him as the devil who hurt her in more ways than one, but at the same time, her true feelings get the best of her dark intentions. Because of that, she doesn't know what to lean towards. Ultimately, she truly didn't want to kill Naruto, just prevent him from leaving her. Sure she hated him but still love him enough to keep him with her, even if she had to capture him. However, if I were to have him be captured instead of having him escape, she'd end up meeting with him alone at night and force herself on him, stripping naked and just have mind-blowing hate sex with him. But like scrapped ideas, it wouldn't go well with her.
Another reason it took me longer to write this was that the fight with Naruto and Xenovia was difficult to do, mainly how it should go and how it should end. I may add more to it later but for now, I'll leave it as it is.
Truthfully, the part where Naruto and Xenovia had a moment in the latter's nightmare was last minute. I don't know if it'll be well-received or not, but I thought it'd be cruel to leave Xenovia with all those nightmares about Naruto so him destroying how Xenovia saw him was a way for the Rook to help her get past her anger, even if it was just for that moment, and have her be open to him and reveal her true emotions. There were several scenarios that I wrote. One had Xenovia asking Naruto why fate was cruel to them that they had to be on opposite sides. Another would have Naruto asking her if killing him would truly help her, what her version of right and wrong were, and if she'd allow Takumi to have his way with her if he didn't stop him. The last one would be Xenovia shooting but purposefully missing Naruto before Syura interrupts the two by shooting the Rook, with Xenovia killing Syura out of anger and being shocked that she murdered one of her own. I may change this if I have to under dire circumstances.
I regret not killing Syura, but I'll kill him off eventually.
In a chapter I was working on previously, I wanted to do a scene where Xenovia or Shino were masturbating, with Xenovia doing so since, while she didn't like being forced to have sex, she definitely wanted the blond, but felt ashamed about having (sexual) fantasies about him. For Shino, I had no idea for her, at least not yet. Hopefully, I can add something light but sexual into a future chapter.
There was more I wanted to add, mainly Ritsuka training to improve himself, but I guess that'll be in Part 3 of extras.
The woman Naruto met in his dreams won't make an appearance for a while. Since I can't find a name for her, anyone have any ideas?
Next chapter begins the DxD main story! I will have to read volume after volume to get ready while figuring out how things should play out. If anybody has questions, put it in a review or send me a PM and hopefully, I can answer the questions and become better at this.
