Hey guys, apologies for the long update, lots of responsibilities and yadda yadda. Keep holding it in. I tend to keep things going as best as I can during certain times in life, and have been rewarded for it, so I know everyone can do their best to do the same and wait for chapters like these. While just a preview of what to expect, to me, I believe it is somewhat of a good start to what Ange's mission will involve and what they'll need to do to ensure it gets accomplished.
Due to this being half-finished, I'll call this I A, with I B continuing this chapter, and the name of this arc before going back to the Stronger Arc will be called Crown Savers. The enemies of this arc will mostly be tech-based along with a small amount of magic I would believe, since I do plan to add a Servant besides possibly Nero into it.
Again, apologies for this short chapter, but it's to let people know I am doing my best to try to get this out in some shape and form.
OP5: Burning Soul by GARNiDELiA
Agares Territory
Agares Residence
Front Gate
"Absolutely not," Ange told Xenovia, the bluenette insisting she comes along for the mission as Naruto, Moka, Akame, and Maki watched them. "Aren't you and Rinne helping Gremory with her upcoming Rating Game?"
"Kiba-senpai went to see his Swordmaster, Issei is with Tannin, Koneko's training with Rinne, Himejime-senpai I haven't seen, Gasper is practicing being in public places, and Gremory-senpai is learning strategies with Azazel, so I am free to come with. I am confident in my barehanded fighting, and I know people in England we can stay with, and their place can be used as a little hideout of ours. To add on to this, I promised Naruto's observer I'll evaluate her on Naruto's actions while with you all."
"Ange, if she knows people there who are more than happy to help, whether we're Devils or not, that would help us," Naruto told the Agares Pawn, who looked like she was caving in to bringing Xenovia along. "I'll also keep her close to me." Xenovia looks at Naruto with a faint of redness on her cheeks in response to his last sentence.
"T-To make sure she follows through with this mission of yours. I am her King, ya know."
"...Very well," Ange told the blond Rook. "As her King, you're responsible for her, same goes for your Queen. Also, in the case, things turn for the worse, and we're to fight a Servant, be ready to summon Nero, Kotomi, and Archer, Naruto, Moka." With an extra person on their team, Ange and the others leave to Naruto's Private Plane. As they begin to make the walk there, Naruto turns to look at Xenovia and, with a smile, winks at her, making her smile as her eyes lit up.
Naruto's Private Plane
Fabrication Area (Second Level)
While the others sat comfortably on the first level of the plane, Naruto was hard at work on devices that would help them on their mission, starting with tech to apply to their footwear, with his Knight watching him work.
"Naruto, thank you for convincing Ange to bring me along with."
"No problem Xenovia. I know it's been hard to not make time to walk with you as I had said I would. Things got crazy on my end." Xenovia tells Naruto she understood, having bumped into Gen Liu one time while out getting ingredients for a bento she had planned to make for him (Naruto), which Hoshikari had eaten.
"Hoshikari told me about how tasty that bento was. I wish I had tasted it," Naruto said, sounding a little bummed he wasn't able to try it.
"Not worries. The next one I have in mind will be even tastier, and the quantity will make your eyes pop."
"That is all the reason to not miss your next one," Naruto said to Xenovia as he completes applying a bit of tech into the soles of a pair of shoes before sealing them back up and working on another pair.
"After this mission, how about the two of us stay in England for a bit?" The bluenette suggests. "I get we need time to train for our fights, but I like to point out that it's also still our Summer Vacation. We need chances to relax so if this mission opens up a chance to relax, let's take it and spend some time in England."
"Sounds pretty unproductive of our time, which should be used for training..." After he said that, both he and Xenovia fell silent for a few seconds before sharing a laugh together. "Let's focus on the mission for now and see where it goes."
Lounge Area (First Level)
4:35 pm
2 hours until London arrival
Naruto's Mind
After completing most of the devices he believed will be needed for the mission, Naruto went down to the second level of the plane and took a seat near one of the windows and closed his eyes. Upon opening them, he was met with a fiery figure in front of him.
"So this is the form you take in here?"
"You're not ready to see me at my truest," Infernus told his host. "Now, what is it you need from me? If it's sex advice I know several that can-"
"No, I don't need advice like that from you. I have JoJo to ask, along with Jiraiya's books."
"If it's not that, then what?"
"I have asked many people to help me get stronger. Seekvaira, Scáthach, Alivian, many others, and realized I have never asked you," said Naruto. "You have what I believe to be centuries of combat, possibly more. By fighting you in this landscape that is my mind, I can vastly improve my combat capabilities and refine my control over the percentage of power I can use within the days I have until my fight. This will also help with extending the time for "my other form" once I am capable of using it."
"You want me to fight you?" asked an amused Infernus. "I don't know. Within seconds I can wipe this fucking floor with you. Also, I am not going to do this for free. I want something in return."
"Like what?" asked Naruto, not liking where this was going.
"One week. Full control over your body. I do whatever I want." Infernus told his host.
"Let me guess, you're going to go around in my body, take the form you took in Okinawa, and start having a lot of sex?"
"There's always that," the demon told Naruto. "Though even I have interests outside of debauchery I like to indulge in. It won't be immediate. I decide when I want to cash this pass." Naruto takes a bit to think about whether to agree to it or not. Seeing this, Infernus tells him he can put in whatever limitations he wants, as long as they both agree on it.
"...You won't have sex with any of my female friends, or any of the students at Kuoh Academy."
"Won't be a problem," said Infernus.
"I can't skip school. You need to take my form should it be on days when I need to go to school, and when I have to go deal with contract jobs for Seekvaira. Additionally, you'll need to follow her orders when she asks us to do something."
"Fucking really?"
"You want the week or not?" With a groan, Infernus tells Naruto he was absolutely pussy-whipped when it came to his King before agreeing. "Finally, you're to not request my body for use when there are events I have going on, especially on some holidays."
"What sort of events?"
"I have a concert coming mid-September that I want to go to, and I don't want you to do anything stupid."
"Fine. No changes after this?" Thinking about it, Naruto told him none were needed and if he follows through the limitations, he'll allow Infernus to make his weekly going outs a thing. "I am going to fucking enjoy my future week of indulging."
"I know you are."
"...Who is it?" When asked what he was talking about, Infernus asks Naruto who's concert he was going to that he didn't want him to screw up. Naruto told him to fuck off and to start the training to avoid answering. "Alright, that's enough chatting, for now let's get into battle positions and-"
*BOOM*
Naruto finds himself knocked a great distance away from Infernus, who had just blasted him with a fireball at 5% power. Naruto couldn't believe he was only using 5% of his power when he shot that fireball at him. Just how powerful was Infernus? With a smirk, Infernus told Naruto his opponent won't allow him to go into battle positions and that they will come for him without hesitation like in a real battle.
"Most of the shit I fought were ready to fight by the time I approached them. Remember that, because every time you come in here, I'm just going to immediately come at you out of nowhere and kick your ass. This will be the same in most of these Rating Games you'll participate in. Now get up and take the ass whooping I'm about to deliver.
"Right, l just need-" Before he can finish, Infernus appears in an instant and kicks him hard in the face with his left foot, sending him into the air.
"Your opponent won't allow you to have time to get up either. Common sense, High IQ Dumbass. Unlike the others, I'm not letting you have any rest. Your body is already doing that for you. For now until you eventually improve, this will be a one-sided slaughter."
6:45 pm
"Naruto, we're-" Suddenly opening his eyes, catching Xenovia and the others off guard, Naruto looks over his surroundings and lets out a breath of relief.
"Are you okay?" Moka asked her friend, Naruto saying everything was fine.
"I just had an intense dream battle with Infernus is all."
"So you finally asked him to train you," Ange said to the Rook as she takes out her luggage.
"Hold on, you knew he was an option as a fighting partner?" Naruto asked the Agares Pawn.
"That's what the people of the Black Lizard Planet told me was going to happen, though I wonder why it took you so long to figure he was a trainer you could ask. Now Xenovia, guide us to the one who'll allow us to stay with them."
7:03 pm
London, England
Shidou Residence
Main Hall
"Xenovia, it's so nice to see you again," Touji says with a smile as the bluenette's friends all had bizarre looks on their faces from realizing the people allowing them to stay over were the parents of Irina Shidou, her father being the Pastor of the Protestant Church of England.
"It has been too long, Shidou-san. Where's Irina and the wife?"
"Irina hasn't been returning home for a bout a month. I tried calling her but she hasn't called back. Perhaps you can go check on her back at headquarters in Italy and see-"
"Shidou-san..." Sprouting her Devil Wings, Touji went silent, having forgotten that Xenovia was now a Devil.
"Right...as for my wife-"
"Yahallo, Xenovia-chan!" Irina's Mom shouts from the kitchen, letting everyone know where she was, Xenovia greeting the former the same way.
"Yahallo?" Naruto and the others had no idea what the word meant, but knew this would be the way they'd greet Mrs. Shidou, who tells the bluenette's friends she had just finished making dinner and to head over to the dining table.
Dining Table
"Sausage and mashed potatoes?" Naruto asked himself, Ange informing him the name of the dish being called Bangers and Mash.
"It's was listed as Britain's most popular comfort food in 2009," Ange adds on, popping a slice of sausage in her mouth after. "Mm, this is a good banger."
"Sooooo good!" Moka said in a satisfied voice. "Can I have more bangers for my mash, please?"
"Of course, Akashiya-chan! Help yourself to as many bangers as you want, I have enough for everyone," said a smiling Mrs. Shidou, happy to see that her guests were helping themselves to her cooking. While Naruto ate in silence, he had on an amazed look on his face from hearing most of the girls talking about enjoying Irina's Mom's cooking, while Infernus was snickering to himself. The Rook wasn't even sure they were aware of what they were saying.
8:00 pm
After dinner, Naruto helped clean the pots and dishes with Touji while the girls followed Mrs. Shidou to the room they'll all be staying in for their mission.
"I appreciate your help with this, Namikaze, especially with scrubbing the interior of the pots and pans. I could never do it as well as my daughter or my wife."
"...Shidou-san?"
"Hm?"
"Your daughter, Irina, no...you and your family, you're all old friends, and neighbors, to the Hyoudou family, right?" Naruto asked Touji who, with a small smile, says yes.
"The Hyoudous were great friends of ours, and Irina really liked Issei, so much they would spend almost every day playing together at our old house," Touji says to the blond Rook, a look of nostalgia on his face that clearly remembered the good old days.
"If you and your family had a great relationship with them, why did you move?" Touji stops scrubbing the plate in his left hand, a sad look now present on his face. "Was it work-related?"
"That and so much more," Touji told the blond. "The reason is far more complicated, and tragic than it seems." With a resolved look on his face, Naruto tells Touji to tell him what happened.
"Back then, I used to be in charge of the Protestant Church of Japan. One day, I and a few of my subordinates found out one of our own was engaging in a forbidden romance with the late overseer of Kuoh Town, before Rias Gremory became the successor. You see, proper romance between a Human and a Devil was considered a taboo. We tried to convince him to end the romance, but it was all for nothing. In the end, I along with a few exorcists, made a temporary alliance with a "certain clan of Devils" in order to protect each of our rules and status-quo, attacking and executing them both."
"You killed your subordinate because he loved someone he shouldn't have fallen for?"
"I felt a great weight of grief in my heart, and because of it, I couldn't see my self living in Japan anymore, so I moved here, and became the pastor of the England Protestant Church."
"...What was his name?" Much to his dismay, Touji was unwilling to tell him, knowing saying it would be too much.
"There are days I wish it didn't have to end like that, that I could support him, and not...I try to not think about it, but I can't help but recall those days."
"...There are times I don't want to think about the past. I'm always trying to put it behind me, and run from it. But I know there'll be a point where I can't run anymore. Sooner or later...I need to accept what was taken." Hearing the blond's response, Touji tells Naruto, "At least you are aware that you'll need to eventually confront your demons, unlike me who chose to run away."
"...Irina, she doesn't know about it, does she?"
"She does not, and as her father, I want to be the one to find my strength to tell her." With a smile, Naruto tells Touji he understood it was a family thing before resuming with cleaning the pot he was scrubbing.
"If it's no trouble, please be friends with Irina. She doesn't seem to have much friends besides Xenovia and Keito, along with a few others."
"I can do that, though that will take some time for that to happen," Naruto said to Irina's Father.
"Who knows, if things progress to the point where Humans and Angels can love Devils, you could also-"
"Fathers shouldn't be so eager to give their daughters away to someone, and should allow them to choose who they want to go for instead of being their matchmaker," the blond Rook tells Touji, an intimidating smile on his face.
"R-Right, she can choose who she wants to love."
Guest Room
"Alright, now that we have a room to operate in, I'll now reveal our mission," Ange told her team once they sat around in a circle. "We're to protect the Princess of England in secret, who is in line to be Queen."
"Question," Xenovia said to the Agares Pawn while her hand was raised. "How is this princess connected to you?"
"The princess is...a descendant of my close childhood friend," Ange reveals. "Her name is Charlotte the Fourth. In the following articles I've been keeping track of, her older sister, Carla was supposed to take the crown, but a few nights ago, she along with the current Queen suddenly collapsed from strokes and died. There were traces of poison on the glasses they were drinking from while having dinner, a third one found in Charlotte's, who was lucky to avoid drinking from it by her uncle, the Duke. The one who poisoned her was later caught, revealing herself as a member of a party that was formed to destroy the royal family out of hate. For me, that motive is too simple-minded of a reason to want to assassinate them."
"You think they were hired assassins?" Akame asked, with Ange confirming it.
"After a little investigating, I've come to the conclusion that the Duke was the one who had the Queen and Charlotte's sister killed so he can get close to the crown." When asked about the reason for this, Ange tells them the current Duke was a descendant of a member of the family who was third-in-line for the throne, named Richard, though the royal family is unaware of his lineage.
"Due to my actions before becoming a Devil, I exposed his ancestor's crimes and had him both stripped of his rank and arrested. To imagine him having descendants born to get back into the royal family for this..."
"This is quite a serious matter, Ange," Moka told her. " I understand protecting someone who is related to a friend most dear to you, but this is..."
"I apologize for not telling you all until now," Ange said in a sincere voice. "Had I did so early, I don't think you'd help."
"I would still help. This is important to you," Moka said to the Pawn. "And knowing how serious this is now, how can I not refuse? How could we all refuse?"
"...Thank you all for understanding," Ange said to them, bowing her head to further show her thanks. "Continuing with the mission briefing, in two days, Charlotte will be turning eighteen, which will allow her to take the crown. Our mission will have us following the Duke to confirm my hunch, and protecting Charlotte from other mercenaries under our unknown enemy's payroll. For this, we are to not use our powers for this. We'll split into four jobs. Maki and I will be provide support from a distance by occupying the rooftops and providing gun support. Naruto, Moka and Xenovia, you'll be protecting her in plain sight, whatever form that takes you three. Akame, you will be keeping watch over the Duke and keep tabs on his activities.
"Got it."
"One important thing to know. Our priorities are to protect Charlotte at all costs. People in service to the royal family will die for the Queen, whether they're the current or future one. Don't try to be the hero and save everyone, even if you do have the power to."
"...Right," Naruto said in response, sounding a little forced.
"To ease your consciences, don't forget, I asked you all come knowing what this mission will have us doing, so if anything, the potential lives that may be lost will be my fault, so don't torture yourselves," Ange reminds Naruto and the others.
"Right," Everyone said in unison.
"I'll go over some more details tomorrow. For now, let's rest."
"Alright, but first..." Looking at the one queen-sized bed in the room and the sleeping bags Mrs. Shidou brought them, Moka asked who was going to sleep on the bed for two.
8:40 pm
After picking straws, Naruto and Ange ended up being the ones sleeping in it, with the other girls sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags.
"Shit," Xenovia, Moka, and Akame thought in unison, with Maki being the only one sleeping peacefully in her sleeping bag.
"Just so you're all aware, I'm not into boys," Ange told the girls, with Naruto also being informed of this, who responds by saying he didn't ask.
To be continued in Crown Savers IB
