Been awhile, huh? Sorry for the wait, everyone.
Work is picking up and everything happening has sapped most of my desire to write. But, I'm going to make an effort to get back on track.
I hope this update makes up for my extended absence.
Disclaimer posted in first chapter
A Thief who became a King
Chapter 3: A Devil's Many Meetings
Rias Gremory sighed as she sat through another day of lessons at Kuoh Academy. While she enjoyed staying in the Human Realm, going through school was rather tedious. Granted, she knew that an education was important; but she wished she could skip the boring parts and just know what she needed to.
She chuckled internally, feeling that her thoughts and gripes were shared by a great deal of Humans going through the education system.
Giving a quick glance to the instructor, she noted that their back was turned while multiple students were using the opportunity to lean over and converse with their friends. Humans truly were fascinating to her, with their different cultures and beliefs both dividing and uniting the world they lived in. They had hidden potential that most never realized while the few that did squandered it most of the time.
She was envious of them at times, for many of them didn't have to bear the weight of family expectations or arranged marriages that felt like a life-sentence rather than a joyous union of two people in love.
And Rias would never have any love for Riser Phenex.
The pompous prick was exceedingly arrogant, looking down on most people unless they are more powerful or influential than himself. He was a braggart with an undeserved pride that abused the inherent power his blood gifted him.
And Rias was forced into an arranged marriage with him that she was desperately trying to break out of. She was running out of time, but she couldn't put all her focus on the issue since she had a new [Pawn] to train and some stray Fallen Angels poking around in her shared territory.
She was broken from her thoughts when a dense pressure slammed down on the Academy, making her gasp in shock while her classmates and teacher were rendered near catatonic. Standing up with considerable effort – something that alarmed her – she rushed out of the classroom as fast as she could and joined up with her Peerage as well as Sona Sitri and her Peerage.
"What's happening?!" Issei cried out in near panic, having never experienced this ominous level of power weighing down on them before.
"I can't say for certain, Hyoudou-san," Sona confessed as the two Peerages made their way to the entrance of the Academy, where the power was coming from. "But be prepared for anything."
The other Devils nodded in agreement while the newest [Pawn] swallowed the lump in his throat and anxiously brought out his Sacred Gear.
When they burst through the doors to the outside, they say a figure covered in a tattered cloak that shrouded their face save for their mouth. The skin around their mouth looked cracked and decayed, making them wonder if an undead being had come to Kuoh.
Beneath their cloak were dark clothes that looked equally as tattered while their left hand gripped the pommel of a sheathed sword; their form leaning heavily on the weapon as if it were a crutch holding them up from falling. Based on the slightly larger frame, they assumed that the person before them was male.
They faced the cloaked figure with tensed bodies, waiting to see what they would do. All was silent, save for the rasped breaths coming from him.
"…Devils…" the man breathed out, his voice joined by a second that sounded more distorted; echoing whatever he said.
Rias shivered at the latent power in the man's dual-toned voice, feeling it dwarf her own despite how he looked ready to keel over and die. Masking her anxiety, she stepped forward alongside Sona, the two of them choosing to try and be diplomatic.
"You're trespassing on the conjoined territory of the Sitri and Gremory Families," Sona spoke up sternly, masking her own nervousness towards the situation. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"
The man didn't answer, just giving more raspy breaths before slowly turning his hooded head toward the Sitri heiress. "…Sitri…" he choked out before gagging and erupting into a fit of coughs, his grip on his sword tightening as he struggled to stay on his feet.
The sudden bout of coughs startled the two heiresses, and they stepped back alarm as the man's power slowly started to rise. Gathering their own power, the many Devils of Kuoh readied themselves for a fight, but he surprised them all again when he vanished from sight in a dark flash.
And just as he vanished, so too did the ambient feeling of oppression in the air; the openness of Kuoh returning to them and allowing them to exhale the tensed breath they had been holding in.
The sudden release of tension brought many of the two Peerages to the ground; the adrenaline leaving them and rendering their bodies exhausted. Issei summed up what everyone was thinking with an eloquent exclamation.
"What the fuck was that?!"
Managing to stay on her feet – though she desperately wished to sit – Rias whispered out, "I have no idea…"
Another spike of power echoed from somewhere else in Kuoh, causing everyone to struggle back to their feet and rush to its location.
"I forgot how fun this was," Naruto mused with a chuckle, enjoying an ice cream cone with his [Pawn].
Neo, who had her own triple scoop, smirked at her [King] knowingly, earning another chuckle from him.
"Yeah, yeah. Rub it in, why don't you?" he joked, knowing what she was teasing him about.
Many times, Neo would try and get Naruto to join her for pulling some pranks on unsuspecting suckers in the city. Each time, he would decline joining her and promise to join her another time; but he never found the time with current events.
He was glad he hadn't disappointed her with another denial of her request. Her Sacred Gear, House of Glass, made the trick he was pulling on the two Peerages child's play. True, he was standing in front of them, but Neo added the little touches that made him look like the decaying man the two heiresses saw trespassing in their territory.
"Here they come," he spoke up, having finished his treat while Neo snapped her fingers and surrounded him in a translucent cube of solid glass. His form faded like a mirage before the disguise took his place and the cube shattered into dust. The two shared a smirk before Neo faded from sight.
Just in time too, for the Devils had arrived via transportation magic that bore their family crests in their designs. Rias wasted no time and fired a Destruction Orb at him while Kiba and Tomoe Meguri – Sona's [Knight] – rushed him from behind the attack.
Naruto, still playing the part, hacked a cough before pulling out his sword. With a single swipe, he bisected the Destruction Orb before repositioning the blade to catch the twin sword swings from the two [Knights]. With ease, he deflected them while sending them sprawling back with the force of his swing.
"Foolishness…" he rasped out, giving another cough immediately after. "Is…rushing in blind…all you…can do?"
Akeno and Sona's [Bishops], Momo Hanakai and Reya Kusaka, gathered elemental magic and unleashed it upon Naruto, who had sheathed his sword and absorbed the magic through the scabbard, which started sparking with dark violet lightning as Koneko and Sona's [Rook], Tsubasa Yura, tried to attack him from both sides.
Naruto slammed the butt of the scabbard on the ground, unleashing the pent-up magical energy in a burst of power that knocked both girls off their feet and sent them crashing through some trees. From the shadows of his cowl, Naruto smirked when some of the trees that fell revealed the abandoned church that resided within Kuoh's borders.
Standing up straighter than his disguise had done in their presence, Naruto silently had Neo adjust the illusion over him so that the tattered clothes repaired themselves and the broken skin smoothed to a healthy shade. His cloak was still tattered, but now he didn't look like he was on death's doorstep.
"Hmph," he scoffed, the distorted voice fading and making him sound normal. "How disappointing. Is this all the Peerages of Gremory and Sitri can do? No wonder the Crows were so confident to invade your territory."
Rias and Sona stilled at that, taking a glance at the abandoned church in the distance. It was Sona who figured it out first. "You led us here… To show us where the Fallen are hiding when not roaming Kuoh's streets."
"Of course. I figured you should know what barks at your door, and what better way than by barking myself?"
"Who are you?" Rias ordered, glaring at him.
"For now? Not the one you should be worried about. After all, I wasn't the one who killed a Human and left him at the mercy of a Devil Princess," he taunted smoothly before vanishing from their sights once more in a dark flash.
Issei cringed at having the reminder of his death thrown back in his face while Rias grit her teeth at what the unknown man was accusing her of in his taunt. She wouldn't let his words get to her, though. Not when they needed to figure out why Fallen Angels were setting up shop in Devil Territory during a universally respected ceasefire between the Three Factions.
Despite her thoughts to the contrary, his words did get to her deep down.
Later that evening, after Seventh Heaven closed for the night, Naruto was seen sitting at the bar while Tifa wiped the glasses dry. "So, what was your impression of the heiresses, Naruto?"
"They don't stack up. Sitri seems more levelheaded than Gremory, but I think that may be because she isn't distracted by family affairs. Gremory, on the other hand, is busy raising up a new [Pawn] while trying to deal with her arrangement with the Phenex House."
"You think if she wasn't so worried about that, her Peerage would be more flushed out?"
"Possibly. Though, both of them have a sibling in a seat of higher power. And based on reports from our insider, those two siblings are rather doting of their younger sisters. To the point of it being embarrassing to witness, it seems."
"And because of their doting, Sitri-san and Gremory-san haven't had any real-life experience with issues that Devils face," Tifa concluded.
"Exactly," Naruto confirmed before perking up at a small spike of magic. He briefly pulsed his own power, prompting a rune circle to appear on the floor of the place.
From the rune circle, a man appeared. He wore a knee-length dark blue blazer with a lighter blue dress shirt, a black waist coat, and a red tie. For bottoms, he wore faded-purple slacks and black dress shoes. His hair was black with golden bangs while his eyes were a reddish-purple color.
"Damn," he began, sounding impressed. "Nice place you set up here, kid."
"It wasn't me," Naruto shot down, nodding his head to Tifa. "I gave my [Rook] here total control for the design of this place. It was her goal, after all."
Tifa looked to be focusing on her task of wiping glasses, but one could spot a faint blush upon her cheeks at her [King's] words and the small smile on her lips.
"Hiding in plain sight, are we?" the man asked rhetorically as he joined Naruto at the bar. "May I?"
Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "Don't ask me. I'm not the owner here."
Azazel, Leader of the Grigori, rolled his eyes before turning to Tifa. "Got any whiskey?"
Tifa smirked and set down a few different bottles on the bar. "Pick your poison," she stated.
"Ooh… So many choices," the Fallen Angel grumbled before he shrugged. "Y'know what? Surprise me!"
"Coming up!" Tifa declared confidently, grabbing the bottles and replacing them on the shelves save for one.
She then poured two ounces of the chosen whiskey in a glass of ice alongside an ounce of sweet vermouth and two dashes of aromatic bitters. Taking a spoon, she stirred the ingredients thoroughly before straining them in a separate glass before garnishing it with two cherries on a stick that rested on the rim of the glass. With ease, she then had the cocktail slide across the bar top and stop perfectly in front of Azazel.
"Enjoy your Manhattan," she bid as she set to cleaning the utensils used for the drink. She caught Naruto smiling at her and blushed again, pleased to see him gazing at her so fondly.
Taking a sip, Azazel sighed happily at the taste dancing across his tongue and down his throat. "Can't beat the classics," he mused before turning to the whiskered blonde. "Whatcha doing here anyway, kid? You know this area is taken, right?"
"Oh, I know. But it's not like I'm causing problems," Naruto waved off before smirking. "To the contrary, I'm helping solve some problems for the two little heiresses; particularly the one concerning a few possible strays of yours. Looks like some of your subordinates veered off from your flock."
Azazel hummed thoughtfully at that. "I may have sent some of them here to keep an eye on someone. I wanted to know if my hunch about their Sacred Gear was right."
"Did you authorize killing the kid?" the whiskered Devil questioned, earning a look from the Fallen. "I'll take that as a No. One of them killed a Human, only for him to be reincarnated in Gremory's Peerage as her newest [Pawn]. My own [Pawn] informed me that it looks like he has a Twice Critical, but she believes there's more to it than that."
"I see…"
"Something you wanna share?"
Taking another sip of his drink, the Grigori Leader replied, "I have a strong feeling that Kuoh houses the newest Red Dragon Emperor."
"Boosted Gear?" Naruto asked in slight surprise before shaking his head. "Poor kid. I don't envy him for having to deal with that brat of yours. No doubt he'll be disappointed that his future foe is a perverted [Pawn]."
"Don't sell us perverts short," Azazel warned with a small grin. "We may just surprise you."
"I'll be sure to remember that," was the blonde's dry response.
"Cheeky punk…"
"At any rate, we got a room ready for you if you want," Naruto informed him. "Not sure how long you plan on staying, so I asked Tifa to spruce it up for you."
"Well, I wouldn't want to be rude and reject your generous offer of hospitality," Azazel replied, speaking with a faux aristocratic voice.
"Just clean up any feather you molt off," Tifa quipped, having finished her cleaning and moved to her [King's] side.
The man sputtered at the jab while Naruto barely held back an amused snort. Grumbling about rude hosts, he accepted the key to his room and headed up the stairs. Left alone, Tifa turned to her whisker-faced leader and saw that he was looking at the interior of her bar.
"You really made a nice place, Tifa. I'm glad I was a part of it."
"I wouldn't have had this place for years if it wasn't for you," she softly replied, earning his full attention. "You showed me a world I never knew, breaking me free of my small-minded view of the world and introducing me to one much bigger than I originally believed. You gave me a place in that world, and only continued to give when I was meant to follow you."
"Tifa…"
She stopped him by gently placing a finger to his lips and smiling beautifully at him. Nothing else was said, and her dark red eyes staring into his cerulean blues with open gratitude and affection. Removing her finger, she replaced it with her lips and shared a kiss with her [King], hoping to convey what she was feeling to him.
She and the others of his Peerage knew that his heart yearned for another, but that didn't mean they wouldn't take a chance to show him how they felt for him when the opportunity presented itself. They would still do everything they could to help him find the woman stolen away from him, but they would make sure to take a place in his heart in the meantime.
Pulling away from the kiss, she was happy to see the blush on his cheeks and how his smile tried to hide his embarrassment. She then moved closer to him, leaning into her [King] and prompting him to wrap his arms around her. Within his gentle embrace, she felt her walls go down; willingly allowing herself to be completely vulnerable in his arms as she listened to his heartbeat.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"For what?" he whispered back.
'For not rejecting me,' she thought to herself before verbally answering, "For everything…"
The next day found Naruto walking through the streets of Kuoh without his disguise. He was dressed in a black coat with light neon blue serpentine patterns and three separated coattails with slightly tattered edges. Beneath the coat, he wore a black sleeveless and zippered turtleneck beneath his midnight blue formal vest. His hands were garbed in charcoal gray fingerless gloves and he wore black pants with a pair of dark boots covered by teal gaiters with several straps.
He was heading off to meet an old client of his Peerage, the group having helped her around a year ago. Neo was currently keeping tabs on the two heiresses while Tifa was seeing to Azazel. The group had met the man some months ago when on a job, and he expressed curiosity at the ragtag Peerage from different walks of life led by "an unknown".
That meeting led to Naruto and Azazel establishing a temporary alliance with neither willingly impeding the progress of the other. It helped that Naruto's group pulled a couple jobs for the man while he promised to keep an ear out for something Naruto was searching for.
A weapon related to his ancestry.
Shaking his head to clear away those thoughts, he entered a hotel and asked the woman at the front desk for the correct room number before being led there. Knocking on the door, he waited for a moment before it opened and revealed a young woman with dark skin, pointed ears, and pale blonde hair who glared at him with red eyes before realizing who had knocked.
"Uzumaki-san," she greeted before standing aside and letting him inside. "Joō-sama is expecting you."
"Thank you, Chloe," the blonde Devil replied as he walked into the hotel room, allowing her to shut the door.
Taking a moment to observe her, he saw that she was dressed more conservatively than her race usually did. Instead of her more revealing outfit, Chloe was dressed in a dark violet sweater and blue jeans while her shoes were left at the door. Despite not showing much skin, she still looked beautiful.
But her beauty couldn't match that of her queen, who was lounging on the couch of their hotel room while reading through a weathered looking tome. As Queen of the Dark Elves, Olga Discordia personified the term seductive.
Her normal attire was gone in favor of an off-sleeve black dress with violet accents. Her black hair was silky smooth, reaching down to below her waist and covering her right eye. Three golden rings adorned both of her pointed ears while her molten amber eye moved away from her tome and regarded him.
Closing the tome and setting it down, she gracefully got to her feet and stepped up to him with a faint smirk on her face. "Uzumaki-san," she greeted. "You look taller since last we saw each other."
"And your beauty remains divine, Discordia-sama," he returned, grasping her wrist so that he could kiss the top of her hand. Truthfully, he hated standing on ceremony; but this woman was a queen and she loved to be pampered.
He learned that the hard way the last time he saw her.
"Such a charmer, like your ancestor was," she complimented, offering him a seat across from the couch while she resumed lounging. "I wish this was a social call, but I'm afraid this meeting is for business and not pleasure."
Chloe came into the room and offered Naruto some water, which he took with a thankful smile before turning back to Olga. "What is it you require, Discordia-sama?"
"I am in search of an artifact belonging to the Light Elves; a scepter meant to empower the wielder and grant them access to the Divine Arcana. I'm sure you can understand the reason for my desire, yes?"
He nodded once. The Divine Arcana was a branch of magic said to rival the power of most gods/goddesses from various pantheons. Anyone who knew of such magic would crave its power, and if this scepter allowed one to easily call forth the Divine Arcana, then he was sure it wouldn't be an easy job to pull.
"Do you have any information for me? And how soon do you wish for my Peerage to bring it to you?"
"Are you currently on call?" Olga asked back, earning another nod from the Devil.
"Yes, my Peerage is in search of the Chalice of Beginnings for a religious group serving a woman named Seiros. They've offered a substantial reward for our completion of the job."
"Do you know what that artifact is used for, Uzumaki-san?" Chloe questioned, standing behind the couch her queen lounged upon.
"I'm aware that it's needed to summon their progenitor god, but I also know that it requires the blood of four of their apostles."
"And three of the descendants of those four apostles are currently missing, with the accounted one under captivity," Olga informed him, earning an impressed glance from the Uzumaki. She chuckled smugly and teased, "You didn't think your group were the only ones approached by Seiros and her followers, did you?"
"I wasn't aware I would have possible competition in finding a dusty cup," he replied, sounding slightly annoyed. Competition cut into an estimated timetable, and it also showed how desperate a client could get.
Or, how devious they could be. There had been a few jobs with competition that ended with the client trying to one-up all parties involved in its completion.
Most of those clients didn't live to see the next sunrise.
"So, where is the found descendant being held?" he asked curiously.
"She's currently under our care back at Eostia. Her power is most interesting, being able to summon demonic beasts with a sigh," Olga answered, getting her guest to raise a brow.
"She…sighs to summon them?" he repeated, sounding confused.
"It's a curse born from the bloodline she carries," Olga explained. "Currently, we are holding the curse at bay with charms while we find a way for her to control it. She was quite grateful to us for that."
"It helps that our people have welcomed her openly, Joō-sama," Chloe spoke up.
"True."
"Do you have anymore information on the Chalice?" Naruto requested. "I have Ross and Metallia looking into it while Yoruichi is trying to get in touch with our insider, but they haven't reported anything to me yet."
"Perhaps," Olga baited, smirking at him once more. "But you know that information is a highly valued commodity in this world. What are you willing to pay for what I know?"
"I'll do the job you wish my Peerage to complete at two-thirds the cost."
"Half the cost, and you must join me for a pleasant evening the next time both of us are free from our responsibilities," the Dark Elf Queen stated firmly, her smirk still in place.
She had felt the lingering power waiting to be unleashed from the whiskered Devil before her. It was held on a tight leash, but she could tell that the power within was staggering. She had gotten a taste of it yesterday, followed by the powers of the two Devil heiresses; and their power just couldn't compare to his own.
She desired that power, and if not the power than the one who wielded it. It helped that the Uzumaki attracted her in both his looks and his personality. Oh, she knew that his Peerage also desired him; but she didn't fear competition from them.
She saw him think over her counteroffer before nodding in agreement. "Fine. Half the cost and you have me for a night. Now, the information…?"
Olga's smirk changed to a pleasant smile as she shared what she knew with her favorite Devil.
Returning to Seventh Heaven, Naruto was greeted by Neo who handed him a written report of her findings for the day. Looking it over, he raised a brow before turning to Azazel who sat at the bar.
"Were you aware that your stray flock had an excommunicated nun in their possession?"
"A nun?" Azazel repeated curiously, taking a moment to think before groaning. "Dammit, Raynare…"
"Who's that?" Tifa asked, serving the man another cocktail.
"A subordinate of mine who was always overly eager about impressing me. She knows about my interest in Sacred Gears, so I wouldn't be surprised if this nun you're talking about has one. And if I had to guess, based on who I believe the poor girl is, then Raynare is after the Twilight Healing."
"I've heard of that one," Naruto spoke up. "A Sacred Gear said to heal any injury. I would think the Church would've kept the girl under their supervision with a power like that."
"They did, and she was even believed to be a saint before she used that saintly power to heal a Devil. When it was revealed that her power could do so, she was excommunicated and labeled a witch."
The other three frowned in disgust at that. "Typical… The Church preaches about loving everyone and treating them with respect, only to cast aside a poor girl who only wanted to help someone and follow those hypocritical teachings," Naruto groused.
"At any rate, my guess is that Raynare is planning on performing some sort of ritual to steal the girl's Sacred Gear from her," Azazel deduced.
"It's rather peculiar that she happened to bump into the next Red Dragon, then," the Uzumaki mused aloud as he handed Azazel the report Neo made. "The kid may be a pervert, but he's got a good heart. I almost pity him for what he's being pulled into by becoming a Devil."
"Interesting, but I'm curious about something," the Fallen Angel spoke up. "What will you do? Stand aside and let the heiresses deal with it? Or will you step in?"
Naruto wanted to wave off the question, but he saw the man was genuinely interested in his answer. "A large part of me wants to avoid getting involved, despite what I've already done. However, this could be an opportunity to start my reveal to the Underworld."
Azazel smirked and suggested, "You could offer your services to the Gremory girl. After all, she has a problem, and your Peerage is more than equipped to handle it. Imagine having the sister of a Satan in your back pocket."
The thought was appealing to Naruto, and he turned to his two Pieces. "What do you two think? I'll ask the others when I get the chance."
"If you get Gremory-san to owe us a favor, you could use it to try and find Lieze-sama," Tifa informed him. "She and Sitri-san are allies, after all."
Naruto frowned at that, still bothered by how he hadn't heard anything about his missing sister. The flower he kept with him was enchanted with magic linked to her essence and would keep its glow so long as she was still alive.
It still glowed strong whenever he brought it out.
Having another family help in the search would be a great boon to him, and it seemed Neo agreed since she nodded alongside Tifa at her words. He sighed and nodded to them.
"I'll ask the others, but I'm sure they'll also bring up that fact. If they agree, then I want all of you to be ready for an eventual meeting with the heiresses."
They both nodded in understanding while Azazel chuckled to himself. 'Things are about to get very interesting. I can't wait to see how the Devil Faction will react to the return of the Sparda bloodline.'
That's the end!
Next time will have Naruto reveal himself to Rias and offer her a way out of her engagement.
I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and the characters brought into this story. Now, I'm strongly considering adding Olga to the pairing, but I'll see how you guys feel about it first.
Leave a review about the chapter and your feelings about Olga being added. And if you guys have any questions, feel free to PM me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Until next time!
Stay safe, healthy, and positive!
pain17ification