New Devil of The Gremory House
Life 16: Connecting
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"And then I told him about the big blast I was caught in! And how I got lost floating in this place he called the Diagonal Gap or something! But then I somehow ended up down the street of Kuoh, and I made my way there. Then I passed out and woke up a few months later. I got a scholarship to the school, which I found out was your brother paying for it so they could keep an eye on me in case anything crazy happened. And then I was killed. And now we're here." Naruto lamely finished before shrugging, "And that's it."
Their expressions varied to say the least.
Akeno and Rias stared at him in silent shock. Issei's jaw dropped and Asia's head was tilted in confusion. Yuuto tried to wrap his head around the impossible tale he had just heard.
Koneko was blank-faced.
Naruto awaited their response. After the third minute of straight silence he looked around, "So? Any questions?"
"I got one." Issei raised his hand, "Are you sure your brain wasn't scrambled while you were away? Or are you just stupid?"
"Wanna repeat that?" Naruto's eyes twitched.
"That story was crazy!" Issei exclaimed, "Way too crazy to actually be real! I-I mean you come from another world! A world full of ninjas! You understand how crazy that is, right?"
"No." Naruto huffed, "Considering I came from that world."
"It is a bit hard to comprehend...but also very intriguing." Yuuto cupped his chin in deep thought before looking up at his fellow blond, "If it's true, is your world different from this one?"
"Yeah. There are more trees and the buildings aren't as big where I come from. Plus we don't have cars or airplanes."
"What about technology?"
"That actually seems pretty similar." Naruto tilted his head in thought, "We didn't have portable phones but there were computers and TVs. I didn't actually own one but I used one every now and then."
"Fascinating."
"I've never heard of any ninja world. But we can't be sure about what lies behind the Dimensional Gap, so anything might be possible." Akeno theorized, "I'd say a world and scenario like the one you told us is just too insane to be real, but I believe you lack the creativity to actual make it up yourself. There's a chance you're just suffering from chuunibyou syndrome-"
"Either agree with me or don't." Naruto cut her off, "Don't use this as a chance to land shots."
Akeno smiled unabashedly, "Poo."
"Is it really true, Naruto-San? Were you a ninja?" Asia asked with excitement in her voice. When the older blond nodded the nun's eyes lit up with joy, "Oh, that is amazing!" The others looked at her strangely and sweated as the girl blushed with embarrassment and lowered her head, "When I first heard I was coming to Japan, I-I was very excited at the idea of meeting ninjas and samurai. I was...a bit disappointed to not see one until know."
"A-Asia, ninjas and samurai aren't gonna be wandering the streets." The blonde girl shifted on her feet, mortified by the looks of pity she was getting at her childish idea. Issei scratched his head, "Buchou, what about you? Do you believe...Buchou?"
The redhead was staring up at Naruto with wide eyes. Honestly she looked just as intrigued by the revelation as Asia was. Which was worrying considering how much more composed and mature she was supposed to be. Akeno gave a not so subtle cough and nudged her [King] in the side as the heiress collected herself, "R-right! Thank you for the story, Naruto. It was nice to finally get the story from the man himself."
Issei and the others stared at their leader blankly, "Buchou, can you show just a little more disbelief in the crazy fantasy story we were just told."
"That being said, there's something about your story that needs immediate addressing." Her curiosity was quickly replaced with a barely contained anger as her eyes narrowed and hair bristled, "Azazel." Her peerage leaned back when they noticed the sharp edge in her voice, "He has the audacity to invade my territory at the same time as his comrade is attempting to wage war and just go on vacation? He also decides to kidnap one of my servants! And unlike Kokabiel, he just walks away and thinks everything is square?" The redhead almost growled, "If I ever meet that man, I will make him suffer a hundred times over for his actions."
"Okay." Naruto stepped forward and tried to ease the tension the pure-blooded Devil exuded. Her eyes snapped up at him and he thought for a moment that she would attack him just for getting in her line of sight. But luckily her shoulders sagged by the narrowest of margins and he realized that was the best opportunity he'd have to convince her to think rationally, "I know you're probably mad, but you shouldn't be." She made to argue, "He didn't hurt me. He helped in fact." He raised his arm and activated his new Gear to emphasize his point, "This thing helped me in the fight. So I know you might be pissed at him...but I think he deserves my thanks."
Rias still looked displeased. The others were wary and even Akeno's smile had faltered in place of an uncomfortable frown. But after a moment of silence Rias finally relented and let out a long sigh, "Fine." Naruto smiled as Rias nodded and crossed her legs, "But just so you know the moment we finish thanking him, I'll want to get revenge."
"Oh no arguments there." Naruto grinned, "In fact I won't be happy until I give that guy a swift kick to the balls. I'm just saying I should probably thank him first before doing it."
"That sends a pretty mixed message."
"Alright, then I suppose we're in agreement." Rias reluctantly accepted Naruto's request. She stood out of her seat and looked down at the Sacred Gear imbedded in his arm, "I can't believe you actually have one of those now as well."
"Yeah. But it's pretty cool." Naruto flexed his new weapon proudly and shrugged, "Having some control over time sure sounds like a cool ability."
"Hey Naruto-senpai, how does your Sacred Gear work?" Issei looked at his senior's gift before looking down at his hand. He thought about his Boosted Gear before looking at Remote Looper one more time, "When we were finished fighting, my last attack kept exploding over and over and over. It was kinda like my Sacred Gear."
"Well I don't really know the proper terms and stuff, but I have the general idea about how it works. Watch." Naruto gripped his fist and raised it as the club watched it glow for a moment, "Set."
Naruto's other hand came swinging in and slapped Issei's cheek. The fellow [Pawn] stumbled on his feet and nearly toppled over before cradling his cheek and yelling, "What the hell?! Jackass!"
"Loop."
Issei's face rippled again as he fell on his ass. The pervert groaned and rubbed his aching face to alleviate the sudden pain as he glared up at the blond in spite. Naruto chuckled a little despite Issei's ire before turning to the curious crowd watching him test his ability on his fellow [Pawn]. Rias chuckled, "You two finish having your fun yet?"
"This isn't fun, Buchou!"
"It is for me." Issei glared back at the whiskered man as he grinned.
The brown-haired teen had a toothy grin as he clenched his fist, "Okay. It's a great ability. Let's keep testing it out."
"Yeah, not falling for that. Nice try though." Naruto patted Issei's shoulder as the pervert glowered. The blond did give a small shrug of his shoulder, "But if by chance you ever do get me when I've set a loop, I'm gonna have to deal with it. Can't turn it off."
That got some odd looks, "You can't?"
"Nope." Naruto looked his Gear over again, "I can make something repeat one or ten times, but I have to finish it. Once it's set, I have to complete a loop. Can't cancel it. Can't set up another one. So even if I get punched or stabbed or...well whatever I might get in a fight, I gotta live with it and loop it."
"That seems like a design flaw." Yuuto noted.
"Azazel said that there had to be some compromises while making his Sacred Gear. No matter how much he tried he couldn't give his artificial ones the same kind of power as the real ones. He even warned me that there was a chance this one would bust somewhere along the road."
"That's unfortunate, after all the trouble caused just to get it." Rias lamented but still had a small smile, "But still, it is a useful Sacred Gear that I'm sure we can get a lot of use out of in our future fights." She crossed her arms in thought, "I'll have to see more of what your ability is capable of in the field. But first there are other matters we need to discuss."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Like what?"
"Well, I have a lot to say to all three of you boys." The males flinched as her eyes opened and turned between them. They first stopped on Issei, "Issei, I'm worried about the extent you went in order to finish our last fight. I don't like the idea of you sacrificing your body parts for an added bit of power. Plus the fact you're in so much pain trying to acclimate to it is something else very concerning."
He lowered his head, "Sorry Buchou."
"However, if it wasn't for your sacrifice, I'm sure that fight would have ended poorly for all of us." There were a few nods and hums of agreement as they rubbed the areas that were once their Spear wounds. The redhead stepped forward and smiled at her [Pawn], "So I suppose I can't be too mad at you. You'll have to inform us when your arm starts to act up so we can suck any excess power from the gauntlet. So I think I'll leave any punishment and treatment to your personal healer for now."
"Issei-San," The little blonde healer looked up at her friend with concern before steeling her expression, "I swear that I shall help treat you to the best of my ability."
"Thanks Asia."
"Naruto." The whiskered ninja stood strong when she turned to him with a stern expression, even if a bead of sweat traveled down his brow. She had a little frown while thinking about how to proceed with his reprimanding, "You disappeared for the better part of a week and made all of us worried to death."
"Y-yeah, but it wasn't on purpose." Naruto added hopefully.
"Yes. I suppose you're right. I guess I'll have to put a little more thought into how to deal with that." Rias mumbled before turning to the last person to cause them trouble over the last few days, "Yuuto..."
"Buchou, may I say something first?" Yuuto asked before she could begin. Rias nodded as the [Knight] lowered his head, "I was so blinded by my desire to find and destroy the Excalibur blade that I lost sight of everything else. Your concern. Your attempts to help me. All of you...I can't even begin to explain how regretfully I am for how I acted." The handsome teen looked between all of them with a guilty expression, "For the longest time I believed that was my only purpose in anything. It was so important - so absolute - that I believed my life was inconsequential compared to that goal. But after what happened, I realize that I was wrong. I shouldn't have believed that about my life. And I remember what my true purpose is now."
He turned to Rias and bent down on one knee, "This life, all of its faculties and possibilities, are yours to command. I am a [Knight]. I am your [Knight]. I shall forever be in your debt and at your service, my [King]."
"Then there's only one thing I can say." Rias decreed onto her loyal servant, "I want you to live. For as long as you can and as happily as you can, both as an order from me and as tribute to the loved ones you lost so long ago. Survive our future fights. Grow strong and live longer. Make this new life precious." She smiled warmly at her [Knight], "Can you do that?"
"I shall, my [King]."
"Good. Then all that's left is for you to turn around so I can spank you 10,000 times."
...
The silence was unbearable.
Yuuto paled and slowly looked up at the malicious smile the redhead brandished him, "B-Buchou, w-w-what do you mean?"
"It should be rather obvious." Rias' hand raised and a crimson magic circle floated over her palm as she smiled evilly, "You misbehaved. And as happy as I am to hear you've come to your senses, you still need to be punished."
"B-but-"
"Now now, don't be afraid." Rias stalked forward, "It won't hurt nearly as bad as you think."
Yuuto stopped when he felt someone hold him in place, "K-Koneko-chan!" The freshman gave him a regretful look before holding his arm so he couldn't escape. He heard a joyful giggle at his other side and saw Akeno holding his other arm.
"Um..." Naruto raised his hand while he, Asia, and Issei watched on in horror at what was about to happen. Issei was so horrified in fact that he was snickering and giggling at the scene playing out in front of them, "Can I go home?
"You may." Rias smiled, "Make sure not to get into any more trouble until you get home."
"Y-yeah, enjoy your...this."
"Naruto-San! Please! Help me!"
"Sorry Kiba." Naruto headed for the door, "I've been through a lot of stuff but I got no idea how to deal with whatever the fuck this is."
Naruto made his way out as he heard a hard smack and Yuuto's quick yelp of pain.
Yep. Glad he avoided that.
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When Naruto made it back to his apartment complex so late at night, he didn't know what to expect. He had been gone for several days now and had almost come to miss this place during his absence. Sure the place looked cheap and the rooms were pretty small and the water was almost never warm and the roach hotel was never cleaned and the landlord was a total tool...
On second thought, that bed in Azazel's apartment seemed so inviting now. He didn't know what he had until it was gone.
That spoke true for a lot of things.
Anyway, when he came back to his crummy, almost abandoned complex, he didn't expect to see a group of laborers working out in the street to fix the damages he had caused in his fight with Azazel. This being a less populated area than the rest of Kuoh, he expected it would be awhile before anyone came out here to fix it.
Honestly he thought he'd just have to get accustomed to coming home to see a broken lamppost and shattered blacktop forever. But not only were they working on it, they were almost done.
Naruto made his way to the landlord's office when he saw the lights still on. He heard the telltale signs of life from the TV blaring some kind of inappropriate content. He looked in and saw his crabby landlord lounging back in his seat and watching his porn with no shame. The older man didn't seem to take notice of Naruto despite the fact he was standing before his desk before the blond spoke up, "Taichi-San, I'm back."
"Uzmeki!" The man screwed up his name once more as the young man could only sigh. He had corrected him so many times that he just believed the landlord did it on purpose, "Where you been?"
"You wouldn't believe me-"
"Never mind, don't care."
"Figures." He looked back out at repairs being made, "Did you call a repair team or something?"
"Of course not." He responded, "These guys were sent here by some rich person. They were asking about any available rooms we might have and offered to fix things up before they come see it for themselves. We may be getting some rich snob that would like to see what it's like living in the dirt." Taichi headed back in before pointing up, "They fixed your door by the way. Don't know what you did but you should be thanking the rich person when you meet them. Because I would have footed the bill for the whole repair."
"But it's not my fault!"
It was. But he didn't feel like telling the stingy landlord the truth.
Taichi just groaned and laid back on his chair, not paying any heed to Naruto's argument or the looks he was getting. The blond [Pawn] sighed before giving up and just heading back up to his room. He spotted it along the wall, new door and all signs of any damage fixed until it looked better than the rest of the complex.
He walked in and found his room just as he had left it. His schoolbag still knocked over on the floor and his futon still looking slept in on the left wall.
Naruto was amazed at just how quickly his body relaxed when he spotted his bed. He dragged his feet and yawned while making his way over to the futon. Once he reached it, he gave in and collapsed onto the comfy cover. The fatigue from the recent battle and the recent surgery had surely taken their toll on him.
Even with the sound of repairs outside, Naruto easily drifted off to sleep. He'd only have a few hours of sleep before school started. And Rias would probably come over and complain if he skipped out any more classes.
Hopefully everything would be easier in the next few days.
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They weren't.
"Hiya everybody~." The serious, stern voice attempted to sound sweet and bubbly as she greeted them. The blue-haired girl gave them a cute pose and winked while stilling having the stoic expression on her face, "My name is Xenovia Quarta! Gee, it's real swell to meet all of you! I hope we can have a real fun time together~!"
...
She turned back to the older girls, "How was that?"
"Good first attempt but you want to introduce yourself to everyone. Making a first impression is important." Rias smiled, "Was there a reason you added the poses?"
"It seemed appropriate at the time."
"Okay, Xenovia-chan." Akeno smiled, "How about you add a few more twirls and a wink to the end of your introduction? I'm sure that's enough to get peoples' attention on you."
"Thank you for the advice, Akeno-fukubuchou." Xenovia gratefully nodded to the busty older girl before following her advice. The blue-haired warrior spun in her feet before planting herself and winking at the crowd, "Greetings everyone! I'm Xenovia, the new [Knight] of the Gremory peerage! It's nice to meet you all!"
...
The rest of the ORC stood in the doorway with varying looks of shock and confusion. When they came back into the club to reconvene before the day started, they hadn't expected to see the Church warrior greet them while donning their school uniform. Or to see her awkwardly attempt to pose and greet them like a quirky store clerk.
The blue-haired girl blinked a few times before looking back at her seniors, "It's not working."
"Hmm." Rias crossed her arms in thought, "Maybe instead it would be better just to greet them as you would have before coming to Japan. Sans the poses."
"Very well." Xenovia stood straight and bowed her head, "Greetings. My name is Xenovia Quarta. I am the new 2nd year at Kuoh Academy and the newest [Knight] of this peerage. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Rias and Akeno clapped, "Very good, Xenovia-chan."
"Yes, very nicely said." Rias stepped forward besides the new girl and turned to her servants, "How about that, everyone? Did Xenovia's introduction leave an impression on all of you?"
"What the actual fuck?"
"I'll take that as a yes."
"B-Buchou, is this real?" Issei questioned while Asia stared at the new girl in confusion, "I mean is she-"
"Part of our peerage? Yes, yes she is." Rias answered, "Xenovia came to me one night and told me she had nowhere else to go. She asked for help, and I was impressed both by her resilience and her abilities during our fight with Kokabiel." The crimson-haired beauty smiled, "So I decided to pick her up. I resurrected her and now she's our newest [Knight]."
"Okay, still a little confused about how this stuff works. Never really dealt with religions back where I came from." Naruto stepped towards Rias, "She was part of another faction, right? So do they just switch and loan people out regularly or what?"
"No. Xenovia is on our side permanently now." Rias corrected before looking at the girl in question sadly, "She was excommunicated from the Church."
Xenovia's expression fell for a moment before she quickly hid disappointment behind a mask of indifference. The former warrior nodded in agreement and stood at attention, "After I had retrieved the pieces of Excalibur and reported back to the Vatican, I was labeled a heretic and banished from the Church. I'm not welcomed to any Church in the world."
Asia gasped, "Why would they do something like that?"
"Because I knew the truth. The truth Kokabiel told us during the fight in order to make us falter in fighting him. Apparently it was real. And anyone outside of the highest order of the Church that knows that truth can't be trusted to walk the halls of their cathedrals. They feared I would reveal it to the masses and others in the Church...so they acted preemptively." Xenovia tired to hide her pain but still looked glum while recounting the events that led her here, "I asked for help from Rias Gremory...and here I am."
"Seriously? J-just like that? What about Irina?" Issei asked.
"She thinks I'm a traitor. Someone who turned her back on the Church and ran away to the Devils. When I last saw her she took the pieces away and...she didn't say anything else to me." Xenovia stared forward before shaking her head, "If that has to be my fate then so be it."
"No. That's not fair."
Xenovia turned to see Naruto glaring down before he shook his head, "They can't do that. You don't deserve that."
" Naruto-"
"You know it's bullshit, right?" He interrupted Rias before she could argue against him, "She shouldn't be blamed or punished for this! She didn't want to hear about God's death! And just because she did she's being kicked out and shunned by the rest of her people?! Shouldnt we tell them the truth?! Shouldn't we tell people so they can make that choice themselves?!"
"Naruto..." Rias spoke softly and carefully as she shook her head, "It's not that simple."
"It can't be that hard either." Hearing that this girl had to be ostracized and rejected because of something she couldn't help knowing. Just because she had listened to that Fallen Angel and helped them fight him off, now she was shunned. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.
He didn't want something like that to happen again.
"Yeah!" Issei nodded and looked between all of them, "Naruto-senpai is right! That's not fair at all! If we just go face those guys-"
"Issei-San." He felt his someone softly pull on his sleeve. He looked back to see Asia meekly hanging her head while still tightly gripping his uniform with her fingers. She released him and and kept her eyes down before speaking quietly, "When I found out the truth about God...I was devastated. I felt like everything in my life had just crumbled down and collapsed into dust. I didn't want what that man said to be real...but if it was...I don't think I would have wanted to hear it."
"Exactly." Rias nodded, looking at her [Bishop] sadly before facing her [Pawns], "If we told the world the truth about The Lord and they believed it, they would either be in denial or be furious and confused." She stepped up to the blond man's and looked up at him, "Naruto, you may not know much about religion back in your world, but here it is a staple of many peoples' lives. Keeping something like this maybe selfish and cruel...but when the alternative is hysteria and madness, I can understand why they would want to keep it secret. And why they would make this kind of choice."
"Thank you for your concern, both of you," Xenovia spoke, "But I'm fine. When I imagine someone as faithful as Irina having to learn a terrible truth like this, I can't even bear the thought. So if I need to be shunned by the Church to keep people safe from a fate like that, then I accept that stigma."
...
"You shouldn't have to."
Naruto low mutter was the last thought of that conversation before Rias clapped her hands. All eyes turned on her as she smiled widely again, "Now now, we shouldn't have to feel this gloom. We have a new member to our club, and we're all safe together. That's reason to celebrate enough." The bosom redhead turned to the blue-haired newbie, "Xenovia, starting tomorrow we will show you how we answer requests and form contracts with customers. I want you to pay attention when we do, okay?"
"Of course, Rias-buchou."
"But for today I want all of you to take a break. I have some important business to attend to so I won't be able to help show all of you off." Rias smiled at the expressions on their faces when they heard they had a break, "But remember you'll have to start up again tomorrow, understand?"
"Yes ma'am."
"I have an idea." Akeno added with a pleasant smile, "Why don't you all show Xenovia-chan around later after school is finished. I'm sure she would appreciate being shown what her new home is like."
"Hey, that sounds like a great idea."
"Yes, what do you think, Xenovia-San?" Asia asked the taller girl enthusiastically, "Would you like us to show you around after school?"
"Well yes, if it's not too much of a bother."
"Not at all!"
"Perfect, then you have plans ready after school."
Naruto raised his hand, "Actually I have work-"
"We're counting on all of you to show our new member around. Make us proud."
"Yes, Buchou!"
And just like that he was ignored.
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"Naruto-senpai, slow down!" Issei called, "There's no point showing Xenovia around if you keep going ahead of us like this."
"And like I told you, I can't waste time walking around! I have a job to get to!" The whiskered man barked back, "So if you wanna sight-see then go ahead! But I got move!"
"We understand that, Naruto-San." Yuuto gave a shaky smile, "But I don't think they do."
"And over there is a clothing store! Buchou-San helped me pick out new outfits and articles of clothing to wear. And over there is a park you can talk walks in. A-and over there is something called an arcade." The blonde [Bishop] excitedly told her new friend about all her favorite places to visit downtown, "It's a building filled with games of all kinds that you play on video screens. It's so much fun!"
"Really?" Xenovia tilted her head curiously before looking at the building in question, "I remember hearing much about places like this from the youths back in Italy. But I had never been to one myself."
Koneko stepped up to the new [Knight]'s side and pulled on her sleeve before pointing out other shops, "That place has really good burgers. That place is nice to find any music you like. And that place is a karaoke bar, and it's nice to go there with friends and sing."
"Really? That's interesting."
The boys stood at one side watching Asia and Koneko introduce their newest member to the sights. Naruto groaned and scratched his head before looking between the two boys, "Does stuff like this last for long?"
"Kinda." Issei shrugged, "When we came out here the first time to get Asia some new clothes, we went shopping for hours. Course I got to see Asia and Buchou in tons of cute, sexy outfits so I'm not really complaining."
Naruto rolled his eyes as the perverted brunette's face grew red and his smile swerved into a pervert grin. The whiskered teen's shoulders sagged as he exhaled, "So is this any easier for people that aren't complete and total perverts?"
"Oh, stop acting like you're so pure." Issei commented before knocking Naruto in the elbow, "C'mon Senpai, haven't you ever looked at a girl like that before? We're men! It's our job to see perverted things at any opportunity and then remember them to ourselves at our leisure with our thoughts and a healthy assortment of tissues."
"Oh for fuck sake."
"Um," Yuuto raised his hand, "I don't usually do that, Issei-kun."
"Well Kiba, to be fair, I don't ever really know your deal." Yuuto blinked in confusion before Issei turned back to his disgusted senior, "What about you, Senpai? Haven't you ever thought of Buchou like that when you're by yourself?"
"What? Why would I think of Rias like that?"
"Because you two like each other. It's why you get along so well." Issei plainly stated as Naruto's eyes widened, "Did you not notice?"
"W-what-"
"Issei-kun is right, Naruto-San." Yuuto nodded in agreement while looking up at the stunned whiskered blond, "Buchou has shown a certain interest in you recently, and I honestly thought that you were returning it."
"I-I-"
"Oh, and there's a ramen shop not too far away that serves an excellent bowl of ramen. It's very tasty. And Naruto-San works there as well so we can all go together." Asia happily rattled as Naruto's brain started to malfunction.
"Yep. Those were some tasty noodles." Koneko wholeheartedly agreed.
"Ramen? I've heard of it but I haven't gotten the chance to try it myself." Xenovia muttered as she started following the girls' lead, "It sounds interesting."
"Oh, seems like we're moving." Yuuto started to follow.
"Come on, Senpai, we're heading to your ramen shop." Issei chuckled, "Looks like you'll finally get what you want and get to work. Hahahahaha!"
...
Naruto continued to stand their with white eyes and a blank expression. His head buckled over and his shoulders sagged enough for his uniform jacket to slide down a shoulder.
What...what the fuck just happened?
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He had never been so thankful to make it back home. After a weirdly hectic day like today, it would be nice to fall back into bed and just rest for a bit.
Having them over in the shop was crazy. It was nice to have people he knows now and can talk to, but they kept asking him about how he got the job and if he could teach them about how to make ramen.
Issei was just teasing while Asia and Yuuto asked with genuine interest. Xenovia kept asking more and more questions about the broth and the noodles and the meal in question while she ate it. She wasted perfectly good ramen in an effort to learn more about ramen!
The only one that just sat there and ate was Koneko. But oddly enough her eyes still lingered on him when she thought he didn't notice and turned away again when he looked back.
Was there something going on with her? He was going to have to ask her what was up the next time he got a chance.
Plus, it didn't help that his thoughts were plagued with the weird things Fuck-Face and Kiba said. They were probably just trying to freak him out, right? Make him sweat? Get back at him with a prank for all the trouble he caused while he was away. Definitely.
As Naruto finally reached his floor, he noticed something sitting outside the door next to his. Some empty boxes and used wrapping paper laid out on the veranda. He realized that the new tenant must have moved in, and they were going to be his next door neighbor from now on.
"Oh, that's right." Remembering what Taichi said about the new tenant footing the bill for the repairs, Naruto fixed himself up before stepped in front of the door. He didn't know a lot about proper greetings but he had to at least thank them for their help, "Excuse me? I'm your new neighbor, Naruto Uzumaki. I just wanted to thank you for helping repair this place. It didn't really need anymore damage than it already had so thanks for making it look slightly better."
He heard footsteps behind the door and watched it slowly open in front of him.
"Now now, don't be rude. This is our home, isn't it?" She smiled, "It's the least I can do now that I'm staying here. And it's nice to meet you too."
Naruto had already burst his way through his own door and slammed it shut before she could finish talking. The solitary sound of his rapid breathing was the only sound in his apartment as he slid down his door and landed flat on his ass.
That wasn't real. That couldn't be real. He had just had a long day. Hell, he'd been having a long week. His mind was just playing games on him. Games like making his random new neighbor having long red hair. And seafoam eyes. And the exact same voice as her.
Oh shit.
Before he could panic any further, he heard a soft knocking on his door.
He raised his brow in confusion before looking around for the knocking again. He heard it continue and got even more confused.
Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him, otherwise why would he be hearing a knocking from his closet?
The blond slowly pulled himself up and approached the door cautiously. He opened it up to find a mostly empty closet; aside from a few shirts and pants, another pair of shoes, the outfit he had gotten from the trip to the Gremory household, and an unamused redhead looking at him with her arms crossed.
Rias shifted a shirt out of her way before crossing her arms again, "Now was that anyway to treat your new neighbor? I expected a pleasant greeting and an offering of a cup of sugar at least. And why do you look like someone just hit you between the eyes with a hammer?"
"Is that what I look like, because that's what it feels like." Naruto stopped rubbing the bridge of his nose before shaking his head, "I have so many questions, but I think I'll start off easy. How the hell are you in my closet?"
"That is easy." Rias smiled as she stepped aside to show the gap in the closet wall that connected to her closet on the other side, "I just took the hole."
"And since when was there a hole?"
"Since about 30 seconds ago."
"I'm not paying for the repairs."
"I wouldn't dream of it." Rias turned, "Do you mind coming over? I could use some help sorting through my stuff."
"You need help?" Rias hummed and already moved through the gap as Naruto made to follow with a sigh. Shimmying through the hole he came out into her room, "Your room should be about as big as mine, right?"
"It is. But that doesn't mean I can't add a little flare to it."
When he came out into her closet, he was bombarded with a dozen sets of clothes and pants and nearly tripped on a pair of shoes. Finally forcing his way through the veil of pretty clothes, he came out to see her new room.
It looked much cleaner and better kept than his room did. Her table was already covered with forms and paper and homework that she had gotten started on. Instead of the futon, she had brought in a mattress to sleep on with a larger blanket and a set of pillows. There was a drawer for her clothes set under her window and some candles lit on her counter that gave the room a much more pleasant aroma than the regular scent.
Overall, it was much nicer than his room.
Rias smiled, "So, what do you think? It is smaller than my last residence but I think I'll be able to make it work." She looked up for his impression on her new abode just to see the frown on his face directed at her. She blinked, "What?"
"When did this happen? And why?"
"Well I made the call that I was interested a few days ago. Taichi-San was more than accommodating enough once I mentioned that I was willing to pay for the repairs and pay for the first several months upfront."
"Figures."
"After that I just spent some time moving some of my things from my old residency to here." The heiress walked around the room before sitting down by a box and sorting through its contents, "Akeno helped move that along quite well. She seemed quite fond of the idea of me moving out here, and even more entertained at the idea of keeping it secret. Hehe, for whatever reason that may be."
These two. These two women. They conspired against him. There was no other possibility.
It may have sounded paranoid if not for the fact Rias looked back and giggled at his horrified expression.
"And as for why," Rias continued, "I decided it's necessary to keep an eye on you if you're going to keep living this far out in the city." Naruto looked at the girl oddly while she continued to look through the brown box for whatever she was trying to find, "I can keep track and summon any of my peerage to me when I focus, but I can't do the same for you. Your Evil Piece is different and it's part of the reason I couldn't find you while your were gone that whole time. So if I have to stay close in order to look out for you, then that's what I did."
"S-seriously?" She came out here to watch out for him, "But isn't this place worse than your last home? I mean I don't know what your last place was like but this place is a serious step down for just about everybody."
"I don't mind. In fact I kind of like it actually." Rias answered honestly, "It's far cozier than my last place. That was almost an entire empty building just for me and some helping hands and servants from the Gremory household. It was far too wasteful."
"Sounds heaps better than this place." Naruto noted, "What could possibly be better about moving here?"
"Better company."
...
Naruto silently stared down at the back of the Gremory girl's head after what she had said.
He understood that. That feeling of solitude. It was suffocating sometimes. But they experienced it for different reasons. No one was willing to approach her due to her status. And he...
He had resigned himself to it. When he ended up in this world, he never expected to find the same kind of camaraderie or closeness with people as he did back in his home world. The way they looked at him like he was a stranger. How confused he was trying to understand this world's different history and customs. How he hadn't exactly made it better for people to think he was easy to get along with.
But it was different now. He had the ORC. The old man. And if Rias was going to be his neighbor now...
Well, if he was being honest; somewhere deep deep deep down...he was relieved to find out he would have her by his side.
He gave a heavy sigh as he knelt down beside her in wait, "So what's up? What do you need my help with?"
"Well how about you take...this!"
She finally found what she was looking for and pulled something out with a cheer. She smiled before handing it over, "Here you go."
"What is it?"
"It's a phone. I want you to have it."
He looked at her in shock before staring back down at the gift, "W-what? Are you serious?"
"Absolutely. I remember you said you didn't have a phone the last time I was over, so I thought I would get one for you. This way you can stay connected to everyone in the ORC easier." Rias chuckled, "Plus you can finally order all the food you've been dying to get out here now, right?"
"I can't afford any of that stuff."
"Then one step at a time, I suppose."
"Rias..." Naruto kept looking down at the gift she had given him, "Why would you do this for me?"
"Because you've had to be here by yourself." Rias explained as she looked directly into his eyes to get her point across, "You had to learn and live and grow comfortable in a world so vastly different from the one you came from. Without the help of people to support you. So I know you've grown accustomed to surviving like that...and in retrospect I can understand why you were reluctant to join us and our fight after what you went through before coming here. But even when you couldn't fight anymore - when your powers were gone and left you weakened - you still tried to help us however you could. You gave me words of advice to follow my heart, and inspiration and reasons to keep fighting when I could. You joined us because you saw us as your friends. People you believed were worth fighting for. So we can't fail and show that faith back to you when you need it."
She saw the surprise in his face and smiled softly, "You aren't alone anymore. And I promise you won't ever have to be again, Naruto."
...
Rias stood back up and dusted her skirt, "Now, since you're already over, why don't I cook us up a meal?
"Yeah..." He finally answered after clearing his throat and wiping his face, "That sounds nice."
She hummed and stepped up to the counter before she started preparing to cook. Naruto looked back at her before looking down at the phone she had gifted him. Coming to check up on him. Finding peace in what he said. The concern and joy and help she had shown him. Everything she had said...
Her kiss.
Issei and Yuuto's words snuck into his brain when he hadn't expected it. He tried to shake them but they continued to stick in his thoughts.
"You know," Naruto nervously chuckled, "You should probably be careful. I mean I'm grateful and everything but you might be sending the wrong messages."
"How so?"
"Well I mean you made a bento for me. You're sleeping just one wall over. You're always nice and easy to talk to. And we did sorta...kiss, b-but just for a few seconds!" Naruto's face heated up a little as he shrugged and laughed it off, "Then again I'm sure you're like this for all the others too! So maybe I'm just getting things confused-"
He felt her hold his chin and move his head before her lips pressed into his. His eyes widened at the sensation of her soft, full lips followed by a wave of warmth through his body. Naruto focused on the soft, half-lidded light of her eyes as she kissed him before pulling back.
She bent down to face him and smiled, "Maybe you haven't gotten anything confused at all. I'm certainly interested, so I thought I might as well make that clear."
...
She realized he wouldn't respond even as his face went red and his breathing slowed to a stop. She happily went back to preparing the meal, "I know it's not ramen but are you okay with beef stew?"
"..."
"I'll take that as a yes."
||||||||Omake: Culture Shock - Smartphones|||||||||
"Hmm." Naruto hummed, "So what do I do with this?"
"Really? That's your question?" She wanted to sound incredulous but she couldn't help giggling at the sight of him fiddling and poking his new phone like a child with a new toy. It was actually quite adorable, "Well the answer is you can do tons of things with it. Play games. Surf the web. Watch videos."
"Oh yeah. I've seen that before." He remembered watching that fighting cartoon on the pervert's device while they were on that mission. He looked at the blank screen and started roughly tapping the screen, "How do I-"
"Not like that. You're going to break it." Rias was quick to his side before he accidentally damaged the expensive new gift. She gently took it from his hand but stayed by his side, leaning into his shoulder so he could see what she did, "Look. You just press this button to turn it on, and then slide here, and you have the first screen. From there you can do everything, like pull out the camera."
"Camera?" Naruto watched her bring up the app as the screen changed and displayed the room through the screen. He watched in awe as she pressed the button and took a shot of the room before it was stored in the device, "Holy crap. I didn't know these things had cameras too."
"Yep. With these you can take pictures of whatever you want. Your friends. Something pretty in the town. Or just take a selfie."
"A what?"
"Selfie." Rias pressed a button and the screen changed to display them seated together. Naruto looked at the screen in surprise as Rias explained, "It's this thing where people take pictures of themselves whenever they want. You just press this little camera and the screen switches to look at you."
"But why would I want that?" He asked, "I know what I look like. I don't need to take pictures of myself."
"It's just for fun. Here let me show you." She changed her position so she was leaning in closer to his side so they could better fit into the screen. She got him to look up at the phone as she smiled, "Okay. Three, two, one-"
She took a picture and was quick to look it over. She giggled at the stunned, confused look on Naruto's face just as the camera went off. His looked so silly and cute.
Looks like she timed that peck on the cheek just right.
She handed it back to him as he wiped his burning cheek. He looked so flustered by what she did as she smiled and stuck her tongue out cutely. He grumbled and snatched his new phone back.
Shit, he looked like a total idiot in that photo.
...
He might keep it. Just in case.
||||||||Devil||||||||
Done
So this is a new omake series I was thinking of doing. Naruto becoming more accustomed to our world culture. I have a few ideas for the future but if anyone is interested, send me your thoughts.
Anyway, little cool down before we get back to the next story arc.
Initial reactions and ideas about Naruto's past. More into his Sacred Gear. Xenovia's induction. And Rias' move.
There will be more reactions to Naruto's past, I promise. But right now they're either intrigued or in disbelief.
Would you believe someone if they told you their life was the Naruto story without more evidence? I'll save you the trouble...no.
I hope you enjoyed and hopefully I'll be back soon.
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Thank You and Bye