New Devil of The Gremory House

by Master Attlon

He was thrown into something new. He gave up, he didn't want to be a part of anything like this anymore. But maybe these people could become something new for him to care for. Something new to fight for.

38. Residence

New Devil of The Gremory House

Life 38: Residence

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There weren't any windows in the room they slept in that let in gentle morning light or soft sounds from the outside to wake them up.

The only thing to wake them was the gentle rustling of their bed as they both slowly regained awareness and shifted awake. Rias' eyes carefully peeled open as she yawned and felt the exhaustion of last night start to bleed away. Her seafoam eyes opened softly and she reached out to gently cup his cheek. She ran her fingers over his whiskers and giggled when he shifted under her touch.

Hehe, his cheeks felt squishy except where the whiskers felt rough. She loved touching them.

Her playing around was enough to stir him awake completely as his eyes blearily slid open. He blinked a few times to make sure he was awake and aware enough to realize his girlfriend was stroking his cheek. The softness of her touch and the warmth of her smile was enough to lull him back to sleep. He smiled and closed his eyes, "I love you. Did I do enough last night to convince you to say it?"

"Yes you did," She giggled, "I love you too." Rias leaned in and kissed him on the nose before sliding into his embrace. Naruto's arms encircled her body and pulled her in as they settled quietly in their morning lull, "Last night was fantastic."

"Yeah, that was worth the wait." Naruto agreed, "We should probably think about making that a regular thing."

"Eh, I tried it once. I think I'm good." She looked up at his surprised face as she smirked, "I'm kidding of course. We're definitely trying that again when we get the chance. But maybe not as frantic as last time?" Rias shifted and grumbled, "My waist hurt last night after we were done."

Naruto looked sheepish, "Uh, sorry about that. I kinda went a little gun-ho while we were getting into it. It's just..." The blond paused and struggled to find the words before shrugging, "It felt really good."

"It really did." Rias wholeheartedly agreed, "But if we're going to be making it a regular thing, I think we should decide how we're going to be going to sleep after this."

Naruto looked between them, "What's wrong with this? How else would we sleep?"

"Ever heard of a big and little spoon?"

"Yes!" Naruto immediately responded and then reeled back his excitement, "I-I mean I'm sure I've heard it once or twice."

"Nice retreat there." Rias laughed at his little slip up before she shifted around so her back was pressed to his chest, "This is the first choice. You're big spoon and I'll be little. What's the benefits?"

"Benefits?" Naruto slipped in and spooned up against Rias' back. As he settled in he smiled, "Oh yeah, this is pretty great. For one, you wear a great shampoo and I love the idea of waking up to it every morning." He leaned into her crimson curtain of hair and basked in the comforting, pleasant smell of berries and soap. He loved the sound of Rias' giggle before he continued, "You're also incredibly cozy, and I also get a feel of these babies."

"H-Hey!" Rias squeaked as his hands settled over her breasts and gently started to squeeze them. She flinched and felt her cheeks start to warm up as his palms rubbed her nipples and pressed the areoles down. The Gremory heiress frowned before finally speaking up, "Well this is certainly nice, but I see two problems with - stop it."

"Sorry."

He stopped squeezing but didn't remove his hands from her breasts. She rolled her eyes before continuing, "There are two problems with us situated like this. Firstly, you might choke on my hair in the night and die."

"I can live with that."

"Cute. And second, I can't wake up every morning feeling that poking my butt."

"Feeling what poke your - oh." Naruto looked between them at his raised shame, "Tch, damn biological reaction."

"Sure, if that's what you wanna call it you horny bitch." Rias laughed at his indignant expression before she twisted around, "Now you turn over." Naruto complied and showed her his back as she pressed in and circled her arms around his chest. She sighed contently as she reveled in his warmth like a big security blanket, "Oh, I love this."

"Yeah, I can definitely see the appeal." Naruto shuddered as he felt Rias' massive, pillowy breasts press and conform to his back. He committed the sensation to memory, "I can feel the perk of it too. Or in this case, two perks."

"Seriously, stop it." She smacked his back to make him stop. After a moment her hands started to rub and feel the muscles of his chest and abs. Then her hands started to drift further down before they both settled on the stiff, hot member between his legs. Naruto looked back at her as she gave him a sultry look, "If we're settled on big and little spoon, would you like me to wake you up like this every now and then?"

"Sure, I'd like that but you know if you did, I might be ready for something else, right?"

Rias tossed their blanket off their bodies and climbed up on him. She ended up straddling his hips and sitting on top of him as her large breasts dangled in front of his face. Her face flushed and she gave him a heated look, "I'm more than ready to go again."

"Then you're the big spoon."

Rias leaned down and laid on top of him as they started to kiss. Rias' hands rested on his shoulders while Naruto's started to squeeze her ass. They continued on for a full minute and prepared to go forward-

Before one of their phones started to vibrate on the counter by their bed.

They separated and sighed, "Ugh, the outside world." Rias laid on Naruto's chest like a pillow as she reached out and grabbed her phone. When she looked at the screen her face took on a deep grimace that ruined her wonderful morning mood, "Dammit."

"What?"

"Azazel." She said in a heavy, dissatisfied tone before looking at her whiskered lover, "Says its an emergency. He's calling everyone in the peerage together to meet at the hotel as soon as possible."

"Any idea what for?"

"I'm sure I do not know."

"Shit." The two young lovers laid quietly together, Rias running her hand on his chest as his hand got tangled in her hair, "I guess we should probably get up."

"Yeah."

"I hope they have soap and shampoo here. Do you think we should ask Azazel to clean up the room or just burn it?" He said it as a joke but Rias still looked disappointed that their morning plans had changed. He patted her head, "You should go take your shower first while I pick up the clothes."

Rias nodded solemnly and traced her finger on his chest. Her eyes suddenly widened before a cheeky, mischievous smile grabbed his attention, "You know one shower for two people means half the time, right?"

Naruto smiled back, "Oh, well we should be using our time efficiently."

"Glad you see it my way."

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"They're here." Xenovia notified everyone as she spotted Naruto and Rias making their way through the lobby to join them, "I guess they didn't stay in the Underworld overnight."

"Sorry we're late. Our shower - showers - o-our showers took longer than expected." Rias apologized as she and Naruto joined the rest of the group. The red-haired [King] looked around at the gathered group, "Is this everyone?"

"We're just missing Rossweisse-San." Issei looked over, "For some reason Azazel-sensei called us in and immediately told us to sit down. He seemed way more serious and focused then - well, ever before. Does anyone know what this is about?"

"S-Sorry!" Rossweisse came running in through the front door of the hotel, "I-I got a little held up!" The other Devils and Angel were surprised when the former Valkyrie walked in and instead of the Valkyrie armor or business suit they had seen her usually wear, she instead opted for a loose tracksuit that completely covered her body, "So what did Azazel-sensei call us here for?"

...

"W-What?" Rossweisse noticed that everyone was staring at her. She looked down and hugged herself tightly, "I-I don't really have a lot of liquid income at the moment! If I have to make a choice between clothes and food then I'm obviously going to choose food!"

"W-We're not judging you Rossweisse-San!"

"Yeah, you somehow make a tracksuit look good!"

"She's right. It's supposed to look baggy yet I can still see the lines of your waist, hips, and breasts. It's actually pretty erotic."

"Hey, is everyone here now?" Azazel walked out and looked around, "Okay, I think everyone is here and Rossweisse is having a panic attack so everything's normal. Follow me!"

The ORC followed after the serious and stern Governor-General as they made their way down the hall. As they walked, Akeno waited back and started walking beside Naruto. The short-haired [Queen] whispered by his side, "So how did it go?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked and looked at everyone ahead of them before whispering back, "It was fine. Sirzechs and the other Maou met us at the weird ritual site and put us through a few tests."

"And what else?"

"I..." Naruto looked at Rias' hair and then nodded, "I think I got what you were talking about before. What Rias was worrying about and what I couldn't see."

"You sure?" Akeno asked but in a teasing, mocking tone as she showed him a wry grin, "You're pretty dumb so you might just get the idea that you know what you're talking about."

"Shut up." Naruto grumbled and rolled his eyes at the Devil/Fallen Angel hybrid, "I'm dumb but I'm not that dumb. I know we worked things out."

Akeno stared at him blankly before shrugging, "Okay, I'll believe you. Good job. And what about after?"

"After? Nothing happened after."

"That's the story you want to go with? Alright, I guess I'll just have to ask Rias why you're both wearing the same clothes as yesterday." Naruto panicked and looked over his old wrinkled clothes as Akeno giggled to herself.

They arrived at the elevator and Azazel opened the doors before signaling them all in, "Come on, get in and squeeze together. We don't have any time to waste."

"Azazel, what's happening?"

"Get in, we have to hurry." Once everyone had found their spot, Azazel pressed the button and the elevator started to shift downwards. As they made their way to the deep basement, Azazel leaned back against the wall and let out a tired sigh, "I'm sorry to call you all on short notice. But this was important."

"What is this about?"

"It's...it's better if you just see for yourself." Azazel said in a somber, melancholy voice. His pensiveness was alerting and put everyone a little on edge, "I can't believe this happened."

"What? Did Onii-sama contact you about something?"

Azazel stayed quiet, leaving the question hanging in the air as he had no way to answer it. As the elevator started to slow down, he looked over his younger compatriots and shook his head, "I'm sorry that I wasn't able to prepare all of you for what is about to happen."

"Sensei, what's going to happen?"

"I just want you all to know, whatever happens next," He looked at the door and they all watched it as well as it opened, "We'll face it together."

The door opened to pitch black darkness that quickly turned into blinding, overwhelming light.

"~Celebrate good times, cum on!~"

The lights started flashing a dozen different colors and pyrotechnics started flying up in a dazzling display. In the illumination, dozens of full bands appeared on the ground floor in dazzling, sparkling clothing. And flanking on either side of the room were Matatabi and Isobu with a giant banner that said CONGRATULATIONS!

"~There's a party goin' in right here, a celebration to last throughout the years~"

"~So bring your good times, and your laughter too, we gonna celebrate your party with you~"

"~Cum on now!~"

The ORC members stared at the fantastical concert and dancing Bijū in silent confusion. They all looked together as one over at Azazel in time to see the Fallen Angel disco dancing and having the time of his life - the dower and sober expression he had on moments before replaced with joyous elation.

"~It's time to cum together, it's up to you, what's your pleasure~"

"~Everyone around the world~"

"~CUM-"

Rias slammed her hand on the button and the doors shut instantly. Without saying a word she turned her head slowly towards Azazel, her eyes peering through the veil of her hair like a demented spirit haunting its prey.

The Fallen Angel giggled, "Pretty good right?"

"No." Naruto immediately picked Rias up and stopped her as she clawed at the air in front of Azazel like a ravenous animal, "It's tempting but I still think he should be kept alive." As his girlfriend continued to silently thrash around to desperately satiate her bloodlust, Naruto glared at Azazle, "How'd you know?"

"Give me a little credit. I know all about the dirty little secrets you kids did last night. Don't think you can hide-"

"I-I'm sorry!" Asia exclaimed in mortification with a red face as she lowered her head, "Y-Yesterday I saw a video that Kiryuu-San introduced me to a-and I got interested! So last night I went into Issei-San's room and asked him if he wanted to f-fondle my breasts! We did f-for almost an hour! And then I had to run out of the room b-because I felt funny and I needed to go to the bathroom – I'm sorry!"

"No, I'm sorry Asia!" Issei confessed with shame and tears in his eyes, "Squeezing your boobs made me happier than I could possibly explain! I got so horny I was just about to ask if we could go further before you ran out the room! After you left I spent the rest of the night masturbating! Seriously! All night! I have friction burns! It fucking hurts and I'm ashamed!"

"No, it's my dirty secret we're talking about!" Irina exclaimed, "I-I also saw one of the videos Kiryuu-San suggested and was tempted to almost do things! T-They were so hot and enticing that I almost fell at least 6 times! I'm an Angel and blessed with the honor of being Michael-sama's [Ace] so I should know better and yet I was still almost tempted! I'm ashamed! D-Don't look at me!"

"I'm not sure if it's really a dirty secret but I think this concerns me. I also watched a video and saw a man and woman do quite a few voracious things with each other." Xenovia explained, "In the video the two started engaging in anal sex and start getting a lot louder. So I decided to experiment with a finger and...I did not hate it."

"I'm a disgrace!" Rossweisse dropped to her knees and whimpered, "I'm supposed to be a productive member of society now that I'm a teacher and behave accordingly! But I was bored, lonely, and sad being so far away from my home by myself for the first time so I didn't know what to do last night! So I turned on my phone's vibration up to the fullest and used it to - t-to - ahhhhhh, I'm sorry!"

"Rias and I had sex."

All eyes widened and looked at Naruto and Rias in shock. Except for Azazel who was laughing to himself and Akeno who palmed her face.

"Naruto!"

The blonde raised his hands defensively against Rias' embarrassed glare, "Sorry! But I thought it better to just spill the beans before someone else revealed some terrible, embarrassing secret that they really shouldn't be saying out loud. Now that it's out in the open we can-"

"A group of men said I looked pretty in my skirt and I didn't even bother correcting them!"

"DAMMIT GASPER!" Naruto roared at the sheepish Dhampir who cowered in the corner, "What the fuck was the point in me revealing that deep, personal secret if you were just gonna spill anyway?!"

"I-I'm sorry Senpai! But I felt pretty and I should be allowed to feel pretty every now and then!"

The silence that settled over the elevator was so uncomfortable that no one could say anything after the onslaught of embarrassing secrets and truths that were revealed.

Except for, of course-

"Hehehe, I love it here." Azazel laughed and wiped a tear out of his eye, "I try to embarrass just two of you and you all take the time to reveal your most damning secrets. Well, I can't let you go and do that by yourselves. So lately I've been styling the bush into words so when I slap the sausage it looks like sound effects-"

"Azazel!" Rias squawked, her hands flicking around as if she was desperately trying to grab hold of the air or make sense of the madness, "How?! How did you know?!"

"Oh there were a few employees working the graveyard shift that saw you come back and there was a camera in the hall. I saw you drag him in with that big, blank expression on his face." Rias fumed and Naruto grumbled into his hand while Azazel grinned, "So I just knew that it was time for you two to break the bed. Did you break the bed by the way? Because if you did I need to send someone up to either fix everything or burn it all down before replacing it."

"S-So what?" Rias stuttered, "You saw us leave, knew what was happening, a-and came down here? Prepared," Her hand flopped uselessly at the elevator door, "All of that before we woke up?"

"Oh hell no I had all of this prepared and set up weeks beforehand. It was ready in case any of you kids decided to do the deed~." The Fallen Angel Governor-General wriggled his eyebrows for emphasis before shrugging, "Honestly it took a lot of time to get this all prepared. Hours of choreography practice and pyrotechnic preparation, plus since discovering the Bijū there was no way I couldn't invite giant ditzy animals to come dance at the party when the cherry popped. The hardest part was deciding if I should personalize it for whoever got laid first." Their teacher gave a complicated expression as he frowned, "But it was just impossible to figure out which one of you hormone-addled sex-crazed brats would do it first, you know? The horny young couple raring to tear into each other? Will it be the up-and-coming Oppai Dragon, using his prodigious raging libido to convince someone into bed? Or will one of the other kids - most likely Xenovia - blunder their way into bed?"

"I was on the board?" The blue-haired [Knight] pointed at herself before puffing out her chest, "Glad to know I'm being considered."

"But it's done now! Let's just celebrate!" Azazel opened the doors again and walked out as the song reached its end and an explosion of lights released with the crescendo, "I got several dozen bands paid out for the next hour! Any song suggestions? Preferences? Come on kids, let's have fun! What do you say?"

He looked back in time to see the doors close and the elevator leave without him.

...

"Hey Azazel, this was fun! I've never danced before! I wanna do it again!" Matatabi excitedly informed as her two tails swayed behind her, "What were Naruto and Kitten doing down here?"

"Oh it's not important. And I'm glad you had fun kid." The Fallen Angel walked up to the railing and looked over the massive band he paid to perform, "Hey do you guys take requests?"

"You're paying us so we're good for the next hour!"

"Then start warming up," Azazel cracked his neck and grinned, "I'm feeling nostalgic."

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The ORC were carried up multiple levels together in the elevator in silence until they reached their desired floor. They walked out and entered the recreational room exclusive to them and settled back wherever they were comfortable.

The awkwardness from the experience in the elevator was still painfully fresh, but most of their attention were on two people in particular.

The redhead hiding her face in her hands and the blond leaning so far back his head was hanging off the back of the couch.

...

Akeno strolled over to their couch and stood by its side as she watched her fellow seniors flounder. Looking around the room the short-haired [Queen] surveyed everyone's expressions and feelings concerning what had happened. Out of everyone in the club and peerage the only ones that didn't reveal something were herself, Yuuto, and Koneko.

The [Knight] was trying not to pay any heed to the overwhelming tension that settled around the room.

And Koneko...poor thing looked like she just realized she had lost a battle she hadn't even been prepared for.

She sighed, "Okay, I'll say it. I think we'll be able to ease tensions if we just take some time to talk about what was said."

"What was it like?!" Issei immediately asked as he slid to Naruto's side and shook his older friend's shoulders, "Tell me what it was like!"

"Get off me you freak! I'm not gonna tell you anything about what it was like!"

"I don't need you to describe any details! Just tell me if it was great! If it was worth it! You're my first friend who has finally crossed that threshold and I need to know how great it was! As someone fighting way out of their league, what was it like?!"

"What do you mean way out of my league?!" Naruto indignantly snarled before looking at Rias. He looked her over once before frowning, "Okay fine, but you're one to talk Issei!"

"I know! I'm batting way out of my league too! You're my inspiration!"

"Oh fuck off!"

Rias watched her [Pawns] argue with each other before turning around. She let out a yelp of surprise when she realized that several of the girls were now flanking her side with questioning, interested looks on their faces.

"Buchou does look more womanly now, which is pretty hard considering how pretty she was before."

"She's practically glowing!"

Asia whispered meekly, "Buchou-San, what was it like? Did it hurt?"

"Well, not really, it was just a bit uncomfortable but that might be because I didn't have my..." Rias looked flustered while under her younger friends' passionate gazes before murmuring, "L-Listen Asia, it didn't hurt for me but I'm sure it's going to be unpleasant when you have your turn."

"Oh, I lost mine too." Xenovia informed, "Fighting as hard as possible for years puts a lot of strain on the body. But I guess I won't have to worry when I finally get my chance. So how did you deal with clean-up? Did it require you going to the bathroom to-"

"We used protection!"

"You did?" The blunt [Knight] tilted her head, "But it should usually take some time for Devils to conceive a child even if they try. So why-"

"I-I'm not sure how we deal with catching anything yet, okay?!"

"Oooooooohhhhhhhhhh."

The two young Devils blushed and hid their faces in embarrassment as a wave of realization and agreement went over their friends.

[I see we're all reeling from the horror of last night. Did you all have the misfortune of finding out too? Did they at least give you any warning or did you have to panic and escape like I did?]

"Where the hell have you been all day?"

[Down in the deepest recess of our consciousness with Isobu and Matatabi. I had to spend all my time down there waiting for things to ease up. I would have just fallen asleep in the first level but it's like hearing an argument through a wall. All the yelling and name calling and grunting. Just unsettling.]

"Kurama, please shut the fuck up."

[And then this morning when you woke up I thought I could finally just go back to normal. But just as I was about to return I realize you two were going in the shower and doing the same thing! Just wetter and grosser and-]

"ENOUGH!" Rias finally reached her breaking point and jumped out of her chair. Her face was flushed red but she still commanded the attention of the room as she looked around, "No more questions! No more inquires! No more revealing intimidate details about what happened!" The [King] looked around at her friends and followers with a shake of her head, "This was a very personal, very important moment and I'm not going to broadcast it right now! So no more talking about it, understood?"

The elevator door dinged with its arrival.

Her eyes hardened, "Accept for right now." She marched down the hallway and faced the door as it opened up. As it did the moment she saw Azazel she dug in, "Look here you stupid son of a bitch! I don't care if you're our teacher, our boss, our mentor or whatever you're playing at being today - I will not tolerate any more teasing at our detriment! If you get involved with our sex life any further from this point on I will end you! Do you hear me?"

"W-Waahhhhh~."

Rias blinked and stared at Azazel's unchanged face as a soft whimpering came out. She looked down and finally realized that between her and the Fallen Angel was a young lady. A young blonde, well-dressed noble lady she instantly recognized with her distinct drill-like spirals in her hair.

It was Ravel Phenex, younger sister to Riser Phenex, and she was tearing up in fear after Rias released her tirade in her direction without even noticing her.

Rias felt immensely guilty as she watched the girl's expression shift to panic as Azazel shook his head, "For shame Rias, for shame. Now why don't you calm her down and listen to what she has to say. I was in the middle of teaching Isobu how to spin on his shell to music and I can't surrender that opportunity."

Ravel walked out, shaking like a leaf as Rias covered her own face in shame. And down the hallway her peerage watched with mixed emotions.

"You know," Akeno said towards Naruto, "Rias had a lot more grace and tact before meeting you. She's certainly more expressive and honest with herself but you have definitely made her stupider."

"S...Sorry for making her stupider."

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"H-Hello, everyone. I'm meeting some of you for the first time and others I'm meeting again." The young noble grabbed her skirt and gave a polite curtsy to the surrounding group, "My name is Ravel Phenex, and I've come here today looking for your assistance."

"Wait, we know this girl don't we?" Naruto whispered under his breath, "When did we-"

"We met her during the Rating Game with Riser Phenex. She's his younger sister and acted as a [Bishop] during the match." Yuuto answered under his breath to not draw attention away from the discussion. The handsome blond then added, "She also asked that you hand over the Phenex Tears you stole and you denied her request."

"Oh yeah, I remember now." Naruto nodded before he grimaced, "Didn't Issei say he wanted to work out some of the kinks in that clothes ripping technique on her?"

"Yes, that he did."

"So you'd think he'd be the person she's most wary of being around-"

Issei smiled down at the young blonde, "Hey Ravel, would you like a tour of this place? The hotel is pretty big and there's a lot to do."

"I-I would like that very much, Issei-sama." The young noble lady agreed. And as the perverted [Pawn] smiled in agreement, her cheeks started to take on some redness and she couldn't bring herself to match his gaze, "T-T-Thank you for taking some time to show me around."

"No problem. Happy to help."

"Is it me or is she weirdly okay with the guy that wanted to strip her down in a broadcasted fight?"

"Apparently Issei-kun has been interacting with her a few times when they're in the Underworld. He talked with her a lot at the banquet we had at the end of summer training and she's been visiting the set of Oppai Dragon in order to get an understanding of producing and handling assets for a family. She's taken quite the shine to him."

"But...Issei?"

"I guess KFC Girl likes it freaky." Koneko added to their side.

"We're happy to accommodate you if you'd like to stay, Ravel-San." Rias graciously offered to the younger noble lady.

"I greatly appreciate the offer, Rias-sama, however I didn't come here to visit your new residence." Ravel shuffled in her seat nervously, "The truth is that I came here today to ask of favor of you and your peerage. But I'm hesitant to actually ask you...because I'm sure you'll most likely decline."

Rias sat silently but gave a small nod, "I think I know what this is about, but if you need our help then you have to ask us."

Ravel looked down at her lap and clenched her fists in her dress. She looked up at the crimson-haired Devil and then between the members of the peerage she remembered from the match. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before taking the plunge...

"Please help my Onii-sama recover from his trauma!"

"Are you serious?!"

The more senior members of the peerage reeled back in shock except for Rias and Akeno while the new members looked confused by their reaction. Irina looked around in confusion, "What's wrong? Who exactly is her brother?"

"Riser Phenex, a pure-blooded Devil of the Phenex house who I was engaged to some months ago." Rias calmly informed the new members of their group, "I had some chagrin with the arranged marriage and decided to challenge him to a Rating Game in order to cancel it. We won and our marriage was called off."

"Our family accepted the terms of the Rating Game and Onii-sama's arranged marriage was terminated, however he - he hasn't been taking it very well."

"I thought so." Rias said, "I haven't noticed Riser at any other events or parties since our Rating Game. He's been absent for months."

"He hasn't left our home or interacted with anyone else other than his peerage and our family. It's gotten to a point where we can't just leave him and hope he gets better soon." Ravel paused, "So that's why I came here-"

"Oh no way!" Ravel flinched as Naruto exclaimed and broke the tension in the room. The whiskered blond fumed with anger, stepping forward and causing the younger Phenex to flinch back in fright, "You can't seriously be asking us to help that giant squawking dildo after all the shit he put us through!"

"I-I know you all might still harbor some resentment towards Onii-sama, but-"

"Yeah we still resent him." Koneko muttered with a frown, her face scrunched up and her temper bristling as she remembered the boastful, prideful noble they faced in their first Rating Game, "He was going to marry Buchou and treat her like a trophy before probably trying to knock her up. That tends to leave a bad impression."

"Y-Yes, I understand-"

"After all the crap he was going to do, we can't seriously be asked to help him."

"I'll be willing to help."

"Rias!" Naruto and the others looked at the crimson-haired heiress in shock as she casually, off-handedly accepted the request while the others were outraged. The blond boy looked at his girlfriend in disbelief, "We're seriously gonna help that asshole! After all the crap he did-"

"I know he hurt you very personally and dearly Naruto. You must have suffered a very terrible injustice when he almost married me in our arranged engagement."

...

Naruto blinked and realized what she meant as he sighed and shook his head. Rias smiled and looked towards her peerage, "It's okay everyone. I'm not exactly jumping at the chance to forgive Riser for the headache he caused us, but we've all moved past it. The matter has been settled and I'm no longer arranged to marry him. With that finished, there's no longer a reason for me to be outraged or hold a grudge. We've moved passed it and there's no need to let Riser suffer just because I want to be petty."

"That's right, Rias-sama!" Ravel emphatically agreed with the Gremory heiress' logic as she nodded, "You don't need to worry about Onii-sama anymore because you've already moved on and...a-and done the deed with someone else," The young Phenex girl murmured with a red face, "So I'm sure you're already a grown woman who doesn't need to worry about the silly past!"

"Right," Rias whispered with flushed cheeks before coughing into her hand and clearing her throat, "Anyway, I'm willing to help Riser return to normality if you really need our help." She stood up and looked at Naruto, "So don't worry about anything, okay?"

Naruto grimaced and looked aside, "Still a lot to ask to treat everything that happened like water under the bridge."

"Oh~," Akeno gave a mocking, joyous laugh as she chided Naruto with a sly smile, "Are you still harboring feelings of resentment? Weren't you the one who said we should offer a hand and forgive others in order to end the cycle of hatred?"

Naruto's eyebrow twitched before he gave a strained smirk, "Weren't you the one who immediately denied that idea and proceeded to devolve into a sad, melodramatic monologue during your little pity party?"

"Well this is your chance to practice what you preach and prove me wrong."

The whiskered blond scowled before shrugging, "Fine, whatever. I doubt I'm even needed to help that cock-a-doodle-dick recover from whatever's messing with him."

"A-Actually," Ravel hesitated and looked up at her fellow blond, "We need your help most of all, Naruto-San. As far as I can tell, most of Onii-sama's trauma seems to stem from his interaction with...with you."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"NO IT FUCKING DOESN'T!" Naruto indignantly roared at his friends' snide remark before turning to Ravel, "Why the hell am I the source of his problems?!"

"W-Well, he was really looking forward to marrying Rias-sama." She meekly answered while her hands shuffled in her lap, "Also he has great pride in being a pure-blooded Devil so I don't think he was expecting to lose to a resurrected Devil." She then looked up at Naruto directly, "And also, well, you scared him pretty badly in your fight."

"What has he never lost before? The big baby!"

"Naruto," Rias stoically looked up at her lover, "You punched him in the mouth and your hand came out the other side of his neck. And then you proceeded to attack him relentlessly with ferocity I doubt he had ever seen before."

...

Naruto looked around at all the gaze she was getting before holding up his finger, "In my defense that was the first time I had used Sage Mode in a while, and also I was in a lot of pain from the burns, and I was pissed off, and..." He stopped and shrugged, "Okay, I think I see where the problem is coming from."

"Onii-sama freaks out whenever he hears about your exploits and Naruto-San's name comes up. And also when the character that looks like him shows up in Oppai Dragon. O-Or when he sees golden hair."

"Ravel-San, you have blonde hair."

"I have to wear a hat when I interact with him, as does anyone in our family with the same hair."

"He has blond hair!"

Ravel looked down sadly, "He...he did."

...

"Past tense?"

||||||||Devil||||||||

In a massive room shrouded in darkness a sullen, depressed figure sat in the middle of the floor with a flickering screen in front of him. Hiding underneath his blanket, the formerly haughty, prideful young man laughed to himself, "I never got the chance to watch TV much before the Rating Game. There's so much good stuff. I'm finally getting through my queue."

His hand reached up and rubbed along the clean, flawless dome that was his dome. Where once he had a majestic head of golden locks that perfectly suited his handsome, rugged features - now he was shaven and completely bald. Finally rid of those cursed yellow hairs that reminded him of the monster that had thoroughly destroyed him in battle.

Oh, and his eyebrows too. They were yellow and they gave him nightmares so they had to go.

The pitiful form of the Phenex man was the only figure in the light of the television as he sat to himself and giggled, "What was I thinking going out there when there's so much to enjoy in here. No fighting. No losing. No being faced with awful whiskered monsters that steal your fiancée. Just safe. It's so...so safe."

"What do you eat?"

"Oh I have my peerage or Ravel bring me meals when I'm hungry."

"Well that's useful."

"Yeah, they really keep me sane. I don't know what would happen if I didn't have them."

"Probably something bad. I'd make the safe bet that you'd probably break."

"Most likely."

"Wanna test the theory?"

"Not really. I'm fine-"

Riser paused and realized he had been having a conversation with someone who had slipped into the room without him realizing. He slowly looked back and saw, clear as if the sun shined down on him, who it was that had snuck up behind him.

The whiskered face stretched into a malicious, vile grin as he leered down at Riser with evil intent, "Hey there~, you remember me~?"

"KKKKKYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

||||||||Devil||||||||

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Rias, Ravel, and Riser's peerage flinched in shock as the unnerving, bloodcurdling scream echoing out of Riser's room. Ravel gulped and looked up at the redhead, "T-There had to be a better way of doing this, wasn't there?"

Rias looked worried but kept her composure as she crossed her arms under her chest, "Naruto was pretty peeved at having to agree to this. He said he would do it, but only if he got to handle this himself. Naruto might be a little rough around the edges but I know he'll do good."

Riser's masked [Rook], Isabela, looked to the Gremory woman, "And Riser-sama will be staying in your hotel until there's some results?"

"Yes, we'll be taking good care of him-"

"NOOOO!" The door slammed open as Naruto walked out with Riser's foot in his grasp and the wailing Phenex getting dragged behind him, "I DON'T WANT THIS! NOT THIS! I DON'T WANT TO GO OUTSIDE WITH ANYONE, LET ALONE HIM!"

"Come on, young master, your wonderful little sister said you need to get some exercise!" Naruto said with a far too chipper smile and tone in his voice as Riser cried, "We're gonna go and have some fun!"

"NO! PLEASE! KILL ME! JUST KILL ME!"

"Oh but cue ball, you can't die remember?" Naruto cackled like a villainous hyena, "Which means by the end of this we're gonna have one of two results; either you're going to learn to get over your fear, or your mind is going to break and you'll be reduced to a newborn, vegetative state of which there is no return! Either way, win for me!"

"NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The girls watched the two boys disappear around the corner even as their voices carried back through the hall.

Ravel and the peerage turned to Rias again.

She murmured, "H-He's much nicer than he appears."

||||||||Devil||||||||

"C'mon Riser, you've been holed up in your room too long! You need to exercise and work off some of the rust!" Naruto announced proudly. He was dressed in his Gremory track suit and watched diligently from the center of the room, "Your Demonic Power is lacking, your skills are dull, and honestly I'm having a hard time taking you seriously after you've shaved all the hair off your body. So we're going to keep doing this for a while so you can acclimate to the outside again. Any questions?"

"WHY ARE THERE SO MANY OF YOU?!"

"Oh, sorry, I guess you haven't really been keeping track of what's been going on." Naruto casually laughed and offhandedly scratched his cheek as if he was having a normal conversation, "Well a lot has gone down since our fight in the Rating Game. See I got a Sacred Gear and fought a creepy Fallen Angel, I got my chakra back while also reestablishing a connection with Kurama - the beast that lives in my body - who merged with my Sacred Gear, then I trained for a while with Sirzechs and his peerage, and then we found more of Kurama's family, and then we fought Loki and I achieved my Balance Breaker-"

"I DIDN'T ASK FOR A LIFE STORY! WHY ARE THERE SO MANY OF YOU CHASING ME?!"

"Well I could always make Shadow Clones of myself and when I got my chakra back that ability came back to me. Yeah, pretty useful ability, right?"

"NOOOOOO!" Riser screamed and wept as he flew through the air, flailing around madly in a frenzied attempt to escape the several dozen Naruto clones that chased after him on the ground, along the walls, and through the air. The Phenex Devil had tears and snot streaming down his face as he screamed, "I'M GONNA DIE! THEY'RE GONNA KILL ME!"

"You can't die silly, remember?"

"I DOUBT THAT'S ENOUGH TO CONVINCE YOU TO STOP!"

"Well I mean if you want me to stress test it then just say-"

"NO! NO MORE! NO MORE FROM YOU!"

"Come on, where's that proud Devil I met all those months ago?"

"HE'S BECOME A TRAUMATIZED SHELL OF HIMSELF THAT'S SCARED OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF HE WENT OUTSIDE!"

"You can't be scared of going outside just because of what people might say or do!"

"I WASN'T! I WAS SCARED THAT IF I WENT OUTSIDE, I'D SOMEHOW BE CURSED TO MEET YOU AGAIN!" He tossed a fireball back and popped a clone only for several more to appear and lunge at him, "WHICH AS IT TURNS OUT WAS A COMPLETELY RATIONAL AND LEGITIMATE FEAR TO HAVE BECAUSE YOU WERE RIGHT HERE WITH AN ARMY OF YOURSELF READY TO ABDUCT ME!"

"We didn't abduct you!"

"YOU SNUCK INTO MY ROOM AND DRAGGED ME OUT KICKING AND SCREAMING WITHOUT MY CONSENT!"

"Yeah but we had your sister's and your peerage's consent, which doesn't make it abduction. Just an unwelcome play date. Which makes you the bratty little kid that doesn't want to play with others! That's not a healthy mindset to have in a growing young boy!"

"FUCK YOU!"

As Riser flew around and the tsunami of clones chased close after him, the peanut gallery on the balcony of the basement watched in total captivating silence. Gasper, Koneko, Irina, Xenovia, and Rossweisse watched from above as fire and clones flew in every direction. Irina tilted her head, "You know it's never been exactly obvious, but does anyone else think Naruto-San could be a sadist?"

"Naruto always struck me as someone who uses the necessary power needed to end the fight as quickly as possible. Nothing exactly cruel or sadistic from any of his earlier fights." Xenovia piped up before shrugging, "But I completely agree with you right now. He looks like he's getting some real enjoyment out of this. Not so much like Akeno-fukabuchou does when she hits an enemy and then she starts to writhe and giggle to herself, but more like he's just making some great entertainment for himself."

"Understandable. Senpai is probably milking this for all he can get now."

"I heard about Riser-San a lot from the others but I never got to meet him because I was still in the room." Gasper said beside Koneko as they watched the show from above. He pulled out an uncooked bag of popcorn and passed it over to the Nekomata. As her eyes changed color and blue flames heated her hand enough to start warming the bag he asked, "What was he like when you all met him?"

"Arrogant and extremely condescending." They noticed the slight change in the young girl's monotone that they could recognize as spite as she talked, "He entered the club like it was a place made for him and draped his arm over Buchou's shoulder like they were already together. He put more stock into the fact they were both pure-blooded Devils than how she felt or how uncomfortable she was with the arranged marriage."

"I guess I can see why Rias-San didn't get along with him very well." Rossweisse noted, "But why does Naruto-kun get along so poorly with him?"

"When he arrived, Senpai immediately started butting heads. Glaring at him. Pulling his arm off Buchou's shoulder. Making his peerage arrive for a stand-off. And even though he didn't know it, he was the one that gave Buchou the push she needed to stomp her foot down and say no to the arranged marriage. And when the Rating Game was ending, he was the one who took up the last battle and fought Riser like an animal."

"So was this before or after they fell in love?"

"Before they fell in love but after they started noticing and getting attracted to each other. It was a lot different back then. Senpai was all tsundere about joining and he and Buchou would snark and snap at each other. You all wouldn't be able to compare it to how they are now. Back then everyone just rolled their eyes and thought they should just bang and get it over with." A small frown showed on her face, "Which I guess they've done now. Good for them or whatever. Not like anyone cares or anything."

"K-Koneko-chan!"

The white-haired girl looked down to see the bag of popcorn in her hands had caught fire and started burning. The others were leaning away from the blue flame engulfing the bag before Rossweisse stretched out her hand and released a quick splash of water. The soggy bag of burnt popcorn laid on her palm as they stared at it silently.

"Here you go, Gya-kun."

The young vampire looked down at the bag forced into his hands and paled. Looking between it and the frustrated nekomata, he pondered whether he should eat the bag to ignore the tension. The other girls sitting with him shook their heads and tried to warn him away from doing it.

"ENOUGH!" Riser finally stopped flying and dropped down in front of the original Naruto. He panted, drenched in sweat from exhaustion and fear, and pleaded to the whiskered Devil, "P-Please stop sending out your clones! I've had enough of them! J-Just give me a break!"

Naruto clicked his teeth and let out a deep, long sigh before finally stopping. He shrugged, "Okay," And with a swipe of his hand he ordered his clones to disperse. A giant cloud of smoke exploded with them before settling down and opening up the extensive basement again, "I guess that's enough tough love for now."

"Good!" Riser collapsed and wept with joy, "It's over."

"Not over yet. I'm just not rushing you with clones anymore. But I will be staying by your side every second of every day until you're somewhat back to normal." Riser blanked in horror as Naruto smirked, "While I'm at school, you'll have a clone. During the day and night I'm sticking by your side. I'll even stay with you when we go to bed." Riser paled even more before Naruto clarified, "Different beds but we're sharing the room."

"Oh good."

"Anyway, the only way to break a phobia is to surround yourself with it at all times until you become accustomed to it." The blond [Pawn] smirked viciously, "And luckily there's are a lot of ways to do that when you have Narutophobia."

"T-That doesn't sound right at all!"

"Hey, which one of us is crippled by fear?" The two stared at each other before Riser lowered his head, "That's right. So just trust me and let's hope for the best."

Riser had so much he wanted to say in retort about trust and this torturous training and how this man clearly had no idea what he was talking about. But the fear of incurring his wrath outweighed anything he could have said and instead Riser meekly lowered his head and nodded. He looked over to a pair of Narutos that had survived the popping and were working together to meld some elements, "What are they doing?"

"Don't worry about those me, focus on this me." Naruto pulled Riser up to his feet and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, ignoring the shudder going down the flaming Devil's back as they walked along, "You hungry? Want some ramen?"

"I-I'm not sure I've had that-"

"Then let's have ramen! I own a nice little place my clones keep open while I'm at school or home. Let's go pay a visit."

Riser groaned and wept to himself as he was led along.

||||||||Devil||||||||

"What is he doing?"

"Issei-San is meditating."

"He is?" Ravel looked at the brunette Devil in surprise as he silently sat on the couch with his legs crossed and eyes closed. The young Phenex lady was shocked to see the loud, always booming young man now sitting silently and so focused he didn't even notice the people around him, "Does he normally do this?"

"No this is a new development." Yuuto said as he came out with a tray of tea and snacks, offering them to Asia, Ravel, Akeno, and Rias as they relaxed in their special lounge, "Apparently while you were picking up Riser-San, Buchou got a notice from Beelzebub-sama."

"Beelzebub-sama believes that Issei's growth has reached unprecedented levels, and wouldn't be surprised if some of the [Evil Pieces] in his body could have mutated by now." Mutations only rarely occurred in individuals whose talent had greatly exceeded their projected worth with their [Evil Piece], and this forced the [Evil Piece] to change in order to catch up. Rias was proud to hear that her servant had grown strong enough to change the [Evil Piece] she had given him, "And he also thinks that Issei could find the steps to reaching even greater power if he looked within."

"He's searching his own consciousness for an answer?"

"Actually in this case I think Ajuka meant looking inward to his Sacred Gear." Azazel piped up, walking by and picking up a biscuit before snacking on it, "Issei has already reached Balance Breaker which in most cases would be the upper limit of one's abilities, but his Sacred Gear is a Longinus and has Ddraig the Red Dragon dwelling within it so its potential is vast."

Akeno looked back at their teacher, "But what can Issei find in his Sacred Gear that would help him?"

"Well it's an ancient weapon that's been used by and imprinted on by hundreds of previous wielders before Issei." They all looked at the silent brunette as he dove into the depths of his mind, "Who knows what he'll find in there."

||||||||Devil||||||||

"Fuck this is boring. Naruto-senpai made it sound like diving into the subconscious was fun but this...this is dreary and sad."

Issei had finally reached his destination after some serious concentration and entered the depths of his Sacred Gear. One moment he was on the couch, listening to the girls speak about their classes and the upcoming trip to Kyoto with Asia's innocent questioning and Rias' immense interest slipping through-

The next it was silent. He opened his eyes and he was surrounded by an empty white void that just wasn't natural in any sense of the word. He started to walk around in order to find any kind of notable change or landmark he could note. Only after a few minutes of walking did he finally find what he was looking for.

There were several rows of wooden seating curved around each other, like the seats of a courthouse or how he imagined what the people in parliament sat on. And in those rows of seats were people draped in cloaks and hanging their heads in silence without even acknowledging his existence.

Issei stepped forward and gulped nervously before raising his hand, "H-Hi there everyone! My name is Issei Hyoudou, the newest wielder of the Boosted Gear! I guess in these circumstances that would make all of you my Senpais. So as the new vessel I guess I can safely say that I'm not exactly the strongest wielder of Boosted Gear – as pretty much everyone and anyone has been telling me without hesitation." Issei muttered that last part to himself with some spite before continuing, "Anyway, I've recently achieved Balance Breaker and gained some amazing power, but lately I've realized that even this current level of skill probably won't be enough to handle the threats ahead of me. So I wanted to come to all of you for some advice on how you think I could be using the Boosted Gear a little better."

"Juggernaut Drive."

Issei blinked in surprise, shocked to hear such an immediate answer from the spirits resting in his Sacred Gear. He remembered the name of that technique Ddraig told him about that would allow him to achieve immense power and strength but at the cost of his sanity and life. He chucked, "Oh, okay. Well I'll definitely take that into consideration, but is there anything else? Like how did all of you tap into the Sacred Gear-"

"Juggernaut Drive."

"Yeah okay that's great, but is there any other things I could be using instead of sacrificing my life to-"

"Juggernaut Drive. Juggernaut Drive. Juggernaut Drive. Juggernaut Drive."

Issei's eyebrow twitched in annoyance as the cloaked figures around him continued to mutter and groan the same words to themselves in unison. But after a moment Issei finally noticed that the voices of the people around him sounded empty and utterly lifeless. The young Devil walked over to the closest figure to him and leaned down. The older man hiding his face under his hood stared ahead blankly and continued to repeat the same words again. He waved his hand in front of his face, "Hello?"

"Juggernaut Drive. Juggernaut Drive. Juggernaut Drive. Jugger-"

He stepped back and looked around the empty space to find the same expression and lack of life in everyone he saw. As he walked by them, he shook their shoulders, whispered in their ears for a response, and snapped his fingers in front of their faces but still he got nothing. Coming in here he had expected to find some boisterous, loud individuals that had wielded his gauntlet in the past and took great pleasure in the fights they had survived. He hoped he might get some hints on how to get stronger now that he had achieved Balance Breaker or possibly get chewed out for using a portion of the Vanishing Drive and fusing it to their Scale Mail. Instead…

He found himself in a land of white-clad zombies void of all individuality and thought outside of reaching the dangerous powerful state Issei swore he would never touch.

As he walked around Issei found one person who looked a little different from the others. He was by far the youngest, being close to Issei's age or possibly even younger. The young man had one of those damn blasted handsome boy faces - just like Kiba - but with black hair that had bangs down to his face and solid black eyes that were just as lifeless as the rest. And just like them he was repeating the same words over and over again.

"Damn, even other kids were swallowed up by this thing, huh?" Issei patted the young man on the shoulder even though he still didn't earn any kind of response in doing so. He felt sorry for the poor youngster who succumbed to the allure of the Boosted Gear's power, and even for all the others that sacrificed their lives and indentity. He stood up and looked around, "All of these people...used that Juggernaut Drive, huh?"

"They were desperate for the power within their grasp and sacrificed a life of possibility to reach it."

Issei looked back in surprise to hear a familiar voice, "Oh, hey Senpai! Didn't think I'd see you here, though I guess you're used to delving into your subconscious to see Kurama-San so this isn't anything new. Bet you could do this just putting a hand on my shoulder, huh?"

Naruto looked down at him in surprise and blinked in shock before Issei turned back to the cloaked boy in front of him, "Did these people really give up their lives just for strength?"

"Strength has an allure to it that you can't possibly quantify until the opportunity presents itself." Naruto walked over and knelt down beside the hooded boy. The whiskered man showed a sad, wistful smile as he gently patted the muttering boy on the head, "I guess even victory wasn't worth it in the end if this was the result, huh?"

"Uh, Senpai, that's a bit rude don't you think? You don't even know that kid."

"There's a chance in the future when you'll be tempted to gain power and tap into the Juggernaut Drive. So you'll need to keep your resolve and not bend to the will of that temptation." The whiskered man looked back at him and gave him a bright smile, "I look forward to seeing what you can do in the future, Issei Hyoudou-kun."

||||||||Devil||||||||

Issei's eyes opened and he then shuddered in disgust, "That was horrifying."

"Oh, welcome back Issei." Rias greeted with the others as the [Pawn] stood up and stretched his legs, "How did going into your Sacred Gear turn out?"

"It was a total bust. I got no help at all. And I saw something really creepy at the end."

"Hey everyone!" Naruto greeted the group as he and Riser walked into the lounge, "Me and Riser are heading to the ramen shop. Anybody want to come along?"

Asia sat up, "Oh, I would like to go again, Naruto-San."

"I'll come too." Rias said, "Ravel, would you like to join us?"

"M-Me? I've never had the dish you speak of? Is it any good?"

"It's the best in the world! And Rias' recipe is still our best product! Come try some for yourself." The blond smiled as he invited the others before looking at his fellow [Pawn], "What about you, Issei? You wanna come?"

"Sure Senpai, but I feel like we should really clarify things now before we go any further ahead." Issei stood up and faced Naruto directly. The blond tilted his head curiously and the others watched in silence as Issei patted his shoulder, "You really shouldn't try to go for the pretty boy smile with a face like yours. Kiba can pull it off but he's naturally handsome. You on the other hand have a face that takes serious time to get accustomed to. So you should avoided smiling and trying to sound too friendly, okay?"

...

"I don't know what you're talking about but how about instead of a bowl of ramen, I just save us the time and feed you your fucking teeth?"

"See! That threatening glare and detestable attitude! That's the Senpai I know!"

||||||||Devil||||||||

Riser and Ravel had been staying at the Arashi Heights for nearly a week now. The young lady of the Phenex house was accepted with open arms by the people around her as she explored the world of humans for the first time. She was joined by at least one member of the group at all times and could explore this new world at her leisure.

Riser's time here was noticeably different, in the fact that Naruto was sticking by his side and tormenting him all the way. The former boastful, arrogant Phenex had made some progress over the last few days. He no longer confined himself to rooms away from others and could walk around by himself, even though Naruto still didn't leave him alone.

"Hey," Rias walked over to Naruto as he came out from the fridge and drank his water. The redhead was dressed in a bikini with a towel draped over her arm, "How are things going today?"

"Same as usual. Making some progress but not enough to settle things already." Naruto tightened the cap on his drink before looking down at her swimsuit. He caught himself staring at her breasts and the curve of her body longer than he intended to. Man, he missed sharing the same bed as her. They may have only had sex once and done some heavy petting in the shower but now Naruto was longing for the chance to experience that carnal pleasure with her again. Despite his better judgement he imagined what it would be like to approach her now and take her lips, pressing her to the wall and kissing as their bodies molded together. The sensation of her breasts pressing against his chest and his hands squeezing her hips, hearing that moan from her that would be the start to-

Oh shit he was staring. And she was smirking. Crap, how long had he just been looking at her?!

"If there's something you'd like to see then you can come upstairs. We're all going to the pool on the roof and there you can have an excuse to look at me." She purred in an alluring, sultry voice that she obviously knew had a clear effect on him. He felt a heat under his collar as she shifted her arms around so she was holding her towel by her stomach and chest, just coincidentally pushing up her breasts for him to see, "Also it's surprisingly warm and sunny out today so I need to put on some sunscreen, and there are just some places I can't reach by myself without some big strong hands to help~."

"Dammit can you stop tormenting me? I'd love to go upstairs and," He almost let his tongue slip and say the many unspeakable things he'd like to do with her before calming down, "Have fun, but Riser's still downstairs and we're in the middle of something." His fingers drummed against the side of the bottle before he asked, "Hey how long do we have to offer this help to Riser? Not that he shouldn't get help just...I'm not sure what else we can do?"

"Maybe you should try handling this with a softer touch." Rias offered, "I know Riser rubbed you the wrong way and you really wanted the opportunity to get back at him, but now that you have I think it's time that instead of intensity, you approach him with empathy." She patted him on the chest, "Use that big, beating heart of yours to reach out and make a connection. It worked on me, and I'm sure the others would agree that it's your most valuable feature."

Naruto looked down at her hand against his chest and sighed. She leaned up and kissed his cheek before making her way up to the rooftop to join the others around the pool. The whiskered blond stood silent for a few moments and reconsidered what to do next.

[Got a problem?]

"What do you think, Kurama? Is Rias right?"

[In my experience she's usually pretty much always right.]

"So then I should be trying to connect with Riser instead?" It sounded obvious but Naruto's tone was still rather annoyed. He opened the fridge up again and pulled out another water bottle before making his way to the elevator, "Of course that's the right answer."

[And you don't seem too happy with it. Man, I really wish I could have been there when you met this guy. What exactly did he do that affected you this badly?]

"It isn't really anything he did. No, I-I mean he pissed me off with how he acted and how he was treating Rias like some kinda fucking prize, but I didn't think it got to me or anything. It wasn't what he did so much as - as what I could or couldn't do in response." Naruto groaned and ran his hand down his face, "I had grown so tired and numb to everything while I was alone after coming to this world and I didn't want to get attached to anything again. But despite my best efforts Rias wormed her way in and then Riser came threatening to take her away."

[And we both know how you act when something you care about is threatened.]

"Yeah, and this was between the points where I was attempting to stay unattached and then going full in on joining everyone in the peerage. It was the first time in a long time where I felt motivated and he was the first person to get a rise out of me by pissing me off. So even though I'm stronger now, better now, and with people I cherish, when I see Riser I feel like all of that is gone. And hearing Rias say it like that pretty much confirms this stupid feeling."

[He got the best of your emotions at your lowest point and now you can't help but feel like that again even now. It might be normal for people to regress like that if they aren't focused.]

Naruto walked into the elevator and hit the basement button as he leaned against the wall, "So how should I try and connect with Riser? Even if it wasn't hard for me to empathize with him, I doubt he wants much pity or any kind of emotion from the guy who caused his panic in the first place." He stopped and heard his fox friend laugh at his predicament, "What's so funny?"

[It really has been such a long time that you've forgotten, haven't you? You used to hold a terrible grudge against that Pain fellow when he attacked the Leaf, yet despite everything you were able to make a connection with him and change his mind. Even though this man might have caused problems for you and the woman you love, is it really so much harder than it was back then?]

...

Man, he could be an idiot sometimes.

Naruto walked out as the elevator arrived and looked over the railing to see Riser actually fighting back against the clones around him. A short crop of blond hair was growing over his head after failing to shave it these last few days and he was looking closer to his old self. However his demeanor still had a ways to go to match the confidence and assuredness he had once before.

Naruto jumped over the balcony and landed on the floor before calling out, "That's enough for now! Take a break!" The clones all popped and Riser dropped to his ass to take a breath. He approached the tired Phenex and held out a bottle for him, "Here, cool yourself off."

Riser looked between the bottle and him a few times before leaning away, "Did you do something to it or put something in it?"

"No, it's just water. Take it."

Riser still hesitated but slowly took the bottle before gingerly taking some sips. When he noticed no immediate aftereffects he took a longer swig and nearly downed the whole bottle. He and Naruto stayed in relative silence together before the whiskered blond finally spoke up...

"What was it about our fight that messed you up so bad?"

Riser paused and looked up at him in confusion, "You remember coming at me like a beast possessed, right?"

"Okay I'm sorry about that, but there has to be more to it than that, right?" Naruto slowly sat down across from Riser and crossed his arms, "You can't have gotten scared this badly just from a fight where I was only able to fight back like that for a little while. Was there anything else?"

...

Riser squeezed his bottle tightly and nodded, "Losing to you - being beaten and handed my ass like that - was unlike anything I've ever experienced before. I've lost but those were more political matches where me forgoing a victory was for the better. But with you it was a complete and total loss I had no chance of stopping. I had never felt like that. So...completely overwhelmed."

"You didn't think you were the strongest in the world, did you?"

Riser scoffed, "Of course not. I'm not even the strongest person in my family, but I was sure that as long as I faced others around my level then I could win. Pure-blooded Devils have so much more power and ability than others, and I was sure that power could win me any fight. It could help me do anything until that Rating Game. All that strength and power and immortality...and I was still beaten and outmatched by some newly resurrected Devil that had barely gotten used to his new life."

"Actually if you think about it Rias is the one that landed the finishing blow."

"Yeah I remember, but I also look back at it as a complicated mix of fear and arousal." Riser shamefully admitted, "I mean she never looked sexier than with that look of pure power on her face before she wasted me."

Naruto felt a bead of sweat run down his cheek, "I'll take your word on that."

"Anyway, after the Rating Game finished I was left reeling. Was it just a freak accident? Could I fix it if I tried again? Would I just lose no matter what I tried? I kept thinking about it over and over again and I couldn't stop imagining getting beaten like that again if I did. After a while I just got scared of going outside, facing things I couldn't handle, and losing like that again. And then I ended up here." Riser frowned and looked up at Naruto, "So thanks for that you bastard."

"Well that's what you get for thinking you're strong just because you were born with a little power." Naruto callously said as Riser sighed and slipped on his drink, "There's always someone stronger waiting to meet you in the world. My teacher told me a long time ago, 'There are people in this world younger than you, but stronger than me.'" Naruto crossed his arms and nodded, "I have a feeling that advice holds even more weight here than it did in my world."

"Is there a point to this where I don't feel even more miserable than I did before?"

"I'm getting to that." Naruto snapped back before speaking, "I want to tell you that even if you aren't strong enough now, there are ways to get stronger. Finding a reason to get stronger will always lead to a growth you can never begin to expect. I found that with Rias and the others." He opened and closed his fist, "Fighting with them and trying to keep them safe has made me push myself in ways I haven't for a long, long time. Maybe you should figure out something worth fighting for instead of just your status as a pure-blooded Devil - like your sister or your peerage."

"Something worth fighting for, huh?" Riser finished his bottle and squashed it before tossing it aside, "And Rias is yours, right?"

"Yeah. Seeing her happy and protecting her has been enough to push me forward through all the walls and blockades I didn't think I could get through anymore."

"You really love her, don't you?"

"Yes, I do."

Riser chuckled and stood up, "Well, I'm glad to know my former fiancée found someone who cares about her so much. And she's enough of a romantic that I'm sure you'll be able to burrow yourself into her heart if you keep being that sappy."

Naruto noticed that Riser's demeanor was already seeming more confident and assured than he had been before. Chock one up for Rias and her advice. Still, despite his better judgement he couldn't help the little competitive spirit that burned inside at the sight of Riser's cocksureness returning, "Well I think I've already dug myself into her heart deep enough. We've gone on dates, battled Gods, overthrew corporations, and shared a be- never mind."

"What? What was that?"

"Nothing. Forget I said anything."

"You shared a bed?"

"I-I just - it slipped out and..." He saw the inquisitive look on Riser's face and sighed before whispering, "Rias and I have already...done it. Recently."

"It? You...you mean sex?"

"Yeah, but don't tell her I told you alright. We're supposed to be keeping quiet about it and I'm sure she'd be annoyed if she found out-"

A massive typhoon of flames and heat exploded off of Riser's body and nearly knocked Naruto off his feet. He shielded himself from the immense wave of fire before it slowly died down and revealed Riser again. The Phenex man stood with more confidence now, his eyes set in a stern gaze with his flowing gold hair returned to its former splendor.

"Did your hair just grow back from the fire?! Could you always do that?!"

"So you've already bedded Rias." Riser spoke firmly before shaking his head, "I shouldn't be surprised. You have a knack for destroying my expectations completely and without reprieve."

"No, me beating you in a Rating Game and me sleeping with Rias should not be considered in the same area."

"Where is everyone right now?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked at the firmness in Riser's voice, all the hesitation and fear now completely gone as the Devil recovered from his slump in an instant, "T-They're up on the roof swimming in the pool."

"Alright then." Riser turned away and started walking, "You're right, Naruto Uzumaki. I must reach a goal and fight for something in order to grow stronger. The man I was before - both the prideful fool who didn't know his place and the pathetic lump of meat that feared everything - they are both gone! I will be someone better! Someone more! And today is the day I will start making that change!"

Naruto blinked, "O-Oh, okay. Alright man that's awesome-"

"And to commemorate this new life I'll live, I'll make one more fond memory of the man I used to be before I make that change! I'm going to go look at Rias in her bikini and commit the sight to memory for the rest of my life!"

A pair of flaming wings spread from Riser's back, and like the mythic beast of legend he flew - reborn from the ashes of the man he once was! He flew into the elevator and burst through its ceiling as he rocketed up the shaft straight to the top.

[Hey, you did it Naruto! You cured him! Now you don't have to worry about rehabilitating him or checking up on him or nothing anymore! And all that's left is for him to get a gander at Rias mostly naked and you'll be free! Congratulations!]

...

[No, you're supposed to be feeling joy and relief right now. What's with this overwhelming sense of anger and fury? You feeling alright?]

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"Almost there!" Riser's wings flapped as he soared up the elevator shaft straight to the top. Once he reached the roof he'd stare at Rias' enticing frame and feel complete in his rehabilitation. It felt so good to become a better and fuller person-

"Wind Cage!"

A ball of torrent air swirled around Riser and caught him off guard. The Phenex man was confined to the same spot as Naruto came flying up the elevator shaft to reach him, "What are you doing?"

"Stopping you from looking at Rias!"

"Why? I'm just celebrating my recovery!"

"I don't want you to celebrate by ogling my girlfriend!"

[I don't see the big deal. All he wants to do is stare at her in a bikini. I'm sure Issei is doing the same thing as we speak.]

"Ah, don't remind me!"

[When did you become so jealous?]

Riser roared and filled the cage of wind with fire before it exploded and he freed himself. Naruto scowled and his wings flapped forward until he slammed into Riser's chest. The two struggled and fought in the air before they slammed into one of the shaft doors and flew into a hallway.

Naruto kicked off Riser's body and stood between him and the stairway towards the roof. The whiskered blond took a stance against his flaming counterpart as they scowled at each other, "Riser, I'm really happy that you've been able to come to some kind of peace and find your confidence again. But I really, really don't want to cause you to regress again because if you try and stare at my girlfriend I swear I'm gonna kick your ass harder than I did before."

"Is it too much to ask just to look at Rias once while she's in a bikini?!"

[Not at all.]

"Yes!" Riser lowered his stance and Naruto clicked his teeth, "Riser, I'm a lot stronger than I was back then. I want you to know that I gave you a chance to step back."

Naruto launched himself forward and punched at Riser's face. He moved far faster and with much more power than he did the last time he faced Riser in battle.

Which made it surprising that Riser ducked under his punch and countered with a flaming fist that sent Naruto flying down the hall.

He rolled on the carpet for several meters before stopping himself and patting the cinders off his shirt, "What the fuck?! How'd you do that?!"

"You are a lot stronger and a lot faster than when we last fought! But in case you forgot I've been running and fighting your clones for several days now without breaks!" Riser's eyes shifted around like an unstable maniac as he grinned, "Your subtle movements! Your shift in weight! Every little thing you do when you attack! I've memorized them all! And I'll avoid it all until I reach the top!" Riser cackled madly and dashed up the stairs towards his goal.

"Motherfucker!" Naruto immediately gave chase, charging up the stairs and hot on Riser's tail as they crossed multiple levels in the span of seconds, "Get back here!" He created water from his Demonic Power and started lobbing them up at Riser. They pelted his body and created steam as they nearly reached the roof, "I am not letting you sneak a peek!"

"I would never do something so tasteless! I'm going up there and making my intent as clear as possible!"

"Don't make it sound like its noble or anything!"

"It's not like it's really all that bad either! It's not the worst thing in the world to look at someone in a swimsuit! Hell I'm sure there are people up there now doing it as we speak!"

"Riser!" Naruto formed a Rasengan in hand and started adding water to its center, "I protected Rias from your misguided desires before! And I will do it again!"

"I will strive and fight for this reward!" Riser raised his hand and released a pillar of flame at Naruto.

"If you want to sneak a peek at her, then you'll have to get through me! Get stronger, because I'll never let you through!" Naruto's attack landed against the front of the fire and released a massive vortex that overwhelmed the flame and Riser on the other side, "Water Demon's Rasengan!"

The surge of water blasted Riser through the door to the roof and into the air. He sailed back before crashing into the water and making a giant splash that spread out everywhere. Naruto leapt onto the roof and landed on the water's surface while Riser floated on his back.

"Hehe, I-I guess I still have a ways to go before I reach that point." Riser solemnly accepted his defeat and closed his eyes, "No wonder she chose you to take to that magnificent point of no return."

"Damn right." Naruto said with determination as Riser passed out beneath him, "And I'll always be here to stand in your way if you try that shit again. Don't you forget it."

...

Naruto looked around and realized all of his friends were staring at him in shock and confusion. He saw Rias sitting beside Akeno and looking at him in surprise after he had burst through the door and caused such a huge scene with Riser.

"Um," He looked around before spotting Ravel, "Hey, I fixed him! Your brother's doing a lot better now! No need to thank me. Just keep an eye on him, and make sure he doesn't try to sneak a peek on anyone again."

...

"I guess I was wrong." Akeno said with a defeated shake of her head, "You both make each other stupid."

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"Do we make each other stupid?"

Naruto flinched and looked down at Rias as she laid against his side on the couch, "Why do you say that?"

"Just something Akeno said earlier that's on my mind. What do you think?"

"I-I think she's just teasing us. She's the stupid one."

"You're right! It's her, not us."

"Exactly!"

The couple nodded in complete and total agreement before their belief petered out into total shame.

"Sounds like you two have resolved to be completely and totally ignorant." They flinched and looked back to see Azazel standing over them, "A sign that you two are truly hopelessly in love." He laughed and expected some kind of indignant rebuttals but instead found them both glaring at him, "Whoa, what's with the evil looks? Aren't you two happy? Riser's finally gone home and things can go back to normal."

"We haven't forgotten what you did! You made a spectacle of our first night together for everyone to see!"

"Of course I did, it's a time to be celebrated. And to be fair I told the peerage, but you two let it slip to Ravel and Riser. If you don't want people other than your friends to know then you should keep a tighter lid on it." They both scowled at him as he rolled his eyes, "Succumbing to my lust was the reason that I fell from Heaven and became a Fallen Angel. I won't ever decry or demean others for the love and pleasure they seek. I think moments like that should be shared with everyone but I guess you two don't share that sentiment. But even if you don't, you should celebrate this next step in your relationship. So I've got a gift for you two."

He walked in front of the couch and stood in front of them before taking out two bottles of pills from his pocket. He handed them over and smiled as he did. Naruto and Rias looked at their odd gifts before looking up at Azazel, "What are these supposed to be?"

"Many Fallen Angels fell one way or another, and some of them reveled in lust as well. Ways to enjoy it most. Ways to benefit from it. Devils and Angels have found their own ways to circumvent the downsides of intercourse and what you're holding is ours." Azazel smirked, "Those pills were developed to counterattack sexually transmitted diseases and viruses caught during sex."

The young couple's eyes widened in shock before they looked down at the pills again, "You mean-"

"You take one of those and for a whole month you don't have to worry about catching anything if you have unprotected sex."

...

"Oh, and these too." He pulled out another bottle of pills and handed them to Rias, "Take one of those and you won't have to worry about the risk of getting pregnant. The effects will last until you have your next cycle and then you'll have to take another one." Azazel stepped back and smirked, "You two discovered the pleasures of love, and now I'm offering them to you without consequence. Enjoy."

The two lovers watched him walk away as they were left alone in the room, stunned silent with the pill bottles in their hands. Naruto looked down at the sheer number of them and realized that if this was true he wouldn't have to worry about STDs or catching anything for years. The thought sent his mind reeling before he chuckled, "He's messing with us, right?"

"Of course he is." Rias agreed, her eyes not straying from the bottles as her cheeks lightly dusted with pink, "He always does."

"There's a chance these are just candy."

"Or placebos."

The young couple were in total agreement, skeptical of this miracle drug that Azazel conveniently handed to them to avoid their ire.

...

Rias and Naruto looked at each other in silence. Without a word they popped open the bottles and took a pill each. Rias popped the birth control pill in last and swallowed before whispering, "We could always go and test it?"

"Yes. Yes we could."

They wasted no time running to an empty room and testing the drug out for themselves.

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Done

Well they're going to make the most out of their gifts.

I'm going to enjoy writing a few cool down chapters to ease into things. Maybe 2 more before we reach the next arc and start the excitement again? Yeah, that should do it.

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Thank You and Bye