Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Highschool DxD, and I gain nothing except for some relaxation from this work of fanfiction.
~XxX~
~As Close as Siblings~
~XxX~
Chapter Two
A Devilish Morning
Silence reigned within the large and gilded halls of the Gremory Clan's main estate. It was a soothing silence, brought about by early morning hours that saw most of the estate's inhabitants still soundly asleep.
Only the steady footfalls of the few guards that patrolled the halls could faintly be heard as a soft echo.
Alas, this serenity would not last. It never did. In only a few short hours the estate would be bustling with servants and nobles going after their affairs, and then of course there would be the little Lord and the little Lady, who would undoubtedly try their best to give the Head major-domo even more grey hair than she already had.
But that was not yet the case.
Because right now the two little satan spawns were still curled up in their silken sheets, looking as cute as buttons as the little Lady held onto her older brother like any other child would a teddy bear.
If one would look at them right now, none would suspect them to be the menace that they truly were.
Cute little snores and mumbles escaped the twin's lips, and a small line of drool could be seen going down the small girl's cheeks, dripping from her chin onto her brothers' crimson locks. The boy in turn frowned as he felt the wetness on his head, causing him to kick and squirm in his sister's hold.
And unbeknownst to the twins, someone was looming over their bed. Grinning maliciously as the figure reached into his robes to pull out a small object. The object glinted in the soft morning light as the figure raised it, bringing the metallic glinting object into position.
The figure stepped closer towards the sleeping children, a grin that was all teeth and eyes that glowed a malicious crimson.
If only the sleeping children would wake to stop this demon…
Alas, it was not to be.
It was far too late now.
The nightmarish figure was already too close, and nothing would stop it from doing that which it had set out to do. The figure brought the object in its hands right above the heads of the sleeping children.
And then…
*CLICK*
"Muhahahaha…"
*CLICK* *CLICK*
"MUHAHAHAHA…"
*CLICK* *CLICK* *CLICK*
"MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Slowly the small boy woke from his slumber. He frowned when he felt his hair to be wet, and then he groaned once he realized that his dear sister had most likely drenched him in her spittle…again…but that was not something unusual to him anymore.
What was odd however was the sound of clicking and giggling that he could hear.
Naruto Gremory wearily opened his eyes, and when he saw the source of all this commotion, he promptly closed his eyes again before letting out another loud and long groan.
"Sirzechs?" The boy muttered sleepily, "why are you taking pictures of your little siblings? While they are sleeping no less?" The boy's tone was bland, and quite frankly, he was too tired to deal with this shit.
"But why wouldn't I!?" Sirzechs cried loudly which caused little Rias to stir in her sleep, and thus Lucifer earned himself a glare from his little brother. Chuckling and rubbing the back of his head, Sirzechs gave his brother a weak smile before continuing in a softer tone, "after all, how else would I get embarrassing pictures of my little siblings? Neither of you is willing to pose for me when while you are awake after all."
Naruto just stared blankly at his older brother, "I will get you back for this, you know that, right?"
Sirzechs smirked, "you'll try."
"I will." Naruto held his blank stare for an uncomfortable long while before he let out another sigh, "anyways, don't you have anything better to do than to ruin my morning?"
"As a matter of fact," Sirzechs feigned to think, "no I don't."
"Alright." Naruto nodded, "you have five seconds to get out of here or…"
"Or what, little brother?" Sirzechs prodded with a smirk stretching his lips, "are you going to throw me out?"
"No, I'm just going to call for mother and Fia-nee," Naruto started with a small, serene smile on his face.
"You wouldn't…"
"Why not?" Naruto asked, lightly caressing the arms of his sister that were wrapped around his torso, "it's not like I've done anything wrong in this situation…so why shouldn't I call them?"
"That's low brother, even for you."
"So is taking pictures of Rias and me without our consent." Naruto fired back.
"I'm disappointed in the man that you are becoming, Naruto," Sirzechs stated while shaking his head.
"Heh, I could say the same about you, Lucy."
"Well, if that is the case, then I will remove myself. After all, I understand when I'm no longer wanted." Sirzechs harrumphed and straightened himself out.
"Thank God-ow," Naruto winced, "…worth it."
Sirzechs then promptly left the young children's bed chambers, leaving behind an exhausted prepubescent Naruto and his still sleeping sister.
'Just woke up and already feel like going to sleep again…that's my life now…' The boy shook his head with a rueful smile on his face, 'and I wouldn't have it any other way…'
Seven years have passed now since he had his little conversation with whatever Kami it was that had sent him here. Seven uneventful, amazing years, and quite frankly those years were utter bliss to the once Shinobi.
If it weren't for the fact that he was a Devil, then he would've believed that this was his heaven.
And if he ever met Kami again, then he promised himself that he would kiss her feet, even if doing so would leave him on death's doorstep.
Yes, his life was that good, and for the first time in forever, he had absolutely nothing he could complain about.
His childhood was one of splendor and luxuries, but contrary to popular belief it wasn't because his family was rich. Sure, it was nice to not have to worry anymore, but he didn't care about the money, the jewels, the titles, or the maids and butlers.
No, his life was a blessed and luxurious one because of his family. It was utter bliss because he had people to care for and who cared for him in turn.
He had a family, and that was truly all that he ever wanted.
The stirring and mumbling of his sweet little sister brought the boy back to reality, and he smiled before readjusting Rias in a way that made her lie within her brothers' arms. The boy threaded a hand through his sister's crimson mane of hair and his smile grew even further when he noticed her eyes flutter.
"Good morning, Rias-chan." He muttered quietly, "did you sleep well?"
"Mhmm…" The girl hummed lightly, twisting and writhing in Naruto's arms, "…mornin."
The Devilish boy chuckled before pulling the sleepy girl closer, rubbing soothing circles on her back.
Of all the good that came with his new life, this girl right here had to be the most precious of them all. She was his clingy, adorable little sister, and she was his most precious person in the world. He'd do anything for her, literally anything.
Loving Rias came as easy to him as breathing, and already he couldn't imagine life without her being in it. Quite honestly, Naruto never truly understood why he felt so strongly towards her. Maybe it was because he knew what it was like to be alone, or maybe what they say about twins was true and there was a special bond between them, but he didn't care.
He knew that he loved her, and that was all that truly mattered to him anyways.
But above and beyond he promised himself one thing, and that was to protect this lovely little Devil no matter the cost.
And that he would spoil her rotten as any good older brother would, but that was beside the point.
As the girl lay comfortable within her brothers' warm hold, it didn't take long for her to drift off into slumber once again, something that made the boy chuckle.
He lightly shook the girl, "c'mon Rias-chan, time to wake up."
"Mmm…five more minutes…" The little minx mumbled sleepily.
"Nope." Naruto whispered, "if I let you sleep any longer then you're just gonna get tired again, so c'mon, up you go!"
With that said the Shinobi reborn began to lightly tickle Rias' sides with a wicked grin on his face. The girl squirmed and writhed under her brothers' relentless ministrations, and before too long she began to giggle and fight back.
"S-stop it Naruto!" Rias laughed even as she tried to grab ahold of the boy's arms, "I'm up, I'm up!"
"I'm not too sure about that…" Naruto laughed as he continued to tickle the hapless redhead beneath him. But little Rias was nothing if not feisty and soon Naruto found himself being tickled by his little sister in turn.
And so instead of standing up and getting themselves ready for the day to come, the two children stayed in bed far longer than they should have, playing with each other and having a fun time.
But alas, everything good had to come to an end, and the twin's fun ended when they could hear their chamber doors being pushed open followed by the sound of heels hitting marble.
The two of them looked up as one and took note of their family's head of household standing before them with a small, displeased scowl marring her otherworldly features.
To Naruto's eyes Grayfia Lucifuge, the wife of his older brother, and his family's most loyal servant was a gorgeous woman with the uncanny ability to put the fear of the Devil into him. An ability that Grayfia shared with his mother, Venelana Gremory. But don't get him wrong, he may fear those two women when they were in a bad mood, but he wasn't afraid of them.
Not one bit.
"Young Master and Young Lady, you're late for breakfast," Grayfia spoke as she always did, with clarity and respect, but there was an underlying demand in her tone of voice to better do as she asked.
Naruto and Rias knew that better than most considering that it was mostly Grayfia that caught them after the twins pulled one of their many pranks. And in the rare cases that they escaped the clutches of their family's major-domo, then their mother would find them even quicker.
"Sorry Fia-nee, I got carried away," Naruto said with an apologetic smile on his youthful face.
"It wasn't Onii-chan's fault!" Rias quickly added, squirming around on the bed until she managed to get the sheets off her and was sitting next to her brother. "We just played around and lost track of time."
The maid scrutinized the two children before she let out a sigh, though Naruto did notice the small smile on the woman's lips.
"You two are incorrigible." Grayfia huffed when the twins grinned at her, "now then, you've had your fun and it's time to get yourselves ready. Your parents and Lord Lucifer are waiting, so you best be quick about it."
Naruto and Rias decided to heed the woman's words and scrambled off into the bathroom after giving the maid a quick nod and wave.
Said maid was now left standing there within the lavish room of the twins. She looked around and her eyebrow began to twitch upon seeing the mess that was in the room. The bed was a right-on mess and the twin's clothes from the last day were strewn about everywhere. Rias-sama's plush toys-which were usually stacked neatly on shelves or the bed-where everywhere…and don't even get her started on all the other toys that lay around the floor!
The maid sighed and massaged her temples before taking another look around the room.
"…brats," Grayfia muttered before a small smile bloomed on her lips as she began to clean up the mess her young Lord and Lady had created.
While annoying and more than just a little frustrating to deal with, the twins most certainly made sure that every single day was exciting in some manner.
And Grayfia couldn't remember the last time that the Castle was filled with so much life.
~XxX~
A few minutes later saw the twins hurrying down the halls towards the castle's family room. Naruto and Rias had cleaned up nicely, with the boy wearing black shoes and trousers, a deep red dress shirt, and a simple black vest over it. Rias was dressed in a light gown that matched Naruto's shirt in color and black ballerinas as she wasn't allowed to wear heeled shoes yet.
And in Naruto's humble opinion, Rias looked cute as a button in her fancy getup.
Alas, the boy wasn't in any mood to show his appreciation openly, no he frowned and grumbled as he tried to readjust the collar of his shirt.
If there was one thing that Naruto disliked about his second chance, then the fancy clothes had to be it. It wasn't that he necessarily hated them, but he could do without having to dress up for everything, even something as small and inconsequential as breakfast with his family.
He didn't understand why he couldn't just go and have breakfast with his mom and dad in a simple t-shirt, slacks, and sneakers.
Naruto grunted in pain as Rias elbowed him in the side, he looked at her and faltered.
"Stop playing with your collar." Rias glared at Naruto, "you're gonna stretch it out or tear of a button at the rate you're fumbling with it. Stop for a moment…" The boy did as his sister demanded and came to a halt. The girl walked in front of Naruto and adjusted the collar of his shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles and even going as far as to open the first and second buttons. "You aren't wearing a tie, so there is no need to close the shirt all the way."
"Thanks." Naruto smiled at Rias and lifted his hand to pat her head, but a smoldering glare from the little red-haired Devil stopped him from doing so.
The girl huffed and nodded in satisfaction when Naruto lowered his hand again.
Right…Naruto wouldn't make that mistake again. Girls didn't appreciate it when someone messed up their hairdo, who knew? The last time that Naruto did just that to Rias, she didn't talk to him for three whole days!
…talk about being overdramatic…
Naruto shook his head and walked after Rias who just left him standing there after she finished adjusting his clothes. He began a light jog until he was level with his sister and then the two young Devils walked in silence until they arrived at their destination.
The two guards that were posted on either side of the large wooden doors to the family room saluted the twins before quickly pushing open the doors.
Naruto and Rias walked into the room where they were greeted by their parents and their older brother who were already seated at a large and lavishly decorated table.
At the head of the table sat their older brother, Sirzechs Lucifer who was the current leader of the Underworld, their King.
Sirzechs was a handsome man that looked to be in his mid to late twenties. He had shoulder-length, smooth crimson hair that fanned his face and crossed down his forehead and nose in a messy fringe. His features were soft and quite effeminate, with flawless and pale skin, twinkling turquoise eyes, and a gentle look upon his face. Yet despite his gentle demeanor, Sirzechs held himself with an air of confidence and his very presence gave off an air of power that would set anyone on edge.
Naruto was quite certain that Sirzechs gentle and soft behavior was a well-thought-out act that his brother kept up solely to ease the people around him.
To Sirzechs right sat their father, Zeoticus Gremory, the Head of their House. Zeoticus looked like Sirzechs with a goatee and longer hair, the only other difference between the two of them was that Zeoticus's hair was a shade brighter than that of Sirzechs.
And finally, there was the last person that sat at the table, on Sirzechs left.
She was quite possibly the most beautiful woman that Naruto had ever laid eyes on, more so than even Kami-sama herself. And next to Rias, this was someone that Naruto quickly came to love.
Sure, Naruto loved his father and his older brother and Fia-nee, but the love he felt for this woman was something else entirely. After all, this woman was the one that gave birth to him, hers was the first face he had seen in this world, and from the moment his eyes met hers for the first time, he knew that this woman loved him unconditionally.
And that was something that Naruto would return in full.
His mother, Venelana Gremory, had given him something that he had always desired, that he had always wanted, something that he needed. She had given him the kind of love that only a mother could give, something that he never had as Uzumaki Naruto.
And it was her love that made his second chance at life so easy to accept.
Whenever Naruto wanted to mourn the life that he could've had in the Elemental Nations, his mother was right there to soothe him. He never told her the truth-he couldn't-and he didn't need to because it was as if she always knew when he was feeling down, and she always knew what to do or say to make him feel better.
She was amazing that way, and sometimes he couldn't help but wonder if the mother of Uzumaki Naruto was anything like his mother was…
"It's nice of you to finally show up, my little sweetlings." It was then that Venelana decided to speak up when she noticed her son's eyes glaze over in melancholy like they sometimes did.
Rias stepped forward and gave their mother a small bow of her head, "we are sorry for being tardy mother, please forgive us."
Naruto snapped out of his brief episode and nodded his agreement, "yes, we are sorry for making you wait mom-uff-." He glared at his sister who glared right back after elbowing him in the side again, "-mother."
The mature beauty lifted her hand to her mouth to hide the smile on her lips, whereas Sirzechs and Zeoticus weren't so tactful and snorted their amusement at the scene before them, which earned them both the stink eye of Naruto's.
"All is forgiven," Venelana said with amusement lacing her words, "please have a seat, I'm sure you are ready for breakfast after the exciting morning that you've had."
Both Naruto and Rias nodded their heads quickly and scrambled over to their seats, with Naruto being seated to the right of their father, and Rias sitting opposite of him, to the right of their mother.
Once the two were seated, their father clapped his hands and immediately swarms of servants brought forth a feast that the small family of five would never be able to finish. Freshly baked bread, an assortment of fruits, meats, and cheeses, eggs cooked any which way, creams jams and marmalades for toppings, and a large variety of drinks and juices to go along with their food.
Truly, it never failed to rob Naruto of his appetite.
He didn't care that the food was tasty, that it was prepared by professionals and cooked to utter perfection. It just didn't feel right, and he hated to indulge himself in unnecessary luxuries. And the waste…it was disheartening.
As Uzumaki Naruto he had to scour through backstreets and trash bins just so he wouldn't starve…and now, he was presented with so much food that he didn't even know where to put it all.
Most of it would be thrown away at the end of the day, and those wastes could've fed his former self for a year or more.
It was quite depressing.
"Is everything alright son?" His father lightly nudged him, "you can order something else if nothing here strikes your fancy."
"Oh-uh, no it's fine, turns out I'm just not that hungry at all." The boy lightly scratched his cheek and averted his eyes from the searching ones of his father.
Venelana noticed and her gorgeous violet eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Zeoticus shrugged, "alright then, suit yourself, but have at least something to drink, you and your sister have a full day ahead of you and you'll need the energy."
"…sure dad." Naruto smiled and grabbed himself a glass of juice before his eyes caught those of his mother. He gulped slightly at her stern look and noticed how she used her eyes to gesture at the food…
…the message was clear.
With a small sigh of defeat, the boy reached for a still steaming bread roll, some butter, and a glass of jam. He would never be able to win against that woman, and he didn't even need to look at his little sister to know that the little Devil was giving him a victorious smirk.
He sighed once more before joining his family in eating breakfast, and not long after that he too was smiling, laughing, and talking merrily with the group of Devils that managed to capture and ensnare his heart.
'Kami-sama, if you can hear me, thank you for giving me a family." The boy laughed loudly as his father told them all about how Sirzechs managed to embarrass himself in front of a group of Nobles as a kid.
'…Thank you so much!'
~XxX~
A/N: Well, hello everyone, welcome to another chapter for this little story of mine!
Hope it was to your liking!
Anyways, I don't have much to say about this chapter, it was just another slice of life. And even though some of you might find chapters like these boring, I think that they are quite important to show just what kind of person this Naruto is going to become, and how he is dealing with his second chance.
So, bear with me for a while, will you?
But there is something that I want to have your opinion on:
What do you think that this Naruto should experience over the course of his childhood? Now, I do have many things already planned out, and some of the cannon events that are going to come will have a large impact on both Naruto ad Rias in some way or another.
Nonetheless, the original Naruto was shaped by the things that happened in his childhood and early teens, so I was wondering if this Naruto too should have some adventures while he's still a kid.
Tell me if you would be interested in something like that, because if you are, then I'm gonna work on some ideas and plots for a few adventures that Naruto could go on while he's still in the Underworld.
If not, then there will be a larger time-skip in a chapter or two.
Anyways, thanks for giving my story a read, have a good one, and I'll see ya whenever I update again!
Ciao.
