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 Seven
Devilish Revelations
"So, Mirajane, mind telling me a bit about yourself?" Rias gently ran her fingers through her wet, crimson hair, wringing out some water before leaning back against the pleasantly warm stones of the bathroom.
A magnificent bathroom indeed. The entire bathroom was created to give off the feeling of pure, undisturbed nature. The walls, the floor, the hot tub, they were all made from rustic, natural stones, and there were patches of grass, and flowers growing from in-between the crevasses of stonework, and then there was fresh ivy that wound itself up and down the walls and the ceiling of the luxurious oasis of relaxation.
"Um, what would you like to know, Lady-"
"Uh-uh, what have I told you about formalities between us?" Rias gave the white-haired beauty a mild glare, making the other girl fidget lightly.
Mira nodded lightly, "you said that there is no need to use them anymore." She muttered shyly. "But what would you like to know…Rias-san?"
"Whatever you'd be willing to share," Rias said, leaning forward to look at the white-haired beauty that was sharing the steaming bath with her.
And truly, Mirajane was one stunning young woman indeed. Rias had already noticed that of course, and yet she still found herself surprised when the other girl had shyly disrobed herself before her.
The platinum-haired Devil possessed a womanly figure, her breasts then led to a firm and smooth stomach, although Rias did wince lightly upon noticing the signs of malnourishment on the poor girl, alas that was nothing that a few weeks under her family's care wouldn't be able to fix.
In a way, Rias felt a tad jealous over the fact the white-haired girl was already so developed whereas she was not. Looking down at her own body revealed the sad truth, which was that she truly wasn't all that different from her twin brother when it came to their bodies.
There was a slight swell to her breasts and the obvious lack of a male appendage between her legs but as of now, that was all she had to show.
"Rias-san?" Mira asked lightly, giving the princess a strange look, "Is everything alright?"
"Oh, yes, everything is fine, why do you ask?"
"It's nothing, I just noticed that you were looking a bit pouty, for lack of a better word," Mira said with a small, awkward smile on her lips.
Rias blushed and averted her eyes from the other girl, "sorry, I was just lost in my head there." She looked back at Mira, "anyways, I would still very much like to know more about you, so if you wouldn't mind telling me, I'm all ears."
"Sure, I don't mind telling you everything you want to know, Rias-san, but I really don't know where to start, and there really isn't much to tell that you don't already know…" Mira gave Rias an apologetic smile.
"Ah come now, I'm sure you have plenty of stories to tell!" The little princess put a finger to her chin in thought, "do you know the game twenty questions?" Mira's eyes lit up in recognition and she quickly nodded her head, "great! Then let's play that game, you ask me a question and then I'll ask one in return, alright?"
"Alright!" Mira said with a little sparkle in her eyes before her expression changed into a thoughtful one as she wondered what she should ask Rias first. "Oh! Is it true that you and your brother are the Miracles of Ruin?"
Rias looked at the girl with wide eyes even as her mouth fell open into a cute little O, she held that expression for a while before…
"Pfft…" The red-haired minx snorted and started to giggle, "t-the what now?"
"…the Miracles of Ruin," Mirajane pouted when Rias's giggling increased, "ok stop it! That's just what I've heard some lower-ranked Devils say when they were talking about the children of Lady Venelana Gremory, and you are them, right? And you are twins, you said that yourself after all."
"Y-yes, we a-are t-twins...!" Rias wheezed out, trying her hardest to restrain her laughter, which she managed after a few more moments of giggling to herself. "I…huh…I just had no idea that we'd already gained a moniker and such a silly one at that! Ha, just wait until I tell Naruto-kun about that," Rias giggled once more, "he'll be so embarrassed!"
Mirajane sweatdropped at the strange girl, "so I take it that you don't like such monikers?"
Rias wiped away a few tears of laughter that had escaped her eyes before shaking her head, "personally I don't care, and if it makes the lower classes feel better, then they can call me whatever they want. But I know that my brother will hate it…"
"Why would your brother hate a moniker? Shouldn't that be something to take pride in?" Mirajane wondered.
"Nuh-uh, you've already asked me two questions now, little miss cheater." Rias wagged her finger at the older girl, "it's my turn now."
Mira blushed and pouted when she realized that Rias was talking to her as if she were a little child, but she nodded, nonetheless.
"Then let me start with a simple question; how old are you?" Rias asked while turning to face the girl.
"I'm fourteen," Mira said without any preamble, not noticing the calculating glint in Rias's bluish-green eyes.
'Fourteen huh, so she was born not long after Lord Vassago died…interesting.' The crimson-haired girl never let her thoughts show openly and just continued to play along with the white-haired beauty sitting in the tub across from her.
They played, talked, and bonded until their skin started to shrivel, and Rias could visibly see how her newest…friend was relaxing with every question that Rias answered. And after their bath had come to an end, the crimson-haired princess could say that she had gained a glimpse of the real Mirajane, the one that was hidden beneath all the pain, all the suffering, and all that responsibility that she had been carrying for such a long time.
And Rias truly liked what she saw.
'Yes, you will make a wonderful addition to our family, Mirajane.'
~XxX~
Naruto smiled softly as he tucked both Elfman and Lisanna into their bed. The two children had tired themselves out, Lisanna watching some TV and Elfman trying to memorize the rules of Magic: The Gathering.
They were sweet, both were, and Naruto couldn't express just how sorry he felt for that small family of three.
Truly, it was like looking at a mirror. As if his past life was reflected in each of those white-haired children. And yet he was glad that he met them when he did because now, he could give them something that he had never been given as Uzumaki Naruto, now he could give them help.
He sighed and made sure that both sleeping kids were properly tucked into their blanket before nodding to himself and walking out of the room. He closed the door behind him before walking back into the living room of their hotel suite.
He checked the time and couldn't help but shake his head as he did, "…guess Rias-chan is determined to make Mirajane feel welcome…that and the little minx is probably satisfying her curiosity while she's at it…"
Well, it was getting close to three A.M. in the morning, so perhaps he should turn in as well, but before he could do so, he heard the bell of the elevator go off. He looked at the elevator and waved upon realizing that it was just his older brother coming back from his day at Satan Palace.
"Yo."
"Naruto?" Sirzechs walked into the suite, taking off his jacket before lazily throwing it over the couch. "Why in the world are you still awake at this time of night? Do you have any idea what mother would do to me if she ever found out about this!?"
Naruto sighed before walking up to his older brother, "well, it's quite a long story…"
"I can imagine," Lucifer muttered before taking a look around the room, raising an eyebrow when he noticed the lack of someone, "where is Artemisia?"
"She's cleaning up loose ends," Naruto stated, which made Sirzechs even more confused.
"Okay, explain."
And so, Naruto prepared to do just that, but again, he was cut off just before he could begin by the sound of girlish laughter coming from the direction of the bathroom.
Both Sirzechs and Naruto looked in the direction the noises came from and saw both Rias and Mirajane come walking into the living room. Both girls were dressed in pajamas and had towels wrapped around their heads.
When the two girls spotted Naruto and Sirzechs, they halted in their steps, well Rias did. Mirajane for her part froze in place upon seeing the form of Sirzechs standing there.
She recognized him from the news feeds that were sometimes broadcasted in inns or large public places…
Yes, she recognized the King of the Underworld.
She gulped and tried to keep herself standing even though her legs shook and she could feel sheer terror overwhelm her entire being.
"Lord…Lucifer." The girl muttered silently before she felt her mind give out on her, and she fainted on the spot.
The three red-haired siblings blinked. Once, twice and a third time…
"It's been a while since that happened to me…" Sirzechs muttered while scratching the back of his head. Then he sweatdropped upon noticing that both Naruto and Rias were suddenly glaring at him as if he'd just kicked their puppy or something, "okay what's with that look? Nothing that happened here is my fault, so why don't you do me a favor and start explaining what the hell's going on here? Alright?"
Rias huffed and turned away from the ruler of the Underworld, "Naruto-kun will explain everything you need to know, Onii-sama. Now if you both would excuse me, I'm going to tuck Mira-chan into bed."
With that said Rias picked Mirajane up into a princess carry, acting as if the girl in her arms weighed nothing at all, and then she marched off, leaving behind the two brothers.
"Okay, sorry for my lack of decorum, but what the actual hell is going on here!?"
"As I said, Onii-chan, it's a long story so you might want to take a seat…" Naruto sighed, and both sat down on the couch before the younger brother started with his recount of the days' events.
Sirzechs stayed silent all the while and just listened, but at the end of the story, he couldn't help but shake his head in disbelieve…
And then he paled when another thing came to his mind, 'mother will never let me hear the end of this!'
~XxX~
Oh, yea, she had officially fucked up, there was no doubt left in her mind about that.
When the kid died and his spirit faded, she figured that she too would…pass on for a time, until her body would reform itself. But that was just speculation since she had never expired before. Perhaps it was stupid to jump into the unknown like that, but if she was honest with herself, there was a certain flair of excitement about it.
The thrill of the unknown.
And after living for thousands of years, experiencing something new was a treat.
Or so she thought, and boy, was she ever wrong.
When the kid did draw his last breath, she too did pass on. Problem was, she truly passed on, as in her spirit went the high road, and then she found herself standing before Kami-sama herself.
A very pissed-off Kami-sama, and now that wasn't something that Kurama had accounted for.
Yes, mistakes were made!
"Do you have any idea what you did, fool!?"
Kurama trembled as the wrath of a true Deity washed over her form, pushing down on her massive frame, trying to squash her as if she was nothing more than a mere bug before a boot.
And for the first time in a very long time, she felt afraid…
"Your careless disregard of human life ruined a divine plan that was hundreds of years in the making!" The heavens wept, the earth trembled, and the air was split by lightning as Kami-sama allowed her rage to flow three.
It felt apocalyptic in every sense of the word!
"I…"
"Silence child!" Kurama gulped and lowered her head, "I do not wish to hear excuses, I know why you allowed Naruto to perish, and I find your reasoning to be lacking!" A deafening crack of thunder followed Kami-sama's every word, "alas the deed has been done, the child of prophecy is no more, and drastic measures must be taken if the Elemental Nations shall survive the coming threat…"
"My Lady, I'll do whatever it is you require of me," Kurama spoke through gritted teeth, hating the fact that she had to prostrate herself before the goddess.
But she would do so if it meant that she would survive!
"But Kurama, I don't need you to do anything." There was a wicked smile on Kami-sama's face, "You see, the Akatsuki want to capture you, they need to capture you for their plans to reach completion, and the easiest way to foil their plans would be to simply…remove you from the equation."
If Kurama was physically able to pale, then she would do so!
"W-what do you mean by that Kami-sama." Kurama asked fearfully, completely ignoring any pretense. What was pride? She didn't have any of that!
"You see Kurama, I didn't like it when my child of prophecy was robbed of the life that he was supposed to live. I did not like that at all, so I intervened. When he died, I took his soul aside, comforted him, and then asked him if he wanted to be reborn with his memories intact, he accepted. Even now as we speak, Naruto-kun is in the process of starting his second chance…and I'm planning on sending you along for the ride."
"Y-you c-can't be s-serious! You w-would once more lock me up inside of that b-brat!?"
"Now I never said anything about sealing you withing Naruto-kun." Kami-sama spoke lightly yet sternly, "that would be far too easy, and it wouldn't be a fitting punishment for your callous actions. No, that wouldn't do at all. You will be sent into the same world that Naruto-kun now calls his own, but you will not be reborn as you do not deserve to have parents that would care for you. I will also seal away most of your vast power, only allowing you to use enough that you can defend yourself from common thugs and ruffians, but not enough that you could ever become a menace to anyone but yourself."
Kurama closed her eyes tightly to stave off the moisture she could feel welling up in her eyes.
"And there will be only one way to lift the seals placed upon your might. Find Naruto and beg for his forgiveness. If he sees fit to grant you forgiveness then your power shall be restored in full, if not, if not then you shall live out your life as a shell of your former self."
"When Naruto needed your aid, you saw fit to deny him, and now he shall hold the same power over you. And now begone!"
*GASP*
Kurama shot up into a sitting position while her breath escaped her lungs in a loud and violent gasp that left her panting. She grabbed her head with both hands and pulled her knees up to her chest as those awful memories once more haunted her dreams.
She took a shuddering breath while trying to calm herself from yet another violent episode. Which was something that she was quite accustomed to already, after all, this new life was her divine punishment.
And Kami-saman made sure that Kurama wasn't given any respite at all. Her days were spent fighting for survival and her nights were spent fighting against her nightmares…
The last twelve years of her life had been the true definition of hell.
This was quite ironic since Kurama was trapped within Hell itself!
The Biju sighed and pulled her head up from between her knees to look around before a low growl escaped from the back of her throat. Words could not describe just how much she hated her new lease on life.
She hated everything about it. She hated herself, she hated her new form, she hated her new world, she hated every single Devil that she passed on the street, she hated everything.
And if she had her full power then nothing would be spared from her wrath!
But such thoughts only made her sigh once more…
Her wrath…her wrath was a bad joke at best. Over the last twelve years, Kurama had learned what it meant to be weak. She had learned the hard way how it felt to be helpless. Kami had given her a frail female form, so Kurama had learned what it felt like to experience hunger and thirst.
She now knew what it was like to be starving and she knew how it felt like to nearly die of thirst.
All those experiences and sensations were nearly enough to make her vomit in disgust.
If she had been any lesser being, then Kurama did not doubt that she would've ended her life years ago. She would be lying if she claimed that she didn't often contemplate taking the easy way out. There was blood flowing through her veins now, and she possessed a heartbeat, so all it would take to escape this nightmare would be a quick cut to the jugular…it would be so easy.
But no, there was still the pride of a Biju within her. She was Kurama, the Kyuubi no Yoko, and one day she would recover her might. One day she would regain her nine tails, and one day she would…she would get her revenge for this humiliation.
With those thoughts serving as her motivation Kurama pushed herself onto her feet, wobbling slightly before she gained her footing. She looked around the filthy alleyway she had slept in this night, and her nose wrinkled in disdain.
Kami-sama truly was a mean bitch for making her go through the same things that Naruto had to go through once upon a time. It was true what they said, one must walk a mile in another's shoes to truly understand them, and yes, this experience did make Kurama understand her former jailor…somewhat.
She patted down her clothes, just some filthy rags that she had haphazardly wrapped around herself to protect her modesty, and ran a hand through her dirty hair…she could use a bath one of these days.
Alas, that wasn't of vital importance to her, nope, what was important however was getting something to sink her fangs into!
It was breakfast time, and Kurama would not be denied!
The Biju turned Yokai grinned to herself and began to walk out of the alleyway and onto the crowded streets of the Underworlds Capital, Lilith. And there she used the skills she acquired over the last few years to pickpocket some fat and wealthy-looking Devil that made himself such an easy target.
Kurama couldn't care less about her womanly figure, but she had to admit that sometimes it came in quite handy. It was painfully easy to pickpocket someone when they were occupied by staring at her barely covered tits or ass.
She waved at the fat Devil before walking away with a slight sway to her hips, letting her single tail wag from side to side in that alluringly cute way that never failed to draw a man's eyes onto her backside.
And all the while she was weighing the full purse that she calmy juggled in the palm of her hand. Quite the haul, and so early in the morning too!
Yep, Kurama could already tell that today would be a good day indeed!
"Now then, where to get some good, fresh meat?"
~XxX~
Artemisia sighed in dismay, maybe she shouldn't have killed that little bastard. Had she known that tracking down his brothels would turn out to be such a pain in her behind, she may have shown the guy some mercy.
But she was a married woman and had a daughter of her own, which understandably meant that she wasn't all that understanding of men that would abuse children for profit. She allowed her emotions to cloud her judgment and now she had to live with the results of her actions.
That was just how things were.
After dropping off the twins at the Continental Hotel, the most luxurious and secure Hotel in Lilith, Artemisia ha started her hunt. She captured and questioned any scum that crossed her path, and asked any hooker that she saw, and slowly but surely, she managed to track down the brothels that Maul was run by Maul when he was still alive.
And as far as she could tell, the man may have been a scumbag, but he truly seemed to have cared for his girls. They were all healthy and rather well off for whores, so in the end, Artemisia didn't have to do much to ensure that the girls would make it without their sugar daddy being there.
And even more surprising was the fact that the whores seemed to genuinely mourn for the scumbag she decapitated.
This was a strange world that she lived in…
But well, what's done is done, and so after making sure that all of Maul's girls were made aware of his death, Artemisia could return to her little Lord and Lady with a clean conscience, which was just what she did.
She was quite looking forward to seeing what her young Lord had in store for those three siblings he had taken under his wing!
~XxX~
It was eight A.M. in the morning and Naruto was feeling quite exhausted, having barely slept three hours that night, but he didn't let his fatigue show.
Not when this conversation required his full attention.
He was seated across from the three siblings he had taken in yesterday, while Rias was sitting next to him, on his right, while Sirzechs had taken a seat in a lounge chair a bit off to the side.
"So, Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna, what will you three do now?" Naruto began, leaning forward to stare at the three siblings.
"I…we are not sure yet." Mira said while trying to put up a strong façade, "we came to Lilith with the hope of finding some work and making some coin to sustain ourselves, and that hasn't changed."
Naruto nodded, "would you be willing to give your loyalty to one House, and one House only if it would mean that your siblings are protected and well-taken care of?"
"Yes." There was no hesitation in Mira's voice.
"And would you be willing to work hard for your keep?"
"Yes, I would do anything asked of me without complaint."
"Good." Naruto gave the girl a gentle smile, "then I have only one last question for you, would you like to become a servant of House Gremory?"
Mira tried to keep strong, but it was oh so hard, and she had to reach up to wipe at her moistening eyes before she nodded her head rapidly. "Yes, I would."
"Great!" Naruto cheered with a big grin on his face, an expression that was perfectly mirrored by his twin sister. Naruto then turned to Sirzechs, "do you have any objections, Onii-sama?"
"None." Sirzechs shook his head before he too smiled at the three siblings, "those three will make for great additions to our family, and I can already tell that mother and Grayfia will just adore them."
"My thoughts exactly." Naruto agreed with his older brother, "but anyways, the Gremory family just got bigger, and I think that that's cause for celebration! Get the Champagne and some Cigars!"
Rias rolled her eyes, "uh-hu, only if you are willing to ask mother."
Sirzechs nodded, "listen to your little sister, if you manage to get mother's permission, I'll make sure to get you some of the best Champagne and excellent Cigars to match, that I promise."
Naruto's head dropped before looking at the three siblings sitting across from him, "you see that? My siblings are no fun~!"
"That's because you have enough fun for the three of us combined," Sirzechs muttered before rolling his eyes when Naruto stuck his tongue out at him. "But anyway, you should postpone your celebrations for now, because I think it's high time that you head back home."
"Aw, do we have to leave already?" Rias asked in a cute, pouty voice. "We got so caught up in helping Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna that we couldn't even go sightseeing!"
"Um, apologies for interrupting your trip…" Mirajane spoke up while looking dejected with herself, which caused Rias to backpaddle.
"No, no, no, no!" The crimson-haired girl babbled frantically, "I didn't mean it like that! You three have been nothing but an utter joy to be around, so please don't feel sad about anything at all! Ok!?"
Mira looked surprised at Rias's outburst but that quickly gave way to amusement, and she hid her smile behind the palm of her hand, which caused Rias to let out a sigh of relief.
Sirzechs looked amused by the play by play and watched it with a smile before deciding to address his dear little sister. "I'm sure that you're feeling a bit disappointed, but you will get a chance to take in the sights another time. You've already stayed for longer than you were supposed to, and I don't need to tell you that mother is most likely worried sick."
The twins sighed but nodded their agreement nonetheless, as they both knew that they should be happy to have been allowed to leave the castle in the first place, as such there was no need to push their luck.
Not when that could mean that they wouldn't be allowed to leave the castle again in the foreseeable future after just getting a taste for the outside world.
"Then it's decided." Sirzechs said, "as soon as Artemisia-chan arrives, you all will return to Castle Gremory."
"What about you?" Naruto asked his older brother who sighed.
"Most likely I will have to stay for a few more days." Sirzechs combed a hand through his hair, "a few important meetings are coming up, and then there is the upcoming Ceremony of Kings to prepare for. Ajuka is always going half insane around this time since he believes that he needs to personally oversee the creation of every single Evil Piece that comes into existence, and believe me, it's real pain to work with him when he gets stressed like that. And don't even get me started on all the tournaments that will now be hosted all over the Underworld, even thinking about the paperwork is giving me headaches!"
"Tournaments?" It was Elfman that asked that question before quickly ducking in on himself when all eyes turned on him.
And yet Sirzechs only nodded before giving the boy a gentle smile, "yes, tournaments. The Ceremony of Kings is an event that happens rarely within the Underworld. It's the ceremony where young Devils receive their Evil Pieces and thus gain the title of King. And it's around that time that many of the wealthier Noble Houses will host large, fantastical tournaments where anyone willing can join, regardless of rank, station, and even race. There is usually a large prizemoney involved, enough to set the victor up for a very luxurious life, and of course, those that excel during the competition might be offered a place in someone's peerage, which is often the true goal of many of the contenders."
"Um, what kind of competitions are there during those tournaments?" Elfman asked again, this time with an eager expression marring his youthful face.
"That depends on the House that is hosting the tourney. You must understand that those events are rather big, with many nobles and commoners alike flocking towards the action in droves, as such the hosts will do their utmost to make the competition interesting to watch. But there will always be a melee and a test of magic and demonic power, but everything else that happens during the tournament is up to the hosts, and they often get…quite creative."
"Now even I'm curious," Naruto pitched in, "just how creative are we talking here, nii-chan?"
"In my time I've witnessed an eating competition, a drinking competition, a beauty contest, a dance-off, singing competitions, a talent show, and a whole slew of other things," Sirzechs explained to the dumbfounded children.
"Okay, now I really wanna see one of those tournaments," Rias said lightly.
"See one? I want to compete in one!" Naruto grinned before giving Sirzechs a questioning look, "um, is it alright for a high-class Devil to join such a tournament, or is that frowned upon?"
"No, it's perfectly alright for nobles to join in on the fun, and many noble devils do so regularly. Ruval Phenex for instance loves such competitions and you'd be hard-pressed to find one in which he doesn't compete. But several other noteworthy devils like to enter such tourneys from time to time, devils like Diehauser Belial, your cousin Sairaorg, even Serafall Leviathan has competed in a fair share of them over the years."
"Wow," Naruto leaned back into the couch while letting his head fall back, "now I want to join one of those…"
"And maybe one day you will do just that."
The group of Devils continued to talk for a while after that before Artemisia came back from her little self-given task, and not long after that, the three white-haired siblings found themselves standing within a brightly glowing teleportation circle.
Mirajane wrapped her arms around both Lisanna and Elfman and just like that, they vanished in a flash of crimson light…
~XxX~
Kurama sighed blissfully while gently patting her well-satisfied stomach. By the Sage, there was nothing quite like fresh, bloody meat to start a day with!
But now that she was done with breakfast Kurama found herself to be at a bit of a loss as to what she should do with the remainder of her day.
She still had more than enough coins leftover that she didn't need to worry about money for the next few days. And so, with nothing better to do Kurama found herself walking aimlessly through the crowded streets of Lilith.
And that was when she heard the rumors…
"Did you hear? The twins were here in Lilith!" A plain-looking woman spoke in a hushed tone.
"Yes, I've heard about that as well. I've heard that they stayed at the Continental Hotel, a shame that I didn't get to see them, I'm really curious how they look!" Another woman added to the hushed conversation.
"A good friend of mine saw them yesterday!" A man stated, drawing the attention of many, including Kurama, to him. "Saw how the twins helped out some low-class children and then they took them with them."
"Oh, how I wish that something like that would happen to me!" A young woman swooned, "I'd be the only servant that young Lord Naruto would ever need!"
Kurama froze upon hearing that name.
Naruto…
She lowered her head and bit her lip; she had finally found him!
And she just missed him!
Damnit!
"No matter, he's one of the Miracles of Ruin, a Gremory, now I just have to find a way to get close to him…and then I'll make him forgive me!"
~XxX~
A/N: Yo! Don't you just love the sense of accomplishment after releasing a new chapter first thing in the morning? I certainly do!
I hope you've enjoyed it!
Honestly, I've been waiting for a chance to finally move on with the plot, and I hope that you like what I've done with Kurama.
But anyways. I need to get going! But before I do, you know the drill, tell me what you thoughts of this chapter, and thank you all for the amazing support that you have given this story so far! 300+ reviews, 1000+ favs and 1500+ follows, you are amazing!
Thank you all and I see you later!
Ciao.