Disclaimer: See chapter 01.
Chapter 07: Adjustments Pt3, An Attempt?, an Opportunity, and the Last of a Dying World
"So why the double-bladed sword, Naruto-sama?" Cocytus asked with an expulsion of frigid air.
Naruto, in the middle of a weapon kata, paused briefly. In his hands rested something that might have been mistaken for a bo-staff at first glance, at least until one's mind recognized that it was actually two straight sword blades on either end of a hilt. Each blade reached a little better than two and half feet in length while the hilt itself was easily another foot itself. The blades each had a slight bevel along the middle and were completely utilitarian, no actual decoration as was often preferred by the youths of today. Even the hilt was simply wrapped in black leather to assist with giving grip.
"Well, I could have gone with just about anything, really." Naruto shrugged as he thought about the question, "I mean, Tier-chan's got that wide-bladed shortsword, and Aayla's got those two plasma blades of hers, not to mention you are obviously well-acquainted with multiple weapon styles if the way you're holding four different weapons at once is any indication, but in the end? I think it's really just because it was the first thing to catch my eye in the scrolls on kenjutsu that I inherited from my mother that would work with what little prior training I had."
"What of your mother's own style?" The being of cold asked in interest. He was highly curious as to just what those weapon scrolls held. So were the others, Demiurge the most, but none of them wanted to intrude on what was obviously a rather sensitive subject.
"I'm not entirely certain what it was," Naruto admitted somberly. "Kurama doesn't want to talk about it, and the only thing in her records is a note about her use of what was called Adamantine Chains, and a small mention of her carrying two swords at certain ceremonies. I don't know if she ever used those swords in actual combat, or if they were just decoration. Hell, I haven't even found them yet to verify their existence!"
He paused in his ranting, "Assuming of course that they're in those scrolls somewhere." He admitted sheepishly.
A blast of cold air, what Naruto was coming to believe indicated the insect-like Cocytus was simply releasing some kind of pent-up power safely, preceded the next question. "Why should they not be? They would be part of your inheritance, would they not?"
Naruto frowned, "There are a number of possible reasons, foremost among those is that the swords were either stolen or lost prior to the creation of the scrolls."
"I see."
"Yeah, while it would be awesome to know for sure what Mom used, one of her first pieces of advice to me in the letter that came with everything else was that I should follow my instincts, that they would never steer me wrong." He shrugged, "Can't say she's wrong either. A number of times in my childhood I trusted my instincts in regards to some of the people, and I later found that they were trying to get me alone to hurt me. Not sure if they were trying to kill me or something else, but I never regretted listening to my gut."
Cocytus nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Indeed, a warrior's instinct and intuition are important. I have studied many cultures, and I have found that many of the most powerful fighters have listened to their instincts in battle, allowing them to overcome many obstacles that they otherwise would not have. Japan's legendary warrior Miyamoto Musashi is one such example, even if his greatest opponent was merely fictitious."(1)
"But what of your human sire?" The Knight of Gressen asked, curiosity clear in his flanged voice.
Naruto shrugged again, "All I really know about him is that he was rather wasteful with his weapon of choice; a unique three-bladed kunai that bore the mark for one of favorite jutsu upon the handle. He would throw them around, then use the markings to 'flash' to them and attack whatever enemy was in his range with a rasengan."
"Why do you say that was wasteful?"
The young man frowned, "Because he never bothered to pick the kunai up again when he was done. Every house in Iwagakure- an old enemy of Konoha - had at least five of those things hanging on the living room wall. And don't even get me started on some of the other villages where those knives were sometimes considered to be like collectibles."
"Why did he not retrieve them? Why give a weapon- his signature one at that - into the hands of his enemies?"
Naruto ran a hand through his sweat soaked hair. "Probably because to them those kunai were just bigger and sharper knives. The markings on the handle only worked for him, they were keyed to his chakra, which made them useless to others as the damned seals wouldn't even open up to be read without him."
Cocytus cocked his head to one side. "How could keying these markings to his chakra have done anything. From what I know, there is no difference between one person's chakra and another's."
The blonde groaned and shook his head. "I'm not the best to ask about the theories behind chakra, but that's not entirely true. At least not for my world. Because our chakra is made of both our physical energy and our spiritual energy, our Yang and Yin, it creates a kind of imprint that solely belongs to each individual. So locking something to a single person through their chakra was safer than a great many other options."
Cocytus nodded as he absorbed that information. It was interesting, but his race was unable to wield chakra in the slightest, so it was purely academic for him. However, he knew that knowledge was power, and to know about a potential enemy was never a waste of his time.
The giant armored insect then crossed two of his arms, "That is all well and good, but enough of this. Begin your forms again."
Naruto sighed and retook his stance, slowly moving through the half-remembered forms. It was a slightly modified one from when he had learned the basic use of the bo-staff from the Sarutobi clan, at the Sandaime's insistence. The instructor had refused to teach Naruto the advanced forms, saying that he only really knew the Sarutobi style, and it wouldn't be right to teach an outsider those forms. Naruto had agreed with the man, he had only agreed to learn something of the staff to pacify the Sandaime's paranoia of his safety. Even if the old man had lied to Naruto for so long, the blonde would readily admit that he had looked out for him in his own way.
Then he suddenly wasn't alone. Beside him on his right Yugao seemingly appeared out of nowhere, wielding her own bo-staff in the same Sarutobi Basic Form. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto took note of how her stomach was only just barely showing the signs of her pregnancy, and it certainly wasn't slowing her down in her practice. Not that he was surprised, as one of Konoha's top ninja she no doubt studied a great deal more than he had on subjects that he hadn't even considered yet.
Together they moved through the kata, the half-memories surfacing into a solid whole as he worked alongside the purple haired mother-to-be. A smile formed on Naruto's lips as he felt a level of camaraderie build between them, reminding him of the times he trained under the Sarutobi, and of his training under both Kakashi and Jiraiya. Lackluster though those last two might have been as teachers, he still learned a fair amount from them. And he found comfort in the good memories that surfaced in response to the silent air of camaraderie.
Time slipped away from Naruto as he moved in full synchronicity with his purple haired companion. It was a moment that he wouldn't give up for the world, a reminder of the good times in his life, and a silent reminder of her promise to him for the future.
XxXxXxXx
Naruto sat in his office on a couch, across from him on a another couch facing him across a small table was Tiamat. Beside him on either side were Konan on his left and Aayla to his right, while behind him stood Tier. He didn't necessarily need any of them with him for the coming discussion, but he felt a little less vulnerable with them there.
The blue-haired dragon in human form took a sip of tea from the ever-present cup in front of her. It was one of the niceties Naruto had learned from his younger years when watching the Sandaime talk to others, there was always a cup of tea ready to drink from. She had changed her outfit slightly, opting for a short business skirt that showed off her long legs and high-heeled sandals.
"Shall we start then, Naruto?" Tiamat asked as she set the cup back down. "I know I already agreed to be your partner, or at least to hear you out, but the specifics of just what you would like me to do are still a bit vague. I'd like to clear those up before we go any further."
Naruto nodded agreeably. "Yes, I suppose so."
He paused for a moment, then rubbed the back of his head, "I'll admit I have no idea how to start this. Why don't you just ask me what you want to know, and I'll do my best to answer? Pick something."
The dragon sighed quietly. Well, don't I just know how to pick them? Though, at least he's honest about what he doesn't know. Not many, devil or not, would do that in his position.
"Very well," she agreed. "I suppose first is why you would want a business partner as opposed to a Familiar. You touched on it briefly in the forest, something about not feeling the need for one…?"
He nodded, "yes." He paused to gather his thoughts, and spoke slowly so he could be certain that he wasn't misstepping himself. "I don't mean to be rude, of course, but I have a Familiar in Kurama over there," he waved one hand to indicate the pony-sized fox sleeping near the door, "And honestly, he and I are still trying to find enough common ground to work with each other. I don't really want to bring in another side to that relationship until it's a fair bit firmer. He has a natural - and entirely justified - distrust of a great many beings, and I'm only just starting to earn some of his trust."
Tiamat hummed in thought, casting her eyes to the ceiling. "Hm, that's a good reason for not wanting another Familiar. But why the business partner?"
Naruto looked distinctly awkward, "Well, it just seemed like an answer to one of my problems, and it would have been rude to just tell you no when you took the effort of finding me."
… *Wince* it's not like I can tell him that I didn't really seek him out, but rather came across him while out of my lair to relieve my boredom. Seriously, no one ever comes to find me! It's so boring and lonely with no one to even talk to every so often! … Wait, problems?
The dragon just raised an eyebrow as she sweatdropped internally and cast her gaze to Tier, who answered the unspoken question. "Naruto-sama has recently learned of an issue regarding his primary territory in the human world. It seems he must have some kind of presence there, or problems could begin to arise."
Tiamat nodded with a small smirk forming. Taking a sip of her tea, she said, "So you would want me to act as your proxy, then? A visible symbol and easily recognized entity that acts in your name?"
The blonde young man shrugged, "More or less. As my partner you would have my full authority over my territory, and I'm quite certain that your pride as both a dragon and a queen will not allow you to just sit back and let it all fall into ruin." He smiled slyly, "after all, if it was ever found out that the great Tiamat, Queen of Dragons, was some kind of pushover, your reputation would be shot."
Aayla looked worried as Tiamat snorted in amusement. "So now you attempt to manipulate me through my pride?"
"Of course not," Naruto's smile never left his face. "I'm just pointing out a possible repercussion should you not perform your agreed upon task to the fullest of your ability. Not that I believe you would do such a thing, I have the utmost confidence in your capability."
Tiamat burst out laughing, a full belly laugh straight from the gut. It took her several minutes to master herself down to a chuckle.
Wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, Tiamat said, "Oh! You have some real balls to try and use my pride against me like that!"
Raising her eyes to his, he saw a twinkle of mischievous humor, "But I can't say I dislike it. Your daring, that is." She crossed her legs in a dramatic and eye-catching fashion, "Alright, for the sake of argument let us say that I agree. What sort of business would I be overseeing on your behalf, Oh Maybe-Partner?"
"I recently thought of buying out a certain publisher so I wouldn't have to deal with his questions regarding my request to include a certain pre-contract to be signed per copy of a particular book," Naruto said with a smile. "From there I was willing to let you chose further business conquests as you please, though I would recommend continuing in the same field for a time before trying another avenue."
"Hmm," Tiamat narrowed her eyes. "It's a good deal, all things considered. However, before I actually sign anything I want one thing set perfectly clear: in the matter of partners, and as my potential Master, I refuse to be left in the dark; on anything. You and I will closet ourselves away from others for at least a day to bare our secrets to each other. Yours to me, and mine to you."
She smirked, "You can consider this my pre-contract. If you agree to share your secrets with me, I will not accept another as my Master until you have claimed me properly."
It was Naruto's turn to narrow his eyes, "Bare my secrets, huh? I suppose you have an example of just what kind of secret you want from me?"
Tiamat's gaze flickered over to Konan for only a brief moment, but it was clearly caught by Naruto and the others. Tier and Aayla wondered what she wanted with knowledge on the half-human, but Naruto saw it clearer; the dragon had looked at Konan's slightly distended belly. It seemed that the dragon had suspicions about the child(ren) growing within Konan.
Naruto crossed his arms and leaned back into the couch, his gaze not leaving Tiamat. This was not something he had anticipated…
His eyes closed and an easy smile crossed his face. "Alright."
… But he didn't mind it either.
Tiamat felt her jaw drop and Naruto chuckled. "What? It's not like I wasn't going to tell everyone, or at least," he said with one hand scratching behind his head, "everyone that needs to know. Which basically amounts to my peerage, and you as my partner."
He shrugged, "yeah, I've got secrets, who doesn't? Though I'll tell you now, Tiamat," Naruto said with a suddenly dead cold expression, "If what I tell you brings harm to my people from you, whether you talked and it attracted vultures or you yourself attack, I will take you down. Am I clear? Tiamat?"
The dragon queen met his gaze and felt a shiver of dread run along her spine. She knew she was the stronger of the two of them, even if he brought his current peerage into the battle she knew she had enough strength to blow through them with ease. Then why? Why did she feel like he could do it alone? Why was she suddenly certain that if she somehow brought harm to those he protected, that he would indeed take her down? Even if it meant dying in the process…
Tiamat gave no outward sign of her discomfort, but her respect for this young man rose drastically. He must know that he didn't honestly have the ability to stand up to her, not yet at least, but he would do his damnedest for those he cared about, eh? Yes, she'd give him hefty points for that.
More than enough points to overlook his threat.
The head of light blue hair nodded firmly, "That's certainly fair enough."
Naruto's gaze dropped back into its usual affable state. "Alright then, I suppose the best place to start a story is at its beginning. I was originally born as Uzumaki Naruto, the fully human son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina…"
Tiamat could already feel herself blinking. Fully human? Wha~?
XxXxXxXx
"Naruto-sama, I don't mean to disturb you, but there appears to be someone causing a ruckus in the nearby town." Sebas interrupted from the other side of the door with a knock.
"-I see," Naruto said, "I suppose we will have to continue this at another time, Tiamat. As much as I would like to say that someone else can deal with this, I think it may be best for me to do so personally."
He grinned, "After all, can't have people thinking that all I do is sit up here and enjoy myself in the lap of luxury. Excuse me for a bit, Tiamat, This shouldn't take too long."
Konan sighed and shook her head as she watched Naruto stand and leave the room with Tier and Aayla following closely on his heels. She turned her attention back to Tiamat who bore an amused expression as she nodded in acceptance, even though the kunoichi could see a fair bit of surprise hidden in the depths of the dragon's eyes from what had already been spoken of.
Clearing her throat, Konan said, "If you would like I could continue to explain a bit about our original world…?"
"I'd like that." The dragon said as she refilled their tea cups.
XxXxXxXx
A man stood on the podium of an outdoor stage, speaking loudly and with a passion most of the younger people hadn't heard before. The man stood at a respectable 5'9", with a sharply defined jaw, dark blue eyes and sandy blonde hair. He was dressed in a relatively simple hooded white robe.
"Have you heard, my fellow Citizens, that our new lord is naught but a half-human child?" The man was saying, "And not just any child, but one raised solely by humans! Fostered and fed on their ideas of how the universe works! Raised to their beliefs, their ways of thinking. Now, this half-human child intends to rule over us?"
Dark mutterings were heard among the gathered populace. It was true they had heard that their new lord was young, but many had not known he was raised by humans. While not necessarily a bad thing, the humans of the nearby world did not have the greatest reputation among devils.
"What could one raised by the sheep of humankind know about governing and leading devils?" The man asked, his voice easily carrying to the far reaches of the crowd. "What could a child not raised here know about our people's needs? How can we be expected to blindly follow one who does not know his people?!"
"But he has Lady Albedo and the others who served Lord Gressen! Surely they'll teach him?" One young girl in the crowd asked uncertainly. The peerage of the former Lord Gressen was held in awe by many of the people.
"Certainly he has them," the man acknowledged, "And I'm certain they will endeavor to teach him, but what are we supposed to do in the meantime? Are we supposed to just wait while he learns his responsibilities? Are we supposed to simply accept the way things are? Can we do nothing but wait and watch as things deteriorate while he learns and questions things as a human would?"
"But he is our lord! He is Lord Gressen's son! Surely his father passed on some of his wisdom before dying?!" An elderly voice called out.
"But is he really Lord Gressen's son?" The robed man asked boldly, getting gasps of shock from many in the crowd. "I have heard many rumors about our new lord, the most disturbing being that he is not Lord Gressen's child, but rather a random half-breed that Lord Gressen found on the streets! That he is nothing more than a false claimant to Lord Gressen's grand estate!"
"Lies and slander!" The same elderly voice called, and the crowd parted to reveal an old man leaning heavily on a cane and sporting a glare fit to make the Yondai Maou sweat. "Lord Gressen himself claimed that young man as his son! From that point on it hardly matters what the child's origins are, he is Lord Gressen's boy! No matter what you or anyone else says, our lord is now Naruto Asmodai!"
"Yeah!" and "That's right!" and other forms of agreement echoed from a large number of the crowd as they started to look angry. Who was this fool to try and slander the new lord?
"Well, color me surprised." A new, and obviously amused voice spoke up. The crowd turned to see a young blonde man flanked by a busty blonde woman and a blue skinned woman, and accompanied by two well-known maids of the Asmodai mansion, the Malachite sisters.
"I was wondering what the ruckus Sebas mentioned was about, but I'll admit I didn't see this coming." The blonde teen said lightly, "and Elder, I thank you for those stirring words. I am truly honored by them."
"Lord Asmodai!"
One by one, the crowd dropped to their knees, heads bowed. Naruto swiftly moved to stop them, "Hey now! There's no need for that!"
He went to an older woman and helped her to her feet with a smile and a jovial tone, "Come now, mother, there's no need for you to get yourself dirty on my account."
She allowed him to lead her to her feet, but kept her face turned to the ground respectfully. Others in the crowd raised their own heads as Naruto reached forward and tilted her head up gently so their eyes met. He saw a brief flicker of surprise mingled with respect, followed swiftly by a glow of affection in her lined face.
"That's better! After all, you've worked hard your whole life, haven't you?"
"Yes, Lord," she murmured.
"Harder than me, I'll bet. Any children?"
"Six, my lord."
"Six! My lord!" He said, subtly changing the inflections of his words to awed respect. Chuckles of laughter ran through the crowd. "Yes, I'd say you've definitely worked harder than me!"
"And fourteen grandchildren, my lord," the woman said, emboldened by his easy and familiar manner. He smacked a hand to his forehead.
"Fourteen! And I guess they're all spoiled rotten, eh?"
"Not a chance, Lord Asmodai!" She responded indignantly, "If they slack off or get up to trouble I give 'em the tanning of a lifetime on their bums!"
Her hands flew to her mouth as she realized in horror that she'd just said bums in front of her new lord. But Naruto just grinned at her.
"Nothing to be ashamed of, mother. We've all got one after all. A bum, that is."
The chuckles came back a bit louder. Naruto turned to rest of the crowd, who had remained on their knees, and made upward gestures with his hands. "Please, please! All of you, no need for the bowing and whatnot! Please, stand."
His eyes slid to lock on the robed man who was slowly edging away, "Though I will admit I'd like to hear more of your views, my friend. Melanie, Militia, please make sure he doesn't leave us just yet."
The crowd rose to their feet and grouped around Naruto, awed and appreciative of his easygoing and informal manner. They'd never really had much personal contact with Gressen or his peerage, so they were surprised that they could feel this young man's sincerity. As a rather tight-nit community, the people of the town were difficult to trick, and they'd felt some malice in the robed man's statements despite his seeming sincere worry. But they felt nothing like that from this young blonde teen, only an honest desire to become part of their lives.
Melanie and her twin took up unobtrusive positions on either side of the robed man, making certain to block any possible escape routes. After studying Naruto for those months, they knew he was like this, hard on his enemies and easy with his friends. They were hardly surprised then, that he was so friendly with the townsfolk.
Naruto was, simply put, a people person. He had a number of bad habits, not the least of which was tweaking someone's vanity or inflated sense of self-worth, but at the end of the day he loved people and they responded in kind. This fact alone had raised him heavily in their favor when they were choosing a candidate to become Gressen's heir, and the sisters were glad that he was proving them right.
After several minutes of warm hearted conversation, Naruto turned his attention, and a distinctly amused expression, to the robed man. "Now then my friend, why don't we hear a bit more from you? Your concerns seemed to be agreeable to everyone else, so perhaps I can use this chance to lay some fears to rest."
The man sniffed disdainfully, "As if a half-breed could ever understand us true devils. You aren't even Lord Gressen's offspring!"
Naruto's amusement remained firmly on his face. "A half-breed I may be, but Gressen was most certainly my father. That was proven rather easily by the current Astaroth family head, who is, as I'm sure you all know, the foremost doctor in the Underworld, and was the man who led the team that verified my connection to Father." The blonde young man shook his head, "Honestly, if you can't trust the word of Lord Astaroth, then whose can you trust?"
"And obviously he was paid off to give those false findings!" Robe snapped back.
The old devil from before chuckled, "Youngster, you really don't know anything about Lord Astaroth to suggest that he would ever think of accepting a bribe. That man is well-known to have only one weakness, and that's his daughters."
That was an understatement, and a misleading one in Naruto's mind. Karumn Astaroth(2) was a bear of a man, built something like a brick shithouse that didn't really look much his cousin Ajuka save for the green hair they shared, yet with a delicate touch for the most sensitive of surgery that might be needed… And he was utterly devoted to keeping his- Naruto shuddered -eight daughters happy, to the point that he actually personally built a freaking fairy-style lavender-colored castle to help cure his middle daughter's case of depression in the wake of the civil war due to the loss of many of her friends.
The blonde young man felt sorry for whoever asked the man for his permission to date or marry one of those ladies.
His son, Diodora, on the other hand… well, Naruto had it on good faith that Lord Astaroth would probably kiss an incubus if someone could get his son to join proper society.
"I've only had to be around him once, and I can tell you that I'd rather deal with an invading army!" Naruto shuddered heavily, earning another round of chuckles from the crowd.
Seeing that line of attack shut down, Robe switched tactics. "Still, what would a half-breed raised by humans know about the troubles of devils? Before a few months ago I doubt you'd ever set foot in the Underworld!"
"Well, you aren't wrong about that last bit," Naruto admitted freely, his easy grin back, "But I'm fairly certain that the fact that the people who raised me were primarily farmers and merchants isn't very well known. And let me tell you," he joked, "that the problems of farmers and merchants and townsfolk the universe over are pretty much always the same: make enough money or food to survive the winter, and maybe put some extra aside for a surprise lean season."
Naruto shrugged as another round of laughter rippled through the crowd, "Believe me, you'd be surprised at just how similar the problems of humans and devils really are when you strip away all the Faction nonsense."
"And you will, of course, sit high and mighty in your mansion, in the very lap of luxury, while the common folk work so hard each day!" Robe spouted bitterly.
The young blonde shrugged again, "Well, I suppose so, if you want to look at it that way. But I see it slightly differently."
"Yeah, and how is that?!"
"It's really quite simple," Naruto said with a solemn sincerity that had everyone's full attention. "As the lord I enjoy many privileges that others do not, because when the time comes I must shoulder the weight of responsibility and make decisions that will affect us all. Those privileges I receive mean that I have that much heavier of a duty placed upon my shoulders, one of which is leading on the battlefield."
"I'm sure some of you remember the last war," Naruto raised his voice and swept his eyes over the crowd, getting many nods. "And I would assume that those who remember were under my father's command. Whenever one of his people didn't come back, I have it on good authority that he personally grieved for each of them."
"And how would you know that?" Robe sneered.
"By the very list of names he has written in sixty-one volumes found in his private bookshelves, each labelled 'The Fallen of my Command'. I have actually checked a number of them, each one is the name of a deceased devil."
"Keh!" A new voice scoffed. "A lord as great as the legendary Momonga of Ainz Ooal Gown Company bothering to remember the incompetent fools who couldn't even survive? What a pathetic thing to do, an absolute waste."
Ugly mutterings ran through the crowd as it parted to reveal a young man in rich clothing with a haughty expression. Naruto raised an eyebrow, he had submitted himself to Albedo's urging and started dressing better than he had, but this man reminded him rather greatly of a peacock. Deep blues and greens mixed with bright gold, and even purple...
All of which clashed horribly with the young man's pock-mocked white skin and … was that mauve hair?!
… Okay, a color-blind peacock.
"And who might you be, Peacock-san?"
… Ah, Naruto-sama, always willing to speak your mind. The twins thought as one with a sweatdrop. Even when it could get you into sooo much trouble!
Peacock went purple in the face as he spluttered, "You don't know who I am?!"
Naruto shrugged, "Sorry, but I haven't yet gotten around to learning the colors of the lesser houses. You can't very well expect me to know who you are in that case."
"I'm not from a lesser house!" Peacock said indignantly.
"Hm? Well you aren't wearing anything resembling a crest, so I just assumed you weren't of any notice." Came Naruto's blithe reply without missing a beat.
"I'm the fifth son of House Furfur!"
"... is he really?" Naruto whispered loudly to Tier.
The blonde woman shrugged, "I don't know, Naruto-sama, but last I knew House Furfur only has two sons and one daughter."
"So… he's pretending to be someone of importance?" Aayla asked confused. She wasn't all that far into her studies on the various houses either. The blue skinned woman was fairly certain that only Tier, and maybe Rias, was that far.
"No, I am not pretending!"
"Are you sure? It's completely fine to admit it, you know. Well, I'm sure we'll all be even less impressed than we already were, but that's a small price for honesty."
… And Naruto thought he had the monopoly on bluntness in his group! That one had to hurt the Peacock's pride though, so he'd let Aayla get away with it. If only because he found it hilarious.
"I am the fifth son of House Furfur! Jorun Furfur!"
"Can you prove that?"
"I'm a Noble! I don't need to prove myself to peons like you!"
"... I'm a noble, too, you know." Naruto pointed out amiably, "And I ask the same question as my Knight: can you prove it?"
During this back and forth, the crowd was having a difficult time deciding on something. Whether or not to laugh at the red faced supposed noble in front of them, or just remain quiet observers…
A loud snort from somewhere in their midst made up their minds and they devolved into helpless giggles. The laughter continued for several minutes as the crowd slowly brought themselves back under control, though Naruto kept a large grin on his face.
Then Naruto noticed something that wiped the good humor from his face, replacing it with thinly veiled displeasure. Behind this foppish peacock were no less than fourteen armed and armored individuals of indeterminate gender, ten of them holding tightly to rods attached to an old style torture device; a metal collar with spikes ringing the inside circumference. The other four were gripping the arms and legs of a black haired girl of roughly his own age who was dressed in rags, two black tails and cat ears were easily visible from his current angle, and she sported multiple bruises and other injuries consistent with being beaten into submission. The part that really got under Naruto's skin, though, was the sight of the person forced to wear the collar.
A small, white haired child with cat ears on top of her head. She, too, was dressed in rags, but where the black haired catgirl was showing a resigned expression, the little one had tears pouring from her mournful yellow eyes and her face was set in an expression of silent pleas for help.
Naruto cleared his throat, and sent Peacock a firm look. "I don't know if you were aware of this or not, but there are laws against what you are doing to those two here in Asmodai territory. No matter who you are, you are not above the law. Release them immediately, or I will have to enforce those laws."
Peacock sneered, "What do the laws of your little pigsty matter to me? I am a noble, a son of House Furfur, and these two are my rightful property, especially after I went to so much trouble to catch them."
Naruto smirked evilly. "The laws matter because you are within my territory, and though the Maou rule the Underworld, each House has full permission to enforce their own laws within their territory. As such, unless you can submit proof of them being wanted criminals, you will free those two girls immediately… or suffer the consequences."
"What do you care about two ragamuffins, anyways?" Peacock asked, sweating profusely. He was well aware of those rules, but he didn't honestly think anyone else in the area would dare to call him on it.
"I don't really care about them in particular," Naruto admitted, his evil smile never leaving his face, "but I absolutely loathe the idea of forced slavery. People who willingly submit, though, are another matter entirely."
"Besides," the blonde teen continued easily, "the one is only a child, and I find the abuse of children to be more than simply abhorrent. Come on man, she can't be more than eight years old!"
"She isn't."
"... I'm sorry, what did you say, miss?" Naruto directed his question to the black haired girl who had spoken up. Her voice was rough, probably from yelling and screaming as she tried to fight off her captors, but there was a natural undercurrent that gave it a slightly seductive sound. Naruto suddenly felt his pants to be a size too small.
"I said she isn't, milord. My sister is actually just eight years old."
"Shut up!" Peacock shouted nervously as he backhanded her across the mouth. The action drew a thin line of blood from a new split in her lip.
A moment later Peacock was dead, his lifeless body falling to the ground without his head, which was clasped firmly in Naruto's outstretched hand. A jagged tear along the neck to indicate that the head had simply been ripped off, even before the victim knew of what was happening.
"Right, I was going to be nice, but my patience is done. I'll write Lord Furfur an apology later, but as for you guards…" Naruto turned his burning stare upon the unfortunate people still holding the two now-revealed sisters captive.
"... I have already told you to let them go… why have you not done so yet?"
The subsequent rush to do as he bade them resulted in a cacophony of noise and the two catgirls were soon free and standing on their own, albeit more than a tad unsteadily. Tier immediately moved to help the two, finding it rather interesting that the healing magic she had just started to learn would already be coming into play, even if it was only the lowest level of spells.
Naruto nodded in satisfaction and gazed upon the nervous guards with a blank face, dropping the severed head onto the cobblestones at his feet. "Alright, I don't care where you all go, I don't care what you do, so long as you don't pull this shit again in my area. Go away, stay and find lives, I don't care. Choose now."
The fourteen guards looked at each other briefly, then knelt in the dust and removed their helmets. Long flowing hair cascaded down each of their backs and their faces revealed that each of them was female… Naruto shook his head, no, Haku had looked more than a little feminine too...
… Actually I'm still not entirely certain of what Haku's gender was! He said he was a boy, but she could have been lying to throw everyone off…
… Fuck it. I don't care anymore.
The foremost one looked up at him as he returned from his wandering thoughts, "We wish to serve you, Lord Asmodai. We have nowhere to go now that you have killed our former master." Seeing Naruto raise an eyebrow she hastened to explain, "We cannot return to Lord Furfur, our oaths had bound us to Jorun instead of his former House. It is the only reason we stayed with him when he was cast out. We also have no other skills outside of combat or guarding."
… Seriously? Is this some kind of "Spoils of War" bullshit? What the heck are these people thinking?!
"... Seriously?" He couldn't help but echo is thoughts a little.
"Yes."
Okay, instant flat declaration as an answer. That leaves no room for possible interpretations. … How do I get myself into these kinds of situations?!
With a sigh, Naruto gave in. "Alright. I'll admit my own house is a little shorthanded at the moment, so I guess I shouldn't be looking a gift horse in the mouth."
"Thank you, Lord Naruto! We swear to serve you loyally until we die!"
Naruto cleaned his ear with a finger. The sudden declaration that sprung from all fourteen throats was hard on his ears. Damn that shit hurt!
He then turned his attention back to the two catgirls, and had to force himself not to blush now that he could see just how well-developed the older one was. The only thing that came to him to describe her was "sinfully voluptuous", and she couldn't really be much older than him! Forcing his eyes to stay above her eminently viewable cleavage- Hooray for ragged clothing that doesn't hide anything! -, he saw the gaze of a fellow prankster in her golden eyes.
Naruto cleared his throat a little. "Well then ladies, what about you two? I can see that you are in need of medical services, and I would be happy to see to your treatment if you wish. Perhaps a meal and some new clothes as well? I will admit that I did not anticipate this kind of situation happening when I came out to see what was going on in the town."
A tired and grateful smile curled the elder girl's lips. "That would be very kind, but we don't want to impose..."
Naruto waved off her concerns with one hand. "No imposition, I am merely offering. If you would rather just go home, then by all means, feel free."
Their eyes dropped in depressed silence. "We don't have a home anymore. That guy burned it down as part of my punishment for not giving in to his demands to join his peerage. Then, when I still refused, he captured my little sister, Shirone-chan here, and said he'd hurt her if I continued. I gave up at that point."
The blonde teen nodded, "Well, like I said, I'm willing to help you out."
The sisters looked at each other uncertainly for a bit, then turned back to him with a tentative nod. "Alright, we'll at least accept your help for now. Oh, and my name is Kuroka."
"Excellent!" Naruto clapped once in elation, "Tier, would you be so kind as to see to everything? The new guards and these two girls? I'll be along shortly, and then I must return to my discussion with Tiamat."
The tall blonde woman gave a short nod, and started off in the direction of the mansion. The guards and the two catgirls following, though the sisters were both wary and tired. They weren't really sure of what to make of what just happened, but they would give this devil the benefit of the doubt.
For now.
Shaking his head to clear his suddenly lustful thoughts, which popped up completely uncensored as he watched the swaying hips of the departing women, Naruto returned his attention to his fellow blonde male. Robe was sweating, his eyes wide at what he just witnessed.
"Now then, where were we?" Naruto asked rhetorically.
"Are you seriously going to ignore the corpse lying on the ground behind you?" Robe said incredulously.
"What corpse?"
"That one…" Robe moved to point one finger at the body of the dead devil, only to find nothing there. "Wha-? Where did it go?!"
Naruto gave him a concerned look, "Are you alright, man? Maybe you'd best sit down for a bit and rest, especially if you're seeing dead bodies."
Robe stared at the younger blonde dumbly, then curled up on the spot, hands holding his head as if to ward off a vicious headache. His eyes were wide and unseeing, and his lips moved constantly as if saying something, but no sound came from him.
Naruto blinked, and turned an innocent gaze to the elderly woman he had been talking to before, "You think he's okay?"
No one in hearing range could quite manage to stop a sweatdrop from forming. Aayla joined Melanie and her sister in face-palming. They weren't sure what happened to the body either, but they were at least one-hundred percent certain that their Master had killed someone not too long ago.
There were still bloodstains on the cobbles.
"Oh, and in response to one of your earlier comments I heard," Naruto said, "I have also been heavily influenced in my methods by the Gama Youkai of Mt Myobyoku. So it's not just human influence in how I do things."
The elderly devil stared at him in shock, "The Toad clan?"
Naruto nodded with a smile.
The old man shook his head, but it was the old woman who shared the only thought going through the crowd.
"That explains the crazy."
XxXxXxXx
"Hey, Brat," Kurama popped up at Naruto's side in the midst of the crowd. Surprise and an air of wariness ran through the assembled devils at the sight of the red nine-tailed fox. "That mirror's focusing in again, looks like something those twins described, but it's weird. Almost like the person's stuck between worlds."
The blonde's eyes widened, and he immediately started back to the mansion.
"Sorry folks, but a system using my one of my father's artifacts is in need of my attention," he called out as he made his way through the crowd. "Kurama, if you wouldn't mind staying and keeping Robe over there by the wins company, maybe drag his feathered ass to the local jail, I'd appreciate it. I really want to talk with him later and find out why a Fallen Angel decided to try this stunt. Melanie, Militia, with me please. I'd like you there to make sure that it is your world."
Another shock ran through the crowd. Robe was a Fallen? How did he know?
The twins shared an inquisitive expression as they followed him. They had been standing close to Robe, why hadn't they noticed anything?
Naruto sneezed a little, and then grumbled, "why do wet feathers have to smell so bad?"
Kurama looked at the man called Robe, and his snout wrinkled at the smell of piss, wet feathers, wet cloth, and something the fox didn't want to know wafting off him. Well, that explained the wet feathers comment… What the heck happened? He left the boy alone for only a few minutes and he missed the fun?
NOT FAIR! It's supposed to be my job to scare people enough to piss themselves!
The crowd of devils parted, clearing a path for the obviously frustrated kitsune to get to Robe. They didn't know why the creature suddenly seemed annoyed, but they felt it might be in their best interests to not get between him and the softly babbling man.
Kurama stalked up to Robe, the fox's shadow catching the man's attention, and glared at the instigator with burning red eyes that practically screamed of malicious intent. The vicious smile and licking of chops didn't help the man's nerves in the slightest.
"Please try to escape. Then I can at least vent a little upon your cooling corpse."
Robe whimpered.
XxXxXxXx
The Malachite sisters stared in amazed horror at the scene in the mirror.
"That's definitely our world," Melanie said softly. "But I don't get it, this looks like the same day that Lord Gressen and Lady Kethry saved us. It's been years since then! How can this be?"
Naruto shrugged unhelpfully. "I don't know, Melanie. I'm still looking into how Time works, and the effects brought on by my own Power of Domination."
He paused for a moment as a thought struck him, even while a circle began lighting up beneath him. "Maybe your world wasn't so much dying, as it was coming to a halt for a while. Until certain restrictions wre released or conditions were met."
Militia just glared at him, and made a shooing motion with her hands. "Well, Naruto-sama, whether our world is dead or stuck, you have the power to stop a death. Get to it, would you?"
Naruto chuckled and tossed an impudent salute at the black-themed maid. "Yes, ma'am."
XxXxXxXx
The young woman stared at the image in her mind's eye of a finger, and the flame dancing on its tip, that had spelled her death. She didn't want to die. Most definitely not! Who really did when they were only seventeen years old?
… Well, there were always those who felt pushed to suicide, but she wasn't in that column. If anything the young woman felt that she was in the category of those who who simply wished to enjoy their life. There was so much she wanted to see and do with her life; graduate school, make more friends who saw her for herself, see more of the world, perhaps make a name for herself that wasn't synonymous with fighting, maybe find love and settle down to raise a family with that special person.
But now she floated here, in a world where everything was as red as her hair, and where she could see nothing but that one color. If this was the afterlife, it was a great deal more … boring and red than she had thought it would be. She always thought that the afterlife would be either an eternal burning inferno or an unimaginable paradise. Not… whatever this was.
… She was dead, wasn't she? That's the only real conclusion you can come to when you feel yourself split apart on what seemed to be a molecular level. But if that wasn't what happened, then where was she now?
"You are between worlds. You were cast here because it was not your time to die, at least not without another choice."
A young man's voice echoed around her, swiftly followed by her senses being engulfed in a radiant golden light. When spots stopped dancing before her eyes, the young woman felt herself blushing at the person who now stood- floated? -at her left side, her body seemingly at his waist height. Tanned skin, strong features, deep silver-and-blue eyes that she wanted to fall into, three whisker-like marks on either cheek, and a subtly powerful build barely hidden beneath a pinstriped suit.
Then he smiled at her and she felt the rest of her body heat up. Well, that convinced her she wasn't dead at least. A dead girl shouldn't be able to feel herself get flushed with heat from what could only be her teenage hormones. But dammit if that smile shouldn't be illegal or classified as a deadly weapon!
For his part, Naruto was internally struck speechless at this girl's beauty. If not for a few factors he would have sworn she was a younger version of his own mother.
The first difference were her eyes; his mother's were a violet, this girl's were a vibrant emerald. They were such a contrast with her light skin tone that Naruto almost felt his brain stop to imprint them better in his memory.
The second was the style and shade of her red hair; his mother had taken to wearing her hair loose as opposed to the high ponytail that this girl sported, and this girl's hair was a deep blood red as opposed to his mother's lighter tone.
The third item on his mental list was the outfit: his mother had never worn something like this girl's ensemble. Her top consisted of two layers. The above layer was a light-brown, strapless corset-style top divided vertically with some bronze patterns. This was probably a piece of leather and metal armor as it appeared to be quite stiff, maintaining its shape without support; this layer also seemed to have some kind of riveting or small, round embroidery on the sides, which could also have been heavy stitching. The bottom layer is a low bronze V-neck. On her hips she wore an elastic, black, A-line miniskirt and brown opera-length gloves on both arms. She also wore a red ankle-length drapery that appeared to be wrapped around her skirt. On her legs were what appeared to be bronze armor that started at mid-thigh and reached down into a pair of brown low-heeled boots. Around her neck was something that looked to be a bronze collar of some sort, and she had a light dusting of green eyeshadow.
And dear Maou, that body! She may not have been as generously proportioned as Kuroka, but damn if she wasn't just as gorgeous in her own way!
Fourth item on his mental checklist was another obvious one; her weapons. She had what seemed to be a shortsword and a wood-and-bronze shield on her back. Uzumaki Kushina wasn't really known to use any weapons outside her Adamantine Chains or kunai and shuriken in battle, but this sword and shield had definitely seen their fair share of use.
Naruto was mesmerized, and in that moment of inattentiveness he missed seeing the signs that she seemed to be just as taken with him. The two teens just stared at each other for a little bit.
Hormones. Ugh.
He cleared his throat, and crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to renew the seriousness of the situation. He was quite proud of himself that his voice only cracked a little when he tried to speak.
"Ah, my apologies, miss. You'd think that with the frequency with which I meet beautiful women I'd be a little more on the ball. My name is Naruto Asmodai, and I'm here to give you an offer."
The girl blinked, and gave a soft smile. She heard the slight warble and the sheepish tone hidden behind the words. The blush at being called beautiful, though, and in such an offhand manner, refused to just go down.
"I'm Pyrrha Nikos."
A jolt shot through him at the sound of her voice. It wasn't the soft, but deep, yet certainly feminine tone that had him reacting, though. It was the undercurrent of sadness, one he knew intimately from his own past. This was a lonely girl, and that loneliness was instantly translated over to him in the form of sympathetic energy that made him just want to hug her and share his own lonely past with her in an effort to get them both passed it…
Apparently this time he had gone too deep into thought, as he barely caught the tail end of her next words.
"- saying something about an offer?"
"Hm? Ah, sorry 'bout that. Didn't mean to space out on you like that." Naruto apologized, his sincere tone going a long ways to reassuring Pyrrha that he hadn't simply been ogling her.
He cleared his throat again. "The offer is relatively simple, Pyrrha-chan- do you mind if I call you that? -," getting a shake of her head for an answer, he continued. "As I was saying, the offer is if fairly simple. I can take you out of this place, give you a new place to call home, an extended lifespan, new comrades and friends to both live and fight alongside you, or with you if you wish," he threw a small wink her way and Pyrrha felt herself blush a little more, "and whole new worlds to explore."
Pyrrha thought about it for a moment, then asked, "what do you want in return?"
Naruto shrugged slightly and held up two red objects for her to see. They looked like transparent sculptures of dragons…
"What I want in return is just as simple: a comrade I can count on in battle, a friend to hold me up or scold me when I need it." He frowned a little, "there is the technicality that you would also become my servant, the 'Pawn' to my 'King' as it were, but I don't much care about that. These two pieces, along with thirteen others, were sent out into the void of Time and Space, to find people who deserved to live and have a second chance at life."
He smiled brightly again, causing the girl's face to heat up once more. "The fact that both of these have chosen you tells me that you are an individual with integrity and inner strength, someone I want working with me toward mutual goals."
She frowned. "Servant?"
Naruto's grin dropped. "I hoped you'd overlook that part."
He sighed, folding his legs under him and floating place so that he looked to be sitting beside her. "Look, the servant bit wasn't my idea, it's part of the rules I'm stuck working with. To save your life and take you from here, there has to be a trade from you that equals the amount of effort, paperwork, and whatnot that I have to deal with. These pieces, the pawns from my set of similarly themed other pieces, they automatically register you as being part of my House as a servant under my singular authority."
"It may not have been your idea, but you still go along with it." Pyrrha pointed out calmly, her blush finally fading and her mind clearing enough to watch him for deceit.
The blonde shrugged again, a pair of large bat-like wings appearing from behind him. "I'm a devil. Well," he said sheepishly, "a half-devil, half-human, who nonetheless is responsible for the lands and people of my House."
Naruto locked his gaze onto hers, the seriousness of the topic reflected within the silver-flecked blue. "I may not have made the rule, nor been the one to think it up, but can you honestly say that it isn't without merit? The concept alone is sound, in exchange for not only a new life and a longer span of years to go with it, you also gain a devil's magic, and the protection of your new king's family and name, the receiver of the piece becomes that devil's servant. Not really a bad deal, if you think about it."
"But I doubt that all of these 'kings' are good people," Pyrrha said neutrally, not placing any blame, just making a statement.
He grimaced at that. "Certainly some devils abuse that power and authority to do as they wish with their peerage members, but there are just as many- if not more -who view their servants as I do; as friends and family. Those like myself are trying to make ours the more common view, and eventually the rule rather than the missed chance."
"We're having rather limited success honestly," he admitted candidly.
"Why is that?" She asked curiously. Pyrrha was so far very impressed with this young man, he hadn't lied to her yet that she could see, and she trusted her instincts.
"You mean aside from the fact that many of my so-called compatriots have noble titles that would become partly superfluous?" Naruto said, sarcasm dripping from his tone before sighing and running a hand through his hair. "It pretty much boils down to status and perceived status, along with the fact that the tradition is to give the pieces to devils who have either been acknowledged as High-class or a noble-born that just passed their fifteenth year; which means, in the case of the males, that they are just entering puberty, and they now have a legal way of getting a harem of beautiful women to see to their every need."
He smirked cynically. "I think I'm quite pleased with how I'm doing things. At least with my method I'm saving people's lives, instead of inflating my own ego. I really don't need a flock of women to see to my every possible whim."
Pyrrha quirked one eyebrow up, "and just how many have you saved so far? And what were their gender?"
Naruto winced, one hand coming up to rest over his heart. "Oh! You wound me, Pyrrha-chan! The fact that my pieces have only allowed me to save three lives before this, and that two of them are beautiful women, with the third a young girl with promise for the future, is hardly my fault! It's just how my luck seems to be running, especially with those sixteen other females that I just helped out before coming here."
Pyrrha couldn't keep a straight face, and gave into giggles at the dramatized speech and comical expression of betrayal. Her laughter eventually tapered off, though, into sobs. She didn't want to abandon her world, her friends, and all the adventures that still awaited her. The redhead cried so hard that she didn't even feel strong arms pull her into a warm embrace and give her a shoulder to cry on.
Naruto gently petted her hair, and let the girl cry as he whispered soothingly into her ear. "Shh, Pyrrha-chan, you'll be okay. You don't have to be alone any longer. Come with me, Pyrrha-chan. I know the pain of being looked at and treated as something else all too well. I promise you, above and beyond everything else, you can always count on me, and I will always listen to your troubles. I promise, Pyrrha-chan, you will always have a friend in me."
"I'm really dead to my world, aren't I?" She cried into his shoulder.
Naruto sighed and hugged her a little tighter, his sympathetic heart reaching out to her and feeling her pain. "Yes, Pyrrha-chan, I'm afraid you are."
Her tears intensified, and he just held her, stroking her hair and gently whispering words of comfort. He didn't care that he could feel the world beginning to reject him as an existence it didn't support. So what if he was already feeling the rejection from her plane of existence because devil-kind wasn't a part of this world? At the moment he didn't care. Pyrrha needed him right now, and he'd expend as much magic as he needed to make sure she was okay.
Slowly the young woman's cries lessened, and she hiccupped a little. She fixed him with a teary gaze, "What if I want more than a friend, Naruto Asmodai? What if I also want love? A family to call my own, a husband? Children?"
She had thought she might have found love with her friend and team captain, Jaune Arc, but he never seemed to return her feelings. She knew she was shy and awkward when it came to exposing her heart like this, leaving herself so vulnerable. It frightened her immensely, the thought of a pain that may never go away. So when he kept pursuing that other girl, Weiss Shnee, and seemingly incapable of understanding the redhead's advances, Pyrrha put on a brave face and tried to support him despite how much it hurt her to think of him in another's arms.
Now, here was another blonde young man with the heart to see her for herself, showing that he wanted to be her friend. Pyrrha wasn't sure about what she was feeling, but in the heat of the moment she was going to follow that tiny voice in the back of her head that told her this person was being sincere. The fact that she also found him physically attractive didn't hurt either, but she didn't want to think right now, she just wanted to feel and enjoy the comfort he was giving, her emotions still raw from her breakdown.
Naruto brushed a stray bang behind her ear, "if that's what you want, Pyrrha-chan, I won't stop you. Instead I will support you, as I hope you will support me and the others of my peerage."
Pyrrha's head tilted a little in confusion, "Others? Peerage? What do you mean?"
He shrugged and gained a sheepish expression. "I said it earlier, right? I've managed to save three women's lives so far with these pieces. Two of whom are older than me, and one that is a few years younger."
Naruto saw the light of memory in her eyes as she blushed in embarrassment for apparently having forgotten that. "When they accepted their own Pieces they became devils in their own right, as well as members of what is known as my Peerage. Based off the human game of chess there are a grand total of sixteen pieces: king, queen, two bishops, two knights, two rooks, and eight pawns. I, of course, have the king, and the only thing I know it does is that it binds me to my people, and they to me. So far each of them has been granted something unique."
He paused, "I'm not going too fast am I?"
Pyrrha shook her head negatively. "It's a little much, and very surprising, but I'm hanging in there. What ones have you used already?"
Naruto looked a little uncomfortable as he admitted, "The queen, one bishop, and one knight."
The redhead nodded, a thoughtful look on her face as her flushing calmed down. "You said they each gained something? Something that bound both you and them tighter? Why is that, and what did they get?"
He nodded, "the why is a little interesting. You'll have noticed from the two pawn pieces from earlier that mine is probably not a standard set. In fact, the creator of the pieces just said they were weird and left me to figure it all out through trial and error. The main thing I know is that it seems to be based purely on luck."
Pyrrha giggled at the faintly annoyed expression that crossed his face at that. "My queen, Tier Harribel, gained the ability to feel my emotions. Rias Gremory, my bishop, and the young girl I mentioned, gained a portion of my mental training. And my knight, Aayla Secura, … I'm actually not certain what she got. The only guess I have is that it somehow reflects my own 'purity' or 'light' due to the fact that her piece looked like a unicorn. I haven't gotten around to asking her."
He shrugged with a grimace, "I also have no idea about the pawns other than that since they're shaped like dragons, which are apparently prideful creatures, it may give you something of me that I'm inherently proud of. Like I said, this is pretty much trial and error."
Pyrrha blinked as a thought suddenly occurred to her, "come to think of it, where did those little things go? You had them before…?"
"Apparently as the 'king' I can act as a temporary vessel for them to hide in," Naruto said as the two dragon-shaped pieces appeared for a brief moment beside his head before vanishing again.
… So these things are somewhat experimental. He knows they work, but not everything they do. That's dicey, especially since there's no guarantee of just what I might get for accepting…
Naruto cleared his throat, interrupting her thoughts. "By the way, Pyrrha-chan, are you alright with our current position?"
What is he talking about…?
She looked down and her face went as red as her hair even as she suddenly shot a good three feet away from him. She had been sitting on his lap! Her legs had been around his waist! Her skirt…!
Oh, this is sooo embarrassing! Pyrrha thought to herself as she subtly pushed her skirt back into place from where it had ridden up on her hips. She cast a glance at Naruto, wondering if he'd seen her panties in that brief time, only to see his face as red as hers and turned to the side to give her a modicum of privacy to fix herself up.
Naruto's thoughts were a bit more predictable.
… Damned teenage devil hormones! Sure she's gorgeous and all, but damned if I'm not having a hard time with this!
Pyrrha cleared her throat a little to grab his attention, her embarrassment still heavy, but hardly debilitating. "So what if I turn down you offer? Not that I am!" She hastened to assure him, "but I'm curious what you'd do."
Naruto took a few moments to think about that, and let his blushes cool so he didn't inadvertently stutter or something. What would he do if someone chosen by his Pieces refused the offer? It was, admittedly, not a question he'd thought of.
He shrugged, "not much I can do, in that case. I'm not going to force this on anyone, it becomes no better than slavery then, and I hate slavery. I guess … I guess I'd just have to take the pieces back with me and send them out again to find someone else."
Pyrrha smiled at that, a soft little smile that lit up her face and made her eyes practically glow. Naruto couldn't help himself, he felt his face flush again as he stared at her, almost spellbound. He decided that she looked really good with that smile.
The redhead meanwhile was debating with herself. Agree, or not? He'd been honest with her so far, so she didn't doubt his sincerity or his character. But to serve him, perhaps for the rest of her life? And to become a devil herself in the process? That meant that her life would probably become much longer as well. Then there was the randomness of those pieces, what would they do to her that could bind her to him even stronger than a normal piece? So many questions.
Pyrrha watched his eyes, the windows to his soul. Then she studied his posture, the way he held himself. In the end, though, what finally decided her was the heat emanating from her heart whenever she thought about him, and the pain that came from thee thought of being alone again.
She took a step forward, "I accept, Naruto. I will join you."
Naruto smiled, his right hand coming up beside her, opening to reveal the two sculpted dragons. Pyrrha kept eye contact with him as grabbed both pieces with her own right hand. Letting a new, soft golden light envelop her, Pyrrha found her heart was as light as air.
She wasn't scared anymore. Of herself. Of being rejected. Of being used just for her strength. Of being viewed for nothing more than her accomplishments. She wouldn't let her fear cause her to miss any more chances for happiness, no matter how fleeting it might be.
She still had questions, a great many of them, but now she had the time to find them out at her own pace. She wouldn't rush herself, but she wouldn't let life and happiness just pass her by either.
She was Pyrrha Nikos, the now proud Pawn of Naruto Asmodai.
And maybe, just maybe, sometime in the future she might become something more.
XxXxXxXx - Ending Notes
… Yes, a portion of this chapter was heavily inspired by another set of books, and bravo to those of you who recognize it.
I do apologize for the wait, but unfortunately I've been getting distracted lately by a whole mess of things, including, but not limited to, the random thoughts popping up in my head for other stories, a death in my family, the sudden onslaught of a winter cold enough to leave snow on the ground, and my mother dragging me out of my house to make sure I at least have something in the way of human contact.
Next, to the Guest who apparently didn't read my Author's Note at the beginning of Ch01, I'll say it again: The Peerage is Chosen already. I'll admit you had a number of interesting ideas, and even got a few characters right (one in the correct position to boot), but overall they simply are either not possible, I've never heard of them, or they lack a control vector to make them plausible.
NO, neither Kuroka nor her sister will be joining Naruto's peerage. I said no more than one person from any universe, and I already have Rias as rep for DxD.
Finally, in an earlier chapter I have said Kushina's eyes were greyish. That was because I was going off what I could see from canon images. Here they have become violet because it was what I could find, so I'll probably be going back and forth between the two.
1 - Musashi Miyamoto was a renowned swordsman from the time of Nobunaga Oda. His greatest enemy, according to the stories, was another swordsman by the name of Sasaki Kojiro, who was said to have been defeated in a furious duel to the death by Musashi. Unfortunately,to the best of my knowledge, that story was proven false, but it is still circulated due to it's popularity.
2 - Karumn Astaroth: an OC of mine for this fic, and the current head of House Astaroth in the wake of his cousin Ajuka's acceptance of the seat of Beelzebub.
Current Peerage
Queen - Tier Harribel
Bishop - Rias Gremory
Knight - Aayla Secura
Pawn - Pyrrha Nikos (2)
YES! Pyrrha Nikos as Pawn! Those who called it know who they are, and I know I'm going to be getting complaints that she should have been a Knight instead. But so what? This is MY story, and I felt that she fit better as a two-piece Pawn. Which leaves us with a Bishop, Knight, two Rooks, and six Pawns.
Assistance with this chapter came from SkySage24
Happy New Year everyone!
~Dreaming of the Phoenix