Disclaimer: See chapter 01.
Chapter 09: First Times, Upgrades, So That's What They Do, and Oops?
Tier Harribel, former Number Three of Aizen Sousuke's Espada, did not want to wake up. She was warm, her pillow was pleasingly hard yet yielding, her body tingled pleasantly, and most importantly she was unconsciously revelling in the feeling of being emotionally filled for the first time in her recollection. In short, she was more comfortable than she ever had been before, and she wished to enjoy it more.
Tier had regained a state of semi-consciousness a little time ago, her tired, sleepy, and sated mind idly taking in a few details while she worked up the courage to rouse fully. She knew she was lying in the crook of her master's arm, it was his chest she was using as a pillow. She figured that they had moved to a bed sometime during their lovemaking, she could feel the bed beneath her and the sheets covering them. She would bet anything that her body was tingling in the remembered sensations her first lover invoked her, she could still feel what she assumed was his seed hot inside of her.
Yet the greatest feeling to her current state of mind was the feeling of being full of her master's-and lover's-emotions. In her time as an Espada- no, in her time as a Hollow, Tier had become used to the fact that she didn't really have emotions. She had, in fact, resigned herself to it. But now her new master, a young man only just on the cusp of adulthood, had filled her empty heart and soul with his own emotions, and in the process had seemingly awakened her own.
For the first time in her entire existence, Tier Harribel, former Tres Espada, Queen of Naruto Asmodai, was happy. It was a unique experience for her, and it brought a sleepy smile to her lips as she snuggled into her lover's chest.
Now that I've found this, there's no way I'm letting go, but I don't think I can be selfish enough to keep him purely to myself…
Tier thought as she shifted slightly, only to be hit suddenly by a soreness in lower reaches, and frowned.
Well, there's that and I doubt I can fully satisfy his needs… going to need some help with that… I know Albedo would be happy to join, but I wonder if I could get some of the others...I know he'll need to wed at some point to produce a legitimate heir, though I guess any child of his that contains his devil blood could take up the mantle like he did...
Her sleepy smile widened. I won't have to give him up, and I don't mind the idea of sharing him. Yes, I can make this work.
With that thought in her mind Tier snuggled a little harder into her lover's chest, her leg intertwining with his as it brushed against another...
Tier blinked and opened her eyes fully to stare across at a head of purple hair. It seemed that at some point Yugao had joined her and Naruto.
The blonde woman shrugged slightly and closed her eyes again.
Looks like I'll be getting practice at sharing him already.
XxXxXxXx
Naruto looked around, took in the surrounding black, a spot of light with two chairs, and sighed. He remembered this place, how could he not? It was the absolute deepest part of his mindscape where his subconscious resided. He'd only been this deep once before, and it had not been a pleasant experience.
"So, are you finally going to acknowledge that I was right?"
The blonde sighed heavily as a sarcastic voice echoed around him. If nothing else he knew he and his subconscious both had a flair for the dramatic. So, in keeping with the sense of drama, instead of answering he merely sat in one of the chairs and assumed an air of civil authority, much as he had seen from Sirzechs during Gressen's funeral.
"I'm going to assume you want to talk, so let's talk."
A blonde man stepped out of the surrounding darkness, clothed in black shinobi garb from ancient times, his long spiky hair pulled into a wild mane of a ponytail like what Jiraiya once sported. A fox-themed mask hung from his right hip, while a silver whirlpool sat on top of a golden Asmodai insignia over his left breast. The man's facial features were no surprise to Naruto, he saw them every time he looked in a mirror. The only real differences were the somewhat more pronounced whisker marks and the slitted red eyes, reminiscent of what Naruto thought he looked like under the influence of Kurama's chakra.
Naruto remembered asking about those the last time he had met this bugger, his subconscious had looked at him like was an idiot and then explained in a patronizing tone that because he was the more primal part of Naruto he was therefore more in tune with the primal aspects of the fox, thus the eyes and whiskers and more liberal yet simplistic approach to things like sex. In short, his subconscious knew what it wanted, much like the fox, and as such the two resonated strongly enough to influence each other to a degree.
"I want to hear you say I was right before we talk about anything." Red-eyes said seriously, his voice a soft husky tone that Naruto just knew would probably drive women wild with desire.
Naruto raised one eyebrow. "Right about what?"
Red-eyes snorted as he sat in the other chair. "About what? About everything, of course. That Jiraiya was dead, that nothing that happened to Konoha was our fault. Hell, that Tier and probably others want us as much as we want them. Granted," he continued with one hand p to forestall an interruption, "the reasons may very well be different on each side, but can you honestly tell me I was wrong?"
Naruto scowled, "no, which is part of the problem. We are more than our base desires, you know this as well as I do. That moment we spent admiring Rias' ass was too much, man. She's ten!"
Red-eyes shrugged. "Doesn't look ten, though."
"That isn't the point!" Naruto snapped. "Sure, we could probably easily raise her into perhaps the perfect sex slave, but you know as well as I do that that is not the kind of thing we want in our partners."
Red-eyes sighed, "Alright, I'll give you that one. We want intelligent and willing, I'll admit that. I'll even admit that we want women who will look past our problems and money-and everything else-to love us for who we are, even ad divided as we are at the moment."
"Exactly! Staring at Rias like that is not what we want," Naruto said firmly. "If she comes to us in five or so years, when she's of age as a devil, then that's fine. We're only four years her elder after all."
Red-eyes held up a hand, "Alright, I'll work harder on keeping some of those new devil things under control, but was I not right about the rest of it?"
"You were," Naruto admitted grudgingly. "Jiraiya's death, Konoha's destruction, even Haku's death those years ago. None of it was our fault, and I'll not try to carry the guilt anymore, but it will remain part of the reason for our determination. Agreed?"
Red-eyes smiled in a feral manner, "agreed."
"Asshole."
"P-R Manager."
"Fuck you!"
"No thanks, I'd rather have another round or twenty with Tier."
"... True."
"You're welcome by the way," Red-eyes said smugly as he buffed the nails of one hand on his chest.
"For what?" Naruto asked warily.
"For directing your flight path to Tier," his opposite replied as if it should have been obvious. "Unlike you, I know when a woman wants something from us. I've been seeing little signs for weeks now that she was trying to get us interested in her."
Naruto blinked, then sighed in resignation. This was going to become insufferable at this rate. Then a thought crossed his mind.
"Wait, what about that pseudo-bond with Pyrrha?"
Red-eyes blinked. "Oh, that? Nothing much really. All it seems to be doing at the moment is increasing your level of attraction to each other a little bit. Just things like reminding you of how much we like the colour red, and that her hair is a particularly fine shade of it. Things like that."
"So... no emotional pushing?"
Red-eyes snorted. "If I wasn't going to allow you to manipulated by the shit-stains in Konoha, I sure as hell ain't gonna allow you to be emotionally manipulated by something as insignificant as this minor bonding."
Naruto raise his brow again. "Yet you allowed the devil hormones."
Another snort, "because they were on the primal level, and therefore in my purview. By the way, Albedo's coming around more and more. Won't be long until she wants to join the bed action."
"Yeah, yeah," Naruto waved him off. He'd deal with Albedo when it came to a head. "The bond, though?"
Red-eyes sighed, "that thing's on the spiritual level, so it's a beyond my individual purview, but it's not a true soulbond. Doesn't have the same kind of kick, ya know? A true bonding of souls wouldn't let you ever get her out of your head, and if you ever tried do something with another person it would act up like no one's business and make you both feel wretched. The fact that you don't feel like an absolute ass..."
He left it hanging, and Naruto picked up quickly enough, "... means that while we are more aware of what we find attractive in each other, it's not going to otherwise interfere. Right?"
"Bingo!"
Naruto shook his head. Well if nothing else that excited reply just served to reassure him that both he and the man across from him are indeed simply two halves of a whole. Clearing his throat, Naruto got Red-eyes' attention.
"Is there anything else you wanted to talk about? I imagine I'll have quite a bit to catch up on when we wake up."
Red-eyes shrugged, "Not really. I mostly just needed to confirm that you finally understood that our new physical instincts are now having a very real psychological effect on us, and that they're going to be a pain to try and hold back until we have formulated how to deal with them properly."
"... Dammit," Naruto snarled suddenly, his grip on the armrests tightening. "I so did not need this bullshit!"
"Tell me something we don't know!" Red-eyes snorted.
The two halves of one young man joined together in one thing at that moment: a sarcastically wry chuckle.
As the laughter died, Naruto relaxed back into his chair for a moment before standing and turning to stride back into the blackness, a hand waving over his shoulder. "Ah, well. As long as I don't suddenly find myself attracted to loli's I should be able to deal somehow."
Watching his other half walk off, Red-eyes found himself smiling. "On that, we agree, brother."
XxXxXxXx
"So... you stole his gun?"
"Yup."
No hesitation, no remorse, Yugao's reply was quick and to the point. Naruto found it both reassuring and annoying at the same time. The fact that at least one thing in his life was fairly static, even if it as Yugao's attitude of "if it's done, it's done and there's nothing to do now but roll with it".
Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose as he sat on one of the ever-present couches that seemed to populate every freaking room in the mansion. He had awoken to the sensation of two female bodies in the bed with him, one of which was obviously pregnant and familiar. Naturally that one was familiar, he'd been sharing a bed with her and the other soon-to-be mother for months now, so of course he'd recognize Yugao's presence and form beside him.
Now he was getting Yugao's report, and it was just a little too much for him to calmly deal with, hence his need to rub the bridge of his nose while he tried to take it all in.
"Okay, one last time, just so I can be sure I have it right," Naruto started, his voice heavy with weariness and disbelief. "I asked you to nab weapons blueprints, and parts-"
"Yes."
"-of which you succeeded admirably, leaving the results of your collecting on the armoury workbench-"
"Indeed."
"-after intuitively knowing that our newest member would want to see just what you had all managed to pilfer-"
"M-hm."
"-But in the last few minutes before you ditched the world, you decided to see how things were going, and got pissed off at a man called General Ironwood-"
"You're on a roll, Naruto-kun." Yugao said with a peck to his cheek.
"-So once the enemy was pretty much beaten, you stole his gun while he wasn't looking, and vamoosed back here-"
"Ja Vul! Mein Commendant!"*(1)
*Wince*"-where you readily jumped into bed with Tier and me due to not really seeing a difference between sharing with her and sharing with Konan. Did I miss anything?"
The purple haired woman adopted a thinking pose with one finger to her pursed lips, then cheerfully declared, "No, you seem to have finally gotten the gist of it."
Naruto sighed and shook his head, a laugh erupting from his throat at her incorrigible attitude. It really was nice to have something static in his life. Otherwise he might lose what little grasp on his relative sanity he still had.
He leaned back into the couch and rested his arms on the back. As his laughter rounded down he noted the pleased smile on both women's faces. After four months with Yugao and Konan, he would readily admit to himself that he was most likely in love with them, and quite possibly with Tier as well. Rias was too young for his tastes yet, but he didn't doubt that with enough time he'd fall for her, too. Just as he knew he was already falling for Pyrrha.
The only one he could say that still felt more like a servant or sibling was Aayla. Which was perfectly fine, really. It gave him a grounded centre so he didn't start thinking that his peerage was just a legal method of getting a harem. His hormones may scream against it, but Naruto didn't care.
Thinking of my peerage... four pieces down-technically five-and they're all women. Will I ever get another man in this group? I'm outnumbered here, dammit!
"Alright," Naruto said, regaining control of himself. "I'll show everything to Pyrrha-chan and leave her to make a catalogue of things."
He grimaced, "Then I suppose I should sign those last few papers for Tiamat and send them to her in the human world. Then I should deal with those two catgirl sisters..." Naruto groaned, "And beyond that I need to see if Lord Furfur is going to be pissed that I killed that shit-face son of his. Wonder if I could get Kurama to come with me and scare the man into submission..."
Yugao sweatdropped at the musings of her lover, friend, and leader. He was her Hokage with the destruction of Konoha, and now he was the head of a high ranking devil house, but every so often he still showed signs of the boy he used to be. It was both endearing and worrisome, and Yugao knew it was part of his charm that was drawing her in ever further.
Tier, on the other hand, just smiled. Her master and lover would do as he felt he needed, all to protect those who had put their trust and faith in him. And she would happily follow him, love him, for as long he let her.
XxXxXxXx
A knock on his office door roused Naruto some hours later. Looking up from his work, namely trying to figure out how to handle Lord Furfur, Naruto saw Sebas open the door for a surprise guest.
"Beelzebub-sama!" Naruto exclaimed as he moved to stand, but was waved off. He cocked his head inquisitively, "This is certainly a surprise. What brings you here?"
The green haired man sat lazily in a chair and steepled his fingers together. "I finally managed to crack the codes on your Evil Pieces. In doing so I realized I made a mistake in terming them as 'non-mutated'. The knights more than the others are very much mutated, and powerfully so."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "what do you mean?"
Ajuka shook his head to clear his thoughts. "You already know about your queen and bishops-hows that going, by the way?"
Naruto smiled, "pretty good. Tier seems to be finally understanding her own emotions, and Rias has recently learned that even with the insight and perception training I had in the academy she can still be just a kid."
Ajuka nodded with a satisfied smile, "that's good." Then his expression became serious, "Naruto, I cannot stress how important your knight pieces are. I had thought the unicorn shape was just a representation of something pure about you, but even I couldn't have guessed just what it was. You remember of course that devils have a problem with Light and Holy magics, right?"
Naruto nodded, "naturally. It was one of the first things that Albedo and Gressen explained to me."
"Your knights impart your former human resistance to those same Light and Holy magics."
A few minutes passed in stunned silence as Naruto digested what was said. It wasn't supposed to be possible. Devils and Light, or Holy, did not mix. It was such a powerful rejection that it actually burned and poisoned them. It was one of the absolute rules of this universe. It was the Angel's and Fallen Angel's greatest weapon against devils, and what forced devils to live in small pockets in the human world, or in the Underworld for their own safety and protection. Humans did not have that problem.
Then there was the comment about Holy magic. That particular variant of magic typically manifested in physical weapons like the original four Holy Swords: Excalibur, Caliburn, Ascalon, and Durandal. The slightest scratch of a Holy Sword was utterly fatal to a devil. Predominantly because it was believed that the Holy element was perhaps the purest form of Light magic to exist, and devils were characterized as beings of darkness. Once again, humans did not have that weakness.
If knowledge of what his Knights could do got out...
... It could restart the Great War with his Knights in the vanguard.
Then Ajuka broke the silence. "Of course I don't mean it's perfect protection. If stabbed by a spear of light, your knight will still be pierced and bleed, even die if the wound is fatal enough. But there's no risk of them getting burned or poisoned by Light energy, nor instantly killed by the mere touch of a Holy weapon."
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. "But still, best to keep it quiet."
"Indeed." Ajuka then brightened, "On a more positive note, your rooks and pawns are much easier, and far less trouble."
"Oh?"
"Yes," the green haired Maou exclaimed excitedly. "The rooks will grant a level of regeneration that is usually only seen in the healing process used in the aftermath of a Rating Game."
Naruto's eyebrow was back up. "You're going to have to explain that one. I haven't really gotten that far in my studies yet."
"Of course," Ajuka said with a magnanimous air. "Rating Games quite often have people being defeated by rather dangerous or fatal injuries. To safeguard against that new healing spells were created, ones I am quite proud to say my cousin created. These spells are automatically cast on retreating members to insure a zero fatality rate in the games. Haven't had a decapitation yet, save for some members of Phenex, but they don't count for that. Damned buggers can't actually die, so feh!"
The blonde nodded, absorbing the information. Can't actually die, eh? Sounds like a challenge... nah, probably best I don't rise to that one.
"And the pawns?" Naruto prompted.
"Well, I mentioned that it would most likely be something you were innately proud of, didn't I?"
"Ye~s," Naruto drew out the word warily.
"So, what were you most proud of before becoming a devil?"
The blonde narrowed his eyes as he thought. It took him a few moments, there were so many things he had been proud of in his short life so far. But he supposed one thing stood out above the rest.
"If I had to say it, I think it would be my natural endurance, my ability to just keep going when I need to."
"And so it is with your pawns," Ajuka confirmed with a grin. "The pieces impart a portion of your own ability to endure; pain, fatigue, boredom, whatever. Like you, they will endure past what was once their limit."
Naruto snorted. "Yeah, that's gonna get abused by them. I was already a hardy little stain as a kid, that only got better, or worse depending on who you ask, as I got older. And if what I know of my current Pawn is any indication, she's gonna enjoy that extra stamina."
"Oh?" Ajuka waggled his eyebrows suggestively, "she's going to 'enjoy' it, eh?"
The young Asmodai's eye twitched. It seemed that the Beelzebub Maou had a thing for bad innuendo now. It was enough of an attitude switch that Naruto found himself quoting an old friend of his.
"How troublesome."
Ajuka laughed.
XxXxXxXx
"So, it's been a few days, have you decided on what you want to do?"
His second meeting of the day, this one fully expected because he had set it. Tier stood in her accustomed position just behind his chair and to his right, while Aayla had managed to tear herself from her training to stand in her place to his left. Across from him, occupying two chairs, were the two catgirls, who were apparently a very rare sub-species of the nakomata race of youkai called Nekoshou. Or so he had been told by Albedo a few minutes prior to this meeting.
He had to admit the two girls cleaned up well from the filth-covered things they had been. The younger of the two-Shirone, wasn't it?-looked adorable in a fresh white dress with gold trim that brought out the innocent purity of a young child, and like any such child she was swinging her legs and humming while sitting in the slightly too-tall chair.
Her elder sister, though, damn was she keeping to the name theme. Kuroka, the "black child" indeed! A black kimono with red trim and gold floral pattern now adorned her voluptuous form, her surprisingly long hair styled into two rings and left to otherwise flow down her back in one long wave.
Kuroka shrugged a bit. "Not really, nya~. I mean, we can't go home, that guy burned it down. And if we just go wandering we leave ourselves open to someone else like him. Right now the safest place for us is probably right here."
Naruto wasn't sure he liked where this was going. The conversation had only been a few moments, and already he could feel his devil hormones reacting to the unconscious sultry attitude and tone Kuroka was using. Granted, at fifteen she was legal by Underworld standards, so long as she was consenting of course, but that wasn't really the point in his mind. He had just started up something with Tier, and he wanted to enjoy it for a bit before it all went to Hell in a hand basket.
Still find it funny that this universe's Hell is a different place than the Underworld... maybe I should pay a visit to Hades some time, see how he's doing. Gotta be getting bored with little more than watching the passage of mortal souls through his realm.
He could already feel the headache forming from when Tier would want to talk to him alone, probably to convince him that he needed a harem to help keep his new biological-powerful biological-needs in check. The small smile curving onto Kuroka's full lips was certainly not helping that forming headache to go away either.
"So I figured we could just enter your employ!" The black haired nekoshou said enthusiastically. "That would keep us out of greedy hands like that Furfur moron, and give us a new place to call home."
She paused for a moment to let a sly look slide onto her face, "Besides, Shirone-chan has already made friends with that little redheaded bishop of yours. It's too delicious of an opportunity to pass up to embarrass them with all the future highjinks they might get up to."
Naruto shook his in amusement. Well at least she hadn't-
"And I'm more than willing to help 'warm your bed at night', or even join your peerage in whatever capacity you want me." Kuroka continued with a suggestive wink.
Naruto deadpanned at her. Damn her, she knows exactly what she does to males! Probably able to smell it. But she ought to realize that you never try to prank a prankster!
"Unfortunately for your last suggestion, I have a system in place to choose potential peerage members from other worlds and walks of life." Naruto tried to sound disappointed and sympathetic, he really did, but a smirk formed on his face anyway. "I'm afraid that the only real openings among my staff at the moment are with the maids, and Shirone is too young for me to put her to work like that. You, on the other hand..."
Kuroka got a sinking feeling in her gut, and a worried frown started to form.
"Well, I'll be the first to admit that the maid uniforms here aren't really flattering, but since you asked to become an employee, you'll just have to make do." Naruto smiled gently, as if genuinely happy to help out a poor lost soul... only to spoil the image a moment later when he added, "oh, I do expect all of my employees to get a proper education. So a portion of your wages will be deducted for your, and Shirone's, schooling."
Kuroka gaped in stunned disbelief even as two sets of hands grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her off to get fitted for her new uniform. As soon as the door closed behind the retreating forms of the now three maids, Naruto couldn't hold in a laugh and began guffawing. Surprisingly he was joined by the gentle giggles of Aayla, the husky chuckles of Tier, and even the enthusiastic tittering of little Shirone.
Seemed like everyone got a good laugh out of seeing Kuroka's dumbstruck expression.
XxXxXxXx
Naruto was once again in an office, but this time it wasn't his. This office belonged to the captain of the local town's Guard, or police as it was more commonly referred to. The captain was a man of indeterminate years, being a devil does have it perks, with dark eyes and white streaks in his otherwise close-cropped black hair. He wore his dark grey uniform with the air of a man long accustomed to his authority, and took it seriously. A true veteran, the kind of man one instantly trusts and respects simply because you know he won't leave you behind.
With him Naruto had brought Aayla and Pyrrha as his guards, partly because Demiurge and Albedo insisted he have some kind of protection, and partly because it would help Pyrrha in her adjusting to being not only in a new world but a devil.
Sitting back in his chair Naruto asked, "So, Captain Kirahe(2), I don't suppose Kurama was able to get anything coherent from our little bird?"
The captain snorted, "coherent? Damn near got the bugger's life story from conception on!" He shook his head in what Naruto could only assume was a kind of awed amusement, "I don't suppose I could borrow Kurama from you on occasion? That fox of yours almost made me wet myself!"
Pyrrha cocked her head inquisitively, "Kurama? I don't think I've met that one yet."
Kirahe raised an eyebrow at the girl, then glanced at Naruto who nodded. Ah, new devil, they all went through a questioning phase. She'd get over it eventually.
Naruto smiled and chuckled, "I'm sure he could be persuaded to assist you with some of the harder cases, and Pyrrha, you aren't going to meet Kurama until you stop jumping at things. But I'm mostly interested in what our bird had to say about that little insurrection attempt."
Kirahe frowned as Pyrrha fought back a pout, "about that, apparently he was paid to make the attempt. A rather pathetic amount at that. Honestly, if someone was to try and get me to do that kind of job I'd hold out for no less than ten times what he was paid, and I'd want that as the down payment instead of the full sum."
Naruto's expression deepened in thought, "Dare I hope that he gave up the name of his employer?"
The captain was shaking his head before the question was done, but not in denial. "Damnedest thing, sir, but the birdbrain actually volunteered that information. Seems he was led to believe the job would be easy, and that you were a, and I quote, 'upstart of a fool with no idea what you are talking about', end quote."
The young man's eyes widened a little, and he deadpanned, "Oh, you have got to be kidding me."
Kirahe shook his head, "Unfortunately, young Master, I'm not. Does the name Riser Phenex ring a bell?"
Naruto's hand met his face in a gesture as old as human stupidity. "What is that jackass thinking? I could have sworn he had learned his lesson about pissing me off," he grimaced as his hand dropped onto the armrest. "Apparently I overestimated his intelligence."
"Um, who is this Riser?" Pyrrha asked hesitantly, not sure if she really wanted the answer.
Naruto glanced at her, "I'm surprised Rias didn't tell you about it at that little slumber party last night. The incident involved her a fair amount after all."
Pyrrha mutely shook her head, partly because Rias hadn't said anything of the sort, and to focus past the aforementioned party. That party wouldn't have been so bad in her opinion, if not for the fact that she had no idea what was going on at the time. The younger redhead had been practically everywhere, braiding hair, choosing cute nightclothes for everyone, inviting a few of the maids and a couple of cat-themed girls, braiding hair, painting nails, showing off an obscenely large collection of stuffed toys and animated TV shows, and just generally running circles around them all, all night.
Naruto just shrugged, and went on to explain. "Well the short version is that Riser used to be Rias' fiance, until she joined my peerage. The betrothal agreement between their two families was set for the heir of Gremory and a scion of Phenex. When she joined my peerage, she essentially left her house and position behind, and was then disqualified from participating in the contract. Then Lord and Lady Phenex decided to test me on how much I understood what I had done, and to see if they could get something out of me."
The blonde smirked somewhat evilly, sending a shiver of something- Pyrrha wasn't sure what -up the girl's spine. "I'll admit I played them a little bit there. They brought Riser with them, and I purposely goaded him into screwing over his parent's careful arguments."
"Not that they really seemed to mind very much," Naruto admitted thoughtfully, "but I'm fairly sure that was just to save what face they could."
Kirahe cleared his throat to bring matters back to what was at hand. "Yes, well... whatever their reasons, it appears Riser was punished rather severely for his words and actions. For one thing his peerage was removed from him, what members he had were transferred to other forms of employment with the Phenex."
Naruto whistled lowly, "that's painful, both to his pride and physically. As far as I know the only way to remove a peerage is to remove the King piece, and once bonded that's gonna hurt."
The captain nodded, "so I've heard."
The blonde considered it for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction. "Considering the kind of guy he is, that seems like an appropriate punishment."
"Oh, it didn't end there, young Master," Kirahe said seriously.
Aayla and Naruto raised eyebrows, while Pyrrha played catch-up by looking a file a passing Guard member handed her. Apparently the incidents regarding both Rias' escape from Riser and the subsequent meeting's results were highly popular topics, with a surplus of rumors running around alongside the known facts. Why were the facts known? Simple, Naruto had to submit a copy of his official statement taking Rias in as his Bishop and promoting the new participants of the contract; namely Ravel Phenex and the recently born Millicas Gremory.
"What else happened?"
Kirahe shrugged, "I'm not sure if it's connected, but Riser was disallowed from the family fortune. In other words, unless he either gets a loan or a job, he's flat broke."
Aayla blinked. So his "personal harem" was taken away, and so was his money. Then how is he behind this fallen angel?
Pyrrha looked up from the file she was reading, eyes wide and blinking. From what I've read so far, that's a pretty fair punishment… but why does it feel like I'm still missing something?
Naruto blinked, then smirked. "Well, as unexpected as it may be, that's going to bring some laughs from Rias later. But how was he able to hire… wait, you said 'unless he gets a loan', right?"
Kirahe nodded, a pleased smile on his face. "Indeed. It seems Riser managed to get one of his old friends to lend him the wherewithal to hire our feathered friend."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "did our birdbrain happen to know who the true mastermind is?"
"That's the damnedest thing, both Riser and this other person met with him in person, Riser to convcice him your were a threat to the way of life in the Underworld, and- get this, the man who funded it? Diodora Astaroth."
Naruto dragged one hand down his face in disbelief, "Captain, I'm begging you, tell me that's just a bad joke."
"Wish I could, sir." Kirahe shook his head. "Without a doubt this is the ballsiest, and probably the stupidest, on the incredibly long list of dumb shit he's done."
"Do we even want to know?" Aayla asked warily.
"No."
The twi'lek woman nodded and lapsed into silence, content in the idea that if the man answered that readily then he was probably right and she didn't want to know. Things generally worked out that way. If the person who already knew something says that you don't want to know, then it's a good chance that you don't want to know.
Kirahe gave a look of respect. All too often when someone higher up the food chain was told that they didn't want to know something, they'd force the issue to try and prove their ability to handle it. Only once they knew they usually ended up regretting doing so. He'd seen it happen often, and only the former Lord Gressen had proven him wrong to date.
Naruto just raised his brow again. "I'll get the abbreviated list from you later. Considering that Diodora's still in the position of heir to his House, I may need that knowledge to force some humility down his throat. Even though this is technically an act of war, I'd rather not destabilize the Underworld more than it is."
The captain's respect for his new lord grew. The lad figured he didn't want to know, but realized that he may very well need to know. It wasn't idle curiosity, nor was vainglorious boasting, but rather a simple statement of fact and determination to do as little damage as necessary to get the job done.
Naruto shook his head to clear it of miscellaneous thoughts. "Anything else I need to know?"
Kirahe thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I shouldn't think so."
The young Asmodai nodded in satisfaction, and stood up. His two companions for the trip flanking him as he made his way out.
"I'll expect the summarized report in no more than a week, Captain."
"Yes, sir."
XxXxXxXx
The following day Naruto sent out a written request for an audience with Lord Furfur, simply saying that he had come across some information regarding a former member of the man's House. He received a reply within the day saying:
"The House of Furfur does not recognize any who may or may not have once been members of this House. We do, however, thank the Lord of Asmodai for his assistance in culling this nuisance who dared to claim our name.
"Lord Jakki of Furfur."
"Huh," Naruto muttered softly as he read the letter again. "Hey, Aayla, what do you make of this?"
The twi'lek woman took the page and gave it due consideration. "This is not the kind of response we were expecting. It almost sounds relieved that you killed that young man and saved Lord Furfur the trouble."
Naruto steepled his fingers together on his desk. "That was the impression I got as well. It seems that the former fifth son was well and truly snubbed by his family."
"To the point they consider it a relief that you killed him. I have to wonder what kind of antics he was up to for this kind of response?"
Naruto made a disgusted face, "I don't think we really want to know."
"Probably not," she agreed, "but it would shed some light on things even devils find reprehensible."
"True." He admitted, "it's probably a short list, but true."
He read the reply again, then sighed and put it away in his desk with a shake of his head. "On a lighter topic," Naruto said teasingly, "how was that Girl's Night with Rias and whoever she could dragoon into it?"
Aayla made a face, one with enough nuances that Naruto stopped trying to read it beyond amusement. "It was certainly... interesting. She tried to braid my lekku... had to tell her that they aren't my people's version of hair."
She glanced at her master, "did you know that? These tendrils on a twi'lek are actually much like an animal's tail in that they are extremely sensitive to touch and the elements. Most Twi'lek keep them covered in some form, like this headpiece of mine."
Naruto had a thoughtful expression. I wonder if that means the sensitivity is near that of the nipple... not gonna ask. Might get pounded, or lightsabered.
Instead of voicing his thoughts he said, "I just thought that was part of your personal fashion statement."
"Well, you aren't wrong," she admitted.
"Anything else of interest? I noticed that both you and Pyrrha have been sporting a new paint job on your nails."
Aayla grimaced and glanced at the bright pink and white swirls adorning her fingernails. "I don't know why, but it won't come off. It's been a couple days, and it's still there as bright as ever..."
She stopped as she saw a wary look cross Naruto's face. "What? What is it, Master?"
He rubbed his forehead, "That paint... did Rias perhaps apply a strange unscented clear polish to it from a strangely marked white bottle?"
Aayla blinked and thought back. "Well, yes. But what-?""
Naruto held up a hand, "I do believe that she is starting to try out my old pranking habits. That bottle probably contained an old concoction of mine that was made to mess with my old teacher one day."
Aayla blinked. She thought about it. She nodded decisively. Then she held a glowing blue blade of force-field-bound-plasma to his throat and asked in a false pleasant voice, "And how do we get rid of it, Master?"
He eyed the blade nervously, "Well there are two methods. First off, you could wait a month, it will wear off about then."
She considered that for a moment. So it wasn't meant to be permanent. Like he had said, it was probably from his old pranking days, though how Rias got a hold of it and knew what it was was anyone's guess.
"Too long," she finally decided. That night had brought many of Naruto's female companions closer as friends, and she had seen a kind of sisterly bonding between Rias and Pyrrha, but Aayla didn't really want to keep these horribly tacky nails for an entire month.
Naruto leaned a little back from the overly warm feeling of the lightsaber blade. "Alternatively, you could douse it in a mixture of warm lemon water and rock salt for about ten minutes. Should break it up enough to get rid of it."
Aayla looked startled as she lowered her weapon. "That's it? That's all it takes? I was expecting something more… elaborate."
Her king chuckled and leaned back into his chair. "I mentioned it was a prank, right? Well the prank in question was designed in three layers, or steps if you will. Step One: shave, paint, and coat the offending teacher's head in a bright pastel of colors. Step Two: sit back and revel in his humiliation as the entirety of the village laughed at him. Step Three: Watch in sweet satisfaction as he lost his mind trying to get rid of it without knowing how simple the removal process really was."
Naruto's look turned innocently thoughtful, "as I recall, that particular teacher retired to the Fire Temple monastery and became fairly well known for his sense of humor."
His Knight just looked at him with an indecipherable expression. She just stared at him, obviously struggling internally with something.
"I can't make up my mind whether to think you brilliant, insane, funny, or horrifying evil right now." Aayla finally admitted, "and I'm going to drop it in favor of getting rid of this horrendous paint job. All for the sake of what sanity I have left."
Naruto just smiled benignly as she beat a hasty retreat. After the door closed, he chuckled to himself.
"Oh, don't worry, Aayla. Eventually you'll either join the madness or try to kill me. I actually look forward to which one you choose."
In the hallway, Aayla's fleeing steps were hounded by a maniacal laugh that sent shivers up her spine. She was going to tell the others how to get the stuff off their hands, possibly making it a group task, and then she was going to hide for awhile.
Probably under her bed.
It might not be any safer, but it should make her feel slightly better.
XxXxXxXx
Konan sat comfortably in a couch across from her fellow mother-to-be, Yugao, in the room they shared when they first arrived. While Yugao had taken to switching between sharing Naruto's bed at night and her own, Konan had simply decided that, though Naruto was a nice enough kid, waking up next to a young man that was of an age to her own son was slightly uncomfortable, and thus she had just taken up residence in their original room.
"So, what did you want to talk about, Konan?" Yugao asked, curiosity getting the better of her. She had known the blue haired woman for a little more than four months now, and had discovered an uncommon strain of actual common sense and logic. Yugao wasn't sure if she'd call the other woman a friend yet, but she would certainly give her the respect due a comrade.
"I'm wondering what you intend to do after giving birth," Konan said seriously. "I understand that you will naturally wish to raise the children, but what of your decision in regards to forming a true relationship with Naruto?"
Yugao frowned, this was a topic she had been thinking about off and on since they woke up after the unintentional drugging incident. Should she really pursue something with Naruto, or slowly break off? She knew that she still loved her former lover, a former Konoha jonin named Gekko Hayate, but could she bring herself to love another man?
"Honestly, I don't really see myself in any sort of meaningful relationship with him," she admitted quietly. "Naruto is a good man, and a better lover, but he's also ten years my junior, and my recognized leader. There are conflicts that are bound to occur with all of that on the same plate."
Konan nodded, feeling very pleased with her compatriot. The purple haired woman was no fool, she couldn't be to get into Anbu at the young age she did. Konan had seen the potential problems involved with trying to form a romantic relationship with Naruto, both the ones Yugao had mentioned and others beside. The biggest one being that none of their children should be seen as eligible for the throne of Asmodai. As humans, or half-human in her own case, their children would likewise be human, but more than that both she and Yugao felt as though they should be subservient to Naruto due to their own reasons.
While Konan didn't exactly know Yugao's reasons, she suspected the former Anbu was still bound by Konoha regulations in some way and probably saw Naruto as the new Hokage, which put the swordswoman firmly in his service as a tool for assassinating his enemies and protecting his life above her own. That would easily put paid to any potential romance between the two of them as Konan could easily see that Naruto was the type of man who would die happy if he did so in the protection of those he cared about.
The blue haired woman nodded. "I'm in something of the same boat. I'm not of Konoha, and was originally part of a group dedicated to the destruction of mankind, but in my own way I, too, have sworn an oath of loyalty to him. On top of that, he now has the blood of a powerful devil clan dominant in his body, which will undoubtedly cause him to outlive the both of us."
Yugao was able to read between the lines fairly easily. "And neither of us really feels like becoming devils, even for the prolonged life."
Konan nodded again. "Indeed. I suppose that you'll eventually fade back from being his bedmate into something more like the Anbu again? His personal kunoichi willing to do his bidding while offering your own brand of friendship outside of your duty?"
Yugao thought about it. That did sound like what had been knocking around in her head. After a few minutes of thought, Yugao just shrugged.
"Sounds about right."
Konan just nodded once more, "my own plans are currently somewhat similar. However, instead of becoming his personal assassin I felt that seguing into more of an adviser position would be best for me. Despite the fact that I was an S-ranked threat back in the Nations, I was never really comfortable with fighting on command. But since this would leave me here so much, I figured I would extend an offer to you."
Yugao her eyebrows rise, "what sort of offer?"
"Since I'll be here so much, I thought I might act as a kind of nursemaid for both of our children." Konan said somewhat hesitantly. "I do have the actual qualifications for it, and you'll need an extra set of hands that aren't also wearing a maid outfit if you truly intend to get back out there as an active kunoichi. You'll need the time I can give you to also keep yourself in fighting trim once the babes are born."
Yugao leaned back into her couch, crossed her arms between her distended belly and her bust, and assumed a contemplative look. She examined the offer from every side. Konan was right in saying that she'd need more time than a new mother would otherwise have, but there was also the fact that the other woman would have the chance to form a stronger bond with Yugao's children than she herself might have.
These and more rushed through Yugao's head before she finally came to a decision. Making eye contact with her fellow woman, Yugao said two simple words.
"I accept."
XxXxXxXx – Ending Notes
Alright, a Guest reviewer made a comment about the Familiars, and how Rias already had her bat before Naruto and his group went in the Familiar Forest to get their own Familiars. I will clear this up: Rias had a bat, yes. Now she has TWO, one normal magical bat, and one Devil Bat. What are the differences? Not much, really, save for some aesthetics, and the Devil Bat can turn into weapons for her to use if she needs to. Neither one really needs much power to form a contract with, which is partly why I gave it to her... plus it's kinda cute, and was in keeping with the theme of getting her to stay in touch with the fact she is still a child. I borrowed the Devil Bat from Rosario+Vampire, which is something else I obviously do not own.
1- Ja Vul! Mein Commendant:... okay, my spelling may not be spot on with this, but near as I can tell this is a German phrase meaning "By God, My Commandant!" Partially an ode to one of my favorite shows growing up, and perhaps my favorite character in it. Where would Yugao have learned a German phrase? The same place I did of course.
2- Captain Kirahe: A small ode to one of the lesser-known characters in the Mass Effect series, Major Kirahe of the STG. I figured his basic personality and work ethic would do well as the captain of the guard.
Current Peerage (and Familiars):
King: Naruto Asmodai (Kurama)
Queen: Tier Harribel (Undine)
Bishop: Rias Gremory (Magical Bat, Devil Bat)
Knight: Aayla Secura (Gryphon)
Pawn: Pyrrha Nikos (Undecided)
Whoo~! Okay, I'll admit it right now: neither Konan nor Yugao are actually going to be in the harem. They were saved because I liked them, and then used to keep the Uzumaki blood flowing to the next generation of human children. I don't honestly care if you don't like it, it's done commonly enough even in our world *cough*royalty*cough*.
Secondly, yes, Pyrrha's eventual Familiar is currently undecided. I will take suggestions, as long as you people don't go overboard about them. Try and think of something complimentary please.
~Dreaming of the Phoenix