AN: I seem to have lost my betas, one to not answering me, and the other to not feeling up to it. So let's see how well I do on my own... of course, if you wish to volunteer, feel free to pm me.
Disclaimer: see chapter 01.
Chapter 15: Adjustments Pt9, A Duel, And a.. What? Pawn, we're going with Pawn.
The twenty-nine year old, recently reincarnated, Fu-Ma kunoichi was putting her new body through its paces in a private training facility a week after waking up to discover her new situation. Well, Taki called it private, but it was owned by her new 'husband', who was also her new master.
She growled at the thought of being owned, like a dog, and put a bit more force into her movements in an effort to vent her frustration. The poor dummy she was venting on never stood a chance as it was systematically demolished. Wood was a tough material, but it was no match for an irate woman who now had physical strength that easily surpassed most of humanity. One last crash from having its head caught between her ankles and twisted into the ground finished the dummy off in a rather spectacular display of acrobatic movement.
"Well, I can safely say that I'm glad that wasn't me," a voice sad from behind her, causing Taki to whirl around aggressively. She stopped herself from attacking, though, when she realized there wasn't any actual threat.
Standing there was a teen girl on the very cusp of true womanhood, with long hair so red it resembled fresh-spilled blood, wearing an outfit that put Taki in mind of her old friend Sophitia. It just had that ancient Greek feel to it. Though the kunoichi remembered being introduced to this girl during her convalescence over the past week, she hadn't really made any attempt to get to know her new "comrades."
"...Pyrrha, right?" Taki asked.
"That's me," Pyrrha replied cheerfully.
Taki started a few cool down exercises, she'd put a little too much effort into that last one. "Tell me something, Pyrrha-san..."
The redhead looked over to the raven-haired kunoichi curiously, "Yes?"
"How did Naruto manage to convince you to join his group?"
"Do you mean the peerage, or his harem?"
"Both."
"Well, the harem was Tier's idea actually," Pyrrha admitted with a shrug. "I was just the first person she approached with it. I was already falling hard for him, so I didn't mind too much..."
She paused for a moment, then frowned. "Okay, that's a blatant lie, I minded a great deal. I just couldn't refute Tier's arguments and wound up agreeing to the idea, under the consideration that I could take my time in choosing whether or not I ever actually had sex with him."
"...And have you had sex with him?" Taki asked the younger woman.
"Nope," Pyrrha replied cheerfully. "I share a bed with him, and a number of kisses and hugs, but the most intimate I've been with him is being naked with him in the bath."
Taki wasn't really sure how to respond to that. Her clan had very firm views about a man and a woman seeing each other naked, before or after marriage. The idea of being so blatantly casual was... awkward. Obviously she would have to readjust her thinking now that she herself was a devil, but she had to wonder just how much of her traditions she'd have to let go of.
"What about joining his 'peerage'?" If she didn't know how to respond, she'd just skip it.
"Well, I was kinda dead at the time," Pyrrha started only for Taki to interrupt.
"You were dead?! At least I was dying! Does he have no respect for the boundaries of life and death?"
Pyrrha frowned heavily. "I said 'kinda', I wasn't quite dead yet. My soul was floating in an 'in-between' space, neither alive nor dead. Naruto came to me there, and talked with me, explaining everything he knew, and it was there that I felt the first stirrings of my feelings for him."
Taki filed away the kind and happy smile the girl had when she said that for a later time. "An in-between space?"
"Apparently it is a place where souls go when my realm's death god wasn't sure what to do with the recently deceased. Mostly if you died before your 'destined time'." Pyrrha said with air quotes.
Taki blinked. "...I don't know what to say to that," she admitted.
Pyrrha laughed, "yeah, I didn't either, but I'm glad I ended up there."
"Why? Why would you be glad to end up in place like that?" Taki demanded incredulously.
"Because I met Naruto," Pyrrha replied simply. Seeing an expression of disbelief settle on the other woman's features, she explained with a gentle smile, "Taki, I know it sounds weird, but I wouldn't give this all up even if I could. I'm seeing so much more than I would have if I'd stayed in my world. So many wonders, just look at my armour for an example; orichalcum and wyvern hide? Both the metal and the creature are nothing but myth to my home world, yet here I am wearing those very things. And the knowledge! The sciences that they've managed, especially those combined with their magics, are nothing short of remarkable."
Pyrrha paused for a moment, and stole a look out the doors, her smile changing from gentle to one Taki had last seen on her friend Sophitia. It was the look of a woman in love, and content with her lot in life. Sophitia had worn it when she tried to explain to her just how she felt about being both a wife and a mother.
"And there's a man I know I can trust with my very soul, Taki," Pyrrha continued a moment later, making eye contact once more. "Not just my body, which he has not taken unwanted advances on; not just my heart, which he has without question; not even just my mind, which lies in awe of him and his dedication to his friends and his word. My very soul cries out for him, as one piece of a puzzle to another. His simple presence fills me with confidence, and his praise means more to me than all of the accolades I ever achieved in my human life."
"I'm not trying to convince you to give up your animosity," Pyrrha said as she saw Taki expression shift again, this time to a wary acceptance. "I don't have that right. While our situations were relatively similar, our cultures and beliefs are obviously different. I have come to love him, I have come to understand that his heart is too great in size for just one woman to hold all of it, and I am happy to have provided a piece to completing his shattered soul."
"Shattered soul?" Taki asked in disbelief, "He's a devil!"
Pyrrha's stare turned dangerous and pinned the woman on the spot. "Yes, he is a devil, but before that he was a man. That man had his home, the buildings and people of it, destroyed by a madman. He returned to an empty crater where his village and loved ones had been. The only survivor was Yugao, who now carries the last of his human blood in the form of the children growing in her womb. Make no mistake, the destruction of his home shattered him. He is just that good of an actor that you do not see it."
She stopped for a moment, her eyes narrowing then widening in realization. "No, it's not that you don't see it, you don't want to. You're afraid that if you were to try and see past his facade, you would sympathize with him. You're afraid to look too deep, just in case you were to find out that your perceptions are wrong."
"I'm not afraid!" Taki snapped.
Pyrrha gave her an understanding look, "I get it, I do. You were human, you were dying, and you had made peace with that. Then you awoke here, and were told that you had a new chance at living. It must have felt incredibly insulting to you, having accepted that death would possibly be your only reward for your completed task, only to have even that ripped away at the last moment seemingly at the whim of an arrogant young man."
"What right did he have?" Taki demanded hotly. "I would have been content to die for my goals, and he rips that determination away from me because he wanted to? And now, because he's seen my naked body my own clan's traditions are being used against me."
Pyrrha waited patiently, then asked, "Do you know what he's doing right now?"
Taki snorted, "probably getting the bed ready for me to join his harem."
Pyrrha shook her head, "For such a smart woman, you are being so purposely dense it's amazing. He's not in the bedroom, he's in the library." She gave the surprised woman a hard stare, "Looking for a way to help you out of your tradition's demand."
Taki looked thunderstruck. "Why would he do that?" She asked weakly.
"Because he does not wish to trample upon the free will of others," Pyrrha replied softly, "not even those who are labelled as his servants."
Taki shook her head in wonder, and a bit of denial. "I don't understand him, am I not pleasing to the eye?"
Pyrrha looked at her as though she'd lost her marbles. "I'm going to say this once, Taki, and considering that this is coming from a straight female you might not want to doubt me, but you are incredibly beautiful, and could possibly make a dead man cum."
Taki blinked at the blunt statement, thought it over, then asked, "Then why is he looking for a way out?"
"He is doing it for you," Pyrrha replied easily, shifting her position to begin her own series of practice routines. "He sees how uncomfortable you are with the situation and is trying to help you."
"But why?" Taki sounded honestly confused, and Pyrrha gave her a sympathetic look.
"Because that's part of the man he is."
Taki backed off a ways as Pyrrha started her routine. The kunoichi's mind was running in circles as she finally allowed herself to stop reacting to fact that she was surrounded by devils, and looked objectively at her interactions with Naruto over the past few days. She winced slightly at some of the biting comments she had made, and realized that every time they had spoken he was being sincere in his efforts to reach out to her. He was trying, for her sake, but she wasn't even remotely doing the same. It brought her shame to realize her actions were more than uncalled for.
He saved my life, Taki thought to herself as her resentment began to fade. He didn't have to. He could have left me there to die in the mud and rain, but he saved me. And even now, when I've been such a horrible person to him he is still trying to save me. This time from myself and my clan's traditions, but he can't. Not this time. I told him already the only method my clan allowed to get out of it was for me to kill him...
"Pyrrha," Taki began, stopping the redhead in her movements. "The harem of women, was it really not his idea?"
The teen looked at her and nodded. "It was Tier's idea, and I was the first she approached with it. Together we decided that only the women involved with Naruto already could allow any more, and we put strict regulations on our criteria."
"What of that ice-wielder, Akitsu?"
"Her species actually requires love and affection for them to grow and function."
Taki blinked again, "seriously?"
Pyrrha nodded and eased out of her stance. Holding that pose was difficult at the best of times, trying to hold it and keep up a conversation as well was not something she wanted to bother trying. "Surprised the rest of us, too. But I've looked back on her world through a special mirror, and I've seen the truth with my own eyes. It's really rather remarkable, and very sad as well."
Taki nodded, she didn't doubt the girl's words. "And what of that girl in white? The blonde one with the Holy Sword?"
That particular woman had been as cordial to Taki over the past week as Taki had been to Naruto. In short, polite just a few degrees off from frost forming. It was clear to Taki that the white-themed knight held Naruto in some kind of greater esteem, and was possibly infatuated with him. Given that it made sense why the knight would be so cold to her, but was she a part of that harem?
"You mean Lily?" Receiving a nod, Pyrrha said, "She's not part of the harem, but with what I've seen that's only going to be a matter of time. When she tries for a position the rest of us will get together and see if we are in agreement on letting her join."
"What about me? The tradition of my clan precludes your agreement."
Pyrrha just gave Taki a hard stare for a moment. "If you weren't opposed to being his woman, his wife for all intents and purposes, then your tradition would not be much of an issue."
"I see," the kunoichi said quietly as Pyrrha returned to her routine from the beginning. Taki's mind was a whirlwind of information, and a strange sense of anticipation.
Taki straightened her back and left the room quietly. She had an idea on how to make things right with the person who saved her life and gave her a new one. He was willing to give her a shot, the least she could do was return the favour.
Besides, there was one other way to deal with her clan tradition. She just hadn't remembered it earlier in her indignation.
Oopsies.
XxXxXxXx
"The Asmodai family possesses a unique ability," Naruto said to his two new siblings deep within a hidden space beneath the manor. "It is commonly referred to as The Power of Domination."
Temari gave a short laugh, "sounds like it'll make me a dominatrix."
Gaara stayed silent, but Naruto could easily see the redhead's agreement. "Yes, well, it takes a different shape in each wielder. I have the Domination of Time, just as one example."
Temari's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "TIME?!"
Naruto shrugged, a small smile of satisfaction playing on his lips. "Yeah, still learning to control it, but the base factor is finding out what you need. I needed enough time to learn everything I possibly could, so my power awakened under that premise. What yours will be is... well, it's up to your personal needs."
"That seems remarkably convenient," Gaara stated quietly.
"It is a bit," Naruto agreed.
"So?" Temari demanded impatiently, "how do we go about this?"
"It's really quite simple," Naruto explained. "Much like first accessing your chakra, meditate and reach deep within you for a power you don't recognize, and guide it to the surface. I highly recommend not forcing it."
"Why?"
"Well, speaking from experience, the power is much like a child that just wants to play. Whether that was just mine or not, I have no idea, but letting it flow has worked for both myself and Rias, so I would assume it will for you as well."
"Rias?"
"The youngest redhead in my peerage," Naruto said helpfully.
"I know who she is, Naruto," Temari replied in exasperation. "I wanted to know what she has to do with this."
"Ah," he replied. "Rias' mother is from the Bael family. They possess an ability called the Power of Destruction, which Rias inherited. I've had a few training sessions with her and found that our Powers reacted similar."
"I see," Temari muttered as she sat down beside Gaara who looked to already be in deep meditation. "Jerk, how dare he get ahead of me?"
Naruto just smirked and left the room. He'd given them the only advise he could, now it was up to them. And though he was curious as to who would awaken their power first, and just what it would be, it was something he felt would be deeply personal. It was how he'd felt about his own, and he wouldn't take that away from them.
He was making his way through the main foyer when he came across Taki, who was leaning against a wall. He noticed her head was down, her face hidden by her hair. It was quite the nice profile image, but he had no wish to linger where he wasn't welcome. Yet as he went to pass her, she put a hand on his shoulder.
Naruto stopped. It wasn't a strong grip or anything like that, more tentative, as if she was uncertain how he would respond. He looked at her and saw a troubled expression.
"I know you've been avoiding me," Taki said softly. "And according to Pyrrha it's been for my benefit. I... I don't really know what to think right now, but the fact remains you saved my life back then." He watched as she licked nervously at her lips, but he stayed quiet, no doubt she had more to say. "I- I know I behaved badly this past week, so... as an olive branch, I'll tell you the only other way out of my clan's tradition."
Naruto couldn't have been more shocked if she'd said that ramen was just soup with noodles. He blinked rapidly and shook his head to clear his surprise. He gave the woman a deadpan look and said, "well, now that you just gave me the closest thing I've had to heart attack, what might this option be?"
Taki giggled a little uncomfortably, "It's like this..."
XxXxXxXx
Naruto stood across a large circle from Taki an hour later. "Is this really the only other way?"
Taki nodded, "yes. A simple, non-lethal duel. I win, and the tradition can be overturned. But you cannot let me win."
"And if I win?" He asked, giving his double-bladed sword a couple of test wings.
Taki shrugged, "then I submit and we go from there."
On the sidelines several people watched with amusement. Shizuka, formerly of Nadeshiko Village, more so than others. This was very similar to her old village's laws on marriage. Only in those cases no matter what happened the man was screwed; either figuratively or literally. She did find it odd, though, that Naruto would willingly allow this woman's traditions but not her own... maybe it was due to the fact that Taki's laws were flexible, whereas Shizuka's weren't?
Yeah, that's probably got a lot to do with it. The Nadeshiko girl thought to herself as she stood alongside Terumi Mei and former Shogun Mifune.
Aside from her and a number of other refugees were the Gremory family, Zeoticus and Venelana standing on either side of their daughter during their first visit. Rias had been staying in contact with her parents and elder brother through letters and other methods, but she would readily admit that she had missed the closeness of her family... though she could do without her brother's over exuberant replies. Thank all the gods for Grayfia to keep the man in line!
To top it off there were multiple members from both Gressen's peerage and Naruto's own. Gressen's group were to be evaluators, while Naruto's were there just to see their master in combat that wasn't training.
Naruto frowned, "when you say 'submit', do you mean...?"
"I quit trying to get away from you, and instead we focus on making things work." Taki said firmly. "I am no man's slave. Whether you are my Husband, my Master, or whatever."
Naruto chuckled and settled himself into his opening stance, "well, as a husband I wouldn't want you to be submissive, but as your King I will expect a certain amount of diffidence. I can't exactly allow my servants to run roughshod over me."
Taki nodded as she entered her own stance, one blade drawn. "That would be acceptable."
Naruto grinned in a rather predatory fashion, "well then, shall we begin?"
Albedo stood to one side, hand raised. "I am Albedo, and I will be the judge of this duel! This is a non-lethal, one-on-one match between Naruto Asmodai and Taki of the Fu-Ma. The rules are simple, no killing blows, otherwise all skills are welcome. The duel will end when one of the contestants is unable to continue. Should I say the match is finished, it is finished. Are these rules clear?"
"Clear," Naruto said.
"Clear," Taki replied.
Albedo's hand chopped down, "Begin!"
The two combatants met in the centre of the circle, weapons locked momentarily. Taki was testing Naruto's physical strength, and Naruto was fully willing to play her game. This duel was the most interesting thing to happen in the past week.
Yes, he was that bored.
With a hard shove, Naruto disengaged the locked weapons, proving himself the physical superior in strength. This wasn't outside of Taki expectations, as she knew she was hardly designed for overpowering her opponents through brute force. It was well within her calculations for him to best her in that regard. So she switched gears to her preference: acrobatics. Taki knew her strength relied greatly on her flexibility and dexterity.
However, she found that he was keeping up with her. She jumped, dodged, twisted, and pulled movements that would make most contortionists green with envy, but he kept right in rhythm with her. Some of his movements seemed a little strained, but over all there wasn't nearly as large a gap as she might have hoped for.
They broke apart to opposite sides and collected their breaths for the next round.
Naruto's grin hadn't faltered, "surprised, Taki? Remember that I wasn't always a pencil-pushing noble."
"Then what were you?" She asked, intrigued despite herself.
"The same as you, a shinobi."
Her eyes widened in shock, and she barely managed to get her guard up in time to block his next set of attacks. His swings were wide as such a long weapon necessitated, but they were swift and flowed together smoothly. Taki found herself likening his sword style to that of a staff, the footwork he used only emphasizing that impression. She had faced many who used pole weapons such as the spear, glaive, and even the staff itself, but few flowed like this young man.
Taki winced as she dodged yet another strike, but this time it connected in a glancing blow. Without looking down she assessed the damage. A minor cut along her upper left arm, shallow, wouldn't necessarily hinder her immediately, but it would limit her range of movement with that arm.
"Go ahead and bind that injury, Taki." Naruto said, surprising her yet again. "I'll wait."
Taki cautiously tore a small strip from the forearm covering of her bodysuit, "That's not very shinobi-like, giving your opponent a chance to help themselves."
He shrugged minimally, never losing his own guard. "I've been told something similar often enough, but this isn't to the death. If it were, you're right, I wouldn't have given you the option. I'd have forced my advantage and taken you down."
Taki tied off the ends of her bandage, and slowly drew her second kodachi. She didn't like using Mekki-Maru too much, even if Soul Edge has been destroyed she was leery of the weapon. Her favourite ninjato, Rekki-Maru,(1) wasn't weak by any means, not anymore at least, but it was obvious to her that she wouldn't win this without using both her swords.
...Though I may need to reforge Rekki-Maru after this. She admitted silently as she saw several large nicks in her blade. What the hell is that sword of his made of?
"Blued steel," his voice interrupted her thoughts.
"What?"
"My sword, it's simple blued steel. Harder and will keep an edge better than ordinary steel, but still steel." Naruto shrugged, "it's a common question, and I've gotten used to answering it."
Taki eyed his sword dubiously, "I think there may be more to it than that."
"Probably," he laughed. "I'll be the first to admit that I know jack about identifying metals, but the smiths I've brought it to have all said the same thing: 'maybe something special, maybe not. Good luck figuring it out, boy.'"
Taki snorted. Typical blacksmiths. If they don't make it, they don't brag about it. Even then, any craftsman is never truly satisfied with their work, always finding flaws that no one else would bother noting.
"Well, shall we get back to it?" Naruto suggested, his knees flexing.
"Let's." Taki burst forward, and once more the sound of steel on steel rang. The onlookers watched a dance of steel and blood, where the slightest incorrect move would likely have dire consequences.
Cocytus, as the nominal judge of martial weaponry and bladework, studied the effects of the bout. Without a doubt, Naruto was holding his own well. That spoke volumes about how much experience he had packed into his short training trip with his former teacher. To match a seasoned kunoichi like Taki in pure weapons work was no small feat. Especially when the double-blade put Naruto at a slight disadvantage against the two-sword style Taki used.(2) Unless something was done soon to tip the balances, Cocytus saw the match ending one of two ways: either Naruto would outlast Taki, or Taki would land an unintentionally lethal blow.
Naruto saw this, too, and recalled that all skills were allowed. As a shinobi he would take his skills to task, and give his opponent his all. He'd allowed her to bandage her arm earlier simply because he felt like it, now all bets were off as he began to stream his wind-natured energy into his sword. The effects were immediate in the fact that he nearly sheared through Rekki-Maru.
As they separated once more, both using the opportunity to regain their breath, Taki studied the new damage to her weapon and frowned heavily. That was not something she had expected. Rekki-Maru was weakened, yes, but it shouldn't be that bad off.
She looked up at him and asked, "What was that?"
Naruto grinned, "Where I come from shinobi each have a natural elemental affinity. Mine just so happens to be Wind, which is able to add to my weapon's cutting power." He frowned, "well, I have a minor affinity for Yin, but I haven't really delved into that."
"Why not?" A shinobi should be ready to use every weapon at their disposal. Having an affinity and not using it seemed like such a waste.
"Yin's primarily used for illusions, and I suck at those." He said evenly. "The best I've got there is the Henge no Jutsu. Which, while awesome, has limited uses."
"I see," Taki mused. And indeed she did. Limited use made for something that was reliable in only certain situations or under incredibly specific circumstances.
"I have some other ideas, but honestly those are projects for another date."
Taki's expression went from curious to serious. "I think it's time we end this."
"I suppose we must," Naruto agreed.
In a flash of golden light Taki found herself bound with metal wire, on her back on the ground, and the tip of Naruto's sword at her throat. Naruto looked down at her with a pained grin.
"Okay, note to self: excessive movement while holding Time hurts." Naruto grunted.
Taki's eyes widened in realization. "You stopped Time to bind me."
"Any and all skills that are non-lethal," Naruto reminded her. "It would be insulting to you and your skills if I were to hold back, especially at the end."
"When did you realize it?"
"Realize what?"
"That this duel was a test," she said calmly. "A test of your worth to be not just my husband, but my lord."
"Oh, that," Naruto grinned, "Around the point where your weapon was badly damaged but you wouldn't quit. It had to be more than just stubborn pride or a sticking to clan tradition."
Taki rested her head against the ground, closing her eyes with a sigh of surprising contentment. "I give up, Naruto-kun. You win. Now, would you mind untying me?"
Albedo threw up her arm, "Winner! Naruto Asmodai!"
He grinned down at the trapped kunoichi, "I dunno, Taki-chan, I kinda like this look for you."
Taki felt a heavy blush settle on her cheeks and was glad for her face guard... Wait, I wasn't wearing it...
Naruto's devilish grin didn't help her rising redness.
Though he did unbind her after a moment longer. He would swear up and down that he wasn't trying to memorize the sight...
XxXxXxXx
A few weeks after the duel, Naruto was taking a rare moment to relax in the Mirror room with Kurama. Idly running a hand through the fox's luscious fur and earning content sounds from the lightly dozing vulpine, Naruto let his mind wander over the improvements of the past week.
True to her word, Taki had ceased all forms of antagonism and was actively helping him make not only their situation work, but also had seemingly taken to her new "duties" of helping humans who summoned her quite well. She even willingly joined him and her new "harem sisters" in bed at night, and much like Pyrrha it seemed that Taki enjoyed wearing sheer nightgowns to tease him. As if her usual battle outfit of that skin-tight and form-fitting red bodysuit wasn't bad enough!
Oh, who am I kidding? Both the bodysuit and the nightgowns look real good on her, and I'll admit that I like seeing her in them. At least her casual style is blouse and jeans, while they show off her figure well... okay, walking wet dream, but at least it's conservative enough that I don't have to bang Tier and Akitsu every few minutes!
... Seriously, when will these damned hormones level out?!
A few more weeks and he'd be taking Taki, Akitsu, and Lily to get their first Familiars. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious at just what those three would come back with. It was slightly irritating that he couldn't just go into the Familiar Forest, but it was considered sacrosanct by devil-kind so he'd just have to put up with making appointments with that stupid Familiar Master. Seriously, did that guy just not bother to grow up?
Probably not, Naruto thought sourly.
Mifune and his remaining samurai had taken to guarding the mansion or joining the local police forces. There weren't very many of them, only a few dozen or so, but they said it felt more familiar to them. Thus the samurai swore oaths of service and got to work. And damn did they do good work, Captain Kirahe was overjoyed with the new members and their skill sets. As both the Guard and the police ultimately answered to the Asmodai family in this area, it posed no issues which force the samurai joined up with.
The civilians of the refugees were slowly either joining the maids and other servants or filtering into local towns to begin new lives. The ones who joined the servants felt it was the easiest way to repay the man who had saved them from what they viewed as inevitable destruction. Whereas the ones going into the towns wanted something a bit more normal to them, and felt that since they would likely be paying taxes, that that would do well enough to repay their debt.
Though... when he decided to set up the possibility of branching into movie development, and to promote Koyuki as his main actress, he hadn't quite expected it to rocket off like it had. A few members of the samurai that were originally from Haru no Kuni had taken up the job of being her personal guards, and they were more than adequate to the task in a world where chakra enhancement techniques were a fair bit overpowered.
Shizuka, Mei, and the rest of the shinobi, however... they didn't really want to give up their way of life, and assembled a conference with Yugao and Konan. This conference did just as Naruto had feared and birthed a new Hidden Village. So to speak. They just called themselves Yosokage(3) Clan and swore to defend Naruto and his progeny. Though each member had kept their individual family name, but counted themselves as part of the over-arching title of Yosokage Clan member, which is what allowed him to liken it to a village. Right now they were practically locked in his library learning about the traditions of devils and the nearby human realm.
A heavy sigh escaped Naruto, his hand pausing on top of Kurama's back as yet another thought popped up. "You know, Kurama, I have to wonder why it is that none of my peerage so far is male."
Kurama snorted, and opened one red eye to stare up at his partner. "Because you went looking for intelligence, loyalty, and fully capable of defending themselves and/or others. Most males will have two of those at most, and you know it. Not to mention that a certain level of despair was encoded into the selection process, and dying women tend to have more of that than dying men."
Naruto's eye began to twitch, "That can't be all there is to it, though. Right?"
Kurama barked a laugh, "Of course not, but Hell if I know what's going on."
"Not helpful, fox," Naruto deadpanned.
"Not trying to be, Brat," Kurama chortled. That was a distinctly strange sound to hear from a creature that looked much like a pony-sized kitsune. Talking was fine, Naruto was used to that. Laughter? Easy enough. Sarcasm, a given! But a legitimate chortle?
"Sure, laugh it up, Kurama." Naruto sighed, "you don't have four of them sharing your bed every night."
"You could have eight if you really wanted them," the fox pointed out. Obviously he was referencing Albedo, Yugao, Konan, and Lily if he was jumping the number that high.
Naruto's hand started scratching along the fox's spine lightly. "Part of my problem, though, is that I rarely ever managed to dream of just one woman to share my life with, Kurama."
"You're still thinking in Elemental terms, Naruto." Kurama said with an approving growl, his back shifting to allow the blonde to scratch at a particularly good spot. "You aren't a pariah here, and these women have no basis by which to hate you for something out of your control."
"I know that in my head, Aibou(4), but that doesn't make it any easier to over turn a decade and half of thinking." Naruto said calmly.
"True enough," the fox allowed, then he glanced over at the mirror floating off in the centre of the room. "Hey, Brat... that thing's acting up again."
Naruto looked up, into the mirror, and felt a hearty need to curse. So he did. Loudly, fluidly, and with a few terms the ancient fox wasn't certain as to the meaning of. Kurama was both inspired and impressed with a feeling of pride mixed in, he didn't really know why though.
When the blonde finished his tirade, Kurama said calmly, "very nice, but how do you intend to go about this one?"
Naruto brushed a hand through his hair and let out an explosive breath. "Rias would kill me if I didn't bring her on this one, it's the world of one of her favourite shows... and I can't believe I actually said that. Who would have thought that stupid show actually existed somewhere in the multiverse?"
Kurama snorted, "this coming from an overpowered ninja turned into a devil and now collecting members for a group from different worlds all over the place."
"Touché." Naruto sniffed, then sent out a mental call for Rias. Then, on a second thought, he also called for Tier and Lily. If he was gonna do this, he was gonna have some extra hands on deck!
Then a thought struck him, and he grinned, "Hey, Kurama, wanna stretch the legs a bit?"
XxXxXxXx- Unknown POV
Why are these humans doing this? There is no purpose, the pups are too young to be partnered. They do not yet have the skills needed to fight beside others, to protect a partner. So why...?
These thoughts swirled incessantly through Her mind as she stood protectively between the youngest of her brood and four humans in black clothes. She growled a low warning as the humans moved closer, strange net-throwing contraptions at the ready. She knew that she and the pups were just barely outside the range of those nets, having seen them used on her mate not too long ago.
A human on the right took a step closer, and she blasted a stream of fire at them. This was just enough of a distraction for another human to swoop in closer and launch a net at her, catching her in its folds. She struggled mightily, biting at the cords that proved to resist both her teeth and her flames. Her efforts redoubling as she heard the whimpers of her pups as the humans closed in on them. Maybe this little cul-de-sac at the base of a cliff wasn't such a good idea after all...
Then a new scent hit her nose. It smelled similar to the humans, but there were many differences, too. The new scent wasn't alone either, with it were four others, three of which carried the same not-human smell as the first. The last, though... the last one smelled like a fox...
"You know, I've never been particularly fond of poachers."
The humans spun around at the sound of a young man's voice, and she managed to turn her head just enough to see the newcomer. Spiky blonde hair, deep blue eyes flecked with silver, dressed in a strange striped outfit of some kind -she never did know why these humans felt the need to cover themselves- the young man held a posture that she was intimately familiar with. He stood in a stance of easily recognizable anger, the posture of an alpha whose pack was in danger.
She didn't understand, why would he believe she was his pack? She had never laid eyes on this person before, and that scent was strange enough that she knew she would have readily recognized it if she'd sniffed it before now. So, why...?
So many of these "why's" today...
"Beat it, kid," one of the humans in black said with a sneer. "You don't have any business here. Hell, you don't even have any-"
"Pokémon?" The blonde finished for Sneer. "Don't really need any, I have Kurama."
Sneer laughed scornfully, "Ooo! Big, scary Kurama! Guess we'd better start running, right guys?"
While the black-clad humans laughed mockingly, the blonde stood calmly as a horse-sized nine-tailed fox came to stand at his side.
Her eyes widened. That was a giant fox... If She didn't know any better She'd almost think it was... wait, one of those other scents was suddenly much closer! Glancing around She noticed a young female not-human with red hair carefully creeping up to her side. Her eyes narrowed at the youngster, but She kept quiet, waiting to see what the child would do.
In the background She heard Sneer suddenly sound far less confident. "That has to be the biggest Ninetales..."
"Nope," the blonde said cheerfully. "Kurama's not a Ninetales. He's a kitsune, a thousand-year old -or thereabouts- fox spirit. And his job is really very simple."
"And what's that, kid?"
"He's here to scare the shit out of you long enough for my friend Rias to do her job."
"Oh, really?" The sneer was back in full force as Sneer felt in control of the situation again. "And what would that job be?"
"Why not take a good look behind you?"
"What...?"
While the blonde had been talking, the young redhead had managed to cut the net open and free Her. She rose to her full height once more, her black-striped orange fur raised and a menacing snarl showing off her very sharp teeth. Fire played among the fangs, casting the human's face in a burning orange glow. Her bright blue eyes were narrowed into an angry glare that sent shivers of dread down the man's spine.
"Shiiii-"
"Of course that, too, is just a distraction," the blonde purred into Sneer's ear as he pulled a knife along Sneer's throat.
"You killed him!" One of the other black-clad humans choked out.
"Of course he did," the younger redhead answered nonchalantly, her hand raised, palm out toward another of the poachers. "We're devils, and you are pissing us off."
With that proclamation a blast of black energy leaped from her outstretched hand and reduced the man she was pointing at to nothing. The final two black-clothed humans dropped their weapons and ran, only to find themselves on the wrong end of two swordswomen, and a large pack of very angry black-striped orange creatures like the one they had captured not long before. Both of the women had short blonde hair, one messy while other had a high ponytail held together with a black ribbon, and they both had green-ish eyes, and they both wore white, but that was where the similarities ended as the one with messy hair was significantly taller than the other.
"You two should be very glad that it goes against my oaths as a knight to murder any unarmed opponent," the ponytailed woman growled. "Or I would kill you both right now for what you have done to these creatures."
"Unfortunately for you," the other woman said calmly, "I have taken no such oaths." A single wide swipe of her sword relieved the last two poachers of their heads, leaving their lifeless bodies to fall to the hard earth.
XxXxXxXx- Neutral POV
Naruto nodded in satisfaction, and turned back to the one he had originally come to help. If he recalled correctly from the times he watched the show with Rias -who was running around and plucking little red and white spheres off the poachers' belts- this giant dog-like creature was called an Arcanine. He already loved it for the fact of its primary colour being orange.
Though now that he had the chance, he took a better look at it. Arcanine was a quadruped, canine Pokémon with an orange pelt marked by jagged black stripes. It had diamond-shaped ears with beige insides, bright blue eyes, a round, black nose, and two pointed teeth protruding from its upper jaw. Its head, muzzle, and chest were covered in shaggy, beige fur, except for two oval sections around each eye and ear. Long tufts of fur grew behind its knees and around its ankles. Its underside was black, and it has a billowing, beige tail that is bent in the middle. Its paws each ended in a distinctive three-toed style, and he'd bet the pads on the underside were soft.
All in all, Arcanine was awesome and awe-inspiring.
He cleared his throat, "So, there's your pack, but I have to wonder if you'd be willing to hear me out on something?"
Arcanine tilted her head curiously. She was fully willing to listen to one of her saviours. The fact that he was obviously the alpha of those other two females who had saved the rest of her pack made him a little more interesting to her.
"Cool, so I'm building a group of people to help me out," he said. "To do this I sent out some strange little things to look for them while I had my attention focused elsewhere. Three of these items have zeroed in on you, so would you be willing to come with me? Your pack would be welcome to come along as well, of course. I wouldn't want to split up the family after all."
Arcanine tilted her head to the other side and closed her eyes as she thought about the offer. He wasn't human, but he and his pack had saved her and her pack. He wasn't holding one of those strange spheres, but instead three small red items. He was asking her to join him, and she could bring her pack with her. She wouldn't have to leave the pups alone, she wouldn't have to leave her mate either.
Thinking of her mate, Arcanine opened her eyes and stared across at him. He was another Arcanine and had heard everything, and was also thinking about the offer. To be honest he liked the short ponytailed female, she had a presence that told him she was kind to animals. She and the taller female had saved him and many of his pack. She didn't have to, but he could also sense that she was outraged at what had happened to them. This just made him like her more. He made eye contact with his mate, and nodded his agreement.
Arcanine looked back to Naruto and nodded once, a low chuffing noise indicating her agreement. She would join him, she would help him as he had helped her. She moved forward and sniffed the three items in his hand, inadvertently touching them in her curiosity. A moment later the three objects gave a slight gold glow and absorbed into her body without a fuss.
Naruto blinked. That was a first. No fainting, no other obvious changes, just a simple acceptance.
He shrugged internally. Oh well, it's not like he was complaining. He had a feeling that if Arcanine had fainted on him he'd have to do a lot of fast talking to her mate in order to avoid being incinerated. Plus this giant orange dog was worth three of his Pawns. Her mate was probably worth about the same, which was a bit more than Pyrrha had commanded. He didn't really want to start the relationship off on a bad foot with creatures that could breathe fire as easily as he did air.
He reached out and rubbed Arcanine's forehead. She liked that. "Well, since there are two Arcanine here, I guess I should probably give you a name, eh? Hey, Rias, if you're done doing whatever it is you're doing, you mind giving me an idea as to what gender this is?"
Rias, who had been releasing the poacher's pokémon back into the wild, turned around and looked at him like he was an idiot. "That one's female, Naruto-sama. Her fur is a bit longer than a male's, and she's a bit bigger than him, too. They're rarer than males, I don't know why, but they also have a deeper orange tone to their fur."
Naruto rolled his eyes, "Sorry for not knowing as much about this stuff as you do, Rias." He said sarcastically, but he was wearing an amused grin. "Now, as for a name for you, girl, let's see..."
He trailed off, but he didn't stop rubbing her head. Now that he got a good look at her, Rias was right. Arcanine's fur was a very deep orange, the black stripes a deep sable. In fact, her fur was such a deep orange that it was almost like watching the sunset. That perfect dark orange that was almost red. Combined with the rare blue eyes -even he knew that Arcanine usually had black eyes- it made for an incredibly striking image. In fact it reminded him of...
"Scarlet," he whispered.
Arcanine heard him, though, and bumped her head into his chest, then licked his face. She liked it.
Naruto laughed, "alright, Scarlet it is, then. Welcome to my peerage Scarlet. Now come on, let's get all of you home."
A few minutes later and Scarlet, the new, incredibly proud Pawn of Naruto Asmodai, and her pack, consisting of her mate and eighteen pups, had followed Naruto, Tier, Lily, and Rias through a teleport circle. Heading for new adventures and a new life, Scarlet wondered just what kind of fun she could have at the side of this not-human.
Naruto, on the hand, was wondering just where they would put eighteen oversized eager puppies and their two giant parents. Would Van be able to share that house with them? Oh well, he'd just have to cross that bridge later.
XxXxXxXx- Omake -Temari's Power of Domination
Temari found herself standing in a visual world of wind and sand, much like the desert of her homeland. She felt at home, but also not. It was strange, just like the fact that there were two suns in this world...
Wait, two suns?
The suns were easy to identify as being the cores of both her chakra and magic. One in a pale green, had to be her chakra, though she'd have thought it would be white for her Wind affinity. The other was a brilliant gold.
"Yeah, that's gotta be my magic," Temari said with a sweat drop. "But how do I talk to it?"
"Well, you could ask!" An obnoxious voice called out.
Startled, Temari jumped. "What?"
"Oh, re-lax! It's just me! You know, your magic? Sheesh, you'd think you'd never heard of a talking core before!"
Her eyes wide, Temari said, "I haven't..."
"Oh... my bad! Well, let's get down to business. We need to determine what you need from me."
Temari sighed in frustration, this core was already grating on her nerves! "I don't suppose you can do anything about controlling these damned hormones, can you?"
"Pfft! That? That's easy! Is that what you NEED though?"
"Yeah, I'd rather not be jumping the first decently attractive guy out there."
She got the sense that the orb shrugged, then it gained a slight pinkish cast that had her worried.
"Alright, Domination of Lust, achieved! Good luck with that..."
Her eyes widened again, this time in horror at both what the core said and the impish tone. "FUCK ME!"
"Well, if you insist..."
"That's it! I'm out! Goodbye, and thanks!" Temari promptly willed herself to eject from her inner world. She couldn't deal with this anymore! A smart-ass, kind of peppy version of that lazy Nara would drive her insane! And this was the personality of her magical core? Oh by Kami *wince* what had she done to deserve this?
XxXxXxXx- 2nd Omake -Gaara's Power of Domination
Standing in a desert on top of a pyramid surrounded by an oasis, Gaara stared at four suns. A pale green he figured was his Wind affinity, a golden brown he thought would be his Earth affinity, a strange white sun that he guessed might be the remnants of Shukaku's power, and a bright gold that had to be his magic.
"...Alright *yawn* let's get this over with. Whaddya need?" A lazy and tired voice from the gold sphere asked.
If he had been anyone else, Gaara might have been put off by the sheer amount of laziness his magic exhibited. Instead he just said, "I need to assist my new brother with keeping order in our House."
"*Yawn*...Okay, Domination of Authority, achieved. Goodnight."
Gaara turned and willed himself back to reality. Well, that went smoothly.
XxXxXxXx- Ending Notes
Alright, Timeline check! At the end of this chapter approximately eight months have gone past since Naruto became a devil.
1- Rekki-Maru: the games label this weapon as a ninjato, yet Taki's weapon style is labelled as dual-kodachi. Considering the size difference is rather negligible, I can see why the games do this, but it's damned frustrating as an author.
2- Double-sword vs Two-Sword: this is true. A Double-blade has an advantage against a single weapon because it can attack in ways the single weapon can't defend against. In the same way two swords can attack from various angles that a double-blade simply cannot defend against properly due to its length. Conversely, a two-sword style has a disadvantage against a single sword due to the lack of arm strength on any one of it's blades. It's something of a weapon triangle. From there it all depends on the user.
3- Yosokage: I'm still not certain which code is used to get that damned line accent, but this term pretty much translates as "Elements Shadow". Very fitting for the remnants (shadows) of the Elemental Nations. [Yōso (要素)]
4- Aibou: literally translates as "Partner" for those who don't know. It does not denote partners in the sexual sense, but those who work together (ie: police, or Reno and Rude from FF7). Also sometimes used used by swordsmen to refer to a particular sword they have had for a great amount of time and feel a close connection with.
Current Peerage (Familiar):
Queen: Tier Harribel (Undine)
Bishop: Rias Gremory (Devil Bat/Magic Bat), Akitsu
Knight: Aayla Secura (Gryphon), Saber Lily
Rook: Titania (Celestial Charger)
Pawn: Pyrrha Nikos (Magic Wolf), Taki, Arcanine
... I know, I know, a Pokémon? Really? Well let me explain a little bit about this choice of mine. It wasn't just the loyalty factor, though that did come into play a little, it was more that I wanted something that hadn't been done before, and as far as I know no one has ever had an animal. I know that pokémon aren't technically animals, what with the far greater intelligence, but my point stands. Plus, if Sairorg Bael can have a Sacred Gear, the Gear itself, as a member of his peerage, I figured I could do a Pokémon. I thought about all sorts of possible animals when I was creating the peerage, from legends to myths to simply rare beasts, and then the idea of Arcanine crossed my mind... At first I was, like, "No, I can't do that. What the hell am I thinking?" But the more I tried to tell myself no... yeah, I ended up talking myself into it. So there it is, Arcanine the Pawn.
... ... ... Plus, it is the "Legendary" Pokemon... ... ... Okay, yeah, that was a bad joke on my part. But at least it was worth three of his remaining Pawn Pieces. That leaves him with: 1 Rook, 1 Mutated Pawn of +1 value. Grand Total = 2 Pieces left!
Now, I've been told that this story of mine is dragging on and becoming somewhat boring. I do apologize for that, and to make things a little more interesting... next chapter is going to feature multiple acquisitions! I'm not breaking my rule of "no more than one character from any world in the peerage", but I'll be bringing in the final members.
~Dreaming of the Phoenix