AN: I know, I know, it's been a long time. You have asked for it- reapeatedly -and here do I deliver, Chapter 18! Woot! … Man, I feel old now. Does anyone even remember woot? Sigh I give up.

Disclaimer: see Ch01

Chapter 18: Final Round in the Familiar Forest, Discussion with an Archangel, and The Mages Association?

Naruto looked around at the dark area known as the Familiar Forest. It was his third time there, and hopefully his last. Though this time was different for one rather obvious reason: it was the cold season, so the entire forest was under a blanket of snow. But this time he was accompanied by Taki, Yuki, Akitsu, and Karma as it was their time to try for a Familiar of their own.

He opted against bothering with the Familiar Master this time around. The last two times he'd almost given the poor man a heart attack with his group's luck. If he'd had to guess, then Naruto would have placed good money on Daikoku's Blessing working overtime … again.

Passive blessing, my remade devil ass! Naruto thought to himself derisively. Damned thing is almost as active as my libido!

He looked behind him at the four accompanying him, "alright, welcome to the Familiar Forest. Normally we would have a guide to assist us… but I've apparently scared him off with the luck of the previous two groups, so we're on our own for this round. Hopefully we don't give people conniptions when we return."

"HAH! I'll believe that when I see it, young Master," a voice cried from the treeline.

Looking around the group spotted a young woman in what could only be described as safari clothing. Her dark hair was cut short, her round face was blemish free, and her green eyes were expressive. So expressive a novice at reading people would be able to see the skeptism.

"… Could have sworn I opted out of a guide this time?" Naruto asked enquisitively.

"You did," the woman confirmed. "And we opted to ignore you. But since the guy we usually have for this area is at base, frothing at the mouth, Head Office sent me instead. I will be your Familiar Master this time, I am Inza."

"...Naruto-sama?" Four different voices asked at the same time.

Naruto didn't bat an eyelash as he said, "I thought I had mentioned giving the usual guide convulsions?"

The other four devils looked at each other for a moment before Taki took it upon herself to become the representative. "You did, Naruto-sama, but I think we were more curious just how you did so."

"Ah," here he had the grace to flush with shame. "I'm afraid that my luck is apparently contagious, and as such we have gotten some rather rare and… nearly impossible Familiars in the past."

"Such as Tiamat-sama?" Taki asked in a calm and composed manner.

Naruto nodded, "yes, she would be a perfect example. After all, who could expect that anyone my age would garner the attention and allegiance of one of the five Dragon Kings? No one. So the poor man has an understandably bad image of me. And, by association, of anyone who comes here with me."

There was a noise of understanding from four throats, and the woman acting as their guide could see flat expressions of pure deadpan. These people were already inundated and immune to Naruto's seeming impossible luck. The looks they sent her a moment later did not comfort her.

You will understand soon.

Naruto just sighed and held out a sheet of paper. "Then I'm going to have you sign this release form, just in case, saying that in the event of a nervous breakdown neither I, nor my people, are in liable for you."

The guide took the form, looked it over, then gave him an incredulous look. "Really?"

Naruto nodded firmly. "Sign it, or stay here. I've had to pay recompense once already, and the House of Asmodai will not allow such a thing again."

"Wish I'd been there for that," Karma mused.

"I'm rather glad you weren't," Taki countered. "Knowing you, you would have made things worse."

Karma grinned widely, "of course. But it would have been funnier."

"That rather depends on which side you're on," Yuki chimed in.

"True," Karma admitted.

The guide looked at them as they started a discussion on the merits of wasabi in slapstick, then back to Naruto, "are they always like this?"

Naruto shook his head negative. "Oh no, they get much worse."

The woman looked back to the paper in her hand and signed it, then handed it back to the blonde. "I'm honestly wondering if I get paid enough for this."

"You don't," Akitsu said quietly.

"I'm starting to believe that."

A clapping noise brought attention back to the only blonde in the group. "Alright ladies and gent, time to get moving. Lady Guide, if you would be so kind?"

The guide just shook her head. "Alright, for starters, as I said, my name is Inza.(1) Now, what kind of Familiar would you four be looking for? I'll just say this, please remember that you are going to be spending the rest of your lives with these creatures, so you might want to make sure they harmonize with you."

"So I shouldn't want an Eevee just because Lily already has an Arcanine?" Karma asked.

Inza sighed, "Pokemon do not exist-"

"Yes, they do." Five voices interrupted.

"-in this forest." She finished.

"Oh," five voices once again said.

"That's where she was going with that," Taki said.

"I totally get it." Yuki.

"Makes so much more sense." Karma.

"I really just want something big and fluffy." Akitsu cut in.

"… You really have someone with an Arcanine?" Inza asked.

"Hm?" Naruto hummed, then blinked as he was brought back from the impromptu comedy tableau. "Ah, yes. Lily, one of my Knights got one because she helped me save one of my Pawns, Scarlet, who just so happens to also be an Arcanine, along with Scarlet's mate and pups. So I'm currently playing host to the only growlithe pack in this world."

"… I'm beginning to regret signing that paper." Inza let loose a sigh with gusto, then straightened herself up. "Alright, we've got one request for big and fluffy, anything else?"

"Ah, it also needs to be able to deal with cold," Akitsu added.

"Which is why you're here in a rare Underworld White Winter. Naturally." Inza sighed again. Why couldn't her job be easier? Winter sucked! It didn't help that FM regulations insisted on shorts being being part of the uniform! Why did she have to look like she was on safari when she was surrounded by frickin' SNOW?!

"Well, at least that last characteristic will be easy," Inza muttered to herself.

Taki took pity on the poor woman and brought the conversation back to where it belonged. "I'm uncertain exactly what I'm looking for, but something that is known for its power and wisdom would be nice."

Inza frowned, "that's a difficult combination outside of full-grown beasts. Dragons are obvious, but most of them are hibernating now, unless they're white scaled. But white's are… typically kind of simple."

"A creature known for discretion and intelligence would be perfect for me," Yuki said into the following thoughtful silence.

Inza's eye's lit up. "Well, that one's easier. At this time of year the Moon Owls are the best choice for that. They're a somewhat larger version of the snow owl of the human realm, but with a natural inclination for ice and wind magics."

Yuki gave a look of interest. "Where would I find one?"

Inza gestured off the north-east. "They like to roost more towards the plains. Same with the Ice Bears. Moon Owl young tend to be the Ice Bear's favorite snacks."

Akistu perked up. "Bears?"

Inza nodded, "yes. The Ice Bears are a large, incredibly furry creature that has high resistance to … cold…" She sighed. "Which meet your criteria of big and fluffy."

Akitsu and Yuki were already moving. Naruto just shook his head and called after them, "play nice, you two."

"Okay!" Was their call back as they continued off.

"I think I'd like something with a sense of humor," Karma said with a contemplative expression. "Work ethic is all well and good, but if it can't take a joke..."

Inza shrugged. "Not many creatures here have a sense of humor, but I suppose you could try for a Puck."

"No." Naruto shot down immediately. "I'm not dealing with a prankster spirit."

"Pot, kettle." Karma said.

"… dammit," the blonde sighed. "Fine, go look for one if you want it so much."

"Nah, just wanted to bust your chops."

"… I hate you."

"No you don't," Karma grinned, "you're just saying that to make me feel better."

"Go jump off a cliff."

"Hey, I can fly now. It just doesn't have the same thrill."

"Then go feed a dragon. Get a thrill from inside its gullet."

"I find offense in that," a new voice spoke up. "We dragons haven't eaten people in ages!"

A quick look around and everyone's eyes landed on a small black shape sitting in the snow by Taki's foot. The creature sat up on it's hind legs, showing itself to be a small black dragon about the height of her kneecap, and then waved one clawed hand.

"Hi," it chirped.

Naruto just gave a wave back, "Hey."

A sudden squeal shattered the moment as Taki swooped down snatched the little critter up in a bone crushing hug. "It's so cute!"

The dragon went into panic and tried valiantly to escape, "Air! Air! Dragon needs air!"

"Oh! You're too cute! You're definitely my Familiar!"

"Sure! Whatever you want! Just let me breathe!"

Karma couldn't hold it any longer and burst into laughter, falling on his back in the snow. Naruto snorted, then bent a hand to helping the young dragon escape Taki's grasp. Inza, though…

… Poor Inza. She was staring at the dragon with an expression of sheer disbelief. "I mentioned it once, just as a joke, and here it is. What kind of luck is that? That's almost on the level of Divine Providence."

Naruto just shook his head as he finally loosened Taki's grip enough for the young dragon to escape. "I'm afraid it's partly my fault. I'm in possession of the Sacred Gear, Daikoku's Blessing. It's supposed to only be a passive boost to luck, but I've been learning that might just be one of the biggest lies ever told." He paused for a moment, "Or at least a misunderstanding between the words passive and massive."

Inza goggled.

Karma was still laughing.

Taki was trying to get the little dragon to come back for more cuddling.

The dragon was keeping itself just out of her reach.

Naruto held Taki from behind in a lover's grip, just to keep her from flying off after the dragon.

This was the scene that Yuki and Akitsu came back to, owl and bear in tow. They both looked to Naruto who just shook his head. They nodded in response.

They did not want to know.

"You people are weird. But also kinda funny." A new voice popped up from nowhere. "I want in!"

Naruto reflexively smacked his forehead, which inadvertently released Taki to crush the dragon to her chest once more.

"Puck, I presume?" The blonde said resignedly.

"Yup, Heeeeeeerrrree's PUCK!"

A small whirlwind formed near the still chuckling Karma, revealing a miniature elfkin that couldn't be more than half a centimeter in height… if that. The little man was grinning unrepentant, a look of utter mischief in his tiny eyes that was clear to any who looked at him.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance. Make sure not to bore me, okay?"

"Or what? You'll make your own entertainment at our expense?"

"You got it!"

Naruto's reply summed up everyone's thoughts.

"No."

Puck's jaw dropped, "But, why not? It'll be fun!"

Naruto cleared his throat and straightened his posture to one of authority. "Allow me to try this gain, and to use words you will understand. Hell to the Fuck No."

"But, what harm could a little thing like me possibly be to someone like you?" Puck asked with an innocent look.

"I am not unaware of your reputation," Naruto replied dryly, not in the least fooled. Then he got a thought, "you know what, I'll allow it," Puck got a happy look, "under one condition."

"Anything!"

Naruto conjured up an image of Gaara, "make my brother laugh."

Puck took one look at the expression on Gaara's face and promptly vanished, "No Way! I'm out!"

Naruto snickered. "Oh, come on. Gaara's got a great sense of humor."

Puck reappeared in front of Naruto's nose, an indignant look on his face. "Yeah, right! If that guy has ever smiled once in his life, I'll help your redhead over there catch a Leprechaun!"

"No." Naruto said firmly. "I've got enough luck-based items with Daikoku's Blessing. I don't need an Irish Luck Sprite on top of that in my house."

"A Goblin, then!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Do I look stupid enough to piss off the Erlking? No, thank you."

"Bah! That guy doesn't bother himself with those goblins who get caught by devils. His opinion is that if they get caught, they deserve to do the service commanded of them."

"Still, no, mister Hobgoblin."

"Ah, heard about that one, didja?" Puck smirked.

"Obviously."

"How about a Bauchan,(2) then?"

Naruto pretended to think about that one, then laughed in Puck's face. "No. No capricious spirits, thank you very much."

Puck scowled. "I'm a capricious spirit, too, devil-boy!"

Naruto looked at him and smiled benignly. "Oh, I'm aware. But only when threatened or scorned. I'm neither scorning you nor threatening, I'm humoring you."

Puck's face dropped. "I think I'd rather be scorned."

Naruto made a sour face, "take my advice, you wouldn't."

Puck scuffed his foot against the air, "Ah! A pox upon it! I'll be his 'man', then!"

Naruto gave a curious expression. "I'm sorry, what?"

Puck grinned and poofed away into another miniature vortex of wind. When the wind died down a man in an impeccable suit and tie, with short brown hair and clean shaven square jaw was in his place. The man's face gave away not expression at all, reminding Naruto of Gaara, and he gave a small bow of his head.

"It appears that I am called upon to serve one of your people, Young Master. I am called Owen, and I will gladly offer every assistance at my disposal."

The voice was rough, yet cultured. His mannerism spot on to the point that Naruto almost thought he'd found Sebas' relative. Everyone nearby did a double take to make sure their eyes weren't deceiving them.

Naruto just pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Fucker wins. No way Gaara won't laugh his raccoon ass off at this."

Twenty minutes later and Naruto was watching with Temari as Gaara laughed hard enough that he forgot to breathe.

XxXxXxXx

Uriel gazed around at the forming shinobi village that was springing up pretty much in Naruto's backyard. "I see you have managed to bring in more people from your world."

Now, Uriel would admit to being something of an oddball where angels were concerned. He was vastly intelligent, not unheard of, but with it came an insatiable curiosity and a thirst for knowledge that was wholly unlike any other angel he'd ever met. However, much every other angel, there were something things he would simply not bend or break. His word, for one example.

Naruto shrugged. "It seems that way."

"I thought you said you couldn't go back?" The archangel asked curiously, and a bit of suspicion.

"I though the same," Naruto admitted. "And now I really am locked out. Tried."

"Ah. Unfortunate." Uriel murmured as he watched a group of children playing ninja.

"Not really," Naruto said with a grimace. "The only things left are apparently an ancient statue filled with the other eight Bijuu, a woman sealed in the moon, and a horde of white plant-people called Zetsu."

"Wut?" Was Uriel's intelligent reply. Okay, those were new to him.

"Yup." That response was completely unsatisfying, and the blonde devil knew it if the sly expression on his face was anything to go by.

"Explaination?" Uriel tried again. He would not be denied his curiosity.

Naruto shrugs again."I don't really have one, unfortunately. Been trying to get it out of Gaara, but he's being more tight-lipped than usual on it." He thinks for a moment, "Though I could show you with that Mirror of Remote Viewing if you want?"

"… Yes, please." Uriel capitulated.

Minutes later the two of them were looking at Naruto's original world through the mirror. Uriel was frantically taking notes on everything he could see as they moved around the world viewing what remained. Not that there was much besides natural land formations, though Uriel spent a fair bit of time going over what was once Oni no Kuni, trying to discern just why they called it the "Land of Demons."

"… How did your people come up with their country names?"

Naruto shrugged and stared at a particular crater they were paused over. The site of the once-mighty Konohagakure, his former home. "I'm honestly not too sure. I mean, I was there for the renaming of Snow into Spring, which seemed to be more of a wish for prosperity than much else. Though the big five were fairly obvious in their traits."

Uriel looked away from his notes, hearing a small catch in the young devil's voice. Eyes darting back and forth between the young man beside him and the image of the crater in the mirror, the archangel quickly deduced a sentimental connection and moved the view of the mirror to a wider one before asking smoothly, "And just what were those?"

Naruto blinked repeatedly, feeling like he was falling into sleep. He placed one hand on the side of his head and closed his eyes in concentration. While he was doing that, Gaara stepped forward from the shadows of the doorway to answer Uriel, a look of concern on his features for his brother.

"Hi no Kuni, the Land of Fire, was always warm, almost to the point of being too hot for people. Kaze no Kuni, the Land of Wind, was one giant desert for the most part, and the wind howled constantly. Tsuchi no Kuni, the Land of Earth, was mostly barren rock. Kaminari no Kuni, the Land of Lightning, was dominated by mountains that reached into the clouds which produced a great number of lightning storms in any given year. And Mizu no Kuni, the Land of Water was was a grouping of several islands."

Uriel stopped his note taking, and watched this new devil warily. Gaara made no threatening movements, but the archangel felt a disturbing amount of bloodlust from him, veiled heavily. While it was no doubt under the strictest of control, Uriel was no fool. He knew trauma when he saw it, and his heart went out to the young red-head in sympathy, but he would be on his guard in the event something unleashed that suppressed bloodlust. He kept his silence, however, as he watched Gaara move to place a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder.

Uriel's eyes flickered from one young man to the other. He could practically see the bond between them as a real, physical object, it was so powerful. He had no idea just what kind of events had forged this bond between these two who brothers-in-all-but-blood had become brothers-in-truth, but he sensed that it was all that had kept either one sane through a number of their individual trials.

"I take it that he doesn't look back there very often?" Uriel asked quietly.

"No, aside from one request made by one of his peerage, I am unaware of any other time he has looked back on our old world." Gaara replied in concerned tone as Naruto's struggles ceased, leaving the blonde standing unconscious.

Uriel hummed in thought for a moment. "As an outsider, perhaps I should leave you to deal with whatever this is?"

Gaara nodded, "that might be wisest. Perhaps, if you wish to know more of our previous world, you might seek out Terumi Mei and Mifune-Taishō(4). As shinobi and samurai, their opposite views should be enlightening."

The angel raised his head slightly in acknowledgment of the young man's tact. "I suppose I'll do that."

"Sebas will show you the way." With that Gaara fully turned his attention to Naruto's silent plight.

Uriel silently left the room, finding Sebas awaiting him on the other side. Closing the door, Uriel remarked, "You know, Sebas, I've always wondered how you know just where to be."

"It is something I always felt a servant of the Asmodai House should possess," Sebas replied evenly, then gestured with one hand. "If you will come this way, Mei-dono and Mifune-dono are currently discussing the addition of shinobi to the mansion's security."

"Indeed," Uriel murmured. "Lead the way."

The two left, neither knowing of what would transpire in the room behind them.

XxXxXxXx

Gaara felt singularly useless as he watched his brother struggle against something within himself. This was not an unfamiliar feeling for the redhead, having felt it often when watching the destruction of his homeland and the world he left behind. Those days when running from death and destruction, leaving no living soul in their wake, trying desperately to save as many people as they could from the swarms of Zetsu.

The feeling of uselessness from then was the same as now. And it frustrated him to no end. He hated feeling useless. Being forced to watch from the sidelines, unable to do anything.

His grip tightened on Naruto's shoulder unconsciously, and he felt a tugging sensation on his mind. This tug reminded him heavily of his former uses of the Tanuki Nieri no Jutsu (3), it had the same kind of sense to it. On a hunch, he allowed it to pull his consciousness away from his himself.

And found himself in what looked like a sewer maintenance room. With two different versions of Naruto sitting at a table. And they were obviously only recently arguing.

Shaking his head, Gaara took a few steps forward into a cone of light from an overhead lamp. "I've heard of arguing with yourself, Naruto, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't supposed to be this literal."

"Oh, hey, Gaara," the one closest to him replied absently, before doing a double take. "Gaara! What are you doing here?"

Before the redhead could reply, the other Naruto spoke up, "I brought him here because you were being stubborn."

"That was our HOME!"

"But it is not anymore."

Gaara felt strange staring at this tableau of the two versions of Naruto glaring at each other. One, the loud, boisterous person he'd always known, and the other calm, and somehow seeming more intelligent than anyone would have given him credit for. Stepping up to the table between the two, he cleared his throat and asked, "Would one of you mind explaining just what is going on?"

The one to his right, who had strange red slits for eyes, sighed. "This moron was starting to lose himself in memories when he saw the true devastation of Konoha. I tried to stop him. This ensued."

"What do you mean?"

"He never really got to see the real level of destruction that had occurred to Konoha, I blocked them from his conscious mind," Red-eye admitted calmly. "To protect him from falling into a state of despair that could potentially have utterly destroyed him. That is one of my reasons for existing. Plus indulging in things he rarely thinks about."

Gaara raised an eyebrow at the sudden turn of voice to one of lasciviousness. "And you would be what? His sub-conscious representative?"

A positively beatific smile appeared on Red-eyes' face. "Exactly!" He said with satisfaction. With a wave of an arm, he gestured to the room around them, "This is the border between the conscious and subconscious, or his instinct. I can pull him here to talk things out every so often, but usually he pulls himself out of stupid things before I need to."

"But that wasn't the case this time." Gaara noted.

A despondent sigh came from the Naruto on his left, and Gaara looked over to see Naruto with his face in his hands. "The actual sight of Konoha, or rather the crater left of it, bypassed the blocks Red-eyes over there placed on those memories." He looked up and met Gaara's stare, "You know me, Gaara."

With a sigh of his own, Gaara nodded. "I do. You started to wonder what you could have done if you'd just arrived a few moments earlier. If you could have saved them. But, Naruto," the blonde had begun to look away, but snapped back to Gaara, "if you had done that, you would not be here. You would not have children of your own now. You would not be my brother in truth. You would not have met all the people you have."

Gaara smiled, a small, almost imperceptible smile, but Naruto saw it all the same. "Remember what you taught me? Find those precious to you, and protect them. You may have failed with Konoha, but you have a new chance here, with your peerage, the servants of this house, the children of Yugao and Konan, the people of your territory, and you still have Temari and myself. Is all of that not good enough for you?"

"Of course it is!" Naruto protested immediately.

"Then don't get lost in thoughts that could destroy us!" Red-eyes interrupted. "You have responsibilities now! Those kids will need their father! These people need their leader! You have so much more riding on you now, just like if you had married and become Hokage!"

Naruto blinked. Blinked again. And once more. "Huh.. never thought of it like that."

Red-eyes snorted. "Yes you did, because I did. You just never acknowledged it."

Naruto let out an explosive breath and leaned back in his chair. "You know, these talks really tire me out."

Red-eyes snorted, "Not nearly as much as Elaine's lessons on Time Manipulation."

Naruto gave a snort himself. "True that. But at least we're getting better."

Red-eyes nodded, "indeed."

Gaara eyed both of them warily for a moment, then asked, "Are we done?"

Both Naruto versions waved at him the exact same way, and replied together, "yeah, I think we're done."

The next thing Gaara knew, he was back in that room with the Mirror, his hand on Naruto's shoulder, and he had the strangest headache. A hand clapped over top of his and he looked to see Naruto staring at him in gratitude.

"Thank you, Brother."

There was simply too much emotion conveyed, but Gaara nodded in response. Anything for family.

XxXxXxXx

"I hope this isn't impertinent of me to ask, Sebas, but is you master often prone to such lapses?" Uriel asked his guide.

Sebas glanced at the archangel out of the corner of his eye. "While it is not my place to comment on my master's possible weaknesses, I do not believe that is the case this time. Master Naruto is a complex individual, and I have not known him long, but what little I do know is that he is much like the wind. Free-spirited, and ultimately unbound by convention."

Uriel smiled, "much like his father, then."

Sebas made an agreeing sound. "Indeed, Master Gressen would have loved to see his son grow into a man."

Uriel snorted, "if only to laugh at the chaos caused along the way, I'm sure."

The butler just nodded. "That is not an unlikely supposition."

The two continued on in companionable silence for some time, until they came to a set of doors. Sebas knocked and then opened them. "My apologies, Mei-dono, Mifune-dono, but Gaara-sama has asked that you speak with a guest while he and Naruto-sama are indisposed."

"Of course, Sebas," a sultry voice that could only belong to a woman replied.

"Indeed, by all means, allow this guest entry." This time it was a somewhat gruff voice that Uriel would assume belonged to an elderly man.

Intrigued, Uriel entered the room to see two individuals on opposite couches looking at him with disturbingly similar expressions of measuring. Yet he would bet his last wing feather that their approaches to that measuring were very different.

"Ah, Sebas, be a dear and have some more tea brought up, would you?" The woman asked, her sultry voice no doubt an unconscious effort over years of practice.

"As you wish," Sebas replied, closing the door behind him.

Now alone, Uriel took the chance to look over these two people as he chose an unoccupied chair. He immediately knew that- without a doubt -they were human. And such complete opposites, young woman to an older man, and while they both were dressed comfortably, the woman was in a tight dress that showed her curvaceous form while the man was dressed austerely in the manner Uriel knew to once have been donned by the samurai of ancient Japan. Yet as he looked closer at them, he knew instinctively that they were both masters of their crafts, and that it was in these differences of their abilities that they found their own harmony.

"If I may," the elder started, "I shall begin with introductions. I am Mifune, former Taishō of Tetsu no Kuni."

"And I," the woman seamlessly picked up without pause," am Terumi Mei, former Godaime Mizukage of Kirigakure no Sato of Mizu no Kuni."

The archangel nodded in acknowledgment, "I am Uriel, Archangel of Heaven, and one of the Twelve Seraphs. I greet you both, Terumi Mei whose name carries the meaning of Shining Beauty, and you, Mifune, whose name carries the meaning of Three Ships(5)."

Neither of the humans batted an eyelash at his knowledge of just what their names meant. That was interesting, as most humans these days didn't bother knowing anything about the meaning of a name, and just what kind of power it possessed. But he was remiss, they were quite possibly incredibly similar to the Japanese of this world, who quite often placed wishes for their children upon those names, and thus cared more about the meaning than others.

"So what may we do for you, Uriel-dono?" Mifune asked.

"I was told that if I wanted a more complete picture of your original world, I should ask you two for your viewpoints. As a shinobi and samurai, no doubt your views are vastly different." Uriel stated, a small bit excitement creeping into his voice.

Mei shook her head. "In that, I fear, our opinions are very much alike. Ours was a world of constant wars, death, prejudice, discrimination. The only thing we didn't really need to fear were disease and plague, if only because our Medical-nin would yell our heads off if we dared to die of something like dysentery."

Mifune nodded in agreement. "Ours was what could only be described as a Warrior's Paradise. The idea of dying of old age or disease was rather ridiculous. I, myself, am the oldest person left from our world, and I am only sixty-five. Very few in our history are said to have outlived me, and at this point I can name only two. The Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who lived to an age of Sixty-nine, and the Sandaime Tsuchikage, Ryōtenbin no Ōnoki, or Ōnoki of Both Scales, who lived to the ripe age of seventy-eight."(6)

Mei sorted, and Uriel was actually taken aback at such an indelicate noise coming from such a beautiful woman. "Warrior's Paradise? Come now, General, it was a Murderer's Paradise. Why else would we shinobi have become the most prominent class of fighter?"

Mifune stroked his whiskered beard and hummed in thought. "You do have a point, Mei-dono. And the time before the shinobi wasn't exactly something for we samurai to brag about, either."

Uriel was confused. "What about peace?"

The two glanced at each other, then replied in perfect synchronicity, "Temporary Treaties."

"And such a world gave birth to one such as Naruto-dono?" Uriel asked, perplexed.

Both of the humans smiled fondly, but it was Mei that replied first. "Many have been born to our world that would have changed it for the better if they could. The last such one to have any true success was the Shodaime Hokage, Senju Hashirama. For it was he and his friend, Uchiha Madara, who ushered in the era of Hidden Villages."

Mifune nodded, took a sip of his tea that had been refilled without anyone's notice, and said, "Before him it would have been the man known as the Rikudo Sennin, the Sage of Six Paths. And that was the start of our history of using chakra. Unfortunately, when the man died, we discovered chakra was also a great way to kill each other, and thus the Warring States Era began for us. That was approximately a thousand years ago. The Hidden Villages are only a little better than a century old."

"But most of our peace-minded visionaries failed in one of two ways: either they died before their dreams could be fulfilled, or they were subsumed by the madness of our world." Mei said quietly, a note of true sadness in her voice.

Once more, Mifune nodded. "Indeed. Those were the two most probable outcomes. Only time would have been able to tell us if young Naruto would have fallen to one of these, or managed to forge his own way to peace, but I, for one, believe he would have made it."

Uriel noticed that both humans lit up with a small smiles of awe and wonder at the mention of the young Asmodai. There was level of trust implicit in those smiles that could not be faked. These two truly believed that Naruto would not have died or fallen to their world's deprivations, but would have been that rare one to create a new Era of Peace for them.

In truth, Uriel knew much about Naruto's destiny. He often spent time with Elaine, the Lady of the Lake, and a relatively minor deity of prophecy. It was with her that he learned Naruto held a rather coveted title: Child of Prophecy. These people weren't as rare as many would believe, it was simply that most of them were so… ineffective. There were hundreds- thousands! -of Children of Prophecy throughout the ages. Many of them simply didn't get to live long enough to do anything, while others broke under the yoke and committed suicide. Few were they who accomplished something, and fewer still whose names were carved into history. In point of fact, the last one that Uriel knew of was one Adolf Hitler.

… No one ever said the prophecies were always good, now did they?

"So you both believe that young Naruto-dono would have ushered in a new era?" Uriel asked mildly.

Without hesitation both humans nodded, and Mei cleared her throat. "You have to understand, Uriel-dono, that young man's name was already making its way around as one who believed in peace. And his accomplishments were nothing short of the kind of thing one would expect more of a seasoned veteran, not a young man who barely earned his Hitai-ate."

Uriel raised one eyebrow, "Accomplishments? Just what did that young man manage?"

"From what news reached us in Tetsu," Mifune began, stroking his beard in thought, "He failed his final exam into the shinobi forces multiple times, yet his first mission outside it he managed to save a small country, and even reached the hidden heart of a hardened Missing-nin."

Mei nodded, "Yes, Momochi Zabuza. Formerly of Kirigakure's Seven Swordsmen, he attempted to assassinate our Fourth Mizukage, who at the time was perpetuating purges of those with bloodline abilities, such as myself. Believe me when I say that bit of rumor hit everyone in to the rebels with a shot of courage. If a man like Zabuza could be reached, then surely Yagura could as well!"

The woman sighed heavily, which did interesting things to her bosom. "Unfortunately, it was not to be, and Yagura was killed in our final push."

Uriel's eyebrows were practically in his hair, "a small country you say? How small, if I may ask?" He saw darkening looks, and hurried to say, "I'm not attempting to diminish the accomplishment, I'm merely asking for reference."

Mifune and Mei looked mollified, and Mei replied, "Nami no Kuni would have been about… a quarter the size of that island of Sicily, If I'm not mistaken."

Uriel leaned back in his his chair. That was certainly nothing to scoff at. Not that he had intended to scoff, the saving of an entire country, no matter the size or population, was an impressive feat. But it certainly sparked his interest.

"You said that it was simply the start of his career?" Uriel probed eagerly, sitting forward. "What other kinds of things was he known for?"

"From what I understand, he was one of the more important players in repelling an attack on his village during a bi-annual event that was held by each of the greater shinobi villages in rotation," Mifune said, once more stroking his beard.

"Yes, the Chunin Exams," Mei explained. "It was a time when a Hidden Village's gates were open to all, as a sign of the peace we had finally earned. But that peace was always a fragile thing. It wasn't unheard of for some of he competitors to vanish mysteriously, only for their bloodline to show up in that same village a few years later."

"Then there was that debacle in Cha nu Kuni, with that runner," Mifune continued. "It doesn't sound like much, but it helped more than just Cha no Kuni in the end, so it was an incredible achievement. And the saving of Yuki no Kuni, that was another big one. Young Koyuki couldn't stop singing his praises even toward the end, before he came and took us away from certain destruction."

Uriel was looking perplexed, "so one young boy, was responsible, or at least a fulcrum, for a great many events in your world?"

"Yes," Mei replied with a smile that would have melted any human male into a pile of raging hormones, Uriel was sure. "And so, when he appeared before us, once more with the promise of safety, you can see why not a one refused to believe him. And so, here we are. Refugees of a war-torn world turned into a madman's nightmare. Make of it what you will, Uriel, Archangel of Heaven. But we would follow that young man into true Hell if he asked us."

Uriel sat back once more. For once in his existence he uncertain as to what he thought.

XxXxXxXx

Naruto sighed softly as he looked out the window of his personal limo. The car was a relic, an item from the days of Gressen when stretch Cadillacs were a big thing. Obviously it was thing, he was riding in one. The interior was crushed velvet, with all the amenities a man could honestly ask for; it had a bar, a flip-down T.V., and even tinted windows. But he still found he had one real problem with it.

It drew attention. Big time. To the level that he almost wished he'd been born a Nara so he could melt into his shadow to avoid the stares, even though the population couldn't actually see him. As a shinobi he was taught to avoid attention whenever it was possible… even if he originally disregarded those lessons, he now felt uncomfortable with the level of attention this car brought him.

It was too bad, in his opinion, that his business today required the use of this necessary evil. A full year had passed since he had taken in one Himejima Akeno, and his partner in business had managed something of a miracle for him in that time frame: a meeting with the heads of Japan's two Magician Associations. This was a group, a rather large one, of wizards, witches, sorcerers, and various other "magician" types found in Japan who had banded together against the encroaching discrimination of the Church and the preying of Devils who viewed them as a source of cheap magical labor (read: food for those who fed off it). The two Associations also included signatories from the local Yokai Factions, and as such that group would also attend.

The only stipulations on the meeting were threefold.

One, it would be done in person. No intermediaries. No proxies. If Naruto wasn't there in person, the meeting wouldn't happen.

Two, it would be held in a mutually chosen public location. This one nettled Naruto a little. Even nearly six years after becoming the head of a devil house he still wasn't used to public appearances. Oh, he made the occasional foray, but he wasn't wholly comfortable just yet.

… The school he'd decided to join so as to round out his education notwithstanding. A bunch of high school students and teachers- of which some of his own Peerage had decided to become -did not rate high on his exposure meter for some reason.

And three, Tiamat must be present to show her support of not just Naruto, but of the potential alliance between Asmodai and the Magician's Association. Considering the entire meeting was happening at all because of her efforts, it was a reasonable request on the Magician's behalf. Though Naruto felt that if he screwed up here he'd likely have a very irate dragon queen on his hands.

No one wanted an irate Tiamat on their hands.

So now he was on his way to a large, and very public, park where the meeting between him and the mages would be held. With him in the car were the members of his Peerage, each one in their chosen outfits. Some of which made sense to him, others… not so much.

Tier was in her new dark blue version of what she used to wear as a Hollow. Understandable. Rias and Akitsu wore their modified miko clothes. Sure, he could wrap his head around their reasoning. Aayla wore her old traveling leathers for comfort, while Pyrrha and Titania wore their upgraded armor. Perfectly reasonable. Meanwhile, Karma had decided that a light gray business suit would be his usual outfit. Why not? Naruto did so with his pinstripe suit, so Karma's choice was certainly understandable. Naturally Scarlet didn't bother with clothes, she was a dog. He felt a certain amount of relief with that.

No, the problem lay with understanding the last few members.

Taki had chosen to wear something that would make any hotblooded male look at her and have dirty thoughts. The best part? The outfit was nowhere near dirty! It was the same black kimono with gold dragon motif that she had worn on their date those months ago, but it was accompanied by a dark red and yellow obi, added the bare minimum of eye-shadow and lip gloss, and she had let her hair down. Those few touches transformed her into something of a classic Japanese beauty, he'd dare go so far as to say she looked like the perfect representation of Yamato Nadeshiko.(7) Naruto honestly had trouble taking his eyes off her.

Then there was his latest member, his second Rook, Nonaka Yuki. Her usual garb around the mansion was that of her school uniform, but for this outing she had chosen something… different. She had apparently chosen a tight-fiting, transparent blue Chinese cheongsam with a white dragon on it to cover the naughty bits. Over it she wore a short jacket like Tier's, but left it open.

Naruto didn't know why, but Yuki had been doing some daring and outrageous things since joining him as a Rook. Such as walking around in sheer lace teddies, and otherwise generally acting like some sort of pet. For the time being he was chalking it up to something of a phase, or a method of hers to deal with the trauma she was going through, because he sincerely hoped that it wasn't just a part of her personality.

But by far the one that distracted him the most was his second Knight, Lily. Over the past year she had been doing some growing, and now was a busty, yet lithe and curvaceous woman. Her chosen garb was a blue leotard with a flaring skirt off the back, silver greaves, gauntlets, and breastplate, completed with a flowing red cape line with white fur.(8)

Naruto moved his gaze back outside to avoid staring at her too much. She had gone from an adorable and energetic young lady to a mature and lovely woman. How? He had not the foggiest. All he knew was that she accompanied him on one of his trips to train with Elaine, and by the next week she looked like this!

Thankfully it wasn't much longer before their arrival, and his training kicked in. After Sebas opened the door for them, Naruto stepped out, his face mask of confidence. He turned to assist the women of his peerage from the car, then lead the way to the meeting location: a rather popular fountain square. There they were all surrounded by normal people who barely gave them a second glance due to a spell of suggestion on the area to not look too deeply at them.

Making their way to the designated point, which was the south side of the fountain, Naruto's gaze settled on the people awaiting them.

One was an old man, looking reminiscent of those old masters out of Japanese comedy skits. Short stature, long white robes, really long white beard, bald, but he had large white eyebrows that Maito Gai would have had a hard time beating. Yet the old man gave off a sense of power and ability that was rare for any human. This would be Kokonoe Konoemon of the Kanto Association of Japanese Mages.

The second was a man that Naruto would guess to be in his forties, or thereabouts. He wore the robes of a Shinto Head Priest, and gave off a vice of being incredibly laid back. The fact that he had a cigarette in his mouth and was sitting down on the fountain's rim only added to this impression. But none of the devils were fooled as they each saw the glimmer of intelligence in the man's squinted eyes. In all, the man reminded Naruto heavily of his old friend Shikamaru. This, then, would be Konoe Eishun of the Kyoto Association of Japanese Mages.

… Incedentally, the man was also Konoemon's son-in-law, taking the Konoe family name up his marriage.

Both men were accompanied by two members of their respective groups, of course. No leader of such important groups would go to a meeting with a devil of Naruto's ranking without some kind of guard. But those people didn't really garner much attention other than to be noted in peripheral, and be assigned counters from Naruto's own group.

Then Naruto's gaze fell upon a third party. A singular figure that he had not seen for some time. And they were waving merrily at him with enthusiasm.

What was the Archangel Gabriel doing here?!

XxXxXxXx- Ending Notes

-Okay, time for an age update. As of the end of this chapter Naruto is supposed to be 16, which puts Rias and Akeno at 11.

-Naruto's Harem Update: Tier Harribel, Taki, Akitsu, Pyrrha Nikos, Saber Lily. Though it looks like Yuki is making a play for final position number six! We'll have to find out how successful she is.

-Once again I'd like to point out that I currently have NOTHING planned out. My notes for this story ended two chapters back, and I am now literally flying by the seat of what little imagination I still possess. The waits are gonna be LONG! I may even seem dead at some points… as many of my readers have commented.

(1) Don't bother looking for Inza, she's an OC for the purpose of this chapter. The closest you'll come is from DC Universe, the wife of Kent Nelson, aka Doctor Fate. There is no relation between this Inza and that one.

(2) Bauchan… yeah, these are nature spirits that show up in Celtic mythos. Not really much to go on, but enough that I think the term 'capricious' is a perfect label for them.

(3) Tanuki Nieri no Jutsu: the Feigning Sleep Technique, or Playing Possum. This is what Gaara used in his fight with Naruto to unleash Shukaku's mind during the Invasion of the Chuunin Exams.

(4) Taishō: "General" or "Commander". It was Mifune's official title.

(5) Three Ships: this is the closest translation I could find for "Mifune." Mi = 3, Fune = Ship.

(6) Ōnoki's age: I know what the wikia says, but remember that events got kick started a year early, so he died earlier.

(7) Yamato Nadeshiko: essentially the ideal of the Japanese woman. You wanna know more? Look it up.

(8) Lily's appearance: look up Lancer Artoria of FGO, Stage 4. You'll get an idea of what I'm taking about.

Peerage (World/Familiar):

King: Naruto Asmodai (Naruto/Kurama, Tiamat)

Queen: Tier Harribel (Bleach/Undine)

Bishop: Rias Gremory (DxD/Devil Bat, Magic Bat), Akitsu (Sekirei/Ice Bear)

Knight: Aayla Secura (Star Wars/Gryphon), Saber Lily (Fate Series/Arcanine)

Rook: Titania (Fire Emblem/Celestial Charger), Nonaka Yuki (Shinmai Maou/Moon Owl)

Pawn: Pyrrha Nikos (RWBY/Magic Wolf), Taki (Soul Calibur/Black Dragon), Scarlet the Arcanine (Pokémon), Akabane Karma (Assassination Classroom/Puck)