Author's Notes I: So, here is the third chapter. Hope you people enjoy.

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"What do you mean, Rias?"

"Exactly what I said. He's dangerous," the Gremory Heiress clenched her fists. Simply thinking about the blond unnerved her. "Stay away from him. After the meeting with Sona, we'll decide what to do about him."

"Excuse me?!" Akeno gawked at her and the red haired teen was taken aback.

She had known Akeno for the last eight years of her life. Ever since she found the raven haired girl all by herself, running away from the Himejima Clan for her life, her Queen and best friend, became a lifeline for her.

No, Akeno was more precious to her than that.

Rias didn't have a sister, but Akeno easily took that role. She was damaged from a young age and kept up a teasing personality to hide her pain. Over time, Akeno did become a tease in general and some of her scars healed. But this…

This was the first time that Rias' friend had snapped at her. This only piqued her interests and worries further.

Naruto Uzumaki was no one.

He was a bloody nobody, but in a single interaction proved how dangerous he was. The Gremory heiress couldn't forget his aura. Yet, this man had somehow caught Akeno's attention.

How?

When?

Why?

These thoughts invaded her mind. Before she could delve further, Akeno's words flinched her back to reality.

"'We'll decide what to do about him,'" the sadistic Queen repeated. Worry, fear and rage evident on her face. "He's not something you can just get rid of. Leave him alone."

Rias could not do that under any circumstance. An anomaly, that's what Naruto Uzumaki was. A dangerous anomaly.

"Akeno," her tone softer. "Try to understand. He knows I'm a Devil. Naruto saw Issei die and questioned me about it."

"And you answered him? What took you over?"

"It was him, damn it!" the Gremory heiress yelled in frustration. "I don't know what exactly he did, but I believe he has a Sacred Gear. There's no other explanation. I didn't even notice him standing behind me until he spoke up. Then there was that murderous feeling he was letting out."

"Rias," her Queen came forward and held her hands with her own. "Just hear me out, please."

It was an action both of them had done for years. Her Queen was stronger than her mentally, given how she grew up. Akeno was no doubt, one of the pillars of support that was there since she grew up. She would listen.

Rias had a soft side for people close to her, and this was Akeno of all people.

"What happened?" the raven haired girl asked, both of them sat on the couch as the Gremory heiress let out a sigh. She began her tale anew, more calmly this time.

She told her Queen everything that happened.

From her waiting for Issei to die, her first attempt to resurrect him and meeting the blond. Rias spared no detail and saw Akeno become confused at last night's events. She noticed how a conflict danced in Akeno's eyes. The genuine amount of frustration that the reborn Devil was going through. It didn't make the Crimson Haired Ruin Princess feel better though.

It only made her feel worse. To think her friend was somehow involved with Naruto Uzumaki.

"Does he know about me?" Akeno asked after sitting in silence.

"I didn't tell him anything else other than the fact that I'm a Devil and I was going to resurrect Issei," Rias said. "He barely spoke and told me not to bother him. But I can't let someone like him roam around. I'm going to contact my brother and-"

"Please don't," the redhead heard. Akeno's violet eyes that always twinkled with excitement, allure and a shining gleam were gone. Instead they seemed like dark amethysts slowly being drowned.

"Akeno," she said. "Just what is he to you? How do you even know him?"

"I know him since our first year at high school," Akeno regaled. "At first I thought he just didn't like people. Then I slowly began to notice something else. He was an orphan, he had no one and lived by himself in a house while maintaining a small ramen store."

The Queen paused a bit, Rias motioned for her to continue. The heiress was finding this to be far more interesting than she thought.

"So I sometimes followed him," Rias noted how her Queen's cheeks became a bit flushed, out of embarrassment. "I found out he talked with no one. He met no one and sometimes disappeared for days. I didn't even realize that observing him became a daily thing for me. Then, I started talking to him from last year."

Her Queen let out a sigh, "He's not the most social person in the world. Even by Gasper's awkward standards."

"No one can be that bad," Rias replied. Though after her conversation with the blond, she didn't dismiss that thought.

"The first time I said 'Hello', he said 'Go away'," a fond smile settled on her Queen's face. "After that I kept talking to him each day. I even tried helping him with his studies, but he didn't need it. You'd think he would be a bad student considering how lax he is during classes."

"It could be a Sacred Gear," Rias reasoned. It did seem possible and seeing the hybrid shrug her head. She waited for Akeno to finish.

"It mostly involved me talking, but overtime he began to talk back. Sure they were short answers, but he did give in. I felt like I finally got somewhere with him," her Queen said. A small frown formed. "Then four months ago, I didn't get that many chances to talk to him cause of duties, the Phenex thing and training."

Rias fiddled a bit. It was clear that Akeno was interested in this teen. A part of her felt guilty for taking away her Queen's chances at talking to the boy.

"I talked a bit with him yesterday, but not as much as I wanted to. So when I got up early, I went to his house," Akeno explained. "I waited for him and we walked to school together. I even said I'd see him for lunch."

"Akeno," Rias said, not sure how she felt about this.

Granted, there was not much interaction from the coldhearted and steel tongued blond, but her Queen seemed so...enamored with him.

"I want you to promise me something, Rias," Akeno said. "My King."

This never happened before. Akeno never - ever - called her by her title before.

"Please, don't harm him," she asked. Or was she begging? "I'm sure he's not going to cause you problems. As long as we stay out of his way. I'll…I'll even stop talking with him, but please don't let anything happen to him."

"Akeno," Rias asked, clearly surprised at the black haired girl's words. "I just don't understand. What is Naruto Uzumaki to you?"

"I don't know," she replied, her tone lost. With a wistful expression she spoke again. "I don't know what he is. But for the life of me, I can't get him out of my head."

"This is confusing."

"I know," she replied. "I can't explain it myself. But I want you to promise me, you'll do nothing."

"I'll try, but Sona needs to know about him as well," Rias added. "She is the other King and half of this territory is hers after all, she has a right to know. I owe her that much."

"Fine," Akeno said. "But I just want you to know. If anything happens, if tempers flyw and her Peerage attack Naruto-kun…I will protect him."

And in that moment, Rias Gremory realized something.

Her friend Akeno Himejima wasn't just interested in Naruto Uzumaki.

No.

Lots of boys and men often tried to court Akeno or at the very least tried to sleep with her. She couldn't blame them and Rias herself was jealous of some of her Queen's features. But Akeno going out of her way, to risk her loyalty to the Underworld and fighting against the Sitri heiress for the sake of one human?

Her best friend was falling in love, strange as the notion seemed.

Rias herself never knew what it felt like, but it seemed to match with what her mother often used to say. To be in love, was to place others above you and risk your life – all of it – for the sake of seeing your significant other safe and happy.

A tiny part of Rias couldn't help but feel jealous at how her friend found love.

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Naruto felt like a lab rat under everyone's gazes. As if he was a nine-eyed, six-headed, three-winged freak-show everyone wanted to see.

The Student Council president along with her merry band were there. Infusing his chakra, he sensed everyone in the room was a Devil.

He blamed himself for being this naïve.

He'd seen the Fallen Angels before, felt strange presences in Kuoh before he got admitted here. Yet, he chose to lead a normal life. Be a normal person. Perhaps one of those strong presences he felt would end him or ignore him as a worthless one. Then he could die like a normal boring human who had no ulterior purpose.

As usual, his luck decided to fuck him over instead.

Naruto looked at the clock. More time passed than he thought. They finished explaining about how they were Devils and apparently owned Kuoh Town. He'd made some small talk too. It was amusing in a sense. These Devils just handed him all the information he needed to know without saying much.

At least his luck was still a double-edged sword.

Both Gremory and Shitouri - Sitri as Sona later clarified - began to explain how much of an anomalous danger he represented. The Three Factions. The supernatural. He absorbed the information while feigning disinterest.

A part of him did block out more than a few words.

"Uzumaki-san," the president began. "I think I speak for all of us, when I ask you: what are you?"

There it was. He was honestly tired of sitting around and doing nothing. 'At least someone here is getting straight to the point.'

"A human," Naruto replied. "You might find seven billion more like me on the planet."

"I didn't feel your presence," the Gremory girl accused him. She looked uneasy. All of them did but none as much as her. Akeno looked nervous as she sat beside him.

"You should've paid more attention."

"Uzumaki-san, while there is no doubt you are human," the president spoke up, adjusting her glasses. "It doesn't change the fact you're anything but an ordinary human."

"You're right," he said, deciding to play along. "I'm just a bit more skilled than most humans. I'm pretty sure there are others who are like me."

"There most certainly are," the bespectacled teen replied.

He wasn't surprised. In a world filled with Angels, Devils and Fallen Angels, some strong humans were bound to appear. It made more sense than anything. Especially when he considered a certain item he had. Survival of the fittest was still the name of the game.

"If that's all, I'll leave," Naruto said. He had a shop to run after all.

"That's not all, Uzumaki-san," Sona spoke up again and the blond waited. "How do we know you won't go against us? That you're not a spy working against us?"

"If that turns out to be true, you're more than welcome to kill me," he replied. Despite their surprised looks, he continued. "I'll tell you what I told Rias Gremory over there: Don't bother me, do whatever it is you Devils do and leave me alone."

He got up as Akeno stared at him. Naruto didn't want her to look at him like that. He didn't want anyone looking at him like that.

"One last thing, Uzumaki-san," Rias spoke up this time. "What exactly are you capable of?"

"Would you rephrase that?"

"I meant your abilities, your powers so to speak," she asked.

'Power.' In the end it was always about that cursed strength everyone wanted to attain. There was a time he craved for it. After seeing what power could do, he began to despise it. "My powers are something you shouldn't concern yourself with. I'm nothing too special."

"A word of advice Uzumaki-san," Sona said, "power comes at a price. No matter how uninvolved you want to remain, something will always catch up to you."

It wasn't a threat, he could understand what she meant. A simple warning to be careful and he was now, much to his dismay, a part of this Biblical supernatural hillbilly world. That idea of leaving Kuoh, didn't hold so much merit anymore.

It was like a shackle now. A prison built to confide him here and if he did disappear, someone would no doubt come searching for him.

"Do you wield a Sacred Gear, Uzumaki-san?" Sona asked, continuing her questions.

"Does it matter?" he replied. He was sure that he didn't have one. The item he possessed was much more different than what they defined.

"Fallen Angels and other supernatural beings often tend to be attracted to Sacred Gear users," she explained. "A few people in this room wield them."

"Good for them. But in regards to your question, no. I don't have a Gear," he said. Seeing the look of satisfaction on the president's face and the worry now gone from Rias' face, he took it as a cue to leave.

He had talked with enough people today.

"What happened to the Fallen Angel?" Akeno asked him.

"She left," he replied. "After I convinced her to."

"Did you fight her?" Akeno asked a bit too loudly, a bit too nervously.

"No." It wasn't a fight.

"So, she didn't harm you or threaten you?"

He was getting tired of all these questions. Especially the ones she was asking.

"No."

"That's good," she sighed.

He was finally out of that suffocating room. Naruto Uzumaki didn't care what happened to him at this point. He was a selfish bastard now and he would remain that way. The more people stayed away from him the better. They didn't need to be a part of his life.

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Akeno couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling eating away at her. Today's events endlessly replayed in her mind.

After the meeting, the day went as normal as it could.

Issei Hyodou was officially recruited into the Occult Research Club, after he was attacked by a Fallen Angel. Again. The filthy creature, Dohnaseek he claimed his name was, seemed enraged as he attempted to attack Issei even with the presence of both her and Rias.

It was unsettling really. Usually, they would flee at the sight of them.

Getting into a conflict with them would effectively break the status quo. The fedora wearing man relented after both she and her King flared their power, something he couldn't match. After that, Issei was taken to the ORC Room and explained who he was. While the boy was shocked at the fact he was a Devil reborn, he did overcome it after learning the perks of being one.

Akeno had to stifle a laughter after he thought his crotch was his Sacred Gear and his dream of course.

In any other circumstances, she would've found these traits to be cute. Something she would mess with him about later. Well, she did note how he couldn't keep his eyes away from her chest. She didn't blame him. It wasn't the first time someone looked at her like that. And maybe, there was a chance that she would teased him about it.

But now her thoughts were dominantly occupied by someone else.

Naruto Uzumaki wasn't a normal human being. Granted he wasn't normal by human standards, but to have abilities how Rias described it surprised her in every way.

Was that why she felt an urge to talk with him? The daughter of Shuri Himejima concluded that wasn't it. Far from it, Naruto being powerful or not had nothing to do with it.

This didn't change anything. He was still Naruto Uzumaki to her.

A loner, a young man who was absorbed in his own miserable world.

Something she now wondered deeply about.

Did something happen to him? She did notice how he was quiet after Sona told him how Sacred Gear users were targeted by many people. He could've lied about him not having one. He could simply be a talented mage like many other humans.

It didn't sate her curiosity or worries though. She cared about Naruto Uzumaki. Much, much more than she thought she did. Something took her over during her talk with Rias, and she even begged her King to not let anything to happen to Naruto.

What was he to her?

She needed answers. Seeing as how Rias was away and she didn't have anything to do, Akeno walked out of Kuoh Academy after arranging everything in order.

One way or another, Akeno Himejima would find out what made Naruto Uzumaki who he was and why chose to isolate himself. To bury himself in solitude.

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Naruto took the roll of bills from his last customer of the day. The man attempted some joyful small talk and Naruto tried to be as courteous as he could. Money didn't grow on trees after all.

Unsurprisingly, the man had bought a lot of ramen from him. The portly man had a foolish smile on his face as he ranted on about how his family would enjoy this too.

Naruto never thought himself a good cook. Even after those three years with Jiraiya. Here, however, getting the right amount of ingredients were easy and he didn't have to glance over his shoulders for impending danger.

With practice, time, and Shadow Clones, Naruto perfected his art of cooking ramen among other skills. It helped his mind. Music aided too, along with a few other hobbies of his.

Closing the shop and locking up the gates, he made his way up the stairs and entered his apartment. It wasn't that large. The deal he got back then was a fair one and was more than content with it. Finishing his own bowl of ramen, his small snack before dinner, and checking his equipment, Naruto mentally prepared to head out.

He needed to place some seals outside his house. The blond was never a master of the art back then, Jiraiya's nagging insistence on him learning it made him reluctantly use some of it. A lesson he was grateful for as it helped him now.

Before he could start, his senses picked up someone's presence outside his door. He knew who it was. A whole year she had talked with him. Tried to reach out to him.

What did he do in return? Avoided her, ignored her as much as he could, tried to forget that someone cared enough to give a damn about him.

Hearing the knock, the blond contemplated on what to do.

He could walk away.

"Naruto-kun."

The concern in her voice was genuine.

'Why can't you just leave me alone?' She knocked again.

"Are you there? I need to talk you."

'Go away,' the blond said in his mind. 'Go bother someone else. Someone who cares about you.'

"Please." It was hard to ignore the plea.

'Just get it over with.'

Walking forward, he decided to talk to her. He explicitly stated to Sona and Rias to not bother him, but this didn't feel like their machinations. This was just the same girl who bothered her. He opened the door and saw her standing there.

Her hair was let down, it was longer than he thought it was. Instead of the usual school dress he saw her in, Akeno Himejima stood in front of him in simple red shirt and black pants. Even then, she looked so elegant. He would give her that.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I wanted to talk to you," she replied, a small smile rested on her face. Her violet eyes filled with warmth.

"Did Rias send you?"

"No," she said, squinting a bit. "She doesn't know I'm here."

"I thought I told all of you to leave me alone," his voice was stern. Maybe she would go away if he was rude.

Just like he usually was, only this time specifically at her. He could be harsh when he wanted to.

"I refuse."

The woman was more stubborn than he gave her credit for.

"Leave," Naruto said. "There's no need for you to concern yourself with me."

"You don't seem to understand, Naruto-kun," Akeno replied.

The knowing feeling rose again. "Exactly what don't I understand?"

"That I care!" she all but yelled. His younger self would feel horrible at how distraught she looked.

The current him, not so much. He experienced something more wrenching than this. It haunted him every night, reminding him with flawless details that painted the terrible portrait he hated.

What she chose to do, was her decision. Still, this was going on in front of his apartment. Naruto really didn't want anymore unwanted attention than he was receiving.

"Why do you care?" he asked. His curiosity beckoned him to ask.

What did he mean to the woman?

What could someone like him possibly be to her?

"Because," she said, defiantly with a fire in her eyes. "You're my friend."

He didn't say anything.

How could he?

"Because," a blond teen spoke. An honest smile spread across his face. His blue eyes were filled with warmth and care. They gleamed with unshakable faith. "You're my friend."

Words could kill. Hers had effortlessly butchered his retorts. He never stood a chance.

"Get in," he said surprising her, and after a few moments contemplating of what would happen after this. Things simply wouldn't be the same for him.

"What?"

"Get in," Naruto said opening the door. "I'd much rather talk inside than out here."

"What changed your mind?"

"Your annoying persistence."

Without another word, she strode inside and Naruto sighed. 'I'm becoming soft.'

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Author's Notes II: There we go. Finished and ready for reviewing. Go on, don't be shy. Take care, peeps. Until next time, stay safe.