Author's Notes I: Hey there, folks. First of all, the original chapter was written by Helel and me. That said, the original chapter was meaty but weak. So I changed a few things, expanded scenes, adding a few more details and fixing the major pacing issue this chapter had. Also, everything after this is coming from yours truly -even if the original had my ideas to begin with. If you're here for a battle based storyline, this is not exactly your thing. Also, stop asking me to add girls to the pairing.
The TFS style disclaimer is gone, yet I still don't own Naruto. At the very least I should be given the rights to High School DxD
xXxXx-ADM-xXxXx
Just another day.
Another day of the same old repetitive tune his life danced to. Every note, every step, every crescendo. Wake up. Live. Sleep. Repeat.
Until those policemen sorted him into a school.
Kuoh High lived up to its expectations. Past or present, Naruto Uzumaki still did not appreciate academics despite some of his changes. Over the last two years, the blond learned a great deal about teenagers of this world. They were amusing to watch and observe.
Every day was about getting better grades, who was more popular, how one could climb the social ladder and be that 'someone' that stood out from the others.
Naruto chuckled a few times at their antics. It reminded him of the Academy and the hordes of fan girls that pined, praised, and worshipped a certain brooding Uchiha. It was almost uncanny, especially with that one boy called Yuuto Kiba. The other blond had a rabid fanbase that was sometimes disturbing in his eyes. Naruto pitied him, a bit. He saw a group of girls chasing after three boys. It was interesting.
The roof always gave him a hawk's eye over the area. While there wasn't any bizarre activity to his knowledge, he still liked being up here. Here they didn't whisper about him in a hush-hush manner. His appearance with the police gave birth to rumors that were just outlandish.
Him, the son of a Yakuza gangster who turned against his father to form his own faction? Naruto had to shake his head at that one. Their opinions reminded him of his past, specifically after his fight with Pain.
Hypocrisy was humanity's natural reflex. Every single person reeked of it.
Konoha's residents' hushed curses, glares and, of course, ignoring his very existence when he was an innocent child was proof of that. The things he did for recognition. He wanted it from all of them; he wanted people to look at him, smile at his childishness, scold him to teach some manners, treat him like they would any other person. Hatred and prejudice instilled a fear in them.
When he defeated Pain, he became exalted. The very same people who ignored him, silently cursed him, and wished him ill will sang their songs regarding him.
Hypocrisy at its best. Naruto himself was one. He was sure that had he been popular, they would sing about him like one of those flawless 'role models' as the students labelled them. He didn't want that.
Besides, lunches tasted better here. A soothing breeze would caress him, and he got a bit of peace and quiet up here. People his age were quite boisterous and noisy. He was that way too once. Seeing how the sun was moving, the blond idly checked his watch.
There wasn't much time until classes started again. Sighing, he jumped down from the tank and landed softly. He turned around and headed for the door. The sudden creaking of the roof's metal gate was something he didn't expect. Neither was the person who came through.
The first thing he noted about this person was, undoubtedly, her eyes. Violet, soft and twinkling with mirth –there was something ethereal about them. Then her face, beautiful and perfect. Her curtain of black, luscious hair tied up in a high ponytail, reached all the way to her knees. Naruto felt a bit proud; she did justice to the color orange with that ribbon of hers. Finally, he noted her figure, and he could easily say that this woman undoubtedly was one of the most well endowed females he had ever seen.
Regardless, it wasn't her face, her eyes, her hair or her figure that gripped his attention. It was her smile. An honest and charming smile that his blue eyes couldn't tear away from. He knew who she was, if only by reputation. Everyone in Kuoh Academy did.
"Hello, Uzumaki-san." Her voice, regal, silky, alluring and seductive. He understood why men pined for her. They'd be fools not to.
But, she was just another person in this school.
Akeno Himejima, one of the Great Ladies of Kuoh along with her friend. The redhead. One of the role models he'd thought about earlier, definitely people he wanted to avoid. They were at the top of the social ladder here, even if they were in the same year as him. If they saw him with the Akeno Himejima, he didn't want to imagine the amount of ass-kissers that would line up near him.
That said, she was no different from the rest. He would treat her the same as he did to the rest. "Go away."
His general response to people. If they stayed away, it was better. Naruto started to walk, not particularly eager to start classes. There was a new teacher, Shido. He didn't like him and vice-versa. Expecting to reach the gate and head down the stairs, he was surprised when the woman caught up with him.
"That's not really the best way to greet someone back, is it?" she asked. The smile was plastered on her face. She stood in front of him, defiantly blocking his path. The woman was stubborn and confident. An annoying combination.
"Sorry if I offended you," he tried to douse her flames of interest. "Now, move." The conversation shouldn't have lasted this long. It was supposed to end five seconds ago when he told her to leave.
"Ara, ara," her voice was sultry. A smooth, unblemished hand settled on her cheek. "I didn't know you were this rude, Uzumaki-san." She was also overreacting. On purpose, no less.
"Now you do," he replied. The blond didn't like how the woman was dead set on speaking with him.
Instead of moving, she hummed with a cute expression. Deep in thought, her eyes intently focused on him. "We'll need to work on those manners, Uzumaki-san. Wouldn't want Shona-kaichou to hear about your edgy behavior. I don't want you getting expelled."
"Wouldn't make much of a difference," Naruto replied, looking past her at the door. "Just another student who flunked."
"But you're not just another student now are you, Uzumaki-san?"
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he decided to feign ignorance. Perhaps mark her pride. "Who are you again?"
She blinked innocently. Once. Twice. "You don't know who I am?"
"Should I?"
A lie. Other than being immensely idolized, she could've been a daughter of one of the many patrons of the school. Or, she was in the cheerleading squad. Yes, he could understand how that increased her popularity.
"My bad then," she said sticking her tongue out in a silly way. "My name is Akeno Himejima. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Uzumaki-san."
"Can I leave now?" he asked. "Or do you have something else to annoy me with?"
"Yes, we're definitely working on your manners the next time," she said nodding her head and crossing her arms under her impressive chest.
Just because he noticed them…perking up didn't mean he was having lecherous thoughts. Those fleshy orbs were huge. Large enough to rival Baa-chan's. Naruto mentally groaned at the comparison. He needed to leave and expel that thought in his head.
Jiraiya influenced him far too much.
"Goodbye," he said, not bothering to turn around. This was a good way to cut off people and disrespecting them. It made them feel like less and probably disliking him in the process.
"See you tomorrow, Uzumaki-san," he heard from behind him.
Naruto made a note to not talk with that woman anymore. One year he'd been in this school and got through with the least amount of conversations he needed to have. This woman was looking to end his streak. It was pointless. He would, probably, never talk with her again.
xXxXx-ADM-xXxXx
"You have a cozy place."
She looked around like a curious school girl. Eyes were filled with excitement as she inspected his Spartan apartment. His aim to avoid the woman ever since last year was useless, like always.
"Can I be a bit blunt, Naruto-kun?"
"You'd say it regardless of my answer."
"True," she shrugged her shoulders a bit, completely relaxed. Just as she'd been this morning, and the times before that when she would strike up conversations with him.
What he liked doing, hobbies and family. He simply told her he likes to mind his own business, hobbies included not mixing with people and family was buried deep into the earth. It was harsh, and she did flinch back then. But he did it to make sure she would take a hint and leave him alone.
He failed.
"I expected a bit more from your place," she said still looking around. "At the very least there should've been some game console."
"I only need to watch the news," he replied. Naruto had sold his console a few days ago, he needed to come up with a more efficient way to waste his time. Or get a better one.
"Okay." She looked at him with an accusing stare. "Though I have to ask where are your pets?"
"Pets?"
"You know. The ones that make you late for school sometimes," she drawled on. "Your fox, cat, beetle, slug, pony, raccoon, and uh…didn't you say you had a monkey once?"
Shukaku. Matatabi. Isobu. Son Goku. Kokuo. Saiken. Chomei. Gyuki. Kurama. "I let them go," he said looking down, remembering them all.
"I thought they were important to you. You did come to class late using those poor little things as excuses."
That was actually funny. The Tailed Beasts were poor little things?
"They are important to me," Naruto sighed. "It was time for them to go on without me. To go back into the world and be by themselves. No need for someone like me shackling them. They were never meant to be pets to begin with."
Before he could motion for the woman to sit down on the chair, her eyes narrowed down on an object. Something unique, something solid, something orange. Without asking, Akeno paced towards his table and picked up the six by nine orange covered book and blushed. A knowing smile cracked.
"Ara, ara," she said, almost giddy at this revelation. "I didn't know you were into such exotic books, Naruto-kun."
"It's…complicated," Naruto replied. In all fairness, Icha Icha Tactics was a good read. It helped to distract him, just like Kakashi used it, and the book helped him –in more ways than one.
"Is this why you didn't want to let me in?" Akeno asked. "To think you immerse yourself in such lewd books. What would-"
She stopped and Naruto wasn't sure how he felt about this. Her hands put the book back down, and picked up some loose sheets as she intently observed them. For minutes. He didn't say anything. It was pointless. Now he felt something: shame.
"Naruto-kun," she said, cheeks flushed. "You're the writer of-"
"Sit down," he said pointing at the chair. "And leave those."
"Sure," she said. She happily skipped forward with a grace.
"Why are you here?" he asked a bit seriously, sinking back into the couch. She – thankfully – seemed to pick up on that. Naruto saw a somewhat somber expression on her face. Before he saw that damned look again. The one that showed affection and care.
Towards him.
"I came to see you," Akeno said. "Just to see how you were doing. Today's events were pretty heavy."
"Nothing too heavy," he said. "Now that you've seen me and how I am, are you done?"
"Why?"
He didn't say anything. There was no point. She was far too naïve to understand. Most of all, it was better if she didn't get involved.
"Why do you keep doing this?" she asked.
If Naruto didn't know any better, he'd say that she was looking depressed. Why did this Devil woman care so much for him? He outright treated her like shit, just to make her go away and stop trying to help him.
"Look," he said. "I really don't know what you want. In fact, why in God's name do you bother me so much?" He noticed her flinch the moment he mentioned the trickster's name. She rubbed her head a bit before focusing on him.
"I told you," Akeno spoke, "we're friends. I'm supposed to care for you."
"We're not friends. Do you not see the way I don't want to talk to you?" he asked with a tired expression. Why couldn't she understand?
"I do," Akeno snapped back. A hint of anger present on her face. "Every time I come up to you, you run away. Every time I try to get you to open up, you go back into that shell of yours. Why do you keep doing this?"
"You didn't answer my question," he slightly glared at her.
"Fine. Let me tell you then," he heard her say. She leaned closer, "I care about you."
Naruto closed his eyes. Images and words said by those who were close to him rung and flashed in his mind. A cruel reminder of the people he could never see again.
"Let me give you some advice: don't," he said despondently. "You don't have care about me. It's not worth it, I'm not worth it. I'll keep treating you like shit. It's who I am."
"If that's who you were, you wouldn't have bothered letting me in," Akeno's fists clenched. "If you found me that repulsive, you would've never bothered bantering back and forth with me."
'No', he said to himself. 'I don't care. Not anymore'
"Look at me, Naruto-kun," she said, pleadingly. Hunching a bit forward, Akeno held his hands in hers, giving him no choice but to see the honesty in her eyes. "I don't know what happened to you. But I don't want you staying like this. It's . . . painful."
"Stop bothering me and get a new hobby then," Naruto replied. "There's no need for you share this supposed 'pain' you keep mentioning."
"If I don't, who will?"
"No one needs to. I'll be fine. I am fine," he reassured himself. "Staying alone clears your mind."
"Being alone is never a good thing," Akeno said, there was no deceit in her tone. "Loneliness never helps you. It keeps carving into you. Making you feel like you're worthless. Just waiting for days to pass by and hope that all of this will one day end with you dying."
Her hands tightened around his. They were soft and her words, they weren't wrong. He was worthless. He let the days and nights pass by. Just living like a hollow shell.
"And if I let that happen to you," Akeno said, "then I wouldn't be much of a friend."
"You're not my friend," he said trying to break her resolution. "You're nothing to me."
After a moments, she - shakily - let go of his hands and stared at the floor. It was a low blow even for him, but at this point he couldn't loathe himself more.
"Maybe you're right," she spoke after a while. Shifting her gaze back up, he could see the tears well up in the corners of her eyes. She looked vulnerable and torn. "Maybe I am nothing to you, but what sort of a person would I be if I couldn't save a single person I care about?"
He was wrong. Naruto Uzumaki loathed himself more.
"I'll be leaving," turning around and reaching for something in her bag. A lunch box, something she handed out to him. Naruto didn't reach for it. After a few more moments, she walked over to his table and placed it there. "I made some dinner for you," she said dejectedly. "I really thought I would be getting somewhere, but it's going to take a lot of effort."
'Don't bother. I'm not worth it.'
"You're pretty stubborn," she continued as she sneakily rubbed the tears away. "But I will break through that wall. Then, one day you're going to make up for all of it." She stood at the door, entranced in thought. "I'll see you tomorrow at school, Naruto-kun," Akeno smiled.
"What if I don't attend?" he asked.
"Then I'll just wait here until I see you again," she said. "Don't worry, I'll always be here when you need me, Naruto-kun. Goodnight."
And then she stepped out of his apartment. He infused chakra to his ears and heard her steps going further down and soon enough he was sure that Akeno was gone. Letting out a sigh, his hands running through his blonde locks.
'Bloody lavender,' he thought as her fragrance was still fresh here. Burying himself into the seat of the couch, his dull eyes fell on the box. 'Be there for me, huh? You shouldn't waste your time on me, silly girl. Give it to someone who cares about you, Akeno.'
Yet, as much as he tried he couldn't tear his eyes away from it. They ensnared him.
"Get a girl who cares about you like me, dattebane," a red haired woman with the widest smile he had ever seen advised him. "If and when you do, make sure to treat her right. Not everyone will care about you like her."
He shook his head as he remembered the brief encounter with his mother. How he wished they were alive. He didn't know what it was like. Having parents.
'What would you want me to do, Kaa-chan?'
xXxXx-ADM-xXxXx
"Sugé," Rias said, witnessing the ending of Hunter X Hunter's Chimera arc.
It baffled her to no end. How this anime didn't have a large following was almost insulting. Using a few tissues to dry her tears and wipe her nose, the crimson haired beauty couldn't help but feel terrible. Sure the good guys won, but she felt bad.
"Poor Komugi" she sobbed a bit more, immersed in the rich character she admired. Finally turning the laptop off, Rias prepared to go to bed but her mind wandered off to her guilty pleasure.
More towards how some great deconstruction shows were being ignored for other useless fan-service shows. Then again, the definition of 'good anime' was changing. It was all about that ecchi now. Beautiful girls, jiggling boobs, and cute butts. Netorare, harems, power wanks. And of course, the 'Onii-chan' ones.
Rias would've despised them if it weren't for the fact that those bimbos had a figure that was similar to hers. She often wondered what it would be like to be in an anime or manga. To be a helpless princess waiting for her true love to save her from all the evil in the world. An adventure where she could slowly discover who she really was when she would gain experiences from it.
The Gremory heiress couldn't help but sigh dreamily at the thought. Perhaps she was a bit too girly, but she was who she was.
Rias Gremory a girl who was a Devil, an Heiress and a user of the famed Power of Destruction. But she also liked to watch anime, go to conventions and spend her time daydreaming every once in a while. Thinking about a pseudo-fairy tale life made her mind drift to Akeno. Her friend was so infatuated with one Naruto Uzumaki, it boggled her to no end.
What was is it about him that made Akeno be so magnetically drawn towards him? How did someone like him not show up on her radar? He was a sneaky one, the Misanthropist. Deciding to move her mind away from the man who terrified her last night, she pondered on her choices.
Until she felt a Devilish presence.
A magic circle formed in her room. The symbol of the Gremory Clan glowed its usual crimson red, like her hair, and out of it stepped her Queen, her best friend, her confidant. Akeno looked outright shaken.
"Akeno," the Gremory heiress rushed to her friend. "What the heck happened?"
"Nothing," she replied, far too quickly. "Rias."
"What is it?"
"Can I . . . " Akeno paused for a moment. "Can I stay here for the night?"
At the end of the day, she was a Devil. Not to say she was evil, but being a Devil had its own unique set of circumstances and with her particularly, it was greed. Not in the archaic sense, but rather in the achievement of it.
The crimson haired beauty was planning to go over to Issei's house and stay the night. Maybe get a few kicks out of him waking up in a freaked out manner just for the sake of it. But it wasn't unnecessary. It would motivate Issei to do better and train harder. She had her own burdens to carry after all and she needed the power of possible Longinus tier Sacred Gear within him.
If he was trained properly, he could beat Riser Phenex. Cancelling her marriage to that detestable filth was her top priority and she would do whatever it took to break free from him. It was childish, but it was her life. Something no one else had the right to decide.
But, when it come to her Peerage, she would not ignore them. No, she would give them as much time as they needed. They were her friends, her second family.
"Sure," Rias said and stripped down to her bare essentials. Akeno did the same and joined her best friend.
Both of them cuddled up against each other. This was nothing new. They were used to sleeping with each other in the same bed for years now. Rias could tell when her friend was crestfallen. Now was a good example of it.
"Akeno," she said getting a hum out of her Queen. "Did something happen?"
"I went to visit Naruto," she said, guiltily.
Rias wanted to be angry. She really did. That man was so unnerving to her. She didn't hate him, far from it she just felt like a child when he would stare at her with those eyes. Like they'd seen all the horrors of the world, and he was about as old as her for Lucifer's sake.
Someone her age shouldn't have such a desolate look in his eyes. She only noticed it after Akeno had mentioned it. There was something off about Naruto Uzumaki and it piqued her interest. But not to the point she'd want to be friends with him. Still, Akeno liked him.
For her, she could let this go.
"Akeno," she said. "I thought he told us to leave him alone."
"No, he told you," the lightning user replied. "I don't remember him looking at me when he said it."
Rias sighed and softly smiled at those words. Akeno's determination was admirable. The amount of faith she had in believing that she could help Uzumaki was nothing less than astonishing. Her Queen was strong , but even Rias could tell something did indeed happen.
"Okay, Akeno," Rias said, "now tell me what really happened."
"I went over to see how he was doing. Said I wanted to talk to him," the black haired girl relayed. "I even made some dinner and took it there. After talking to him, things got a bit heated."
"Akeno," Rias said worriedly.
"Don't worry," she replied, a sense of reassurance was present in her voice. "It wasn't anything that bad. It's just, it hurts me when I see him denying himself."
"Of what?"
"Of happiness," she said with a sad tone. Her body quivered and Rias wrapped her arms around her, "He so lost in his own darkness. No matter what I do, he keeps pushing me away. He's worse than I was before I met you."
Rias couldn't help but wince at those words. Akeno's childhood was by no means an easy one. Her mother slaughtered by her Fallen Angel father's enemies. Akeno's own family tried to kill her. The Gremory heiress feared what would happen if she didn't appear that day with her father's Bishop.
"He says he wants to be alone, but I can see it," she said, and Rias finally heard her friend sob after so many years. All because of a human. "The pain he's in. I don't want him to be like that. I don't want him to shoulder something like that."
"Shh, calm down. We'll help him, Akeno," Rias said trying to soothe her Queen. "If you need help with anything, let me know. I'll try."
"I know, Rias," she said a bit more calmly. "Thank you."
"There's no need for that, Akeno," Rias smiled, warmly. "That's what friends are for."
"Yeah," Akeno replied. "What would I do without you, Rias?"
"Probably torture some poor souls."
"That was only fifty seven times and three of them asked for it."
"Go to sleep, Akeno," the crimson haired beauty said. "Go bother your boyfriend tomorrow."
"He's…he's not my boyfriend," Akeno said shyly(?). 'Satan's lubed pitchfork. Did Akeno just stutter?'
"Akeno are you alright?"
"Of course I am," Akeno replied. "Why do you ask?"
"Did you just stutter?"
"No."
"Lucifer Morningstar," she said in mock surprise. "Someone can make the mighty Akeno nervous. Maybe, I'll have to give this Naruto Uzumaki another look."
"Rias," she said. "Do you want pictures of your collection to leak out?"
"You wouldn't," Rias said with fear.
"I would. I enjoy watching you squirm," her Queen said with a wry smile. "Thank you. I needed that."
"I know."
"Goodnight," Akeno said, yawning a bit.
Clearly the day had taken a mental toll on her and Rias sighed comfortably. She thought about the man Akeno was so deeply infatuated with.
Dangerous. Alarming. Also, he was sort of easy on the eyes…once you got past the whole depressing aura around. Naruto Uzumaki at the moment was interesting.
"Rias," Akeno's suddenly spoke. Her train of thoughts derailed. Rias couldn't believe what she was thinking.
"Yeah?"
"Do you feel sleepy?"
"Not at the moment. You?"
"No."
"Same."
. . .
"Ice-cream?" both of them asked. A giggle was heard from both of them. So strong was the understanding and friendship Rias had with Akeno.
xXxXx-ADM-xXxXx
Akeno got up early. Rias fell asleep much later after their sugary massacre last night. A perk of being a Devil was how her body was self-aware, she was fit most of the time and her exercises helped. She was grateful to her King for providing the much needed soul comfort last night.
Naruto's words, they'd almost cut through her. For a moment she did almost believe his words. That she was, indeed, nothing to him.
The sadomasochist couldn't even begin to describe the sharp pang she felt when he said those words. A seething pain she had not felt since she was nine, when she lost her mother and her abandoning father had bailed out on her. But in the end, Akeno knew how the mind worked too. A lonely mind at that.
Naruto Uzumaki was…he was…she couldn't even begin to term what he was.
What was it about him that attracted her to him?
Was it his looks? Maybe. He looked amazing with that blond hair, blue eyes and a physique that emasculated everyone else at their school. Though it wasn't anything too brutish. It was perfect. He was perfect –to her at least. Perhaps it was the occasional pain she saw in his eyes that acted like beacon. Maybe it was because he was different.
She didn't know what to think anymore.
All she knew was that, Naruto Uzumaki somehow, someway, wormed his way into her heart. He had taken a place there and for all the gifts she had received in life, she just couldn't let someone – alone and writhing in self-loathing – suffer like that.
So with a newfound determination she made breakfast for Rias, knowing full well her best friend would be a bit late today. Then she proceeded to make three bento. One for her King and best friend she so often liked to tease, one for herself and one for…well, she'd have to do something about it if he didn't show up.
Maybe give it to Issei. He was new in the Peerage, perhaps he could enjoy some of her cooking.
It was with these thoughts that she found herself walking along the streets of Kuoh. She of course had to go check everything at her old shrine house and it was on the way to school. She stopped over at the bland looking two storied house. Checking her phone, she went to a website and looked it over. It was site that kept a track of the best-selling books in Japan. The Icha-Icha Series with two books had been on top for the last three years. Their author, the mysterious 'Gama-Sennin' was an enigma. Nobody knew what he looked like or where he came from.
Until last night.
Not only did she discover that Naruto read the Icha-Icha Series, she preferred Volume 2: Violence more, but was probably the author. Given his reaction, he had to be. The paper she read contained very fine details of a man utterly ravaging a woman. Her moans, her shuddering, her pain, her bliss.
It was so vivid it made the reincarnated Devil blush. Yet another fact that made her believe that Naruto wasn't just a loner wishing to drown in loneliness. He needed help, he just didn't know it.
Akeno stood near his door and knocked it, something she kept up for some time. Over and over and over again. More than twenty minutes. After she was sure he wouldn't answer, she went back to her path and came upon a most unusual sight.
There by the lamppost near the comic book store nearly everyone had to cross, stood Naruto Uzumaki. His arms crossed and a blank expression on his face. His eyes were dull and lifeless as ever. Like two lost souls drowning in an endless blue ocean. They called out for help, in her opinion. To save him. She could see it. Her heartbeat quickened when he started walking near her. The blond stood far too close to her and looked down at her.
"You're here," she said.
Instead of replying, he simply handed her the lunch box she left. An empty lunch box. Akeno couldn't stop the smile stretching on her face.
"I owe you," he said with no enthusiasm. "Just the lunch and nothing more."
"Actually, you don't have to buy me a meal," she said. Opportunities like this didn't come around often.
"I have the money-"
"I said you don't have to buy me a meal at all."
" I'm not a freeloader."
"No, you're not, Naruto-kun," she said with a smile. She felt so giddy. "But there is something else you can do."
"I'm going to regret this," he said with a sigh. "What is it?"
"I just happened to make lunch for us. Both of us," she said enjoying the way how he almost groaned. "All you have to do is eat the lunch I made . . . with me."
"Annoying woman," he said and turned around to walk away. She stood there as he walked away. A small pit began to form again. No she wouldn't let him ignore her like that.
She was Akeno Himejima. A proud woman, a sadistic woman who had her way with what she wanted and right now, she wa-
"Well? Do you want to be late?"
His words tore her focus away. He stood there. Waiting. For her.
"Sorry," she said and walked beside him.
She beamed up at him and he almost rolled his eyes at her behavior. Silence stood between them again. Still, it was nice. Being with him. It soothed her.
"I wasn't kidding about what I said," he said. "You don't have to concern yourself with me."
"I know," she said. "I don't have to. But…I want to."
Akeno Himejima meant those words and just for a moment, the Queen of Rias Gremory swore she saw his lips twitch upwards.
xXxXx-ADM-xXxXx
Author's Notes II: There done. People, before you start firing off "Oh he's too cheerful! He's not slashing his wrists enough! This is becoming way too light too early!" No. Angst doesn't generally mean being all emo, dark and having a one-directional mind. Those small things I added was for depth. To show that he's more than just a flat character. He's flawed and scarred, but he's still a human and that he does still feel but represses them...that he isn't perfect. Same goes for Rias and Akeno; I added those scenes to flesh them out a bit and show you a bit more about them. They aren't just pretty, busty girls and the whole joke about the ecchi-ness was a jab at DxD itself. This chapter was something Helel got very wrong (didn't even listen when I told him about it), and probably the reason why he couldn't continue. Expect a whole lot more character interactions of Rias, Akeno and Naruto coming up. That's all I have to say and make sure to review guys. Until next time, take care guys.