Author's Notes I: Okay, so we finally reached Chapter 5 and as you all know, this is all me me me. Fuck my life. Be a bit patient, people. Love or romance isn't exactly my strongest forte. It never has been and the relationships in the story might take a bit time before those roses can finally bloom. A lot of people have been complaining about Rias included in the pairing, for reasons I don't know why but I can only venture a guess that they've read one too many edgy fics that have the tags "Rias Bashing/Peerage Bashing" or they be jealous like Glacious. Don't worry Glacy-chan, you'll always be number one author waifu! But seriously though have some faith in me, people.
I really wish I could say I own Naruto or High School DxD. But I can't. Now if only I had a certain set of balls which brings forth a magical dragon that could grant me such a wish.
xXxXx-ADM-xXxXx
He hunched over the desk, resting against his arms —a makeshift pillow. The blond's back rose and fell with each breath. They were like whispers to her. His face looked so content at the moment.
The dark expression that marred it was gone. While he had narrow jawline, his face would look beautiful on a woman, and those faint whisker like marks that rested on his cheeks piqued her curiosity. How the girls of this school didn't notice him was astounding to her. He looked so much better this way. It was strange watching him in such a manner, but Akeno only got a few chances to see his face this comfy. Usually, he would be resting face first against those muscled arms of his. Judging by what she saw last night, he was toned if the t-shirt he wore last night gave any hints.
For the second time today, Naruto Uzumaki fell asleep again. In Shido's class, no less.
Their teacher, a sly crooked man with a slender build and menacing glasses, cursed the blond with all his hatred. Instead of usually screaming at the blond misanthropist, the bespectacled, slender man chose to ignore him. According to Shido, those who fell asleep in class could afford to make up for it and he expressly forbade anyone from helping the blond in his lessons. Her included.
While the man was right, nobody liked him either. Shido was vain, prideful and arrogant. He was also an apparent lecher if the signs she picked up was right. Akeno would follow suit as a certain blond and ignore everything he said.
Sadly, her time to watch the blond lost in the realms of Hypnos had to end. As she got up, yells of joy and excitement exploded around her. Eyes viewed her with admiration, praises left their mouths and some even bowed down —willing to lay down their lives for her on a single command. Akeno looked towards her hordes of worshippers and gave them a small smile.
"Aaaaaahhhh~" So many of them squealed at such a simple action.
To them, her act was that of a god raining down blessings upon them. It was amusing, watching these teens become satisfied. If she had a normal life, one that wasn't flayed by treachery and abandonment, she too would've been like them. Perhaps not as enthusiastic, but she would be more normal.
Regardless, classes were over for the day and she walked towards her target. Normally, she'd wait for them to leave, but today she was a bit agitated. Annoyed too. Their lunch meeting had gone wrong. So very, very wrong. She spent a considerate amount of time to make it and then the blond had the gall to simply say 'It was okay.' When she asked about dinner he replied, 'I didn't feel like cooking.'
The nerve on him!
Akeno understood something very clearly. While she would be careful given how Naruto reacts to socializing (or his attempts to escape it), she couldn't simply take things slow with him. The man was dead set on not speaking about anything at all. But, she was more stubborn than him.
There was also that tiny bit about him being a smut writer. Oh the horrors the blond would go through if she let loose that the writer of Icha Icha was sitting among them. But, blackmail was a last ditch effort.
Right now, she needed to break him out of that solitary shell. Akeno was sure that he smiled lightly today. Even if only for a moment. Realizing that the eyes of the many were still on her, the Queen of Rias' Peerage decided to make things more interesting.
Elegantly reaching for a chair, the Nadeshiko stationed it in front of Naruto's desk and placed her bag on the floor. Cupping her cheeks and resting her elbows against the desk, her face was dangerously close to Naruto Uzumaki's as the blond slept. He was in a trance, and she decided to test her luck, ignoring all the shouts of disbelief as their idol get near the poisonous Uzumaki.
Her hand wade its way through the air. Akeno's fingers rhythmically moved as if hitting down on the perfect notes on a piano. Her targets: his whiskers. Did he purr? It boggled the reincarnated Devil to no end. 'Almost there,' she thought giddily. A maniacal giggle echoed in her mind. 'Let's see if you-'
Her hand stopped midway. An iron-like grip circled around her wrist as it began to move away from his face and she heard a sigh. Naruto opened his eyes, looked at her with an annoyed expression.
"Don't."
"Will you purr if I touch them?"
Groaning at her question, the blond released her hand and sat up. Naruto's hand was calloused and larger than her own. He looked at her with his usual blank stare lamented by the slight annoyance he felt. Or his deadfish eyes as Akeno took to calling it.
"Any particular reason you're bothering me again?"
"Yes," Akeno said, tilting her head. "Buchou asked me to bring you over to the ORC. Not everyone sees the real you."
"Oh joy," Naruto replied. The blond raised an eyebrow at her. "Wait, Bu-who?"
"Buchou."
"Gremory?" the Queen nodded her head, furrowing her eyebrows. "I thought I told them to leave me alone."
"You did," the black haired beauty replied. Akeno didn't appreciate the hostile manner the blond regarded her best friend and King with. "I thought it would be better if you actually met her. Talk to her and the rest of the members. Maybe that would clear some of your confusions."
"Why?" he asked, slicking his untamed hair back. It proceeded to do just the opposite and she heard the blond click his tongue. "Is she looking to make a deal or something? If so, tell her I'm not buying whatever the Devil's selling."
"Naruto-kun," Akeno spoke with a serious tone. "She's not as bad as you make her out to be. You just met her under the wrong circumstances. Rias a nice person."
"And I'm a horrible person," he interjected. Naruto was stubborn and in denial. Refusing to even think that Rias wasn't as selfish as she seemed out to be. "I have to open up shop."
"Today's Tuesday," she said, huffing with pride. "You open up the store near dusk on Tuesdays."
"How long have you been stalking me?"
"Long enough," she said.
"I have some other things to do. Maybe some other time."
"It's just one visit, what could go wrong?" she reasoned and the blond looked at her for some time before shaking his head.
"This is going to bite me in the ass later."
"So you're coming with me?" Akeno saw him nod, painfully. She couldn't help but smile and put a hand on her cheek. "It looks like my charms are finally melting that icy heart of yours."
"If I didn't say yes, you'd be annoying about it all day, woman."
Woman. It's what he called her. Mostly when Naruto spoke to her it would involve short answers. Come to think of it, he never called her by her name. Always woman, rep, Himejima (sometimes) or just 'you'. A charmer, the blond was.
"Very well then," she said and both of them got up with Naruto packing his unopened book. He looked back to see all her worshippers. Their eyes threatening to bulge out of their sockets. Some had traumatic flashbacks, a few girls gasped with deathly expressions and a portion of boys cried in denial.
"Your fans are disturbing," he said after getting out of the classroom. The blond looked at all the onlookers in the hallway with slight contempt, from what she could tell.
"You should see Kiba-kun's," she added with mirth. "They're highly dedicated."
"Are all you-know-what as beautiful as you and your team?"
Akeno stopped and her mind was blank. Her violet eyes focused on him and saw he halted his stride. The blond was obviously waiting for her reply and the fact that she wasn't walking with him.
"Did you just call me beautiful?" she asked. The Queen of the Gremory heiress intently observed him, straighten up a bit and look away for a moment. She quickly moved forward to see him squinting his eyes.
"I say stupid things sometimes."
"Hmm. But did you call me beautiful?"
"You and the others, yes."
"So you do look at me that way," Akeno smiled wryly as the blond shook his head. She clapped her hand and spoke with a sultry voice, "I can see why you're labeled as 'Ero-sama', Gama-sennin. All the ladies must love that cold, brooding look and charming words."
"I am already regretting this."
Akeno hummed in deep thought. An important question popped up in her mind. "How do you get your inspiration, Naruto-kun?" He didn't grace her with a response. "Do you ask women to perform those steamy lesbian scenes? So you can capture the moment?" She just needed to push it a bit more.
"The draft I read was quite tasty," she added with a tone that did make him look away from her, opting to stare at the windows instead. "Are we feeling shy, Naruto-kun?"
"I'm looking at something more interesting."
Akeno, daring to take this moment, stood closer to him and making him stop this time. She looked what was outside and spoke, "That's a bird defecating on a boy."
"Just take me to the damned room." Naruto sighed after a few moments.
"Ara, you look so forward to getting into a room with me," Akeno said, cutely biting her tongue and winking at him. Messing with Naruto Uzumaki was fun.
xXxXx-ADM-xXxXx
Rias Gremory was confused.
She was smiling, but her mind was vexed. The Gremory wasn't sure how to deal with this in any other way. Issei Hyodou wielded a Sacred Gear, Longinus Class, and she had an idea of what it was. Right now the boy had awakened his. Sadly it resembled a red gauntlet covering his left hand. A green orb was there with two golden spikes protruding backwards. It resembled an ordinary Twice Critical, a commonly occurring Sacred Gear. For now.
"Whoa," her newest servant said in awe as he checked out the gauntlet. "This looks awesome."
"Yes, Issei," the Crimson Haired Ruin Princess replied. A smile forming on her face, the boy blushed at her gesture. It was cute in a way.
"So this thing can blow up mountains?"
Not that smart though.
Hopefully, he would be once his training got upped. Her Knight, Kiba was chuckling at his words and Koneko was being her usual self. Mercilessly devouring pastries as if her life force drew its power from them. Though, the young Devil understood that her Rook was a bit impressed too - if only lightly. Koneko did refer to the boy as 'Perv' and was yet to call him by his real name.
Rias often wondered if her sister-in-law gave some lessons to Koneko when they would go back to the Gremory Household during vacations. Stopping that train of thought, she looked at the boy enamored with his Sacred Gear.
"Issei," Rias spoke, making him focus on her. "I believe that with more training you can evolve your Gear."
"So, I can be stronger than I am right now?" he asked, clearly surprised at his own potential. If only he knew what he had. Mortals would kill for the gift he had.
"Unbelievably so," she assured him and saw his face beam up. He pumped his fists in excitement and made his bold declaration.
"Awesome. That's one more step closer to becoming the Harem King!"
'To each their own, I suppose' she thought as Koneko chose to express her own opinions on his dream.
"Die, pervert."
With two simple words, her Rook killed his joy and pride as he blanched. Confidence gone, the brown haired teen was on all fours. It was depressing to watch. His face showed hopelessness and the young King felt sorry for her Pawn.
"There, there," Kiba consoled the sulking Devil. The Gentleman of Kuoh, tried his best to cheer him up. "I'm sure Koneko didn't mean it."
"Kill yourself," the Rook added and her Pawn cried harder.
"Words have only as much meaning as we give them. Right, Buchou?" Kiba said looking to his King for some help. Her Knight was trying his best, but sometimes Koneko's words were so savage even Rias was surprised by them. Especially when it came to perverts.
"Yes," Rias added. She stood near the present members of her Peerage present. "Koneko can be a bit blunt sometimes. Don't take everything so seriously, Issei. She meant it as a joke."
"Right," he said and got up. Some of his gusto returning he spoke with conviction, "I won't be let down by anything. All the oppai in the world – big, small, mid – await for my hands."
"Why are you still alive?" Koneko said looking at him. Her voice, eerily reminding her of a certain blond who questioned her. "I thought I told you to die, trash."
Rias and Kiba flinched at the tone, Issei sulked further. Maybe she needed to have a talk with her Rook, but first came assignments and the young King coughed a bit to get all of their attention. Moving towards her desk, she placed her hand on a stack of papers.
"Issei," she started, "Like any reincarnated Devil, you'll have to work your way up. As of now, you're a Low Class Devil. Work your way through the ranks, get stronger, and earn your promotion to become a Mid Class Devil. Then eventually if you get the chance to be a High Class Devil and get a Peerage of your own. But you have to start low, your first mission will be handing out all these flyers. Okay?"
"Hai, Buchou!" Issei said with vigor. "I'll show you that resurrecting me wasn't a waste." Rias had to smile at his dedication and in regards to her plan, she decided do something else.
"Keep that spirit up, Issei. Who knows, I might give you a reward for it."
Judging by his red painted, steaming face, she could tell that her choosing to emulate Akeno's charades was successful. Of course she was no Akeno, then again no one was. Her Queen was one of a kind.
Speaking of Akeno, she convinced the Gremory Heiress to let Naruto Uzumaki visit their club.
That evoked all sorts of discussion between the two friends. Rias was very much wary of the blond and to an extent feared him. She didn't like his presence, something about it reeked danger to her. It almost reminded her about another blond man. Only this one didn't look at her with lust and exhaled arrogance. The redhead heard a click as the door opened. Her Queen greeted her with a nod, smiling widely. Too widely.
"Akeno-senpai," Issei said dreamily, drooling a bit. Smiling and bobbing his head around, Rias could clearly see how her Pawn's line of vision focused on Akeno's well endowed chest.
Then as Akeno moved further into the room, she turned around and placed her hands on her hips. The door was slowly going back to its original position and get closed.
"Well?" her Queen said. Naruto Uzumaki entered the Occult Research Club Room, closing the door behind him. He seemed annoyed, and Rias, unconsciously, kept her guard up. The blond was dangerous. Nostalgia, tension and uneasiness hit her, when his darkened blue eyes gazed at her. They didn't seem so horrific as they did that night.
"Gremory," he said, no fondness in his voice.
"Uzumaki-san," she said and looked at the blond lightly nod his head.
"Oh right you haven't been properly introduced," Akeno chirped in and Rias was thankful he looked away from her. She noted how the blond gave the Queen a dry look.
"We have. All of your members introduced themselves when I attended the meeting."
"But that was only a formality," Akeno pointed out. "This is talking with people because you want to."
"I want a lot of things. This is not one of them."
'My Satan,' Rias thought. 'Akeno was right. He is an ass.'
Those weren't the exact words Akeno said, but it roughly translated to that. Rias of course would never say that out loud. She did have her pride along with many other things. Despite wanting to be herself, she did have to maintain proper decorum. Grayfia made sure to drill that into her.
She figured they'd gotten off the wrong foot, and this human no doubt saw her for only the Devil she was. Just a Devil, not a person. Rias was often called soft by many other Pillars of the remaining thirty-two. Said she was weak-willed and too kind, even by Gremory standards. She wasn't. She was much more than that.
This was one of the tests in her life, and she would overcome this fear. Namely, one Naruto Uzumaki.
"She's right," Rias said as the blond looked at her. "Have a seat, Uzumaki-san." Seeing him not move made her frown a bit, until Akeno tried to nudge him but he caught her hand without looking.
"Ara," her Queen said. "Getting so touchy today, Naruto-kun."
He freed his hand from hers and Rias saw the sadistic Queen pout, the blond shook his head and sat down on one of the couches. Sitting on the left end of it, he placed his elbow against the armrest. His enclosed fist lightly met his cheek as he looked around with a lazy expression. "What did you call me for, Gremory?"
Rias threw a look of betrayal at her Queen who looked sheepish. The King sighed and sat on the couch opposite to him, Issei was still not moving and simply gawked at the blond. All the other Peerage members were looking at him too. Akeno stood beside her and the redhead began.
"First of all," Rias said. "I'd like to begin by introducing myself, properly this time. I'm Rias of the Gremory House, which is a part of the…Are you yawning?"
"Sorry about that," the blond said. "I already know who you are. Rias Gremory. Redhead, part of the Gremory Clan. Your Queen is the annoying woman. Koneko Toujo, your Rook. Yuuto Kiba, the glittering Knight. Finally we have the red glove wearing Pawn of yours. Issei Hyodou. Did I get that right?"
"Yes," Rias said as she looked at the blond. "I see you remember everything from the meeting."
"Not everything," Naruto replied. "I didn't pay attention in some parts while-"
"U-Uzumaki-senpai!"
The loud shout came from Rias' newest Pawn as he pointed his finger at the blond who raised an eyebrow. The King tensed at her Pawn's action as he strode forward.
"What are you doing here, senpai?" Issei asked looking at the blond with budding interest. Rias didn't remember the teen ever talking to the anomaly before.
"Do I know you?" he replied, bland as Koneko. Even her Nekoshou looked at him curiously.
"It's me Issei! Remember when you saved me from those girls chasing me with their kendo!" he declared proudly and Rias became highly intrigued by this. As far as she knew, Naruto Uzumaki never associated with anyone.
"What?" the young King heard the confusion in his voice as he looked at her newest Pawn.
"Could you explain a bit more, Issei-kun?" Akeno spoke up. "Naruto-kun doesn't like to speak much. He's a bit shy about his feelings."
"H-Hai, Akeno-senpai," the boy chirped. "It was about a year ago, me and my friends were…observing how the training at the Kendo Club was going. Then they chased after us. I hid in the janitor room when you were passing by. I heard how you didn't say anything when those girls asked you if I was around."
"I only know you because I saw you getting gutted in the park."
Akeno palmed her forehead and Rias stared with wide eyes at the blond's way of bringing up Issei's death. She felt a bit guilty about recruiting her Pawn in such a manner, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
"Wait, you were there?" Issei asked, shocked.
"When the crow skewered you? Yes, I was," Naruto replied not looking at him.
"But how? I thought you weren't a Devil. Normal humans can't see them; that's what Buchou told me."
"I'm not a Devil," the blond said, as if that station was beneath him. "I'm just a human with some quirks."
"But you didn't save me or help me," Issei said, a bit sad at how the human chose to ignore him.
"It wasn't my concern," Naruto said. "Besides, you could've run away instead of staring at her. Didn't you see her forming those spears?"
"I was looking at her evil oppai," the boy replied and Rias almost laughed at his reply. Kiba chuckled, Akeno giggled, and Koneko frowned, she cracked her knuckles.
Rias saw how Naruto's eyes widened and stared at the boy. He finally spoke after apparently absorbing this information, "You're one of those hentai fans. Aren't you?"
"Uhh, no," the boy replied. His lie was clear as day, and Rias saw the blond shaking has head, very lightly. Then her new Pawn became reinvigorated. "Besides its okay, Senpai. It turned out well and Buchou brought me back to life."
"As a Devil." The chill in his words were not lost on her. Naruto Uzumaki looked at her, "You could've offered him a chance."
"It didn't come up, sadly," Rias lied with all her might, keeping her face straight. "I was engaged with something in the Underworld, regarding a Rating Game."
It was a half-lie this time.
"I want to believe you," Naruto said, his voice bearing down a weight on her. "But to be honest, I really don't care. What you do is your business."
"Then why did you come here, Uzumaki-san?" Rias asked. Her mind focused on the blond's intentions.
"Because of her," Naruto said looking at her Queen who smiled at the blond. "She would've annoyed me otherwise."
"You know me too well, Naruto-kun," Akeno said. She took the seat beside him. Rias noted how the blond seemed to move a bit away as the reincarnated Devil looked at him with an intense gaze. "I think you really are changing because of my ways."
"You mean your constant urge to disturb me."
"Don't you like it when I'm around?"
"Naruto-senpai, Akeno-senpai together?!" Issei said with shock in his voice, and Rias could no longer hold that smile back. "When?! How?! Why?!"
Naruto and Akeno. Such a strange pairing in her eyes.
"You're more worried about that theory of yours instead of the fact that you died?"
"You're right. I did die," Issei said with a solemn, yet stern tone. "But Buchou was kind enough to bring me back. I owe her a debt and now, I can finally achieve my dream if I work hard enough."
Rias had a victorious smirk on her face as she looked at the blond who remained unfazed. Now, the young King felt a bit disappointed. For reasons she couldn't properly explain, she really wanted to throw this in Naruto's face. Yet, he appeared not to care.
"This dream of yours," Naruto said, his voice softer than before. "What is it?"
Rias wanted to stop him, tried to stop him and keep up his image with the words he previously said. She failed. Naruto's eyes were looking at the teen. As if he was searching for something. Something to respect, a goal he could admire. Ambitions that were-
"To be the Harem King and make a Peerage with the most beautiful oppai in the world!"
Naruto stared at him for some time before turning to look at the redhead. He snorted. Rias felt her cheeks reddening at the embarrassment. Someone cold and sardonic doing that felt much worse.
"Congratulations, Rias Gremory," Naruto said, the redhead heard the sarcasm clearly. "You've gained yourself one hell of an ally."
"That's rude, Uzumaki-san," Rias said looking at him with a dash of annoyance. He was looking down on her. He must've been internally laughing. This guy was a sociopath! Damn blond men and their sneering words!
"I call it as I see it."
"You really shouldn't be riding that high horse, Naruto-kun," Akeno said with a teasing manner and looked at him slyly. "Or should I say-"
"Woman-" Akeno opened her mouth and paused. Then she dropped the bomb.
"Gama-Sennin."
Rias blinked at those words and looked at the blond. Then at her Queen and back to Naruto. He was mimicking Akeno's previous action.
"S-Sennin-sama," Issei said, as if a priest had found Jesus. Rias was still thinking about what Akeno just said and judging by the look on her Queen's face, she wasn't lying.
"Senpai is a pervert too," Koneko added her two cents. The blond for his part looked at the Nekoshou with a blank look.
"I never would've guessed," surprisingly her Knight spoke up. Rias didn't know that Kiba read the Icha-Icha series. She of course read it for…research. It was highly recommended. "Naruto-senpai is a best-selling author."
"Look. It's not-"
"Sennin-sama!" Issei cried out suddenly bowing before Naruto Uzumaki and Rias wished she had a camcorder. Revenge in this childish form was more than satisfying for her. "I've been searching for you for years. Let me touch your hands. Let me kiss them. You brought such a gift for us mortals!"
"I will neuter you."
"So, Uzumaki-san," Rias began with a smirk of her own, Akeno's giggled helped. "When were you going to tell us that bit about yourself?"
Seeing Naruto Uzumaki react so normally was strange to her. Though he did look annoyed to the point he would leave, Akeno grabbed him by his sleeve – succeeding this time – as he looked at her and Rias swore there was a mental conversation going on between them. He sat back down and sighed.
The Gremory heiress felt a twitch of jealousy at just how close her Queen was to the blond. Moving away from the thought, she sighed. It was just the Devil blood in her that momentarily made her feel that, she assumed. It happened every now and then. But for the moment, she saw how Issei kept up his constant bugging of the blond and maybe, just maybe, Rias could gain an ally out of Uzumaki.
It was better than being put on guard.
xXxXx-ADM-xXxXx
"Did you have a good time?"
He kept walking as she followed. Bugging him with further questions.
"That's not a no."
It was nearing dusk now and he had to open up his store. While this version of Ichiraku's wasn't as popular as the one back in his…home, there were customers to serve. Mostly that portly man with a small family of four. Seeing the dying rays of sunlight sink into the horizon, Naruto quickened his pace to get home faster. The sooner he got home the better.
"Naruto-kun, wait."
"What?"
His entire day was bizarre. First he had lunch with her on his secret spot, the roof. It was his personal space.
Silence, peace and tranquil —the three things he craved for were there. Away from the hustling and bustling of students, now it had him and Akeno eating lunch. The food was amazing. He admitted to himself but lied to her. It was more than just 'okay'. Naruto couldn't remember when someone cooked a home-made meal for him and this woman did it twice. His carefully constructed walls were weaker than he thought. No matter how hard he tried, a part of him – a very, small bit – still desired those foolish things.
But he was no longer that person. He had seen where that path lead, the consequences and, of course, the burden that came with it. How he wished the day would've ended there, but the damned Devil woman one upped him with a small bit of blackmail.
Uncaring he was, the blond didn't want people to know about his status as an erotic writer. Mostly because most it would label him as another Jiraiya, garnering him attention or make him gain fans -putting him in the limelight.
He was content being a nobody. To have no dreams, no aspirations, no goals. A man without a purpose. A discarded life. A worthless soul.
He didn't even know why he was alive.
It hurt him every night, when he remembered Konoha. His friends. His loved ones. How powerless he was to change anything. How he was truly meant to be alone -just like he was as a child. Naruto had lost so much that he didn't want to experience the pain of loss again. The cold emptiness inside him was still there. It haunted him, reminded him of how he ended up going against his own goals. And yet . . .
"Are you angry with me?"
The heart was a selfish thing.
"Look, Naruto-kun. I'm sorry. I really am."
It always wanted things that made them feel better.
"I…"
He was flawed and broken, just like any other person. He wanted things as well.
"Shut up," Naruto finally spoke, a gut feeling slowly eating away at him.
The day had taken a toll on him. The ORC members. Their quirks, jokes, awkward attempts to chat with him. The feeling of camaraderie they had. A blind faith in each other. He could feel that his initial perception about Gremory may have been wrong. The Peerage members had each other to lean on.
"I'm really sorry, Naruto-kun," her voice was worried.
"It's not you," he said as the two of them finally reached his building. He looked up at the dying light. The orange sky was being erased by the darkness taking over. It was so fitting and cathartic. Torturous and unbearable to watch.
"How does it feel? To lose them?"
"No, I shouldn't have pressured you or-"
Naruto cut her off. "Its not you. It's me. Goodbye."
"How does it feel to lose everything?"
Naruto decided to go upstairs first and take a shower. It would help clear his mind. He needed some time alone. At least for now.
"Naruto-kun," he heard Akeno speak and followed him on the stairs. "Are you-"
"I'm fine."
He smashed his fist against the ground. Shattering his bones. Crying and howling as he stood alone. The dark clouds above his head twisted to his pleas.
"Are you sure?" Akeno asked him.
Naruto was a bit surprised as she caught on. He was sure that he didn't let out any signs of weaknesses or showed them. He couldn't, not anymore. "Yes," he lied to her face. "I just need to sort some things out. Then I'll be just fine."
His screams echoed throughout the crater. Hot tears fell down on the earth, blood surrounded him as he begged for all this to be a dream. The menacing roots paid no heed to his plea and began anew.
"Naruto-kun, if you need anything," Akeno reached forward, holding his hand. It was soft and warm. "Just let me know. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"You're still on about that," he said, his voice betraying his cause. "I told you before, you don't need to bother yourself, Akeno. Go to someone who cares about you. Like your Peerage members."
He was pathetic. A hypocrite who lied to himself. Even now.
"And like I told you before, Naruto-kun," Akeno declared, "I care about you. I don't care if you don't want me to. I'll do as I please."
Naruto didn't say anything as the woman slowly let go of his hand and made her way down the steps. A conflicted look remained in her violet eyes, riddled with some guilt and sadness too.
"I'm sorry for dragging you with me. I thought having some friends would help you." Akeno smiled at him, sadly. "I'll see you tomorrow, Naruto-kun."
She began to walk away.
'Stop her.'
Further and further, their distance widened.
'Stop her you idiot.'
"Akeno." The reincarnated Devil stopped and she stared at him. "You'll bring lunch tomorrow, right?" It was all he could say.
"Yes," she laughed, and beamed up. "I'll bring you lunch daily if you want. You need to have a good diet instead of that ramen you have every day."
"I'll see you then," he said. she waved at him before quickly scurrying away. He sat on the stairs and joined his hands, fiddling his fingers at his apparent weakness. It was too familiar to him.
This feeling. He felt something wet drip down his chin and he traced to find the source of where it came from. Naruto's fingers slowly made their way up from his chin, passing his cheeks before stopping near the corner of his eye.
xXxXx-ADM-xXxXx
Author's Notes II: Alright, done with the fifth chapter. Was this lighter? Yes, it was. Will all the chapters be more like this? Maybe, maybe not. For people asking me to add one more girl, I don't know. I'm still planning the final phases out. There is an ending, albeit not something profound or groundbreaking. Adding another girl won't change much tbh, but if there is another addition all of you will know. But I seriously doubt it. Writing about Rias and Akeno is hard enough. Don't forget to review. Take care!