Author's Notes I: I see a lot of people were mildly more impressed with the last chapter, some finally seeing the angle I'm going for. The main theme of the story is ultimately 'Hurt/Comfort', 'Romance' is sorta important, 'Drama' follows, and 'Humor' is necessary to show a few things that just simply cannot be ignored. Again, glad to see people like it. That said, I'm surprised that not a single person asked me anything about the blue album. Oh well, I'll keep it to myself.
I don't own Naruto or High School DxD. If I did…oh boy.
xXxXx-ADM-xXxXx
For a shinobi, to show emotions meant exposing his weaknesses.
He'd heard those words since he was a child, when he should've been playing with toys and not a kunai. From Iruka to Kakashi to Jiraiya, all of them always told him to keep his emotions in check. To not let it get the better of him.
Every time he failed—in grand style. It was so pathetic it was funny in a cruel way.
But Naruto chalked it off as just another one of his traits. He was never a true shinobi in a sense; he shouted at the top of his voice, spouted his ideals boldly, wore bright, blinding orange, and even refused to kill unless necessary. With those quirks of his, Naruto went from being the hopeless case of his class to the man who was worshipped as the Hero of the Hidden Leaf. His emotions invoked his decisions and he never once regretted them, with the sole exception of this.
Placing the blue book on the scroll, he performed a set of hand seals. Lines of kanji emerged from the blank scroll to imprison the book, dragging it downwards into the infinite emptiness of the scroll. It was gone.
Naruto sighed as he sat on the floor and lighted another cigarette.
He needed this one, putting away that particular book was never easy. It was so…hard to reseal. Each time he opened it, a false sense of comfort emerged. Basking him in warmth, the book's contents soothed his mind. Yet, he could still feel the shame in all this. Naruto ultimately developed a love-hate relationship with it, and each time he used it his respect for himself diminished greatly.
He was, without a doubt, scum.
Finishing his cigarette, he drove it against the ash tray as the flame snuffed out. After washing his face and drinking some water, he headed down to his shop where there would no doubt people would be waiting. His ramen was semi-famous in Kuoh, and he was sure the blob was up for at least one more round. Well, the clone's memories made the last part very clear.
Stepping inside, he noticed how Yashiro was slurping up the noodles as if his life depended on it. Normally, he would've shrugged it off, but now his family came with him too. His wife and two kids. All of them cheerful, happy, smiling like idiots. The young girl in particular, Honoka was her name (if he remembered correctly), was the most excitable among them. Yashiro's wife, Chie, and his son, Kazuya, seemed to be content. The family of four were ecstatic at Yashiro's promotion.
All that sentimental candy floss, right there in his shop.
"Naruto-san," Yashiro spoke, with food in his mouth. "Today's batch seems extra special."
"Maybe you're just finding it tastier than usual." Naruto was putting on his apron and hat. God, it felt so weird putting that hat on. He wondered how professional chefs wore this heavy crown on their heads.
"Food tastes better with friends and family," Chie, the plump, brown haired woman said. "Must be what's making Yashiro hungrier than usual."
Naruto stopped and stared at the family for a few seconds. "He eats 20 bowls here. Every single day."
"Well," Kazuya, the young teenager spoke. Naruto could tell the boy was slightly nervous, and embarrassed. "Dad does love your ramen. We all do, it's really good."
"It's nothing special," Naruto said. He began to cut some vegetables while putting on a mask to cover his lower face, he didn't want Honoka to ask questions about his birth marks.
"Ano," Naruto rolled his eyes as the young girl spoke up. She even raised her hand cutely, "So ramen isn't special to you, Naruto-san?"
It was raining heavily. Grey giant clouds loomed over the village, the sun shying behind them.
His apartment was far and there would probably be some idiots looking for him. His stomach grumbled as he walked, his feet stained with mud and raindrops hammering at his body. The smell of spices entered his nostrils —enchanting and alluring and seductive.
It guided him to a small, wooden shop.
He peeked inside, fear telling him not to leer too much lest the shopkeeper would yell at him and shoo him away. Yet the temptation was far too great to ignore. Braving himself, the blue eyed child peered to see just what caused such an aroma and instantly he fell afraid. The man, with the strange hat and closed eyes, saw him and the blond braced for curses.
Instead, he was called in and told to sit down. A girl, older than him, brought him a towel. She told him to dry himself, gave him a smile too. They were strange people. Kind people.
Why were they this kind to him? Nobody except the old man was.
Then the aroma increased, as the man returned. A large bowl in his hand, steam come off at is he placed in front of him and the child stared at it. Noodles, bathed in a broth with eggs and strangely shaped pastes of meat or fish, he didn't know. The small spiral on it caught his attention the most.
"What is this?"
"Food of the gods, kiddo," the man said, his tone was gentle. "But you can call it ramen."
"It's just food," Naruto said, his tight grip around the knife slackened a bit as he went back to chopping them off. He tried not to scowl, he didn't want his customers running away and taking away that extra bit of cash.
"Naruto-san," Yashiro spoke up, already finished with his bowl. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you plan to do after high school?"
Naruto stopped and thought for a moment. He decided to give a truthful answer. "I don't know. I only joined because those cops wouldn't leave me alone and I got a scholarship, for some reason."
"You study at Kuoh, right Naruto-san?" Kazuya asked him. Judging by his colored cheeks, the blond already knew what he was going to ask.
"Yes." Naruto then poured them into the bowl. The fragrance was intoxicating.
"Is it true that uh. You know…"
"I understand you're growing up," Naruto cut him off, his eyes not moving away from the food he cooked. "But seriously, kids your age should think about other things than beating your meat."
. . .
"What meat is he talking about, Mommy?" he heard the innocent Honoka ask. Naruto sighed. He forgot the kid was there.
"It's something you shouldn't be hearing about," Naruto saw the mother, frantically, trying to divert her daughter's attention elsewhere.
"But I want to beat that meat too!"
And with those words Naruto groaned. Innocence be damned, those were words no one should ever say out loud. "That's adult talk, kid. You shouldn't say it."
"But-"
"If you do," the blond spoke again as he prepared four bowls. One of them was far too large, and near the other end one was too small. "I'll make sure you never eat ramen from here again. Ever. Even home delivery."
The words seemed to take effect as the girl seemed horrified, a reaction her father shared. Ignoring their touching moments, Naruto went to the other customers. They were rather enjoying the whole drama and left him larger tips. He was a chef not a comedian for their amusement, but he didn't mind the extra money. Even though he had a good amount of it. Maybe he was becoming addicted to it.
It didn't take much time for the family of four to finish their meal, Yashiro once more proved he was worthy of the name 'Glutton' and they left. Naruto sighed, appreciating the silence. His past few days had been hectic.
Akeno talking to him every day, his awkward conversations with Rias, the occasional meetings with her Peerage members and, last but not least, Issei bothering him about the next release. He had half a mind to make his tongue go numb. He had senbon needles to do just the trick.
Still, it was almost overbearing for him.
Akeno he could handle, he was used to her trying to invade his personal life —a part of him welcomed it. Rias was, he didn't know how to feel about the Gremory girl. At first she seemed like a Devil, rotten to the core with her sins. If their talks were anything to go by, she seemed more human than he thought, with her fair share of flaws. The others were like tight knit group friends.
Maybe he needed to go on a trip again. Relax his mind a bit, he hadn't been to the country side in a long time. Hearing the door open, he looked at the man who entered. He was wearing a suit and fedora. He had a stoic expression on his face and unique eyes.
Eyes he had seen before, it belonged to someone who he thoroughly thrashed more than a week ago.
'Another one.'
"Welcome to Ichiraku's," Naruto said, keeping his voice steady. "What will you have, sir?"
"I've never tried ramen." The man's voice was gruff. "Is it any good?"
"You can try the miso," the blond said and the man nodded. Naruto went back to preparing a bowl for him as he kept his senses up. So far, no one else was around and the Fallen seemed calm. More minutes passed and the man was starting to get impatient. Probably from hunger.
"How long will it take?"
"Just a moment," Naruto said as he was putting the finishing touches on the dish. 'Maybe he's here by coincidence. I didn't know Fallen need to eat.'
The man took the chopsticks and dove into his bowl, his stern features seemed to soften with every mouthful. Naruto was surprised when he finished quite quickly. Taking out some notes, the man placed it on the counter top.
"Not bad," the man got up and was heading out of the door. The moment he stopped, Naruto reached for the kunai underneath the table. The Fallen turned around, "Why are you wearing that thing on your face?"
"I have a cold," the blond lied.
He saw the Fallen stare at him for some time before leaving and Naruto began to rub his forehead. In hindsight, it was better he restricted the seals to just his apartment and not the store. Otherwise, the man would've received a nasty jolt, more than enough to peel his skin off.
Naruto sighed at the near encounter he had. If his shop did become a battleground, he would've gone to war with the Fallen Angels. It was important to him and he sat down, shaking his head at the current changes in his life.
'I miss the boring old days.'
xXxXx-ADM-xXxXx
Akeno finished cleaning her house and wiped the tiny bit of sweat on her brow.
Smiling contently at a job well done, she walked to pour herself a glass of juice and drank it. It tasted better after hard day's work. Deciding to get out, the Queen of Rias Gremory changed into more suitable clothes. Content with her black shirts and jeans, she tied up her hair with the orange ribbon and headed out.
Her destination: Rias' house.
Naturally, she could've simply teleported, but sometimes she liked enjoying the little things. Taking a walk after the sun was swallowed by the rising darkness was one of them. Kuoh was amazing during the day, but a true, shining beauty at night. Akeno enjoyed how the soft breeze rubbed against her. It was comforting.
Spring was always wonderful in Kuoh. There was a surreal feel to it. It was almost as if, dare she say it, God blessed this town with the gift of the new bloom.
She also had a few plans this time around. Namely, the Kuoh Spring Festival that was held near the end of the season. She always went with Rias, Koneko and Kiba. This time, she wanted to go with someone else. Moving her thoughts away from her person of interest, Akeno soon found herself in the park.
A rather infamous spot if she was to be honest about it.
While the general public viewed it as a relaxation spot, the Himejima knew better. Issei wasn't the first to die in this park. That credit belonged to the previous owner of Kuoh. Rias and her Peerage still don't know the full story of what happened, but it was morbid enough to make even the current Lucifer turn serious.
The Park of Death, was the unofficial nickname she had for this place, and as Akeno strafed at her own pace she came upon an interesting sight.
There on the bench sat a man, alone. She could see his back clearly as he sat on the top rail, his posture completely relaxed and smoke emerged from near his mouth. That was something she didn't know. Stealthily moving forward, she tried to sneak up on him. Akeno didn't make a single noise and was about to put her hands over his eyes—
"Don't bother."
With two words he took away her goal and Akeno pouted. She frowned at the chance lost and walked around the bench to face him. He had that near blank expression again, only she could see hints of boredom in it.
"Were you stalking me again?"
"That's the first thing you're asking me, Naruto-kun?" she said with a mock hurt expression.
"Yes," Naruto said as she watched him take another puff.
"I didn't know you smoked," Akeno said waving the exhaled smoke away from her.
"Sometimes." The blond then crushed the small remnant of the cindery stick in his bare hands. He then got down and threw it in the bin beside the bench. Akeno noticed his hand and spoke.
"Do you want me to heal that?" she asked, leaning a bit forward as he shook his head.
"There's no need to," Naruto said, and sat down. He seemed so relaxed, more than she'd ever seen him before. "You're staring at me again."
"Sorry," she said and smiled, taking the seat beside him. Akeno moved a bit towards as him as the two stared at the starry sky. The moon was full tonight and looked utterly beautiful. "The moon looks amazing tonight, doesn't it?"
"Sure."
Akeno was a bit surprised at the harsh tone he spoke with. It was almost as bad as that day, when she visited him at his house. Though, his facial features didn't change much considering the way said it.
"Is something wrong, Naruto-kun?" She watched him sigh. He was looking at the moon now, Akeno could see it clearly now. The loathing in his eyes.
"I hate the moon. Everything about it irks me," he said and looked, almost, wistful.
She wanted to ask what made him hate the lunar sphere so much, but stopped herself. Akeno knew he wouldn't answer —not at the moment anyway. He talked more now, albeit she still didn't know too much about him just as he never asked her any personal questions. It was strange, how she spent her time with someone who barely peered into her privacy and yet, she was comfortable with it.
Akeno had a weird friend, and she'd ask him everything later. Right now, she needed to thaw that ice he liked to surround himself with. Gently, she placed her hand over his, she felt him slightly twitch but caressed it slowly. Soon enough, he relaxed a bit again and she simply kept it like that. A small idea began to grow in her mind.
"Naruto-kun," she said and the blond looked at her, but didn't meet her eyes. "Are you free right now?"
"Why?"
"Well, I'm going to Rias' house and I thought if you don't have anything better to do," Akeno stopped and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "you could maybe come and hang out with us."
Naruto didn't reply and merely stared back at her, and it sort of got to her. His undivided attention, solely on her as he ignored the world. It got to her every time he did that. He then closed his eyes and Akeno hoped he would say 'Yes'.
"Alright."
Of course he refused and-
"What?" she said, almost slipping off the bench.
"I said 'alright'," he said and stood up. "I don't have anything to do right now, and honestly, I'm bored."
Getting up with newfound vigor, Akeno stood beside him as he motioned for her to lead the way. "I still can't believe you agreed to go."
"Don't get used to it."
"But I already have."
"Maybe I'll just disappear," she heard him say and she stopped for a moment, before she picked up the pace. Akeno didn't like that picture at all.
Naruto was, at this point a constant in her life. For him to not be there…
"Out of curiosity," Naruto spoke, "what were you going to do at her house tonight anyway?"
"Ara," she said, trying to forget his previous words. "Interested, are we?"
"I'm going to a Devil's house," he clarified. "Excuse me for having questions."
"Well, normally we'd talk about a lot of things, followed by a marathon of anime." Akeno said, as she looped her arm through his.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" Akeno asked, she liked how he seemed a bit flustered. Well not flustered, but she enjoyed the look on his face.
"This."
"It's nothing I haven't done before," Akeno said. "Besides, it's been a few days since we started having lunch. You don't complain when I lean my head against you."
"That's because no one can see us there," Naruto pointed out. Did he grumble something?
"Well I don't care," the Queen of Rias said. Pulling him closer, she had to admire how he didn't react to his arm being essentially squished against her breasts. "People can think what they want. I rather enjoy spending time with you."
. . .
"I'm sorry." Akeno stopped walking and looked at Naruto. Disbelief working in her mind as she looked at the blond. Perhaps she misheard him.
"What?"
"I'm sorry."
She couldn't believe it. Naruto was apologizing to her. Keeping her reaction at bay, she gulped a bit. Akeno didn't know what to do. The hybrid never imagined him saying something like that. It was so bizarre.
"What for?" she asked.
"Everything," Naruto replied, looking at the road ahead of him. "I was kind of a… No, I was a dick. Still am. Despite everything you did for me, I treated you like crap."
"What's wrong, Naruto-kun?" Akeno asked, slightly paranoid at his behavior. "Are you feeling sick? Did somebody cast a spell on you?" Naruto instead only stared at her and the Queen felt a bit uneasy at his forming frown.
"Are you saying I'm not capable of apologizing?"
"It's just," Akeno tried to find the right word. "You've never...I mean. You know."
"Maybe I should go home," he said. "Clearly you're not in the right mind and-"
"Wait," Akeno cut him off and breathed in. She took a moment to compose herself. "What happened? I don't mind you apologizing – which you should've done a year ago – but why now?"
"I guess," Naruto paused. "Somebody pointed out that I should treat you better." Akeno's heart skipped a beat as blood rushed to her cheeks. She felt a warmth spreading in her and her breathing became a bit shallow for a moment.
"So, that means you finally see me as a friend?"
He didn't say anything, but the slight nod he gave meant the world to her. Akeno felt her eyes watering slightly, but pushed them back. She couldn't afford to look weak, not in front of him anyway.
"Thank you," was all Akeno said as they resumed their pace. Akeno hadn't felt this satisfied in a long time as she kept glancing at Naruto and noticed how he rolled his eyes.
"Would you stop staring?"
"I'll think about it."
After a few more moments, Naruto finally spoke up, "What am I supposed to do there?"
Akeno laughed. "We'll figure something out."
xXxXx-ADM-xXxXx
Rias' cheeks turned as red as her hair out of shame and embarrassment. Her pride had been utterly crushed, pounded into dust, scattered into wind. She stared at the man with rage in her eyes, while he ignored her glare. Akeno was laughing at the side and that made it all the more worse.
"How?"
She heard the blond sigh. "Your movements are predictable."
"My movements are precise, concise, and . . ." she failed to think of a fancy word. "They're used by league champions!" Rias didn't care if she was being loud.
This was embarrassing! When Akeno showed up with Naruto at her doorstep, naturally, Rias was worried. She might not have been as paranoid as before, but there were still things about him she didn't know.
Trying to keep her friend happy, Rias went about normally. Well, as normal as she could be while trying to ignore the silence the blond screamed. It was so weird, to just sit there and talk so less. Not to mention this was her house, at the very least he should be gracious towards the host. But noooo, Naruto Uzumaki just had to be his usual, annoying self. She tried to ignore how he made her feel like a silly, teenage girl instead of a clan heiress with his occasional sarcastic quips.
Then she decided to indulge him in a game. Not just any game, it was something Rias had mastered pat down. Mortal Kombat X was her playground and she, uncharacteristically told him he would 'get rekt'. While it seemed childish, but it would be subtle payback for that day. Rias grinned, promising him 'Fatality'.
How she regretted those words now.
All her picks, from Ermac to Scorpion to Raiden were beaten down by Naruto's only choice: Kenshin. She couldn't win a single match even if the first one was about even between them. She followed everything by the books and still lost, to character who was fucking blind.
"Maybe," Naruto spoke after some time as he drink a bit of juice. Akeno was enjoying this too much and Rias glared at her as well. "Your movements are rigid, you also take a lot of time to think them out. This isn't chess."
Rias huffed at his words. A well worked out plan always worked, it was how Sona had beaten her so many times in both chess and other activities. Contingencies upon contingencies, and the Sitri heiress always came out on top.
"Having a plan helps, it makes you realize what moves your opponent will make with each step," the Gremory heiress said. "You can predict what they will do."
"What will you do if they have no plan?"
"What?" Rias asked, confused by his words.
"Take our match for example," Naruto said pointing at the screen. "I didn't know I was going to play a game today, or even coming here. Yet I beat you… No that would putting it gently. You never stood a chance."
The crimson haired girl looked away, the color crimson stained her cheeks as she crossed her arms over her bountiful chest. "You don't have to say it like that."
"You're right, but I feel like saying it that way," the blond said and Akeno joined in.
"Indeed, Buchou you were spanked so hard."
"Akeno," Rias said, a bit uneasy at her choice of words.
"Mhmm, you were punished."
"Akeno-"
"I bet you liked getting your-"
"Akeno!" Rias didn't want her finishing that sentence and judging by the look on Naruto's face, he didn't want it either.
"Ara," her Queen said. "Excuse me, Buchou. Watching Naruto-kun hand your ass to you made me excited. Feels like karma paying me back for all the times you beat me."
"I'll get you for that one later, Akeno," Rias said and looked at Naruto. Consequences be damned, she was going rip him a new one or try to. "And you, when were you so good at games? Shouldn't you be with the Yakuza or something?"
Naruto sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I hate that rumor."
"How did it come up, Naruto-kun? I mean, you're always by yourself most of the time."
"Maybe it was the police."
"What?" Rias asked, slightly curious at the law enforcement's mention. "Did you get arrested or something?"
"I opened up Ichiraku's when I was twelve, and the cops came in for an inspection," Naruto said leaning back into the couch. "They said I have to go to school or close down the shop."
"Why?" Akeno asked and Rias mentally nodded. Her Queen's face was more ecstatic than usual. Did something happen between them? Even Naruto didn't seem that depressing.
"No legal guardians, go figure," he said, casually.
Rias winced a bit as Akeno took the news a bit worse. Being an orphan wasn't easy. She may not have been one, but her Peerage members were and she understood their plight. Naruto was an orphan since day one from what she knew or, rather, guessed.
"I should leave," Naruto said, getting up. "It's getting late, don't want God smiting me for staying too long in the Devil's den."
Rias and her Queen flinched at His name and saw the blond raising an eyebrow. "Don't mention that word again, it hurts."
"You're serious?"
"Yes," Akeno spoke up. "All Devils more or less react like that."
"I shall carry a Bible with me." Rias rolled her eyes at his words and Akeno frowned.
"Are you trying to keep me away from you, Naruto-kun?"
"As if you'd leave me alone."
"Touché."
While they were joking, the words weren't untrue.
Akeno and Naruto shared a strange bond, Rias could tell that clearly and if she was to be honest, she wanted to know more about them. Naruto more so because as dangerous as he was, the blond piqued her curiosity. She found herself getting more interested in his personality and the other small side he showed in their conversations. He was like a complex equation, one the Heiress wanted to solve.
"I'll go with you," Akeno said as she got up as well.
"I thought you'd be staying over," Rias said and Akeno made a 'o' expression with her mouth.
"It's alright," Naruto said. "I sort of want to take a walk anyway."
"Are you sure?" Akeno asked and Naruto nodded. Rias noticed how he was steadily becoming more social, especially in the last few days.
"I'll be going then. Thanks for the cake," the blond said as they followed him to the door.
"I'll beat you next time," Rias said all of a sudden with determination in her eyes. Her pride demanded a rematch. Hell, it was a promise.
"Try not to focus so much on a plan," he said, not looking back at her. "Anything can happen in a fight. Improvise more, then we'll talk…loser."
He shut the door and left, Akeno didn't bother to hide her laughter as the young King fumed.
"I'll go get started on dinner, Rias," her Queen said. "Please don't blow anything up."
Rias retreated to her personal office and sat in the chair. Her anger threatened to flare out any second, but she doused those flames. He was right. Naruto had ruined all her plans and this got her thinking about her Peerage.
What if her plan went wrong? What if she lost? With a heavy sigh, she wrote down his words.
"A stupid quote from Naruto Uzumaki," Rias said writing the same exact thing down. She drummed her fingers over his name, wondering why he was the way he was. He seemed to be two different person at times. An idea entered her mind as she opened her small diary, finding the name she was looking for she dialed his number.
Hearing a jovial, cheerful tone at the other end she spoke, "Hello, it's Rias Gremory. Yes, I'm fine. How are you, Nanakase-san?"
She heard more bright words emerging from the phone. The man's mood was almost infectious.
"I was wondering if you could do something for me," Rias said. "I need you to find something out about a person, he's an orphan and a friend."
Rias felt like she could call him that now. He did come over to her house.
"Oh you can?" Rias sounded surprised at his confident reassurance. "His name is Naruto Uzumaki. Wait, you know him?"
xXxXx-ADM-xXxXx
Author's Notes II: There, done with the seventh chapter and yes, I know this isn't my best chapter but I've been going through some stuff and life hasn't been easy. I maybe mildly depressed if the vibes I'm getting are right. This marks the end of the Introduction arc and the whole Twilight Healing arc begins from next chapter. Make sure to review and point out flaws if there are any, there is a large chance I fucked up. But don't write a two word review, it makes me feel a bit sad. Also, there's a Discord channel I regularly go to. The address is bNRDSPd, everyone can join in and chat. We got TrollerBear, PlaguedAmbition, AngryOwl, EndoplasmicPanda, Enbi, MaraX6960, MaethoMixup, Statchar etc to name a few. Oh I almost forgot, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Hope you have a happy holiday and stay blessed. Take care.
(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧