Hey guys! Its me again!
But holy shit. You guys enjoyed the Stray Ken idea far more than I thought you would. I just added it in because I thought it was unique and cool.
I am so glad you guys enjoyed my last chapter! Like seriously, some of you guys absolutely ADORED the last chapter and I can't blame you. I only hope you guys like this one as well. It's a bit slower than the last chapter so hopefully you enjoy but my pride as a writer won't let me just skip the boring parts like this XD
ONTO REVIEW REPLIES!
Plums: I'm glad you enjoyed Ken's death XD and you'll have to see
Prince of destruction: Noted
dfriel1996: Once again, thank you for replying :P and I'm glad you enjoyed the plot twist, I hadn't seen someone do it before and thought it would be a fun idea to toy with. Also your suggestion is noted.
Xerox45: I'm glad!
Shadow overlord279: thank you for reviewing again :P and only temporarily~ also I'm glad you enjoyed it
Clonetrooper29: Glad you enjoyed the plot twist. Also your peerage ideas are noted and have been placed under consideration, they are very good ideas.
Sidraef: Your idea's for the Queen having that ability is definitely interesting and I personally like it. So much so that it might actually appear in the story at a later date~
AcausalTrillby: I'm glad that I broke that mould for you sir/madam. It was fun for me to do as well!
Bloodredmoon22: Yep! That's what I was trying to get across so I'm glad you picked up on that!
36Barry72: Well…I'm glad he had the effect I was hoping for XD and I hope the fourth OC is as good as Natsumi and Sayuri! I ended up falling asleep after posting the third chapter and completely forgot all my ideas for the fourth OC before remembering them a day ago. Also they appear in this chapter, but not for very long, just to serve as a basic basic character introduction
Djberneman: Poor thunderbird. It will be forever held in our hearts ;-; But also it died because I really wanted to get the brutality of the scene and Tri across.
Cruzcartoon: Thank you for the chap love and I've taken about half of your suggestions into account and made them as possible peerage members in my planning doc.
Loading44: I'm so glad you're enjoying it! Also the characterisation? That's just me doing things naturally XD I don't really think too hard about that stuff. It usually just flows pretty smoothly.
Pmdg: Possibly~ She might not even appear at all~ you'll just have to keep reading and find out
Charger2040: Thank you for the love and I've taken your suggestions into consideration!
Also they didn't leave a name so I couldn't put it in here but a guest left a review asking if the bone-wing thing was a reference to Noragami. Sadly no it was not, I have not seen Noragami in a long time and completely forgot about anything like that. I just thought it would be a cool and gruesome scene to add in :P
NOW ONTO THE STORY!
XXXxxxXXX
It had been roughly 25 days since the incident with Ken. Since then Naruto had practically moved into the three warehouses along with Sayuri and Natsumi who had developed an almost obsessive devotion to him. Currently inside the warehouse on the right was Sayuri and Naruto, Natsumi having left to do a 'job' that she wouldn't disclose to Naruto.
With Naruto he leant back, trying to regulate his breathing as Sayuri and him hit their 20th minute of non-stop hand-to-hand combat, something he had been working on almost everyday since the incident. Seeing the blur of Sayuri's fist miss his head he leant forward again and tried to knee her in the stomach as her body twisted with her punch.
Sayuri, seeing the incoming knee twisted back and went to elbow her King, determined to get a hit in herself if she was going to get hit anyway. Grinning slightly in satisfaction as her elbow met his face due to her Knight speed she was soon reminded that while she was faster than he was, he was stronger as his knee hit her in the stomach while his body began to fall sideways thanks to her own blow.
Gasping in pain, both kids hit the floor and shakily stood to their feet. Both of them being covered in sweat and bruises that they had inflicted on each other.
"You need to get a Rook" Sayuri mumbled shakily as she stood to her feet, her hip popping as she stood at her full height.
"Didn't you and Natsumi take it upon yourselves to find peerage members?" Naruto asked as he cocked his head.
"Yes, but you could help" She replied as she slipped into a loose fighting stance, grinning as he did the same "Natsumi still doesn't know that you know what she's doing as well"
"I trust her" Was all he said in reply "And you know why I don't help. The last one I chose to reincarnate nearly killed Natsumi and I" He said in anger which she knew he was directing at himself.
Launching forward she saw him snap his eyes to her and tense his body and her eyes twinkled in satisfaction even as she cartwheeled into an axe kick from above. She had been with him every day since the incident, just as Natsumi had, and hated it when he blamed himself for Ken. Even if she blamed herself for not helping in the fight at all, which was one of the reasons she was so adamant about helping Naruto train himself, it also gave her an opportunity to train herself.
Grabbing her ankle he pulled back as her foot swung down and, using the opportunity created by unbalancing her, let go of her ankle and struck his palm into her chest causing her to cough as she hit the ground and before he could revel in being able to hit his quick as lightning Knight he felt a weightless feeling as she swept his legs out from under him and gasped breathlessly as he hit the ground once more and got winded.
"I-I think *gasp* that's enough for n-now" He said breathlessly as he tried to catch his breath while lying on the ground.
Allowing her body to relax, she stood up and took a deep breath and nodded down at him before looking at him worriedly as she held a hand out.
"I didn't hurt ya' too badly did I So-Taichou? (Captain Commander)" She asked in concern.
Grabbing her hand while shaking his head, he sighed and nursed his chest as she helped pull him to his feet.
"I'm fine. *Breath* I was just winded" He said softly before smiling softly at her.
Feeling her cheeks light up red she let go of his hand and wiped her hands on her black shirt and skirt before groaning in disgust.
"We both need a shower" She said, voicing her opinion as her enhanced nose caught their scents.
"I suppose we do" He said before sniffing himself experimentally and recoiling in disgust "We, at least I, definitely do" He said resolutely.
Walking out of the giant warehouse on the far right and moving towards the far left warehouse the two children walked inside. Walking through the furnished yet still very spartan feeling warehouse, Naruto began walking up the stairs to the second floor with Sayuri not far behind him. Walking up to the second floor Naruto paused for a moment as he looked at the fairly old couch and few recreational activities they had managed to scavenge for their 'HQ' as Natsumi and Sayuri called it. Clicking his tongue and making a mental note to get more activities for their second floor he continued walking up to the third floor and this is where Sayuri split off from him, going to her room which along with rooms for all his other potential peerage members had been built on this floor. Watching the door to her room shut he slowly trudged his way up to the top floor, the floor which against his wishes had been turned into a penthouse for him and him alone. Though Sirzechs had made some weird comment about female company when he was older which made Grayfia pull her husbands ear hard enough that it genuinely hurt him.
Reaching the top of the stairs he walked into his room, his gaze running across the few pieces of furniture and personal items he had. Some of which included things like a Norse Rune of Thor and a large scroll with a painting depicting the Shinto Gods; Amaterasu, Susanoo and Tsukuyomi that he had hung up on his wall.
Walking over to the bathroom installed in the corner of his room he sighed and rolled his shoulders painfully while locking the door to the bathroom behind him.
"For a Knight Sayuri hits hard" He griped to himself as he begun undressing, taking off his shirt he threw it in the basket off to the side of the bathroom and as he went to take his pants off he heard something clink against the smooth tiles, looking down to where the sound came from he felt his blood turn to ice.
There. On the floor, sat the faintly glowing Knight piece which had once been Ken's. Bending down slowly and cautiously, almost as if afraid Ken would jump out of the piece and kill him, he bent down to grab it. Freezing with his hand above it as he noticed how his hand was shaking, and now that he had noticed it, his whole body was shaking in fact. Grabbing his wrist with his other hand he tried to take some deep breaths. Once he felt like he had regained control he quickly grabbed the Knight piece and frowned as he looked at it. The proud Gremory red glow it had once had was now dimmed considerably and was a darkened red, as if tainted by the one it had once been used on. Ajuka Beelzebub himself had looked at the piece and said that while it would still work as intended it was currently 'weakened' and basically was the inverse of a Mutation Piece. Meaning that if a regular Knight piece could easily reincarnate someone, the same person using his Knight on the same person would struggle if not fail to reincarnate them. The creator of the Evil Pieces System had told him that all of his scans had said that with time the piece would regain its former power but that could potentially take years.
Scowling in anger, Naruto placed the piece on the bench before fully getting undressed and going for his shower.
XXXxxxXXX
Natsumi felt her golden eyes twitch as she looked at the bruise covered forms of her King and her friend and sighed in annoyance. Naruto was sitting on the couch with an unapologetic look while wearing black camouflage pants and black sneakers with a dark red, long-sleeved shirt with a collar. Sayuri meanwhile was chuckling nervously while sitting on the couch with her King while wearing a silver skirt which stopped just above her knees and a light blue short-sleeved shirt.
"Y-you couldn't have done anything a little less, harmful?" She asked, still annoyed at coming home to see this.
Of course she was also internally squealing at seeing Naruto with wet hair but she would go to the grave with that secret.
"Then we wouldn't improve" Naruto said in factually, in a soft tone.
Taking a calming breath the kitsune girl tried to think about how Grayfia would handle this situation and upon thinking up the most likely solution she smiled internally.
Bending at the waist and putting on the most cute and innocent smile she could while closing her eyes she spoke.
"Naruto-sama" She drawled innocently, said drawl made a shiver go up the young boys spine "You have the Ball in two days at Lord Phenex's house. You wouldn't want to make a bad impression, would you?" Something about seeing his usually meek and submissive Queen this assertive and scary sent a shiver down Naruto's spine….and not the good kind.
Seeing her King chuckling nervously the blonde girl nodded to herself in victory and stood back up straight.
"N-now lets get you healed up. I've found three p-peerage members for you Naruto-sama!" She said proudly with a wide smile.
"T-three?" Naruto asked in surprise.
"O-of course. Sayuri-san and I-I have been looking for two weeks. We wanted to make sure you were protected after all" She said softly and giggled lightly as Naruto quickly looked between the two.
Before Naruto could speak up, Sayuri placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled comfortingly.
"Relax So-Taichou. Natsumi and I made sure another Ken incident wouldn't happen. You trust us, right?" She asked, squeezing his shoulder comfortingly getting a sigh out of the boy.
"Okay." He spoke before standing up while trying to regulate his breathing.
After taking a few steps he turned back towards the two with a shaky smile.
"Weren't Sayuri and I going to go get healed so we can meet them? You don't have them just sitting and waiting for us do you?" He joked to Natsumi weakly to try and hide his nervousness.
Smiling softly at his attempts to put up a brave face she walked over and hugged him, smiling sadly at the way his body tensed at the intimate contact.
"Its o-okay to be scared Naruto-sama. And while I do appreciate the attempt at humour" She said with a small giggle "Its not needed. You know Sayuri-san a-and I would never let you get hurt, right?" She murmured into his ear while gesturing to Sayuri to join the intimate moment, which she did.
"y-yeah. I know" He said while tightening the hug slightly before taking a shaky breath and breaking off the hug.
"Who are the three you found?" He asked as a magic circle lit up underneath them.
All he received in reply were a pair of giggles and laughs from the two girls.
XXXxxxXXX
Materialising above a red magic circle, a newly healed Naruto and Sayuri looked around and noticed their surroundings, tall brick buildings surrounding them.
"A slums district" Naruto voiced softly.
Nodding at how quickly her King had figured out a rough estimation of where they were, she tapped on his shoulder politely and gestured to follow her. Not knowing where to go he followed Natsumi and smiled as he noticed Sayuri get into a protective position next to him so that she could defend him if necessary.
Reaching a large gap in the surrounding buildings Naruto looked around, analysing everything he saw as it was his first time being here, unlike his peerage members who had been here before.
Hearing a cough his gaze snapped to a dirty girl sitting on a couch that was elevated off the ground by boxes and crates, raising an eyebrow when the girl shivered with a smile at the piercing gaze he levelled on her.
"He is the one you guys spoke of. Such a strong gaze~" She cooed as she stood up and walked down the stairs of crates.
Naruto kept his gaze on her. His purple eyes staring into her icy blue eyes. Raising an eyebrow in confusion while keeping his eyes locked on her in wariness as her cheeks began to turn subtly red.
Flipping her icy blue hair back she stood right in front of him and noticed the two girls who had been visiting her for a week tense up in wariness.
"It's nice to finally meet you Naruto-sama" She purred as her 140cm (roughly 4'7) frame stood in comparison to his 150cm (Roughly 4'11) frame
"Yes" Natsumi said politely "This is our King, Naruto-sama. As you already know, he is looking for peerage members, and as a half yuki-onna Sayuri-san and I believe you would fit in well, also your personality fits in with a 'role' we would like you and another to play" The kitsune explained pleasantly with a small smile.
"Seeee?" Sayuri chuckled and bumped her hip against Natsumi's with a grin "Why can't you speak like that all the time?" She asked the girl in blushed in embarrassment.
"I-I don't want Naruto-sama looking like a bad King in front of Esdeath-san" Natsumi murmured and Sayuri chuckled.
"So your name is Esdeath? A half yuki-onna as well? What is the other half? I'd assume from the regular appearance and lack of any other physical or magical tells that your father was a human?" Naruto questioned analytically which got a smile out of the icy-haired girl.
"Good mind, I'm glad. I wouldn't want to serve anyone who couldn't think. Do you mind a spar? If you can beat me i'll join your peerage without complaint" She said with a grin that grew wider at the thought of battling a person as strong as she sensed Naruto to be.
Quickly looking towards his Queen and Knight who both nodded to tell him that not only was she telling the truth but that she was also trustworthy he returned his gaze back to the girl and nodded slightly, but enough for her to see.
Seeing the nod the girl jumped back and smiled widely as the air around her began to chill and become visible.
At an unspoken signal the girl stomped her foot on the ground and sharp spikes of ice began heading at the 10 year old boy who stepped to the side and twisted his body while keeping his gaze firmly on her as the frozen water shot past him and impacted a wall, his gaze causing the girl to shiver once more.
Changing stances and placing both her palms by her hips she pulsed her magic and began directing it to her hands, a battle crazed grin stretching across her lips, while looking at the boy she saw his eyes glaze over slightly before widening in fear, almost as if he was looking at something through her which startled him and before Esdeath could react she felt, and saw, the pulse of his magic and a dark red and black blur speed towards her. Feeling a tight grip around her throat she coughed as Naruto used his hand on her throat to slam her into the concrete below, cracking it with the force of impact.
For Naruto he had been watching her change into a different stance and he tensed his body in preparation but when he felt the pulse of magic and saw the grin on her lips, Esdeath suddenly disappeared and in her place was Ken, his insane grin stretching across his almost black skin and blood still dripping off of the ceiling from his bone-wings. Feeling his body move on instinct he didn't fight it as he closed in on the unmoving form of Stray-Ken and wrapping his fingers around his throat, slammed him into the concrete, cracking it from the force of his blow. Blinking suddenly the image of Stray-Ken disappeared and Esdeath lay in his place, a grin on her face even as her pale cheeks turned bright red. Letting go of her throat he stood up and shook his head as Natsumi and Sayuri ran over.
"Damn So-Taichou! Where'd that come from!?" Sayuri said while whistling in appreciation. Hey, Esdeath was fine so she was allowed to think it was cool.
"Are you alright Esdeath-san?" Natsumi asked before blinking in surprise as Naruto offered a hand to help Esdeath up, said girl blushing even brighter as her blue eyes looked into Naruto's with some sort of twinkle that none of the kids had ever seen before.
"I'm fine. I'm so glad that you three came to me. What piece would you like to reincarnate me as Naruto-sama?" Esdeath asked respectfully while bowing.
"What even happened Naruto-sama? That move wasn't very like you" Natsumi asked and got a grimace out of her King.
"I saw Ken in place of Esdeath-san" Was all he said and instantly the two girls knew why he had reacted the way he had, and while Esdeath was intrigued she wouldn't interrupt her new Master when she saw that he was about to speak "Esdeath-san. Can you lie on your back?" Naruto requested and nodding the girl did as she was asked.
Kneeling next to her the red haired boy grabbed out a singular pawn and placed it on her chest. Beginning the chant to reincarnate her, he blinked in surprise as her Yuki-onna magic synched with the pawn as it sunk into her chest and sent a cloud of snow outward from her position, instantly freezing the concrete and a brick wall near the children.
Placing her hands on the ground and flicking her legs up, Esdeath tensed her arms and flicked herself up onto her feet. Clenching her fist a little she grinned widely once again as she noticed the significant increase in her power. Falling to one knee and bowing her head to Naruto she spoke obediently.
"I am your soldier to command Naruto-sama, for giving me this strength I will gladly lay down my life for you" As her head was down she never saw the questioning look Naruto sent his Queen and Knight only to get a nervous smile and shrug from the two girls.
"I am….glad, to hear that. Now rise, I believe Natsumi has two more members she's found for me" Esdeath stood up and looked towards the kitsune girl who walked towards the newly reincarnated girl.
"Before we do I need to clean this filth off of you. I don't want Naruto-sama to appear bad to our other two members" Quickly holding the girl still, Natsumi grabbed out a cloth.
XXXxxxXXX
Esdeath grumbled internally as he rubbed her cheeks, which along with all the other visible parts of her body had been cleaned by the Queen.
"So I'm supposed to be like a, what was the word? D-discipliner?" Esdeath asked Sayuri who nodded "And this next girl we are going to get is also supposed to be a discipliner?" She asked and got another nod and a chuckle.
"Yep! Natsumi and I spent four days brainstorming all of the 'roles' for So-Taichou's peerage" Sayuri said proudly as Natsumi activated a teleportation circle under them and after a few seconds the four disappeared in a flash of light.
Appearing in an alley opposite an orphanage the four walked out and at Natsumi's directions entered the orphanage and Sayuri, while hiding her animal features like Natsumi also was, jumped forward excitedly and began asking to meet her friend in a childish voice which got the old matron to laugh and allow the four children through. Naruto raising an eyebrow at Sayuri's acting abilities, potential uses already flitting through his head.
Reaching a plain white door, Sayuri walked in and the other three followed after her and entered the room where a purple haired girl sat kneeling in the centre of the room with a wooden katana across her lap, opening her blue eyes, they brightened at seeing Natsumi and Sayuri, the only two kids she had ever met before that weren't scared of her, before turning to the other two children in the room.
The third female stood straight and at attention and watched her with a gaze that she had seen at times when looking at her reflection in the mirror. She could tell she was strong and felt every muscle in her body tense in anticipation at fighting her. Blinking, she moved her gaze to the only male in the room.
Him the one that her friends had talked about so passionately, the one who had supposedly gained the alliance of a three-headed fire breathing dog and killed a member of his own peerage who had turned Stray. She felt every Nerve in her body melt under his gaze and simply one look at him told her that she was outclassed in every way. She couldn't sense his power, she was a simple human after all, but she knew of his power, simply from the way her body reacted. It was similar to the feeling she experienced after killing that strange man with the black wings that had tried to kidnap her, but only so many times stronger. Taking a breath and trying to calm her nerves she slowly stood and bowed low to Naruto while holding her wooden katana which was far too large for her at her side.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you Naruto-sama. I am Saeko Busujima" She said evenly before standing back at her full height of 4'7 which matched Esdeath's.
"So you are the second piece Natsumi and Sayuri found" He said softly "Have they told you about what your position would be?" He asked while cocking his head and looking at her.
"Yes." She answered immediately "Natsumi-san told me that I would be a 'discipliner' with another member and try to help discipline and keep your peerage in line for you when you aren't around for any reason" Naruto nodded appreciatively towards Natsumi who beamed happily.
"Saeko-san. You are a regular human correct?" At the girls nod he continued "Did Natsumi or Sayuri explain why they chose you?"
"Yes. Sayuri-san explained that even though I was a human with no special abilities I managed to kill a Fallen Angel" Naruto looked at her in surprise before nodding happily. Saeko felt her body heat up as a small but happy smile lit up her face.
Thinking for a moment he realised what the best piece would be, given the wooden katana with her and flinched before taking a calming breath and taking out the faded Knight piece, tensing as the image of Ken attacking him flitted across his mind before disappearing again.
"S-Saeko-san. Please lie down on the floor" He instructed softly and raised an eyebrow once again as she did what he asked instantly and without hesitation.
From the sidelines, Esdeath did the same and looked at the other two girls. Sayuri chuckled nervously and Natsumi rocked on her feet and looked away.
"Saeko is a bit like you in terms of personality, it's why you're both 'discipliners'. Though since she is a full-blooded human. So-Taichou couldn't gain her allegiance safely, so Natsumi spent a bit of time with her and our third pick…..um, 'convincing' them, shall we say, to be loyal to So-Taichou" Sayuri said with another nervous chuckle.
Esdeath meanwhile blinked and leant a bit to the side to get a better view of Natsumi, suddenly seeing a much less innocent, and far more sinister side, to the sweet kitsune girl. Shivering, and not in the good way, the Yuki-onna quickly straightened up and turned back to Naruto and Saeko, the ritual nearly complete. Feeling a hand on her shoulder she turned to Sayuri who grinned at her.
"Don't worry, it took me a good 5-7 days to find out about Taichou's dark side. So you're actually much quicker on the uptake than I am" Sayuri said with a grin that didn't help Esdeath feel any better.
As the Knight piece sunk into her chest she felt a slight burning sensation before feeling a burst of power and suddenly she could feel the magic of those around her, as she was standing up, her mind finally registered the power she felt from Naruto, and while fairly weak in the supernatural world, it felt like world ending power to Saeko who promptly lost all of her strength in her legs and fell back onto the ground.
Seeing a hand in front of her face, she looked up to see that it was Naruto who was offering it and upon grabbing his hand and being pulled to her feet nearly fell back down again as she felt the muscles in his hand alone.
"You do not mind leaving the orphanage?" He asked softly only to get a shake of her head in return.
"I have only been here for a year in a half and the other kids are afraid of me. I will follow you wherever you wish to go Naruto-sama" Saeko said in a reverent tone.
Nodding slowly as he didn't know how to react, he turned to Natsumi who nodded and spreading her arms out to her sides, created a magic circle under their feet and teleported them.
XXXxxxXXX
Blinking as the light from the teleportation disappeared Naruto stared at the building in front of them dryly.
"Another orphanage?" He asked Natsumi dryly "You certainly know what you're going for" He muttered.
"Orphans are the easiest to mani-ah, um…'Convince'" She chirped innocently, the other three girls shivering and taking a step away from the kitsune girl.
Gesturing for Sayuri or Natsumi to lead the way, Sayuri once again bounded forward and opening the door lead the way for the group of 10-11 year old children. Walking inside, Naruto saw the kids running around and saw the hazelnut eyes of a girl with light blonde hair light up as she ran over and hugged Sayuri. Hearing Natsumi cough next to him the girls eyes lit up again before following the motion Natsumi made to him and upon seeing him, confusion seemed to fill her eyes for a few moments. After those few moments he saw the metaphorical lightbulb go off in her head as recognition flashed through her eyes and she walked forward confidently. Standing at 143cm (roughly 4'8) she stood before Naruto and grinned.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Tsunade Senju!" She greeted herself confidently.
Offering a handshake, her smile grew wider as when she squeezed down with her higher than normal strength he matched her easily.
"Pretty strong, just like Natsumi said" Tsunade praised before looking him, Esdeath and Saeko up and down appraisingly "You all look pretty strong actually. So, I'm happy to join you. What piece am I going to be?" She asked curiously, almost laughing as Naruto looked at her in confusion and wariness.
"Just. Like that?" He asked suspiciously.
"Relax, I'm not going to bite, and yes, just like that. Your Queen over there spent an entire week convincing me. I've got to say, I'm sorry about what happened with Ken. I promise not to go crazy like he did" She said and Naruto shot a look at Natsumi who's smile shook for half a moment.
"I'm glad to hear that. Do you have any abilities or significant attributes?" He asked and Tsunade puffed her chest up in pride.
"I have one of those Sacred Thingies-"
"Sacred Gears" Natsumi spoke up
"-that Natsumi was talking about. I'm going to be your medic." She said with a proud smile while ignoring Natsumi.
"You seem happy to be a medic" Naruto pointed out, trying to get a better feeling of her personality.
"Of course! My grandfather and grandmother were both doctors and my mother was a nurse" She said, obviously proud of her family.
Naruto smiled softly at Tsunade.
"I'm sure they would be proud to hear that you want to follow in their footsteps. I'll try to help you be the best medic you can be" He said sincerely which got a bright smile from the girl.
"Natsumi was right. I'm already enjoying being a part of your peerage, even if I'm not in it yet. Sooooo, what piece will I be?" She asked as she bounced on the balls of her feet.
Naruto thought for a moment and quickly pulled out a Bishop piece, holding it up for Tsunade to see.
"A bishop? What does that piece do again?" She asked in confusion.
"Increased magical potential but lowered physical abilities" Naruto answered succinctly.
Tsunade clicked her tongue in annoyance while looking at the piece.
"Will I still be able to fight? I don't like sitting back during stuff, I like to get in nice and personal" Tsunade said with a cocky grin.
"With training you should be able to handle melee combat against other pieces" Naruto replied and Tsunade grinned and nodded enthusiastically.
"Well? What are we waiting for?" She asked as she looked at the piece in his hand.
XXXxxxXXX
Two days later we see Naruto and his five peerage members all dressed in formal clothing, though much to Natsumi's chagrin, Naruto seemed determined to put off actually going to the Phenex Ball as long as possible.
Huffing in annoyance the kitsune girl marched out of the right warehouse and entered the warehouse in the middle, the one where Ken had attacked them, the time between then and now having made it feel like a lifetime since that event. Opening the door she heard the sound of welding and saw a bright light over one of the machines that Naruto had managed to get for his 'Research Warehouse' as Sayuri called it. Walking around the sheet stopping any stray sparks from escaping she saw Naruto and Sayuri both wearing welding helmets while welding two metal pipes together. Quickly walking over and tapping Naruto on the shoulder before he could continue welding and damage her eyes she smiled.
"N-naruto-sama. Could you tell me why you and Sayuri-san are welding in a suit and dress" She stressed as she gestured to the expensive blood red suit Naruto was wearing and silver dress that Sayuri was wearing, both having being ordered by Venelana, along with the dresses for the rest of the peerage.
Naruto sighed and took off the welding helmet, grabbing Sayuri's as she did the same.
"I was hoping to ruin it so I wouldn't have to go" He muttered distastefully as he slung the masks up and wiped off any dust on his suit before beginning to walk into the Accommodation Warehouse where the rest of his peerage was waiting.
Upon walking in the other three girls noticed the annoyance on his face and noticed that it wasn't actually directed at any of them.
Sighing in annoyance, Naruto gestured for the rest of his peerage to come in closer and snapped his fingers, a magic circle lighting up beneath them and teleporting the six children to the Gremory estate, where they met up with the rest of Naruto's family before Zeoticus teleported them all to the Phenex estate.
Before Naruto could walk off he felt a feminine hand grab his arm and turned to see his mother giving him an uncharacteristically stern look.
"Now. We aren't going to run off again like last time are we?" She asked and Naruto opened his mouth to respond before a stern look from his mother made him shut it and look away.
"No mother" He muttered which got a smile from Venelana.
Quickly wrenching his arm from his mothers grip he all but sprinted away from his family with a scowl on his face, his peerage following him while looking between each other and the Mother-Son duo in confusion.
Arriving at a table in the very corner of the room, Naruto sat down and pulled a notebook out of his pocket as the rest of his peerage sat down at the table with him. Unable to take the tense silence, Tsunade was the first to speak up.
"What was that!?" She asked quietly so that she wouldn't draw any attention to their table.
"The reason I didn't want to come here" Naruto grunted before snapping his notebook shut and looking at his peerage "The Phenex clan holds one of these balls every 2 years. The last time I came I was eight" He began, anger seeping into his hushed voice slowly "Though unfortunately my family has been allies with the Phenex's for centuries and my parents take that very seriously, its why Rias, no matter how much she hates him, has never tried to physically harm Raiser. They didn't appreciate when I stormed off after Raiser mocked my last time, he claimed that I disrespected him." As Naruto explained this he looked at the girls.
Most of the girls seemed to be annoyed/angry and staring at his parents in displeasure.
"Though" he began talking again, drawing the girls attention back to him "Raiser seems to not understand 'boundaries' and enjoys pushing people. And considering it pretty much public knowledge that one of my Knight's turned Stray and tried to kill me…" He trailed off as he sighed.
The five girls quickly understood and Natsumi and Sayuri growled in annoyance while the air around Esdeath began to cool down drastically. In an attempt to calm them down Naruto distracted them by opening his notebook again and asking them what they would like in their rooms, etc..
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It had been three hours into the Ball and things had been going good so far. Naruto and his peerage had stuck in the corner table that they had 'claimed' as theirs and had talked about everything from personal hobbies to possible additions to the recreation floor of their 'HQ'.
Hearing footsteps approaching their table, Natsumi noticed an arrogant looking teen with dark blond hair walking up to their table and upon seeing him Naruto simultaneously glared and rolled his eyes at the young teen. Natsumi, Esdeath and Saeko quickly realising that this was Raiser and glared at him as well.
"Well if it isn't Naruto" He jeered with a nasty grin "The King who was so pathetic he couldn't even stop his own Knight from turning Stray" He said in mock sadness while shrugging and shaking his head.
"Greetings Raiser. What brings you to our humble table?" Naruto asked dryly.
Tsunade snorted at Naruto's dry snark before levelling her gaze at the cocky boy.
"Oh. Not much. I just wanted to know how you fuck up that badly that your own piece turns stray. I'd watch out ladies, with such a bad King one of you might turn into a Stray at this very party" Raiser teased with an arrogant grin.
Raiser blinked as he was hit by Killing Intent (KI) coming from the five girls and he chuckled.
"So you managed to instil some loyalty in them? Let's see how long that lasts Gremory. After all, you are Mummies little failure aren't you? The only child not to unlock the Power of Destruction like my Rias-chan" He mocked.
The sound of a chair hitting the ground caused a few people to turn around and stare as Naruto now stood, his hands on the table as he glared daggers at Raiser who only smirked arrogantly back. Seeing the warning look he received from his parents the red haired boy scoffed and picked his chair back up before sitting back down, still glaring daggers at the Phenex.
"Go away Raiser. I don't think you've ogled my sister enough tonight. Might want to get your quota in" He growled.
Raiser simply just smirked at having gotten under the boys skin and walked away. The five girls at Naruto's table all dangerously close to attacking the teen.
"Asshat" Tsunade muttered as she crossed her arms and glared at his back.
"Naruto-sama? Are you okay?" Natsumi asked as she turned her attention to her angry King.
"Fantastic" He said in a soft, but angry tone "Just planning how to explain Raiser coming out of the back end of Tri" He muttered and a few of the girls giggled at the thought.
Hearing a cough and looking up, Naruto actually smiled as he noticed the tall, violet eyed boy staring at him.
"Hello Sairaorg. Please take a seat" He said pleasantly while his peerage looked at the new Devil in curiosity.
"Hey Naruto. I see Raiser is still giving you trouble. He just doesn't know when to give up does he?" After asking his question he clicked his tongue at Naruto's head shake.
"Unfortunately not. If you're here does that mean that Seekvaira and Sona are here as well?" He asked his cousin who nodded and pointed over to the three girls sitting at a much larger table.
"E-excuse me Naruto-sama" Natsumi spoke up gaining the two cousins attention "Who is t-this?" She asked respectfully and blinked in shock as Sairaorg laughed.
"So this is your peerage Naruto? They all seem very lovely" He spoke to Naruto before turning to his peerage and speaking to them "Hello. I'm Sairaorg Bael. I'm Naruto's cousin"
Chuckling at Sayuri's and Tsunade's 'Aaaah' of realisation he turned to Naruto and gave a little salute before heading over to Rias' table to talk to his other cousin for a little bit.
"S-Sairaorg-san seems nice" Natsumi spoke conversationally which got a small smile out of Naruto.
"He is. He's actually the only reason I ever look forward to coming to these types of things" Naruto said before sighing and standing up while tilting his head, groaning as his neck popped "Drinks?"
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In a decently sized marble room a ten year old blonde girl with shining emerald green eyes yawned as she woke up. Her gaze trailing over her small room before returning to her bed. Smiling tiredly the girl threw her blankets off of her form and swung her feet over the edge of her bed. Feeling her white carpet under her feet the stood tiredly stood up and yawned once again.
Stumbling across her room she reached the desk tucked away in the corner and collapsed into her chair, her half-lidded eyes blearily staring at the desk in front of her as she grabbed out her journal and wrote in it. After finishing the page she rubbed her eyes and stood back up. Undressing and kicking her pajamas under her bed she grabbed out her usual white dress and put it on, nodding to herself as she looked in the mirror.
Plodding down the steps of her families two story house she smiled at her parents as they noticed her and smiled back. Sitting at the table she thanked her mother for the food and after a quick prayer began to eat.
After breakfast she stood up and began walking towards the door before her mother called after her.
"Olivia, dear. Don't forget your bag!" She reminded her daughter he facepalmed and quickly ran up to her room to grab her bag and back downstairs so that she wouldn't be late.
"Thanks mum!" She called out as she ran out the front door, closing it behind her as she began heading to school.
After running for a few steps she jumped in the air and from her back, two majestic, white wings appeared and kept her afloat. Quickly taking a moment to remember where the school was she flapped her wings and sped off in the desired direction (the flapping of the wings doesn't actually speed her up, the flapping is just for aesthetic purposes) surprisingly quickly for someone her age, though that wasn't a surprise. She didn't want to miss her first day of school after all!
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AND DONE!
6600 words for just the chapter alone. Not the Authors notes or anything. I'm extremely proud of myself!
I'm sorry for the delay, even if it has only been 3 days since the last chapter. I would have actually gotten this chapter sooner but I've had exams this week so I had to study for those. But four of my five exams are already done and I can finally relax a little bit now that this chapter is finished XD
I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I'll see you when the next chapter comes out.
Adios!