"God, I feel like I got hit by a truck...nope, that would hurt less…"

Carefully sitting up in his bed despite the tightness of the white sheets that had tucked him in, Naruto winced in pain once more and glanced downward at the weight against his legs holding him in place. Long strands of blonde hair was spread out along the bed sheets, like molten gold pouring everywhere, as a girl's head laid on his legs. A girl, Naruto guessed she was around his age or a little older, had pulled over one of the chairs in what he assumed was a hospital room beside his bed and had long since fallen asleep, if the little bit of drool on the corners of her mouth meant anything. Naruto took a brief moment to look at her, recognizing her face from the blurry moments before he passed out. She was honestly breathtaking, more beautiful than any of the girls in his world by far which was honestly saying something. Her face was slightly heart shaped and had a very cute look, almost innocent in a way. Naruto choked a little bit as his eyes trailed downward, her body wasn't very innocent at all. Somewhere far away, Naruto had a feeling Jiraiya was laughing his ass off and cheering.

Averting his eyes to calm his warm face, Naruto looked down at himself. He was wearing a light green hospital gown that someone must have changed him into while he slept and had multiple tubes sticking out of each arm. Naruto lurched, barely suppressing the bile that threatened to escape him. That was perhaps the most disgusting sight he had seen in a long time.

"The savior of the world but he's afraid of needles. About time you woke up, idiot"

The voice was deep and gruff, perhaps even scary to some people, but to Naruto, nothing else brought a smile to his face faster. Closing his eyes, Naruto found himself in his mindscape. Once a dark and disgusting sewer, it had slowly evolved into a large forest full of giant trees like the ones that surrounded Konohagakure.

Finding himself in a large and familiar clearing, the blonde haired Shinobi grinned like a fool. "Oi Kurama, you're awake!"

Kurama or the Kyubi no Yoko as he was more commonly known was one of the most dangerous beings in the world. He was also one of Naruto's best friends. In the middle of the clearing stood a massive fox the size of a mountain with red-orange fur and nine long tails that casually swung from side to side. It had a slightly humanoid upper body but its face had the sly smirk that could only belong to a fox. Slitted crimson eyes gazed down at the comparatively tiny human beneath him before the giant kitsune lazily held out a fist.

Naruto tapped his foot against the ground of the clearing and concentrated, imagining a platform beneath him rising to life him. There was a sound like a crack as a giant tree just like the other ones around them sprouted from the earth and lifted Naruto so he was eye level with his friend, allowing the teen to meet the fistbump.

"I've been for a while. Woke up after your glorious crash landing and I've been keeping an eye on your body." Claimed Kurama as he let out a small yawn.

Naruto nodded, a silent gesture that Kurama took to mean 'thanks', before crossing his arms. "How long have I been out for?"

"A day."

Naruto leapt to his feet, his jaw agape in surprise."What!" It almost never took him that long to heal, especially as he got older and grew closer to the tailed beasts. Usually between their chakra and his own powerful life force as an Uzumaki, he would be on his feet in hours from most major injuries.

"You might want to thank your little friend. She's been here the entire time. She saved your life after your landing and then managed to get you to this hospital in time for them to stabilize you." Kurama chimed in, a little smirk on his face. The fox had been all too amused watching the angelic girl worry over Naruto's unconscious body and had let out a few snickers when he noticed how surprisingly aggressive the girl was when the doctors had initially refused to treat the "unknown individual". If there was one thing that hadn't changed since Naruto's childhood, it was how much Kurama found amusement in the awful situations he got himself in.

Naruto, not knowing his amused friend's thoughts, was silent for a moment as the heavy realization finally hit him. "Was I that bad?"

The smirk fell and Kurama's eyes grew colder. "Me and my siblings were out cold Naruto. You had no help from us in terms of healing. You died. Thank her." Kurama mirrored Naruto's position, crossing his arms like a human would. "She's also the reason why they haven't attacked you."

A large semi-transparent screen projected itself against the trees, giving Naruto a view of the world outside of his mindscape. The girl laying across his legs was still asleep but Naruto's focus was more on the two guards who kept walking back and forth, glancing inside his room every time they passed by and shaking their heads in disbelief.

Naruto frowned, his eyes squinted as he focused on what was on their backs. "They have wings…"

"They all do. Even her." Naruto stepped back in shock before a hand came up to rub the bridge of his nose, a sigh slowly escaping him. Wings were new to him, the only person he knew in the elemental nations who had them was Choji and that was only temporary and would leave him on death's door afterwards. Naruto frowned, now that he thought about it, the Jinchuriki of Chomei also had wings as well. Did that mean these winged people would be as strong as a fully powered Akimichi and Jinchuriki?

Hesitantly Naruto decided to ask the best sensor he knew, although the look on Kurama's face told him that he was already expecting the question. "How powerful are they? Do they pose a threat?"

"Not really. These guards are barely Genin although your friend seems to be much much stronger." Kurama's words eased the growing concern in Naruto's mind and the blonde let out a breath of relief he didn't know he was holding in. Still, Naruto was slightly surprised that this girl had Kage-level power. Did that mean that there were other people in this new world that were threats, having powers close to him and Sasuke?

Kurama awoke Naruto from his thoughts with a flick on the forehead with the tip of his tail. "She's waking up. Good luck idiot. Don't do anything stupid."

"Wait Kuram-" Naruto frantically tried to stop the most powerful Tailed Beast but it was too late. He had been kicked out of his own mind. "Asshole."

This time Naruto's words came out in the real world, catching the attention of the girl who was still waking up and wiping the small amounts of drool from the corner of her lips onto her sleeve. Glancing up to make eye contact with him, her face lit up like the Sun. "Oh you're finally awake. Thank God."

Naruto cocked his head to the side. "What?"

He had honestly no idea what the girl had just said. Despite the girl's beautifully melodic voice, the language she was speaking sounded somewhat more harsh than his own native language, which was rather flowing. Nevertheless, from her body language, Naruto could tell she was happy and was probably worried for his safety, a gesture that brought a smile to his face.

Meanwhile, the girl seemed to have mirrored his gesture and had tilted her own head in confusion as well. "I don't know what language you're speaking. It sounds like some sort of dialect of Japanese but at the same time, it's different. This is so odd. Angels are supposed to be able to understand all languages…" Biting her bottom lip in thought as she lightly drummed her fingers against her leg, Naruto had to admit it was a rather cute sight.

Naruto thought for a second before snapping his fingers as a genius idea came to mind. If they couldn't understand each other's languages, then perhaps they could try universal signs that the other might understand. Slowly, as to not confuse her, Naruto pointed at the girl before giving a really exaggerated shrug.

The girl's emerald green eyes widened and she clapped her hands together excitedly, an energetic motion that surprised Naruto but still brought a smile to his face. "That's a great idea! I'm Gabriel!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion, having never heard a name quite like that before. "Ge-bru-e-ru?"

The girl shook her head negatively. "Gabriel."

"Ga-bu-ri-e-ru?" Naruto tried again, this time trying to break up the sounds.

She couldn't help but let out a giggle. "Gabriel."

Naruto tried a final time, concentrating really hard of combining some of the sounds."Gabriel." The happy smile and nod he received confirmed his success and Naruto couldn't help but do a fist pump of victory.

"Na-ru-to." Naruto introduced, pointing at his chest as he did so.

"Naruto. Sounds Japanese hmm." Gabriel perfectly repeated on the first try, a hand to her chin in thought. "You do have asian features but not quite at the same time. So strange." Gabriel giggled at how Naruto looked a little bummed that she didn't struggle as much saying his name as he did saying her's. Her laugh was contagious and Naruto couldn't help but chuckle himself.

The two sat in a comfortable silence for a minute before Naruto decided to ask a question that had been on his mind for a little while. "Why did you save me?"

Gabriel wasn't sure exactly what he said but she had a pretty good idea based off his tone. Glancing out his window, she let out a small sigh. "It was the right thing to do. I couldn't just let someone die in front of me without trying to help them. It goes against what Father taught."

Naruto was silent, although he couldn't help but stare at the girl in amazement. Somehow, he had a feeling he knew what she had just said and that was pretty incredible. Not a lot of people had that kind of selflessness and pure kindness in his world. Shaking his head in disbelief, Naruto winced in pain as he put a little more pressure on his left side.

"Be careful. You're still injured." Gabriel chided him with a stern look that didn't really look like it belonged on the girl's face. "The doctors were amazed at how fast you recovered but still. Stay safe."

Naruto chuckled, that was an expression he was more used to getting."Thank you."

"You're welcome." Gabriel responded with a smile, once more having a feeling she knew exactly what he had said. Standing up from her chair, she glanced around the room before her eyes landed on a small white bag by the doorway.

She laid the contents on the bed, a set of plain white clothes generally around Naruto's size. "A friend sent these over. He's about the same size as you and one of the only people I know who doesn't have wings...yet." Gabriel explained, holding up the shirt to Naruto as if she was a designer. That got a laugh from the blonde boy after he gave the girl a silent thank you.

Gingerly pulling off the covers to avoid messing with any of the medical equipment around him, he carefully got to his feet. His legs, unused to standing after a full day in bed, buckled for a moment under his weight before correcting themselves. This episode though was enough to draw concern from the angelic girl. "Can you stand?"

"I'm not made of glass, pretty lady. I think I'll be fine." The girl looked a little less than pleased with how Naruto waved off her concerns before sighing in acceptance. She handed the clothes over to the shinobi before gesturing over to the bathroom a little down the hallway. "Get changed. My brothers want to meet you."

The two walked side by side, an extremely strange but attractive pair that garnered much attention from the people in the streets as they walked by. Naruto wasn't exactly sure what everyone was saying but he knew they were talking about him from the subtle points in his direction and the dozens of eyes that were following him as he walked through their city. None of them were hateful or scared, as the impact of his crash had caused almost no damage due to being largely been contained by the lake and the light barrier. Instead most of the looks were curious, interested in how a visitor from another dimension looked. Naruto smiled, he could handle curiosity and would try to indulge the people once he learned their language. He just wasn't sure how to handle the strange looks he was getting from some of the females.

His eyes glanced amusingly over to the girl walking beside him, who was walking a tad bit closer to him after noticing the strange looks he was getting as well. Naruto had noted that half of the attention was also on her as well as the number of adoring people who cried her name happily as she walked amazed him to no end. Gabriel seem to be somewhat of a celebrity here, her bright and sunny personality being rather infectious to everyone.

Little children ran up to the two blondes, slowing them down slightly, but the smile on their faces were so bright Naruto couldn't help but mirror it. The children chatted excitedly with Gabriel before glancing at him awkwardly, unsure of who he was. Gabriel, noticing this, introduced the whiskered man and explained his situation, earning him a few gasps of amazement. The cheerful smiles and laughter that escaped the children when he gave them a round of high-fives before the two continued on their way stayed on Naruto's mind as they approached the meeting place.

Sunlight pierced through the stained glass windows that lined the hallway, making everything glow more brightly in a myriad of colors than it ever had before. The floor was quiet, but not silent as two peoples' breathing reminded the area that it lived once, lightening up the cold weight that attempted to sit on their shoulders. Gabriel stopped before the heavy wooden door, her eyes closed for a moment as she placed a hand against the wooden door. It was cold, threatening, and for a moment, the angel hesitated.

A large hand covered her's, the rough textures caused from calluses formed over years of training feeling strange against her smooth skin. His hand was much more warm than her and the heat seemed to fill her, lightly dusting her cheeks and driving away any cold doubts she had. With a thunderclap, Gabriel felt her wings unfold with more authority than ever before and her golden hair blaze to life like an undying flame.

The two stepped into the meeting room together, the holy light threatening to wash them away if they were to falter. They stood strong. Nine men stood before the two blondes in the doorway, varying expressions on their faces as they looked. A voice broke through the silence after a moment and although he couldn't know for sure, Naruto had a feeling he understood what was said.

"Welcome sister, Traveler. We've been waiting for you."

Far from the gaze of Heaven, a hidden world dwelled, mirroring the human world but with a few important twists. Purple skied and mostly filled with land rather than water, the Underworld was populated with beings of strange and unusual powers. In the capital Lilith, a man sank into his leather bound seat with a appreciative sigh. Running a hand through his red hair as he glanced at the piles of paperwork on his desk, the man decided to shut his eyes instead of beginning on his duties.

Sirzechs Lucifer was a hero amongst his people, a Devil King whose power was almost unmatched in the world. The former heir to the prestigious Gremory Clan, Sirzechs had been raised in the area right after the Great War and had witnessed first hand the destruction that had been left in its wake. Born with an incredible innate talent to wield the legendary Power of Destruction passed down from his mother, the young Gremory knew he had the opportunity to stop those who wanted to further destroy Devilkind with more bloodshed. With the help of his friends Ajuka Astaroth, Serafall Sitri and Falbium Glasya-Labolas, the four young devils were able to lead a resistance against the Old Satan Faction and end the war. The four devils were crowned "Satans" and had been leading their people ever since.

Sirzechs sighed, he wished that someone had warned him that ruling was such a pain. His sensitive ears caught the sound of delicate footsteps walking down the hallway toward his office and he didn't even have to open his eyes to see who it was. "Good afternoon Darling."

Grayfia Lucifuge did not have the appearance of the Strongest Queen or the wife of Lucifer, no that would be too improper. In fact, were it not for her incredible beauty and the aura of power around her, one would likely mistaken her for another maid in the castle. Long silver haired tied into a long braid was perhaps her most famous feature but it were her silver eyes that were staring at her husband like they were trying to burn through his skull.

Naturally, Sirzechs did the thing most scared husbands do. He tried to crawl into a ball and hide from his wife's fury. "I'm sorry Grayfia, what happened?"

Grayfia placed down a file onto the table, her gaze icy as she watched her husband gulp and read the familiar title. "Why haven't you dealt with this yet? Everyone is waiting for your response."

"Well you see…" Sirzechs stuttered, sweating as he tried to think of his excuse for his lack of action. Ever since he had gotten the news earlier that morning during the weekly Satan meeting, Sirzechs had been trying to dodge the problem and his wife. It seemed he would have to confront both now.

Sirzechs let out a heavy sigh that made him seem much older than he appeared, rubbing his temple lightly as he began to think. "Any disturbance in the Dimensional Gap is a problem. The one that occurred yesterday was massive and sent a shockwave throughout the gap that connects all the world like an earthquake." Green eyes glanced out of the window of his office, an unreadable expression on his face. "There's no mistaking that something came out of that void."

"You heard what Ajuka-sama said." Grayfia's voice was as cold as ice. "The being's exit point was in the middle of Heaven."

Sirzechs barely didn't respond, his eyes still peering out the window, locked onto something he must have seen in the distance. It was only because Grayfia had spent so much time with him that she caught the slight catch in his breath, the small tightening of his brow for a microsecond.

"Do you believe they are trying to summon the Red Dragon or the Infinity Dragon?" There was a weight to her words, a slight sense of fear hiding behind the woman's tightly pressed lips. The thought of one of the Devils strongest enemies, the Angels, gaining the power of of the Dragons was enough to make the Queen shiver.

"I don't know. What purpose would Michael have for summoning Great Red or Ophis? No, there has to be some other reason for this." Sirzechs turned around to face the silver-haired woman, a look of urgency set on his face. "Bring me Beowulf, Mathers and Okita. I have a job for them."

Sirzechs knew that he couldn't let himself get caught off guard. The Devils would make the first move.

Every muscle in his body screamed for him to attack, the instincts he had trained over the years launching into overdrive from the massive killing intents that struck him simultaneously. Suffocating, they would have driven a lesser man to the ground in an instant and thrown him to their knees to force him to grovel. Naruto Uzumaki didn't even flinch. Cold blue eyes seemed to stare defiantly back at the ten-winged angels in the room and for a brief moment, they could have sworn they saw a flash of crimson.

On the other side of the room, the blonde haired Remiel shifted in his chair, a small bead of sweat appearing at the top of his brow, lightly crinkling his green robes. With a slightly shaking finger, Remiel pointed at the Shinobi with a frown. "Why isn't the man in restraints? We have no idea of his intents!"

An exasperated sigh escaped the lips of his green haired junior. "Because he is not a prisoner Remiel. We're here to hear his intents, not incarcerate him without reason." Raguel retorted, fixing his glasses with one hand and sending the indignant Remiel into a small sputter of rage with little effort.

"Remiel isn't wrong for once. This...thing was able to survive being thrown through the dimensional gap and crashing into one of the highest levels of Heaven. We cannot act too lightly around him." Sariel commented with a small sneer, the slightly cruel attitude of the purple haired seraph coming through as he stared at the spiky haired man with barely hidden disgust.

Gabriel glanced over at her new...friend with slight concern. Naruto was unusually quiet, his bright blue eyes switching where their gaze was locked on every few seconds or so as he tried to make sense of what was going on in the room. Judging by how he stared back at Sariel and Remiel with slightly narrowed eyes, Gabriel had a feeling that Naruto could tell based off her brothers' tones what they were saying about him. She looked across the room to wear Michael was sitting with his perpetually sad eyes watching the scene carefully. He too had been silent and Gabriel knew that whatever side her eldest brother supported with win the decision.

"Gabriel."

The smooth silky voice of Uriel grabbed both Gabriel and Naruto's attention, who recognized the name and both turned around to the surprise of the blue haired seraph although it didn't show for long. Somehow those pupiless eyes Uriel convened a sense of empathy that made Gabriel excited that someone was showing sympathy for her friend.

Her brother's next words, although, shattered any illusions she had. "Although you seem to have grown comfortable with his presence, this man is still an intruder into Heaven. He is not an angel or a deceased-" Uriel began, trying to reassure his sister with a comforting smile.

"He's about to be if he keeps staring at me like that." Raphael gruffly commented, cutting off his brother as he and Naruto held eye contact.

He instantly regretted it as his blue haired older brother leveled him with a pupiless stare, his voice convening the no nonsense attitude filling the meeting room. "Raphael. Silence." The muscle-heavy seraph swallowed, his mouth closing with an audible noise as he tried to avoid getting Uriel even more angry.

"Like I was saying, he is not an angel or a deceased. He is merely a human with strange abilities. It is for the best that he is restrained and observed, for the security of Heaven." Uriel finished with a smile, the same sweet-sounding tone almost luring his sister into agreeance.

No, there was something wrong. There was something about those pupiless eyes today that were making Gabriel uneasy for the first time in centuries. She would not fall for Uriel's words, Naruto wasn't the enemy.

Catching herself, Gabriel shook her head and took a step back away from Uriel and her brothers, almost all of whom seemed to have been swayed by the blue haired seraph's words. "No wait-"

Uriel took a step forward, reaching out to grab Gabriel when suddenly the angel found his wrist caught in an iron grip. "Don't touch her." Those glowing eyes traveled up the length of the muscular arm holding him in place until he found himself staring directly into the cerulean eyes of an annoyed Naruto Uzumaki.

"Restrain him!"

Naruto wasn't sure who shouted that or what exactly they said but he got the gist. In a blink of a second, he had moved in between the creepy blue-haired bastard and Gabriel, stopping him from touching her. It had only taken half a second after that for all of the seraphs besides Gabriel, Uriel and that blonde one on the other side of the room to spring to their feet and release their wings. The room managed to grow even brighter if that was possible as seven light spears of blazing holy energy burned to life, each deadly point directed straight at Naruto. The chakra coursing through his body seemed to subconsciously move a little more quickly, condensing slightly as if anticipating the shitstorm that was about to hit.

"Aw fuck. What the hell did you do now?" The gruff sarcastic voice in his head commented with a sigh.

Naruto's eyes were locked onto the seven light spears trained on him, his grip on Uriel's wrist tightening to the point the blue haired seraph was on his knees from the pain. "Not the time Kurama."

Raphael sneered at the Shinobi, a sign that gave Naruto enough time to catch the light tensing of his body under his robes. Raphael's grip on his light spear tightened and just as he was about to throw it, a voice shattered the tense situation.

"Wait no! Leave Naruto alone!" Cried the blonde haired woman as she stepped in between her friend and her siblings, who looked at her like she was crazy.

"Gabriel! Stand down!" The order did nothing to stop the archangel, instead the look in her eyes seemed to grow even more cold and determined.

Small soft hands balled into white knuckled fists. "I said," Gabriel shut her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she let loose. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

At that moment, every single occupant of the room seemed to feel it at the same time. It was something archaic, ancient and terrifying, like the opening of a door that had been locked for years releasing a deadly beast. Like a bolt of lightning, Gabriel was engulfed in piercing white energy that cascaded over the room and washed over her brothers like a tidal wave. The holy weapons seemed to dissolve in their hands, leaving the Seraphs with wide eyes and holding merely empty fists. Even Naruto and the bijuu were in awe, letting go of Uriel and subconsciously taking a step back from the girl, whose entire being was glowing the most divine shade of gold and white. Her halo was displayed with pure pride, blazing like an undying fire, and her wings were protruding outward with authority.

"Wow." Naruto couldn't help but feel Kurama's comment was a little underwhelming, although he could understand what he meant.

"Naruto does not wish to harm us, any of us. He doesn't know our world, our politics, our situation or even our language." Every single eye was on the only female Seraph as she spoke with an authority appropriate for kings and queens. "We cannot say we are God's children and follow his teachings if we are going to act out of fear every single time there is a difficult choice."

"Let us put it up to a vote then." Broke another voice as one man stood up from where he had been sitting the entire time. He was handsome but also rather feminine-looking, with sad looking green eyes that reminded Naruto of someone he knew.

Gabriel's magic died down a little bit as she stared at her eldest brother with wide eyes. "Michael-" Naruto raised an eyebrow, looking at the man after sensing the change in tone from his friend. This man was someone she respected and was close to, likely a direct relative if their similarities in appearance were anything to go by.

"The visitor-" Gabriel interrupted her brother almost immediately.

"Naruto." She insisted, earning herself an eyebrow raise from Michael before he chuckled to himself.

"Yay, Naruto will be allowed to stay in Heaven under the direct supervision of our dearest sister, who will be placed in charge of educating him of our world so he can become a future ally. Nay, he will be placed into prison and interrogated for information of his intents and knowledge of his world." He offered diplomatically, the sweet sound of his voice swaying a few of his siblings and earning himself a few nods of agreement.

Michael glanced around the circle of stone chairs, his eyes landing on the first of his brothers. Remiel's eyes burrowed into Naruto for a moment before his mouth warped into a sneer. "Nay"

The next seraph's vote was rather obvious almost immediately as Raphael rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Nay and I say you let my corps handle it."

"Asshole" Gabriel didn't understand exactly what Naruto said under his breath but she had a feeling. A quick glare was all it took to stop her new friend's Raphael-directed killing intent. Everyone looked over to the next angel in line, only to find that he had been zoned out the entire time. The brown haired Ninja-Otaku Metatron had been curled up in his chair the entire time with a manga book in his hands, cat-ear headphones blocking out all the arguing going on.

Michael's forehead throbbed in a rare sign of annoyance. "Metatron!"

The authoritative yell was enough to literally knock Metatron out of his chair from the shock and he slowly got up, wiping his eyes to readjust them. "What?"

"Yay or nay?" Michael asked with a sigh.

Metatron looked like a deer in the headlights, glancing around at all the exasperated eyes staring/glaring at him before landing on Naruto. A hand went up to his chin and he let out a hum. "He kind of looks like a ninja." Picking up his dropped book, Metatron lackids basically lifted a thumbs-up. "That's a Yay from me."

Gabriel glanced over to Naruto with a supportive smile although the young shinobi was still very confused on what exactly the hell was going on. Perhaps it was better that the blonde didn't know his ninja background had earned him a new supporter/fan...

"I don't even know why we're giving him a chance. Nay." Sariel cried out in annoyance, with a roll of his eyes to accompany the negative vote.

Naruto mirrored the expression, "Asshole." although the comment earned him another glare from the nervous girl beside him to him.

"This is stupid. Yay./Yay. Gabriel's right, we can't just live out of fear."

Some of the anxiousness began to leave the angelic girl at the simultaneous responses from her smartest and most outspoken brothers and she instantly gave the two one of the brightest smiles she could muster. That warmness instantly began to leave her as all eyes rested on Uriel, whose cold pupiless eyes seemed to somehow display some empathy to the girl.

"I'm sorry Gabriel but it's for the betterment of Heaven. Nay." Was his cold response, his sky-blue hair whipping over his shoulder as he turned around and returned to his seat, nursing his still throbbing wrist.

Gabriel brought a hand up to her chest, the sting from that blow hurting quite a bit. "Uriel…" Noticing all the eyes on her, Gabriel gave her obvious answer. "That's a Yay from me."

The room was silent for a second as the situation set in, it was four to four. Every single eye turned to the leader of Heaven whose own eyes were trained to the ground in thought. Michael's face was difficult to read, his mouth set in a straight line as he pondered to himself like a judge about to make an important verdict.

"Brother…" The word escaped Gabriel's lips unconsciously and Michael glanced up at the call, meeting the tear-filled green eyes with sad ones of his own. Then he met the eyes of the "visitor" and it was at that moment both men were able to get a true read of the other for the first time that day. Although divided by their language and culture, both were men of character, whose desire for power and political influence was not one derived from wishing to become the dominant ruler but for wanting to be the man who could help others. Family and friends came first, and one could not simply overlook the right choice just because it helped the many.

Michael was the first to turn away, a sigh escaping his lips. "I leave it all up to you Gabriel." The next word brought a dazzling grin to Gabriel's lips. "Yay."

"Yes!" Cried out the only female among the Seraphs as she let out a childish fist pump. "We did it!" Before Naruto could even react, the smaller girl had wrapped him in a crushing hug that had him surprised for a moment before he returned it.

"Michael wait-" Remiel tried to argue but a single look from his eldest brother stopped the words from exiting his mouth.

Michael's voice seemed to magically project itself, silencing all opposition and arguments with its authority that even Naruto managed to recognize despite the language barrier. "Naruto will be Gabriel's charge. She will be in charge of his education and lifestyle until he is self-sufficient." The cold leadership facade broke for a moment as Michael turned to face Gabriel. "Good luck dear sister."

"This meeting is over. You are all dismissed."

As if to exemplify his point, Michael's golden wings unfolded with a thunderclap before he took to the sky. A few of her angelic siblings gave Naruto and Gabriel a quick glare but they too disappeared after a few moments, wishing to escape the room and clear their heads after the long and arduous battle. With only the two of them left in the room, Gabriel immediately turned to Naruto and leapt up at him, launching herself at Naruto who almost dropped the girl in surprise. So small and beautiful, Naruto was afraid he was going to crush her like a snowflake and was a little disappointed after she broke away from the hug after a little bit.

"Yes Naruto! You're free!" She cried out, her face practically glowing in happiness as she jumped up and down and danced to her own beat. Her golden hair whipped from side to side, hitting the taller boy in the face but he didn't mind. He really liked her hair.

"Thank you Gabriel-chan. You don't realize how much I owe you." Naruto admitted, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

"Don't worry about it! We're friends, right?" Gabriel responded, understanding him from his tone and body language. To him, her smile seemed to glow even more brightly than her magic ever could and it was so infectious too, like a song he couldn't help but sing along to.

Gabriel looked out the skylight window at the top of the meeting chamber, her eyes taking in the darkened sky and the thousands of stars that filled Heaven's horizons. It was getting late and hopefully all the work was done by now.

"Let's go home." Whispered the girl as her wings unfolded themselves softly. Reaching out, she took Naruto's much larger hand with her own as her magic began to swirl around the two of them, coating them both in her holy light. In an instant, they were gone.

"This is very...over the top."

The words left Naruto's mouth before he could stop himself along with a long sigh, his head dropping slightly away from the sight in front of him in exasperation. Naruto gave a dry look at the dozens of moving and construction trucks that surrounded the beautiful and large plot of land Gabriel owned, his right eyebrow twitching a little as he did so. His eyes tried to make out the words on the sides of the vans but soon gave up upon realizing it was the same alphabet used throughout the rest of Heaven. Luckily, the cartoonish pictograms and logos were enough for him to identify each well enough. Concrete foundation company, roofing company, plumbers, electricians, dozens of men quickly exited the premises upon the arrival of the angel and her companion. A few tried to take an extra moment to stare at Gabriel and check her out but a quick deadly glare by Naruto was enough to send them packing.

Their work was all that remained as the dozens of construction crews bolted, a masterpiece of a home sitting where there had once been an empty plot of land. A large three story modern japanese style stood proudly and Naruto couldn't help but be impressed. The triangular roof and wooden exterior was familiar to the Shinobi while the tall walls and balconies were not. The house sat in the middle of a rather large pond, with a red bridge arching across it to connect to the entrance way.

Naruto turned to look at Gabriel to see the small girl was looking rather embarrassed, muttering curses under her breath in annoyance at the fact that the work crews hadn't been gone by the time she and Naruto got home. Noticing her companion was looking at her, Gabriel tried to look everywhere but at him while playing with her beautiful golden hair. "You're probably thinking this is rather over the top but as soon as you got out of the hospital, I knew you would need to find a place to stay. I wasn't expecting Michael to put you with me though!" Noticing that Naruto's expression seemed to scream disbelief, Gabriel flushed and pointed a finger at him angrily. "Hey stop giving me that look!"

"Whatever you say Gabriel-chan," Naruto chuckled and raised his hands in innocence to the girl's accusation. "Literally say whatever you want. I can't understand you."

Gabriel glared at Naruto in a terrible attempt at looking annoyed while failing miserably before breaking and returning back to her usual brilliant smile. Walking across the red traditional bridge with Naruto in tow, Gabriel began to talk while gesturing so that Naruto would understand. "My old house was pretty small and really 'western' but since we're friends, I thought I would try to accommodate you...although not to the extent that Michael was apparently thinking..."

Naruto cocked his head to side in confusion at the small conflicted frown on his friend's face, snapping the girl from her mutterings and she opened the door. "What's mine is your's. Welcome to your new home." Gabriel said with a smile, presenting the home with pride.

Naruto couldn't help but feel a little sad as he walked into the home in front of Gabriel, his eyes taking in everything with an almost unnoticeable smile on his face. Walking into the large kitchen connected to the living room, it was a perfect family style home that Naruto wished he had had growing up. Sitting at the white marble island in the kitchen like the one here and helping his mother cook while his father did his work in the study, Naruto couldn't help but wish he had gotten the chance to taste his mother's cooking or sit by his father as he read the newspaper.

Gabriel, unaware of the mental journey that her friend was going on, glanced up at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall and gasped. "Oh it's almost dinner time!" The blonde girl quickly began to pat her pockets rapidly. "I'll go order something!"

"What are you doing?" Gabriel looked a little ashamed as she lifted the silver cell phone she had found in her back pocket.

"Dinner."

Naruto's head tilted to the side in confusion, his brow furrowing in a very over exaggerated expression that the girl picked up after a moment. Pantomiming eating something by pretending to spoon things into her mouth, Gabriel managed to get the message along after a second. Naruto pointed at the large beautiful kitchen the girl had only to receive a very sheepish and obvious look of shame, as the girl suddenly found her feet and the floor very interesting.

"Well you see, cooking is a bit of a well kind of not my super duper speciality. I usually order delivery…" Admitted the girl after a minute of exasperated staring from her new roommate, the shame growing to greater and greater levels every moment. What? It wasn't her fault that so many great deceased chefs cooked such good food and opened up stores in Heaven! Thank god her angelic metabolism kept her from getting fat and maintained her fantastic figure...

Naruto, getting the gist, let out a sigh before plucking the cell phone from the girl's hand and putting it into his back pocket where she couldn't get it. Gabriel let out a whine but found herself beaten, so dejectedly she sat down at the island so she could watch her friend cook.

And cook he did. It had been a skill he had picked up over the years with Jiraiya and his time living alone but Naruto had always found cooking rather fun. While in the village Naruto did it rather irregularly due to the existence of the greatest food stand known to man (ie Ichiraku Ramen), often while on missions and in places where food was strange or unknown, Naruto found himself cooking basic meals. Over time, basic meals turned into more and more advanced dishes as Naruto slowly taught himself a skill that perhaps in another life, his mother or father might have passed onto him.

Gabriel watched with awe as the blonde man sharpened and handled her kitchen knife like a pro, cutting through fresh meat and vegetables she had had in the fridge with such precision and ease that it looked effortless. Little did Gabriel know that after years and years of training with kunai and other deadly blades, a kitchen knife was practically a kid's toy. In fact, Gabriel found herself so enthralled in the cooking process, that she didn't even notice half an hour go by until the food itself was done.

"Wow." Was the only thing the girl could say as she stared wide-eyed at the large plates of salad, new york strip steak and seared salmon that had been prepared before her very eyes. After a few seconds, Naruto came out of the kitchen, drying his hands on the "Holy Crap, I'm a Good Cook" apron she had gotten as a christmas stocking stuffer a few years ago. Gabriel had to admit, it looked better on him.

Glancing at the extremely long and expensive dining room table she had bought just in case she ever entertained guests, Gabriel couldn't help but feel that sitting on the other side would be little too impractical for two people. So instead, the little girl waited for Naruto to grab a seat before she plopped herself down right besides him, despite the fact there was at least eight other unfilled seats surrounding them.

Naruto smiled, a warm genuine smile, as he handed her a plate full of delicious food. "Itadakimasu,"

"Itadakimasu," Gabriel giggled, the words escaping her mouth almost as easily. The words were ordinary, a simple thank you for the food that was set before you, but both angel and shinobi knew it meant a little bit more at that very moment. Sometimes a little company was nice, especially when you've been alone for a while.

The tickle of hair against his ear awoke Naruto from his slumber, his eyes opening slowly as he took in the familiar surroundings. The lights in the living room had been dimmed and only the small lamp besides the couch where he was sitting was on. On his lap sat a rather large hardcover book unlike the scrolls he was familiar with from home. His eyes looked down and stared at some of the characters on the page for a few moments, trying to remember the meanings of the words before him. He was slow, Naruto had to admit he was never a very fast learner when it came to reading and the like, but he eventually able to recite the two alphabet systems that had been taught to him the night before by Gabriel.

Gabriel. Slowly turning his head to the side a little, Naruto was once more assaulted by the golden hair that had awoken him from his sleep in the first place. He didn't really mind though, her hair smelled nice, almost like honey and lemon. Gabriel too had a language book in front of her, although she had apparently abandoned it for Naruto's shoulder halfway through the night.

Naruto silently chuckled to himself but found even that slight vibration was enough to nearly stir the girl. Devoid of the usual energy and enthusiasm and expressive emotions that usually occupied her throughout the day, Naruto couldn't help but notice how peaceful Gabriel looked while she was sleeping.

"Stop watching the girl sleep, you're being weird." The cold gruff voice of his closest friend broke Naruto from his thoughts and the shinobi sputtered.

"Fuck off Kurama." Naruto tried to shoot back but the flush of his face betrayed him.

Slowly Naruto picked up the much smaller Gabriel in his arms, cradling her bridal style while trying to avoid touching her anywhere inappropriately. His friend didn't deserve that and that was one discussion he did NOT want to have with her tomorrow morning. It didn't take him long to carry her up two flights of stairs to Gabriel's room on the top floor, with his own room lying on the other side of the hallway. Pushing open the door lightly with his foot, Naruto walked over to the large queen sized bed in the center of the room before laying the girl down, pulling the covers over her. Gabriel squirmed for a moment from the lost of her source of body heat but calmed down and was in a deep sleep after a minute or two.

Quietly Naruto backed up out of the room, closing the door behind him gently to avoid making too much noise. Wiping a small bead of sweat off his brow, Naruto opened up the door to his room and strode across it to the window instantly. The room was rather spartan at the moment due to the fact he lacked almost all earthly possessions at the moment but Naruto didn't really care. The large windows that opened out to the world was good enough for him as Naruto opened them up and sat on the sill with a sigh.

There was a flare of orange chakra from Naruto's torso as a small being took form in front of him. An orange fox, the size of a medium sized dog, with nine long tails flowing behind him plopped down on the edge of the window across from Naruto who didn't look very surprised by the appearance.

Kurama glanced around, letting out a noise that sounded like an appreciative hum. "Pretty nice life you've got there. Only half of the most powerful people in Heaven hate you-"

"I hate you."

"A nice house worthy of a Hokage-"

"I double hate you."

"A pretty girlfriend-"

Naruto glanced over the edge, wondering if the thirty foot fall would be enough to end it all. "I should just jump."

Kurama grinned, his sharp white teeth on display. "I'm just playing with you Kit," The playfulness seemed to disappear after a moment. "I just wanted to give you a word of warning."

"Those angel guys are afraid of you. You're an unknown but powerful enough to stand up to them at the very least, which makes you a threat. Threatened mice tend to bite so watch your back." Kurama let out a sigh before relaxing his head onto his front paws, now laying down completely on the window sill. "Besides we don't know who else lies in this world yet. Are there allies out there we just haven't met yet or are there foes that are even more powerful than these angels…"

"Ugh why do things have to be so difficult!" Kurama stared at his host for a moment, taking in the sight of the annoyed Savior of the World. Every once and awhile, Kurama had to admit he forgot that Naruto was only seventeen years old.

Kurama let out a teethy yawn before hopping down from the window onto the floor. "Get some rest Kit, you've had a long day."

Naruto watched with amusement as the orange fox leapt onto the bed and yanked off one of the two pillows sitting there, throwing it onto the ground. With a relieved sigh, Kurama crawled up into a little ball onto the pillow as if he had been the one with the long day. Naruto sighed, shaking his head in disbelief, as he laid in bed closing his eyes voluntarily for the first time since before the war a few days ago.

A moment before sleep overcame him, a thought slipped through Naruto's mind and he couldn't help but smile. "Hey Kurama, I know this isn't our world and I still want to find a way back eventually if I can…"

"But I think I can be happy anywhere as long as I have people I care about with me. So let's make the most of this I guess!" All Naruto received was a snort of amazement from his nine-tailed friend before he slipped into unconsciousness.

AN: Hey guys! So this was a very quick upload cause I've been writing nonstop for the last week or so to get this out to y'all during the holidays! So yeah, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa and everything else! I love the holidays so this was my little gift to you guys! The response to the first chapter was a little lackluster to be honest but hopefully we can turn that around this time! See you soon!