Chapter - 2
"So, your son's hiding at the Vatican," Sirzechs asked with unnatural calmness as he stressed the name of the city to show his skepticism on the matter, "and you want us to infiltrate the city and extract him." He finished with a dry chuckle.
"Yes, Sirzechs." Lord Phenex replied, his face twisted in annoyance, "Just how many times are you going to ask the same damn thing? The answer's not—"
"—Until you realize exactly what you're asking from me," Sirzechs snapped, hitting the table in front of him with his open palm, "This isn't just some random city, Vatican's been a stronghold for the angels since ancient times. It's their fucking war table! Everybody knows that, and you want me to send some of my best, in to a hungry wolves' den just to get your idiotic child back…. Do you realize the risk your son has put us in?" He asked. Sirzechs had never been this furious for quite a long time.
"So let me ask this again," Sirzechs said, leaning back into his cushy chair as he took a deep breath, "Are you sure about this? Because if you're not…." He trailed off, though none missed his grave undertone.
What Naruto Phenex had done was nothing short of scandalous, and was a slap to the face for every soldier of the God. If the Angels found out, nothing would stop them from enacting their righteous judgement. It would be just like the previous war. Everyone knew it, but none dared to voice it.
"Yes, we are sure Sirzechs! Please just bring back my son to me." Lady Phenex pleaded, with her hand resting on her breast. You didn't need to be a genius to see the desperation and anguish in the woman's eyes, and Sirzech's truly understood her, if it was his son who had done something so stupid he would be desperate too. It was every devil's worst nightmare.
"You know that if the angels figure out that we were responsible for breaking into their holy city, everything we have achieved over the centuries can become undone. All those peace talks, negotiations and the flimsy trust we have between the three factions…. Everything will go down the drain." Sirzechs said, in an impassive tone, "No one will ever trust us…"
Lord and Lady Phenex hanged their head down, refusing to meet Sirzechs eyes. They knew what they were asking from him was downright cruel and thoughtless. They wanted him to risk everything he had achieved over the years in his quest for peace, for a single boy he didn't even know…
Thankfully, Grayfia arrived with a large map in tow and promptly spread it in front of everyone, essentially preventing them from tearing each other's throat out. The Maou's bless her!
Rias and her peerage surrounded the entire area looking at the map with apprehension. Rias would be the first to admit that she was scared, even after an hour it was tough for her to believe that her new intended was insane enough to stay at the Vatican. The fucking Vatican! How did he even survive amongst all the prayers, angels and exorcists, she didn't know. She couldn't believe for a moment she thought that maybe Riser would have been a better choice, at the least he wasn't suicidal!
"The walls of Vatican are covered in anti-demonic wards," Sirzechs replied and pointed various structures in the map, "So, it excludes infiltration by land or by any underground means. So there is only one way to get inside the city… it's by air."
"That's crazy nii-san, the Vatican is the residence of the Bishop of Rome. If we go by the sky without a doubt we would be attacked by a legion of angels and if we try to land we would be surrounded by the best the exorcists have to offer…. It's a death trap." Rias replied dubiously, twisting one of her long red tresses between her fingers. It was a habit, she did whenever she was nervous wreck.
"Vatican City is a fortress which has employed best anti-devil and anti-fallen angel protections the world has ever seen, all the wards have been specifically carved by the Biblical God himself, but even after all these security measures it's not impenetrable." Sirzechs continued, his voice resolute, "It's true on a normal day I wouldn't even dare to think something so bold and potentially dangerous, but thankfully for us the church of the Vatican is going through a Papal Conclave. That gives us a small window of opportunity…"
"What is Papa Con…cave?" asked a confused Issei. All of this was way above his paygrade, he was nowhere near ready for an operation like this when a single light spear was more than enough to kill him.
"It's Papal Conclave," Rias replied chidingly at Issei with exasperation, "It's basically a meeting between the College of Cardinals, to elect the new Bishop of Rome, the apostolic successor of Saint Peter who we often call as the Pope. He's also the leader of all the exorcists. It's only conducted when either the previous pope dies or he resigns from his position."
"You should know all this Issei," Rias said almost accusingly, "I gave you all those books to read, so that you wouldn't be so clueless and ignorant of our world. Ignorance gets you killed especially in the supernatural world."
Issei blushed in embarrassment when he saw everyone was looking at him with amusement, "H-How does this help us?" He stuttered.
"Well during the conclave, angels are not allowed inside the holy-city by the decree of their own father, this should make things easier..." Sirzechs replied and he glared at the map in front of him, as if glaring at it would make this any easier.
"So, when will we be leaving for the assignment?" Rias asked with her hand resting on her hips and her nose upturned.
"You will not." Sirzechs replied in an offhanded manner.
"WHAT!?" Rias screamed. He was supposed to be her husband, it was her duty to get him back to safety. She was the one who was going to be most affected by Naruto's presence. She had every right to be on this mission.
"You will not argue me in this, and you will not raise your voice at me," Sirzechs replied, his tone heavy, and he immediately stood from his chair and glared at his sister just to hammer the point, "You have no idea what you are getting into…"
Rias stared at her brother as tears gathered in her eyes, her body shook and her knees became weak. She couldn't believe that she was just told off by her brother in such a harsh way. She couldn't remember the last time her brother had talked to her like that.
Rias sniffled and her lips wobbled before she turned around and ran away from the clubhouse as fast as her feet could carry her. She knew she was being childish, it was just a simple scolding but it hurt because it came from her brother and she couldn't bear to witness the sheer disappointment in his eyes.
If Rias looked back she would have noticed that her entire peerage was rushing behind her, to comfort her. Everyone from Akeno to Issei were right behind her, screaming her name out.
"Was that necessary?" Grayfia asked.
Sirzechs didn't deign to reply her, he didn't even spared a look at his wife irking her further instead he started to explain his plans further to bewildered Phenex's as Grayfia continued to frown.
"So, we will send only two members from my peerage into the stronghold, it will help them to maintain their cover and they would have a chance to escape if things don't go well." Sirzechs replied contemplatively.
"Who will you be sending?"
"Grayfia and my knight Souji Okita," Sirzechs declared boldly, folding his arms, "Both of them have incredible control of their demonic energy and can hide their presence from anyone."
"Just to be on the safe side, I asked Ajuka to lend me some of the demon suppression pills, it will make hiding from the exorcist much easier. The success of the mission depends on how quickly, and silently we can extract the target from the City of Angels."
"Grayfia, You need to hurry the Papal Conclave in commence in an hour. You need to get there before it starts, and remember generally the entire process lasts from a day to a week, but I want you out of there as quick as possible. The longer the mission, the higher are the chances of us being discovered."
Grayfia simply rolled her eyes at her husband, "You know this isn't the first time I have done something like this, I can take care of myself." Then her eyes trailed towards the Phenex's, "Just tell me the location of the base, and I will bring your son back for you."
"According to the info we received, his base is supposed to be… somewhere here." Lord Phenex nodded and pointed a few specific portions of the map.
"You have to be joking!" Grayfia replied with wide eyes and her face marred in a scowl, "Could your son make this anymore difficult!?" Her incredulity was mixed with sheer exasperation. This was probably the most frustrating mission she ever had the opportunity to do. She couldn't help but balk at Naruto Phenexe's actions.
"That's right below the Sistine Chapel," Sirzechs replied barely masking his own disbelief, "Right where the Papal Conclave is going to be conducted." He glared at the Phenex's and replied in a very low voice, "After the mission, if your son manages to come back in a piece he and I are going to have a talk…"
Lord and Lady Phenex sighed in discontent, since they knew Sirzechs wasn't going to budge anymore. They were lucky enough that the Lucifer had even decided to help them instead of just leaving their son to the dogs.
Below Sistine Chapel
Naruto Uzumaki, the veteran of fourth shinobi world war and the general awesome all around ninja, was sitting in a lotus position with his hands resting on his lap. If someone would have seen him right now they would have thought him dead because of the sheer stillness and lack of movement. He was that engrossed in his routine meditation and reminiscing of the past… These days he remembered his past quite often.
He didn't know how things went to hell so fast, Sasuke and he always had problems right from the day they knew each other but there was also a bond like no other. They were brothers who understood each other's pain and the tribulations, both had lost their families at a young age by the machinations of selfish people. They knew how it felt to be truly alone in this world and to have no one care for you... They knew hell.
"Sasuke!"
"Naruto!"
They charged at each other with their respective techniques, one with the infamous Chidori while the other used the equally infamous Rasengan of the Yondaime Hokage. It was ironic to Naruto because since their last battle at the valley they had all grown so much in power but in the end, it all boiled down to two of their oldest techniques. The techniques which they have used at least countless amount of times.
All their destructive jutsus only managed to tire each other out and deliver an already punished land with more death and destruction. It was tragic and comical at the same time.
Their charges fists met in an explosion of blinding light, releasing huge aftershocks destroying the already damaged statues of Hashirama and Madara further. The aftershocks released by the attacks were strong enough to blow both of them away as they skidded through the rubble like a human ping-pong before unconsciousness claimed them.
Naruto woke up with a start and he immediately moaned, his entire being was aching from head to toe. He felt like a massive bruise all over and was sure that he had broken at least half of his bones in his body. Just to make it all worse, he of all person was suffering through heavy chakra exhaustion. Naruto Uzumaki, the 'Chakra Monster' didn't even have a drop to spare.
He turned his head towards the other side and gasped in horror. Sasuke was dying, there was no doubt about it. His entire right hand was blown to smithereens, and he was sure that his friend was suffering from internal bleeding too since he was leaking blood like a faucet. Naruto felt sick to his stomach, he just wanted to hurl. How could he do this to this someone he called his best friend!
Lacking any strength in his limbs, he crawled towards his dying friend in despair and anguish. He didn't want to believe what was happening right now… Things were not supposed to end this way. He was supposed to be better than other avatars of Indra's and Asura's before him, but in the end he was no different.
"Just hold on Sasuke," Naruto wheezed as he held Sasuke in his lap, "Sakura will arrive any minute and she can help you. We will get through this… as a team."
He cursed himself for not having a single drop of Yang chakra in his body, he could have prevented all this by simply healing him.
Naruto's face twisted in pained grimace when Sasuke started to chuckle even though he was in lot of pain, "Come on Naruto! You and I both know, I am a dead—man." Sasuke finally choked out, stifling his amusement.
"It wasn't supposed to end this way…not like this. You and I both deserved better"
"It's fine, I have no regrets Naruto," Sasuke said, "I need you to know that this wasn't your fault, Naruto. This is simply where my choices led me, and the decision were my own from the very beginning. I had this coming…" He finished, violently coughing blood on Naruto's torn jacket.
"Stop talking Sasuke," Naruto pleaded, tearing up, "You're only aggravating your wounds."
"For once in your life! Listen to me.." Sasuke growled, as he spat another glob of blood stopping Naruto to his tracks.
"You were always like my brother, moving ahead of me, guiding me, helping me and never breaking our special connection, our bond with each other even after all I had done. You never gave up on me…. All this time I envied your strength, your drive to do anything for people you hold precious and even today was no different. You had a strength which simply surpassed mine."
There seemed to be no end to this nightmare for Naruto. His eyes went crimson with tears and sheer abject pain. He was also feeling a tad bit light headed, but wasn't sure whether it was from exhaustion or from his desire to just slip into the realm of unconsciousness to escape everything.
"You protected me till the end. It's about time that I return the favor. From now on, I will be the one to guide you, to protect you. After all I am the older brother."
Naruto stiffened at Sasuke's admission, this was the first time he had ever called him a brother. This was all so twisted, he himself always believed Sasuke to be his sibling, but never thought that there would come a day when he would also feel the same. For one ethereal moment, Naruto's heart filled with happiness before he was taken in by the darkness.
"From now onwards…" Sasuke slowly lifted his left hand and poked on Naruto's forehead lightly, "You are my living legacy."
Naruto watched with horror as Sasuke's body went limp on his very arms, he was able to feel his friend's body getting colder every second.
Sasuke had passed away, killed by his own friend. For few minutes, he just stared into nothingness with his eyes wide.
The shock was so great for Naruto, that he never noticed the Yin mark of the sage appearing on his left arm, nor did he notice his blue eyes changing in to the infamous blood-red of the Uchiha's. All he could do was scream to the heavens until his throat went dry as he finally surrendered himself to the realm of Morpheus.
This was the last time, Naruto was ever seen in the Elemental Nations. All that was left in this war torn planet, were his legends and bedtime stories which were read to kids and ninjas alike.
Naruto sighed in discomfort as he slowly opened his eyes from momentary slumber, he hated to waste his time on the past but somehow his mind always wandered to his final battle with Sasuke. The entire thing have been etched to his mind, on what he had done. Just to make matters worse, he couldn't even apologize for his actions to his other pink-haired teammate.
That was the greatest source of his pain, for all his amazing prowess in battle and the raw power he possessed, he was trapped here in this bizarre new planet where almost all mythical and godly creatures were alive and real. And it also didn't help, but something fundamental had changed in him from his mind to his physical body. He was different….. he wasn't the same naïve Naruto anymore. Maybe it was because he no longer had that luxury.
He was quickly broken out of his musings when he sensed a decidedly different aura….. a demonic aura just outside the Holy City. It was interesting to say the least, he could feel that whoever these devils were they were suppressing it forcefully maybe by simple natural talent or by some artificial means. Devils certainly had the technology to achieve this.
This meant they were stronger than they portrayed themselves as.
'I need to deal with them before they do something stupid.' Naruto thought with a frown as he prepared himself for the inevitable clash.
Two hooded figures slowly walked through the bustle of Italy, their steps barely making any noise. One of the individual was curvy and voluptuous, immediately marking her as a woman while the other was the exact opposite, with tall stature and broad shoulders. And he was definitely a man since he was lacking certain important assets….
"So, Grayfia-nee you want to tell me what's so special about this kid?" Okita asked. It sufficed to say he was surprised when Grayfia of all people barged into his bedroom, and ordered him to get ready immediately, barely sharing any of the pertinent details of the mission.
It was only on the way, was he briefed, and by Maous he wished that Grayfia was joking about the entire thing. Seriously, who was crazy enough to stay at the Vatican? Apparently this Naruto Phenex was!
"Well, there isn't anything particularly special about him, other than him being a member of the Phenex Household…" Grayfia replied though Okita managed to catch the uncertainty in her tone. After working together for so many centuries, there wasn't a way he would miss telling signs from the normally stoic woman.
"So, you think the entire thing shall pass without a single predicament?"
"I don't know," Grayfia hissed as her eyes narrowed into daggers, making Okita flinch in reflex. Grayfia had a habit of turning people into popsicles who managed to earn her ire, he didn't want to be another victim. "I am so close to Vatican, and yet I am not able to sense any kind of demonic energy here other than our own. So this brings us to two conclusions, first either he is so good at controlling his energy that he doesn't leak a single drop of it which if true would put him in a place which is beyond prodigious or he's already—"
"Dead" Okita finished for her.
"Exactly." Grayfia said, her jaw clenched. She didn't know what scenario was worse, from what she had managed to piece from Naruto's actions until now, she could say one thing without doubt. The boy.. the man whatever was bold and had guts beyond the devils of his age. Since, she knew fully grown devils who wouldn't dare to do half the thing this 'Naruto Phenex' had done. She had to admit that she was interested in meeting the boy sooner rather than later.
Grayfia was broken from her thoughts when a scrawny brown haired man from an alley stumbled in front of them and managed to fall onto Souji in a yelp, being the knight Okita was, he gave a genial smile towards the old man, barely making a fuss, and directed a hand towards him for help. Only for the old man to move swiftly and place a paper tag right on top of Okita's head.
He didn't even have time to be surprised before he was teleported away in a yellow flash to God knows where.
Grayfia tried to move right in front of the man fearing the worst only to be caught from behind in a shoulder lock, as black seal markings appeared all over her body. She tried to use her demonic energy but only an absolute sense of panic greeted her when she realized that for some reason she was totally cut off from her vast power.
'How did this man managed to do this!?'
She refused to show her trepidation as the brown-haired man stalked towards her in a steady gait and removed the hood of her robe, revealing her face. She growled when an amused smile crossed over the man's face.
"Well would you look at that," he said, his face twisted in bemusement, "If it isn't the infamous 'Strongest Queen'"
"Who are you?" Grayfia hissed. She didn't recognized this man, there were only few people in this world who could incapacitate her like that, and she knew the identity of all of them. And to her irritation, somehow this man had also managed to conceal himself from her acute senses.
"Hey! I am the one asking questions here." the man replied, almost petulantly "So tell me what a woman like you is doing in a place like this?"
Grayfia's brows furrowed in displeasure at his patronizing tone. She clenched her fists, if only she could use her magic... Then she would have made sure that this man was in a world of hurt, the likes none had ever experienced.
"You do know that your mere presence here can be considered as an act of war," he continued, playing with his knife, "You are trespassing into the lands of his holiness."
"Who. Are. You?" she asked again, gritting her teeth, as she ignored the man's question, "Because you are definitely not an exorcist! Or an angel for that matter." She added as an afterthought.
"What makes you say that?" the man asked, his tone indulgent.
Grayfia scoffed, seriously just who did the man think he was talking to, "Exorcists always attack in a group not singlehandedly, and I don't know any exorcist who uses clones…"
Grayfia relished at his surprised look, even though she was the one trapped in a shoulder lock, she just simply couldn't let this shot go away. And it was absolutely worth it, to watch the man's eyes widen as he clenched his jaw. In just a single moment, she managed to wipe the arrogant smile from the man's face.
However, she wasn't prepared when the man started chuckling…. And again an amused smile lit up on his face, but for some reason this time it seemed genuine….
"You are just as relentless as the stories describe you," the man replied, mirth dancing in his eyes, "Here you are all tied up and no way to escape and yet you refuse to back down…. Instead you managed to figure out one of my secrets. You must be a really good sensor…"
Grayfia was taken aback by the genuine fondness dripping from the man's tone, and his smile. It might have been the most appealing smile she had ever seen on any person. Period. She was sure that a smile like that could cover a multitude of sins. She felt her cheeks burning… This—this infuriating man had no right to look at her like that. If only she could use the full limit of her powers then she would show him… but it was as if the Maou's were mocking her, she could never use her strong devil powers so near to the Vatican. She wasn't reckless enough..
"My name is Naruto… Naruto Phenex."
Now that was a fantastic way to get her absolute attention. Her eyes bored into the man's as he started to slowly change right in front of her. Brown hair gave way to sun-kissed blonde hair, as his facial features changed right in front of her.
The figure standing was now was a young man of about seventeen years, with eyes as blue as the ocean, high cheek bones and tanned skin. His swimmer like taut body was complimented by a black Italian-cut Armani suit with a beige colored tie. Grayfia's eyes roamed his entire figure and she let out a sigh of discontent, he looked every bit a gentlemen, now only if he released her from his clone's hold then he would be perfect.
"I have answered one of your question so how about you answer one of mine, Ms. Lucifuge?" Naruto asked his eyes dancing in mischief, he hadn't missed the way her eyes had roamed all over him.
Grayfia simply nodded herself out of her stupor and replied, "I am actually here on the behalf of your parents. They want you back at home."
She had hoped to see at least some kind of over the top reaction from him instead all she got was a sense of befuddlement and confusion from the Phenex.
"I guess we can arrange that, but I clearly mentioned in my letter that I won't be returning for at least two more years." Naruto mentioned offhandedly, caressing his tie.
Grayfia's eyes gained an edge, she couldn't believe this man, he was so aloof about the whole thing. His parents must have been so worried for him but it seemed like he didn't care one bit. She wanted to give him a scolding but it just wasn't the time.
"Do you mind releasing me?"
"Of course." Naruto replied with a grin and clicked his fingers. The clone behind her burst into white smoke freeing her.
Interesting, Grayfia thought inquisitively. She had never seen clones like that, and she had seen a lot over the course of her lifetime.
"I apologize that I am unable to remove the seal right now but it will vanish away in about fifteen minutes anyways. It was never meant to hold a devil of your caliber for long periods." Naruto replied as he leaned towards her and tore her hood away, making her yelp at the unexpected action.
"When you are undercover, you should avoid wearing hoods," Naruto replied with a hint of exasperation, "It actually draws more attention from people… At the least you are wearing an actual dress this time instead of that ridiculous maid outfit, you are famous for."
Grayfia blushed both in embarrassment and anger, she didn't like to be told what to do especially by someone who was so many years younger than her, and by someone who had way less experience in covert missions. For a maid, who are supposed to take orders she sure acted contradictorily to their behavior.
Naruto's eyes roamed her figure, and to say he was impressed would be an understatement. This woman knew how to clean up well, especially when she wasn't obsessing over her maid outfit.
Grayfia had discarded her usual getup for a black blazer with white undershirt, and a tight black skirt which went down to her knees leaving the rest of her tantalizing legs open for everyone to see. And just to complete the look of an office lady, she was wearing a black ankle-strap high heels and had tied her silver-hair in a bun.
She didn't look scandalous or outrageously beautiful, but somehow that made her all the more appealing in Naruto's eyes.
After a once over, his eyes finally reached Grayfia's eyes only to see her smirking at him, he couldn't help but return the gesture. Clearly, she had noticed his appreciation of her just a few moments earlier and couldn't help but hold it over him. Cheeky woman…
"So, if you are done ogling me," Grayfia said with a sly smirk, "Maybe we can finally get you out of here? It's hardly a respectable place to be, especially for us devils."
"No."
Grayfia looked taken aback by the single worded answer. No!? Was he really planning on staying here longer? Even in such short a time she could already feel the hazardousness of the holy place. It wasn't anything debilitating, but there was this constant sense of doom pervading the entire place. It made the hair on her skin stand up, and to think this young man had been here for at least a few months was staggering, and a difficult pill to swallow.
"At the least not until we've had a cup of coffee." Naruto replied with a grin.
"Are you out of your mind!?" Grayfia literally screamed not even bothering to hide her uncharacteristic scowl, "The longer we stay here, the higher are our chances of getting captured."
"Yeah, and you screaming your lungs out totally helps us." Naruto added sarcastically.
Grayfia hissed with her teeth barred, but she quickly calmed herself back to her impassive expression. Now that she think about it, it was a great opportunity to learn more about the Phenex because there was so much to this man than he portrayed. It could be seen from his very posture, the confidence which he demonstrated was unlike she had seen from a devil so young. It wasn't arrogant like his older brothers but there was an undercurrent it which demanded attention.
"So what do you think?" asked Naruto
After a moment of contemplation, Grayfia spoke to the now almost bored looking Naruto, "I still think that we should make haste…"
Naruto didn't miss the hesitation in her tone, and he immediately latched on to it.
His arms snaked towards her waist to hold her in a possessive grip as he leaned towards her to whisper in her ear, "I insist…" Only for Grayfia to shiver at the suggestive tone and to balk at the audacity of the said action. When was the last time a man had the balls to touch her like that? Knowing that she was the wife of Lucifer.
They disappeared in a yellow flash from the alley, leaving it abandoned, and eerily quiet.
Grayfia didn't even realize that she had totally forgotten about Souji Okita during her brief talk with Phenex.
So, there you have it guys... I had to make some changes from the original because it didn't seem logical for them to fight so early. In the next chapter both Grayfia and Naruto are going to have a chat. I will try to make it as engaging as possible for you guys because I know everyone want to see Naruto Phenex in action rather than to just see him talk but I want to take my time to reach there.
Again, I am still looking a beta for this story so if anyone's interested do send me a PM. I could really use one...
And don't forget to review. And do checkout my new RWBY fanfic and like usual share your thoughts on it, no matter how harsh they may be. :D
SamaelTheDevil is out!
