[{}]

Naruto found him outside the city limits, with eyes fixed on the endless stretch of purple sky above their heads. He sat down beside him. Neither spoke a word for several minutes. Even from the outskirts of Lilith, the sound of the bells could still be heard. There was an ominous finality to each toll that signified more than just the loss of a life.

"Has it always been so dark down here?"

Naruto grimaced. "I've started to wonder that myself lately. It certainly seems like it."

A hand stretched out, fingers stretching out toward the sky. "Sometimes, I like to imagine that its right there, just beyond the shimmering layer." The hand dropped then, a weary sigh escaping him while his voice sounded softer. "I imagine that's how humans feel about it."

"Perhaps."

"Naruto?" The blonde turned. The suddenly hollow voice of his friend startled him, but it was nothing compared to the sight of moisture beginning to gather in those green eyes. "Do you think we'll ever be able to go back to heaven?"

There was a desperation about him that made Naruto want to say yes more than anything, to reassure his friend that, someday, it would be a reality, that they would glimpse the celestial realm with their own eyes. But the words wouldn't come. He knew the truth and he was never able to lie to his friends.

"I don't know."

It was the dream that had given them something to strive toward, to fight for. But, it seemed to be have been growing slimmer and slimmer with each passing century. Now, with the tolling bells ringing in his ears, it seemed that it was all it would ever remain, a dream.

III. Enter the Angel

[{}}

The outpouring of angelic grace continued to build, until the very air felt saturated with his presence, and with it came a pressure that forced three of the fallen angels to their knees. Their wings retracted as they all but collapsed to the ground. They trembled in his wake, black feathers shaking loose in their distress. Raynare was the only one standing. Even though her legs were quivering and she looked absolutely terrified, her fists were clenched at her sides. She had never been one to accept things as they were. She had not bowed to the whims of her own creator, she would not kneel to one of his proxies either.

It took a great deal of effort for Kalawarner to lift her head. Was this truly the same being she'd met before? There was no trace of the faint demonic signature he seemed to constantly exude, it was as if it had been burned away by the brilliant light. Even the brief surge of power he'd shown earlier were nothing compared to this. The last time she'd felt such an overwhelming force, had been when she was still of heaven and had been in the presence of one of the seraphim.

"When I first learned of the existence of fallen angels, I had such high hopes." None of them could meet Naruto's piercing stare. "You had stood in direct defiance of the almighty himself, and been cast out for it. I thought that, surely, a group of angels unbridled by heaven's weighty restrictions and able to think for themselves would be something of note!"

A silence descended in the wake of his thundering voice. For a moment, his lips twisted into a vicious snarl, until it slowly settled back into a line and he continued in a softer voice. "I couldn't have been more wrong."

Naruto's eyes flicked to Raynare, the only one still daring to look in his direction. "Tell me, fallen, what do you plan to do with the sacred gear you've stolen? Do you even know?"

There was a pitying look in his eyes that she simply could not stand. It was even worse than the looks usually given by her heavenly siblings, who thought she needed to be saved. He made it seem like she had no worth, as if her existence amounted to nothing.

Despite her ever present fear, she couldn't help but growl. "I'm proving my worth. I will be an example for others to look up to."

He nodded as though it had been the answer he was expecting. "This is the real problem with fallen angels. For all your bluster and talk of finding your own way, your group has accomplished nothing. You have no goals, no ambitions, no purpose." A blade of light appeared in his hands, the point lifted toward the fallen angels. "Such a waste."

Naruto moved liked nothing they'd ever seen. One moment he was standing there and the next thing they knew he just seemed to vanish in a flash. The screams were the first clue that he had even moved. Raynare snapped her gaze to her right, her eyes wide at the sight of Mittelt and Dohnaseek with gaping wounds in their chests. Tendrils of light spread outward from the injuries, both of the fallen screaming as their bodies absorbed a substance that had long since become completely foreign to them. Their cries reached a crescendo and Raynare watched in horror as they just exploded into clouds of feathers.

Those glowing, blue eyes turned toward her, the bloodied blade lifted and Raynare panicked. She backed away on reflex, her eyes wide and her voice trembling. "Get away," she screamed, "get away!"

She hurled a light spear, only to watch in shock as he simply batted it aside as though it were an errant gnat. He stepped forward and she froze up. She should've tried to move, made an attempt to escape, but all she could do was stare at his approach. Just before he was close enough to attack, Raynare's view was suddenly obscured by locks of blue.

Kalawarner.

Even though it was taking everything the fallen angel had just to stand in the wake of Naruto's crushing aura, she barred his path. Golden eyes locked with glowing blue. Every sense she possessed, even her very angelic nature, was screaming for her to kneel before a superior.

"Please, don't. Spare her." Her voice was meek, but it still carried in the silent church. "I'll give you anything you want. You can even take my life instead!"

The blade was thrust forward before Kalawarner could utter another syllable. "Your life is no longer yours to bargain with, fallen."

Raynare watched in mounting horror as Kalawarner's body fell to the floor. Anger exploded to the forefront of her mind, a pulsing rage that consumed her thoughts. It was enough to drown out the fear, enough to act. She conjured half a dozen spears and hurled them with an enraged cry, only to watch as he just seemed to move through them.

Naruto was in front of her before she could even think of firing off another salvo, his blade piercing her abdomen. Her mouth opened in a silent scream and pain she could scarcely have imagined flooded her entire being. Just when she felt like her very insides were being set aflame, the blade was withdrawn and Raynare dropped to the ground, wheezing. She looked up at him in shock, having expecting to be terminated.

Naruto wasn't looking at her though, his eyes glued to Kalawarner. "I would not have imagined faithless curs capable of such a thing." He seemed to be speaking more to himself than her.

Generally speaking, fallen angels were more selfish than devils. Without a real, singular purpose to drive them, the majority were out only to fulfill their own ambitions- usually something revolving around the cause of their fall from grace. To see one willing to put their life on the line for another was something Naruto had never seen before. It was why he hadn't simply exterminated her like he had with her comrades.

"Your friend is dying."

Raynare flinched as his cold gaze swept over her, blinking owlishly at his sudden declaration. "W-what?"

"She clings to the barest trace of her grace, such as it is. It won't last."

He was right. Raynare had been so sure that Kalawarner had suffered the same fate as the others that she hadn't even bothered to check. Now that she was actively looking, however, she could feel it. Kalawarner was still alive, but the sensation of her grace was diminishing. She had clearly been dealt a mortal wound.

Twilight healing could be enough to mend the injury, but the ritual had drained her of a great deal of power, a situation she hadn't helped by flinging light spears around. For the first time in years she felt close to her limit. There was a chance she could use the sacred gear once, but beyond that she was not entirely sure.

Still, she had to at least try.

Raynare began to crawl over only to stop short at the flare of pain from her stomach. Her eyes shifted down to the wound that still burned. This was part of the reason she had been so anxious to receive twilight healing in the first place. One of the downsides to falling from grace was a lack of divine protection, essentially turning concentrated doses of holy energy from something helpful, to something harmful.

It didn't scorch their very essence like it did with devils but it was unpleasant and the effects, once inflicted, could not be removed. It was like having a permanent case of sun burn.

Those piercing eyes seemed to be judging her and Raynare couldn't help but clench her hands. She hated feeling weak, it was a reminder of her less than spectacular status, the very thing she was constantly trying to elevate. She highly doubted the angel looming over her would allow her to keep the sacred gear, assuming she wasn't killed right after. She did still have time to heal herself though. Her eyes flicked to Kalawarner's still form and her indecision weighed. Was she truly willing to endure a lifetime of pain just to help a subordinate?

No, she was not.

The green, healing aura manifested on her hands and she held them over the wound. Flesh was quickly knit back together, and Raynare sighed at the steady rise and fall of Kalawarner's chest. It had worked. Raynare would never be willing to go to such lengths for a mere subordinate. But for the one fallen angel who had been the closest thing she ever had to a friend amongst enemies, she would do so in a heartbeat.

Raynare wearily turned her gaze back to the angel looming above her, idly hoping the act had also bought her and Kalawarner some kind of respite.

Naruto gazed at her impassively, fingers drumming against the hilt of his conjured blade. It would have taken little more than a simple thrust. Just a quick infusion of light and he could have snuffed out her very being, erasing her so completely it would have seemed like she had never existed in the first place. It was what any other angel in creation would have done.

The light blade in his hand disappeared and he stepped closer.

Despite Nartuo's own grievances with the Grigori, part of him also sympathized with his wayward kin. If only because he understood something that no member of the Choir could comprehend. He knew what it meant to be denied eternal paradise. It was a thing that could only be understood by experience. To constantly feel a physical longing that festered in the very depth of your being; a hole that couldn't be filled no matter how hard you tried.

The celestial realm was more than just the home of angels, it was a resonance of their very essence and no matter how much one disobeyed or sinned, they would always feel the desire to go back home.

Raynare flinched at his approach, recoiling when he grabbed hold of her shoulder in one hand, and visibly shaking when the other moved to her back . "W-what are you doing?"

The holy energy gathering in his palm seemed to be his response and Raynare braced herself, expecting another bout of intense pain. It never happened. Instead, she felt herself growing weaker until the only thing keeping her up was her assailant's steady grip. When that too went away, Raynare fell to her knees.

Her limbs trembled, it felt like all the strength had left her. It took every bit of effort for her to keep from collapsing entirely. She called upon twilight healing, but nothing happened. The sacred gear didn't respond.

"Looking for this?"

Raynare turned her head slowly, violet eyes widening at the sight of the familiar green orb hovering above the angel's palm. Watching the very item she had struggled to acquire now, quite literally beyond her reach, should have filled her with rage, but Raynare was far too preoccupied with her predicament to dwell on it.

So he had removed the sacred gear, but then why did she still feel so weak?

Her mind raced. She knew that removing them was generally a tricky affair. In humans, heavenly artifacts were rooted to the soul. It was why the hosts could never survive without them once they were implanted. For a being like Raynare who was composed of celestial energy, however, it should have been just a simple matter of ejecting it by her own will. By all rights, she should have only felt a slight discomfort.

Panic stated to take hold. Where had all her strength gone? Even when she was a fresh creation, learning what it meant to be an angel she had not felt so weak. She tried to reach her grace, to feel the comforting thrum of celestial power coursing through her but there was nothing. She could sense it, but every attempt to try and grab hold felt like catching smoke in her hands. It just slipped through.

"I-I can't feel my grace." Raynare whispered to herself. The realization made her swallow and she looked to the only possible culprit, eyes wide with a frantic desperation. "What have you done to me?!"

Those glowing, blue eyes bore into her once more. This time she couldn't fight back the shudder. It was one thing to try to muster her courage and face a being of such strength while she still had powers of her own, it was another to do so when it was all gone.

"I've sealed it away."

Her eyes widened in horror. It was the worse punishment among angels, the kind only reserved for those who were incarcerated for life in the dark corner of the celestial realm. Since most angels who broke a fundamental law tended to fall from grace, a sealing was a very rare practise.

Without access to her own power, she was little better than a human.

"T-take it off." Raynare breathed out shakily. "Get it off me!" She shrieked

"You're in no position to be making demands."

The reminder was all it took for Raynare to recoil, her gaze hurriedly shifting to the ground. "Y-you can not do this."

"Its horrifying, isn't it? Being weak, helpless."

Her eyes strained shut and it was only the last of her stubborn resolve that kept her tears from falling. "Why don't you just kill me?"

She spoke in a defeated tone, her voice quiet and morose. Naruto would certainly be within his rights to stamp out the last remnants of the fallen angel trespassers, but what she had said earlier about being an example for her own kin had stirred something in him. It wasn't that long ago that he had once felt a similar desire. Not to mention Kalawarner's willingness to take a hit for another fallen angel already put her leagues above most of her kind.

"Because that would be too easy."

With that foreboding message, Naruto turned his attention away from the fallen angels and, instead, looked the nun whom twilight healing belonged with. She had already been taken down from the machine by Fiona and laid down on one of the pews, along with the devil who had been trying to help. His familiar's presence had been completely unnoticed amidst his own aura, it was part of the reason he had flared his power as much as he did. Fairies could be invisible by choice but not when they were actively using their own powers.

"What is the devil's condition?"

Fiona looked up from her overwatch on the top of the pew. "The holy energy from the spears has been removed and I mended his wounds, he's stable."

Naruto nodded. "And the girl?"

The fairy looked a bit more sombre as she turned to the nun. "She's fading quickly, faster than I had expected. She has several more minutes at best."

It wouldn't matter even if twilight healing was reinserted, the damage had already been done.

If he were anyone else, Naruto would have had to write her off as a lost cause. Only angels like Raphael, who specialized in healing, were capable of the kind of meticulous work needed to mend such extensive damage. While there were a fair share of differences between himself and those of the heavenly host, the lack of healing magic was true for him as well. Not because he didn't know any, but because of its very nature.

Unless an angel had precise control over their own holy energy they could wind up causing more harm than good. It wasn't something that was a problem between angels. Holy energy was naturally beneficial to the celestial beings, so even an overdose in a healing spell wouldn't cause any problems. The same could not be said for other species, however.

That was why Naruto had sought out a fairy to be his familiar in the first place, to give him access to abilities that would otherwise be beyond his reach. In addition to the repertoire of healing magic at their command, Fairies also produced their own healing by-product called fairy dust.

It was something of a marvel among the supernatural. Even if it wasn't quite as revered as phoenix tears, its own healing properties were nothing to scoff at and matched only by the alchemical value. It was also difficult to come by, with only the barest traces of it picked up in Fairy forests. Prospective alchemists would spend days roaming the edges of fairy territory just to scrape together enough of the ingredient for a single potion.

"Would it be possible to slow it down?"

Fiona looked toward him in bewilderment. Her master knew full well that neither her spells nor her fairy dust would be enough to heal the injury. Soul damage was no small measure of trauma and even phoenix tears would not be enough. She opened her mouth to remind him, only to close it again and blink when Twilight Healing was held up in front of her. By itself, replacing the sacred gear would do no good. With the help of her magic though, it could be possible to use it like a buffer and keep the damage contained. It would be like trying to seal a water leak with tape, however. The best it would do was buy time.

"Even if I could," she began slowly, green eyes flicking up to regard him, "It would only be a temporary thing."

"How temporary?"

She tilted her head, making a guess more than anything. "A day, perhaps two."

At Naruto's command to proceed, Fiona placed the sacred gear back into the nun's body. The quick fluttering of her wings had the girl covered in dust in a matter of seconds. It enveloped her in a golden glow, one that gradually intensified as Fiona added more traditional healing spells into the mix. The nun's breathing began to even out, gradually growing stronger until the weak gasps turned into deep breaths that had her chest rising and falling with each intake of air.

"That should do it." Fiona panted. It had been awhile since she had felt so magically drained. She barely had the strength to move her wings and it took everything she had just to maintain a hover.

Naruto scooped her up when she started to sway, cradling her in his arm. He smiled down at his exhausted familiar. "You did well Fiona. Take a rest."

It was advice she didn't have a problem following as her eyes fluttered closed. Naruto looked to the nun and laid a hand on her forehead.

[{"Stay alive."}]

It was like something out of a fever dream. It was the only way Asia could make sense of it. One moment she was experiencing a pain the likes of which she had never conceived possible, then all she could see was a blurry set of images accompanied with the sense of being weaker, until she saw a man wreathed in light. And then the next thing she knew, she was lying on a bed staring up at the ceiling. Amber eyes blinked owlishly as she took in her surroundings. It definitely looked like someone's house. Was she dead? Was this what heaven was like? Asia tried to sit up, only to be hit by a wave of dizzyness that put a halt to her movements. She took things a bit more slowly after that, moving gingerly onto her feet and toward the door.

The house was bigger than the nun was accustomed and it took her some time to navigate through the hallways. Her repeated inquiries went unanswered as she moved downstairs but the smell of food and her rumbling stomach served as much of a guide as she made her way toward the kitchen.

It took a great deal of effort for her to move. Her legs felt like they were fitted with lead weights and her very muscles screamed in protest every time she took a step. Asia had hoped her bout of weakness would subside but, if anything, it seemed to be getting worse. She stumbled, only keeping herself upright by leaning against the wall. Even that wasn't enough to steady her for long and she began to fall.

The impact she was expecting against the floor never came. Instead, she felt arms encircle her and ease her back to her feet. The nun turned to thank her saviour, only to freeze when she saw just who it was that had a hold of her.

"L-lady Raynare." She spoke in a carrying whisper, a knot of fear settling in her stomach at the sight of the fallen angel.

Raynare showed no reaction to her name, however. She didn't even look in Asia's direction as she half-carried, half-dragged the girl toward the kitchen.

The moment Raynare brought her inside, Asia's eyes were immediately focused on the sight of a tiny woman perched on the countertop and eating a cookie that was easily three times her size. Asia blinked in befuddlement, it was so outlandish that, for a moment, she was utterly certain that she was still stuck in some weird dream.

It was a belief reinforced by the fact that Raynare seemed to be helping her and that she was wearing a maid's outfit to boot. Even more strange was that Kalawarner was sitting on the opposite end, a demure posture to her form as she kept her eyes fixed solely onto her plate of food.

What in the world was going on?

Asia was broken from her musing as Raynare suddenly spoke up. "I brought the nun, as commanded."

The last part carried more than a tinge of resentment, not that the recipient paid it any heed as he turned to face her with a smile while he handed her plate. "Very good, you may be seated."

Raynare gave the barest approximation of a bow before taking the food and sitting next to Kalawarner, leaving Asia to stare in wonder at the room's other occupant.

"It's you."

The words were spoken in little more than a whisper but it was enough to draw the attention of her fellow blonde standing in front of the stove. "Ah, good morning miss. Breakfast is almost ready."

Asia wasn't listening, too busy fixating on the fact she was, in fact, still alive, awake, and in someone else's house. "You came for me at the church." She spoke slowly more to herself than anyone else. "Issei?!" She suddenly blurted out, "Is Issei alright?"

Naruto raised a calming hand. "Your devil friend is safe. He's back with his master, unharmed, and perfectly fine."

She could feel the sincerity in his voice. "Thank you."

Asia had a very vague recollection of seeing her fellow blonde at the church. It had been one of the many images she could recall as she shifted in and out of consciousness. What had really stood out to her were the wings, ones made of light. At the time she had thought it was some kind of hallucination, but here he was, standing right in front of her. Even more compelling was that a faint holy aura still clung to him like a second skin. She must have been in the presence of an angel.

Naruto turned around at the sound of a thump, half-expecting to see that the newly awakened nun had stumbled, only to find that she was nowhere in sight. A questioning look to his familiar had her pointing down below the kitchen table. Naruto followed her directions, leaning his head to the side until he saw the nun kneeling on the ground with her hands clasped in prayer. He had to fight from chuckling at the sight.

"Now, now. There's no need for that. I'm not one of those angels."

Her eyes slowly opened while her hands began to lower. The slow draw of apprehension on her face made him realize that probably wasn't the best way to phrase that. Particularly when her eyes darted between both himself and the two fallen angels seated on the other end of the table.

"Don't worry." He whispered, inclining his head toward his new house guests. "I'm not one of those crows either."

He was pleased to see some of the tension in her posture ease, but she still looked more than a little lost.

"I-I don't understand."

Naruto smiled as he helped her into a chair. "Let's just say that the angel of Leviathan wouldn't be very well received by the heavenly host."

Asia's eyes widened and she stared dumbstruck at the idea of an angel working with devils. Naruto wasn't sure what sort of reaction to expect from the faithful girl but it certainly wasn't to see a look of understanding dawn on her face.

"I see," she began quietly. "You descended from heaven to teach devils about the grace of god and turn them from their wicked ways."

The sudden assertion took him by surprise and he could only stare dumbfounded at the sheer conviction in the girl's voice. ". . .what?"

But Asia didn't even seem to be paying attention. "And now you're also trying to do the same with the Grigori. Such a noble endeavour."

He shot a look at Fiona the moment she gave a loud snort at the flabbergasted look on his face. Her wild attempt to cover her mouth and stifle her laughter did nothing to appease him, particularly when he could see the mirth dancing in her eyes at his scowl.

"Can I at least have the name of the nun who has praised me?" He asked in a desperate attempt to at least save face, not that he felt it was working with his familiar's muffled giggles still resounding in the room.

The girl flushed scarlet at the realization that she had never even introduced herself. "I'm very sorry, mister angel. My name is Asia Argento."

"Naruto," He immediately corrected, making a face at the idea of ever being referred to as 'mister angel' ever again. "You seem awfully devout though, for someone who was ingratiated with fallen angels."

The words did not sound judgemental but Asia could not help the wince that escaped her. "I've never stopped believing in god, even after I was excommunicated with the church."

"Indeed. And why would such a pious girl be cast aside?"

Shakily, she told him of her ordeal. She spoke of how she was raised by the church, how, one day, it was discovered that she wielded a sacred gear when she was able to heal an injured puppy. It was decided that she be relocated then, and Asia was sent to a much larger establishment, exchanging the small abbey she'd grown up in for the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower in Florence. The bishop there anointed her as the Holy Maiden and she was tasked with healing all the sick and injured who came seeking help.

All that goodwill changed on the day she used her power to heal a devil. It was an act that had been witnessed by another and word quickly spread. Overnight she went from being the holy maiden everyone respected to the witch with demonic powers that no-one could stand.

"Why would you help a devil? Surely, you'd been taught different."

She found it difficult to meet his eyes then. It had been hard enough receiving the scorn of priests and exorcists. As much as they fervently declared how god would not approve, they were not connected to the almighty like his celestial messengers. But if one of his own were to shun her choice, she didn't know how she'd take it.

"I. . .believe that its my job to help those in need, regardless of who they are. God must feel the same!" The sudden shout took even Asia by surprise. Her cheeks flushed and her gaze dropped to the table as she finished in a voice scarcely above a whisper. "Otherwise he wouldn't have given me this gift."

A snort across the table had Asia warily looking to Raynare. "Sacred gears are not chosen in such a manner, it was only luck that-"

"No-one asked for your opinion," Naruto cut her off, his voice abruptly cold. as he cast the fallen angel a look she hastily shied away from.

Still, there was some truth to what Raynare was going to say. Sacred gear wielders weren't exactly chosen on such merits like Asia believed. As far as Naruto had been able to tell it seemed to be more of a randomization than anything. There was no other way to explain why the artifacts could be bestowed upon those who weren't even religious to begin with. Perhaps it had been based on god's belief that every man had the right to choose, but as far as Naruto was concerned, it just made it easier for the wielders to be taken in by other factions when the sacred gears finally awakened.

He didn't say any of that to the nun though. The way her green eyes nervously flicked to him beneath her curtain of blonde tresses made it clear that she was hoping for some kind of approval. It was actually kind of cute.

"Do you believe that what you did was right?"

Asia looked a little unsure to be asked directly, but seemed to gather her courage and offer a tiny nod.

He smiled at her then, putting her growing worries to rest. "Then what does it matter what anyone else says. The ability to choose is a powerful thing, something that already makes humans better than others." Naruto shot a pointed look to Raynare, smiling innocently.

The fallen angel narrowed her eyes and looked more than ready to snap off a retort, but a sharp nudge from Kalawarner made her think better of it. She only gripped the edges of the table tighter instead.

Naruto paid her no mind though and turned back to Asia. "You have a choice to make now as well."

Asia looked between them for a moment, nervous at the sudden tension. "W-what do you mean?"

"I'm sure you've noticed that you're not exactly at a hundred percent right now. Your sacred gear was removed. My familiar was able to put it back and restore your vitality but its not going to last forever. In less than two days, you will die."

The nun looked bewildered, staring at him wide eyed.

He knew it would be a shock, to know that her condition would only deteriorate and not improve. It was why he wanted to speak to the girl now before she became sickly. "But it doesn't have to be the end."

Asia looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

Instead of answering, Naruto asked a question of his own. "Did Issei ever tell you how he became a devil?"

She looked a little thrown by the roundabout query, but answered with a shake of her head.

"He's what those in the underworld refer to as a reincarnated devil; someone who was turned into one through the use of an evil piece. The same could be used on you."

It was a lot to take in and he was not surprised to see that she looked uncertain. "If I did this, I could live?"

Naruto nodded. "You would live. But you need to understand that becoming a devil has its share of disadvantages as well. Interactions with light objects will cause you pain, that includes everything from holy swords to the cross around your neck. You'd belong to the underworld."

Asia's gaze immediately dropped to her necklace and she took it in her hand, fingering the silver symbol. She was quiet for a time, until her shoulders started to tremble and he could hear her sniffling. "I wish I did not have to make this kind of choice." She whispered quietly, more to herself than anyone else. "Can't I just live my life like I had been."

She looked up, her eyes glistened with moisture. "Why are you even asking me?"

"You're a woman of faith. I've seen plenty who would rather die as a human, than live as a devil."

Her gaze flicked to the side, her brow creasing in thought as she looked for all the world as though she were torn.

The conflict was easy to understand. Here was a girl who'd been raised in an environment that promoted selfless acts, had been performing them her whole life, and had only recently begun to look into what her own heart desired.

"You still have time to reach a decision," Naruto gently reminded when she began to worry her lip. "In the meantime," he brightened as he served the nun breakfast, "you should eat."

Asia looked a bit thrown by his sudden cheer but recovered and followed his advice. She paused at the exquisite taste, her eyes brightening before she quickly began to eat at a more rapid pace. It wasn't long until her plate was cleared. Asia, herself, seemed shocked by just how carried away she had gotten and blushed when she noticed the two fallens looking at her somewhat incredulously while her fellow blonde smiled in amusement.

"I'm sorry," She squeaked out, feeling more than a little embarrassed. "It was really good."

"I should hope so," Naruto said with a chuckle, "Otherwise all my experience has been for naught. Now, I know you've just woken up. But it would be best if you refrain from too much activity, until you've made your decision. Raynare and Kalawarner will see you back to your room." He finished with an obvious commanding look directed to the fallen.

Kalawarner immediately acknowledged with an incline of her head while Raynare looked rebellious for the briefest of moments before she merely grit her teeth and moved over to help the nun to her feet.

"Mister Naruto?"

The quiet voice sounded at the doorway of the kitchen, forcing Raynare to stop as Asia craned her head back to look at the angel.

"Yes?" Naruto prompted when silence began to reign.

". . .would you think less of me if I became a devil?"

Any other angel in existence would. Those of the celestial realm were rigid. To them there was no interpretation or flexibility concerning matters of heaven and hell, only the will of the almighty. But Naruto was not part of the heavenly host.

"I did not become the angel of Leviathan to scorn devils."

AN:

No, strangers your eyes haven't betrayed you, its actually an update. I'm sure it feels like it took ages for some fool to get it together and write a simple chapter, but its probably just your imagination.

Truthfully, it was more in part to the fact that I kept rewriting this. There were little ideas and hints I wanted to add in this chapter, things I just wasn't satisfied with, and other parts I wasn't sure whether to keep at all. Specifically, the Kalawarner and Raynare thing. Hopefully, you'll find the idea of Kalawarner saving Raynare to be plausible based on the couple hints I'd given in the last chapter and not something that just came out of left field.

Well, I'm sure you'll let me know. (This is a subtle review reminder)

As for Naruto deciding to spare them. Yes, he told Kalawarner he'd lay them to waste. But that phrase could mean ruin as well as destroy. I left it kind of ambiguous on purpose, you see.

The full explanation of just how Naruto's is an angel is something I'll be saving further down the line. Its not like it will be a revelation but I'm sure most of you will be surprised by how it plays out since, to my knowledge, it hasn't been done before.

Now, I'm not really one for putting review responses in the actual story- since I don't like to make the word count quite so misleading- but I do want to give a quick thanks to the many who asked/commented in a Diablo connection.

I didn't even know what that was before people started posting things about it, but I was very interested in what I found. Not the game itself mind you, the whole dungeon crawler thing has never really appealed to me. But those cutscenes. . .(insert fangirl squeal). Screw video games, they should have made all that into a short film. The scene with Tyrael's fall especially. I really liked that one.

My idea of the light wings actually came from Naruto itself. More specifically, during the Sasuke retrieval arc when Choji eats those three coloured. . .things and the red one allows him to manifest those chakra wings. Obviously in UA they're not butterfly shaped (or chakra based), but that was where I got the concept from.

Let me know what you think of this chapter, perhaps in some kind of review (This is a not so subtle review reminder but it's still a reminder. A reminder to review.)