IV Deliverance
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"Please consider us the next time you are hungry."
Raynare's voice lacked any real enthusiasm as she handed out the flier. Not that the man who took it seemed to notice. He was far too busy staring at the woman's thousand watt smile. He took the brightly coloured piece of paper without a second thought, seemingly mesmerized by her appearance.
"T-thank you." The man stammered out with a blush as he continued on his way.
She drank in the effects of her acting with a barely repressed smirk. It wasn't all that surprising to her really, humans were so easily enthralled. Even without her ability to transform, she still had a great deal of experience to fall back on. There was a reason fallen angels were skilled at seduction. It had been a necessity in the beginning, otherwise they would never have been able to tempt their heavenly siblings into the fold to increase their numbers.
Still, Raynare would have preferred to use her Yuma Amano disguise. There was a reason it was her go to transformation for these kinds of things; Issei had hardly been the first to fall for the cute and innocent routine.
Thoughts of her current limitations had her hand reflexively going to the nape of her neck, where that damnable seal had been slapped on her. It took an intrinsic knowledge of the archaic art to even begin deciphering an array and Raynare had never bothered to pursue any studies outside of combat. It was the only time she'd found herself actually wishing that Dohnaseek was still around. The vast knowledge of his might have at least given her the chance to figure out how to circumvent it. As things stood, all she could do was endure it.
More fliers were handed out, men and women alike taken in by Raynare's charms. She prided herself on the lighter touch. Any supernatural being could cast a spell to mess with the mind, but only the truly skilled could manipulate with words alone and she had been doing it for centuries. It was only when a handful of fliers remained in her basket that her smile began to dip. Raynare had taken so much pride in her work that she had completely forgotten the fact that it had been something she didn't even want to do in the first place.
"Why the hell am I even doing this?!"
More than a few of the pedestrians stopped to stare at the woman suddenly shrieking and throwing fliers on the ground. Raynare ignored their shocked looks and made her way back to Uzumaki Ramen. She was beginning to think that death would have been a more preferable alternative to the servitude both she and Kalawarner seemed to have been trapped in. If the two of them weren't tasked with being that blasted angel's glorified maids then they were doing other tasks that were just as menial to a fallen angel.
She cast the doors open and marched inside, ignoring the inquiring looks thrown her way by the patrons. She was surprised by just how many people seemed to be wiling to eat the angel's pig slop. The restaurant was almost taxed to capacity, with many of the clientele being male. It was undoubtedly something owed to both herself and Kalawarner. The latter of whom was moving among tables taking orders and delivering food. She moved with fluidic grace, each step exuding a kind of natural sensuality that held the eyes of almost everyone in the restaurant.
That all stopped when she saw Raynare marching inside. Kalawarner quickly handed out the most recent order of ramen and strolled over. "Raynare, what are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be handing out fliers?"
She shot her companion a bewildered look. Through all the ridiculous tasks that had been forced upon them, Kalawarner had never once uttered a word of complaint. She had thought it to be an elaborate deception at first but now she wasn't so sure.
"What is going on with you? Have you forgotten that we've become little more than servants to that blasted angel."
Kalawarner seemed taken aback by Raynare's hiss but recovered after a moment. "Of course I haven't," she bit back irritably, "but blustering about is not going to help matters. What we can do, is take advantage of the situation to ingratiate ourselves into his confidence."
It was a perfectly viable strategy that had her served well in the past. Raynare had even seen it play out a time or two herself. The manipulative approach would take time, though, something Raynare was rapidly losing patience with. She opened her mouth to say just that when a thought occurred and she snapped it shut instead. Her expression slowly shifted to a blank look, her voice taking on an incredulous tone.
"You're planning to seduce him, aren't you?"
Kalawarner's cheeks took on a pink tinge. It was all the confirmation Raynare needed and she shook her head. Kalawarner may have been a fallen of temptation but she still had thing for authority. When she was an angel it had been shown in the form of a strictness toward subordinates, and a near zealous devotion to those of a higher station.
In the wake of her fall it had turned into something of a more. . .deferent nature.
Raynare forced herself to take a breath. It was all she could do not to simply slap some sense into her friend. To think that her companion had become somewhat enamoured with an angel who was, for all intents and purposes, their captor was beyond foolish.
"For crying out loud." She growled through clenched teeth.
"He has made it clear that he stands above us." Kalawarner tried to defend herself. Recalling that overbearing presence made her rub her thighs. It had been such a brilliant light that she felt like she had been staring into the heart of a star. "Besides," she quickly continued on a more serious note when Raynare's furious glower bore into her, "it is preferable to the alternative."
Raynare barely bit back a scoff. Alternative was far too kind of a word for it. A choice between death and servitude was hardly a choice at all. Raynare did not like to admit it but it would've taken a measure of bravery to choose the former. Despite all her talk, when she had actually become confronted with her own mortality she'd been terrified, weak. Just the memory of it made her grit her teeth.
"You may be content with this. . .arrangement." Raynare spat the word like a poison as her eyes roamed around the restaurant. "But I've had enough and I won't suffer these indignities anymore."
"Raynare-"
Kalawarner tried to stop her but she brushed her off and threw open the door to the kitchen.
She found the angel hunched over a pot of that poisonous concoction he called food. That little fairy of his was fluttering about, rummaging through the kitchen cabinets until she flew towards her master with a jar of seasoning. He added it to the pot and slurped up a spoonful, a contemplative noise escaping him. Gathering up her courage, Raynare opened her mouth to speak.
Naruto beat her to it though, holding up a finger while he turned to his familiar. "Time?"
Fiona flew over to the counter, her tiny hands lifting up a stop watch. "Twelve minutes, forty-two seconds." Her tone was decidedly smug. "You owe me a cupcake."
Naruto blew out a breath. "Yes, yes, you'll get your sweets after we're done here." He mumbled before finally turning to acknowledge Raynare. "You lasted longer than I expected."
She faltered for a moment, until the implication of it all sunk in and her hands curled into fists. The idea that the two had taken bets on how long she'd keep at her ridiculous task only served to fan the fire in her veins.
"I've had enough of these ridiculous games. I will not perform those menial chores anymore." She started with a quiet conviction, but her voice quickly got more heated with every word she spoke. "I did not survive through the Great War and all the fucking skirmishes since just to be your personal servant! If you want maids and workers so badly you should just make use of these lowly humans!" She breathed harshly, her shoulders shaking from her fury while she glared at her captor.
He didn't say anything in the wake of her heated shouts, just stared at her for a moment until he let out a breath and stood up. Despite the anger coursing through her, Raynare couldn't help but flinch when he started moving towards her. She could only hold his intense gaze for a moment before looking away. The memory of his glowing eyes made her shiver, but she forced herself to stand her ground, to be resolute. Finally, he was only an arms distance away and Raynare started to sweat. What was he going to do? He raised his hand and she instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, imagining his blade tearing through her again.
All her wild imaginings flew out the window as Naruto simply bonked her nose. She opened her eyes to see his lips curled into a decisive smirk.
"It's cute that you think you have a choice." His hand dropped then and he stepped back, a contemplative noise escaping him. "Still, I suppose you have been working somewhat hard. As a reward, take a short vacation."
It took a moment for that statement to actually sink in. "Really?"
"Absolutely." Naruto waited just long enough for her expression to brighten. "Did you enjoy it?"
"W-what?"
He dismissed her with a flick of his wrist. "Get back to work Raynare."
There was a moment of silence as the fallen blinked. Incredulity warred with bewilderment, only for her lips to finally press into a thin line.
"Goodness, this place is so lively."
Raynare whirled in the direction of the newcomer, more than ready to unleash her growing anger on the person that she believed to be an overzealous customer, only to clamp her mouth shut when she caught sight of her. The woman was gorgeous. Crystal clear blue eyes framed a heart shaped face, peeking out from behind the bangs of ivory coloured hair that fell down to her waist. She moved with an otherworldly grace and seemed to glide into the room. The strapless, ankle length maroon dress made her look like some sort of princess.
As disarming as her appearance was though, it wasn't what threw Raynare for a loop. What truly gave her pause, was the darkness.
It was the kind of thing only a supernatural being could perceive, the coiled, wispy aura emitting out from her like a miasma. And, in the centre, an infinite darkness that threatened to draw everything into its void. It was enough to make her hackles rise. Even with her grace sealed Raynare was still afforded some luxuries and she was one of the few fallen outside of the cadre level who would recognize the foul presence.
"Demon," She breathed out, reflexively trying to conjure a light spear only to curse when she remembered she could not.
The woman turned to her, the brilliant smile so completely at odds with her presence that Raynare wanted to gag. "Such a compliment, and from someone I've never met as well." She stepped closer and Raynare quickly took just as many steps back, her muscles tensing. "Come now, there's no need to be so shy little crow. I don't bite. Too much."
"Stop teasing my employee Mira." Naruto called with a chuckle from his place by the stove. "You'll just give her a heart attack."
Raynare snapped her head toward the blonde, her eyes wide as she looked between them. He actually knew this creature?!
"Oh, you never let me have any fun."
To Raynare's immense relief, the demon stepped back, though the pouting look was enough to make her shiver. It was just so inherently wrong for a hell spawn to try to look innocent. At least the forest sprite had the right idea. She practically collided with her master the moment the creature stepped in and hastily tried to shield herself from view. Emerald eyes cautiously peered out at the woman over Naruto's shoulder.
"N-nice to see you again Mirajane." Fiona timidly greeted. She didn't have anything against the woman personally, but it was in a fairy's nature to shy away from darkness and demons had it in abundance.
It was something Mirajane knew as well and why she only waved from a distance. "Hello Fiona."
Leaving his familiar to tend to the cooking, Naruto made his way over. "Is something wrong?" He had not been expecting anyone from the peerage to visit, outside of perhaps a few drop-ins from Serafall herself.
She waved off his concerns with a smile. "Nothing wrong, per say, but something unusual has happened. Azazel has formally requested a meeting."
Naruto raised a brow. Unusual, indeed. While he had expected to hear from the Grigori governor, it had been in his usual capacity to simply drop in unannounced. The amount of times Azazel had taken to following protocol in such an official manner could be counted on one hand, with fingers to spare.
"Where and when is this supposed to happen."
"Two hours from now, in a little village called Shima."
Naruto nodded. Kuoh itself would not be a viable option considering the circumstances, but Shima was an ideal alternative. It was far enough away from Kuoh to be blatantly outside devil territory, but close enough to emphasize the reason for talks in the first place. It was also a completely neutral location as far as supernatural factions were concerned. Not that he was expecting duplicity from the fallen angel leader, but it never hurt to be cautious.
"I would say it was also unwarranted," Mirajane continued as she threw a significant look toward Raynare, "but you seem to have picked up some attachments since you left. Which is odd," Mirajane added with a tilt of her head, "because I don't recall Serafall ever mentioning it."
"Yes, well. . ." Naruto coughed in the face of Mirajane's scrutiny, rubbing the back of his neck. "I may have. . .forgotten to tell her."
"Naruto" Mirajane began with an indulgent smile, "are you starting your own flock?"
"Nothing so ridiculous." He responded with a roll of his eyes. "They're not entirely like the rest of their kind, I merely want to see just how far it extends. Who knows," he continued with a shrug, "they may even surprise me again."
She patted his cheek. "Well I think its cute that you've picked up some errant crows. Are you sure you can care for them though, its an awful lot of responsibility."
Raynare stood off to the side with fists clenched so tightly her nails were digging into her palm. The rage, which had subsided with the demon's entrance, boiled right back to a simmer at those remarks. It was bad enough that the two were talking about her as if she wasn't even there, but the allusion that she was some sort of pet was a stretch much too far.
"You're one to speak of pets, demon!" She growled, wanting nothing more than to rip off that damnable seal and skewer her with a volley of spears. "I'm surprised there are any of you depraved abominations still clinging to your fading-"
"Raynare."
It was all Naruto said to begin with, but it was enough to curb her tirade and make her mouth snap shut. He spoke in little more than a whisper, but the icy undercurrent swept through the entire room.
"Thus far, I have tolerated your defiance, if only because you are one of the most prideful angels I've seen in a long time, and I've found the whole experience somewhat nostalgic." His eyes drilled into her, "but know that if you ever insult Mira again, you will no longer need to worry about being in my service. Am I understood?"
Raynare nodded rapidly. "Y-yes."
There was no flickering of his aura, no extended wings, or blaring magical pressure. If only because they both knew that he did not need to. The tone of his voice alone was enough to get her attention and the glacial blue eyes reminded her all too well of what he could do.
"Then go and help Kalawarner. Now."
She couldn't leave fast enough, practically scrambling out of the kitchen and back out to the tables.
Mirajane watched her go, an amused smile on her lips. "They don't seem particularly well trained." She remarked as she looked back at Naruto.
He sighed in agreement. "Its a work in progress."
"I could help."
That garnered a smile from the blonde. "The type of things you have in mind are not something they're ready for. I wouldn't want to traumatize them for life."
Mirajane poked him in the ribs, a pout on her face. "See what I mean? Always spoiling my fun."
"Speaking of which," Naruto remarked with a grin as he took hold of her hand, "you could just as easily have told me all about this Grigori meeting through a communication spell."
"I suppose I could have," Mirajane affirmed with a tilt of her head. She grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him down into a searing kiss, one that deepened mere moments after their lips met. They separated only when the need for air became apparent, their faces only inches apart. "But then I wouldn't be able to do that." She finished in a breathless gasp.
"Well, that would certainly have been a shame."
Mirajane hummed in agreement, a half lidded gaze to her eyes while she licked her lips as if she could still taste him. "Serafall isn't the only one anxiously awaiting your return you know."
There was a pause and Naruto blinked owlishly. "I never knew Behemoth felt that way."
He nimbly dodged her playful swat, chuckling while she let out a huff. "Maybe next time, I will just settle for a communication spell."
There was that smile, that damnable grin of his that never failed to make her feel warm. "Oh Mira, we both know you can't stay away from me. What is that philosophy? Yang and Yin. Light and dark, push and pull." He emphasized the last with a suggestive thrust of his hips.
A look of bemusement flickered across her face before her lips curved into a sultry smile. She leaned in for another kiss only to stop just before their lips could touch while she laid a finger on his chest. "It is a pity we don't have more time," She said with a teasing smirk as she pulled away, "but Serafall is doing another shoot in Magical Levy soon and I have another role to play this time."
The mention of the Underworld's hit TV show was enough to make him grin. "Oh, reprising your part as the nefarious Composite-Witch?"
"What can I say? I'm quite good at the role."
Her sweet smile was enough to make him snort. That was an understatement, Mirajane had taken to the villainous character so well that her scenes were, more often than not, genuinely frightening. Even the film crew tended to get nervous during her performances. Considering that she was the sworn nemesis of Magical Levy and that neither of them pulled any punches during their fight scenes, it wasn't difficult to understand why.
"Oh and you may want to stand by for this as well. I wouldn't be surprised if poor little Levy needs the help of her trusty Akatsuki to pull her tight ass out of the fire."
There was a sharp gleam to those blue eyes that had Naruto quirking his lips. "You know you two don't actually have to try to kill each other on set."
"Of course we don't," Mirajane agreed before her lips stretched into a wicked smile, "but where would be the fun in that?" A magical circle appeared beneath her feet then and she disappeared with a teasing wave.
Naruto watched her go, shaking his head with a smile. If there was one person who lived up to the title of demon as well as Lilith, it was Mirajane.
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The spot Azazel had chosen for the meeting was well away from Kuoh, at a place that would have taken hours to reach by conventional means took just a few seconds with magic. It was a quaint little fishing village that been built up around a cove that emptied out into the sea. As one of the few places in Japan still trying to live a more traditional kind of lifestyle, fishing was the bread and butter of the village. Fishermen would depart on their boats in the early mornings and ply their trade out in the seas, returning with hauls of fish and crustaceans of all kinds that they would trade for rice paddies and other grain at the local market.
Of course they weren't actually in the town itself but were camped out on the shores of the cove. It was already creeping into the afternoon by then, so much of the boat traffic had died down, leaving only a few milling back and forth.
The request for the meeting wasn't much of a surprise. In truth, Naruto had been expecting it. One good thing he could say about the Grigori was that they had an impressive information network, easily on par with Naruto's own. There were few things that escaped their notice. Not that he had been trying to hide his involvement by any means, but it was still quite a feat to receive news of the church incident in less than thirty-six hours. Part of him couldn't help but wonder if Kokabiel himself had let some of the information slip when his followers hadn't reported back, just to raise tensions a little more. Azazel certainly seemed a little on edge as he cast his fishing line into the river.
He had to fight back a sigh when he realized they were going to be fishing. Those who had dealings with the Grigori governor probably viewed the random outings as a way for Azazel to put others out of their element. While there was certainly a degree of that, Naruto felt it was more a by-product than the actual intent. What he considered far more likely was simply that Azazel was just not faring so well in the friendship department. It would certainly explain why he always wanted to conduct business during some kind of activity. The last time he and Azazel had crossed paths, their talks had been held at a strip club.
That's not to say it was all that surprising either. Angels adhered to a strict command structure, one that had been drastically reformed after Lucifer's rebellion. The chain of command became a vital component of the heavenly host and it was exceedingly rare for any angel to disobey an order. It made the choir a well oiled machine, but it didn't allow much in the way of personal freedom as consequence; and there was sort of an ingrained instinct for an angel to always obey their superior. Even the fallens weren't immune. The Grigori still had its loose conglomeration of a hierarchy and with Azazel at the very top, he probably felt a degree of loneliness, even isolation, from all the subordinates that did whatever he asked.
At least devils knew how to cut loose. For the most part.
"What exactly are we fishing for here?" Naruto asked as he cast out his line and took a seat beside the Grigori Governor.
"Yellowtails are the most common catch in this area." Azazel readily informed. "I find that the young ones are always so reckless, sticking close to the shore. Its the older ones that seem to know better. They move to the deeper parts of the water. I suppose they realize at some point that its better to keep out of sight. It helps prevent difficulties."
Naruto initial response was lost when he caught a bite not a minute after he cast out his line. He gave only a little reel to make sure it was securely on before he lobbed it out of the water in one motion using a bit of his power. He grinned at the sight of his own hooked fish, a yellowtail that was at least a few pounds heavy.
"Alas, there are times when they simply never get the chance. But that is to be expected when they take the bait."
There was no response and Naruto glanced over to see Azazel looking as though he had just eaten a particularly sour lemon. "You cheated. Using your powers takes all the fun out of it."
He smirked at the man's childish whine. "Cheating is a relative term used only when someone is caught in the act. Otherwise it is simply viewed as intelligence, yes?"
Azazel looked for all the world as though he were trying to think of a response. "Enough of this banter," He finally declared, scowling for just a moment at Naruto's smirk before he turned more serious. "What exactly are you planning to do with my subordinates?"
Naruto looked genuinely surprised to her that. "I wasn't aware I was holding any of your people captive?
Azazel shot him a blank look in response. "Raynare and Kalawarner."
Another line was cast out and Naruto waved him off. "Oh, surely you don't mean to imply those two were still part of the Grigori when they committed such a heinous act? The very idea that fallen angels could be so far from their purview is mind boggling." He looked over at Azazel with a much too broad grin. "Why, the only way I could even believe such a thing, was if you would like to admit to ordering the rather brazen positioning of fallen angels on devil territory. Against two of the pillar families no less."
The blonde's smile was enough to make him click his tongue, but he had the advantage here and they both knew it. While Azazel could admit to having commanded Raynare's presence in Kuoh, something that would give him a leg to stand on for demanding their return, it would imply that all the group's actions had been sanctioned by the Grigori. If he tried to argue that Raynare had exceeded her boundaries it would only show weakness and an inability to control his own forces. Neither was a particularly good option, the latter more so since Azazel knew full well that there were more than devils who would look to take advantage of the situation.
Claiming that they had acted without his orders would label them as rogues, which allowed Azazel to more or less wash his hands of the entire affair. It was the kind of back and forth the factions had been doing for centuries; probing each other for weaknesses and falling back on the terms of the armistice when they got caught.
Not for the first time, Azazel wondered whether it would truly have been so bad to send out a higher tier fallen to deal with the situation. It may have raised some semblance of alarm among the other factions but at least he wouldn't have had to worry about such a gross case of poor judgement, as Raynare had exhibited.
"They were sent only to monitor Issei Hyoudou. The sacred gear's presence had become noticeable but had yet to activate, and I feared its trigger would have collateral damage."
Naruto sent him a side-long look, recognizing the olive branch for what it was. "Did you know it was the boosted gear?"
He didn't answer right away, too preoccupied with a nibble of his own. He reeled the line in with care, only to grumble when he saw that his catch had managed to escape.
"I suspected." Azazel finally said as he flicked his fishing line out again.
The fact that a sacred gear had been dormant for so long was nothing out of the ordinary. Theoretically, carriers could live out their entire lives without even knowing they held one. What was unusual, however, was that the Kuoh boy's gear had become noticeable, despite the fact that it was dormant. It may have been a minute presence but the fact that it started 'leaking out' at all despite its inactive state pointed to it being one of the stronger variants.
It was what had drawn Azazel's concern. As much as he had come to admire his father's ingenuity with the sacred gear system he had also bared witness to its potential problems. More than once, Azazel had been forced to send out fallen angels to slay holders who had lost control, either because the gear activated prematurely, or because it was simply too much for the host to handle.
In that regard, it was usually the containers of the Longinus that inflicted the most damage, the heavenly dragons in particular. Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing were notorious for causing havoc even in controlled environments, to say nothing of their wielder's constant fights with each other. Even imprisoned within their sacred gears, the dragons still had quite the penchant for destruction; a point hammered home by a former wielder of boosted gear. He had gone on a rampage, annihilating close to half a city before he'd finally been put down.
Each side was always on the lookout for the holders of the heavenly dragons, if only to monitor them. It was why Azazel had considered himself fortunate to have found the wielder of Divine Dividing, it had only left one of them unaccounted for.
"So you're chalking this whole thing up to noble intentions gone awry then." A sardonic chuckle escaped the blonde. "That's become something of a theme of yours lately hasn't it?"
Azazel bristled. "I was simply trying to make sure things didn't get out of hand."
Naruto raised a brow. The fact that they were in talks proved just how well that had gone over. "Good job."
The sarcastic drawl made the governor's eyes flash. "I meant the boosted ge-"
Naruto cut him off, his friendly demeanour beginning to slip. "I know what you meant Azazel. But that's part of the problem, you never stop to think before you act. What did you imagine would be the result of sending a group of fallen angels right next to devil territory? One might almost think that you wanted a war."
The accusation, however light in the delivery, was enough to make Azazel snap. "I was trying to save lives! You know perfectly well what happened the last time a Longinus user lost control. If averting another catastrophe like that meant inconveniencing a few devils, than so be it. I would rather risk raising tensions then deal with another rampaging dragon!"
A lingering silence stretched in the wake of Azazel's heated shout, brokered only by the sound of the governor's agitated breaths and the reeling of fishing lines.
"You know, technically speaking, sacred gears fall under the jurisdiction of heaven."
Azazel brow furrowed in annoyance. It was true, certainly, but, aside from a few sporadic sightings in hallowed ground like the Vatican, angels hadn't been seen outside the celestial realm since the end of the Great War. They seemed to prefer leaning on the church to pick up the slack, even though the faithful were no longer as numerous as they used to be.
This time it was Azazel's turn to speak dryly, "And what an excellent job they're doing too. Why, you can't even tell that there are problems with the system."
Naruto's lips formed a very derisive smirk, but he said nothing more and let the silence stretch between them as they continued to fish. Azazel seemed to relax more with each passing moment, clearly deriving a great sense of enjoyment from the simple activity.
Naruto eventually broke it with a tilt of his head. "So then, to summarize everything, you fucked up and I cleaned up the mess." He turned to flash Azazel a bright smile. "Let's just be smart and call it even."
It was a gross oversimplification of the entire affair, one that had Azazel looking over at his companion in a kind of shocked stupor before he just let out a snort. "You know," Azazel remarked lightly as he cast out another line, "diplomacy is more of a give and take sort of thing."
Naruto shot the Grigori leader a grin in response. "Indeed, its why I'm also giving you some free advice. At Azazel's questioning look Naruto elaborated. "Apparently, it was your old pal Kokabiel who sent Raynare her new orders."
There was no mistaking the governor's surprise. He stilled, looking off to the side. "Kokabiel has been keeping more to himself lately." He slowly admitted.
"You haven't found that odd?"
Azazel shrugged. "He's always slinking away somewhere to cool off whenever I reject one of his crazy plans. I haven't really thought much of it."
The lazy response was to be expected from Azazel but Naruto couldn't help but feel irritated with the governor. It was people like Kokabiel who had become something of an increasing problem in the last half century, hard liners and battle maniacs who had grown restless ever since the Great War had turned to something of a more cold front.
There were elements of them in every faction, instigating fights whenever possible and simply trying to restart the conflict in earnest. Since the leaders wanted to avoid another war, offences were typically solved through back room deals and concessions in attempts to preserve the fragile cease-fire. That just made the hard liners angrier and even more determined by escalating their efforts.
It had developed into a rather vicious cycle.
Which was why Serafall did not tolerate it in the Underworld. Any devil foolish enough to start an unprovoked attack on another faction was dealt with, severely. It was a discipline standard the other groups had not seemed to have adopted, however. Angel appearances may have been very rare since the end of the war, but it didn't stop their human proxies from stirring up events that forced them to respond, lest they lose the few believers they had left. And Azazel seemed to be far too lax with his own group, an action that may well have explained the recent increase in fallen angel transgressions.
Naruto directed a cold look toward the Grigori governor, his friendly demeanour disappearing entirely. A magical pressure began to build while the blonde's eyes gained an ethereal glow. "Then I would suggest you stop playing around with daddy's toys and start thinking about addressing this problem. Because I promise you Azazel, if one of your crows causes problems for Serafall again, you and I will share words."
The tone made it clear that their next exchange would involve a very pointed conversation. There was a flash and Azazel looked over to see that the blonde had disappeared. He stared at the place the man had been, trying to repress a shudder. Maybe it was his rather unique nature or his shifting personality, but there was just something so inherently off about Naruto that Azazel always found himself instinctively on guard around him; in a way not even Michael or Sirzechs could make him feel.
Azazel's eyes flicked back to the water and he couldn't help but scowl. Worst of all, the angel's little power display had scared away the fish.
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The open notebook was sprawled out where it had been since the start of the lesson, the pages still blank. With the class almost half over, Rias should have had at least a couple pages worth of notes. In fact, given that the subject matter was a personal favourite of hers- a history lesson on the Edo period of Japan- she should have had at least twice that amount in notation.
As it was, Rias had to fight to keep her attention fixed on her sensei's lecture. She was usually more focused while she was at school, but recent events had her mind wandering. Issei had been returned to their clubroom in the dead of night by Naruto's familiar almost two days ago. The fairy, herself, had given only the barest explanation before vanishing as quickly as she had appeared. It was only when Issei had woken up that she understood what exactly had happened. Knowing that he had gone against her express command to stop seeing the nun had irked her but it was nothing compared to hearing him admit that he had willingly gone into fallen angel territory in a foolish attempt to rescue the girl.
Any other king would have dolled out a severe punishment. Not only had he gone against her explicit instructions, but he had committed an action that could have easily started a war. As it was though, Rias was just so grateful to have him back safe and sound that she had kept things relatively light. A tiny smile graced her lips at the thought. Issei had naturally assumed that it was the doubling of his time on flier duty that was the worst of it. But, in truth, it would be his upcoming lessons with Akeno on the supernatural that would really drive her displeasure home.
There were some perks to having a sadistic queen in her peerage.
What was really bothering her about the whole thing was the fact that Issei's friend was still missing. He hadn't stopped inquiring about the nun since he regained consciousness and as much as she would've liked to assure him that she was fine, the simply truth was that she just didn't know. There was only one person who could give her the answer to that of course, and it would have been a simple matter to search around town and find him but every time she tried to muster up the courage, she faltered.
She still felt shivers remembering what Issei had described seeing at the church before blacking out; a blonde haired man encompassed with a holy aura, a pair of gigantic wings sprouting from his back.
The angel of Leviathan.
Rias had heard of the moniker before, of course. All pure blood devils grew up learning about the most prominent figures in the Underworld, particularly those of a satan's peerage. She had thought that Naruto's was just a kind of self styled title though, something he called himself to mock the heavenly host. After all, evil pieces were meant to reincarnate people into devils. Even if he had been an angel before becoming Leviathan's queen, he should not have been able to remain one after- the very process would surely have marked him as a fallen.
It was something she had thought all but confirmed when she had actually met him. Naruto's presence didn't even exude a rough semblance of a holy aura. If anything, he bore a faint demonic one- something she had simply taken to mean that he had such finite control over his own power that he was able to suppress most of it.
Never, in her wildest dreams, did she think the moniker was actually real. Or that such a simple discovery, could make her so hesitant.
She knew it was ridiculous, irrational even, to believe that Naruto was up to something nefarious just because he was an angel. More so, considering that he was an angel in a satan's peerage, one that had been part of the Underworld since long before she was even born. And yet, that tiny part of her persisted.
The source of that believe wasn't hard to fathom. She had grown up being taught that angels found the very existence of devils to be abhorrent and that they would go to almost any means to kill them on sight. It was the sole desire the heavenly host shared with their fallen counterparts; many a battle in the Great War had been made difficult because of it, as devils were forced to defend themselves on two fronts.
More than her uncertainty though, even more than the concern of her pawn's friend, was the matter of her pride. Rias preferred to be kept abreast on matters within her own territory and it was frustrating to her that she seemed to be the only one who felt that way. When she had inquired on the matter to Sona, her best friend had simply shrugged and said that if she had learned anything from her sister, it was to give Naruto a wide latitude when he was out on an assignment. Sona had gone on to say that he would check in later but Rias didn't think her friend truly believed that.
Of course, officially speaking, Rias was aware that she wasn't obliged to expect much. Naruto was in Kuoh on the orders of Leviathan herself, he certainly didn't report to her. Still, Rias felt she was owed some kind of explanation. It did concern her personally after all.
The stirring of conversation in the classroom shook Rias from her musing. Hushed whispers brokered among the students and one of the girls seated behind her was talking to her friend.
"Have you ever seen him before?"
"I wish I had," her friend wistfully replied, "he looks so yummy."
"Wonder what he's doing here."
Rias followed their line of sight, her eyes widening as she found herself staring at the very man she'd just been thinking about standing inside the classroom threshold. How long had he been there? She hadn't even heard the door opening.
"Naruto."
She was calling him before she was actually aware of it, paying no heed to the sudden quiet that seemed to have gripped the classroom as more than a few eyes turned toward her.
Including a pair of bright cerulean that instantly flicked toward the lone devil in the room.
"Ah, there you are Rias."
The back and forth acknowledgement between the pair had some of the students gaping. Combining it with the obvious implication that Rias already knew the blonde hunk in their midst had the whispers rekindling with a vengeance. Rias herself couldn't help but flush when one of them suggested that the two were dating. It immediately kicked off a round of speculation among her peers about how they met and how serious the relationship was.
Rias was relieved when Aiko-sensei stepped in.
"Excuse me sir, but there is a class going on. I'll have to ask you to leave."
Naruto turned towards the history teacher, his lips curving into a decidedly roguish grin. "My sincerest apologies for the disruption my dear, but I desperately need a private moment to speak with Rias."
The woman's stern countenance fell to pieces and she looked like a shy school girl being confronted by her crush. "I-I don't think. . ." She trailed off, swallowing her suddenly dry throat, "I don't think that would be proper."
It was one thing to see an almost entire class of teenage girls looking enamoured by his very presence but to see the usual cool and strict Aiko-sensei almost fumbling for a response had more than just Rias gaping.
"Perhaps not," Naruto pressed, "but surely you could make an exception just this once. I assure you it is a matter of some urgency."
"W-well if its just this once. . ."
She trailed off and Naruto's flirtatious smile settled into one of a more kind nature that actually made the woman blush. "Thank you miss. I really appreciate this."
He turned to Rias and beckoned her to follow.
The young devil quickly gathered up her things and hurried after him. "What are you doing here Naruto?" She asked the moment they stepped out into the hallway. "You can't just pull me out of class."
He shot her a side long glance. "Are you actually complaining about being let out of class early? Or are you just upset that the students are bound to spend the rest of the day spreading salacious tales about the two of us?" He grinned down at her. "I mean I did just take you away from your class for no foreseeable reason. Whatever could we be up to. . ."
Her face was practically burning now, to the point that it started to resemble her hair. She would admit that the possible rumors had been something of a concern to her the moment she heard the reactions of her classmates. Still, even if word of it did spread around, she would hardly consider it to be high on the list of things she would have to live down. It was certainly nothing compared to her excitable, older brother scooping her up into a crushing bear hug in the middle of the hallway and crowing about how happy he was to see his baby sister. At least he had been until his stern looking queen had arrived and quite literally dragged him back to work.
A liberal use of memory charm was the only thing that had allowed her to show her face in school again after that incident, and only Sona's help that had turned a day's worth of labour into a task that took just under an hour. It wasn't the first time the two of them had made good on there pact to help each other if either of their older siblings did anything overly embarrassing- which, unfortunately for the two of them, was a fairly common occurrence.
"How did you even do that? Persuade Aiko-sensei so well." Rias would admit to a curiosity in the matter. She hadn't felt so much as a glimmer of magic from Naruto when he had spoken with the teacher, so he obviously hadn't hypnotized her.
It was also a clear attempt to change the subject, and in a manner so blatant, Naruto couldn't help but smile. It seemed the young heiress had difficulty with subtlety under emotional duress.
"I simply asked nicely," Naruto responded with a shrug. "Not everything has to be overly complicated."
"Yes, but you didn't even use any magic."
"Well, I wouldn't say that. She was under the throes of a kind of spell."
Rias shot him a triumphant look. "I knew it. What did you do exactly?"
"I used my sex appeal."
The response was spoken in such a nonchalant manner that Rias just blinked. "You used your sex appeal?"
Naruto nodded emphatically. "Also known as charm to vampires and puritans."
The oddity of that comparison threw her for a loop for several seconds. Her mouth opened as if to ask, only to firmly clamp it shut a second later as she shook her head. It was probably best not to ask how the mind of Naruto Uzumaki worked. "I take it, there is a reason you came to Kuoh?"
"Of course."
Rias waited patiently for the senior devil to elaborate, but he did not. "Which is?"
"I won't say unless you grab hold of my hand."
That was a demand so reminiscent of her brother that her brow twitched almost on reflex. Her only consolation was that Naruto hadn't spoken in a petulant whine, though she could have done without him waggling his fingers in front of her face. Rias eyed him warily for a moment before slowly extending her own hand to meet his, silently promising herself that if this was something stupid, she would be sure to get revenge- peerage piece of a satan or not.
The moment his hand clasped onto hers there was a split second feeling of weightlessness and a flare of light so bright it made her eyes screw shut. They snapped open a split second later when she felt her feet firmly placed on solid ground and she realized with a start that she was no longer standing in the hallway of Kuoh Academy, but in an ornate looking entrance hall that wouldn't look out of place at her own family's estate in the Underworld.
The thought had her shoot an inquiring look toward Naruto. "I take it we are still in Kuoh?"
Naruto nodded as he stepped in front of her, arms stretched out toward his home as though he had just made a grand unveiling before the turned back to face her, a look of excitement on his face. "Welcome to my home away from other home, away from my real home."
It was bizarre as far as welcomes went, but Rias was beginning to grow accustomed to Naruto's quirks; whether that was good or bad was still up for debate.
By devil's standards the home wasn't a particularly large one- though if the inside was any indication it would certainly dwarf any of the usual residence buildings in Kuoh. Rias didn't have much time to speculate as Naruto led her through a door between the entranc e hall's dual staircases and into the living room.
There, she found a blonde haired girl lying on one of the plush couches in the room, her eyes closed, presumably asleep. And sitting in a chair across from the girl was a statuesque woman with navy blue hair, reading a book. A woman her senses were quick to register as a fallen angel.
Her power of destruction instantly flared to life, emitting as a crimson orb in her palm. Her arm was halfway extended to release the spell when it was quickly pushed back down. The whole thing startled her enough that her accumulated power dissipated.
"Ease up there, short fuse." Naruto spoke with a chiding finger wag. "She works for me now."
Rias looked over to see that, indeed, the fallen angel had made no move to attack. She had risen from her seat, however, and her golden eyes were narrowed with distain while her whole body went tense.
"Kalawarner, where is Fiona?"
The moment Naruto spoke, Rias watched as Kalawarner's entire demeanour shifted. The aggressive posture completely disappeared, replaced with a more servile attitude. She even inclined her head in a gesture of respect.
"Your familiar is in the kitchen. She said something about supervising Raynare."
That brought a twinge of a smile to his lips. Knowing Fiona's sweet tooth, she had forced Raynare into baking some kind of desert. Perhaps he shouldn't have told the two that they needed to follow all of Fiona's orders while he was gone. "Tell her I need to see her right away." He added almost as an afterthought. "The rest of the day is yours."
That was enough to garner a smile from Kalawarner and Rias watched in annoyance as she gave an even deeper bow than before, an action purposely designed to draw attention to her cleavage. She could have sworn the woman added an extra sway to her hips as she left. It was a show Naruto seemed to have no problem watching. He even craned his head to watch until she left the room.
Rias rounded on Naruto the moment she was gone. "You have fallen angels working for you? The same ones that have been squatting in my territory for close to a week and, just days ago, were responsible for attacking my pawn? Why?!" It was a fight for her just to keep her composure. It was one thing to keep her wrath contained out of fear of sparking an international incident, it was quite another to do so when she was in a position to deliver the punishment she felt was so richly deserved.
"Why not?"
It was all Naruto offered in response and the simple answer had her blue-green eyes swirling with a tinge of red. "For attacking my servants, they deserve to be punished."
"And they have been." He admitted, rather offhand.
". . .what?"
The dumbfounded look on her face elicited a chuckle from her senior. "Do not think they simply got away with everything Rias. They put both you and Sona at risk after all and I've been charged with keeping you safe. I can assure you their punishment was quite severe, and it is one that will stay with them for quite some time."
The mention of him delivering a punishment was enough to stamp out most of her fury and Rias felt like she was rapidly losing ground in this debate. "Well, what's to stop them from just going back to the Grigori?"
"The reason is quite simple: they can't. Their actions have been publicly condemned, they have nowhere to go and they know it. They stand alone. And, in the future Rias, I'll thank you not to tell me how to do my job."
There was a hint of steel in his tone with his last statement, enough to snuff out the last embers of anger. In place of the righteous fury burning through her was a bundle of anxiety She was suddenly aware of just how far she had grossly overstepped her bounds. Naruto just seemed to have a way of making others forget just who he was, until he pulled the rug out from under them.
"Forgive me, I didn't-"
Naruto cut her off with a dismissive wave before she could finish, "Oh relax, its not that big of a deal." For a moment he just seemed to stare at her, as though he was seeing her for the first time. "You do seem to care about your peerage a great deal though."
That was such a strange observation to make about a Gremory devil that it threw Rias for a loop. It was rather well known that her family had a reputation for being more affectionate toward their servants than most of the other pillars. Yet Naruto seemed fascinated by the information, as though it were a new development. "W-well of course I do. I consider all my peerage members to be part of the my family."
There was that look again as Naruto just hummed in acknowledgement.
"Welcome back Master."
Fiona's entrance forestalled any more thoughts Rias had on the matter as the sprite flew toward the couch where Asia was laying.
Naruto returned the greeting with a nod while he moved to the girl's side and laid a hand on her forehead. Her skin felt cold, clammy.
"How is she doing?"
Fiona sighed sadly, the luminescence of her wings dimming for a moment in response. "She's fading, but holding on. For now at least."
Rias, who had been watching the procession from a respectable distance, felt a pang of pity now that she had time to truly take in the sight of the girl. She looked like death warmed over, and the sound of those weak, shallow breaths wasn't helping. Was this the friend Issei had tried so hard to help?
"Naruto is she-"
"The nun your pawn tried to save?" Naruto finished, his head turning to her for a moment before he looked back at Asia. "Yes."
Her gaze flicked back to the girl, a look of concern in blue-green eyes. "What's wrong with her?"
"The fallen angels had a plan for her and I was too late arriving to stop it. They removed her sacred gear, and without it-"
This time Rias finished for him. "She's dying."
Naruto offered a remorseful nod. "Fiona has been able to prolong her life. It was never for long, but it was enough for her to make a decision." He paused, looking back at Asia. "It's my understanding that you still have some evil pieces left."
Rias just blinked, not quite comprehending. The last thing she had expected when Naruto had practically strong-armed her into following him was that she would be getting a new peerage member and it threw her for a loop. Finally, she managed to stammer out an affirmative. She moved closer as Naruto stepped back, her hand extending to summon one of her pieces, only to stop midway through.
Naruto had said that her sacred gear had been removed. The girl no longer had one of the most important assets for any devil king to consider reincarnation. The perils devils had to face were not for the faint of heart, and from what Issei had described, Rias was able to surmise that this Asia girl had a gentle nature. Maybe. . .it would be better, kinder even, not to.
It was a selfish thought, one that had Rias biting her lip as she found herself mulling it over more and more. For as much as she would like to pretend that it would be in the nun's best interests, the truth of the matter was that a reincarnation may not be ideal for herself. Events were approaching for the heiress, things she would need strong pieces for, and without a sacred gear to gain from the trade, she wasn't entirely sure losing a piece would be worth it. She didn't even know this girl.
But her thoughts turned to Issei, of her pawn's constant inquiries into Asia's whereabouts ever since he had regained consciousness. He had spoken passionately, with tearful pleas that had compelled her to look into the matter. It was clear that her pawn cared for the nun. And the one thing she'd sworn to herself when she had first gotten her evil pieces was that she would treat her servants like her family.
A miniature magic circle flashed on her outstretched palm and a bishop piece appeared in her hand. She placed it on Asia' sternum and began to chant. "I call upon you now to join in the ranks of Rias Gremory. Rise now as a devil and to the new family that welcomes you with open arms. Rejoice in your new life and, now, awaken."
A magic circle bearing the Gremory crest materialized below the girl's body at the end of the incantation. The evil piece responded in kind, flaring a bright red as it sank into her chest. A flash of light signalled the completion of the ritual as the magic circle dispelled. Rias let out a breath and stepped back. Now all that was left to do was wait.
Barley a few seconds had passed before Asia's breathing began to even out. The green light that appeared over her hands, however, was unexpected and it gave Rias pause. There should have been no reason for any kind of secondary reaction. Had something gone wrong?
"It seems her sacred gear has successfully reintegrated."
Naruto's comment had her mind whirling. Sacred gear? But hadn't he said that it was gone?
Rias looked between her new bishop and Naruto's impassive expression for a moment before realization kicked in and she turned to face the latter, a rather unladylike snort escaping her. "You were testing me, weren't you?"
Naruto pointed to himself, an incredulous look on his face as though the very thought was ludicrous. "What? You mean you think I purposely misled you into believing her sacred gear was gone just to see how you'd react, whether you'd even reincarnate her at all?" The expression fell away then and Naruto's lips stretched into a positively wicked smile as he leaned down into Rias' personal space. "That's crazy."
That should've left her feeling irritated- more so because there was a part of her that had actually considered doing just that- but that playful tone of his elicited only a stirring of amusement from her. Not that she was going to let him know that as she grumbled a question.
"What if I hadn't?"
Naruto shrugged. "Then I would've asked Sona instead, and you would've lost a golden opportunity."
That was putting it mildly. Knowing she had let Twilight Healing slip through her grasp was a loss Rias probably would've lamented for the rest of her considerable lifespan, one she would've been reminded of every time she saw her best friend.
"Why bother testing me at all?"
"I've heard things about you from your brother. I wanted to see if they were true."
The mention of Sirzechs made her feel as though a cold shiver was running down her spine. Her older, sis-con of a brother telling Naruto about her. . .the implications alone made her pale. What exactly had they talked about, just how many things had her brother revealed? Had he told Naruto any embarrassing stories or worse, shown off those ridiculous photo albums of his that were the bane of her existence, collectively capturing the most mortifying moments of her childhood?
"What exactly did my brother tell you?"
The sound of a muffled groan diverted Rias from Naruto's answer and to her newest bishop. It seemed Asia was waking up. Her green eyes fluttered open while a hand moved up to grip her forehead, a reflexive attempt to stifle the dull ache in her skull. The complete lack of lethargic movement in her limps took her by surprise, as did the return of strength to her body. Now she was able to rise to a sitting position, something she'd been having more and more trouble with since the morning.
Fiona was the first to chirp a greeting to the sluggish girl as she left her overwatch perch and began a lazy flight toward her master. She'd started to develop a fondness for the nun and was pleased to see that she would live on.
The mere sight of the fairy was enough to get Asia to relax. Part of her had feared the sudden lack of ailment in her body meant that she had died. Still, she asked just to be sure. "I'm still alive?"
"Well, only for the next ten thousand years or so." Naruto added with a grin as his familiar perched atop his head, her form partially obscured by his spiky hair. "How do you feel?"
"I'm feeling a little disorientated." Asia remarked as she sat up fully, rubbing her eyes.
"That will pass soon." Rias quickly pitched in. "Your body just needs time to adjust."
Asia looked toward the source of the new voice and finally noticed the red headed stranger in her midst.
Naruto followed her gaze and motioned toward Rias. "Introductions then. Asia this is Rias Gremory, the devil who revived you. Rias this is Asia Argento, your new bishop."
"Its nice to meet you," Asia muttered shyly. She wasn't quite sure what to expect from a devil anymore. Her encounter with Issei had made it clear enough that not all devils were as the church had described them.
Rias couldn't hope to contain the smile that spread across her lips. The girl's shyness was cute enough and the earnest, polite nature was so unexpected from a church convert that she found it very endearing. She may have been given a semblance of Asia's character from Issei's descriptions but it was better to judge for herself. At the very least, Rias was confident she didn't have to worry that her new bishop was a staunch supporter of church doctrine.
"Hello Asia. I'm looking forward to having you in my peerage."
Peerage? The word indicated that she had just been inaugurated into a king's court. The idea of which made Asia feel more than a little nervous. Was Rias a member of royalty? Did it mean that she had to address Rias in a specific manner?
"I'm sorry but I don't quite understand."
Rias didn't seem bothered by the question. "It means that you are now a vassal to the Gremory House, and my servant specifically. Every devil has a different relationship with their peerage but, to me, I think of them as part of my family."
That was enough to elicit a small smile from Asia. She had never known her parents, and her earliest memories were of her time at the small Abbey in Tuscany. But though the people there had been friendly and had looked after her, there had never been anything overly familial about it all. Things had only gotten worse when she had been moved to the capital. The bishop, priests, and nuns at the cathedral were distant and there was no-one of her own age to associate with.
The feeling of a hand on her head brought her out of her introspection to see Naruto smiling down at her. "You didn't really think I'd let you get taken in by just any devil now, did you?"
It was still something she was still coming to terms with. A real angel had come to her aid when she had needed it the most, protected and guided her to the kind of life she had only been able to dream of. For so long she had held onto the belief that the unfortunate events in her life was just a test of her faith, and that if she could just hold fast and overcome them, then her dreams would come true. Naruto had given her all that and so much more.
The hug took him by surprise but he responded quickly enough as she buried her face into his chest and allowed herself to shed tears of joy. There were no words that would ever truly convey just how grateful she was for everything he'd done.
"Thank you."
It was all she could manage.
So. . .I'm getting really good at this update thing right?
I was originally planning to do Asia's resurrection off-screen, as it were, but I wanted to show Rias' reaction to the fallen angels still being alive and by that point it wouldn't really make sense to just end the chapter.
And yes, demons are a thing in this fic. A separate thing even. We've seen the parallels between angels and fallen and I figured the Old Satan loyalists give a chance for a kind of mirror image situation in the Underworld. And who better to introduce as the first demon than Fairy Tail's Mirajane.
Anyway, the next chapter won't take nearly as long. Hopefully. . .
I'll also start to shift the focus over to Sona and her peerage a little more. For a rival group to Rias, they never seemed all that fleshed out to me in canon. If it wasn't for the DxD wiki, I wouldn't even know most of their names.