Chapter 5

A god in the Underworld

2002 A.D.

Night of Amelia's arrival

If there was one thing that Naruto could freely admit to was that humans made great, great clothes. For example, the ensemble he wore now were made from the best material money could buy. The three piece suit plus black trench coat he had on was smooth and light as a feather but at the same time strong enough to stop everything below explosives. He didn't really need the protection being deathless and all, that didn't mean he like the feeling of bullets turning his organs to paste. Another great example was the dress Selene grudgingly wore. The backless number was made from silk and its black hue made her Alabaster skin that much more beautiful. The Demon Lord was practically touching her bare skin!

"You feel as good as you look, my dear." He held the vampire closer until their faces were inches apart.

"Lord Naruto!" Wait that wasn't Selene…

"Oopsies," He spun on his heel and stalked out of the room, leaving the bewildered vampire behind. Where was his mind nowadays, my goodness! He found Selene moments later, dressed in her battle outfit and black trench coat. She was leaning into the corner of the room, avoiding everyone's attention and trying to blend into the background. It was apparent that she did not want to be there. As silent as the shadows he appeared next to her, arm around her slender yet firm waist. "You feel as good as… ah shit; it doesn't work with this leather outfit." He pulled the Death Dealer close and looked into her shining blue eyes. "I thought you liked the dress I… borrowed for you?" the demon asked as Selene leaned in closer. Her arms went around his neck and pulled him just a bit closer into an embrace.

"You know I don't like dresses." She whispered into his ear and leaned in to kiss his neck, right on top of where his jugular was. "I don't like anything girly." There was the feeling of hunger coming from Selene which was unusual. This coven was well fed, no one went hungry here of all places. Was she stressed out then? If so, why was Selene stressed out? He decided to ask before the nibbling turned into biting. If there was one thing he didn't want right now was a room full of blood drinkers getting a whiff of his delicious demon blood, no one could blame them his blood was delicious. "You are stressed enough to feel hunger."

"Yes, I hate it when Amelia comes here"

"Lady Amelia" Naruto interrupted Selene. Respect should never be forgotten was a cardinal rule that his mother burned into his mind.

"-Lady Amelia comes here! In fact, I despise her being awake! I don't like anyone stealing you from me… You're mine!"

Oh wow, this was new! She never showed such ferocity in staking her claims to him before. What brought this…? Hm, maybe it did better not knowing, more fun for him in the long run. He felt a fang sinking into his vein, blood spurting out into Selene's waiting mouth. "Your blood is mine, your body is mine, and your once pure white soul is mine!"

Well that killed the mood. Sighing he grabbed the girls arm and dragged her into an empty hallway. He never told anyone yet about his past, even his chosen. Spinning her around, Naruto looked into the now red eyes of the impostor.

"My, my you caught on quick! What gave it away though? The voice or was it the eyes?" It snickered into a hand at the Demon Lord's expression. "Oh thou shall not fret my dear, dear Demon Lord! I am but a humble servant to the great and almighty Night Mistress!" It cackled in glee at pronouncing his mother's title and danced a small jig in the middle of the hallway. Naruto wanted to smack whatever it was that had took on the form of his sweet little Selene but decided against it. He would wait until the message was conveyed, then he will start the slapping! "Yes, yes the omnipotent ruler of the Evergloam conveys this message to her sword on the mortal plane, yes!" The creature rubbed its hands together like some rat and snickered again at something that wasn't there. "Lady Nocturnal conveys that the princes of Oblivion have made a decision into your status!" Naruto clapped a hand on its shoulder before it could dance again.

"I beg you to deliver thy message lest I slap you back to whatever pit you crawled out of!" Hellfire eyes flashed in anger and for the first time since meeting the shape shifter, it became serious and slowly, agonizingly slow, it bowed at the waist.

"I bow to thy greatness, Prince Naruto!"

Then he woke up.

XXXXXX

The sleek, black jet landed without a sound. It made its way towards the private hangar situated at the farthest side of the airport designated for private aircrafts. The pilot stopped the jet besides an entourage of black SUV's surrounded by… of all things, armored individuals. The door opened with a hiss and Amelia, youngest of the Vampire Elders and richest of the three breathed in the fresh, European air. The immortal could practically smell her mate's scent permeating the air. Amelia looked down on the runway, taking note of the men wearing the exact same armor that Lord Naruto wore during the age of swords and bows. "Curious' the Elder said to herself as she checked herself, the sword strapped to her waist, the gun holstered at her right thigh, and her own armed escorts. She confidently made her way towards the limo down the two columns of sword wielding individuals. Getting a closer look at the men, she noted their dark complexions and horned heads.

"Welcome back, my lady! How was your meeting in the United States?" A familiar voice echoed from down the line. She looked away from the stoic creatures to find Naruto waving at her from beside the limo. "Aw, I bet it was fun! Did you try out some gourmet dishes while you were there?" He opened the door for her and bowed at the waist.

"You're in a rather blithe mood, Lord Naruto." Amelia observed as she climbed into the car, her elegant rapier resting on her lap. Her escorts entered the SUV's around them and when Naruto was sure that everyone was inside the vehicles he looked to the Dremora he had summoned and gave a curt nod, giving them permission to go home. All of them nodded as one and dissolved into ashes in the wind. He smiled at his new abilities, happy that he no longer needed to rely solely on his powers to get the job done.

Now he could summon minions to do that for him! Minions that could level entire cities by themselves, speaking of!

…Yes…

"How is the Old Coven my love?" Amelia asked as soon as Naruto was comfortable in the seat beside her, his face not dropping from his ever present grin. She placed a hand on his leg and looked deep into his eyes, bloody red looking into ice cold blue. "Has everything been running smoothly? No troubles I hope." Placing the sword to her side, Amelia leaned into Naruto, resting her head on her shoulders. The Demon Lord pulled his lady closer to him and letting his unnatural heat comfort her.

"Everything has been… pleasant, I suppose. The Lycans are too scared to come out in public in fear of getting their heads blown off. The humans have no idea what's happening. All the while, the vampires are getting richer and more powerful by the day." He placed an arm around the vampires shoulder to pull her closer to him liking how soft she felt. "Aside from that, I have great news."

Amelia looked up at Naruto with a questioning look. "Which is?"

"I," Naruto paused for dramatic effect, "have been promoted… in a sense."

The elder straightened up from this, confusion clear on her face. "Promotion? You were promoted from what?" Naruto was only too happy to explain the mechanics.

"In Oblivion, or Hell, or the Underworld, there are different levels and positions creatures can take." He looked to Amelia before continuing; "Now it's not like any normal promotion where one can advance because of their work ethic or the like. A demon or Daedra can only go up in our social ladder through the progress or increase in power. Once one of us reaches a major change, or major increase that is when requirements need to be met until you can progress to the next level. Requirements depend upon the deity you serve under, so they can range from the most menial of tasks to inciting a war in another plane of existence. I serve under a major deity in Oblivion and thus make my tasks more difficult to accomplish." He paused as he brought up three fingers, "There are three main branches of power recognized by the rulers of Oblivion. The lowest branch or lesser branch contains sixty percent of our population including minions, lost souls, and soldiers. The middle branch or Lord branch contains individuals who ascended in power enough for one of the deity's to recognize them. Lord classes answer only to their chief Deity and lead their armies. The Lord branch contains roughly thirty five percent of the population in Oblivion. The highest branch contains the masters of Oblivion, powerful spirits that are god-like in power." Amelia was paying rapt attention to the explanation which Naruto was glad to see. "I am a Demon Lord, a middle branch being that once served under the deity Mehrunes Dagon; a being that controlled the spheres of destruction, change, revolution, energy, and ambition."

"Spheres?" Amelia asked, speaking for the first time since the start of the explanation.

"Spheres are things the Deity's have heavy influence over."

"What did you mean 'once served'? Do you not serve him still?" Amelia asked.

Naruto smiled at the vampire before explaining, "I never actually did. I was only under Lord Dagon because of orders from the Deity I really served."

"Who?" The Vampire Elder asked as she slowly leaned in close.

"I served under Lady Nocturnal; the Daedric Mistress who controlled the spheres of Darkness, the night and Luck… She's also my mother."

"Y-you're the son of a goddess?" His partner exclaimed in shock as Amelia's eyes widened and her heart rate increased.

"In a manner of speaking, I suppose." Naruto scratched his head in thought before looking to Amelia.

"Why did you serve under a Lord? Surely being the son of one of the major Deity's officially pulls you up into the highest branch in power?"

"Unfortunately the mechanics are different than what Mortal's are used to. When a denizen of Oblivion gives birth to a child, the offspring does not inherit any of their powers. All of us start from the lesser branch. Also, one does not simply become a Deity. There are sixteen Deity's who rule over Oblivion. Seven of them are considered Major Deity's, since they outclass the rest in terms of power and influence. Lady Mephala, Lady Meridia, Lady Azura, Lady Boethiah, Lady Namira, Lady Vaermina and Lady Nocturnal were the supreme rulers of Oblivion. They were goddesses older than time and the most powerful of them was Lady Nocturnal. To become a Deity, to be able to enter the highest branch and the ruling class of Oblivion one must do one simple task…" Naruto stopped and adopted a faraway look, as if he was relieving a memory.

"What was the task?" Amelia finally asked as she figured that Naruto wouldn't continue unless prompted.

"Kill one of them and take their place," Was his deceptively simple answer.

Amelia slowly sat down on her side of the chair, trying to piece together what that meant. If she remembered correctly, the scroll had described Naruto as a Demon Lord and according to him that was the middle branch of his kind. He told her that he just got promoted and by him explaining how one could ascend to the final rank her mind was able to click into place the pieces of the puzzle.

"Your mother wanted you to serve under Lord Dagon because when the time came… She wanted you to take his place!" Amelia's eyes widened as another revelation struck her, "That means you've become a god!"

"Yes, and finally too! The major seven debated about my ascension for quite a while now, deciding whether or not I was worthy of the title of a Daedric Prince, seeing as I was younger than all of them by… a lot! But, yesterday I was informed of their final decision and lo and behold! The Daedric Prince Naruto stands… well, sits before you now; god of destruction, change, revolution, energy, and ambition." He smiled at her, liking the look of awe she displayed.

"What does your new status grant you, my love?"

"A few handy tricks like the power to create and summon demons lower than me, for one, the power to create mass and life, the power to harvest souls, dead and living, the power to physically manifest another Deity into this realm, the power to influence the will of mortals, and the power to be able to create portals to and from Oblivion. There's the usual ones like omnipresence and omnipotence, but I don' think they count as handy per se…" He pulled Amelia close to him once more and looked into her shining blue eyes. "Now then, what say you and I celebrate my promotion?"

XXXXXX

Selene waited at the main hall of the manor along with a dozen other Death Eaters. The arrival of an Elder was always a big thing for them and the Death Dealers were in charge of keeping them safe during their stay. They were all dressed in their usual outfits and carried with them the equipment they usually had on while out hunting.

Selene was silently thumbing the safety of her Glock, nervous of the arrival of Lady Amelia. She had nothing against the Vampire Elder and actually admired her quite a bit. The only problem was that every time that she was here meant that Naruto would spend less time with her. It was a petty reason, but she wouldn't openly admit that she was just jealous that Lady Amelia had claimed the Demon Lord first. Sighing in frustration at how long they were taking, Selene looked to the side of the Main Hall where most of the vampires waited. All of them were talking silently with one another and glanced at the doorway every few minutes. She could spot her friend, Erika, speaking with Kraven about something. It was funny how Erika liked Kraven while Kraven liked her while she liked Lord Naruto.

Her radio burst into life and Selene quickly plucked the device from her hip. There was static for a few seconds before a voice carried over to them, letting the whole hall hear.

"Lady Amelia's entourage has entered the Mansion grounds. She will be in the front gates in five minutes."

XXXXXX

The double doors slowly swung open to reveal Lord Naruto standing beside the Vampire Elder, arms linked together. The second they passed through the threshold, everyone in attendance bowed their heads in respect to both the powerful creatures. Lady Amelia smiled at the sight of the Old World coven. Everything began with this group of vampires. From the first three to the global empire they ruled over today, everything began here.

"Home sweet home" She said softly as she walked towards the mass of vampires waiting for her. There was nothing important to attend to tonight, it was a celebration of their Elders safe return and she would enjoy it for now.

Knowing Selene's unease in the presence of the Vampire and decided to take her to the rooftop where they could be alone. The Daedric Prince asked Selene to sit by the ledge as he prepared to entertain her.

"How long has it been since you've seen the blue sky, Selene?" He asked quietly as the vampire looked up to him confusion settling on her features.

"Six hundred years" She replied as she crossed her legs. Why was her master asking such a strange question? Her answer came when Naruto turned to face her, a ball of light clasped between his hands. The god-like being smiled at the girl as he slowly opened up his hands.

"A present to get rid that frown of yours. Such a gorgeous face should never hold an emotion!" There was an eruption of light from his hands, blinding Selene for a moment. When her vision came back, she looked up to a bright, clear blue sky. Awe had spread across her face at the impossibility of the situation.

XXXXXX

He laughed so loud and so hard that he thought that his jaws would snap out of place. Tears were streaming down his face as his body shook from mirth and joy. Before him stood a monstrous being standing at two hundred feet tall and weighing a hundred and eighty tons. It had four arms, each wielding a bloody sword. On top of its bald head were four horns, two of which were smaller than the other.

"You laugh at the face of your demise, insect?" It huffed out a cloud of steam, angry at the audacity of the being not cowering before its might. "I should end you now!" It raised all four hands and poised the blades downwards to crush the miniscule foe. "No one stands against Mehrunes Dagon!" the blades descended upon the laughing fool, intent in crushing him to death.

Hell Scream!

A concussive sound wave erupted from his mouth with enough power behind it to shatter the blades into pieces. The Daedric Prince of destruction looked shock at the turn of events, certain that the fight would have ended with his last attack. The insane laughter died down to a silent chuckle as red eyes blazed in the darkness of the Dead Lands. "I'm disappointed in this fight! I would have thought that, out of all the foes I would face, you would be the one to push me to my limits! Alas, I was proven wrong! Even a prince such as you cannot even make me bleed!" He stopped suddenly and a scowl erupted from his face.

"AND THAT JUST PISSES ME OFF!" Unimaginable power erupted from his being, creating a storm of red energy around him. It tore out chunks of land and caused the red sky to swirl angrily. "I would have thought that today would be the day I would see my demise! See my whole life pass through my eyes, but I was met by DISAPPOINTMENT!"

"WILL NO ONE PUSH ME OVER THE EDGE? WILL NO ONE TEST MY LIMITS? WILL NO ONE KILL ME?" a finger was raised and pointed at the prince of destruction. Energy quickly built up into the tip of his finger, growing to the size of his fist. "You only wasted my time, mongrel!"

Maelstrom Flash!

XXXXXX

"Parry"

Selene swung her claymore in a downward arc, intent on slicing her opponent in two pieces. Her attack was powerful no doubt as evident with the rippling air that emanated from her weapon. It was however easily redirected by Amelia, gracefully bringing her rapier to deflect the attack away from her. The younger of the two grunted in annoyance as her sword went two feet deep into the concrete floor. Amelia didn't waste the opportunity and drew her hand back ready to run Selene through. Instead of dodging the attack, Selene used her speed to kick up just in time to intercept the attack. The silver rapier went flying from Amelia's grasp as she looked on in surprise as Selene finally pulled out her own weapon from the ground.

"It's amazing how they've been fighting for twenty minutes straight!" Naruto looked away from his book about Nordic legends and surveyed the crowd around the sparring ring. It all started when Naruto brought a book down to read while he over watched Selene's training. She had asked the Daedric Prince to check up on her form if it was still acceptable. Naruto had agreed to look and criticize and when she started the forms, he started reading. It wasn't like Naruto was uninterested with correcting any mistakes that could potentially kill his apprentice, but the Daedra really, really needed something to distract him.

The dream he had last night made his blood boil, made it scream for battle and death! He wanted to kill! He wanted to dominate! He wanted to tear apart a civilization and make them worship him! Naruto shook his head and returned to the ancient texts he was reading. The prince did not need to aggravate the darkness that stirred within him. Now then, where did he stop gain? Oh yes, Alduin the Dragon god of Destruction.

"What's going on here?" A voice over Naruto's shoulder asked as he looked up from the book. Amelia stood beside his chair, fist on her cocked hips. She wore a black tank top with a matching pair of black –can't these people make anything else but the color black? Thought Naruto annoyed- track pants and white trainers. Her silver rapier was still strapped to her waist and she had her long hair tied into a ponytail. Amelia smiled at how Selene stopped and glared at her for destroying her concentration. "No one said stop farm girl!" The Vampire Elder laughed at how Selene stepped menacingly towards her, claymore in one hand. "Are you issuing a challenge, little girl? You might be biting off more than you could chew!" She drew her rapier from it's sheathe with a flourish and approached the sparring ring.

Naruto was again pulled away from his reading when the sound of shattering metal echoed throughout the underground chamber. He slowly tilted his head to the side, avoiding a shard of metal from taking out one of his eyes. He looked up to see that Amelia and Selene were now fighting it out with their fists. Naruto just looked back down on his book and picked off where he left off… "Dovahkiin, the dragon born"

Amelia back flipped away from a floor shattering heel drop courtesy of Selene and was lucky enough to stop beside the rapier on the ground. The Vampire Elder kicked it up into the air and snatched it in front of her. It was her turn to charge at Selene as she went through hundreds of slashing arcs and attacks in a minute, making the younger vampire back pedal away from her.

"Lord Naruto!" Kraven said as he stepped beside the squatting Daedra. The vampire looked to the destruction the two were causing to the underground chamber and feared they may bring the manor down on top of their heads. He turned to the blonde and spoke again, "Shouldn't we stop them? If this goes on there won't be a mansion left! The support beams look like they could crumble nay minute from the beating its taking!" A loud crash got Kraven's attention and he looked up just in time to avoid Selene from crashing into him.

"Is that all you have little girl? You're not even making me sweat!" Amelia goaded the downed vampire with a self-satisfied smirk, rapier resting on her shoulder. Truth be told, both of the girls were tired and were already pushing their limits. It was all a show of pride now, in fact, neither one backing down for fear of Naruto seeing them as weak. Selene was slowly standing up from the ground, muscles aching and limbs almost unresponsive. She was scraping the bottom of the barrel in terms of energy and the shirt she wore was drenched in sweat, irritating her skin as it clung to her awkwardly.

"Petty insults won't win you this fight, Lady Amelia!" She felt blood trickle down from the corner of her mouth. That punch from Lady Amelia had caught her off guard and had sent her flying. It was just a minor hindrance to her as it would heal in a moment's time, but she wouldn't count on Amelia letting her rest. She gathered the blood pooling in her mouth and spat out the glob on the floor. Selene was taught never to back down. She knew her breaking point and learned how to overcome it every time. If she had to do that again, so be it!

"And with that ends the tale of the dragon born slaying Alduin in Sovngarde, saving the mortal realm from a premature destruction. Interesting fact is that Alduin's soul was never absorbed by the Dovahkiin and therefore the destroyer of worlds will one day resurrect and fulfill his destiny in destroying this world to make way for a new one." Naruto slammed the book shut and examined his surroundings, only now taking note of the gathered circle of people and the haggard looking female vampires battling it out in the middle of it all. Looking at the ongoing fight, Naruto had to admit that imagining the events that happened in the Dovahkiin's life calmed him somewhat and at the same time a bit pissed to find out that the little half-breed pest was the reason he died all those years ago. Thinking on it, his life as Alduin was most probably his third or fourth reincarnation as a destroyer. Concentrating back on the present, Naruto moved so fast that at one moment he was squatting on the floor a few meters away from the fight and the next moment, he had stopped the fists of both Amelia and Selene from knocking each other out. "And that concludes tonight's show!" He physically dragged both of them out of the training grounds and into the locker rooms, locking it behind him.

Leaning back on one of the lockers mounted on the wall, Naruto looked at the two immortals who had occupied the opposite sides of the room. Both had their arms crossed over their chests and weren't looking at either ones directions. Thinking that he should try and solve this sibling rivalry going on between the two, Naruto spoke to both of them. "Now that we had a moment to cool our heads, can the both of you tell me exactly… why you two were trying to kill each other?" He sat down on one of the benches and motioned for them to join him.

"We were not fighting." Amelia admitted as she sat down beside the Daedric Prince. "We were having a friendly spar. Isn't that right farm girl?"

Selene didn't answer and only sat down at the opposite side of the god-like being.

"Selene…" Naruto started as he looked into her chocolate brown eyes. She couldn't look away from his eyes, being compelled to answer his questions. "Tell me what this is about." It wasn't mind control of any sort, more of a feeling of obligation to be truthful to this man. He was responsible for everything good that came to her life after the murder of her family. Naruto was her only light in the never ending darkness.

"I… we…" Selene stuttered for a while before Naruto placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She took a deep, calming breathe before letting everything out, "We did not want to appear weak in front of you, because… if that happened, then you would shun the weaker one. You value strength and whoever did not show that in front of you, they would be disregarded. I did not want to be forgotten… especially by you."

"Amelia?" The Daedra turned to the Vampire Elder, noting that she looked away from his gaze. "You two seriously think that?"

"Alright, here's the deal," both females tensed as he sat straighter in his seat and spoke, "It's true that I value power and strength. I value it especially in my soldiers. But guys…" Naruto exhaled as he pulled the two vampires closer to him. "You two are anything but soldiers. You two are better than soldiers in a very, very big way. I have given my blessings which marks you as my chosen! I have sworn to protect the both of you as you have sworn to serve me. I have freely given you my blood, which is a pretty big thing back where I come from." Naruto really hated making these speeches. He wasn't really much of a talker anyways, more in the lines of doing and solving as problems came. "I'll never think that either of you two is weak. You've stuck by my side ever since and that's something." Feeling that he did all he could, he gave himself a pat on the back for resolving a growing rivalry and stood from the bench. "Ok ladies, since this is obviously solved I shall be at Sanguine's Rose. My blood has started screaming for murder again and I will drown it out with alcohol and the bodies of young teenagers!" Naruto disappeared in a flash of flames.