On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Chapter 06 – Bad Things Come Through
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or High School Dxd. They are owned by their respective creators.
When morning came, Naruto could always be found at mostly the same place. In his bed, snoring, with the sheet kicked to the floor. There were many of his fellow ninja who strongly opposed this life style. They preferred rising well before the first rays of dawn ever illuminated the village. Some of them were former ANBU, their regime being so harshly drilled into their heads that they just could not bear to wake up any later.
There were few things that could wake him up. Nothing less than an important mission, or a really interesting mission could force him back into the land of awakers. Was 'awakers' even a word? He didn't care.
There were even fewer things that could actually force him to get his lazy ass of the bed, and into the shower room. These rare occurrences ranged from a village wide assault…to Sakura-chan during that hellish part of the month.
Hearing gentle footsteps approaching his resting place, Naruto gave out a tired sight, stuffing his head under the pillow, hoping to whatever god existed that this was just some other raven haired girl with a wide variety of issues.
"Ara, ara, it's time to wake up, Foxy."
Of course his luck couldn't have been any worse. Naturally.
"Hiding under you orange pillow will not stop the sun…or me."
He could hear the voice growing ever closer to his ears to the point where it felt almost as if she was whispering directly into his ear. So with a sigh on his lips, he finally decided to come out of his hiding spot. By throwing the pillow at her. Of course.
As the pillow was hurtling her way, Akeno didn't seem the least bit concerned. With a single graceful movement, she swatted the pillow away like it was some annoying fly.
He slowly crawled out of bed, his eyes squinting when meeting the harsh light of day, before focusing on Akeno's smiling visage. At the moment he thought she was the closest thing to an actual devil he had met. The classic look of a red demon with a mighty giant fork, dancing over a pit of suffering paled in comparison to the Akeno's simple smile. It sent shivers down his spine. And not just the bad ones.
Sirzechs came in at close second, but to Naruto, he just seemed too…moody? Yes, he did power that could possibly dwarf even Madara's, that was a well-known fact, but he lacked the cunning, and the determination that drove Madara to become the strongest being of his era.
Grayfia was the night to Sirzechs' day. She had the cunning of a fox, but lacked the raw power which made Sirzechs a Demon Lord. However, if there was one lesson that Naruto learned over the years is that even you have all the power the world could offer stood next to nothing when another came with all the knowledge the world could offer.
Looking into Akeno he already knew the reason behind the kindness of Lord Gremory. He wanted to someone with a lot of brains to help Rias on her way to lordship, but he also didn't want for them to be equals like Grayfia and Sirzechs were before them. No, he wanted to a tool, forever sentenced to a life of servitude. A crutch to serve Rias in the ways she lacked knowledge of. And when Rias became even cleverer than Akeno, then the raven haired girl's fate would be in Rias' hands.
"What happened to Little Whirlpool?" Naruto asked, dragging his feet towards the kitchen to make some breakfast. Probably eggs or something of the sort.
Akeno began following him to the kitchen, all the while holding on to a small envelope. "Oh, I'm glad you've been listening, instead of staring," She teased, causing Naruto to simply roll his eyes at her behavior, he was going to have to learn to deal with it. "It really didn't have a ring to it; it sounded like I was talking to a little boy, not a man fully grown."
"Because 'Foxy' really captures my masculinity, right?"
"Completely."
Letting the jab towards his masculinity slide, Naruto stared at the new looking fridge, lazily opening it like a certain pineapple haired Jonin did back in his time. His grip on the door grew stronger, threatening to break it right off the fridge. I forgot it's my first day here, Naruto thought with the same ferocity another pineapple haired Jonin had when finding her Dango supplies empty. Honestly, he should've sent at least one clone to go, and buy some food while the other guarded the perimeter.
"So, are you in the mood for going out to eat?" Naruto called out as he put on a pair of blue jeans over his orange underpants. He'd rather spend half of his cash on some café, rather than show even an inkling of weakness. That attitude wasn't exclusive towards Akeno; it was trait that hadn't died since his childhood. It didn't matter if it was in a fight or simply of getting food to eat. Not that he would complain if someone wanted to buy him something. Iruke-sensei came first to mind. He almost felt bad about milking his wallet dry. Almost
Her amethyst eyes glinted with amusement. "I would much rather prefer a homemade breakfast, if it isn't too much of a hassle."
He breathed in deeply, forcing the down the storm that was about to come out. He was almost sure that she knew that he had nothing to eat, like she planned it all in her devious little mind.
It reminded him way too much of a certain individual.
With the most forced smile he could conjure up on such a short notice, Naruto turned to face her. "Sorry, I moved in yesterday, and I didn't get any time to shop." He said his voice cracking a bit as he did so.
"Ara, ara, lying really isn't a good quality, Foxy."
Wait. What? He frowned thoughtfully before looking back into her glinting purple eyes.
She chose to not grace him with a direct answer, instead opting to simply turn her gaze towards one of the beautiful paintings adorning the walls. The one was of a red haired king sitting on his golden throne, eyes as hard as stone. Turning towards the painting, Naruto frowned. What was he supposed to see? Yea, it was a drawn good and everything, but he never was a man of what most people would consider fine taste.
Turning towards the girl in search all he received as the disappointed shake of her head, with her long pony tail following suit.
Before he could ask any more questions, the raven haired girl spun on her heel, and exited through the door with brisk pace.
"Hey," Naruto called out, giving chase, his feet hitting against the wooded floor like hammers on an anvil. "Wait up!"
He was uncertain whether or not she heard him; however, the answer was becoming ever clearer judging by the way she continued to increase her speed. Never going over the norm of a normal human, but still.
He could close the distance within a moment's notice, but where would be the fun in that? He would let her play her little game a bit longer. It was as clear as day that an important reason drove her to his bed this beautiful morning. Hah, that sounded like something Ero-sennin would say.
It didn't take long until they were both right out of the building, and into the beautiful spring morning. The birds chirped the song that made them famous among humans and devils alike. The sun was rising, casting a bronze vale over the giant buildings that seemed meet the clouds themselves.
Seeing that he could catch up whenever he wanted, Naruto let himself bask in the beauty of it all. He was quickly brought out of his dream by a very familiar sound. The sound the mechanical monster from last night. Giving it nothing more than a stray glance, Naruto could understand it much more clearly now that there was light present. It moved on metallic spheres, covered in what he could only guess was rubber, the…thing contained room for what seemed like at least four people. Impressive. It didn't seem to be like a horse, it didn't have a heart or a pair of lungs to prohibit exhaustion, so could it in theory go on forever? If it did then he'd certainly buy one in the future. Anything beats running for weeks on end.
Focusing back on Akeno, he noted that she was beginning to slow down, a good kilometer from the Gremory owned hotel. The gears in his mind began to tick ever so slightly. Why did she want them out of the hotel? And what was the fuss over the painting? Was a kind of camera? The ideas behind hidden cameras did not escape the blonde in the slightest. They were extremely popular in his time. They were used for everything one could think off; Chunin Exams, Shops, Streets, even the Daimuy used them!
With each passing second, the raven haired girl continued to slow down, her breathing didn't grow ragger, and he was damn sure she wasn't tired. In the end it could be said that she was just a regular high school student, moving at leisurely pace, and enjoying her day off. Good acting, though. "Naruto," Akeno said, turning to face him with the ever present smile on her lips, and a delicate finger pointing towards the nearest café. The sign on it read 'Coffe Paradise'. The owner wasn't getting points for originality.
Entering, she took him by the hand, as if they were a something they were definitely not. Theatrics? Naruto thought, rolling his eyes. Blunt as a hammer, Naruto was never one for theatrics.
"What are you doing?"
"Having fun." Akeno seemed to skip the words 'at your expense.'
A couple of grumbling moments later, Naruto was sitting on a comfortable chair, staring right into a porcelain cup, or to be more precise, the coffee within it. Naruto couldn't remember the last time he actually found himself drinking the brownish liquid; his natural stamina was always able to keep him going in most situations. Adding coffee really wouldn't change much, if anything.
"It's common courtesy to drink when you're with a friend, especially when the friend already paid for your drink." Akeno chided, taking sip from her cup. "Though I'm glad you're more reluctant to drink alcohol."
"Alcohol?" Naruto blinked, quickly bringing the cup to his nostrils. He took a deep sniff, akin to a dog more than a man, letting the aroma fill him up. While it certainly did have caffeine in it, he could detect the same kind of alcohol he had drunk at the Ball. Whoskey, or something like that.
"Have you not heard about the Irish? They are quite the bunch," She chuckled, unaware of Naruto's future travel plans. "But I didn't come all this way just to talk about them." Akeno finished, placing her cup on the table, a serious look on her face. A look Naruto would've never imagined on her.
"I'm guessing that Sirzechs hasn't sent you to grace me with your presence," Naruto said, drinking down the entire cup in one single gulp. Did he feel like he swallowed a giant fire ball made by Madara himself? Yes he did. Did he care? Absolutely not. "Do you have any info on who drove that knife through Ball's throat?"
"It's BaEL," She corrected. "And no, there is nothing on him. Aside from the blade being forged in Holy Steel, which I think you already know."
"So you did come to talk about the Irish!"
Akeno seemed to want to say something, but instead chose to continue, but there was a certain edge in her voice. "No, but Sirzechs-sama was able to dig out who might've known." Akeno said, straightening her posture. "The Great Kyūbi no Kitsune of Kyoto, Yasaka."
A thousand thoughts ran through his mind, colliding and intertwining, barely able to form anything cohesive. On the outside Naruto wasn't faring much better with his mouth agape, and eyes wide as the plates on the waiter's hand.
He knew Kurama was still in his gut, he could feel it in his chakra system, so that marked off the idea of him being extracted while he was asleep for who knows how long.
A new set of Bijū? Possible, considering that Naruto had no idea what was done with Madara's corpse, but Gamakichi's words had a sway on his predictions. The idea was soon discarded to; no one had the raw power or knowledge in order to give birth something as strong as the infamous Chakra Monsters.
"A NINE TAILED FOX!?" Naruto bellowed, his voice echoing through the café, drawing everyone's attention to them. A silence washed over Naruto and Akeno as everyone stared at them with a mixture of confusion, irritation, and curiosity.
Akeno bit her lower lip in frustration.
A moment later Naruto found a pair of soft lips pressing against his. He didn't blush. What was he? Thirteen or something? The shock quickly wore off, and he melted into the kiss. Akeno seemed gentle all the way through. Soon enough he felt her drawing back into her seat, a smile lighting up her face.
"Woah, hot damn that was good! Not even gonna ask what brought that up."
"Since you're such a good kisser, I'll answer anyway," The raven haired girl giggled, and Naruto promptly puffed his chest out in pride." Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable. Humans are very prudish." She said, shooting a sideway glance towards the people, and to Naruto's surprise everything she said was true. Prudes they were.
"Now, tell me about this Kyūbi. Is she a powerhouse?" Naruto questioned, frowning. He needed to know as much as possible about this new Kyūbi, because he wasn't sure exactly what'll happen when they meet, or worse, if they collide. Thoughts of a gigantic nine tailed fox lashing out, smashing mountains, and sending tidal waves crashing to the shores were indeed very gruesome, or how Shikamaru would put it, troublesome.
"Is she strong?" Akeno said, her violet eyes twinkling with something Naruto did not like. "She's to be incredibly strong – on par with the Satans. The Youkai even say she's stronger than Sirzechs-sama, but that's nothing more than their bravado speaking. If I had to compare them: The Kyūbi is nothing more than a grain of sand in the storm. So don't let them intimidate you with their foolishness."
"You're travel arrangements are already set. Tonight you depart for Kyoto, at exactly ten o' clock. "
"Gotcha, I'll be going to ask Kyūbi-chan about what has been happening with the Ball heir for the last few months. And I'll be back just in time for end of the World Cup." Naruto said, grinning from ear to ear. Long ago he learned how to exude confidence, no matter how much uncertainty hid underneath that grin. The first time he used was the during the Chunnin Exams when he was going to fight Neji, someone who at the time completely outclassed him. If he had shaken, Neji would've pounced like shark. If he trembled, Neji would've pounced. It was the confidence; the false sense of power was what froze Neji at his tracks. No matter what he faced, whether it'd be a Satan, a King, or a God, Naruto would show no fear, no matter how much it tried to bleed through the cracks.
"Ara,ara,not even going to say goodbye? You may indeed need some…discipline." Akeno giggled sinisterly, causing a chill to go up the blonde's spine, stopping him in his tracks, and sitting his butt back on the chair. There was something so…wrong with the girl.
"Don't worry, it's just a quickie." She teased, her hand going into her blouse. Naruto wasn't one to deny himself such a pleasant sight.
Her hand began digging, which was answered by a light movement from her large breast. Damn, she was like teenage Baa-chan! Ero-sennin would be getting a real hard on in his grave.
After what seemed like hours, sweet blissful hours, Akeno plucked out a page from her blouse, gave it one final look, and handed to Naruto.
Soon after picking the page up, he understood what it was about. It wasn't some secret document from Sirzechs, it was a story. Or at least a fragment of one.
From the journal of Rias Gremory
June 7th, Year 2014
My room is as ugly as any other one in this despicable mansion. There's no beauty, only a veil to hide the disgusting flesh within. My cousins clutter the place, sewing, always sewing, and tutoring me about what a great opportunity this was. Acting as if they know best. Their needles may be sharp enough to their job, but their minds were as dull. I hate them with their dull little minds, and their big mouths.
Looking back at what I wrote yesterday makes me feel sick to my stomach. I haven't got a clue what kind of mad thoughts drifted in my mind before I met Riser Phenex. I thought he was a true gallant, a true prince who could sweep of my feet, hand me a red rose, and steal my heart just I would steal his.
To this day I haven't met a more vile man.
He swaggers in with not one, but two of his whores! Having the nerve to call them my future 'sisters'! And that was the high point in our meeting.
What followed could only be called disgusting. We walked through the gardens, his whores still firmly latched onto his shoulders, throwing kinky whispers at each other, and scowling at me whenever our eyes met. At one point, from out of nowhere, he began playing with one of them. Her moans and screams echoed through the gardens until she became nothing more than a sniveling dog on the ground. The other one was jealous of the entire predicament, she pestered him to give her the same treatment, and after a few minutes he hit her in the face so hard the teeth flew out, and blood gushed out of her mouth. And even after all that, after all that, she smiled at him.
After that he smiled at me, and his hands began roaming all over my body. He actually thought I would another whore at his service! Ha, that shot of destruction that tore through his crotch taught him a lesson.
Of course being a Phenex it regrew a moment later, but he got the point. Or at least I thought he did. Now that there was nothing to hide his member, he beckoned for his injured whore, to which she willingly complied. Riser ordered her to suck, and she did so happily. I promptly walked away in disgust; alerting any guard I passed by.
I. Will. Not. Marry. Him. I don't care how much it may help my family, or even all the Devils in the Underworld. I spent the rest of the day arguing with Father and Mother about the marriage, but they were adamant. So I took my fate into my own hands. I searched for a way to settle this legally.
My answer came in the form of The Rating Games.
Naruto gave the letter one last look over. The idea of forced marriages was not something new or unfamiliar to him, even though he had always found the idea not to his liking.
"Judging by your expression, I assume you've read through Rias' letter."
"Aye, I read it. Don't how I can help, though." Naruto replied quietly, handing back the page. It seemed like not all traditions withered by the sands of time.
Akeno's face scrunched up into a deep frown, violet eyes glowing like twin orbs of fire. "I didn't take you for a coward, Naruto-san. Sadly, Rias also didn't take you for one."
"How the fuck am I a coward, huh? What can I do if her parents are assholes?" Naruto snarled, his hands tightening into fists. "Look, I'll help. Just tell me what I need to do."
"…You could always just join Rias's peerage, and help her defeat Riser." Akeno said her voice as gentle as silk now. The fire in her eyes was put out, and replaced with serenity once more.
"I'm not becoming anyone's slave, got that? I'd sooner slit my own throat than become a willing slave to anyone."
Akeno seemed to want to say something, but whatever words she going to say died in her throat.
"Can't I just replace someone on your team? I know Rias' peerage isn't full, so I can just take a temporary position as pawn." Naruto said, his voice trailing off. It seemed impossible that at least for once the mission was going to be the only thing he had to worry about.
"Hm," Akeno said, her index finger resting on her chin. "I suppose I can ask Lady Rias if it's possible, but I doubt it is. If such a rule exist then what would stop a Demon Lord to just join, and win the entire game?"
Naruto raised his hands up defeat; he was unfamiliar with the more lucrative rules of the Rating Games. All of his information steamed from Rating Games: History of the Modern Evolution.
"Well, I'll be off now; I need to report to Lady Rias." Akeno said casually, an absent minded look on her face. "But don't think it's the last time we'll see each other, Naruto-san. Lady Rias needs help, and as her Queen I will bring her that help."
Mountains were a great leveler.
When a merchant enters Konoha, the first thing that steal his gaze is the Hokage Monument. They dwarfed him in a way that no building could. It made him feel like nothing more than an ant on the body of an elephant.
And The Hokage Monument is built on a small mountain.
It has been said numerous times that Naruto had a stubborn streak. Naruto was never one to believe that the Hokage should sit in his office like a caged animal, or that a Kage should be commended to not venture off in his own land. So in between training, talking with various greedy merchants that seemed to have an imaginary iron hold on the village, and speaking to the bigoted clan heads Naruto had took up climbing, by the idea of his Sensei, who later received an earful from a certain pink-haired medic-nin.
Climbing, it turned out, was completely foreign to most shinobi. Chakra made it a breeze to carry yourself over rough terrain…however the dangerous slopes of a something twice as large as the Hokage Monument was too much even for chakra. It need work, real hard work. Not to say chakra wasn't a welcome crutch, but it by no means magic.
A few days later Sakura had come to criticize him over his dangerous venture. Sakura had so many words about the dangers of climbing that Naruto felt she could write an entire book about it. She probably could. She always was smart.
But there was one thing she never understood about the mountains, they held no judgment, no predispositions, and certainly no agendas. They gave him the freedom he desperately craved, freedom from the village he had sworn to protect. And most importantly, freedom from The Butcher known as Madara Uchiha who haunted every other moment of life. Madara was momentarily weekend for a good deal time. Perhaps the first six to seven months of the first year. The Butcher of Nations had retreated back to his own personal dimension for the time being, but his presence was felt all around the Elemental Nations.
"Are you feeling ill, Uzumaki-san?" A female voice called out to him. Turning around, Naruto had to remind himself of his companion. A beautiful woman with brown eyes, and flowing dirty blonde hair, a darker tone than his own.
"Aye, I'm feeling a bit under the weather." He said. The fact that the act of marching up a street with a beautiful in tow, made him reminiscent about his time climbing mountains was not a good sign. With each step, he felt as if his body was growing ever heavier, and the thick mist obscuring his eyes made the atmosphere ever more akin to the greatest of mountains.
"Are you sure? We can always take a break if you need one." Her voice sounded sincere. Too sincere if someone asked him. Naruto couldn't take a break. His body was telling him that if his feet stopped marching, he would collapse like a sack of potatoes.
"I'll manage. At least until a damn storm hits the city." Naruto said, grinning. If he could survive the frozen desert Yuki no Kuni, while fighting off Snow ninja, then he was damn sure that a street wouldn't be the place his bones would lay.
The woman was acting very much like the weather, cold and frigid. It made the entire journey even more painful for the blonde, but he carried on, and with each hard step on the old stone sidewalk an echo was send off. Not so much an echo of sound- although the complete lack of life around hadn't crossed that out completely- but an echo of chakra. A chakra that seemed far rawer than his or any other human for the matter. The woman next to him was passively exuding the chakra since they had met.
Naruto grinned. She thought she was so damn clever. Thinking that she was leading him into uncharted territory. Never realizing that she was leading him where he wanted to. To the den of the Youkai. To the place he had traveled who know how many miles, by teleportation via demonic circle and train.
"So, where are we going?" He said, his curiosity beating the rational part of his mind into submission.
"A place a servant from the Gremory clan is bound to know." She replied coldly, her lips creating a silent snarl.
"Humor me then," Naruto said, frowning. "And I'm free as a bird."
"How sweet." She chuckled for a while, the cold seemed to freeze that smirk on her lips. He hoped her cunt would freeze as well. As he looked at her, the distinct sense that she won't answer his question came to him. The thought of driving a Rasengan in her now twice frozen over cunt proved hard to push down.
The remainder of the walk proved to be uneventful, unless one would count the her as interesting. By end of it, Naruto was dragging his feet, not from a lack of energy; more like the chakra on the sidewalk was quicksand to him. With every step its grip tightened, and no amount of the chakra his channeled at his feet seemed to help him dig out of it. The Youkai hadn't noticed the brief pulses of chakra he had been sending to his feet, but that didn't really give him much comfort.
A pair of gates emerged in the distance. Gates that were far larger than what was right for a city the size of Kyoto. The old grumpy asshole hiding behind those gates must have felt the sensation of blood rushing down his lower regions when he saw the woman, or at least that's what Naruto's explanation was for those giant dark gates to slowly open up, grazing the ground as they did so.
When the gates closed, Naruto felt like a different man. The sickness that plagued him for the last hours was blown away by the warm wind of spring. Yes, spring.
The lavish garden unveiled itself in front of him. His mouth opened slightly in silent ghasp. He couldn't put his thoughts into words. There was pleasant voice in the air, angelic even. It sung a slow melodic song that was pure bliss to his ear.
Naruto found himself smiling at the tune, something which evaded the woman next to him. She held a sour frown on her face as if the notes were countless needles driving into her ears.
Weird.
He followed her, the tune still playing, into the largest house in the gardens; it was small fortes in his eyes. The music almost made him notice the impending long conversation. Almost.
"Speak out of line and I will slit your throat."
"Hope you make it clean cut then."
Entering the large room, it was by no means as large, or as lavish as the Gremory Hall, farm from it actually. But it did serve its purpose; when one was to enter it, the feeling of a being a small little bug set in. However, Naruto never felt small. Even when he was the runt that painted the Hokage Monument.
"The Kyūbi of Kyoto? " Naruto said, not fearful of a simple blade. ""Though you'd be bigger."
The woman who he was addressing held not the stone look of an emperor, or the bloodthirsty face of the warlord. Instead she held the face of a woman who could maneuver through wars and courts skillfully. Briefly, the image of an auburn haired woman flashed in front of him.
"I thought the Gremory would send a devil."
A very blonde haired Mei Terumi, with matching golden eyes, and much to his pleasure; assets that matched the late Mizukage's to the T.
"Keep your tongue in your mouth before I-" The brown haired woman spat before she was interrupted.
"…Cut it off, gotcha." Naruto joked, a smirk finding itself on his lips. "But now onto business, miss…"
"Yasaka," The Kyūbi said calmly, motioning curtly for the other woman to leave, which she did within a moment's notice, sending one last glare his way. Naruto loved those glares. They made him feel so special. "I'm guessing you're here due to Lord Bael's recent passing?"
"Hit the nail on the head, Yasaka-san."
She straightened her posture on her throne, golden eyes staring right into blue eyes. "The Youkai of Kyoto had nothing to do with the tragedy that happened a week ago," There was steel in both her voice and soul. Yasaka's voice resonated with confidence, power, and intelligence. All the qualities a good leader need. All the qualities that made a soldier want to die for you. "Please do send my deepest regrets to Lord Bael."
Naruto raised a blonde eyebrow. "Wasn't he the fat cunt that shunned his own son?"
Yasaka stared at him, probably thinking he eighter had balls the size baseballs, or a brain of similar size. Naruto knew it was the former.
"Nevertheless, send my deepest regrets."
"Sure." He won't.
"I never thought Sirzechs fancies people of your…kind in his court."
Naruto sat, his legs crossed as usual. The woman was friendly, and while most high ranking nobles might want his head rolling down the stairs, he had a distinct feeling she wasn't like that.
"And what kind of people does the Great Sirzechs Gremory fancy?"
"It is not my place to say, though, if you're feeling curious, ask him."
Naruto had a few ideas of what kind of people Sirzechs enjoys surrounding himself with, and none of them were to his liking.
"And what kind of man am I?"
She smiled."Kami-sama hasn't cut you from the cloth of royalty, nobility, and wisdom. No, you are made of steel, both body and soul."
Naruto decided not to comment on that jab towards his intelligence. He stood up, abruptly turning his back to her, and began the long march towards the exit. "I'll snoop around then, ask a few questions, hopefully get a few answers, and I'll be on my way."
Her tongue clicked. "I don't remember giving you my approval."
"I don't remember needing it."
As he was marching down the hall, the doors suddenly flew open, revealing two men clad in white from head to toe. The taller one had the left side of his face mangled as if he was attacked by some wild beast. The shorter one shared the same scars, only difference was that they were on the right side of boyish face. The kid couldn't be older than fourteen.
"Forgive uss for the interruption, Yasaka-dono. Naruto-ssan is called by Mahou-ssama." The boy said, or more likely hissed, his voice small, yet devoid of any of the child-like wonder it should be full off. His eyes stared Naruto, but they didn't. They were looking right past him, into something Naruto wasn't sure he wanted to know.
"And what does your master want with my guest?" Yasaka said, her voice dripping with disgust. Ever since those two entered the hall, her features turned downright feral. And he could feel himself sweat beneath the heat that suddenly filled the hall.
"I wass not told." The boy's reply was short and simple. When Naruto's eyes tried to find the boy's gaze, the older man turned his way, hissing lowly, displaying his razor-like teeth. It was obvious who was the brains-or what was left of them-and who was the brawns.
"Then leave our presence at once. I will not subjugate my guest to the rambling of a woman gone mad."
The boy's eyes flew wide, his posture crumbling by the might of fear. "Pl-ease, Mahou-ssama won't be happy." His voice was pitiful, weak, and most of all – begging . His posture may not have showed it, but he was like a man on the guillotine.
Naruto decide to intervene, he always did have a soft spot for kids. "I'll go, I'll go," Naruto said, his voice trivial as if he was speaking about the weather. "I'll meet whoever sent you, just calm down there kid." Naruto offered him a grin as his hand went to ruffle his hair, only to find it shaved clean.
The boy looked at him through broken eyes, nodding his head. The older man at his side, the one Naruto guessed was his father looked none too pleased if the silent sneer on his face was any indication.
"Ah, so we will be seeing the old with witch then," Yasaka said with a roll of her eyes, and within the next moment she was at his side. "Come on then, I haven't seen the old snake in a while."
The ancient walls shimmed in the summer heat as they approached. They must have been impressive a few thousand years ago. Now only black stone that seemed to barely hold out against the winds remained, but the look of admiration Yasaka was giving off when she gazed them did raise the idea that they were probably enchanted by a magic of some kind, or-what was more reasonable to him- Fūinjutsu.
His opinion of Kyoto brightened the moment he set foot in Yasaka's estate. The air held exotic scents, spices that made his stomach growl, and heavenly music that made quick work of his foul mood. The Youkai strolled, loud in voice and covered in silk which spanned all the colors of the rainbow. People got out of our way, sparing only a joyful greeting towards their leader. It made Naruto a little bit jealous, he loved it when the citizens of Konoha greeted him in the same loving manner.
"Didn't know you had Snake Witches writhing around here." Naruto said, not completely comfortable with the idea of meeting something akin to a snake. His previous bouts with Orochimaru and Kabuto had plucked out any admiration for the animal. That combined with the elusive Serpent who pulled the hit at the Ball only reinforced that notion.
"Trust me when I say that if I had my way all that would be left of her would be the stench of a burning corpse." Yasaka's reply came out spiteful, hateful even. Perhaps the Snake Witch bit her? He chuckled at the thought. However, he did make a note to remember the burning part.
"And why don't you?"
"Why don't I what?"
"Make roast snake out of her."
Yasaka chuckled. The white clad man shake in what Naruto presumed was silent fury. "I don't want to drown my people in her stench."
Soon the pleasant scents faded, replaced by the stench of raw meet. Naruto subtly looked around, his eyes finding countless men, women, and children cuddling around each other, eating raw meat from some unknown animal.
He shuddered.
They had reached the dugout faster than expected. The boy and his father silently dismissed themselves, but not before kneeling in front of the dugout , their foreheads glued to the earth.
Naruto entered first, careful not to hit his head on the way in. Yasaka being a head shorter than him had no such problems.
"Ssit." The Snake Witch said, her voice old and raspy. Naruto didn't like this place. It was filled with dead things hanging on chains, some didn't even seem completely dead.
His instincts were telling him to high tail it out of there, or to drive a Rasengan through her weak body in hopes of shattering it part like a piece of glass. His mind was telling him to be respectful, and sit down quietly.
The middle ground was to stay on his feet, completely aware and ready to fight if necessary.
"Not smart, but not foolish, at least you're better than my other guest."
Yasaka was twitching, the reason for this evaded him. She outstretched her hand, and soon golden flames blossomed, she used the flames to light the nearest torch.
Ero-sennin had said that some things were better left in the dark. This was one of them.
When the light illuminated the dugout, two milky white eyes stared at them, dead eyes. With one single third eye resting above the two, blood red in color, it constantly twitched as if it was an insect.
"You know I dislike bright lights, Yasaka." Her voice was a hollow hiss as hollow as her cheeks. The witch had almost no hair left on her scalp aside from a few stray strands of white.
"Why aren't trying to make me laugh with hissing?" Naruto half-joked, half-serious.
"A step towards foolishness," The Snake Witch rambled, speaking to herself rather than to him. "Boy, when you've lasted for as long as I have, you learn how to correct something simple like your speech." He gave her points for at least answering.
"Thanks." Naruto said.
She didn't honor him with the appropriate remark. Not that he cared enough to ask for it.
"Yasaka-chan, excuse us. This is a matter of no real concern to you." The Witch said, her long fingers finding themselves playing with a stray ant.
"Everything within my land is my concern." Yasaka replied coldly, crossing her arms under her chest.
Mahou squashed the ant effortlessly.
"Fine, but dare not interrupt me when I'm speaking." Mahou threatened, her voice venomous like her animal of choice.
"And what will you do, Mahou? Raise your magic against me, and I'll light you aflame faster than you could screech your first curse." Yasaka's reply was just as venomous, if not more so.
Naruto decided stop their interaction before he caught in the inferno. "Yasaka, please, let her speak so we can leave." He whispered in her ear, though the crimson eye was following his every movement.
"My hearing hasn't died in my old age." Mahou grinned, showing a single rotting tooth-stump. "So has my power, ask Yasaka-chan later if you do not believe me."
Naruto had no plan to ever ask anything about Mahou.
Quicker than his father, Mahou's old hand gripped hid naked arm. Her skin was like Sai's paper; old, dry, but with power lurking beneath it. It didn't much strength for Naruto to jerk his hand out of her grip, but it felt hollow. It felt like she allowed him to free himself. The skin on his left arm was crawling, and shuddering because of the weird sensation.
"You got rules and your principle, thinking that they're the blade to fight the world with, but they really are poison. Slow poison. It will kill you in time. The vo-"
"Who the fuck are you talking about? And why are you calling me 'Hero'?" Naruto shouted, afraid. The shadows around her seemed dance like snaked to her voice. Never stopping.
"Do not interrupt me again, Child of Prophesy," She hissed, her rotten tongue on full display as spit flied out of her mouth. "I have voice, Hero. A voice that hates to love, and loves to hate. A voice that has the power to rule your faith."
Whatever words he had to say dies in his throat. Three simple words killed them. Child of Prophesy, It was impossible for her to know the moniker the late Toad Sage gave him. She couldn't have lived that long…could she?
"I see you," Mahou cackled, her voice echoing throughout the dugout. "You defeated the one called The Butcher, but then what happened? You sank into darkness, the world around you fading into nothingness. But you thought you were alone." She grinned. "Oh, no, no, something followed you!"
The world was becoming blurry to his eyes, a sudden sharp pain in the back of his head made him crumble to his knees in pain. Breathing in a fresh dose of air almost made him choke. The air felt so condensed, so harsh, like it was poison.
"It seems it doesn't want you to know. How very interesting indeed." Her voice was amused. Amused in the sense of a snake playing with its mouse. "But it always lurks. Always watches."
Naruto screamed. The pain was becoming too much. He felt his head explode, and dirty the walls with fresh blood a thousand times. He could hear Yasaka shouting, and see flames dancing.
Then everything stopped.
Author's notes:
Phew, that took a lot longer that it should've. Sorry for the slow update guys, but it's summer! Since I have little to do in terms of school work I can dedicate most of time to seeing my friends, and having an all-around good time. Don't expect another update until late August, because I'm going on vacation with said friends for a couple of week.
Now onto the important parts of this AN.
1)Did you guys like my portrayal of Yasaka? I'm asking because lately I've been thinking about making her a secondary Point of View character.
I'll be going on the hard way of building her up as an interesting character worthy having an important role in the story. I don't want Yasaka or Rias to be the parts of chapter you guys skip to get to the Naruto one. With Rias, I've already began setting on her a different track in effort to keep arcs fresh and new for you guys.
2)I can't believe almost no one ever uses the toads in X-overs. They are too good to miss out on. The only other story I can think that uses them is "The Story of a Lost Shinobi" by Lanky Nathan(The Second Best Naruto/Fairy Tale fic).
3)Whoever guesses who followed Naruto gets a cyber-cookie!
This is my longest chapter to date, so drop a review and tell me what you think!