Hello once again all! I'm back with another chapter. Forgive me right now, I'm a little bit pissed off…you see my roommates forgot to put away their alcohol over break and…well…that's not good considering the room inspections over break. They're 21, I'm not, apparently we're in violation of the alcohol policy, I don't drink, I'm a little bit pissed off! So, I figure why the fuck not try and write the next chapter of this story to take my mind off the unfortunate circumstances.

To my many reviewers…you are so fucking awesome! Even if the review was something like: 'cool story bro, looking forward to more' the fact that you liked it enough to review…you people complete me….

You still there? Got a bit awkward there… Just…just making sure you guys weren't weirded out by that shit. Anyway, I got some ideas for the direction of the story now. I don't have any papers to worry about anytime soon. My finals aren't for at least another week. I have no fucking excuses. In the words of Jedi Padawan Shia: I just gotta "DO IT!"

…you still there?

Rightful Usurper

Rias Gremory, the scarlet beauty who laid claim to the title of heir to the famous Gremory household, was a vision of sinful loveliness. A beautiful hourglass figure, a resplendent visage that could call to life even the deadest of hearts, shimmering emerald eyes that commanded respect, and long, dazzling crimson locks finer than the finest of silk, these features dominated the public view of the devil-heiress. Most knew her by these features alone: a vision of absolute beauty whose very presence released a veritable boon of splendor upon those lucky enough to exist within its range.

Yuuto Kiba, the handsome, blonde-haired 'prince' of Kuoh Academy, and Tojou Koneko, the academy's unofficial "mascot," knew Rias a bit differently. Of course her beauty was well known to the both of them, however, her place within the lives of these two was significantly greater than mere aesthetic comeliness. No, to Koneko and Kiba Rias was a goddess, a glamorous angel who beat back the darkness that had once threatened to consume them. She was their leader, their savior, their very reason for existing. Rias Gremory was their master—their king.

Himejima Akeno retained a slightly different outlook upon her 'King.' She too, like Koneko and Kiba, had been saved from a damned existence by the crimson-haired heiress. Rias had spared Akeno a half-life, a life in which she would be subject to constant paranoia, constant fear of her ultimate destruction. Yes, the dark-haired halfling revered Rias in much the same regard as her two 'junior' peerage members. Yet Akeno retained a particularly interesting position that allowed her further insight into Rias Gremory as a person; after all, best friends tended to know more about one another than the typical comrade.

Himejima Akeno knew a great deal of Rias Gremory. She knew of Rias' true feelings regarding the members of her peerage (all positive views). She was aware of Rias' guilty pleasure, all things pertaining to Japan and its various manga series. She knew her favorite foods, her propensity for puzzle games, her hatred of sleep-wear, the cross look on her face when forced to disentangle her hair in the mornings. She was privy to the woman's disdain for her arranged marriage, her hatred for the proposed bride-groom, her resentment of her own family for forcing her into such a position.

Akeno also knew of Rias' willingness to do whatever it took to ensure her own future.

Rias, as Akeno had observed, was a fair and loving master. She took care of her servants, showing unconditional affection to those under her and acting as a benevolent sovereign who ruled over her retainers with kindness and compassion. However, Rias was also a devil, a being devoted to self-serving ideals. That's not to say all devils were slaves to their own desires, no many were beings who actively aided others without asking for a thing in return (Rias being among the most compassionate of these individuals). Still, devils were naturally self-serving creatures, beings whose very make-up demanded that they receive recompense for services rendered; beings who were selfish by nature and willing to put their own desires above the needs of others.

Akeno had seen Rias save people, asking for nothing more than servitude that would be rewarded with love and acceptance. She had also seen Rias eliminate various individuals who stood in her way to achieving a stronger peerage. The Vladi vampire sect came to mind.

'And that boy…'

Rias was Akeno's best friend, her confidant, her savior, her sister in all but blood…Rias was also a devil, a being who would sacrifice those who meant nothing to her personally in order to better her own condition. Akeno knew Rias as many things…but there was one thing she was absolutely positive of…

Rias Gremory had damned Uzumaki Naruto…

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Heavy gasps rang out through the dark wood, breaking through an eerie, all-consuming, silence. Even though she had been flying at maximum speed, expertly dodging the occasional tree trunk, the shrill whistle of the wind as it passed her ears did not register. Blood pumped furiously throughout her body; the throbbing echo resonated within her head, dulling all other noise beneath its massive presence.

She was tired, muscles burned from severe overuse, begging to be given a well-deserved rest for their ungodly efforts. Her dark wings, beautiful black-feathered appendages, ached, threatening to fail her at any moment. Even the slightest of unexpected—unwanted—change in her current body dynamics would send her careening for the cold damp forest floor below. She dare not even look back, if she did she would fall, if she fell she would be a sitting duck for that…that thing!

The thing that had broken Dohnaseek. She didn't even want to think about what it had done to Kalawarner or Mittlet.

Raynare knew what had to be done. She had to get away, get out of this godforsaken forest—lose that monster somewhere along the way. She desperately needed to get back to Grigori HQ, get there and tell Azazel about what she had seen, come clean about everything: the murder of the Hyoudo kid, his blonde-haired friend, Koka—

Raynare's thoughts had suddenly left her, following the mass exodus of air from her lungs. The ground was just as damp and cold as she had figured it would be, the occasional root jutting into her back wasn't exactly a welcomed surprise. Her mind, once a maelstrom of terror and unfounded hope, was now devoid of all rational thought, instead mired in a stunned darkness.

To be honest she wouldn't mind if this was the state in which she met her end. The stunned silence, the blissful absence of thought and sound. The piercing scream of white noise was annoying, but it wasn't like it was any worse than the shrieks of her comrades, the wails of terror and pain that had dominated her thoughts for the past ten minutes. Maybe she'd be able to pass away in this numb ecstasy, anything would be better than succumbing to that thing.

Yet, as the fallen angel lay on the damp ground, roots sticking irritatingly into her back, gazing through glassy dark eyes at the starlit night sky above, she felt sensation returning to her. A muted, throbbing pain filled her limbs once more—a dull ache creeping through her every fiber, chasing away the nirvana of numbness.

Raynare started as a slick wetness reached her carelessly strewn hand, she didn't exactly register the temperature of the liquid; more like she couldn't gauge it, it obviously wasn't cold so perhaps it was close to her body temp—

Eyes wide, Raynare slowly lifted her black-gloved appendage within eyesight, shaking—trembling—at the red liquid she saw spread across her digits. Blood…it was blood…her blood!

Agony unlike anything she had ever felt before, pure, unadulterated, mind-numbing pain spread like wildfire across her back. Wave after wave of anguish rolled throughout her form, each second compounding upon themselves until the pulsating madness had converged into one massive, never ending conflagration. Yet, amidst the burning, the beautiful fallen angel felt something else, an absence. An emptiness had become pronounced upon her back, just where her wings sat.

Oh God.

Shaking like a scolded bitch under the baleful gaze of an angry master, Raynare turned slowly, twitching regularly under the massive torrent of agony that was her current state. Struggling for breath, the sight that awaited the fallen angel only exacerbated her broken demeanor; what lay behind her was a truly horrific, jarring visual. It took time for her mind to comprehend just what it was that she was seeing—well, that's not entirely true, she knew exactly what it was, it was just excruciatingly hard for her to wrap her mind around the…the…

The black wing that lay torn asunder ten meters to her right.

An uncomfortable revulsion pooled within her stomach, amidst the ravaging pain—temporarily numbed by the unholy shock—Raynare found herself experiencing a new sensation, one foreign to her until this very moment.

"Hurgh!" The beautiful fallen angel retched. Again and again her body shook, the pain slowly returning as her stomach emptied itself. Finally, after a seeming eternity (while in actuality a paltry minute-and-a-half), the brutally lacerated beauty ceased the removal of her stomach contents, occasionally dry heaving as her body had become accustomed to such an action. Wracked with sobs and shaking under the combined might of pain, terror, and disbelief, Raynare proceeded to fall to her right side, laying there on the cold wet ground, wrapped into a position strikingly similar to one a fetus might utilize. Closing her eyes, the fallen whimpered, begging for unconsciousness to take hold before—

"Ara, ara, Fallen-chan. Don't you know that laying on the ground'll make your pretty clothes all dirty?"

Oh God no!

Eyes shooting wide open, Raynare's hazy gaze focused upon the inspiration of her fears. There, standing lazily just five meters away, stood a bright blonde-haired young man. Garbed in the standard male Kuoh Acadmey uniform stained a horrifying crimson, the man's lackadaisical posture—hands stuffed in pant pockets, back arched at such an angle as to put all weight and pressure upon the tree behind him—exuded an air of false ease. Had Raynare met the blonde without having previously seen him tear apart her fallen kin, she may very well have classified him as a handsome lout. Anyone could have made the same mistake…were it not for the eyes.

Baleful orbs of crimson hatred marred the seemingly innocent visage, transforming the image of a handsome—somewhat lazy—youth into one of unending malice. Those dark slits that acted as pupils gazed forth, piercing every aspect of the fallen angel's being; all of her secrets were laid bare before these magnificent, horrible eyes. There was no escape from them; he didn't blink, didn't train them elsewhere.

Why, God…why couldn't she look elsewhere?!

Crushed under the weight of the malevolent crimson gaze, Raynare could do little more than tremble. Naruto sighed. Seeing her, "Crow-bitch," in such a pitiful state really should have done more for him. He had been aroused during the chase, positively horny when he saw the look of unbridled terror in her eyes as he ripped apart her friends in front of her. He'd relished as she scrambled to get away after watching his darkness eat her comrades. So…why was it that gazing over her broken, beaten, battered, and bloody form did not evince the same reaction?

Chasing her had felt good. Stalking her had left him downright giddy. Ripping her wing off had felt bloody fantastic! Now that he had her, trembling on the ground before him…well it wasn't as fun anymore.

No fun in an enemy that can't fight back.

Naruto shrugged. The dark, booming voice hadn't exactly been wrong about anything since his revival, the blonde figured it wise to trust its judgement. After all, it'd been right about ripping "Fedora-douche" in half—God damn that had felt fucking awesome!

Gazing down at his prey, Naruto could feel the sneer forming. This had killed him? This pathetic excuse for a fallen angel had been the cause of his death? Well, to be fair he'd been an ordinary human then, a being whose weakness made him subject to the whims of the 'supernatural.'

Now though? Now he was a completely different being altogether…well at least in composition. His soul was the same…mostly. Somewhere along the way of literally dragging himself out of that place, he'd changed. He wasn't that weak, pitiful excuse for a human being anymore. No he was so much more! He was strong! He wasn't quite sure the exact level of his new-found strength, but based on the trembling, weak form before him, he could at least gauge that he was leagues stronger than the average fallen angel.

Can we get this over with already? It's getting a bit boring…

Naruto smirked evilly, damned if the voice was ever wrong. Taking slow, calculated steps, the blood-bathed blonde casually strolled forward. He could see it: every breath Raynare took, every palpitation of the heart, every single muscle tremor. Warmth pooled within him, oh how his heart soared at the plight of his murderer. Each of his steps elicited a noticeable twitch from the fallen angel; he could hear her breathing pick-up—her heart rate increase—as he strode forth.

Raynare's eyes were wide, her heart rate skyrocketed, the blood-trickle flowing down her back had morphed into a veritable stream. She trembled, her vision shaky as darkness began its encroachment. God above, he was getting closer. Why, why did it have to end this way? She had so much to do. She had to steal the Twilight Healing from that nun; she had to earn Azazel-sama's favor, she had to…had to…

Naruto's eyes widened at the renewed resolve within the bloodied-beauty's eyes. A rekindling of passion surged forth, as Raynare was slowly able to pick herself up to her feet.

"I…" The fallen stood there, hunched over slightly, her face obscure from the blonde's view, shadowed by her long black hair. "I'm…" Her voice was ragged, weakened by exhaustion and stained with pain, "I…will not die like some lowly human!"

Light pierced the dark forest, the shadows retreating from the luminescent glow. An intense pink spear of light appeared within the hand of the fallen angel, poised to strike at the blonde demon before her. Raynare gazed heatedly at Naruto, resolve and acceptance present within her eyes. There was no hope for her surviving this encounter, Raynare knew that, but she would be damned if she had gone out whimpering like her compatriots. She was not Kalawarner!

Naruto stared unabashedly at the broken form that dared challenge him. He was slightly affronted at the subtle dig she'd intentionally hinted at—the bitch referring to the way in which he himself had died—but his respect for the fallen had risen considerably.

Smiling through the luminescent pink glow, Naruto couldn't help himself, excitement pooled within his eyes. The others hadn't exactly put up a fight. Sure they attacked, but after the first few spears proved to be useless they attempted to flee, when that didn't work they begged. They had snapped under the might of the blonde. This one however…Raynare was different. She knew it was hopeless, yet she was willing to go out fighting.

Seems out of character to me…I thought she'd be the one to offer her body.

Oh, that was new. For once it was wrong. Ah well, it didn't exactly matter to Naruto, he never placed too heavy an amount of stock into the trustworthiness of others…well at least not after his resurrection. Digression aside, Naruto couldn't help but grin darkly at the dying fallen angel before him. When near death dogs tended to whimper and beg—such was the case with her comrades—but it appears as though this one decided to bare her fangs.

Still, when it came down to it…

Raynare lunged forward, pushing as much magical energy and physical strength she could muster into the stab. It was over, she knew that, but damned if she'd whimper while she died. The pink spear split the air as it was powered forward. Light energy met skin and flesh.

The spear shattered upon contact.

Raynare's eyes widened considerably. She fell to her knees, trembling and gasping for breath. Her vision trembled, her body grew weak. She raised her head to meet the blonde's gaze, one final time. Red eyes filled with malicious intent gazed down, filling her with fear once more. No words were said. A tendril of darkness shot forth from the ground underneath the demon, originating from his moon-cast shadow. Raynare felt it pierce her heart, but the pain was absent. As she fell unconscious for the last time, her vision trained upon the shadowed face of her murderer; a jagged white streak pierced the obscure visage, accompanied by two crimson pools of hatred. Raynare knew no more.

When it comes down to it a dog is still just a dog. When it's broken, you put it down.

"So long Fallen-chan. Hope ya don't end up where I was." His mission complete, Naruto casually strolled away from the corpse of the fallen angel, not seeing the dark tendrils absorb the body, but knowing of their presence all the same.

Stopping just before exiting the newly made clearing, Naruto set his gaze upon the moon once more, his crimson orbs gazing at nothing…and everything. Wrenching his gaze from the celestial body above, the blonde grinned darkly to himself.

Why don't we check in on Rias-chan?

Looks like the voice was back on track!

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Rias Gremory hummed as she went through the meticulous task of brushing her lustrous red mane. Smiling at her reflection, the beautiful devil felt, for the first time in what seemed like forever, a sense of hope overcome her being. She had acquired a peerage of particular power. Championed by her queen and best friend, the lightning priestess Akeno, her peerage included the likes of a nekojin with ties to senjutsu in Koneko, a failed byproduct from the Holy Sword Initiative in her knight Kiba, a timeontrolling dhampire (who was, unfortunately, inactive), and now a perverted boy who had taken eight of her pawn pieces to reincarnate! Surely he possessed a sacred gear of particular note, Rias could not think of something that would constitute the need for eight pawn pieces otherwise. Well, perhaps if the person in question was particularly powerful beforehand. Issei…well he wasn't exactly the textbook definition of strong. It doesn't matter, Rias just knew that Issei was special and would prove a fine addition to her servants. While not complete, her peerage would surely serve her well in all future endeavors.

Especially when it came time to deal with the flaming chicken himself. Rias felt confident, given about a year of training, her peerage would dominate the overblown asshole's group. They had better otherwise she…well, Rias didn't like to think about the negative connotations of her potential future.

No…she would make damn sure that her freedom was assured. She'd come too far—sacrificed far too much!

'Including that boy.' Rias' vibrant emerald orbs grew downcast, a haunted look replacing the previous twinkling splendor as she remembered that fateful evening. How it had all gone to rubbish.

She had meticulously planned for the eventually accruement of her new pawn, Issei Hyoudo. The fallen angel had been an unexpected surprise, but not an unwelcome one. Its presence had assured her of the value of the perverted boy and offered a means of which to approach him. She hadn't exactly expected the fallen angel to stab the boy, but it ultimately proved extremely useful. The opportunity to convince a dying man to become a devil was too good to be true. There was no way he would say no!

Of course, she never expected Uzumaki Naruto to take the initial hit.

It was unfortunate that he had involved himself with the situation. Had he not followed Hyoudo, he may very well remain alive.

'You could have saved him.'

Rias scrunched her eyes closed in irritation. Damn the voice of guilt within her! Devils were supposed to be creatures of conceit and self-service, why was it that the death of the blonde vexed her so?! It wasn't her fault he'd jumped out to save Issei! It wasn't her fault he took a spear to the chest. It wasn't her fault he wasn't worth the peerage pieces! It wasn't her fault he died!

The tense clench of guilt suddenly vanished, surprising the beautiful devil heiress. Opening her glamorous green eyes, Rias could feel the veritable surge of relief wash through her form. Guilt that had built up for the past twenty-four hours seemed to vanish.

'Strange' she mused to herself, before shrugging her shoulders and continuing her previous action. Eyes downcast, the red-head resumed brushing her hair.

"Ara, ara Rias-chan. To think you'd shrug off your guilt just like that."

Rias' eyes flew wide open as she quickly turned around toward the location from which she gauged the voice originated. Eyes landing on the empty desk chair behind her, the red-head narrowed her eyes, turning to once again face her vanity mirror. The vision within the reflection startled her immensely.

There, reflected through the mirror, sat one blonde-haired, blue-eyed Uzumaki Naruto, garbed in the same bloodstained uniform he wore as she left him to die. Swiftly, Rias turned to face the desk chair once again, this time finding it filled by the presence of the deceased blonde.

Once more, sapphire met emerald.

Naruto smirked.

Chapter End

So, for those of you who were hoping for a significantly longer chapter…I'm sorry. It didn't exactly pan out that way. I like this idea and I'm gonna continue writing it, but damned if this chapter wasn't just a pain in the ass. For those let down, I apologize and I hope you find it in you to continue reading. This chapter wasn't the best in my own opinion, but I felt it necessary to kind of set the mood for the future to come. Rest assured, Naruto isn't forgiving Rias for anything…he's pretty pissed still. The whole Raynare thing might have seemed odd, but I kind of wanted her to impress him. I may not be quite done with her character yet (hint-hint).

There was gonna be more, but I felt the cliffhanger was just too damn good to pass up on…well that and I'm lazy as all hell and I really wanted to get this godforsaken chapter off of my computer screen. It sat there for like two weeks while I either procrastinated from studying or was furiously trying to study the night before my finals. Thank god that's over. BTW the alcohol thing fizzled out. All good here…well mostly.

Be warned, if this fic is going the way I think it is…there might be some dark material. Nothing too horrible. No major character death (YET!) or anything…well, nobody you might care about…I guess. Iunno, I don't wanna give too much away…but Raiser is getting fucken eaten alive…or terrified to death. I dunno which yet. No, Naruto isn't gonna join the peerage to help out. No he isn't killing the chicken out of the kindness of his heart. No, he isn't gonna fuck Rias…probably…just bear with me here, please.

I've rambled so for those who have stuck with me:

CANNON OMAKE (wait…what)

Raynare felt the chains cut deep into the flesh of her forearm. The searing heat of the metal melting away at her bruised and chaffing flesh. She hung from the ceiling of this…this nightmarish dungeon. How long had she been here, steeped in the dark hold of her captor…her murderer? How long had she been subject to his vile machinations? Centuries had past, of that she was sure. It had been years since she'd seen any of her comrades.

Dohnaseek…well he got off easy as far as she was concerned. The bastard had been immolated as she recalled…well, burnt to a crisp and reformed—as was standard here. The poor souls of this hell were flayed alive, buried beneath agony and terror. Death was out of their reach, for their souls belonged to their jailer.

Uzumaki Naruto.

The things he had done to them, here, in the darkest reaches of his very soul. Dohnaseek had been the most recent one to break under the Uzumaki's might. Last Raynare had seen of him, the oaf had obediently donned the armor given to him by the blonde demon…

The girls…

Raynare shuddered as she recalled the broken souls they had become. They were nothing more than the pets of their new master…

Raynare shuddered as she awaited her ultimate fate. She had died…but still, she begged for release. Her will was strong…but she knew eventually, she would one day join the ranks of her fellow fallen comrades. It wouldn't be long before she, like Mitlet, Kalawarner, and Dohnaseek before her, would pledge undying loyalty to the blonde.

Three minutes, forty-seven seconds…

Raynare began to weep.