Elysium

by Skairipa1337

Life as a Fallen Angel was going well. He had no school to breathe down on his neck, he had a decent social life, and he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Living with his single dad meant he had plenty of freedom usually, as long as he ran whatever errands his dad wanted. You can say he was just missing a certain someone to share it all with, to call it the ideal life.

Disclaimer: Goes without saying, that I don't own High School DxD or Naruto.

Note: Some of you are going to think "This is an 'OC' and not Naruto" or "Rias in an overused pairing" Honestly, bite my ass. I don't care anymore, lol. I spent too much time worrying about what people thought of what I wrote to the point I didn't really enjoy writing at all, so, well… Fuck that shit.

Also, this is a wholesome fic focused on pairing and fun interactions. Hence this is Romance/Comedy, so expect little to no plot from here on out. We're here for a fun time, so I don't want to bother with too much of the tormenting heavy important crap.

Oh well, credits to itzgatt, TheChamp123, and zubhanwc3 for some of the elements in this fic, and for helping me out with the different ideas.

If y'all are interested in joining a community of readers and several talented authors, consider joining AizenTheGoat's Discord server.

QBzbm58Dn4

改行

-Chapter 1-

A Long-Lost Childhood Friend.

改行

At one of the top floors of the Nephilim Institute lay a young man sprawled out across a couch. His legs were crossed on top of one of the armrests, and his head was all but buried in a generous amount of pillows located beneath his neck. A slight sigh escaped his lips as he raised a finger to flip through the book in his hands.

He had short, unruly blond hair with the occasional dark bangs, blue eyes, and wore a pair of black jeans and a white sleeveless shirt, on top of which he wore a black jacket that was open at the front with golden buttons and lining.

"You never learn, do you?" He mumbled mostly to himself, as he analyzed the many pictures. Well, it wasn't a normal book. It was one of the many wonders that humans had managed to come up with, a manga.

When he'd first been introduced to them, he'd shrugged it off. He figured it was just a glorified picture book, so how good could it be? Well, his point of view changed one day when he was taking a stroll through the institute in the Underworld. The base was home to many fallen angels, exiled church members, and human sacred gear wielders alike.

He'd snuck a glimpse and found himself intrigued, thus managing to stand there without them noticing him until he told them to turn the page already.

And thus, he'd perhaps gained a minor addiction to the 'lively' little book series.

The cover depicted two people in what seemed to be a fight of some sort. Though, this was far from the first chapter. If he remembered correctly, it was likely chapter two-hundred and thirty-four.

"How'd I get here anyway?" He muttered to himself as he bit the inside of his cheek. "I swear, I only just started chapter forty-seven a second ago."

It was quite unfortunate for him, however. The fact that he had yet to reach the final chapter. Not that he could. The damn thing was still being released. So he had to patiently wait each week, as long as there was no delay, to catch up on the chapters. Thankfully, he was fluent in Japanese and could read it without having to wait for a translation.

The thought made him feel bad for regular humans that weren't from Japan. How did they manage to wait that extra amount of time? Maybe it was just him who was weird.

"Talking to yourself?"

The young man tilted his head back and watched a man look down at him with an amused expression. Azazel, who was the leader of the Grigori organization and held the rank of Governor General, was a man who was almost identical to himself. Well, that was how genetics worked, after all, so no surprise there.

He let out a snort, "Just reading." Was the response he managed to mumble out.

With an eyebrow raised, the man shook his head, "Japan really has much to offer, huh? Good booze, books, technology... Women."

"Well, you can say that again." He snorted with stuffed laughter as he laid the manga down to rest against his chest, "So what can I do for you, Dad?"

Azazel let out a slight hum and settled down in his office chair, his legs promptly put up to rest on top of the table as he reached over to grasp onto a little device that'd been placed on the table and began to fumble around with it, "You ever been to Japan? Aside from when you go over there to hamster new picture books."

He rolled his eyes, "I think we just settled that Japanese women are quite amazing, so yeah, I've paid a visit a fair amount of times."

"Hmm, what about Kuoh, Naruto? You ever been there?" Azazel asked with mild interest.

Naruto, who'd lifted his book a couple of seconds before, lowered it again to raise a brow at his dad, "You mean the territory of the devils? Can't say I have. Isn't that Lucifer's territory?"

With a snap of his fingers, Azazel stood to his feet with a smug grin, "Close, it's the Gremory's territory."

"Huh..." Naruto blinked in confusion as a familiar mental image of a young crimson-haired girl he'd met ages ago entered his mind, "Why the sudden interest in Japan, anyway? And what does that have to do with me?"

Azazel shrugged and flipped the device around in his hand before placing it back on the table, "Oh, nothing much, just that you're going to Japan."

Once more, being forced to let his manga down and away from his eyes, Naruto gave him a bored look, "And why's that?"

"Well, there's been a bit of a... Problem." Azazel hummed.

"Okay..." He trailed off and waited for his dad to continue, "Mind telling me what the problem is?"

With a click of his tongue, Azazel crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the edge of the table, "I got this report from a couple of residents of the Grigori. As you know, we don't interfere with their devil business, but occasionally, a fallen angel like us crosses the area to get to another. The problem is, there were other fallen angels that weren't as cautious."

"They got spotted?" Naruto inquired.

Azazel clicked his tongue, "More like, they're playing their hands in the wrong game. Completely out of their league, which is a problem."

Naruto sighed as he decided to summarize everything he'd gotten out of that, "So, we got a couple of strays that are causing trouble for the Grigori because they can't behave in the devils' territory. And now, you want me to go handle it so we don't have issues with the Satans?"

"Smart cookie, aren't you? You hit the nail right on the head."

"So, I'm going to have to kill a couple of our own?" He inquired with a slight frown.

With a roll of his eyes, Azazel shook his head with a smile, "Of course not. They're only a couple of rookies that don't even have their second pair of wings yet. However, I have questions. So if you would be so kind, please try and bring them back alive."

"If I must."

Azazel, sensing the dread in his son's voice, let out a sigh, "Look, if push comes to shove, we have to deal with the consequences. If they demand penance in the form of lives, there isn't much that we can do. In their eyes, they'd stand nothing to lose and everything to gain. We're at peace, and I'd like it to stay that way."

"And if we refuse," Naruto sighed, "Then it could lead to a full-on war as a worst-case scenario, and that's exactly what we want to avoid. Got it."

With a pleased smirk, Azazel clapped his hands together, "Exactly, now you're getting the picture. I know you've inherited more than just my good looks, so it will probably be fine."

"Uh-huh." Naruto drawled out, "So, why me, specifically?"

"What? Can't a father take care of his own flesh and blood and give him an important task?"

Naruto gave him a deadpan look, "No. I don't believe a father would give a mission like this to his only son. So, tell me, why do I have to be the one to deal with this? Can't you just tell Baraqiel to go stomp his feet angrily or something?"

Azazel let out a hum, "Well, it's true that he'd probably be able to solve the issue, but he's currently a bit... Tied up with other matters."

The young man let out a tired sigh as he stood up from his seat, "So the honor is all mine, great..." He paused as he stared down at his father, "Is there anything else I need to know about?"

"Nope. Just go over there and do what you do best, and maybe pick up some booze while you're at it. Or some manga. Or both. Whatever works, honestly."

Naruto snorted and turned around on his heels, "Whatever, I'll just take a look around and see if I can find the morons."

"Have fun."

Naruto's footsteps echoed in the halls as he walked along the path that led him further down the Institute.

A few seconds later, the young man stopped and reached into his pockets to fish out his phone. After unlocking it, he opened the map app and began to type a name.

"Kuoh, huh?" He mumbled mostly to himself as the mental image of the young girl appeared in his head again, "I wonder if she would be there…"

A few seconds passed, and he nodded as the location was found. With a press of a button, the GPS was activated, and he began walking.

"I guess it's not too far. Should take an hour, two tops."

His five pairs of wings appeared and expanded to their full length, and he took to the sky, leaving the Nephilim Institute behind him.

改行

An hour and a few minutes into his flight, the young man came to a stop. His wings fluttered against the wind, and a gust of air pushed him back a few meters.

"This is where the trail ends." He mumbled as he looked around. A brow raised at the sight of what appeared to be a tad bit rundown church.

With a shrug of his shoulders, Naruto began to lower his altitude. 'Seriously, you couldn't be more obvious?' He thought to himself with a drop of sweat rolling down his face. This was like... an anti-biblical type of church. Some of these places throughout the world served as hideouts for fallen angels.

And while this was placed in devil territory, it was still by far the most obvious hiding spot. Though, unless they were just stupid, perhaps there was a reason behind all that.

The ground drew closer and closer, and when the distance between the tip of his shoes and the soil was only a few centimeters, he snapped his wings closed.

The sound of boots hitting the gravel was all he heard, and the dust was blown aside as his body was pushed forward a few inches before he regained his footing.

A sigh escaped his lips, and he dusted his jacket off before looking at the entrance. The door was slightly ajar, and the windows were either broken or missing entirely.

"So, what kind of idiots am I dealing with?" He mumbled as he began his way towards the entrance.

When his hand reached the door, he pushed it open. It squeaked, and the hinges were clearly not up to the task anymore.

It wasn't completely dark. There were a couple of cracks in the ceiling, and the moon was shining through them.

The inside was rather run down as well. Crosses and statues were destroyed, which he assumed was all done on purpose in an attempt to spite God almighty.

"Yoohoo! Well, if it isn't- Hah? You don't look like a devil... Well, I suppose those filth have a way of transforming."

Naruto's brow immediately began to twitch upon the sight of what appeared to be an exorcist who all but danced his way out of the shadows as if it was either a comedy or drama show, "And who are you supposed to be?"

The man grasped at his chest, "Ouch! So much fame, yet someone has yet to learn the proud name of Freed Sellzen..."

Naruto tilted his head, and his mouth opened as he was about to answer, but stopped himself. His eyes widened slightly, and he blinked a few times, "Huh? Sorry, can you repeat that, please?"

"Oi oi oi, I'm not that ugly, am I?" Freed complained.

Naruto shrugged, "No, you are. But it's not about that. Sorry, but the name rings no bell."

Almost stumbling over his own feet, the exorcist's eyes shot open, "What?!" Freed screamed out.

"Yeah, sorry." Naruto mumbled as he scratched the back of his neck, "Never heard of you."

Freed's body slumped forward as if he'd just lost his entire life's purpose, "So much for the pride and fame." He mumbled with a hint of despair, "And after all the trouble I went through... How will I ever be recognized now..."

Feeling more and more irritated, Naruto was about to retort when he heard the church doors fly open. Several footsteps could be heard, and before he could fully turn his head, it seemed like someone finally recognized that crestfallen exorcist.

"Freed!" One of them yelled out.

"Oh, hey," Freed said with a wave of his hand as a maniacal smile crept onto his face. "If it isn't the little demons that escaped my blade, how embarrassing..."

The exorcist was kicked straight across the face, and his body flew through the room and smashed into the wall, and he slumped down to the floor.

"Oh right, Dad told me to handle this peacefully... Ain't my fault he got on my nerves, though."

"Who the hell are you?!" The same one that'd yelled at Freed demanded as he pointed at Naruto, who merely shrugged.

Naruto raised a brow at the hostile tone, "Just here to clean up a mess, that's all." He paused, "Would you be the servants of the devil in charge of this area?"

The blond teen amongst them stepped forward, a sword ready in his grasp, yet he still spoke with a respectful tone, "We're servants of Lady Gremory. We're under the belief that some fallen angels are hiding out here. They've kidnapped a friend of one of ours, so we're here to get her back."

Naruto nodded.

"But that doesn't explain who you are, so I'll ask once again on behalf of our impatient friend, who are you, and what are you doing here?"

"As I said, just someone here cleaning up a mess," Naruto muttered as he took a step forward and brushed the hair out of his eyes, "My name's Naruto, and I'm the Governor General's son."

The group fell silent, and their eyes widened.

"Well, damn, I expected a bit more fanfare than this," Naruto said with a short chuckle.

"So you're a fallen angel, too, then?" The blond boy asked.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders, "Well, it's not like we can help our births, can we?"

"Well, I wouldn't really call it-"

"Shut up, Kiba," Issei hissed, "What have you done with Asia?!"

The blond fallen angel rubbed his face tiredly, "Did you not hear a thing I said? I am here to clean up this mess, but first, I have to understand the situation. So, a few of my people are on some stupid shit, and your friend got kidnapped. Why?"

Since Issei seemed beyond reason, Kiba decided to answer, "We believe they've taken her for her power, a Sacred Gear. There was also mentioned a ritual."

Naruto paused, "Well, damn... That's bad. But I'm going to have to say that if the ritual is completed, the girl's dead. Well, hopefully, we can still avoid that."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Issei snapped.

Surprised by the sound of the irritated teen's voice, the blond tilted his head back, "Hey, I'm here to help, not fight. We can work together and stop these idiots before they can go through with whatever it is that they have planned. We save your friend, and I get to go home. Everybody wins." Naruto tried explaining as simply as he could.

"Everybody wins?! Tell that to my broken nose!"

Naruto turned his head back to where he'd sent Freed flying, watching the exorcist crawl back up to his feet with indeed his nose looking rather out of shape with drops of blood dripping down, "Oh right, forgot about you."

Freed got an outraged look on his face, "How can you forget someone you just kicked in the face?!"

"Sorry?" Naruto chuckled sheepishly.

"You're gonna pay for this." Freed spat and pulled his gun out, and fired off a few rounds.

Naruto sighed.

The bullets flew through the air, and the teen simply raised his hand and caught them, "I guess I might've knocked you out, so I'll say it again. I'm here on behalf of my dad, Azazel, and would like for you to kindly move your ass away from the altar."

Freed's eyes widened, and a drop of sweat rolled down his face, "Hah? So you're, uh, like the big bad boss crow around here?"

With a twitching brow, Naruto groaned, "Sure, you can say that."

"Okay, okay, I'll back off." Freed agreed way too happily, "I'm not dying for a bunch of crazy crow chicks, even if they're hot!"

"That's good to hear. Now scram," Naruto commanded and threw the bullets at the man's feet, causing the exorcist to jump back and almost fall over.

"Alright, see ya later!" He exclaimed loudly as he reached into his jacket and grabbed a small ball to toss into the ground. A bright light momentarily blinded the small group, and as it vanished, Freed mysteriously disappeared.

Dusting his hands off, Naruto sighed, "That's one headache taken care of. Now, tell me what you know." He said and turned to the small group of devils.

"The fallen angel that took her is Yuuma- I mean, her name is Raynare..." Issei mouthed out through gritted teeth.

As if three dots appeared above his head, Naruto stared at him, "Well, if she is here, I guess that means those three are as well..."

And as if on cue, the church doors were practically kicked open.

Naruto immediately gained eye contact with three individuals he'd seen around the institute a handful of times. A tall and buxom woman with brown eyes and long, navy blue hair, a middle-aged-looking man with short black hair and dark blue eyes who wore a pale gray trench coat and black fedora, and lastly, a girl with blonde hair which was styled into twin-tails and blue eyes.

The blond rubbed his temples, "Kalawarna, Dohnaseek, and Mittelt... Care to explain what is going on here?"

"N-Naruto? I, uh, we didn't want to spoil the surprise for you!" Mittelt hurriedly excused.

The blond rubbed his head, "Surprise?"

Dohnaseek nodded, "We know how much Lord Azazel likes Sacred Gears and wished to make him proud by getting one. We wanted to make it a surprise, to show our devotion."

"Let me get this straight, you pissed on the devils' doorstep to please my dad, who likes peace and prosperity. How does that make any sense?" Naruto asked.

The group of fallen angels paused, and Kalawarna's smile fell, "But... We heard that this would be good?"

Naruto tilted his head, "How?"

Mittelt looked at the other two, "Raynare said she talked with Kokabiel about it!"

"Kokabiel?" Naruto muttered to himself in surprise. Sure, he and that man didn't get along, but to instigate this sort of thing... He'd have to let his dad know when he returned home, "Never mind for now, I got stuff to take care of. I've already wasted enough time, and a girl's life is on the line. So, let me make this clear."

"Yes?" Dohnaseek asked.

"No fighting. No more, fucking, fighting." The blond replied in a stern tone, "Are we clear?"

Kalawarna gulped with a nod of her head, "Crystal."

Naruto gave a quick nod in return, "Great, now let's get a move on you three. I'll lead the way so Raynare doesn't get any funny ideas." He continued as he looked back at the devils, "Before I forget, I never got your names."

As Issei seemed to have calmed down upon seeing the newly arrived fallen angel wasn't an enemy, he pointed a finger between them all, "I'm Issei Hyoudou, and this is Kiba and Koneko."

"Right, I'll remember those. Now, let's go."

"Where are we going?" Issei asked.

Naruto didn't turn back as he began to walk, and he could hear the four sets of footsteps follow him. A swift kick to the altar sent it flying and revealed a secret passage beneath, "Down here." He answered with a chuckle as he held up his palm to summon a small flame to light the path so they could descend the stairs carefully.

A few minutes passed as the group of five walked down the steps in complete silence.

Once they got to the secret ritual room beneath the church, they were met with the sight of dozens upon dozens of exorcists standing before a staircase leading up to what he'd assume was the ritual altar.

And, of course, he spotted Raynare right on top of it, along with a young blonde girl chained up to a cross. Very biblical indeed.

The blond whistled through the air to get Raynare's attention, "Quite a party you got going on down here. Shame you forgot to invite me."

The ravenette's head shot towards the sound, and a scowl quickly found its way onto her face before her face lost all the color, "Naruto, why are you here?"

"Oh, you know, a little bird told me I should pay this place a visit," Naruto replied with a smirk, "Though, I didn't expect to find a little gathering of devils, an army of exorcists and a handful of my own people."

"W-Well, I-"

Naruto waved her off as he began to walk down the stairs with the three devils in tow, "I already heard from Kalawarna, and apparently, Kokabiel's fingerprints are all over this. So let me just correct you. This is not what my dad wants. So how about we solve this peacefully so everybody gets to go home?"

Raynare fell over her own words, "A-About that..."

With a look shot at the chained-up girl, Naruto frowned upon the sight of her lifeless eyes, "I guess I'm too late... I always did talk too much." He said with a sigh, and he rubbed his head, "Let her down, Raynare."

In the background, he could hear the brunette scream the girl's name, as his other two friends held him back. Naruto had a frown on his face as he began to walk up the stairs. He indeed did have a habit of talking too much. Perhaps if he'd cut the conversations short, he'd still have made it in time for the girl to be alive.

"Of course." She responded crestfallen, having just wanted to please her superiors. With a flick of her wrist, the chains around the girl loosened, and her body fell down into the blond's grasp, where he hurriedly wrapped her up in his jacket.

Even if she was gone, he'd still treat her with respect.

He carried the girl down the steps, and the exorcists were left staring at the fallen angel with their mouths hanging wide open. It wasn't often one of the bosses came to handle stuff on their own like this.

"Now, how about everyone put their weapons down and go home? I think you've all done enough." Naruto announced and glanced around.

They all did as he said, and soon enough, they began to leave the old building, and the only people left inside were Naruto, the other fallen angels, and the devils.

As he walked up to Iseei's little group, he could see the devastated look on the boy's face as he held back tears, "Come on, let's get her out of here." He spoke softly.

The boy didn't answer, and merely followed him up the stairs. Kiba and Koneko walked slowly behind them, and even further down the stairs, the crestfallen Raynare followed along as she looked like a sad puppy.

As they returned from the underground ritual site, the voice of someone new filled his ears.

"You must be the fallen angels that's been causing a ruckus around my territory."

Naruto had to stand for a moment to take in her appearance because she had to be one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever seen in his life.

Her most distinctive feature was her long, beautiful crimson hair and blue-green eyes. She wore a uniform identical to Koneko's, though definitely a completely different size, given she had a rather voluptuous body.

The girl behind her was almost equally as pretty, yet with dark hair and violet eyes. And perhaps a bit more gifted in the chest region, but he couldn't quite tell, given his eyes seemed glued to the crimson-haired devil in front of him.

It was only when he noticed she gave him a strange look as her cheeks heated up that he snapped out of it.

"Rias?" Naruto asked, even if he was completely sure. He'd never forget such beautiful hair.

改行

Many years ago, in the middle of a forest, a little Naruto could be seen running around the woods with a frown on his face, "Stupid dad... Telling me to go find stuff he had hidden away in the forest to practice my skills... It'll be fun, he said!" He complained loudly.

The young blond stopped running for a moment to catch his breath and leaned his hands against his knees, "I just wish he'd tell me how much longer I have to look. Maybe then I'd actually be able to find these damn things..." He mumbled and glanced around the forest.

As a gust of wind passed by, the boy's ears twitched, and he spun around towards the sound of rustling leaves, "Who's there?" He demanded as he tried to sense someone.

His eyes widened when he was met by the sight of a little red-haired girl who couldn't be much younger than he was, and she stared back at him with her large blue-green eyes.

"O-Oh, hello. Sorry, you startled me. What are you doing out here?" Naruto asked with a frown upon seeing the clearly distressed look on the girl's face.

The girl gave him an unsure look, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Nah, it's alright. I've just been wandering through the forest all day looking for stuff, for my Dad." He explained with a grin and folded his arms behind his head in a sheepish manner.

She giggled at the goofy sight, "I was playing with my friend, but... I got away from her."

"How'd you manage that?" He asked, a bit surprised that a little girl would be in the forest, and the way she held herself seemed to indicate she had some sort of noble upbringing.

"We were playing hide and seek. I'm really good at hiding." She explained and twirled her finger around a strand of hair.

Naruto raised his eyebrows and then nodded as he crouched a bit down to get to her height, "So you're just trying to find her now?"

"Yes, but I can't find her anywhere."

His frown grew a bit as he chewed on the inside of his cheek, "Hmm, do you have a name?" He asked, hoping he'd be able to help the girl out a bit.

"My name is Rias Gremory."

The boy blinked in surprise, "Like the devil house?"

She nodded.

"Hmm... Well, my name is Naruto." He responded after mentally getting over the fact he'd met a devil so far away from everything.

"Hi, Naruto." She greeted shyly and nodded her head.

"Nice to meet you, Rias. If you want, I can try and help you find your friend." He offered with a bright grin.

"Really? But aren't you looking for something?"

He shrugged, "It's alright. My dad can wait."

"Okay," Rias nodded with a small appreciative smile.

"Come on, I have an idea." He told her and reached his hand out for the girl, which she tentatively grabbed with a flustered gaze, and let him lead her back the way she came.

The devils and fallen angels had often been at odds with each other in the past, but the past was just that. The past. So even if many people around the Nephilim Institute told him to be wary of them, even if his dad often dismissed it, he couldn't exactly just ignore someone when they were lost, right?

Especially not someone his age, who was really pretty, too.

改行

After that day, the two had met many times in secret. When she'd first learned what he really was, she'd been shocked. It was her first time meeting someone of his kind, and much like himself, she hadn't heard the best things of the other's kind.

Yet despite that, she'd decided to trust him. He was, after all, the kind boy who'd helped her out of the forest despite having nothing to gain from doing so.

Over the years, they seemed to grow apart. Times didn't match the same they did before. One could be busy when the other was free to meet at their usual spot.

The one where she'd stumbled upon him the first time they met.

And then, one day, it all just seemed to stop. Years would continue to pass, and even if he never stopped thinking about her, he decided he wouldn't want to complicate things even more.

One thing was meeting up as innocent children, but now that they were young adults; there would most likely be a completely different look to it.

Yet now that he stood before her, after so many years, he could barely even try to keep his jaw away from the floor.

She'd been pretty when they first met, but now… She was absolutely stunning.

Rias herself seemed as shocked as him. She could feel her heart begin to beat away rapidly in her chest, the importance of the situation withering away all her sense of reason as she took in the grown-up appearance of her oldest friend and her first crush.

But what was he doing here?

She had a million questions, but there was only one thing on her mind.

"Naruto..." She whispered, a little taken aback by the situation she found herself in.

He smiled brightly and responded in a gentle tone, "Hey, Rias. It's been a while, huh?" He chuckled, the same sheepish expression on his face.

She could see the small boy who helped her all those years ago, but it was the man that stood before her now that caught her attention.

He'd been a little taller than her back then, but now he towered above her. He was handsome, the boyish look still present on his features, but his body had matured over the years. She could see the well-defined muscles on his arms and neck, and the t-shirt he wore was tight against his chest.

It was a lot to take in.

"Yeah..." She finally managed to respond with a slight flush on her cheeks, "I wish it could be under more happy circumstances, though."

Naruto nodded as he glanced down at the girl in his arms, and the blond crouched down to place Asia on one of the benches and gave a quick clap on Issei's shoulder to let him go ahead and be with his friend.

The blond sighed once again, which felt like the hundredth time this evening, as he scratched the back of his head, "If I'd gotten here sooner, I might've been able to prevent this. I'm truly sorry for the trouble my people have caused. It seems like there have been some misunderstandings going on within our faction."

Rias shook her head, "You are not responsible for the actions of others. Even if the outcome is highly unfortunate." The red-haired girl answered as the fondness she had for him in the past seemed to rapidly return to her.

Naruto nodded, "That may be so, but I'm the Governor General's son. What they do reflects upon me and my father. I'll try my best to ensure no such misunderstandings happen again."

The red-haired girl paused and then nodded her head, "I believe you will."

Naruto gave a small smile, which the girl seemed to return, "I know it isn't my place to ask, but is there anything that can be done for your servant's friend? I know that the devils have these chess-like pieces they use to turn other people." He tried explaining to the best of his abilities, but technicality was more his father's area of expertise.

"That is indeed true. Though, to be brutally honest, I don't know if it'd be the best course of action. With her Sacred Gear taken away, I'd assume she'd feel like a piece of her very being was missing." Rias responded with a light frown as she shot a look to her pawn, who knelt down beside the deceased girl, tears dripping down his face.

Gears began to turn inside the young fallen angel's head, "So if she'd get her Sacred Gear back, it'd be alright?"

Rias looked surprised, "Well, yes, but that'd mean the death of one of your subordinates."

Upon hearing that, Raynare visibly twitched with a nervous expression on her face.

Naruto turned his head back and raised his hand. Raynare flinched and looked like a scared animal, "Don't worry, you won't feel a thing." He promised.

"Y-You're really going to kill me?!"

The blond raised a brow, "Nope. I'll just remove the Sacred Gear without killing you." He responded as if it was that simple.

Raynare blinked, and her mouth hung wide open, "B-But that's impossible!"

"You're wrong." Naruto smiled and snapped his fingers as he summoned an iridescent and jagged dagger out of thin air, "I'm the one making it possible."

Upon seeing that, Kiba raised a brow, "Is that like my Sword Birth?"

Naruto twirled the dagger loosely around in his hand, "Not exactly. This is my Sacred Gear. While yours seem to be able to make you create an almost endless variety of blades, mine is to... copy them, in a way."

As Rias heard that, her eyes widened a tad bit in surprise, "Your Sacred Gear is Unlimited Blade Works?" Even if so many years had passed, he still managed to surprise her to this date.

Well, he did have quite a few years to develop before their reunion, but it didn't stop her from being amazed.

Naruto chuckled, "Yep, that's the one."

Rias nodded and crossed her arms, "I see." She certainly hadn't expected to come across that many Longinus within so few days. First, the Boosted Gear, and now the Unlimited Blade Works.

The blond gave a nod and turned his attention back to the still frightened fallen angel, "Now, I'll try my best not to hurt you, but the process can be a little painful, so brace yourself."

"W-Wait-"

"Sorry." The blond apologized as he stepped up to the girl and thrust the blade into her chest.

Yet as her eyes widened in fear, they slowly gazed down in surprise as the blade just disappeared into her being before getting retracted. She could feel the Twilight Healing disappearing from her being and watched the rings drop down into Naruto's palm when the jagged dagger was pulled back out, leaving not even a scratch behind.

Naruto gave a victorious grin as he juggled the dagger, "Rule Breaker, quite a handy tool. Wouldn't you say, Raynare?"

The woman was still too shocked to truly respond, and settled for dumbly nodding her head as her boss turned back to the Gremory girl.

"Will this do?" He asked and held out his hand.

Rias took the ring, and after inspecting it, she could indeed tell that it was Asia's Sacred Gear.

She turned her head to look at Issei, who was still kneeling beside the dead girl, "Issei, do you wish for me to save your friend? Even if she becomes one of us, a devil?"

The boy nodded without hesitation, "Yes, please. She still has so much to live for, and I know she'll be happy. Because she'll have friends now, that don't just want to take advantage of her."

"Very well then," Rias said as she crouched down and placed the rings on the dead girl's fingers, and summoned a chess piece into the palm of her hand. A bishop, if his eyes served him correctly, which floated down to her body and disappeared into her chest with a faint light.

Nothing happened for a few seconds, but after that, the miraculous thing happened as the girl's eyes began to flutter open.

"I-Issei-san?"

"A-Asia? You're alive!" Issei said, tears dripping down his face in joy as the girl's face scrunched up.

"O-Oh, you're hugging me..." Asia's cheeks reddened.

The boy blinked and pulled away with an apology on his lips, but his eyes widened as Asia leaned in and placed a peck on his cheek, "T-Thank you for saving me, Issei-san."

"Uhh, you're welcome?"

"So cute," Naruto whispered with a chuckle and got a nod of approval from the crimson-haired girl beside him.

Rias smiled at the scene before she shot a look up at Naruto, "Seems like you always show up at the funniest times to help me out. Thank you."

The blond gave her a smile, "Just happy to help, we didn't want the relationship between the factions to get strained over something that might just be a misunderstanding. Glad we could resolve it, even if it had some traumatic moments." He answered and gestured his head towards the two blushing teens.

"As am I. Once again, thank you, Naruto. It seems you've been a great help."

"You're welcome, Rias." He was quick to respond, flashing a bright grin that just seemed to make her heart beat even faster.

A silence passed between them, as Rias just stared at the almost sparkling grin on the fallen angel's face before the red-haired devil coughed and cleared her throat as her cheeks seemed to have heated up again since this time she'd been the one staring an awful lot, "Well, I'd imagine that your job here is done. So you can return home."

"Are you trying to get rid of me? I'm hurt. I thought we were getting along." The blond asked with a small smirk.

"N-No! I was just-"

"I'm teasing." Naruto laughed, and gave her a small wave, "I'll head back then. Maybe we'll meet again sometime soon."

"I hope so." The crimson-haired devil whispered under her breath with a light sigh, and she had to bite back a giggle as the blond's cheeks became dusted in a light pink.

"Did you say something?"

"No, nothing at all."

"Well, alright," Naruto replied awkwardly.

"..."

"..."

"Right, so uhm... I'll get going. Have a good night." He spoke awkwardly, and he couldn't help but feel like his own face was heating up as the girl gave him a small smile and a wave as well. He signaled for his problematic people to follow him along outside, where he once more unfolded his five pairs of wings.

And completely missed the flabbergasted expression on both Rias and Akeno's faces as he did.

Before they took to the air and soon disappeared from sight.

"I like him."

Rias turned to stare at Akeno, "I thought you couldn't stand the sight of fallen angels?"

Akeno smirked, "I can't, but it's hard to be bitter when their name means 'fishcake'. You seem to have taken a liking to him, too."

Rias snorted at her Queen's words, shaking her head to try and draw attention away from her reddened face, and looked at her servants, especially her two newest, "That'd be ridiculous. We just met. Let's just go home."

"Of course, Buchou."

改行

And that's a wrap. I've normally just written plot fics, but this is a wholesome fic. So don't expect much more plot than what you've seen here, I want to focus on the interactions and pairing because I think there are a ton of fun things I could write out without having to feel pressured about the plot and all that.

So, let me know what you think. Hope to see you next time.