Hows it going everyone, wonderful new year, right?
Rick12; actually she's not one of the Demon Lords, but she is a vampire and not human like her previous life. And yes, Helena is another of the Lords
Thomascastillo9987; I have no idea what your talking about, sorry.
Onto the chapter. Also wondering if I should add this story over to Ao3.
-The Hellhold-
Rias and the gang passed through the decrepit village and dead trees, the others noting there were many shadows watching them from the buildings as Rias didn't seem to mind. Issei let out a whistle at the immensity of the castle as they approached the drawbridge.
"How exactly did this exist without your brother and the other Satans finding out? I'm sure they would have noticed you vanishing for periods of time." Akeno asked Rias as she rang the small bell at the end of the path, in response, the drawbridge lowered for the gang.
"Naruto's got his ways, that and that clone jutsu of his came in handy." Rias answered as the drawbridge lowered for the gang and raised once they crossed.
"Wow, didn't know your friend had a thing for Halloween." Issei remarked as the group was amazed by the gothic splendor of the place, and it was just the entrance as Rias thought about letting them roam around for a bit. Of course, with Naruto's permission first.
"I didn't pick out the style, the demons and others wanted to give the place some gothic love to reflect their livelihood." Naruto's voice startled the group as they turned to see him standing behind them. Koneko was put off the most as she didn't even sense him show up, and she was the group scout. The gang couldn't help but stare at his form as they were intrigued by his 'condition' and how it tied to lady Miriam. Rias got their attention with a whistle as she wanted to go ahead with the tour idea, but Naruto spoke up.
"You guys enjoy the ride?" He asked as the others all commented, mostly negative as a pair of Gargoyles flew down and dropped off two others, Irina and Xenovia as both were soaked to the bone from the same trip. The two stony demons bowed to their lord and took off as Naruto warmed up the church goers with a wave.
"Now that everyone's here, who's hungry?"
Before the gang knew it, they felt something grab them and they were all transported via shadowy smoke to a large dining room, while not as elaborate as the Gremory manor they were accustomed to. It had its own dark beauty as they all took seats around the table with blueish flames lighting the candles. They all had menus and picked their dishes as Gasper came in with his mother and greeted the group.
"Sorry I'm late, got lost." He smiled and offered a seat for the vamp before taking his seat next to her. The ORC crew, besides Rias, were immediately interested in the pale beauty as she conjured up a wine glass and bottle, uncorking it as they all caught the scent of blood as she poured herself a drink. Xenovia and Irina were a bit wary as their crosses buzzed a bit on their necklaces, clearly this woman was a powerful vampire than some jobbers they faced on a few missions.
"Um, who might you be miss?" Irina asked as the woman sipped her blood.
"Elena Belmont, mother to Gasper Vladi." She introduced herself with a smile as Gasper beamed in pride.
"Um, correct me I'm wrong, but wouldn't you take the surname of Gasper's father as he does?" Issei asked as he had been brushing up on his Devil history and culture studies with Asia as Rias wanted to help them acclimate, he figured the Vampires have things a bit similar when he read about them. A sudden chill enveloped everyone as the lights in the room dimmed a bit, it was so cold that they could see their breaths as Elena's good mood soured. Everyone aside from Naruto, Gasper and Rias were a bit worried.
"That bastard has no say in my life, nor my son's after what he did, you would do well to remember that, boy." The mother vampire growled out as her irises lit up in a baleful crimson as the white of her eyes shifted black. Her fangs lengthening as her face shifted to a more monstrous look. Naruto cleared his throat while Gasper's hand grasped hers, and in an instant, all reverted to normal as Elena's features softened and the room warmed up again.
"My apologies, young devil. My relationship with Gasper's father is not something I like to have brought up." She said as Issei gave a quick 'oh my bad, sorry' and a glance to Gasper who just shook his head with a shrug.
"If you don't mind me asking, how are you here? We heard stories of your death shortly after Gasper's birth and long before he joined the Gremory family." Kiba brought up as Rias smacked him upside the head for being blunt as Gasper recently opened up about his life to the gang during one of their trips.
"I did die, and for a small time, my soul was bound to the earth, cursed by a dead god and unable to move on in my grief. Thankfully the Lord of Shadows heard my sorrows and restored me to life, with new powers and the chance to be in Gasper's life." She answered before sipping her wine. The food was brought in by skeletons dressed as waiters as everyone got their dish and were left to eat.
"Been meaning to ask, Lord Uzumaki, how is it you're so well familiar with the Church?" Irina asked.
"Approached them at the turn of the 20th century and did some jobs, helped recover a few trinkets, stop some troublemakers. As for your boss, met him when he was a kid." He answered before taking a bite of his pecan-crusted salmon.
"But why would you work for them? After what was done to you and Lady Miriam." Kiba butted in as he still had a bit of a grudge against the church, it was mostly resolved after the Three Factions when Michael spoke with him and Asia. But hearing what Miriam and others were put through had him cautious.
"Simple, I don't mix work and personal life." Was the elder blonde's response as they continued their lunch. It was a rather quaint gathering as the ORC gang and Church duo got to ask things about him and the Hellhold. For the devils, they were interested to hear about the various demons that owed allegiance to Naruto and these 'Lords of Sin' as well as how Rias had made a name for herself amongst the horde of monsters as the 'Scarlet Witch' along with Gasper being another student. As for the Church agents, turns out Pope Francesco, Michael and Gabriel were regular guests to this castle and on good terms with Naruto. After lunch was finished, Naruto give them permission to enjoy a small tour of the fortress, so long as they didn't start anything as he had things to attend to and excuse himself.
-With Rias&Akeno-
Rias guided Akeno through the Garden of Silence, a massive courtyard that was overgrowing with plant life and various other flora from around the mortal world. The glow of the full moon illuminated the grounds as Rias found it cute how Akeno was giggling at the sight of a couple Plume Parma, flying pig demons, that were fighting over some growing onion shoots. The demon tending to the patch of crops just shooed them away with a flare of magic as the unholy swine took off into the air. The two ladies took a seat on a limestone bench under a large peach tree with Rias plucking a plump one.
"Quite the interesting place, no?" she asked before offering the fruit to her bestie who took a bite, surprised by just how soft and succulent the fruit's flesh was. Rias then brought out what looked like an ivory whistle fashioned from the tusk of some beast.
"Promise not to jump, but I got a friend I want you to meet." Rias started before bringing the item to her lips and blowing into it. The sound it made was akin to a gym whistle, but sounded more gravely. The distant sound of heavy footfalls caught Akeno's attention as she looked around with the sound getting closer, followed by what sounded like animalistic panting. Akeno blinked in surprise when a large, muscular boar like demon came skidding to a halt in front of the devil duo. Its thick skin was a shade of pink and had chiton-like red armor over most of its body, orange glowing eyes and a large maw full of teeth to match the spines along its spine. Its most notable features were the tusks that framed its bottom jaw. The demon snorted as its stubby boned tail wagged in response to seeing Rias. Stomping its think hooves, the demon let out a light squeal as Rias tossed a peach that the beast easily caught in its mouth and gobbled up. It's short, clawed arms wiggled a bit as he moved closer and took some sniffs in Akeno's direction.
"Akeno, meet Peaches." Rias introduced the Pinky demon that she was friends with, well more of a pet away from home given Pinkies wasn't sentient like high tier demons and more like demonic boars. Peaches stopped sniffing Akeno as it opened its mouth as if wanting her fruit. Akeno offered it and smiled at the light squeal of joy as it gulped the whole thing, seed and all. Rias clicked her tongue as Peaches turned to the side, revealing an ornate leather harness was fastened to its body and lowered itself so its belly touched the cool floor. Rias got up and climbed onto Peaches, getting settled before offering a hand to Akeno. The young woman smiled as she accepted the gesture and climbed on, so she sat in front of Rias who gave a small whistle. Peaches gave a snort and trotted off with the two as they chatted about school things and family life.
-Dian Cecht Cathedral-
Asia, Irina and Xenovia were looking around the cathedral that was housed within the castle, the various demons that inhabited the place gave them space, no doubt due to their holy ties. The place was massive, with various halls, stairways, rooms and more as various stained-glass windows allowed light to bleed in.
"Y'know, I never thought something like this was ever possible." Xenovia commented as she observed a couple gargoyles roosting in the upper floors of the main hall. The trio of church goers passed rows of pews as they came upon a confessional under a set of windows as they were intrigued by it. Despite being a cathedral, it wasn't exactly tied to the Judeo-Christian faith, Dian Cecht was the Irish god of healing, yet the booth before them bore the holy cross of their faith. They shared a glance before Asia entered the stall and waited, Irina and Xenovia watched as shadows crept from around the confessional and seeped into the empty spot as the wooden structure shook a bit before calming down.
"What ails you, my child?" The thick Russian accented voice of an old man greeted Asia as she was surprised this worked, but soon fell into place with a response.
"I-I have a sin to confess, I am still a devout believer of the Lord and his ways, but I have become a heretic, a devil." Asia spoke up, her voice wavering a bit. While she was acclimating to her new life within Rias' peerage and being a devil, she still held onto her faith and teachings.
"Hmm, you believe you must choose one life over another?" The voice asked as Asia blinked in mild confusion.
"But isn't that the natural order of things, devils do not tolerate holy traditions while the church and angels condemn devils and all unholy acts?" She questioned. This drew a light chuckle from the man behind the screen.
"The devils are quick to deny their ties to the angels, yet their creator was once one himself, and their mother was once human. Those in power alter records of history to suit themselves and their powerbase. As for the angels and those of faith, they cling to their rigid ways and have cast you out despite you taking after the teachings of Jesus and committing no sin." He replied as Asia and her church guests took in his words. He spoke of the angels and devils as if they were one and the same, yet splintered by beliefs and claiming all the teachings they knew were biased.
"How is it what you say is true? The Angels and Devils related, but those in power deny it?" the young blonde asked, being more challenged on what she knew from both her time with the church and new life among the devils.
"Family can be a rather complicated thing, God still loved his wayward son, as did Jesus. Just because some angels and devils deny the truth, doesn't mean a pure soul like yourself should be forced to pick a side. This home you stand in was built to welcome people from all walks of life of any faith." The man said as he then opened his door to exit the confessional as Asia did the same.
The holy trio stared at the tall figure of Grigori Rasputin as he donned black robes and a fancy hat akin to the one the pope would wear, this one emblazoned with the signature pentagram of the demons. His hefty beard was adorned with a few jeweled trinkets as were his fingers with elaborate rings. Looking every bit the unholy counterpart to Pope Francesco as he gave a warm smile to the ladies.
"I am Father Rasputin, welcome to my humble abode and this fine establishment I run, please, allow me to hear your stories." He gave a small bow to the girls and motioned them to follow him as he wanted to give them a small tour of the cathedral while learning about their life within the Holy Church. Asia was the first to accept as Irina and Xenovia could see he meant no ill will and followed along.
-Elsewhere in the castle-
Issei decided to hang with Kiba when the group split to explore, just two dudes bonding.
"So, uh, this is where Prez trained in secret growing up? Why keep it a secret from her family though?" Issei asked.
"I suspect she had some resentment for the whole arranged marriage, though what confuses me is Lord Uzumaki's motives for taking her as an apprentice, what's his motive?" The blonde swordsman asked as he and Issei were curious, approaching the daughter of one of the most influential families of the Underworld and taking her as a student for years, without her family knowing a thing until her reveal.
"Well, he seems friendly though Azazel tells me he's not to be trusted among other things." Issei shrugged as the Fallen Governor had taken up a teaching role at Kuoh recently and his revulsion for Naruto seems to be more apparent since the Meeting. Both teens never bothered asking as it didn't feel like they should prod into the history between the Fallen and Shardbinder. They rounded a corner and bumped into someone as they heard the annoyed muttering of a girl and spotted a familiar face.
"Its you!" Issei recognized Miltett from their rescue of Asia a while back, his dragon gauntlet appearing on his arm as Kiba summoned a sword as they glared at her. Miltett for her part just got up and dusted off as she collected the books she dropped.
"Now now, kids, there is to be no fighting while you are guests." The voice of Alfred caught their attention as the elderly Alchemist had Miltett helping him with some things.
"You do know she's a wanted criminal right? You're harboring a fugitive." Kiba asked as the Fallen just stuck out her tongue in response to him. Alfred just tapped his cane on the ground as Kiba and Issei's weapons de-summoned much to their surprise.
"Hmm, last checked, she denounced all ties to the Grigori along with her friends following the botched mission to recover Sacred Gears for the organization. Now, she works for Naruto and a few other associates. So, for your own health, don't be a fool and assume the laws of the Three Factions have any sway here." The elder replied as both teens relaxed and took his word, he had a point, not their issue to deal with.
"Since your both here, why don't you both help me move a few things in my lab." Alfred suggested as both boys shrugged, not like they had anywhere to be at the moment.
"You're dismissed Miltett, thank you for your company." Alfred looked to the blonde angel as she just handed the books to Issei, accepted the candy bar from Alfred as payment and flew off with a 'Later losers.' As the boys were doing their community service helping an old man, Koneko was getting along with a Nyabon, the large demon cat napping as Koneko was sitting against its side, enjoying the unnatural heat it gave off. Unknown to her, she was being observed by another, the purple feline that watched Naruto and Azazel's scuffle the other night kept hidden as she observed the Neko-Devil interacting with the feline demon. The observant cat's eyes filled with a sense of longing, sadness and self-hate.
-With Gasper-
The clashing of steel echoed through Elena's private quarters as the mother vampire sparred with her dhampir son, in her hand was an elegant rapier with a beautiful rose motif along the handguard and pommel. In his hands was a broadsword that also had a rose motif and longer than he was tall, but he'll grow into it, it also doubled as his own familiar. He dodged another swipe from Elena as his sword flew out of his hands to bat at her weapon while Gasper burst into small bats and moved. Reforming behind his mother as he raised his hands to fire off some ice magic.
"To eager." She reprimanded, a tendril of blood leaping from her dress and grasping for her boy as he jumped back with Elena focusing on him rather than his familiar.
"Come on, Gasper, throw my focus off." She instructed as his sword was back in his hands. The duo continued their spar as she was giving instructions mid duel to help better his swordplay. The dance of steel would continue for a few more minutes as she got the upper-hand soon enough.
"Relax your wrist, your holding it too tight, now too loose." She commented and before he knew it, his weapon was knocked out by her and her free hand glowed with red miasma as she held the weapon before it could return to him. Her rapier being de-summoned back into her form as liquid metal.
"Don't worry Gasper, you're making progress." She gave a warm smile as she wanted to instruct her son on weapons and have him take one up as a skill which he was getting to at good speed. Course her family was more renowned for whips. but that was in the past before her family wanted to put down the feud with the vampire clans after the great Dracula was stuck down. She figured to start simple and let him have a sword. She let his weapon go as it floated over to Gasper and he held out the ornate scabbard for it as it tucked itself in as he handed it over to her just as his phone went off.
"Shoot, the gang is getting ready to leave. I gotta go." He apologized as they hugged, as much as Gasper wanted to stay, he still had classes and ORC business to attend to.
"Be sure to do your homework and stay out of trouble. Same time next week?" She suggested as he nodded with a peck to her cheek as she placed a small travel card in his hand and let him run off. The destruction of his safety box during the Khaos attack a while ago had her concerned, given it was his hidden way to get back and forth from the ORC and the Hellhold. So, she made a travel card that was linked to their blood that only he could use to keep in touch. The vamp cleaned up the place of any magic residue and set Gasper's familiar within a storage trunk containing gifts and books she had given him over the years to make up for not being around.
"One day…" She muttered to herself as like Shuri and their feline friend, she too wished to fully reunite with family. Though she had more of an issue to deal with regarding Lord Vladi and his abandonment of their child.
-With Naruto-
"Thanks again for letting us see what our dear King has been up to as your student, Mr. Uzumaki-I mean Naruto." Akeno corrected herself as they were all ready to leave as he opened a portal to the ORC. Naruto just smiled as he nodded to the teens.
"No problem. Just don't make it a habit to waltz in like its your new vacation home." He joked as one by one the gang went through as Rias was the last one in.
"Take care and tell Yasaka I said hi!" She waved as it closed with Naruto smiling. Not a moment too soon, he felt a small weight on his shoulders. The cat purring before it pounced off his back and grew, changing from a regular looking feline to a lovely anthropomorphic cat humanoid. Her hands coming to hug him from behind as she basked in his warm chakra.
"See, your kitten is doing fine." He began as he felt her claws prick at his outfit. Like Shuri and Elena, the woman was another he resurrected, but since then constantly blamed herself for failing them as she caught up to what became of her girls.
"I know, its just…" She trailed off, wanting to reconnect, but too scared to as she always clammed up when it came to revealing herself to them. Naruto just let out a sigh as he turned to face her.
"Look Fujimai. What happened in the past is back then, you fucked up with chasing that slimeball over them, I get it, but it's not the end of the world. I brought you back so you can be a family with them, but reaching out and revealing the truth, that's your choice." He affirmed as he gazed into the amber eyes of the cat woman, Fujimai Tojou. Resident Hellcat and reborn mother of the Neko sisters. Just then his phone went off,
"Excuse me I-" He looked away for a moment to see the text only to see Fujimai had reverted to cat form and scampered off. Yeah it was a work in progress with her compared to Shuri and Elena. He then tookt he moment to see who was texting him, it was Loki.
[The Trickster]; It is time, my dear friend.
I know, im late, apologies. Im not abandoning this and will try to be more concise. I do have another idea pop up for a fic and plans for the Sins of the Father fic too, but that's all in good time. Hope you guys are having a good Halloween.
HellisFun21 signing out~
