Hellooooo

Hey lads, it's been a long awhile, I needed a bit of a break since life had taken me on an unexpected turn. but I'm back and I appreciate the love and support you've all been showing me through my absence.

You all will be glad to know also that the next chapter for 'A Sage in a Magical World' will be dropping tomorrow (on my p.a.t.r.e.o.n) and day after on the 24th (here on this site.)

Now...

Last chapter was pretty interesting to say the least, I'm betting you all weren't expecting that bit with Grayfia but considering her personality and the norms of the DxD world, I'd say it wasn't too shocking.

But enough rambling, allow me to present chapter twelve.

Start:

Awkward.

A simple word yet one that held profound meaning…sometimes

Subsequently, such a word was how Naruto would describe the past three days.

Rather understandable as things were sort of awkward with Grayfia, definitely awkward with Moka, and for reasons that he could not hope to comprehend, almost all the women around him giggled and went pink in his presence while the men seemed to harbor intense dislike for him.

To put it simply, it was Kuoh Academy all over again.

Naruto sighed wearily and shook his head. 'Story of my life.'

Really, the only reason he hadn't gone insane due to how uncomfortable and nerve-recking his life had taken a turn to was only due to the queen of the vampires herself.

Akasha Bloodriver was a gorgeous woman, easily up there on the list of women who the blonde shinobi found to be most attractive, and it was to his delight that he found her personality to be on the same league as her mesmerizing appearance.

The past three days, while awkward, were also very tolerable as he spent ample time with the vampire queen, just casually talking and spending time with her, maybe a bit more than what was deemed appropriate but Naruto got the feeling that she liked having him be around.

She made for a very good friend in the hurricane of awkwardness that he had somehow flung himself into.

Though to be fair, he did kinda expect for the matters between him and Moka to not exactly be smooth sailing when he had butted into what was most definitely not his business.

Moka, who had not exactly been the most hospitable person in their stay here before their spar was now even more reclusive and aloof.

If not for the fact that he had caught on to Moka eyeballing him discreetly several times in the past few days, Naruto would have thought that the vampire princess would not want anything to do with him. He only knew otherwise because whenever he caught her staring, she always, without fail, held a conflicted expression on her doll-like visage.

Like right now.

Here he sat in the kitchen late at night with nearly everyone asleep – a rather strange concept to think about since he learned that vampires much preferred the dark over the sun - feasting on his portion of the incredible dinner that Akasha had made for them all, with no one to keep him company except for the vampire princess herself who was quietly sipping her tea while eyeing him whenever she thought he wasn't looking.

The silence was almost unbearable, so much so that Naruto could not stomach it any longer.

Deciding to put an end to the awkward atmosphere in Uzumaki fashion of course, Naruto picked up a grape from the fruit basket and chucked it at Moka.

True to his aim, the grape landed right on top of her head before bouncing away.

Moka looked at the blonde incredulously before her eyes narrowed. "Did you just… Why did you throw a grape at me?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Figured it would be an excellent way for us to start talking."

She said nothing.

The shinobi sighed. "Look, it's obvious that you have something you want to say and the thing is, I'd much rather that we become friends rather than… whatever this is." He said while gesturing to the two of them.

Moka only eyed him with an unreadable look, and Naruto barely restrained himself from sighing once more as an uncomfortable silence returned to descend on them with the fury of a tidal wave.

"I'm…" Naruto's ears perked up at her voice, raising his gaze to meet Moka's unsure one as she thought of how she could voice out her feelings. "Confused."

"Confused?"

Moka nodded. "From when we first met till now, I have been nothing but rude and condescending to you. So much so that I was sure you really disliked me. Then that spar happened and when you had the chance to pay me back in the end for the way I treated you, you showed me mercy when many others would have not, and now you're saying that you want us to be friends!?"

She crossed her arms and glared in his direction, frustration and anger mingling in her gaze. "How? Why!? Why are you not angry with me? And why do you want us to be friends when I have a massive stick up my ass as you put it?"

"I've fought against many people who eventually became good friends of mine." Naruto answered simply. "Most who, in my opinion, could make you look like a rookie when it comes to being arrogant and a fucking ass. Though in their defense, nearly all of them have become pretty humble now."

"I'm not angry because I'm used to it." He added before musing to himself. 'That… is actually pretty sad to think about.'

"And being friends with me?" Moka asked, a little more calmly now.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I don't need a reason to be friends with someone."

"I see."

The room grew to be quiet once more, Naruto calmly eating his leftover dinner while allowing Moka to take her time and gather her thoughts.

It was nearly a minute later that she deigned to speak. "Here is another question, when we were making stipulations for our spar, you were only interested in fixing the relationship between me and my mother. Why?"

Naruto placed the utensils back down before sending the pink tinted, silver haired vampire an apologetic look. "It wasn't my business, I'm sorry. I only know a little of what is going on but even if I had the full story, I know it's not my right to pry, it's just… It's obvious that Akasha cares and loves you deeply."

"I appreciate the apology but you still haven't answered my question, Naruto." She uttered his name for the first time.

"I'm an orphan." He revealed. Moka felt her eyes soften at the admission. "For a long time, I did not know what it was like to be part of a family or what it felt like to have a father or mother who loved you dearly."

Guilt gnawed on the vampire's heart, forcing her to forgo her pride. "I'm… I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Naruto waved off the apology. "Me being an orphan is in no way your fault, besides, I had a long time to come to terms with it. Just…"

Moka leaned in, hints of curiosity swimming in her crimson orbs.

The shinobi exhaled a bit tiredly. "Look, I can't say I understand how you feel in regards to your family situation, and as mentioned earlier, it's not my business. But as a guy who was unfortunate enough to not know the love of a parent for most of his life, let me give you one honest piece of advice. The time you have with your mother, make it count, make every single moment count."

"Because not everyone has the luxury of having a mother who is alive or has a mother that wholeheartedly loves them for that matter." Naruto added.

Moka contemplated his words in silence, gaze dropping down on the table as his words sunk into her head and made her realize just how fortunate she truly was.

Memories, many of them, almost overwhelmingly so, assaulted Moka as she thought of her childhood and even her teenage years prior to three years ago when her mother separated herself from her father.

She remembered vividly, of how Akasha would always take her to the park to buy ice cream. Of how her mother would always laugh and talk to her about anything. Of how whenever she was really thirsty, her mother would readily offer her neck so that her hunger could be satiated.

Other memories also came to mind, such as how her mother would always, without exception, make a big deal about her birthday and ensured to spend every minute of the day with her. Or how Akasha, in Moka's childhood, would also, without fail, always tuck Moka to sleep every night.

Her father, Issa, was not the most affectionate parent in the world but he was still her father, and for a long time Moka felt as though her life was perfect for having the life and parents that she had.

And then to suddenly lose one of them!? It was quite understandably so that Moka grew to be heartbroken that her family became fractured the way it was.

What made the pill all the more bitter to swallow was that she could not understand why the separation happened or why her father was exiled away.

Moka knew that there was obviously a reason and a valid one at that for why her mother did what she did. But so angry she was that Moka didn't allow herself to understand which ironically enough was what made things all the more bitter.

And so, life had taken a turn for the worse, and Moka, knowing that it was her mother's decision that led to that turn, began to distance herself from the vampire queen.

That had been three years ago.

Was she still angry with her mother? Undoubtedly so.

But…

She still loved her mother.

Deeply so.

Angry or not, Moka couldn't just lose the feelings of love that she harbored for the woman who tucked her to bed every night in her childhood.

That love didn't just fade away nor did it lessen in abundance despite their strained relationship.

The idea of not having her mother in her life made her blood go cold. Dangerously cold.

A bit off to the side, Naruto quietly noted the downtrodden look on the visage of the normally guarded vampire, heart clenching tightly before the urge to comfort her overcame him.

""I'm not saying that you're not justified in the way you've been feeling and acting, perhaps it is justified and wholly reasonable, but when it comes down to it, you have the luxury of spending time with your mom that many others don't have and you have the choice to use that time effectively or not. If it doesn't offend you, I'd suggest making use of that time."

Having said his piece, Naruto returned back to quietly finishing the leftover of his dinner, observing from the corner of his eyes how Moka sat completely still, no doubt pondering over everything.

He hoped she would take his advice, for both her sake and Akasha's. One never knew when the time they had with their family would come to an end. He certainly didn't know until he learned of Jiraiya's death, a man he came to view as his own father.

Dispelling the sad thoughts before they'd take root in his mind, Naruto noticed Moka stand up and eye him. Returning her gaze as he too got off his chair, he was mildly surprised when she walked over him and nodded in silent gratitude before walking away.

Hopefully, that meant that Moka would take his advice, honor her end of the bargain from their spar, and try to fix her strained relationship with her mother.

One could only hope. Though he felt pretty optimistic since Moka did seem like a nice person… when she wasn't too busy being an absolute bitch.

SNEEZE!

Naruto heard someone loudly sneeze outside the kitchen and muttered a quick 'bless you' before his thoughts shifted over to Grayfia – he tried not to think too much about her two mini watermelons for breasts – and to the general populace that would either giggle and become pink when they looked at him or glare at him hatefully… depending on the gender of course.

He sighed for the umpteenth time.

When did his life turn into a drama factory? Sometimes it felt like his entire life was a fanfiction.

An absurd kind of thinking that Naruto quickly washed away.

Some handsome guy manipulating his life and choices like that? Completely absurd.

Thousands of people reading about his life and laughing at his misfortune? Also very absurd.

'I must be going insane. Why else would I think like that?' Naruto shook his head and chuckled, there was absolutely no way that he was a character in some guy's fanfic.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Roughly Twenty hours had passed since Naruto had his deep conversation with Moka.

Now nearing Nine o'clock at night, the shinobi stood still, taken by surprise by the event that was currently happening.

One thing that many, many people failed to understand about Naruto was that he was a disciplined and focused individual, he liked to plan things out before executing whatever his plans were. It may have not seemed like that was the case but it was.

He was no Shikamaru with being ten steps ahead, but as someone who aspired to become Hokage… who aspired to be the greatest one ever, Naruto needed to meticulously make plans, solid plans on how to improve the economy. To improve the living standards of all the citizens of Konoha.

To make plans on fostering peace between the hidden villages, though he was still coming up blank on that bit unfortunately.

Being Hokage was more than just about being the leader or the strongest shinobi in the village. Naruto was well aware of that fact.

And wanting to be the greatest Kage in existence meant that he needed to thrive when it comes to the more important aspects of that role, those aspects not relating to fighting whatsoever.

He needed to be a planner, but to be a planner was no simple feat. It was a lifestyle, a kind of mindset that Naruto needed to adopt through constant and consistent attempts of… using, for a lack of a better term.

So that was precisely what he did, starting after a full year of training with Jiraiya, slowly going through the process of making plans and following through them until it became second nature to him.

It was just… normal.

So normal that he would make plans on what he wanted to accomplish for the day, when he needed to accomplish whatever task he needed to fulfill for said day, and so forth.

It was hard to see Naruto as a planner because of his exuberant and playful nature but he was.

How did that relate to him being taken by surprise? Because of all the plans and tasks that he had set out for today, getting kissed on the cheek by the queen of Vampires was not one of them.

The sound of smooching echoed across the hall, Akasha really getting into it as she moaned seductively while forcefully pressing her sinfully plump pink lips into the side of Naruto's visage, not paying any heed to the few, shell shocked servants in the hallway watching the spectacle with eyes wide as dinner plates.

Naruto's eyes were just as wide, frozen in bafflement as this event was not part of the plan.

Not. At. All.

Having just emerged from the shower after intensely training for five hours, Naruto was famished, feeling like he could use some protein and carbs in his system.

It was why he was heading to the dining room.

That was the plan!

He certainly didn't account for Akasha meeting him on his way to the dining hall nor did he account for the otherworldly attractive milf to suddenly embrace him before pressing her kisser on his visage.

Still… all good things had to come to an end eventually, which was why Akasha pulled back, stepping away a step while giggling as Naruto awakened out of his stupor and faintly blushed as he eyed her.

"What was that for?"

An extremely happy smile tugged on Akasha's lips. "Moka spoke to me today."

Oh? He understood now. "And what did you two talk about? If you don't mind me asking."

Akasha closed her eyes and sighed blissfully. "She gave me a chance to explain but before that, Moka was determined to let me know that she loved me." Happiness flooded her being as Akasha opened her eyes and if possible, her smile only grew happier. "She told me that she loved me." She said more to herself than her companion.

The shinobi grinned. "That's good"

She laughed, the sound emanating nothing but pure mirth and utter relief. "Good? No, that is amazing! It has been so long since I heard my daughter utter those beautiful words." A tear trickled down from her eye before Akasha wiped it away. "And something tells me that you're the one responsible for that."

"Not really, me and Moka only talked a bit last night." Naruto sweatdropped. 'After I kicked her ass a few days ago.' For obvious reasons, he wasn't going to include that part.

"It must have been some talk."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head instinctively. "I suppose, I'm glad to hear that she took my advice."

"I won't ask what the advice was. Just know that I am very grateful for what you did." Akasha said genuinely before enveloping the blonde in a tight hug.

He hugged her back. "I didn't really do anything, that's all Moka."

Akasha didn't reply, more concerned with conveying her gratitude than she was talking.

Eventually withdrawing her arms and stepping away, Akasha giggled pleasantly before she inclined her head towards one end of the hallway. "I take it you're hungry."

"Very." Naruto admitted sheepishly. "Say…You wouldn't happen to have a chef that makes ramen do you?"

The vampire queen shook her head. "Unfortunately not."

Such a statement caused Naruto to wallow in depression. "I see…"

Akasha playfully bumped her hips into Naruto. "Hey, don't be too sad. I can easily have the best ramen chefs in the country come to make you ramen."

Stars shone in the shinobi's eyes as he excitedly eyed the shinso vampire. "Really!?"

"Mhmm." She hummed in agreement before she placed her hand on Naruto's back and gently coaxed him into walking with her.

A thought entered Naruto's head and he couldn't help but send the queen both an inquisitive yet concerned look. "Is Moka alright? How did she take the news regarding her dad?"

Akasha sighed sadly as she led them to the dining hall. "She's feeling conflicted. You remember how I explained that he wasn't the kind of man I wanted around Moka?" At Naruto's nod, she continued. "Well the truth is even more complicated than that."

Naruto winced yet said nothing, what could he say?

"Right now, she's coming to terms with what I told her about him and for her perception to change about Issa, her father… it's not easy."

That was putting it lightly, Moka had not exactly been overjoyed when she learnt of the real reason and though she hadn't stormed off in a fit of rage like she had been accustomed to doing so, she hadn't been very receptive either to Akasha's attempt at comforting her through a hug.

A concept that Akasha was both understanding of yet hurt by.

While it was true that Moka had indeed came to her earlier today of her volition and had indeed professed her love much to Akasha's happiness, years of tension between the two had made it hard for the two of them to share that close connection they once shared.

They had reconciled, yes.

But whether the two of them would be close again like how it was prior to three years ago…

The highly fearful and realistic part of Akasha very much doubted that to be the case.

Pushing away those sad thoughts before they'd take a hold of her mind, Akasha chose instead to focus on the positives.

'Just so we're perfectly clear, I still love you mother.'

That sentence, uttered by her normally hard-headed and normally vicious daughter, was spoken today in the softest of tones, a sentence that was repeatedly hammered into Akasha's head.

Hearing her daughter say that she loved her…

And after so long… for the third time today, tears trickled down Akasha's visage before she quickly wiped the salty liquid away.

Naruto frowned at the sight as they entered the empty dining room. "Hey, Moka will come around. Just give her time."

"I know." She sniffled lightly before tossing her gaze to him. Naruto unconsciously relaxed once he noticed the happy gleam nesting in her emerald, green orbs. "I'm just happy that we finally reconnected again." Akasha said before suddenly bowing her head. "Thank you."

Bow.

An action. One that was usually performed as either an act expressing respect or gratitude.

Rarely did a leader perform such an action and more often not when it was rarely done, it was to fellow leaders of equal or higher standing.

Naruto knew what it meant for someone, a leader, a faction leader at that, to be bowing to him. He smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. "It was my pleasure to help, though I repeat that all I really did was give her a bit of advice. It's her who chose to take that advice."

Akasha giggled and shook her head. "Thank you regardless."

The shinobi gave her a thumbs up. "No problem."

Moving her attention to the door on the left side of the room, Akasha clapped twice and didn't have to wait long before a servant entered the room and hurriedly walked over to them.

For the following hour, Naruto and Akasha simply enjoyed a good dinner while basking in each other's company.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Exiting the dining hall after sharing yet another hug with the pink haired vampire, Naruto walked with a spring in his steps back to his room, feeling like he could use a short nap.

A nap that was definitely part of his to do list for today.

Humming lightly as he turned a corner, he accidently bumped into a man and swiftly stepped back, an apology dancing on the tip of his tongue before he noticed the disdain found in the crimson eyes of the tall, pale-skinned man who he unintentionally bumped into.

Naruto's shoulders tensed subtly as he eyed the guy. Warily looking him over while wondering what his deal was.

Something was telling him that whoever this person was, his distaste of the shinobi stemmed from something different than what the usual male population disliked him for.

The unknown man, a noble, Naruto presumed, possessed chin length, straight black hair with numerous thin bangs framing his visage, crimson red eyes, once openly showing the abhorrence he felt towards the blonde, was now masked by a welcoming, friendly gleam.

Naruto already disliked him just for that.

The stranger possessed an angular pointy nose above a thin mustache, high cheekbones along with the sharp jaw were the next features Naruto noted before his gaze drifted to the light stubble of hair found on the man's chin. All that paired with the smooth, acne-free texture of pale skin and it made for a handsome face that could attract admiring glances sent his way from passing female.

He was tall, taller than even Naruto's six foot one frame by two inches.

And dressed in a well fitting white polo with gray pants, one could easily tell that he held considerable muscle mass, his physique heavily resembling that of a lean Olympic swimmer.

To the average and even above average person, whoever this man was, he was intimidating.

Naruto wasn't impressed.

"Apologies my good friend, I hope you're not too peeved."

Barely restraining himself from rolling his eyes, Naruto shook his head before replying politely. "I'm alright."

"That is good to hear." The stranger threw his head back and laughed, this time Naruto didn't bother restraining the urge. "Well I'm afraid I'm in a bit of a hurry so you'll have to excuse me."

Watching silently as the taller man ambled past him, Naruto frowned before deciding to just forget about the unpleasant guy all together.

He had other things he needed to do. To focus on.

Like finally ending that slightly awkward air between him and Grayfia, which admittedly shouldn't be too difficult considering it was mostly him coming from him and not the silver-haired maid.

Walking with a purpose, Naruto made it to Grayfia's temporary quarters in less than five minutes and knocked, waiting patiently by the door for the maid to emerge.

Creak.

The door opened and what greeted Naruto was a pair of confused, yet sharp and icy gray eyes plastered on a visage that could make men swoon. "Is something the matter, Naruto-Sama?"

Naruto barely withheld himself from gulping, mind flashing back to that short moment four days ago of when he gazed at the most ripe of tits, big, jiggling and bare before his gaze.

With such a flashback, it was only natural that the urge to peek down at Grayfia's breasts surfaced in mind to tempt him, it also didn't exactly help that Grayfia was only dressed in a lacy, light blue nighty.

But preparing for this beforehand, Naruto clamped down on the sinful temptations before gazing at the older woman softly. "Do you have a moment? I'd like to talk to you, it won't take long."

The only sign that conveyed Grayfia's surprise and curiosity was the slight raise in her left eyebrow before she nodded.

"I have time to spare Naruto-Sama. Please come inside." She stepped back to allow the blonde to enter, instantly noting how his gaze rested on the ceiling as he stepped inside before locking the door behind him.

Grabbing his hand, Grayfia led him over to the king sized bed and had him sit there, lips twitching as Naruto kept his gaze upwards the entire time.

Her level of admiration and respect rose up with his insistence to not inappropriately gaze at her body like it was a piece of meat.

If only there were more devils like the strange human before her.

Pushing away her internal musing, Grayfia chose to focus on the matters at hand. "What did you wish to speak to me about Naruto-Sama?"

Naruto sighed embarrassedly. "Just wanted to apologize for the way things have been awkward between us, I didn't really know how to act after seeing your… y'know." Grayfia lightly bit her lips to prevent an amused smile from popping up. "Boobs. Didn't mean to avoid you for the past few days."

The maid shook her head. "You do not have to apologize Naruto-Sama, I was not offended in any manner, and just as I have stated previously, it's only natural for your body to react like that around what it perceives to be an attractive woman."

"I guess, but I'm sorry anyway for sort of avoiding you."

"Once more I must reiterate that the apology is not necessary, but thank you for the considerate thought." She nodded her head in appreciation.

Naruto smiled in relief.

"Also, you don't need to keep staring at the ceiling Naruto-Sama, I am dressed."

"In a nighty."

"A conservative and modest nighty."

Naruto had no reply for that. Inwardly praying to the ramen God that there won't be a repeat of the incident four days ago, namely the nose bleed. He looked down and was hit by a wave of gratitude after seeing that Grayfia was actually dressed.

While his definition of modest was obviously different from hers, it wasn't such a difference that he would pull an Issei.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Somewhere in Kuoh

Issei sneezed, loudly, before recoiling in horror.

Matsuda and Motohama joined in on the feeling as that sneeze alerted the girls from the tennis club that they were peeking on them again.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

While definitely an improvement compared to having nothing at all, Naruto still didn't allow himself to stare too much, lest his friend downstairs wakes up. Which is why he kept his gaze on her pearl colored eyes.

A rather easy thing to do as her eyes were nothing short of mesmerizing.

"You may have forgiven me but I still want to make it up to you Grayfia." He told her determinedly.

Grayfia barely quelled the urge to sigh. "I do not require anything Naruto-Sama."

The shinobi frowned. "Are you sure?"

While appreciative of his thought, Grayfia did not want to take advantage of his generosity, besides as the queen of Lucifer, she had an image that she needed to uphold "I am."

Naruto nodded tiredly. "Alright, but if you change your mind, just know I'm happy to make it up to you."

Grayfia sent him a small, rare smile. "Thank you Naruto-Sama."

He grinned in response, a shy, boyish grin that complimented his handsome features well. Grayfia noted appreciatively.

"Now that we're past that, I was thinking that in a day or two, we could go to the Norse faction, what do you think?"

Grayfia blinked, surprised. "You're asking me, Naruto-Sama?"

Giving her a weird look, he slowly nodded. "Well yeah, I mean if we're traveling together then that makes us partners."

Shaking herself out of her stupor. Grayfia sent him another smile. Touched by his thinking.

She really needed to stop smiling around this silly human boy. Though he did seem to have a talent of drawing out one from her. "The Norse are a good option, they are a pretty welcoming group though they can be…" Grayfia sighed tiredly. "Rowdy."

"Nothing wrong with that." He replied cheerfully.

A rare grunt escaped her before she schooled herself, her normally emotionless expression back in play. "And I'm okay with traveling anywhere you wish to go, Naruto-Sama."

"W-"

Boom!

Immediately, Naruto lost his balance and tumbled down as a large explosion shook the very estate he was standing on.

Getting up instantly after the surprise rumble, Naruto looked over at the surprised queen as she stood up instinctively. "I'll go check on Moka and Akasha, get changed quick and help everyone else in need of helping."

Snapping out of her shock, Grayfia nodded and watched as Naruto swiftly exited her room.

'What the hell is going on now?' Naruto internally wondered.

A quiet mumble of Kage Bunshin had fifty clones materialize in the hallway with him before they each scattered in a flurry of leaves.

Running to where he suspected was the general location of the explosion. Naruto soon arrived in less than half a minute, standing alongside the visibly enraged Moka and grimacing at the sight that greeted him.

End.

Phew, that was a bit harder to write than expected, next chapter as you can imagine is gonna involve a battle scene so that's gonna be fun.

I say that sarcastically, unfortunately, I've never been very good at writing battle scenes. I'll try my best.

Anyway, I do hope you all enjoyed this chapter guys, this chapter is more of a fluffy one before things take a more serious turn in the next one.

There are more chapters on my site, Chapter 13, 14, and 15 are posted on my p.a.t.r.e.o.n Feel free to check it out lads, here's the link

www.#patr#eon.#com/Demon_Knight939 (Just remove all the hashtags)

Let me know your thoughts and till next time guys.

Take care.

Peace.