Humanity's Stranger

by Titosch

Angels, Devils, Demons, Yokai, Gods. Compared to that humans were nothing. Ants, barely worth any attention. But they shouldn't be treated that way, and someone had to make sure they weren't. Someone strong enough to force the issue, if need be. Why he identified with them so strongly he didn't know. Just a technicality? Or something deeper, something more profound? Did it matter?

4. Chapter 4

Humanity's Stranger

Xenovia overextended again, and Griselda punished her with a strike to the wrist that would have broken bone if she had put her full strength behind it.

Her student retreated warily, switching her sword from one hand to the other. The wrist had to be aching terribly but beside a short grunt Xenovia made no noise of discomfort, still ready for further attacks. The training had not ended.

Griselda advanced on her, focusing on the injured side. Cruel, certainly, but devils or any other unholy creature would do no less.

Xenovia managed to defend well, blocking or parrying her attacks when she could and dodging the others. However, she could find no window to return any attacks, all of her energy being spent on defense.

Eventually, though, something would give. Griselda continued her barrage of attacks, her student retreating under them while doing her best to defend.

Further and further she pushed her, the confines of the training room they were using a problem that Griselda knew Xenovia was aware of, even occupied as she was.

Two steps before her back would impact the wall, Xenovia locked their swords and used her own to push Griselda's to the side and down, opening a window for her to move in the opposite direction.

Griselda allowed her weapon to be pushed, unconcerned with the freedom she was giving her student. She still had a second hand after all.

She lashed out with a fist, catching Xenovia's cheek before she could get out of range.

Xenovia flinched, bringing her arms in front as quickly as possible but Griselda exploited the moment of lost control.

A precise kick to the uninjured arm had Xenovia's sword clattering to the ground. Griselda brought her own weapon around, the tip pointed right at her student's throat.

She could see the frustration in Xenovia's eyes, the aggravated glance she threw at her injured wrist without really thinking about it, but she held the position.

One second, two seconds.

Griselda lowered her weapon, wordlessly calling an end to the spar.

Xenovia relaxed, the pain she was in now clear on her face. She held her wrist, careful not to move that hand any more than absolutely necessary.

Griselda suppressed any sympathy. She did not like hurting her student, but if she wanted her to survive, she couldn't hold back in training. Every Exorcist faced an uphill battle when they fought their targets. Holding back now would only get Xenovia killed later.

Picking up the fallen weapon she placed both practice swords to the side of the room. Xenovia joined her there, accepting a bottle of water after she sat down.

"How bad is it?" Griselda didn't think any bones had broken but all the hits would certainly bruise.

"I'll manage," Xenovia bit out, as stubborn as always.

With a deep sigh Griselda reached over and took Xenovia's hurt wrist in hand, carefully feeling along the bones for any damage. She was no doctor, but she had learned what she could. Physical injuries could look worse or better than they really were, being able to tell was valuable.

"It's not broken. But get it looked at later. If you're lucky Diethelm is available."

Xenovia reclaimed her arm and held the cool water bottle to the injury.

"You did well today but you still focus too much on your opponent's sword. Watch your opponent not their weapon. That way it won't matter what they wield, you'll have a chance to counter."

After a moment of rebellious silence Xenovia accepted the advice she was trying to impart.

"I understand."

Griselda nodded to herself but stayed seated, knowing that Xenovia would ask what she wanted eventually. Pushing would only make her clamp up.

"Anything new in the investigation?" she asked finally, though it had only been a few days since their return from France.

"Our last information places Excalibur Nightmare somewhere in China, but we aren't supposed to interfere. As for Transparency." She shrugged. "Our teams haven't found much of anything. There has been one other development though."

Xenovia looked interested now, her efforts to appear aloof and unconcerned forgotten for the moment.

"An anonymous source," Griselda almost snorted in amusement, Naruto had been busy, "has given us a lot of new information. It's all but confirmed that Valper is responsible, and it seems like Naruto was right in doubting Azazel's involvement. Apparently, a young Fallen, Meriviel, stole the case we found and disappeared. Most likely she is also a part of this. We are already looking for her."

"Do we know anything about her location?"

"Not really. Maybe she is with one of the fragments, maybe she's just keeping a low profile somewhere in the underworld. It is hard to tell right now. For now, we'll have to wait on any new orders," Griselda finished.

She took a sip of her own water, giving Xenovia a few seconds to work through everything.

"Enough down time, get that wrist looked at and I'll meet you at six." Standing up Griselda collected the practice weapons and turned to leave the room.

"Griselda?"

She stopped in front of the doors and turned her head to look at Xenovia.

"Yes?"

"How long have you known Naruto?" she asked, a pensive frown creasing her brow.

"It's been about six years now, I think. Why?"

"I could tell how dangerous he was. But you seemed relaxed with him there. I have been wondering how you met," Xenovia said. Not the whole truth, Griselda judged, but part of it.

"I was on a mission — a vampire infestation in Ireland — and even back then he was a known asset. Vasco has known him for a lot longer than I have, but he hadn't been hired, he just happened to be in the area. I don't think he ever told me why he was really there." Griselda couldn't help but chuckle slightly, remembering how she had acted then.

"I hadn't heard anything about him before and it was one of my first missions as a squad leader. I didn't want him there, interfering, but he fit right in. You probably noticed that he isn't exactly a normal person." Most Exorcists weren't either. What they trained for, what they fought; really, what many of them died for, no one entirely normal would think to willingly face it every day.

Xenovia nodded her head.

"We worked together and put down the parent vampire. He's good, really good. Better than anyone I have ever seen. Clean up took a whole day and he helped out, so we got to talking. We parted ways afterwards and met on missions sometimes," Griselda explained.

Her student seemed to accept the story well enough. Before she could turn away again Xenovia raised her eyebrows, as if she had stumbled across something she didn't understand.

"Wait, he looks maybe thirty even with the white hair. How much longer could Cardinal Strada know him?"

"I know that they met during the Second World War. But that may not have been their first meeting. I never asked," Griselda answered honestly.

"Seco-! He's an old geezer!" Xenovia exclaimed, forgetting her manners for a moment.

Griselda gave her student a look of gentle reprimand. "I do not know how old he truly is. It is one of many mysteries around him."

"Sorry." Xenovia adopted a sheepish grin.

"But I know the most important thing. He protects humanity, the same as us. For a price, certainly, and not a small one, but as long as he acts in accordance with our own interests, he is a valuable asset and ally. Now come on, before your wrist gets any worse."

Griselda opened one of the doors. Behind it stood a surprised young man, one hand raised to knock, a sheaf of papers in the other. Too young to be fully trained but old enough to go on missions.

He stepped back in surprise before addressing her, "Sister Quarta, this just came in." He handed over the papers he had been carrying.

She quickly scanned the first page, skipping past most of the irrelevant details. Griselda heard Xenovia approaching from behind but focused on the report, motioning for the newcomer to start explaining even as she flipped to the second page.

"A new report just came in. We tracked some of Valper Galilei's associates down and found a noticeable shift in activity towards Asia in the last months. From the flight information we can access, there are still a lot of possible locations to cover. We're trying to narrow it down as much as we can, but actionable intel is still sparse."

Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Muan, Shanghai, Taoyuan, Shenzhen…: on and on the list went. She turned another page in the report.

"Ground teams, huh?" Griselda muttered.

"Exactly. Your orders and everything you need is in there." He reached into his robe, producing a small letter, and turned towards Xenovia. "Xenovia Quarta, right? This is for you."

Griselda focused on her own missive. Quickly and efficiently going over the exact parameters set out for her assignment.

After handing over the letter the young Exorcist-in-training excused himself and left, leaving them both with their respective messages.

She looked up after reading one more page, towards Xenovia, who had ripped open the letter and was currently reading it.

"What is it about?"

"Cardinal Cristaldi is coming to the Vatican. I'm supposed to join him in holy sword training."

---

Issei woke up in pain. He usually did, now. His wound had been taken care of by Asia, but that alone did nothing to stop that feeling.

A glance to his headboard told him the time. Nearly two hours past midnight.

Pushing himself up from his bed with only his right arm was a struggle, the motion still foreign to him, but he didn't have any other choice. It was the only arm he had now. Where his left arm had been before there was nothing, not even a stump. The whole arm had been cut off at the shoulder.

The short time that his arm had been there but not really his own anymore had been weird. The feeling had been wrong, moving it had been different, and then it had changed from moment to moment too.

Now there really was nothing there. And yet it still hurt as if there was, like pieces of glass were tearing up his missing arm from the inside.

Gritting his teeth, Issei left his room. It was still dark out, but he wouldn't be able to sleep again. It had been that same way for the last week. He hadn't done much of anything since the injury, Rias had told him to take the time to fully recover and adjust, but he was already sick of it.

Everyone else was still asleep so he was careful not to make too much noise descending the stairs.

The kitchen was dark and quiet, but he welcomed it. His own room had grown crowded even if he was the only permanent resident. Asia, Rias, the others, his parents, a lot of people looked over him and it had only been this night that he had been left alone.

Being looked after by so many beauties had been the stuff of dreams in the past, though when those fantasies included Rias or Akeno or Asia, they were usually scantily clad and he had only a cold at most. The reality wasn't as fun.

He felt terrible, and the others but especially his parents didn't make it easier. They had been shocked then horrified then tried their best to support him, but they didn't really understand, couldn't really understand. Telling them the truth was out of the question, even he could agree with that, but it still left a bad taste in his mouth.

They believed he had been involved in an accident, Rias had told him, when he had woken up in his bed with one arm less than before.

Issei laid his hand on the back of a chair but hesitated to pull it out. He didn't really know what he was doing in the kitchen, but everything was better than staying in his room all day and night.

One more day and he would go back to school. He already dreaded the questions and looks from the students and teachers. His absence had been explained to the school with the same reason that his parents had gotten. Meaning no one but the two peerages at school knew what had really happened.

He pulled out the chair, moving his left shoulder forward to assist with the hand that was no longer there on instinct. Issei threw a frustrated glance at his left and sat down, expelling the frustration he felt with a deep exhale.

That was new too. He didn't think of himself as an angry person. Yuuma or Raynare or whatever her name really was had been the first time he had really hated someone, but the memory of that almost felt like it belonged to someone else.

This was all his own. He had told all of them that he was fine over and over again. That he didn't regret his choice, what he had done, even if it had turned out differently than he had thought. And he didn't, regret it at least. He didn't, couldn't regret that choice. Not when it had saved Rias from that bastard.

But he was angry. Angry at the situation, angry at Naruto, angry at Ddraig, and even a little angry at Rias and the others. But mostly he was angry at himself.

Issei knew he wasn't thinking clearly, but he also had no idea what to do about it. It was a nagging pressure at the back of his mind, always. At least now. Focusing on it only made it worse, but he also couldn't ignore it. It was driving him insane.

Trying to relax just… didn't work. Maybe he just didn't know how to do it right or maybe there was something else. He just couldn't figure it out.

It wasn't supposed to be that way. He had thought about nothing else but getting the power to beat Riser, to save Rias from her marriage. Other things hadn't mattered. He didn't consider them; they weren't important in that moment.

And it had worked, even if it hadn't gone according to plan. He was still too weak to actually utilize that power, but it had been enough to secure a win against Riser.

If only he had been a bit stronger, he could have won earlier and gotten away, or even won without going to such lengths. Then nothing like this would have happened.

He relaxed his fist, the fingernails digging painfully into his palm. Spreading his fingers Issei laid his hand flat on the table, to prevent himself from unconsciously clenching it again.

"Issei-san, is everything alright?"

Issei turned his head in surprise, he hadn't heard Asia come down the stairs.

"Asia! What are you doing up?" He tried to keep his voice down in an effort not to wake anyone else.

She walked down the rest of the stairs, clad only in a white nightdress.

"I woke up and wanted to check up on you, but you weren't in your room." The concern was obvious in her soft tone, and he felt a little bad for a moment.

"Sorry, I just couldn't sleep."

Asia poured two glasses of water and joined him at the table, setting one glass down in front of him.

Issei reached for the glass but didn't drink anything yet, only fidgeting around with it in an effort to distract himself. He wasn't really sure what to say, wasn't really sure if he should talk about his feelings or even how.

They sat like that for a couple of seconds, Asia slowly drinking her water and Issei playing with the rim of the glass. Finally, he took a sip of his own, the cool water serving to clear his head slightly.

"Do you feel ready for tomorrow?" Asia broke the silence between them.

"I'm… I'm not really sure. I guess it will be good to do something else than stay in my room again, but I'm already dreading all the questions and looks." Issei had never been particularly popular or well liked, even before high school, but no one had ever really paid him all that much negative attention either. Usually, he just flew under the radar as long as he didn't actively draw attention to himself.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't do more," Asia said dejectedly, her gaze lowered.

"Hey, you did what you could. It's not your fault, so there is no need to blame yourself," he hastily comforted. Even if he felt a little angry at Asia, for not stopping him from sacrificing his arm and going in without a plan, he also knew that that anger was misplaced.

He had made that choice himself, without telling Asia about it beforehand. Blaming her for that would be a pretty shitty thing to do.

Asia gave him a sad smile, her eyes wandering to his left shoulder for a moment.

"Come on, it's late and we should get back to bed," Issei said. He stood up and drained his glass of water before carefully pushing his chair back under the desk. Asia nodded once and took both of their glasses to the sink before joining him on the way back upstairs.

Neither of them noticed Rias listening from the top of the stairs and she was gone by the time they started climbing up.

---

Kuroka was looking forward to tomorrow.

Her sister hadn't been happy about the events of the engagement party, and Naruto's actions had reflected on her too, but after a few days without contact Koneko had asked for her help with training again.

The whole affair had soured their relationship as siblings a little, frail as it was, but she wasn't deterred by that. With a bit of time, she would make up that lost ground again.

She hadn't given their meeting tomorrow a lot of thought yet. Even with the other training sessions behind them, she didn't feel particularly confident as a teacher. Kuroka wasn't sure if Koneko had anything particular in mind for their training, the message she had gotten had been short and to the point, only covering location and time.

Without an exact idea what to do she had resorted to her usual pastime: Lazing around until something drew her attention. But with a nap just behind her she was in the mood for some kind of activity, she just wasn't sure what that would be.

She could do some training herself of course, but she didn't have a clear goal in mind that she could work towards, making the idea unappealing. And if she asked Naruto the training would escalate in scale, which she wasn't in the mood for. She loved him dearly but in that department their priorities were quite different.

Kuroka tapped a finger to her chin in thought, her eyes moving around the living room in a search for anything that could give her an idea.

What to do, what to do?

Maybe she could look for a job? Money wasn't really something she concerned herself with and neither did Naruto, even if he had amassed an ungodly amount of it, so that part didn't really matter to her.

Her main concern was finding something to occupy a part of her day. Koneko had school and Naruto had his own duties and tasks to take care of, so there was often a lot of time that she had entirely to herself, which normally suited her just fine.

But sleeping and reading and napping and watching TV could only hold her attention for so long.

She had tried different thing in the past. Sports weren't really her thing, anything resembling housework bored her to tears, and instruments tended to be hell on her sensitive ears.

So maybe a job was exactly what she was looking for. But what job? Kuroka had no advanced education to speak of, but sitting in an office all day would be boring anyway. Just watching Naruto work through his paperwork was sleep-inducing, doing any of her own would be even worse.

That still left her with no clear idea what she could do.

Well, maybe Naruto would have one. A smile on her lips Kuroka got up from the couch, straightened her kimono and left the room towards the office, where Naruto was most likely still busy with paperwork. Alyendra had left a few minutes ago, meaning all direct business had been concluded, but that did not mean he was done.

Even with a closed door between them she could hear a pen scratching across a piece of paper. Obviously, her expectation had been correct.

She raised one hand to knock, even if Naruto already knew she was coming anyway, the other reaching towards the door handle.

Before her hand could meet the wooden surface of the door a new presence sprang into existence in the room. Magical energy appeared and coalesced from one moment to the next. One she and Naruto were both familiar with.

"Have either of you changed your minds?" The voice was dull and emotionless, a clear contrast to its child-like pitch. Kuroka heard Naruto write a bit more, probably finishing a line or sentence, before setting down the utensil.

"I have not," he answered calmly.

Kuroka invited herself in. Both inhabitants of the room knew she was there anyway and Ophis had already included her in the conversation.

The Infinity Dragon looked like it had the last time they had met. The body of a female child, pale white skin a stark contrast to the dark clothing and hair, but without any of the emotion and energy of one.

Like two pieces of coal, its eyes held no feeling within them as they scanned the room without really seeing. There was no regard for anything in that empty, ancient gaze.

"Neither have I," Kuroka said after closing the door behind her. Naruto had eyes only for Ophis at the moment, and had she not known him as well as she did, she wouldn't have seen the slight tension in his frame.

It wasn't clear if Ophis had really heard them, never straying from its silent observation, but that was to be expected of the being in the room with them. Ophis had only one goal, one wish in the whole universe, in all of existence: Silence. Nothing else was of concern.

That gaze turned towards Naruto again. "Your chil—"

"Are old enough to make their own decisions regarding this," he interrupted before Ophis could even finish. There was no longer any attempt to hide his hardened gaze. "You will have to ask them yourself, if you wish to know."

The dragon in the form of a little girl stood in the room for a bit longer, before, with a single, acknowledging nod, it left, body disintegrating into thousands of dark purple shards that disappeared without a trace a moment later.

Kuroka looked away from the now-empty space in the room and towards Naruto, tension she hadn't even noticed leaving her body in an unconscious shiver.

He regarded the spot with a pensive frown for a few seconds before exhaling a deep breath. His eyes softened when they met hers, a small smile coming to his lips.

"What do you make of that?"

"Not sure." She shrugged, uncaring, earning an amused grin from Naruto.

"I told you what I suspect of the future," he reminded her. She had listened to his concerns and thoughts, after he had returned from Europe, but had mostly ignored them until now. Her focus had been and still was her relationship with Koneko.

Which didn't mean that she wasn't apprehensive. She didn't know anything of war. Not really anyway.

Humans fought and killed, had been at war even in her relatively short life, but she had never been part of that.

Most supernatural creatures with sense kept out of human wars, at least in the present. In the past that had been different but even then it had been rare. The supernatural warred against the supernatural. That hadn't happened for a long time.

Devils, Angels, and Fallen may technically still be at war but there hadn't been a large-scale conflict between them for centuries. The other factions were similar. None currently warred even if some of them planned to do so. There was a balance between them. A weak, fragile one, but a balance, nonetheless.

And someone would upset it soon.

Kuroka had fought and killed, first on orders, then for her sister, and finally in self-defence, but that was nothing like being in a war.

The idea of staying out of it didn't even cross her mind. She'd get involved, one way or another.

"You think Ophis is responsible?" Kuroka asked while circling the desk.

Naruto gave her a questioning glance, considering the question.

"It's possible, though I can't see how that would accomplish her goals." He hesitated slightly. "I think that whatever Ophis is planning could have war as a consequence, even if unintended. And there are plenty of opportunists out there willing to capitalise."

She pushed him away from the desk in his chair, to make some room, and unceremoniously seated herself in Naruto's lap, his hands two warm spots on her hips.

"So, what can we do about it?" Whatever they decided on, they'd do it together. That was a foregone conclusion.

"We'll have to figure out exactly who is moving behind the scenes first. There're the usual suspects but I don't want to count anyone out. I knew Ophis was getting more active, but I don't know why yet." As he talked Naruto ran his knuckles up and down her sides in a soft caress. This time she shivered for an entirely different reason.

But this was important. She could control herself if she had to.

"Something I can do?"

"Hmm, I have Kazane looking into any rumours or signs. She'll find out what she can, and I have my own theories to work on. That should give us a clearer picture at least. For now, we should both train and prepare. It's been a long time since I really let loose, and I want us to be as ready as possible." For a moment it looked like Naruto wanted to say something else before he changed course. She was immediately curious. "You are training Koneko again tomorrow?"

"Yes." She nodded. "Though I'm not sure what we are gonna work on yet." Maybe she'd just have Koneko work on her accuracy. The chakra bullets had been useful during the Rating Game but there was certainly room to improve. "It'll come to me eventually."

Kuroka looked on expectantly, Naruto matching her look with a neutral one of his own. He broke first.

"Fine, fine," he capitulated with a smile.

Kuroka grinned in satisfaction.

"It's just..." His expressions grew surprisingly serious. That made her perk up. Naruto wasn't one for hesitation. "Everything I know tells me there will be war. And it won't be a small one. Decades, centuries now, the gods have kept their fragile peace. If something big starts, it won't end easily or quickly. There is no way I can stay out of the fight entirely. Whether I want to or not."

His hands sought hers, but he never broke eye contact, a rare spark of desperation in his eyes.

"I've lived through wars, both big and small. This one could take months or years. There is no way to tell. And with gods involved, there is no safety. Not guaranteed." He was rambling now, something keeping him from stating out right what really bothered him.

"I know that," she interrupted, squeezing his hands to get his attention. Kuroka leaned in, her forehead meeting his. "I know that. It will be dangerous. We'll get through it."

Naruto closed his eyes for a deep breath.

"It will be dangerous," he agreed. "Every battlefield is, every warzone is. And if nothing changes everywhere will be a warzone." One last deep exhale. "War is no place for children."

For a moment she thought he meant her sister. If Rias would get involved, Koneko would too. Then she understood why this was difficult for him to say.

'Oh.'

In another situation she would have smiled or even laughed, but that was hardly appropriate here and now. This was clearly not easy for him.

Naruto lived his life by promises. If he gave his word, there would be no stopping him ordinarily.

And he had promised her, once they were both sure about each other and she had made up with her sister, they would start a family of their own, no matter his other involvements.

Before he could go on, she silenced him with a finger.

"You worry about the silliest things sometimes. I want children too, your children, but I want our children to grow up happy and safe. I have waited until now, I can wait until we are both sure that it's the right time."

With their foreheads touching it was only a short trip for their lips to meet. It was a quick, chaste thing, more a peck than a real kiss and yet she relished it all the more.

She felt his hands move to her back, pressing her body to his, until there was no room between them.

Kuroka saw the care in his eyes, felt the relief in his frame, and knew that this man treasured her and their future just as she did.

They spent minutes like that, pressed together in a tight embrace and exchanging occasional kisses.

"I'm thinking about finding a job," Kuroka said eventually, breaking the comfortable silence.

Naruto looked baffled before placing the back of his hand against her forehead, feeling her temperature.

"You don't feel sick," he mused, gently mocking her.

She rolled her eyes, accepting the gentle teasing for what it was. Kuroka was woman enough to admit that the whole idea was uncharacteristic of her.

"I'm serious." She pushed herself up and slapped his chest lightly. "I just need to figure out what I'll do. I thought you'd have some ideas."

"Hmm, I might just have some."

---

Rias barely paid any attention to the biology lesson going on. She was usually more diligent when it came to her studies but for the last few days, she just couldn't bring herself to care.

She should feel relieved, happy, elated even. She didn't get married to someone she abhorred. That possibility had been an ill omen hanging over her head for months, even years. Now it was done and over with, and yet, if anything, she felt worse than she had before.

Why couldn't she have taken those warnings seriously? No one, that didn't mean every single word they said, would have handled that situation like in such a way. And yet she hadn't really believed it.

Kill Issei, just for that? Surely just an exaggeration.

But it hadn't been. If Grayfia and Kuroka hadn't intervened, Issei would have been killed right then and there, and there had been nothing she could have done about it.

Even if she had gotten over her shock quickly enough to act, there was no way she could have gotten through the barrier. The strength she had felt holding that wall, when her demonic energy had responded to her desperate wish to intervene, had been like nothing she had ever experienced.

All her life Rias had been aware of her strength. The power of the Bael, the same power her brother, the strongest devil, wielded.

She knew the strength of her peers.

Sona and her were neck and neck, had been ever since they had become rivals at a young age. Seekvaira, Zephyrdor, Diodora, Riser: some of them were slightly stronger or weaker but the distance was never large. The only exception was Sairoarg, who outclassed everyone else from their generation.

Those were the most powerful young devils, the ones she and everyone else compared her to. Everybody else? They didn't even come close.

In theory, she had known that her brother and Grayfia and their friends were stronger than her. Obviously, she had underestimated just how much stronger they were.

Against that kind of power, she was helpless. Instead of losing his life, Issei had lost only an arm, but that was poor comfort. Maybe, they could have reattached it if they had acted quickly. Magical healing could handle a lot and phoenix tears even more.

That possibility had been destroyed together with Issei's arm.

They had treated the injury as well as possible and after some necessary rest her pawn had started attending school again today.

Some light mental interference prevented the most obvious questions but even that wouldn't prevent Issei from being looked at in surprise and pity.

For that, more heavy-handed interference would have been necessary and like with any mental manipulation the stronger the contrast between suggestion and reality the higher the chance of even a normal human breaking that manipulation. The risk was simply too great.

She understood that, Issei understood that, but she didn't like it at all.

There was no use worrying about it any further though. Rias focused on different things instead, mainly her efforts to get Issei a suitable replacement for his lost arm.

Even if Riser and her marriage to him were behind her, other things would happen in the future. Rias disliked thinking of it like this, but with one arm less Issei's value in a fight had been reduced tremendously. More importantly, she hoped that a prosthesis would help him deal more easily with the loss.

She had already procured the piece. Expensive, certainly, but she had not cared. Even that amount felt low when compared to Issei's willingness to sacrifice an arm for her.

Hopefully it would serve to cheer him up a little, even if he wouldn't be able to use it yet.

Human medicine was certainly impressive, the speed of their progress especially overwhelmed her, but it still had limits.

With the whole arm cut off, getting an ordinary prosthesis that would allow him the full functionality of his hand, much less be usable in combat, was impossible. Instead, the only option for that was a magical prosthesis.

Durable, adaptable, fully functional. The newest magical prostheses had very little downsides. The most important one was the way they functioned.

The user's demonic energy controlled the limb, which required both capacity and control. Issei currently had neither in sufficient quantities, but she hoped that at the very least it would be a tangible goal for his training and a positive sign for the future.

"Gremory-san, I hope I'm not boring you," the teacher interrupted her train of thought.

"Ah." Rias looked up in embarrassment. "I'm very sorry." The man seemed ready to ask further questions but decided against it, simply continuing with the lesson.

She tried to pay attention now, even if her mind wanted to wander again. No use in provoking a lecture.

---

Two empty teacups sat on opposite sides of the table, though there were three available seats that had been recently used. His nose quickly picked up something curious about one of them. Monkey and yet not quite that. The two others were purely human scents.

A strange union. As a general rule Yokai kept to their own nowadays.

The small apartment in Nagoya was no dirtier than any other student's living space, and so far as he could ascertain nothing else was out of place in the small living area and kitchenette.

"Why was he on our radar?" Naruto asked, while opening a large closet. There was a full set of kendo gear inside, carefully arranged to efficiently use the available space. The slightest hint of magic lingered on the equipment, which was the only notable trace of its kind in the home.

"A recently awakened Sacred Gear. Twice Critical, from everything we could gather. It activated unconsciously during a tournament match a few weeks ago, granting him a victory. He was unaware of the fact," Kazane answered from behind him, her tone as neutral as she could make it.

He could hear her veiled agitation all the same, the too sharp syllables as clear a sign as any frown or scowl to him. There had been eyes on the apartment, eyes that had been distracted and inattentive for just long enough, and largely inexperienced to boot.

The dressing down that had followed from Kazane had been entirely justified, and there would be no promotions for the junior operative in the near future. A bit of grunt work first, to drive the lesson home, before a return to watch duties as a chance to prove himself again.

But the truth was that they were stretched too thin trying to cover this much ground. Involving trainees was asking for mistakes to happen.

That consideration brought them no closer to actually useful intel.

Closer watches had reduced the number of disappearances, though not prevented them entirely. Every single one was like a personal insult to her.

"Anything else that was notable?"

"No. Slightly above average grades, happy family life, no one of note among friends or relatives."

"The note was his?" Naruto made his way to the bedroom doorway. The bed had been made, and besides a small bedside table and bookcase filled half with fantasy novels and half with books on engineering, nothing else was in the small additional room.

The monkey-like scent was scattered across the apartment in distracted routes, while the less apparent human trail lingered only in the path from door to table.

"Yes. The handwriting is an exact match with everything else we took a look at in here. Nothing indicates forced formulation either."

"Come on, we have everything we need," he said, patting her on the shoulder as he passed her on the way to the door. There were only so many clans of Yokai that could be responsible for one of the trails.

---

"I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Issei left the classroom with a half-hearted parting wave towards Motohama and Matsuda.

He felt their looks on him, like a physical weight. All day it had been the same. Shock, confusion, pity, he could see them on all the faces that surrounded him. On the way to school, in the halls, in class, even in the bathroom. It was driving him crazy.

Ignoring it didn't work particularly well. Even when he was distracted by other things, moments later he would meet someone's eyes and there it was again. A few students held his gaze even after he picked up on their staring, but most simply averted their eyes.

At first, he had been pestered with questions: What happened? How are you? Does it still hurt?

It hadn't even taken the whole day for the questions to turn into awkward silence in his vicinity and hushed conversations behind his back.

Asia kept giving him worried glances on their way to the old schoolhouse, and he was silently grateful that she didn't talk. That thought felt mean to him, but he didn't really feel like talking with others close by.

They ran into Kiba just before leaving the building, the blonde swordsman greeting them with his usual easy charm.

Together the three of them entered the club room, Rias, Akeno and Koneko already inside. The black-haired queen was setting down teacups before retreating to the side of the room where a steaming pot already waited for her.

"Good, everyone is here now," Rias said, looking up from the papers on her desk.

"Did something important occur?" Kiba asked as the three of them took a seat. Koneko perked up slightly, the cookies in front of her momentarily forgotten.

"Of a sort. There was an urgent report today. A Stray has made a nest in a nearby town."

Issei suppressed the instinct to reach for his left shoulder. Even if he was completely recovered, he was no use in a fight without his arm. His shoulder throbbed for a moment, as if in answer to his thoughts, making him grit his teeth against the pain.

Asia was nervously wringing her hands next to him. She was still uncomfortable with the idea of fighting and especially killing anything, even Strays.

"We are all going?" Koneko picked up another cookie and started nibbling on the sweet treat as she waited for an answer. Issei reached for one of the cups Akeno had filled, the balance still slightly awkward without a second hand.

He had mostly adjusted to that over the last three days. It was still difficult, but at least he wasn't surprised by that anymore. During day-to-day life anyway.

"Yes, but not until nightfall. It is not so far. I didn't forget your training," Rias responded. Koneko accepted the answer with a slow nod and focused back on her eating.

Rias looked at all of them equally before asking her next question. "Any progress on your contracts?"

That brought a trickle of answers from the others. It was almost comforting, really. If he zoned out a bit, he could almost forget that anything had happened at all, that is was just another day in the club room.

"Issei?" He was broken from his thoughts by Rias' question. He felt his face get hot; he hadn't actually meant to tune out the others.

"Sorry, Buchou." Issei lowered his head in apology. "I haven't made any progress."

"Well, I want you to try and focus on that as best as you can." He was confused for a moment but accepted that easily enough. He couldn't let the injury hold him back. He was still part of her peerage. He'd be the best one-armed pawn, if that was what it took.

"I'll do my best, Buchou." Issei tried for a winning smile, but he knew it didn't quite have the convincing effect he was aiming for when he spotted the worry in her expression. He took another sip of the tea, hoping that it would mask the awkwardness he felt.

"I know you will, Issei. I have something for you as well."

She produced a dark rectangular case from under her desk and beckoned him towards her.

Issei hesitated for a moment but obediently put down his cup and stepped closer. He had no idea why Rias was giving him something and even less of a clue what that something could be.

She opened the clasps holding the case closed and turned the opening towards him.

Revealed within was a silver-grey arm, folded at the elbow. Separate, but clearly a part of the object, was a ring of the same colour about the same size as his palm.

He reached out with his hand, carefully running it over the cold metallic limb. Along its surface were different markings and carvings, but he had no idea as to their purpose or function. Despite that, it was easy enough to understand what he was looking at.

"Thank you, Buchou." He didn't know what else to say.

"You won't be able to use it yet. It's powered by magic, and you don't have the control you need for that," Rias cautioned. "If you continue with your training and contracts, I think it will take a month at most. But I thought you should see it now."

He lowered his hand back to his side, tearing his eyes from the prosthesis. Determination rose in him, and he clenched his fist.

"I'll work hard, Buchou!"

---

"Um, what did you need from me, Grayfia-san?"

The grey-haired woman had appeared in the club room just as Issei was about to set out to try and work on his contracts, and then told them that she had some things to talk to him about.

They were in an adjacent room now, to give them some privacy and to let Rias do her own work in peace. Grayfia folded her hands and considered his seated form before beginning. "I am here to discuss the events of the engagement ceremony with you."

Issei flinched on the couch and his shoulder throbbed dully at the reminder. He had to suppress the reflex to raise his remaining hand to the healed-over spot. Most of that day was an unclear haze by now, but he could still remember the moment his left arm was cut by an invisible blade, leaving agony in its place.

"What about it?"

"Do you understand why things transpired as they did?" she asked, still standing.

"'Why?'" he echoed, slightly confused. "Because I sacrificed my arm for power, right?"

Grayfia nodded her head.

"Yes, but the true issue is a deeper one. Sacrifice in exchange for power is a truth of the world, of life itself. Time, effort, money, blood, senses, souls, morals, even body parts." She gave him a heavy look. "Yielding one to gain something else is not uncommon, though the methods differ in results, and had you been born with any other Sacred Gear things would not have happened this way. Most likely, you would have never encountered Naruto in your life."

"It is specifically the act of sacrificing your body to the Dragon of Domination contained in the Boosted Gear that led to the events that occurred. You recall your first meeting with Naruto, yes?"

Issei nodded his head, that memory still clear in his mind, though much of it was taken up by his first impression of Riser.

"He is a…" Grayfia seemed to look for the right words for a moment, "a guardian of humanity, you could say. The Heavenly Dragons are capable of untold destruction should they be left to their own devices. Especially should they happen to meet."

He tried to wrap his head around anybody calling a guy like that a guardian, not to mention of humanity, considering what he had done to him.

Grayfia continued to look at him with her inhuman red eyes, and Issei suddenly remembered that the person across from him wasn't a human at all. And he wasn't really either, not anymore.

"So… it's because I was turned into a devil?"

She shook her head in denial. "No. Had you not been turned and awakened your Sacred Gear some other way, Naruto would have sought you out just the same. Had you been human in the same situation his actions would have been entirely identical."

"But you said he is a guardian of humans, right? Why would he attack me anyway?"

"Humanity, not humans," Grayfia corrected, though it only left him even more confused.

"Doesn't that mean the same thing?"

"No, it does not." She sighed and sat down in the plush chair right behind her. "Humans, most of them any ways, will act as they will. Good or bad, they choose their actions, outside interference notwithstanding. What they do cannot compromise humanity itself and its continued existence. Well, there is one thing now, but that is an exception, and intentional besides."

"What is that?" Issei asked, trepidation worming its way into his voice. Somehow, he didn't think he would like the answer to his question.

"All-out nuclear annihilation," Grayfia answered matter-of-factly.

"Oh."

She moved on again, as if what she had just said was of little concern. "Any one human life is largely irrelevant to the continued existence of humanity. Though arguably, some of them are detrimental to it. The Heavenly Dragons are an entirely different matter. Utterly incomparable."

Grayfia shook her head, as if the very idea of doing so was somehow humorous to her.

"How often they have clashed no one knows, but they are bitter rivals. And when they did clash in the past, before being imprisoned in their respective Sacred Gears, they unfailingly left wanton destruction in their wake. Humans, to them, are like ants, and given no more concern than that. They might not necessarily intend that level of destruction, but they cause it all the same."

Silence reigned for a few seconds, as Issei tried to wrap his head around Grayfia's words.

"But that means everything is fine now, right? He cut off my left arm, so there is nothing to worry about anymore."

Grayfia's red eyes softened as she looked at him, making her look almost motherly for a moment.

"No. The flesh you granted him in return for access to his power might have been used to shape a doorway in time. Cutting off your arm denied Ddraig that avenue of freeing himself from his imprisonment for now, but it did nothing more than that. The Boosted Gear is part of your very being, attached to your soul since birth. And the exchange you made was not restricted to only your physical body."

She looked at him imploringly. "Your left arm was the natural first step, considering that it is the Boosted Gear you harbour, but the right will likely work just as well after a bit of training. That also means that Naruto is not finished with you yet."

Cold dread ran down his back in a shiver. Issei knew what that meant, now. He hadn't, at first, but that single taste had been more than enough. His shoulder throbbed again.

"He'll come after me."

Grayfia nodded at him, hands in her lap. "Should you give him cause to act again, most definitely. Your life was preserved by gamble, one that worked out once but will not again. If you intend to live much longer, I advise not testing him. Why he does what he does, I cannot tell you. I know only that he has done so for centuries by now, and he has no intention of stopping. Not with you and not with those that follow after."

She said it with such clear and simple finality that Issei could not help but listen. If he had done so the first time, maybe things would be different now, but he had not. Threats of lethal violence, made so casually, had seemed weird and out of place before. A poor attempt at humour or bluster, and unfunny at worst.

Now, he knew them to be the honest truth.

"What do I do, then?" Issei asked, as Grayfia stood to leave. Asking her that seemed silly right after he had said the words, but it looked like he didn't know enough about anything to find it out by himself.

"Train and make contracts as Rias' pawn. Go to school. Do whatever it is you intend to do with your life. The Boosted Gear gives you access to a lot of power, if you are capable of finding a way to wield it. Only avoid giving to the dragon within, whether an arm, a leg, or anything else."

Her piece said, Grayfia stepped away, a light magic circle appearing beneath her feet. "I wish you a good day." The glowing sigil quickly swallowed her, leaving no trace of her former presence.

---

Xenovia took the initiative again. Pushing her tired body to move with the same energy as if she hadn't just spent two hours sparring. A devil wouldn't care that you were exhausted. No unholy creature cared about a human's weakness.

She attacked with ferocious, heavy swings, leaving little opportunity for counterattacks. Irina was well trained but so was Xenovia and she was stronger.

She pushed Irina back, swing after swing. Made her give ground, unless she wanted to meet the attacks head on.

A side swing forced Irina's defense wide open, and Xenovia stepped into her personal space shoulder first. She pushed her back and into a stumble while bringing her own sword around. In a real fight Xenovia would have gone for a decapitating cut but this was only sparring.

Irina caught herself on her back foot, her free hand thrown out to balance herself and her sword still forced wide. Xenovia stopped her sword next to Irina's throat, ending the spar in her favour.

"Well fought, both of you," Cardinal Cristaldi announced from the side and turned away to oversee one of the other spars going on in the training hall.

Xenovia relaxed her stance and tried to slow her breathing. Even that relatively short exchange had her heart beating like a drum after hours of training. She looked around at the other fights, almost unconsciously critiquing stances or footwork in her head.

She and Irina were the oldest trainees in the room. Fully trained Exorcists were always in demand, and out on missions as often as possible. Only trainees had been invited to this training 'event', some of them as young as eight. Still there weren't many in the room. They had started out with twenty and that number had been cut down after the first two days.

The ritual was still clear in her mind. She was one of three trainees that hadn't undergone the procedure, but all the others in the room had. A small cannister, silver and blue and purple and gold, then a flash of light, holy light, that sank into the skin.

It had strengthened them, made them capable of wielding holy swords. Now they all trained to do so effectively.

Xenovia spied Irina shaking out her hands, her sparring sword propped against her leg.

"Man, my hands are still tingling," Irina complained good-naturedly.

"Sorry." Xenovia grimaced. She had been pretty rough at the end.

"No worries. I should have been more careful." Irina gave her an easy smile. The brunette was a lot more outgoing than Xenovia, but that made getting along with her uncomplicated in a way she appreciated.

Another spar drew to a close and Cardinal Cristaldi efficiently pointed out any flaws and mistakes before moving on to the next and final pairing still fighting.

Xenovia watched the two young students as they carefully exchanged testing blows.

They were being too cautious, trading blows with the aggression appropriate when facing another human. But the things they hunted weren't human, even if some of them could look like it. There was no sense probing your opponent when some powerful vampires or devils could overwhelm your mind with a simple look and a werewolf in a lunar rage would attack with wild, unrelenting savagery.

Exorcists were always facing an uphill battle against their targets. Hesitation and caution would only get you killed. Griselda had often told her she was too aggressive with a sword, but Xenovia thought that better than the alternative. There was no winning on your back-foot.

Irina winced in sympathy next to her when one of the blows struck true, only the blunted edge keeping half the leg from being exposed down to the bone. It would bruise, significantly, but the pain would be the best possible teacher. The next time he would remember not to let his guard rise too high.

Two more exchanges and the spar ended with predictable results. Leg wounds, even if not bloody ones, were quite debilitating.

"Good work, everyone," Cardinal Cristaldi said, once he had given both students some personal words of critique and encouragement, and everyone had gathered to him. "As you continue to work on your stances and movements, I want you to keep in mind why we are doing this. You have all learned how to fight with an Exorcist's tools, to varying degrees, but a true holy sword is quite different."

Xenovia watched the Cardinal raise one of the practice blades they had been using, so that everyone had a clear view of the blunt steel.

"Do not think of holy swords as simply another blade. You will wield it like one, mostly, and many principles will be carried over, but they are fundamentally different. Each true holy sword is unique, and you will have to learn to wield each one on its own terms. A process that can take many years until mastery is achieved."

A few of the Cardinal's attendants came over from the side on a well-practised signal, carrying ornamented cases with them.

The other trainees began showing their excitement immediately, even after the last days, but Xenovia was long since used to the experience of seeing and wielding a holy sword.

Cases were opened and the younger students crowded around to get a look, though they had enough presence of mind not to touch the weapons without express permission.

As everyone else focused on the uncovered swords, Xenovia turned her own focus inwards while clutching her rosary by the cross. She had no need for these other blades, though she could wield them perfectly well. Even other holy swords were usually not as choosy as her own.

Extending an opened hand forward, she waited for Cardinal Cristaldi's seal of approval before summoning the legendary sword of Roland to the world.

'Catherine, Agnes, George. Holy Mother Mary. Hear my plea.'

Golden shimmers coalesced and took shape before her eyes, and immaterial chains chimed with the sound of a bell before dispersing into motes of light, leaving only the weapon itself awash with holiness and power.

Her fingers tightened around the long two-handed hilt just as the radiance faded away, leaving Durandal behind, resplendent in all its glory.

The wide, long blade felt heavy in her hand, as it always did. The weight of its potential and might pushing on her shoulders.

---

Naruto traversed a world of snow and ice.

Jötunheim was usually a very pleasant place, but here, deep in the mountains and with an unexpected snowstorm suddenly rolling in, things were not quite usual.

The cold did not affect him as it did most creatures, but he was still wearing a layer of wool and furs. Though he could still feel winter's grasp even with his abilities, it was the wish for his arrival to remain unknown that had been the deciding factor.

Snowshoes crunched into the white carpet covering everything in sight as he continued walking a path he knew by heart, no matter the many years since he had been here last.

Ordinarily, many different animals would have encountered him already, but a storm this fierce kept even the creatures adapted to enduring this environment from most activities.

So he walked on alone, only the crunch of his shoes and the icy wind howling through the pass there to keep him company.

The path brought him up the highest mountain, higher, ever higher, until he finally reached the summit hours later, where not even trees kept the wind at bay. It drew at him, trying to steal his warmth, but it was not capable of the feat.

From up there, the world was hidden away by dark clouds and snow.

Naruto continued on his way, descending the mountain again on the other side, towards a long ravine that contained his goal. Woods covered both sides and a small river that originated in the eastern mountains crossed the dividing path from right to left.

He cleared the water in one bound, and continued walking, senses on high alert despite the relative peace that surrounded him.

Before long, a familiar silhouette took shape in the distance.

With the hunting lodge visible in its full size, two separate shadows came forward to meet him, their eyes glowing under the dark grey sky.

Low, rumbling growls sounded a warning through the falling snow, demanding he not come a step closer. Naruto stopped in place, letting the wolves come to him, their hackles raised and lips drawn back to expose sharp teeth.

One circled right, while the other came towards him straight on.

He presented his right hand to the leading animal, allowing it to take a measure of him. The large wolf stood nearly to his chest, far outstripping its ordinary cousins, and when it took his scent Naruto felt the primal magic in its being taking effect.

One whiff was more than enough for the animal to ascertain that this was not a confrontation it wanted to engage in. He was capable of the same feat, though doing it as he was in this moment was far less instinctual.

Lowering its head, the wolf accepted his touch without complaint, any signs of aggression fading away, allowing him to run his fingers through the shaggy fur between the ears. The other wolf, a female to this male, he realised, came slinking over from the side, encouraged by what was most likely her mate's behaviour.

Naruto snapped his head to the left, trying his best to penetrate the snowfall and darkness. He could feel when he was being observed.

Hidden from view among the many trees, he heard the flapping of small wings, quickly creating distance from him. He could not help but scowl. 'Damn.'

Shaking his head, he scratched both of the wolves behind their ears a moment longer and began walking again. "Run along now."

Both of them bounded past him, nipping at each other's heels as they moved back towards the two-storied lodge, where a small area next to a collection of firewood allowed them to escape the cold downpour and wind. The windows of the building were closed tightly, shutters allowing not even a glimpse of the inside, but the smoke billowing from the stone chimney spoke of life on the inside.

After two loud knocks Naruto pulled the heavy wooden door open and stepped into the room beyond.

A fire roared in a big hearth at the back of the room, making the large, open space almost uncomfortably warm, an effect he knew well to be entirely intentional.

Closing the door before the cold could get a foothold, he began shedding the outer layers of fur and wool and hung them on a hook attached to the inside of the door. Placing his snowshoes near the door, where a pair of skis waited for the next hunt, he stepped into the room proper.

His senses told him where the lodge's sole occupant was and what she was engaged in, but Naruto simply waited in the main room, content to let her finish her work. Depositing his pack on the low wooden table, he felt his gaze be drawn to the many hunting trophies littering the walls.

Many, he was already familiar with, but there were a few new additions since he had been here last.

A few new bears and wolves, whose furs were no doubt warming his feet, a boar skull or two he could not recall, and others that had taken the place of pieces he remembered.

Right above the hearth, where the largest trophy in the room found its place, was a gigantic moose skull, its antlers nearly doubling his arm span in width. Judging by the size, the beast must have been truly impressive to behold.

Movement from the doorway leading to the kitchen area reached his ears, but he did not turn quite yet, taking another moment to appreciate the symmetry of the giant antlers.

"What brings a visitor to my home, trekking through storm and snow?"

"The wish to see an old friend," he answered, turning, just as the other speaker came into view. Dark blue lines of ink criss-crossed bared skin, accentuating a lithe, yet womanly shape, the only piece of clothing a large, grey wolf fur cloak trailing behind her that covered nothing at all except for the top of her head from his view.

The skin of her hands was still reddened slightly, a mark of the carcass she had just been working on.

Naruto could not help his eyes from tracing the lines starting near her narrow jaw as they travelled downward in swirls and arcs, following the veins in her neck to her tooth necklace where they split into multiple strands flowing down her body. A few curled over and along her breasts before they met in the middle to curve around her navel and track a suggestive path further down to get lost in the hair between her legs. "It has been too long, Skadi."

Her grey eyes seemed to glow in delight, a smile curling her lips. Crossing her arms below her chest, she leaned against the wooden door frame, uncaring of her nakedness. "Well, well. This has certainly turned out to be an interesting day. To see you again after so many years. Have you come to give me another child?"

"Not today, no." He shook his head. "I brought gifts, and thought we might have the opportunity to talk, since this is no time for hunting."

Skadi stalked towards him, every step precise and measured, and a hunger that was uniquely her reflected in her gaze. When she reached him one hand rose to trace his jaw, while the other pushed up the wolf head that acted as her hood. Her lip curled in displeasure, index finger tapping the side of his throat. "You still carry that mark after all this time."

"The influence of a goddess is no easy thing to throw off," Naruto answered, well used to her reaction. It was a matter of territory, for her, one that only made her act out more.

"As you are, perhaps. But no matter. There are hours yet in the storm, we have enough time for everything," she said, immediately switching topics again, her suggestion clear. Her hand drew a path down his neck and chest, fingers gliding over the linen tunic he wore, her goal beyond obvious. Naruto could admit that he wanted it too, but he had come here on business. That came first.

His right hand stopped her path further down, gently yet insistingly holding her wrist. "I am serious."

Grey eyes became harsh as winter for a moment and her pretty mouth grew petulant. Before the room could adopt any mark of frost he matched her challenge with equal insistence, not giving an inch.

Skadi relented just when he thought things might get difficult between them, the hard edge leaving her face, and the air of power that had surrounded them both fading away. "Very well, another time. Gifts, you say?"

She turned away, walking towards the low table and the seats scattered all around, before lingering without taking a seat anywhere.

Naruto picked up the pack he had brought and sat on a wide, backed wooden bench covered with bear furs. Before he could open the bag to present his gifts, Skadi discarded her wolf cloak and sat in his lap, naked as the day she was born. She had all of a hunter's tenacity and patience, after all.

He did not protest, simply shifting so that he could still reach everything he had brought.

The first thing he took out was a large canteen, the liquid inside audibly sloshing around. "Mead," was the only thing he managed to say, before Skadi snatched it from his fingers, opened it, and took a whiff.

"If you wanted to distract me from having relations, bringing me this is not helping you. It has been centuries," she said, the smile clear in her voice. Then she took a small sip, head tipping back as she savoured the rich flavour in every drop. "Ah, it really hasn't changed. How did you even get this?"

Skadi stood from her spot and bustled over to a nearby cabinet to collect two carved wooden cups, all the while allowing him a generous view of her toned behind and long legs.

"I have my ways," he answered evasively, the comment about her last taste already filed away. Even other Aesir could have a hard time getting any of Heidrun's mead from Odin, but the All-father was certainly not beyond using it to pretty up others during a negotiation, or while announcing plans for war.

In truth, he had come to possess an entire cask of the sought-after drink a long time ago, and tricked Thor into taking the fall for it. The god still harboured a grudge for that.

She returned to the table, his view shifting to her bust, and filled both cups with the rich mead.

Naruto raised his drink, and Skadi followed along. "To good hunting," they toasted. Wood clicked against wood, and they drank.

The honey flavour was strong, and the burn of alcohol pleasant in his throat; an invigorating fire that spread throughout his body, setting every one of his nerves to tingling. It woke hunger in him, of many different kinds. For drink, for feasting, for a woman. For war and battle and conquest. For more. Ever more.

He opened eyes he did not even remember closing, the room's ceiling greeting him with familiar patterns in dark wood. He exhaled deeply, returning his mind to peace against the protests of certain parts of himself.

Every day the Einherjar, Odin's army of warriors fallen in battle, drank their fill on this brew. And they waited, eagerly, for the day that the All-father called to war once more or Ragnarök finally came.

Skadi placed her cup back on the low table, satisfaction written plainly across her sharp features. Then she circled back around to his bench and reclaimed her former seat with a pleased hum, her body hot against his own.

How exactly the brew affected a goddess, he could not say, but he didn't really care at the moment. Her scent was blood and fur, unsurprisingly, but there was also pine and spruce and mountain air, and below even that the sharp bite of a cold winter morning.

Naruto leaned forward with her in his lap, letting his own cup join hers on the table, one arm wound around her waist and pressing her close, and told himself that it was only the effects of the mead. Then he reached for his pack again.

The next thing he produced was a rustling leather pouch. Loosening the strap holding it closed, he fished out one of the many identical objects inside.

"Hunting heads, made of dwarven steel." He ran the pad of his index finger along the bladed head, a drop of blood immediately swelling from the cut produced by even the lightest of pressures.

Skadi eagerly accepted the arrowhead he had taken out, his wound already completely healed again.

Near everything that she used she made herself, from bone or wood or hide and fur. Anything else was a matter of gifts and offerings, though the surrounding mountains were rich in many different ores and their bounty hers to claim.

"I already have just the beast in mind," she said, twirling the arrowhead between her fingers while seemingly already picturing the hunt in question. Eventually, she dropped the piece of sharpened steel back into the pouch, tightened the strap, and placed it on the table next to the cups. She turned her head slightly, one mischievous grey eye looking at him from over her shoulder. "Next?"

Chuckling to himself, Naruto fished out two gifts. There were both wrapped in pieces of cloth, to keep them from scratching against anything else. Putting the smaller one to the side for now, he began uncovering the larger of the two objects.

It was a large, sturdy goblet made of multi-coloured glass ranging from the lightest blue to a cold grey, the base and stem covered in encroaching patterns of silver.

The glass body was patterned with minute details to display a hunting scene. Skadi, laying low a mighty beast with bow and arrow as it tried to escape through the forest. The goblet was more artwork than it was simply a drinking vessel, and he was very happy with the way it had turned out.

Skadi accepted the goblet carefully, turning it in her hands to get a view of every side.

"Set it down." Naruto scooted forward, bringing her with him, and reached for the canteen of mead. Unscrewing the top, he poured, filling his gift with the dark golden liquid and bringing out the true effect of the artwork.

Placing down the canteen he reached for the second wrapped object, giving her a few moments to fully take in the goblet. She raised it into the air, letting the light from the candles and oil lanterns play across the coloured glass and alcohol.

"It works better with darker liquids," he added, nodding at his pack, the object in his hands still hidden from curious eyes by a length of cloth. "I brought some wines as well, though they're far from being as exalted as this."

After a few more moments of inspection, Skadi placed the goblet back down. "Is it dwarven work as well?"

"No. This was made by a human, a talented glassmaker from Murano. His family has enjoyed my patronage for some centuries by now."

"How very curious. I had not thought they would ever rival the quality of dwarven craftsmanship."

"For many things, they still don't, but they come remarkably close in certain regards." Dwarven metallurgy and smithing were simply superior on average, and the gap in masonry was even bigger, but that was not the case everywhere, especially in comparatively newer disciplines.

Svartalfheim housed exactly two gunsmiths as far as he was aware. Admittedly, both large workshops with dozens of workers, but they contented themselves with flintlock technology and little beyond that.

There was also the fact that styles were far more varied among humans, even though they lacked certain skills.

Uncovering his final gift, Naruto held it out in front of her, his free hand coming to rest on her stomach, where he could feel toned muscles flex unconsciously beneath his touch.

It was a ring of white gold, slightly wider than normal. Moonstone shaped a flying owl in the cool silvery metal and yet that was far from everything. With every blink or additional glance, the image shifted to depict something else.

A snake dripping a small poisonous emerald, an elk of smoky quartz with its antlers reaching around the entire band taking up near half the width, and then a huntress in grey tracking a boar through a field of trees. Aquamarine was a blue sky over mountains, then a small stream in a clearing, and then a frozen lake and the stars in the night sky above.

Again and again, it changed, smoothly shifting between carvings and materials, until it was the moonstone owl again and the cycle started anew.

"You might make it a part of your war gear or formal attire," he added, knowing well that she did not even consider anything decorative for her hunts. Other occasions were a different matter for her, and the ring was not entirely without useful function.

Skadi turned the ring in her hand, inspecting the small runes etched into the inside of the band for a moment, before sliding it onto the ring finger of her left hand.

Naruto thought that she might ask the function and usage from him, or even the way that it worked, but she did neither, content with looking at the images as they shifted on her finger.

"I take that to mean you approve."

"I consider it an appropriate offering," she agreed, smiling, and leaned back against his chest, shoulder-length brown hair tickling his mouth. "Though there is something else I would consider even more appropriate." Her right hand found his thigh, fingers a gentle pressure as they slid up his leg.

"Skadi," he reproached, not quite sure whether she was intentionally dodging his real purpose here or simply did not care enough about his machinations. Both seemed entirely possible, with her.

"You wished to talk. Many activities do not preclude that," she said suggestively, though it was only a token effort by this point. But it was her nature to search out possible openings, especially when a storm hindered her from hunting.

"I believe you remember that those, in fact, do preclude much talking on our part."

"True enough," she admitted. Her hand stopped its path up his thigh, though it lingered where it was, while her other joined his own on her stomach, her calloused fingers playing with his own. "What is it you wished to speak of, then?"

"I have not been to Asgard in some time and I'm curious whether any new developments have taken place."

"You might have asked someone else, if that is what you wish to know. You know how I keep to myself."

"Even you will have heard of more significant developments."

"Not recent ones, I'm afraid. The last time I spoke with any of the others was when I traded some pelts for Idunn's apples. Bragi was composing another poem about wicked Jötnar unwilling to weep." Skadi snorted in amusement, understandably, and reached for the goblet he had gifted her.

He wanted to think that her words meant it was not Odin who was antagonizing matters towards war, but there was a real possibility that the All-father was simply playing his own games and would only call his own to war once things were beyond anyone's ability to manage. He had done it before.

Thunder rumbled outside like a great beast's bellows, penetrating the walls, and pieces slotted into place. He knew that this had to be cut short, now.

Tch. Odin, the bastard.

Naruto ceased all movement and let nature in.

Slightly less than a second, now. Better, but not as good as he had been. At his best he had been able enter Sage Mode in the blink of an eye of stillness. But no bells tolled to declare war yet, and he had more time still to prepare.

The sensations assaulted him immediately, but one stood out above all the others. A god, but not quite like Skadi. She was Jötunn, and considered Aesir only by courtesy, but this one wasn't. Still very far away, but the God of Thunder would not take long to cross the distance.

A familiar presence of that level he could perceive over hundreds of miles, especially when it was roaring for a fight and not even attempting to hide. Thor never did.

Skadi squirmed in his lap. "Oh, I will never get enough of that. Won't you reconsider?" This time, it was clearly a joke. She stood, goblet still in hand, allowing him to move freely.

Chakra roiled under his skin, preparing for fight or flight. As he stood and moved around the table his muscles tensed in anticipation, nerves tingling with the taste of battle so strong in the air, and his eyes focused on the direction where far away he felt lightning arcing across the grey sky. A minute, not much more. He turned back towards Skadi.

Taking another sip, she looked at him from over the rim of the glass. "Do you intend to fight him?"

Thor was no pushover, even in Sage Mode and with winter there to make things easier for him. That fight could take hours, and Odin would have an eye on things. Skadi might help him to even the odds if someone else interfered, but the All-father could command forces to outmatch even that significant assistance.

There was no clear benefit to fighting now, none at all. And yet he could already taste the satisfaction of eventual victory, of leaving the god broken at his feet and glorying in Thor's defeat. Exhaling deeply, he suppressed those feelings and decided. "No. Not today."

Skadi nodded her head, understanding, and walked towards him, half-filled goblet still in hand. Matching his gaze until they were so close he could feel her warmth, her grey eyes were sharp and heavy. "You know that you can't avoid it forever, don't you."

"I do," Naruto answered. Gods had time aplenty, and so did he, but eventually all their grudges, rivalries, and conflicts would be resolved with finality.

He could feel Thor rapidly cross the distance, and the rumbling thunder only grew angrier with every second.

Closing the space between them, he embraced Skadi tightly. No matter the circumstances, it had been good to see her again after so long. She returned the gesture, her free hand wound around his back so he could not step away too soon, and her temple pressed against his cheek.

"I'll see about coming another time, when things are calmer," Naruto said quietly.

There were ways around even Odin's watchful eyes, now that he knew to expect them here. Not easy but doable.

A few seconds of peace and comfort passed in silence, before the need to move on reasserted itself in his mind. Lightning cracked outside, though this one was only sparked by Thor's travel and not yet his arrival.

Naruto leaned back, but before he could move Skadi's hand was grasping his chin and tugging his head downwards, and then her lips were on his own. He could taste the mead on her tongue, weaker but not less impactful and only joined by the wintry flavour that he remembered from her even after centuries.

His hands gripped her waist possessively, thumbs tracing her skin, holding their position as much as she did. Naruto knew well that he wanted her, as she did him.

He would definitely need Kuroka once he had gotten back. Or Aly, if she was up for it.

Thunder roared again, even louder than before, and he pulled away reluctantly. His right hand tugged her fingers from his chin, while his left found its way to her hair, palm running over the brown locks. He pressed a short kiss to her forehead and whispered, "You know how to find me, should you ever need to."

When she nodded against him, Naruto turned and walked away. The storm greeted him as he pulled on the door handle, wind and cold replacing the warmth of the inside.

Taking his furs, he lingered on the precipice for a moment, and threw one last glance over his shoulder. Understanding passed between them, silent but no lesser for it. They had always worked like that. "Until next time."

Then he stepped outside.

Snow whirled around and above him, welcoming him like an old friend. Blue sparks flashed quickly again and again as they made their way closer, barely penetrating the greyness of everything.

He had an advantage here, surrounded by snow and ice and storm, more so than even in a desert where the wind reigned supreme. Only fighting in the open seas could possibly compare. But no, this was not the time.

Reaching for the wind he strengthened it with his chakra, empowering it and making it answer to him. The next gale roared by, and he left with it, running with the wind as it travelled away from Thrymheim.

Mountains drifted below him, and snow and hail disappeared quickly as he made good distance, until he was far enough to truly leave. There was no need to play at hiding anymore.

Magic answered his call once he was far enough away, deliberately noticeable. Gods prevented normal teleportation with their sheer presence, some more than others, especially when they were in their homes, but everything had its limit.

A flash, and he was gone.

---

Xenovia was annoyed.

It was an assembly of multiple reasons. Her annoyingly talkative flight partner, the long flight itself, Irina's insistence on talking on the train ride that had followed, and being sent on this mission when she might have been able to get the Cardinal to take her on as an apprentice.

But the main reason at the moment was something else. Namely, the man waiting for them at the train station with a sign that displayed both of their names. A man she had never seen before, and she had not been given any information about during their mission briefing.

He was just as noticeably foreign as she and Irina, visibly standing out against the ordinary citizens going about their lives around them, but his greeting in Japanese had not betrayed even a hint of an accent. European, she thought from his look, somewhere north perhaps, but she could not say with any certainty.

"You know anything about this?" Irina asked, leaning forward in a display of airy curiosity. Xenovia wasn't completely sure whether it was an act or actually just her being unable to be serious in the situation.

"No, I don't."

Seemingly unbothered by their conversation, the unknown man folded his simple sign and reached for his pocket, producing a phone. Flicking it open he pressed a button and put it to his ear. It did not take long for the person on the other side to answer. "Yes, Boss. Yes. Understood." Then he wordlessly held the phone out towards her, his intent clear.

Hesitating for only a moment, Xenovia accepted the device and put it to her ear, eyes still keeping the unknown man in her sight. He had the look of a soldier about him, with a scar running horizontally across the right side of his face, though she could see no obvious weapons on him. "Who is this?"

"Hello, Xenovia," a familiar voice sounded from the other side. "Naruto, if you remember our introduction a few weeks ago. Griselda informed me of your arrival to these parts. If you would go along with Elias, he'll handle everything necessary."

Clearly viewing their conversation as over, the man ended the call before she had any opportunity to get a word in edgewise. She scowled at the piece of plastic, mocking her with its display of Call ended. Xenovia had half a mind to simply call him back.

But no, she was on a mission. She could conduct herself with the appropriate professionalism.

Handing back the phone, Xenovia took another moment to think it over. This wasn't according to their mission parameters, but an Exorcist was ever adaptable. They had the information for all their official contacts in the area they had been tasked with investigating.

Nodding at the man, Elias apparently, she turned towards Irina. "That was a… church contact. This has apparently been arranged. Come on, let's see what this is all about."

Irina considered her for a moment before smiling brightly. "Sure! Man, you guys really do have contacts everywhere."

"Let's just get this over with." Xenovia crossed her arms and moved to follow Elias, Irina right behind her.

Once outside they found the man's car and drove off.

Their first stop was supposed to be collecting some gear and supplies from local church contacts — some things couldn't be transported through civilian channels without unnecessarily arduous work — but there evidently was no need to give coordinates or descriptions to Elias. As it turned out 'local church contacts' was a rather flexible description.

They carried all the necessary gear for her and Irina, but the out-of-the-way warehouse and small office were about as far from a church or chapel as you could get without entering a red-light district. Judging by the way Elias had interacted with the local proprietor, Xenovia had some idea who was behind the operation.

'Church asset, indeed,' Xenovia thought, remembering, while inspecting the steel of her new sword with a critical eye. There was no need for Durandal with most confrontations, though her true blade was never more than a plea away. Irina carried Excalibur Mimic with her at all times anyway, much easier with its ability to blend in, should a more serious touch become necessary. 'It will do.'

Nodding her head a final time, she bowed and thanked the short man for his assistance, sheathed the sharp steel, and left with Irina. Elias waited outside and put out his cigarette at their exit. Stowing everything away they drove off again.

Unlike the first leg of their journey, this part was going to be significantly longer. They area they had been assigned to investigate covered a number of cities and towns to the south, though the drive was rather calm as they left the city limits of Osaka behind them.

Predictably, Irina eventually reached the limits of her ability to keep silent. Xenovia was honestly surprised she had lasted even this long. The small bit of conversation she had engaged in while getting their equipment was far from enough.

"So… what is it you normally do, Elias? Or do you always drive Exorcists around?" Irina asked, smiling brightly.

Curious despite herself, Xenovia pricked up her ears to listen while distractedly fingering one of her knives. Not silvered like her usual kit, but they would do the job against everything they were likely to face on this assignment. Werewolves were pretty rare in the East.

Elias glanced at them through the rear-view mirror for only a moment before calm eyes were focused on the road again. "This and that," came the evasive answer eventually. He shrugged. "I'm a soldier in the end. Mostly, when I'm not busy with anything else, I follow orders."

Xenovia silently debated if that had been an attempt at humour or just a roundabout way of saying: I don't want to talk about it. Either seemed entirely possible.

"That doesn't sound so bad!" Irina responded cheerfully, either oblivious or entirely unbothered. Laying a finger to her chin, she faced the roof. "I suppose I do a lot of that too, most of the time."

"In some ways, we all do."

Xenovia saw the faintest quirk of a smile on Elias' lips in the rear-view mirror and narrowed her eyes. "Who gives you those orders, usually?" she asked, voice deliberately light. "If you're at liberty to share."

"The boss, sometimes. Like today. Mostly, my direct superior. Though there have been a rare few times I got orders from our lady too."

Xenovia scowled at the non-answer but kept her thoughts to herself. Irina did not. "Sounds complicated!"

Until they arrived at their destination, she kept her silence, trying to get a bead on the strange feeling she had about all of this. If she had been someone else, she would have called herself paranoid, but she was an Exorcist, even if young. There was no such thing.

Stepping out of the car after arriving, she was no closer to an actual answer. Her focus turned to more immediate concerns instead.

The house looked like a family home on the upper end of normal, a bit larger perhaps but nothing that would attract undue attention to the property. Two stories, a few bedrooms no doubt, and what looked like a sizeable backyard connected to the nearby forests. All in all, nothing out of the ordinary.

Yet the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up with no intention of going down again.

If Elias or Irina felt the same way, they did not show it, simply walking up to the front door. Elias rang the bell and Xenovia joined them there, eyes peeled for anything, though she wasn't sure what she was expecting to happen.

A few moments and the door was opened by Naruto. "Ah, Elias." He nodded at the scarred soldier, which was returned in kind, a note of respect unsaid but heard. His eyes slid to them. "And the young Exorcists. Miss Quarta," he nodded again, and then extended a hand towards Irina. "And Miss Irina Shidou, if I am not misinformed. I am Naruto. It is nice to meet you."

Irina smiled, accepting the offered handshake and returning the greeting. "It's nice to meet you too."

"Please, come inside." He motioned for the open door behind him, making room. Irina moved and Xenovia glanced at Elias, standing to the side with no visible intention of coming, before carefully following along.

There was a short, quiet conversation behind them, too quiet for her to understand the words being exchanged. Glancing over her shoulder as Irina curiously inspected their surroundings, Xenovia saw Elias dip his head, just the tiniest bit more respectful, before turning and walking back to his car.

Naruto turned and joined them. "Follow me."

Knowing what Xenovia now knew, she could not help but take a closer look at the man, going over every little detail with a fine-toothed comb, as they walked down the main hallway.

The white hair had seemed strange even during their first meeting weeks ago. Then, she had dismissed it out of hand, there were certainly stranger things in this world than uncommon hair colours or premature greying. She knew that well herself, even if her green streak was intentionally dyed.

Now, she wondered if it was a sign instead. How many years, how many decades, had it taken to reach that pure snowy white? She could not see even a hint of grey, much less anything else.

Well, besides simply asking, there was little she could do about actually figuring that out. Thinking about it very hard certainly wouldn't change anything besides make her even more curious. Shelving that oddity for later, Xenovia focused on the much more important one.

For whatever reason, it reminded her of cool night air playing across her skin and the threat of danger and battle making her body hover on the edge of tensing. She had been on enough hunts by now to recognise the feeling. The targets might vary but that mix of millennia-old, foundational instincts bred into every human and hard-earned conditioning could be nothing else. And she felt that way every time he was close.

They stopped at the end of the hallway, having passed a kitchen and living room and a large study. Naruto opened the first of two doors. "These two should serve well enough for your purposes while in the area."

Inside was an ordinary bedroom, obviously meant for guests. Single bed, a simple desk and wardrobe, as well as a TV and two seats. No doubt, the second would mirror this one near exactly. Comfortable, all in all, and more than enough to rest and recoup and plan next steps while they turned over every little pebble in the area for hints on the still-missing Excalibur fragments.

But also not what their orders had included. "What exactly is this?"

"I believe people in this age have taken to calling it a guest room," came the dry response, though laughter twinkled in blue eyes.

Xenovia bit back the annoyed words her brain reflexively delivered. She would not huff, even if the man was clearly mocking her. "You know what I mean."

"Ah, true enough. Griselda asked a small favour of me, so long as the two of you are in the area." He shrugged, smiling widely at the words unsaid. "This was the easiest way."

She held his gaze, frowning, before seeing this battle of wills for the fruitless endeavour that it was. "Tch." Wonderful. Just wonderful. So much for having her own command without supervision. "Fine."

"Good." Naruto nodded at her. "I have duties and responsibilities of my own to see to, but this is a safe place to rest for you. There are also markers inside, should you feel the need to return here post haste. Besides that, the kitchen is there for you if you wish. If I'm here, I'll be upstairs or in the study, should you need anything."

His piece said, he turned to leave, before seemingly remembering something else. "Oh, and my lover Kuroka lives here as well. She might be here more often than me. Just stay on your toes around her. She likes to have her fun." That cryptic warning added on, he walked down the hall, with a wave over his shoulder. "Good hunting."

Once Naruto had disappeared upstairs, Irina leaned close. "Is it just me, or is he kind of… weird?"

"You have no idea," Xenovia grumbled and went to collect her belongings from where Elias had deposited them in the entryway. They had work to do.

---

Working on contracts was tiring, even more so when you had only one arm left.

Being taken seriously when he had to ride a bike everywhere had already been difficult enough on its own, but missing an arm as well didn't inspire confidence in his ability to fulfil wishes and observe a proper exchange.

It was only the fact that it was night out, when his body was unnaturally energised, that allowed Issei to do any training afterwards.

"Boosted Gear!" His words sounded through the dark school gym, and with a flash of green energy the red gauntlet appeared on his right and only arm.

It still felt slightly wrong to have it on that arm now, but there was no other choice and Rias had reassured him that it would become as natural as the left had been, eventually. How long that would take, he had no idea, but since even summoning his Sacred Gear like this had taken nearly a week of training, he was probably looking at months and not days.

"You ready?" he asked and Asia gave him a resolute nod, her hands raised to protect her face. "Here I come."

His shoes squeaked on the floor as he pushed off and struck with a simple punch. It was slow and uncomfortable, and Asia had no trouble ducking and stepping to the side. But slow was good, he told himself.

Slow meant no real chance of hitting Asia and hurting her, even if she had asked to train with him specifically to be able to participate in fights at least slightly, and it allowed him to focus on what he was doing much more than doing it all at speed would.

Issei turned to face her again, arm coming back to strike out a second time. He had to be careful not to overextend as much, without another arm there that could come between him and any counterattack.

They moved over the gym floor, him punching and kicking again and again, and Asia doing her best to evade every one, all the while the memory of the last fight against a Stray Devil replayed itself in his mind.

Much as the occasion had been reason for some excitement on his part, for the opportunity to show that he was still useful in front of Rias and Asia, if nothing else, it had been a sobering experience in the end.

Without being able to summon his Sacred Gear as he was used to and with his injury still troubling him, he had been less than useless.

Kiba had been his usual controlled, precise self and Koneko's strength only continued to grow in leaps and bounds even after her already impressive performance in the Rating Game, but Issei had found himself being nothing but a handicap as he stumbled and flailed across the abandoned warehouse floor after a single entirely ineffectual punch.

There had been suggestions of focusing on a supporting role similar to Asia, about using his Sacred Gear in other ways than only empowering himself. And he practiced those too, whenever they trained to fight as a Peerage and not alone, but deep-down Issei knew that it wasn't really for him, that he would rather get in there and kick ass himself.

To do that, he needed to practice as much as he could, even if his grades suffered slightly from being even more tired than usually in the mornings. It was still two weeks until he could use the prosthesis Rias had gotten him.

His foot slid forward, and he struck at Asia's stomach. Centre mass, Kiba always said. That was the easiest to hit. Asia skipped to the side, barely evading his fist, though his armoured knuckles grazed across the white gym shirt she was wearing.

Issei reacted with a wild backhand, trying to catch her as she moved around him, but Asia was nimble enough to lean backwards and evade the blow, though she lost her balance and feel on her butt, wordlessly calling an end to this round.

"Are you okay, Asia?" he asked, dismissing the Boosted Gear and holding out his hand.

"I'm fine, Issei-san," she answered softly, rubbing her tail bone for a moment before accepting his help to stand up again.

"Do you want to stop here for the night?"

Asia looked down, opening and closing her hands a few times before meeting his eyes again, her mouth a quietly stubborn line and fists clenched tightly. "One more time please, Issei-san!"

"You got it!" Grinning, he gave her a thumbs-up. "Do you want to try attacking too this time? I can take it."

"I'll do my best!" she said and raised her fists back into their defensive position from before.

Giving her another nod, he raised his arm and summoned his Sacred Gear again.

The red armour settled around his hand and forearm, the green jewels flashing with dormant power. There was no need for its ability here, of course, but there was no real reason he would ever choose to fight without it, so training that way was best. At least that was what Rias had said.

"I'm ready," Asia said. Issei stepped forward and threw a punch, his attention mostly on the way his balance was different without the weight of the other arm.

She stepped away, dodging, but no counterattack followed. Three more blows of his passed without any change, the only reaction to his attacks a focused frown and careful steps away. Just when Issei was about to open his mouth, Asia ducked under his fist and struck, tightly clenched knuckles hesitantly flying towards his stomach.

He made to turn his body, but there was little need. Before she had gotten far enough to make contact, Asia stopped her hand and retreated again.

Averting her eyes, she hunched her shoulders despondently.

"Asia?"

"I'm sorry, Issei-san. I can't do it."

Dismissing his Sacred Gear, he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling slightly awkward. "That's fine too. You're already such a great help with your healing. I'll just punch any bad guys for you."

"Issei-san!" she cried, surging forward and burying her face in his chest. And also giving him a tantalizing feel of her budding breasts.

'Focus, Issei. Focus,' he repeated in his mind and quickly wiped the small trail of blood from his nose. Rubbing her back, he simply enjoyed this golden opportunity to the fullest.

"Come on, let's go back home for tonight," he said eventually, even if Asia did not seem like she wanted to let go.

---

Naruto heard steps make their way to him, though there were still half a block away, and stepped away from the wall he had been leaning against. Straightening the cuffs of his orange shirt, he faced the nearest door that wasn't a closed loading dock.

Eventually, the door to the attached office opened and Azazel stepped inside, clad in a casual black suit. He looked around the abandoned warehouse. "A bit dark and gloomy, don't you think?"

"You picked this place," Naruto answered, crossing his arms. He knew the man was just trying to be annoying. It helped lower guards. Sometimes. "Let's get to it. What is this proposal, and why couldn't it be discussed under other circumstances?"

He usually dealt with business in different surroundings.

"Alright, alright. Always straight to the point with you." Azazel waved a dismissive wave before putting it in his pocket.

Magic gathered for a moment before spreading outwards in yellow wave to ward the walls of the abandoned warehouse against outsiders. A bit unsubtle, but it would do the job. Naruto mostly relaxed his reflexively gathered chakra. Only mostly, though. He trusted Azazel, to a point. Always better not to give the opening with his kind.

"I am planning a… gathering of sorts. High-profile, but I want it kept as quiet as possible. Strictly need-to-know. Security will be a pertinent issue. I had considered joint cooperation from all relevant parties on the matter, but I have come to reconsider that approach recently."

"If someone is compromised, better not to go ahead with it at all," Naruto pointed out. He could guess what Azazel wanted from him, but he would wait until the man actually said it. He worked with contracts, which meant details and not vague allusions.

"Compromised seems too strong a term." Azazel rubbed his black goatee, smiling secretively even as he picked his words with care. "When there is temptation, or there might be, leaving the option available presents a risk. Often a necessary one, but not always. Curtail it from the first and there is nothing to worry about."

Naruto shrugged, wordlessly asking the Fallen to get to the point.

Azazel stopped smiling, affecting a serious mien for once. "I had hoped to hire your resources for the task, to accomplish just that."

"What am I working with?" Naruto asked, juggling deployments in his head. His manpower was stretched thin already, but it seemed like the direct observations would no longer be necessary soon. He might just have prodded the right hornet's nest to make a difference with those Yokai. He would need to return home soon in any case, best to talk this over then. "Do you have a location picked out already? How many attendees? And for how long is this gathering going to last?"

"The location is your choice. Whatever you deem best for security. Though I trust there will be professional courtesy involved," Azazel answered easily. "Length? Let us say three, no, four days. That should be enough for everyone to be satisfied. But no lodgings, teleportation in and out before and after the day's proceedings. Now, the number of attendees is where we hit a bit of snag."

Naruto sighed deeply. Somehow, there always had to be catch. He motioned for Azazel to continue. "Get on with it. You know my policy on lies during planning."

"Of course. I trust you will be discreet in the matter?"

"No one will hear a word of it from me," he promised seriously.

Azazel accepted those words with a nod, before the smile was back. "Well, you might say that not all the planned attendees are necessarily aware of their participation as of yet. For a lack of invitations on my part, I assure you. It is not the right time quite yet. Still, it leaves me without precise details. A dozen dignitaries, roughly, with attached entourages. Less than a hundred in total, most certainly."

"Impossible." Naruto grimaced. Leave it to Azazel to make this kind of request. High-profile meant powerful among the supernatural, which meant he would need his best people for this, but Azazel wanted it kept quiet. Double the number of attendees atleast, though he'd like more even without the need for full shifts during the night. He didn't have that number with the kind of necessary abilities, not without calling in some significant favours. And those numbers gathering would already be near impossible to hide in the first place. "Fewer in total or it won't work. Have your dozen dignitaries, but one companion for each, no more. That is twenty-five people at most. That, I can work with."

He'd already have to vet all of the companions, not to mention whatever additions Azazel would no doubt come to him with later. Catering and the like, first and foremost. No way would anybody that important suffer four days without refreshments during their meetings.

Azazel looked on with narrowed eyes for a few tense moments, before he suddenly relaxed, smiling. "Done."

Now it was Naruto's turn to narrow his eyes. That had been way too easy. Which meant another wrinkle. One he wouldn't like at all. Considering the vital piece of information missing until now, he had an idea what that wrinkle would be. "When exactly is this gathering of yours supposed to take place?"

"Ah, I have not decided on a particular date yet," Azazel admitted and gestured broadly at the surroundings. "Once everyone was invited, I had hoped to move with speed, but when the time will be best for that, I cannot say at this point."

"When?"

"Within the next three months, ideally."

"You are aware that I have other clients?" Naruto asked and suppressed the urge to rub his forehead against the oncoming headache. Within three months. Normally, he would like atleast six months before such an event.

"Impossible, then?"

"No." Naruto shook his head. "I could do it, but it will cost you."

"Ah, well that was clear from the start." Azazel shrugged, though he wasn't sure if the Fallen would stay so nonchalant after hearing the number he had in mind right now. "A ballpark, if you would, before we shake on it."

"Depending on the costs I incur for the location and considering a date near the end of those three months, we are talking something in the vicinity of sixty million."

"Your services never get cheaper," Azazel leered, clearly remembering their most significant contract in the past. That hadn't come cheap either, but things had been different then, and it had only been his own services the Fallen had paid for. Not him and forty-nine of his best people.

"If you want the best, you have to pay the best. Do or don't, but I would advise deciding earlier rather than later. The less time you give me the higher the cost," Naruto countered, and held out his hand.

Azazel eyed him, for a moment the Governor General that had led his Fallen against God and the Original Satans both. Naruto faced that experience head on, not batting an eye. Azazel was old, but so was he.

They remained in silence for a few seconds, before the moment passed as quickly as it had come.

"True words." Without even a grimace, Azazel shook his hand and accepted.

---

From the outside the school looked ordinary enough, if much bigger on account of combining multiple levels of education, but Xenovia could feel the malignant taint in the air. Subtle, certainly, but there, nonetheless. Judging by the way Irina's expression had become marginally more serious once had they entered the grounds of Kuoh Academy, she felt the same way.

It was a wonder the students weren't aware of it.

She suppressed the instinct to reach for her sword, attached to her back and hidden beneath the large white cloaks both of them were wearing. It was only steel, just like her knives, but there was something comfortable about the weight of sharp metal in your hand.

But that would attract undue attention to them, even more than their sheer presence as outsiders on school grounds already did. They weren't here for a fight, no need to seem aggressive.

"Can I help you in some way? The school is not expecting any visitors, certainly not foreign ones."

The speaker was a girl her age, short black hair framing a sharp face with glasses. Flanking her was another girl around the same age, taller but with glasses as well and hair just as black, though kept significantly longer. Both of them were students, by their uniform. And both of them were devils.

Well, no getting around it, even if her skin crawled doing this.

"If you could direct us towards the Student Council, it would be appreciated. We have some business with the local representatives," Xenovia said neutrally. Even if these two were in the know, there was a still a slow trickle of students entering the school around them and giving them curious glances. No need to involve outsiders.

The shorter girl looked on silently, calculating, the taller girl a silent shadow at her shoulder, before inclining her head in agreement. "Follow me."

Exchanging a quick glance with Irina, Xenovia followed along.

The morning was still early, and classes had not yet started, but with club activities before the first lessons there was already some traffic in the hallways and staircases, all of which parted before their devil guide like a wave.

Training said that it was a devil's magical charms, but she could feel nothing prying at her mind only to be deflected by the protections of her faith. Yet if it was nothing so direct, it was even worse.

Those charms, even an ordinary human mind might sometimes resist when suspicion and adrenaline were high, but here, where devils walked among them disguised, there was no chance at resistance. They were sheep in a herd, and the wolves were hidden among them clad in wool.

Xenovia did not like it. She did not have to like it. They were here to do a job, not to start a war.

Arriving at the student council, they were greeted by a room filled with other young girls, busy sorting paperwork or simply conversing, though they quickly turned their focus to them and the two that had brought them here. All of them were devils.

She should have expected as much.

The shorter girl clapped once, a loud, sharp sound to gain the attention of everyone in the room. "Everyone. These two are here on business." She looked around, meeting every face. "Where is Genshirou?"

A tall girl with shoulder-length blue hair was the one to answer. "He didn't get here yet. He might be running late, though."

"Well, no matter. Gather up."

Xenovia saw the practiced responses from all the others. They were clearly following a well-practiced pattern, though importantly a few of them paid her and Irina enough mind to note their outfits and what they meant. There were quite a few suddenly unfriendly eyes in the room, though not yet outright hostile.

She still checked the knife within easiest reach with a quick touch and let a finger trace across her rosary. Just to be safe.

The smaller of the two that had approached them outside was plainly the leader of this peerage, or at the very least wanted to appear as if she was. Human documentation said Sona Shitori, but church information amended the family name to Sitri, which wasn't subtle at all. "What brings two Exorcists to this place?"

"We have a mission and wished to avoid any misunderstandings while accomplishing it. As I am given to understand, you claim some responsibility for the happenings in this town, Sona Sitri."

Violet eyes narrowed slightly behind red-framed glasses, but that was the extent of visible reaction from the devil leader. Some of the others were not quite as good at hiding their expressions of surprise. "What is your exact purpose in Kuoh, if I might ask?"

"We are scouting the area for signs of certain rogues. Older reports mentioned activity from Fallen Angels and their ilk in this town, but our contact here has gone dark." Xenovia hoped that it was only a mistake, but if not, she intended to find out. A comrade's death deserved to be known and to have the proper rites be observed for his passing. "If you have information you would be willing to share, it might make our mission easier. If not, you staying out of our way will suffice."

The young devil eyed her with a hard-edged frown, all the while retaining her serious manner. "That can be arranged easily enough. As far as information goes, there was some interaction with an unknown group of Fallen some weeks back, but I cannot be of any help regarding details. For that you will have to seek out my fellow custodian, Rias of the House of Gremory. She and her Peerage dealt with the issue on their own back then."

Xenovia clicked her tongue but stopped short from crossing her arms. "Where can we find this Rias Gremory?"

"You will have to wait until classes have concluded for the day, unfortunately. After that, the Occult Research Club gathers in the old schoolhouse on the campus." She motioned towards the back of the building, where sports grounds and a gymnasium were visible through a window. "If that is all, we have business of our own to deal with."

"Then we'll get out of your hair," she responded, their business concluded.

"Tsubasa, Tomoe, please show these two the way to the gate."

"There is no need. We'll find our own way," Xenovia said and turned to leave, Irina by her side.

Once they were outside and nearing the gate, Irina broke the silence. "What do you want to do first? It'll be a few hours until classes are over, so we have plenty of time. We still have my lead to work with too."

"Let's take a closer look around town first. I still want to take another look at the meeting spots as well. We might have missed something in the dark."

"Sounds like a plan!"

---

Katerea could not help but sneer at the dark chamber they had gathered in. Luxurious enough certainly, but the very idea of having to hide like this scoured her pride like acid. At least the container in front of her gave her reason for more positive emotions, shining as it did with malevolent purple light, the snakes inside writhing with aggression.

Centuries they had been forced to live among the inferior, even among mongrels, their true place stolen away and defaced by usurpers, cowards, and traitors. She'd have them all broken at her feet, if it took her life to accomplish.

The young children she'd simply murder before the eyes of their parents, so their blood would never be able to taint her new empire with weakness. Daughters, sisters, and mothers she'd have defiled before their relatives. The sons, brothers, and fathers she'd force to watch after taking their tongues and arms and legs, leaving them as the pitiable existence they truly were inside. They would find no mercy in her, though their begging and screams would be a sweet melody in her dreams.

None of them ever again capable of betraying the true Leviathan.

She wanted to smile at the thought, but she would not. Not until Serafall the Usurper lay broken before her. For her, Katerea had special plans.

She'd kill the sister first, to break her spirit, and then indulge in every little piece of torture her mind could conceive of. She would stamp defeat and hopelessness so savagely into her being that it would mark that vile existence and her line soul, blood, and bone forever more. And then she'd leave her alive with nothing to do but suffer, when to die would be mercy.

Ah, the screams, how wonderful they would sound. She could almost hear them already. They would give her unending pleasure.

The door opened, breaking her from her revelry, and Shalba entered. Finally.

"What took you so long?"

"Not all of us can afford to waste our time imagining the things we will do to our enemies. Sometimes purging the infestation in our empire takes actual work," Shalba replied, scowling. He moved around the table and took his seat, aristocratic features hard. "Which includes keeping aware of our current allies and their efforts, contemptible though many of them are."

"What happened this time?" Creuserey Asmodeus asked, reclining in his chair while sipping on a glass of wine so dark it was almost black.

"That fool boy Cao Cao wishes to resume his activities."

"After only just being nearly discovered? Bad enough that he is human, but basic instinct should cover laying low for a few months. I had thought even they understood to drown the mentally deficient in wells," Katerea said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Being forced to mingle with humans was already revolting, being made to suffer their deficiencies even worse. "If he persists, we will have to see that he suffers some accident."

"You would do well to work that plot out carefully, Katerea," Shalba said coldly, though she knew he had considered the very same before. "Ophis would not like to find any evidence of your involvement. And that would be a rather considerable disruption of plans. I don't much fancy the prospect of finding someone else with the capability of dispatching our greatest problems so easily either."

"Useful though he might turn out to be, right now he is little more than a mad dog," Creuserey put in. "We must remind him of master and leash, convincingly, or put him down. Or we might as well begin working on hiding all affiliations to us. Leaving him to his foolishness was of no consequence to us before, but now he has poked the wrong place. If we leave him to his poking, he will pull us right into disaster with him."

Katerea grimaced and bit down on a nail at the reminder. Why couldn't that one have joined Ophis? And why couldn't Ophis have forced him even after he had refused? He might be as human on the outside as Cao Cao and his gathering of naive children, but that was nothing but a mask, a facade to hide the ancient, savage beast underneath.

Her own ancestor, the original Leviathan, had found that out the hard way. Her family had not liked telling the story, but sometimes there was a need to understand what monsters freely roamed the realms and which of them were better avoided without a good plan to deal with them.

There was a reason no devil had ever again attempted to bid the oceans drown humans and end their farcical existence.

Whim alone had preserved Leviathan's life back then, according to the tale, and she was not about to rely on the same happening again.

How she despised humans, though for the moment Cao Cao annoyed her far more than the common rabble. The masses at least had the decency of being marginal, their irrelevant existences simply passing by without notice, but no, that cretin had to endanger the work of decades, of entire centuries, in his youthful arrogance and ignorance.

As if he was the first child lucky enough for the talent and power to be considered in the machinations of his betters. The wielders of Longinus always thought themselves so mighty, puffed up on the first taste of true power. In the end they were still human filth. Easily replaced. Easily dealt with, if necessary.

But Shalba was right. The container in front of her was proof of the value of having Ophis firmly on their side, and True Longinus was still the easiest way of dealing with Sirzechs or Ajuka. Discarding such significant resources was ill advised at this point. "Very well, no accident. What else are we to do about this, then?"

"The boy has no family and is far too convinced of his place in the world to accept any words counter to that image. Ophis might be capable of convincing him, but that is a fool's errand. In any case, we do not need him to fully stop, we need only delay him for now." Shalba smiled viciously. "Azazel has turned talks of peace into actual plans. Three months at most, that is all the time we need. If Cao Cao should happen to perish after fulfilling his role in the battle his followers might name him martyr and become unruly, but then they can be dealt with without issue."

Katerea could not help but smile herself. Mongrel, Vali might be, but a useful mongrel.

---

A bit of a slower chapter, but with some important revelations for the further story.

I tried to lay all the necessary groundwork for the next chapter and the differences that will spiral from there.

Great Red and Ophis are a bit of a weird topic. The beginning of next chapter will touch on it as well, but the way I see it, they are "Dream" and "Infinity" respectively, way more than they are "Dragon" in any way. Their current form is sort of irrelevant, though their draconic nature is deep enough to grant them the according advantages and disadvantages.

For the gods and their mythologies, I am mostly working with some of the actual myths instead of the Disney versions or the ones in DxD canon. Things aren't going to be a hundred percent faithful, which is impossible anyway considering there are multiple versions of many tales, but I'll do my best. There are obviously going to be some changes to everything through Naruto's inclusion.

You don't need to be familiar with the stories yourself, even if it might enhance the experience sometimes.

Most of the Gods aren't nice people. They aren't meant to be. Naruto is very familiar with them and their ways, and has learned how to deal with their eccentricities to manage some kind of peaceful resolution to things when possible.

Xenovia and Irina are partners for a while before the Kokabiel situation in canon, but I don't see why that would be the case. Irina is protestant and Xenovia catholic. They have different headquarters and I don't get why they would match their young Exorcists together instead of keeping them with their own. As a response to an assault on the church as a whole, I can sort of see it, so that's what I'm going with.

Thanks for reading and reviewing.