Chapter 6 - Bonding
"The healing capabilities of Twilight Healing are really impressive, there's nothing remaining." Rias said as she examined the area Issei had been cut, "I won't even have to use my own power to heal you either."
"Really? Wow Asia-san, your healing power is incredible!" Issei called out to the girl, who was sitting on one of the couches. After they had made it back to the Occult Clubroom, the first thing they did was make sure that Issei was fine, after all a Devil doesn't usually get struck by a holy gun and light sword and get heal almost immediately after.
"It's nothing, I'm just glad I was able to help." Asia replied with a smile. Kiba and Koneko were sitting on the couch opposite the girl, watching Naruto as he examined the sword hilt he had taken from Freed.
"Naruto-sempai, are you alright holding that?" Kiba asked as Naruto swung the hilt around a bit.
"I'm fine, it doesn't hurt at all… Now, to see how to activate this thing… I wonder," The older blond focused his Light magic into the hilt, and not a second after a golden blade of light shot out of the hilt. "That was easier to activate then I thought." Naruto swung the sword around again, making sure not to hit anyone. "It has a light weight to it, but still powerful in its strikes… that crappy exorcist had a nice sword."
"It's one of the weapons all Stray Exorcists have, I'm surprised you're able to hold it with it being a holy weapon." Akeno replied as she walked up to the table and placed a few cups of tea, enough for everyone. "It looks like you have an immunity to holy artifacts as well Naruto-kun, you're a brand-new type of Devil."
"Yeah, don't remind me. I'll attract the attention of a lot of people when they find out there is a Devil who doesn't have the usual weaknesses… though I haven't tried praying… never mind, that would just be stupid anyway. " Naruto sighed as he halted the power going into the sword hilt, making it withdraw into the hilt. "Who knows what the Factions would do to me, they could experiment on me to find out how or decide that I should be eliminated so it doesn't through off the balance."
"There's no way we'll let that happen." Rias said as she stood up, "You're an ally of the Gremory Household and our friend, we will stand by you, Naruto-kun."
"… Thanks Rias-chan." Naruto turned to face the red-head with a smile, "And I'll grow stronger as well, that way I'll do my best to not be a burden on you guys."
"Ara ara, you're not a burden on us Naruto-kun. Like Buchou said, you're our friend. It's normal for friends to help each other out." Akeno replied with a warm smile, the other Devils in the room nodded their heads, though Issei had a confused look on his face.
"Wait, what are Stray Exorcists?" Issei asked in confusion.
"They're people of the church that were kicked out, most of the time is because they used very extreme methods." Kiba explains to Issei, meanwhile Naruto had placed the hilt onto the table and grabbed one of the teacups. "Without many other options many of them chose to become servants of Fallen Angels."
"And that guy, Freed, he was one of these extremists…" Issei thought back to the corpse that Freed had cut up, "Yeah, he was definitely a crazy bastard. But even still, he was so strong, I couldn't hold a candle to him."
"Don't beat yourself up Issei, it's only been almost a week since you became a Devil." Rias said as she leaned back against her desk. "It takes time to adjust yourself to that kind of battle."
"But Naruto-sempai has been a Devil for a month, that's not that much longer. And he's already so powerful." Issei replied while pointing towards the quiet blond, who was offering Asia a cup of tea. "He sent that guy flying twice."
"Unlike you Issei, I've been training myself even before I became a Devil. My body was already used to fighting, and Saber was already training me to use my power." At this, the winged spirit appeared next to Naruto."
"Issei-san, you do have the potential to get stronger, especially with a Sacred Gear. You just need to train and work at it." Saber said before turning to see Asia was looking at her with an amazed look. "Is something wrong?"
"You're so small…" Asia said as she reached up towards the tiny girl with her free hand, "I've never seen someone like you before."
Saber reached her hand out and grabbed one of Asia's fingers, "My name is Saber Lily, it's a pleasure to meet you face to face, Asia-san."
"Um, yes, it's nice to meet you as well… wait, you know who I am." Asia asked in confusion.
"Yes, you see I am a spirit that resides inside Naruto-sama, just like your Sacred Gear resides inside you." Saber explained with a smile.
"Holy crap, that's incredible!"
Seeing Asia look at Saber with a look of awe, Naruto shook his head before turning to Issei. "You have plenty of time to grow stronger, like Saber said, you just need to work at it."
"But what about that Stray Exorcist, he was a lot stronger then I was."
Naruto placed the teacup onto the table and crossed his arms, "I really doubt you'll run into that guy again, not after that last blow I delivered before we left." Issei thought back to when Naruto slammed his fist into the priest's chest, "That blow had enough strength to destroy bones and fatally injure him if I was just using it on a random area. But I had focused on his heart, no doubt causing it to rupture before he even went through the hole."
"So Freed-san is… dead…?" Asia asked as she turned from Saber to Naruto
"Yeah, I had a feeling that if I had let him go, he would have created problems later on." Naruto said as he looked at Asia, "I won't say that I enjoyed killing a human being… but I also won't say I regret stopping him from hurting my friends."
The nun was silent for a moment before speaking again, "I understand Naruto-san, you needed to protect the people close to you, after all."
"And you're included in that." Naruto replied with a smile, to which Asia grew a look of surprise. "… Asia-chan, this might sound like a stupid question, but did you know what they were doing? The Fallen Angels, I mean."
"… No, I had no idea they were going around and killing people. I could never be a part of that…" Asia replied with sad expression on her face, tearfully thinking back to the horrible condition of the person Freed had killed.
"Asia-san," Rias called out, making the girl look toward the buxom Devil. "If you don't mind, can you tell me why you are with Fallen Angels? And it must've been a while if your powers had caught their attention, so how long have you been able to use your power?"
The blonde girl seemed a little hesitant to speak but felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Naruto was giving her a comforting smile, "Don't worry Asia-chan, we just want to know the whole story so we can help. The more information we have, the better we know about the situation and how to handle things." Asia stared at Naruto for a few seconds before nodding her head.
"… It all started when I was around eight years old…" Asia started as everyone moved to sit around her, Rias and Naruto were the only ones standing, as they moved to lean back against Rias' desk. "Like I had told Mito-chan when we met, I have been with the church all my life… My parents abandoned me right after I was born. I was told I had been found crying in front of a small European town's church, and I grew up in the orphanage there. When I was eight, a wounded puppy wandered into the church. Seeing that it had it was so close to death, I prayed as hard as I could for it to live… that's when a miracle occurred, and the puppy had been completely heal."
'That must've been her Sacred Gear awakening.' Rias thought with narrow eyes. When she had gone through a book about Sacred Gears, she had read that it wasn't uncommon for some humans to unlock their Sacred Gears at an early age.
"After the church found out about my power, the church treated me like a Saint, and I was worshiped. Not long after that, I was taken to a big church where I was ordered to heal illnesses and wounds of many different Christians, and thanks to my prayers many were completely healed." As Asia continued her story, her head bowed down a little bit as she thought back to all those years ago. "The church guarded me heavily and treated me well. I was so happy that my power could help people and was incredibly grateful to God who blessed me with this power that could help others. My heart was filled with appreciation. But normal people would always look at me differently, and I couldn't help but start to feel lonely."
"I'm guessing that your days as a saint didn't last long." Kiba said as he looked across the table at Asia. The girl slowly nodded her head before her gaze went down to her hand.
"One day, I encountered a man collapsed on the floor, heavily injured, and I used my power to save him. But the man I came across was…"
"It was a Devil, correct?" Rias questioned as she crossed her arms.
Asia nodded as she twiddled around with her hands. "Hai…and when my church found out that I healed a Devil, they kicked me out and branded me as a Heretic." The girl looked back up at everyone, a sad smile on her face. Naruto couldn't help but tighten the grip he had on the desk, those assholes had use Asia like some kind of tool and as soon as she had done something they didn't like, they threw her away. "I was sent away from Europe and to Japan, and when I got here I was ordered to go the town church to work as a nun."
"And that's how you wound up getting picked up by Fallen Angels." Issei deduced as he shifted in his seat.
Asia nodded her head, "Hai…"
The group of Devils were silent after that for a few minutes, and then Koneko said something, "… So, what do we do now?" When everyone looked at her with confused looks she continued, "… We brought an enemy to our headquarters…"
"Nani?! But Asia isn't our enemy!" Issei exclaimed as he shot out of his seat. "She was the one that healed me even when she found out all of us were Devils."
"No, Koneko-chan is right." Rias said from her spot, closing her eyes as she crossed her arms. "Even if we don't want to admit it, Asia is a member of the church, and an enemy to us Devils. And not only did we take her with us, but we are also helping her. That kind of thing will cause some conflict between the Factions."
"But we can't let her go back, who knows what they'll do to her for helping us." Issei argued.
"… Unfortunately, there is not much we can do Issei, not without causing a war." Rias responded, a small tone of regret was heard in her voice.
"There might be one thing," Naruto said from his spot making everyone look at him. "Rias-chan, you know what I'm talking about, right?"
The red head stared at him for a few seconds before she nodded her head, "… I'll admit it did cross my mind, though it's not something that is usually done. And her healing ability could become usual to my Peerage later on."
"Buchou, are you talking about using an Evil Piece?" Akeno asked, Asia looked over at Naruto and Rias with a confused look.
"What's an Evil Piece?" She asked while tilting her head to the side.
No one answered the question, however, Rias pushed herself away from her desk and moved closer to Asia. "Asia, you know that the Fallen Angels are only allied with you because of your power, don't you?" Rias asked, to which the nun nodded her head sadly. "And like you already said, you don't agree with their goals or their methods. This means they'll try and take your Sacred Gear away from you by force, and if that happens… you'll die."
"…Hai, I had a feeling that was the case." Asia answered as her gaze shifted to her hands resting in her lap.
"I will be perfectly honest Asia, there are a few options that you can choose from at the moment. The first one is that you get returned to the Church and the Fallen Angels and then either two things will happen, one is you die and the other is that you are forced to work under a spell of some sort. However, with that option it is more than likely that they will take your Sacred Gear away from you and kill you in the process…" Rias said as she continued telling the blond nun her only options. "The second is for you to kill yourself and that will keep your Sacred Gear from their grasp until it passes onto the next human… And then there's your final option…"
"My final option… what is it?" Asia asked shakily, so far all the other choices seemed horrible.
"Become a Devil and join my Peerage as one of my servants. This will not only give you protection from the Fallen Angels, but it also means that you'll have a better chance of surviving." Rias finished as she crossed her arms. Like she had said before, it was something that didn't happen often, turning someone from the church into a Devil.
"Are those really my only choices?" Asia questioned as her body shook, her only options were either going back to the church and taking a fifty-fifty chance on being killed, killing herself so the Fallen Angels would use her power to kill innocent people, or finally, become a Devil so she and many others could be safe. There was only one option that actually seemed the best choice… but still…
"I'm sorry, but with how these people are and with us not being able to do much else, the choices are limited." Rias said as she reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, making sure not to move the jacket that kept her modest. "It is your decision on what you want to do Asia-san."
The girl stared down at the ground for a few minutes, "… I'm sorry, but could I have some time to think about this?"
"… Asi-"
"Sure, you can." Naruto interrupted Rias, making her turn look at him and saw he was shaking his head at her, silently telling her not to force the poor girl. "But you won't have a lot of time Asia-chan, especially with the Fallen Angels after you."
Rias nodded her head at his words, "Yes, I'd give it about a day or so." She stood up and turned away from the girl, "I know this is a very difficult decision for you, so I'll give until midnight tomorrow to give me your answer. Is that all right?"
"… Hai, I will have an answer by then." Asia replied as she bowed her head a bit. Things were changing so quickly for her, first she meets a few nice people and joins the church, and then she finds out what the people she worked with truly do to innocent people, then she learns that the nice she had met were actually Devils, and now she was being offered to become one herself.
"Good, then you'll stay with me and my family for the night." Naruto said as he moved away from his spot and walked up to the girl.
"Ara ara/What/Huh?" A few of the people in the room looked at Naruto in surprise.
"Are you sure Naruto-kun? I mean, you already have to watch out for Mito-chan, not to mention yourself." Rias had a concerned look on her face as Naruto stopped next to her and Asia. "Asia-san can stay here for the night, I have plenty of places for her to rest."
Naruto shook his head, "I can't do that Rias-chan. Unlike me, you're an heir to a powerful Devil household, which means that if Asia is found with you then a war is sure to erupt… But since I'm an Independent Devil, I can help Asia-chan without any trouble."
"But you'll have to keep your guard up even more, and what if Abazeth appears?"
"I'll be fine Rias-chan," Naruto said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Saber will help me keep an eye out for the Fallen Angels, and you know that I'm a lot stronger than I was then when I was a human, I can hold my own."
"I know that, but still…" Rias adverted her gaze and stared into his eyes.
"If it makes you feel better I will contact you if anything goes wrong." Naruto removed his hand away, flashing the girl with a calming smile. "Tomorrow is a free day, which gives us plenty of time to keep off the Fallen Angel's radar. Asia and I will be back here tomorrow to meet up with you guys." Seeing that his words helped Rias feel a bit better, he turned to look at the nun, "Are you okay with this Asia-chan?"
"Um, I… don't want to be a bother."
"Nonsense, you'll be fine. I'll tell my family that I'm helping you out, besides, Mito-chan will be excited to see you again." Naruto said with a grin.
"Mito-san… is she and your family Devils too?" Asia asked as she looked up at Naruto.
"No, and they don't know that I am one either. So, when we get there, I'll need you to be quiet about it." Naruto answered, giving the girl a smile before holding out a hand to her. "Other than that, you're welcome to stay with us."
"A-Are you sure?" Asia look a little hesitant.
"Of course, and don't worry, I won't let anything bad happen to you. I promise." As the two blonds stared at each other quietly, the others couldn't help but wonder what was going on in their heads. Soon Asia nodded her head and reached out for his hand, Naruto in turn raised his hand and summoned a magical circle near them. "We'll see you guys later."
Rias crossed her arms, watching the two as they stepped into the circle, "Alright, be careful until tomorrow you two." Naruto and Asia nodded their heads before the seal glowed and transported them away with a golden flash. "… Akeno, I want you to do something for me tomorrow."
"Ara, what is it Buchou?" Akeno turned to Rias with a curious look. On one of the couches a few feet away from them, Issei was sitting by himself, looking down at his left hand with a frown.
-NULNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRG-
"You'll be staying in this room, its right next to mine and across from Mito-chan's." Naruto explained to Asia as he led her into the guestroom. "I hope wearing my mom's old pajamas is okay for you."
Asia shook her head with a smile, "It's fine with me, really! Your mother was very nice to get me something to wear."
After they had arrived back at Naruto's house, outside the front door, they had gone inside and were instantly greeted by an annoyed Kushina. The red-headed mother immediately pressed Naruto with questions on why he was coming home so late, and why he was with barely clothed girl wearing his jacket. They had told her that Asia had gotten lost and was attacked, but Naruto had been in the area and saved her just in time… it was true in a way. Kushina had quickly pulled the girl into a hug, surprising her at the sudden action, the older woman had agreed for Asia to stay with them for the night and had gotten her some Kushina's old clothes to wear. True to what Naruto had said, Mito was excited to see Asia again and was glad to see she was all right after hearing the story.
"I'm glad we got to see each other again, Asia-san!" Mito said cheerfully as she walked behind the two.
"Yes, it's nice to see you again Mito-san, though I wish it was under better circumstances…" Asia replied as she turned to look back at the girl.
Turning on the light to the bedroom, he turned to look at the girls, "Well, it's getting late. We should all get to bed, especially you Mito-chan."
"Aw, but I wanted to talk with Asia-san some more!" Mito whined, but was met with a soft bop on the head, "Ouch, why'd you do that?"
"We may have a free day tomorrow Mito-chan, but you still need as much sleep as you can, or else you'll be short for the rest of your life." Naruto smirked at the angry pout his sister was sending him. "Besides, Asia-chan will be staying with us almost all day tomorrow so you can talk to her as much as you want."
Mito was quiet before looking at both Naruto and Asia, "… You promise?"
"Hai, I promise!" Asia said with a smile, "I'll see you tomorrow Mito-san."
"Alright… Goodnight Onii-chan, Asia-san." The eleven-year-old turned back to her room and slowly went inside, glancing back one last time before the door closed.
"She seems so sad…" Asia walked passed Naruto into the guestroom.
"Well, she's gotten pretty attached to you, it's kind of surprising really." Naruto replied as he followed her inside, closing the door so no one could hear them, "She's actually very shy when it comes to meeting new people. I guess there's something about you she really likes."
"Really? I'm glad…" The girl smiled as she sat on the bed, but slowly her smile turned softer and sadder,
"Asia-chan, are you okay?" Naruto stared at the girl sitting on the bed, wondering what was going on through her mind.
She looked up at him with that same smile, the one she had that morning when they first met. "You know Naruto-san… even with all the things that have happened to me, I never stopped praying to God, expressing my gratitude."
"Asia-chan…"
"There were many times when I thought that the Lord must be testing me, even now I have faith in that." She brought her hands up in a praying manner, "I believe that maybe… if I can overcome this ordeal, he will make my dream come true someday."
"Your dream? What is it?" Naruto asked, he's eyes narrowed a little as he saw tears starting to fall from Asia's.
"That I'll be able to make a lot of friends…" The girl answered, surprising Naruto a little. "We would go buy flowers and books together, and chat about so many things…" Naruto smiled softly at the girl as he walked closer to her, stopping in front of her. "That is my dream…" Asia looked at Naruto with a sad smile. "I don't have any friends, you see…"
"… What are you talking about, dummy?" Naruto smiled back before he bent down a little and placed his hands over hers, surprising her as he did all this. "You already made that dream come true on your own… Mito-chan, Issei, Rias-chan, Akeno and the others, and even me… we're all you friends, aren't we?" He took one of his hands away from hers and brought it to her face, wiping away her tears. "So, from now on, we can all buy flowers and books together whenever you want… and I'll chat with you every day for as long as you'd like!"
"Naruto… san…" Asia whispered as she unclasped her hands and reached up one of her hands to the hand on her face. There was that feeling again, like she was being protected by this warm presence. "But… could we really still be friend… even if were on opposite side?"
"Of course! Whatever your choice is tomorrow, I will stand by what I said. I will always be your friend… and I will always see you as a little sister." Naruto moved his arms around her and brought her into a comforting hug. "So, promise me you'll continue to smile, okay?"
Asia stiffened at Naruto's words and felt her whole body start to tremble. She moved her arms around the man and held him as tightly as she could, crying into his chest and letting out all the pain she had gone through since she was a little girl. The biggest truth about Asia was that she had always wanted family and friends, people that would be there for her. And here Naruto was, giving her both in just one day. At the moment it didn't matter that she was a nun, nor did it matter that he was a Devil, everything about the supernatural world was blocked out as the young woman cried her eyes out on her new older brother's chest.
"Thank you… Naruto-san…" Asia said after a few minutes, finally calming down enough to speak. Suddenly she could feel her eyes start to get heavy, Naruto had discreetly used a weak sleep spell that he had learned from Akeno to help Asia get some rest, she needed it after the day she just had.
After helping her into the bed, Naruto brushed her hair a bit before giving Asia a smile. "I'll see you in the morning Asia-chan, sweet dreams."
"Goodnight… Naruto… nii-san…" A second later Asia was out like a light, leaving Naruto with a surprised look on his face as he thought about what she had just called him.
The surprised look disappeared as he shook his head, smiling at himself as he stood up. "Yeah, goodnight." Making his way out of the room, Naruto turned off the light in the room and softly closed the door, leaving the slumbering blond to enjoy her dreams. '… Saber.'
"Yes Naruto-sama." She called out to him as her transparent form appeared before him, her ability to become visible and invisible to others was extremely useful at times.
'I'm going to be counting on you tomorrow to keep a good eye out.' Naruto said as he turned his gaze to her.
Saber nodded her head as she brought an arm across her chest, "Of course, you can count on me!"
(The Next Day)
"Come on Onii-chan, let's go into the next store!" Mito called out as she and Asia went into a bookstore with Naruto following after them with a few bags in his hands.
"I'm coming, I'm coming…" Naruto replied with a smile as he walked into the store.
But while he walked a few steps behind the girls, he thought back to earlier that morning. It had started with the family, plus a shy Asia, all eating breakfast together and enjoying each other's company. Like Mito, Kushina and Minato had taken an almost instant shine to Asia and treated her like she was already part of the family, which made Naruto smile as he saw how happy Asia was. But as the day continued after that, Mito and Asia had a lot of fun, and then Mito suddenly suggested that they go out to the shopping district to have some fun. At first Naruto had been a little hesitant about them going out to a public area like that where they could be attack from within the crowded area but agreed after Asia asking him as well. So now they were walking down the shopping district, Mito kept her promise when they had met and was bringing Asia to every store and fun area. Naruto had stationed Saber to watch them from above while in her invisible state.
"Are you you're okay with caring all those bags, Naruto-san?" Asia asked as she turned back to face Naruto, she was wearing a light-green sundress with a blue jacket with the sleeves stopping just passed her elbows and white shoes. When Kushina had found out that Asia didn't have any other clothes with her, with the main outfit being a torn-up nun uniform, she had practically forced the girl to take the clothes.
"It's fine Asia-chan," Naruto replied as he shook his head, he was wearing a long-sleeved red shirt with a green jeweled necklace around his neck and black pants and shoes. "You and Mito-chan just enjoy yourselves."
Asia had a hesitant look, "If you're sure…"
"Come on Asia-san, there's a lot of different kinds of books here." Mito said as she pulled Asia to her favorite section. The young girl was wearing a long-sleeved red and black striped shirt with ripped short jeans and black stockings with brown boots.
Naruto couldn't help but laugh as he watched his sister pulling the blond girl around so easily, it was a funny sight. Taking a look around the store, he decided to see if there were any books he would be interested in himself. He walked towards along the aisles, looking at all the categories that were listed above the shelves, and stopped as he came to the Legends and Supernatural Section. Turning into the section, his eyes skimmed the different titles, some focused on old tales involving knights from different eras, and some were on gods from all around the world. He came to a stop when he noticed a black book, the title on its spine read "The Lesser Key of Solomon", he had remembered a while ago when Rias had shown him her own copy of the book, hers was filled with more truthful information regarding the 72 Pillars. Shaking his head a bit he continued on until he found a book that caught his attention, its title was "Legendary Heroes/Antiheroes".
As he reached up to grab it, a second hand bumped into his. "Oh, I'm sorry." He turned to follow the hand and saw it belonged to a woman in her mid-twenties with long light-purple hair, some of it braided on the left side, and purple eyes. She was wearing a black top with a jean jacket over it and a long tan skirt, and black slipper-shoes. "Are you interested in this book too?"
"Yeah, but its fine, you can have it." Naruto replied as he moved his hand away, turning his body to face the woman. "Sorry about that."
"It's no trouble at all… but did you need it?" The woman asked as she took the book off the shelf and brought to her chest.
Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto let out an awkward laugh. "Not really, it might sound weird but things like legendary heroes have always interested me."
"Hehe, not at all." The woman replied with a giggle, revealing a wedding ring on her left hand as she brought it to her mouth. "That actually sounds like my husband as well, he's always been interested in famous warriors from legends since he was a boy."
"Really? Glad I'm not alone on that." Naruto said with a grin, "So I'm guessing the book is for him then?"
"Yes, I'm going to give it to him as a birthday present. He actually came here with me, but I just managed to sneak away to get his gift." The woman gave Naruto a quick playful wink before she started to turn away, "I better go find him, thank you for letting me have the book."
"No problem, I hope he likes it."
"Onii-chan! Where are you?" Mito's voice called out, making Naruto turn his head to look behind him.
"I guess that's my queue, goodbye." Naruto said before turning around himself, waving his hand at the woman as he walked away "Hope you both enjoy yourselves!"
"Yes, thank you. And to you as well." The woman took one last look at Naruto as he disappeared from her sight, "… To think I would run into a Devil, and one with so much potential at that…"
"Hey Medea," A male's voice was heard from behind her, she turned around to see a handsome man with black hair combed backward in a rough fashion and orange eyes. He was wearing a teal shirt and dark-gray pants, and on his wrists were two bracelets, gold on the left and red on the right. "So, this is where you were, I was worried about you."
"Oh Darling," Medea gave her husband a smile. "I'm sorry I worried you, but I wanted to pick something up."
"I see…" The man's gaze went down to the book in her hands, though she was covering it so he would see it. "I'm guessing you found what you were looking for."
Shaking her head, Medea walked passed her husband. "Not yet, I still have one last book to get."
"Alright, but let's be careful, I can sense a Devil in the area." The man said in a cautious tone, his gaze wondering the area around them.
"Don't worry about that, I've already met him. Though it doesn't appear that he knew what I was… he might be a reincarnated Devil." Medea ignored the look she was getting from her husband as she continued speaking, "Not only that, but I felt something… different about him."
"Different, how so?" The man raised an eyebrow.
Medea turned back to her husband, giving him a mysterious smile, "Who knows… only time will tell."
(A Little While Later)
"Is something wrong with your food, Asia-chan?" Naruto asked looking at Asia who was sitting on the other side of the table, staring at her food with a confused look. Mito was sitting next to Asia, also looking at the blond/
"Um… are there any forks and knives around?" Asia asked timidly.
"You don't need stuff like that for this kind of meal." Mito said as she took a sip of her drink.
"Really?" Asia tilted her head in confusion.
"Here's how you eat them, Asia-chan." Naruto said, picking up his burger and began to eat it, "See?"
"I-I never would've guessed they could be eaten like that!" Asia asked, looking amazed, "Amazing! Then I better wash my hands."
Both Naruto and Mito couldn't help but sweat drop when Asia took out a bottle of holy water from her small pack, it was probably the only thing she had left from her uniform that was still intact. Naruto let out a sigh as he looked at the girl, washing her hands with holy water over something like a hamburger was a little too much.
"If you want to clean your hands, then why don't you use these… they're called disinfectant wipes, and they kill germs." Naruto held out a packet of wipes to her, which she accepted and used to wipe every inch of her hands. When was finished, the nun proudly held up her sparkling hands with a look of pride on her face. "Um… good job…" Naruto said as more sweat drops reappeared on the back of his head.
Mito blinked a few times before looking down at her own wipes, "I didn't think anyone could get that clean from just a few wipes."
Asia then put her hands together, "Now then, I should pray before the meal… Dear Lord…" After a minute or two Asia had finished her prayer and lifted her burger up to her mouth, after a few seconds she finally took a bite of her burger. Her eyes widened in delight as she took another bite, "It's so delicious, I've never had anything like this before!"
"I'm glad you like it, well then let's finish our food." Naruto said with a grin, "The quicker we finish up here, the sooner we can go to a place that I bet you'll really like."
"Eh?" Asia blinked a few times with a confused look on her face as she stared at Naruto. Almost twenty minutes later her confusion disappeared as they widened in awe, in front of her was a store that was filled with all sorts of machines and flashing lights, and there were a lot of teens of all ages inside. "Naruto-san, what is this place?"
"This is an arcade center, it's filled will all sorts of video games and other fun stuff." Naruto explained as he turned to the girls. Mito had an excited look on her face, as she always loved playing video games, while Asia had a look of amazement. "So, what do you say? Wanna go inside?"
"Huh?"
"Come on, you've got to enjoy the different experiences life gives you." Naruto told her as he held out his hand, Mito was holding onto his other arm with a grin on her face. "Let's go Asia-chan!"
"H-Hai!" Asia replied as a smile grew on her face, and she reached up and grabbed Naruto's hand before they went inside.
The small group of three then spent several hours in the arcade center playing all sorts of video games. The siblings introduced Asia to every game in the arcade, Mito was exceptionally good at shooting games and fighting games, but Asia had managed to beat Mito on the later with her first try, though it was mainly because Naruto was telling her which buttons to push, much to Mito's dismay. The next thing they showed her was a racing game, Asia didn't do too well on that one at first because she kept crashing her car into the walls several times, but eventually she managed to get the hang of it. She was surprised, however, when Naruto decided to show her the motorcycle racing one next to it, and she was amazed at how good he was at it. Mito then took Asia to a dancing game, which Asia enjoyed a lot as she and Mito danced side-by-side while Naruto watched from behind. One of the last things they did was get their pictures taken inside a photo booth.
"Um, Naruto-san?" Asia spoke as she and Naruto leaned against a wall, they were waiting for Mito while she went to the restroom. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what's up?" The older blond looked away from the group of kids playing a fighting game a few feet away and turned to the girl.
"Last night, back at Rias-san's headquarters… you had said that you were not a part of Rias-san's group…" The girl looked up at him with a curious expression, "What did you mean by that?"
Naruto looked at her for a few seconds before looking ahead once again, "Just that, you remember that thing we were talking about, right? The Evil Pieces."
"That's right, what are they? You never told me."
"They're what helps make Devils, well reincarnated Devils. You see, many years ago there was a war between three different Factions, it was between the Devils, the Angels, and the Fallen Angels." Asia let out a little gasp at that, a war between all three… it must've been devastating. "The long story short was that each side lost a great number of their own, so the Devils created a method to make more Devils from any species, whether it was human, demon, or any other supernatural being."
"… And that is how she was planning to turn me into a Devil?" Asia asked as she tilted her head.
Naruto nodded his head before crossing his arms, "Yeah, you see there are three different classes to being a Devil, and Rias-chan is what's known as a High-class Devil, anyway High-class Devils can create this thing called a Peerage, the usually made up of sixteen people at the most, if you count the person leading the Peerage."
"So, what does it mean to be in a Peerage?" If she were going to decide tonight, it would be better to know what the results with her options were.
"Well… you become a part of the King's household, and you become a servant to the Peerage's King basically." Naruto answered, but he quickly turned to Asia. "But Rias-chan isn't like that, she sees the members of her Peerage as her family, and people she would do anything to protect."
"I see… Rias-san is a nice person." Asia said as she smiled a bit, in the brief time that she knew Naruto and the other Devils, she could definitely say they were completely different from how the people of the church had described them. "And what about you Naruto-san? From the looks of it, you're a reincarnated Devil."
"Yeah, Rias-chan had tried to make me a part of her peerage, but there was an unexpected problem, and I ended up being turned into a Devil without being made a servant. And to add onto it I was turned into a completely different type of Devil." Naruto explained, "But even though I wasn't a member, I still became an ally to her Peerage, and she started to help me get used to being a Devil."
'That explains why his wings were a different color than Issei…' Asia shook her head before looking up at the blond, "So what are you in those classes you were talking about?"
"All reincarnated Devils automatically become Low-class Devils, even with the power we have. It's possible for us to raise our ranks too, but unless you were born of noble blood like Rias-chan or have some very powerful Devil blood within you, it takes a lot of time for it to happen." Naruto uncrossed his arms and brought a hand up, "My level is still a Low-class, but I'll eventually raise my rank. And I'll get a lot stronger too, I have to if I want to be able to protect everyone."
"Naruto-san… if you don't mind me asking one more thing…" Asia averted her eyes for a moment, making Naruto raise an eyebrow, "Are you and Rias-san… in a relationship?"
"Huh?" Naruto blinked before turning his head away. "… No, no we're not…"
"O-oh I see, I'm sorry for asking…" Asia replied as her eyes looked down at the ground. "It's just you two seemed to care about each other so much, and I couldn't help but get that feeling."
"…"
"…"
"… It's not that I don't have feelings for her." Naruto finally spoke up, getting Asia to look up at him. "I know there could definitely be something between us… but as I am now, I don't feel like I would be able to be with her."
"What do you mean?" Asia asked as she turned her body in his direction.
"Rias-chan is a High-class Devil and the heir to the Gremory family, and I'm just a reincarnated Low-class Devil." Naruto placed his hands as his sides as he lean back against the wall, "Even if we were to become a couple, who knows what could happen to either of us, especially since I'm still not tapping into my full power… It almost feels like I'm staring at her back from afar… that's another reason why I want to become stronger and raise my rank as fast as I can, so I can stand by her side." Naruto gave Asia a weak grin, "That must sound pretty pathetic, huh? Stopping myself because of a stupid reason like that… and I don't even know if she truly thinks of me in a romantic way, or just as someone she cares for."
"Not at all!" Asia said back with her voice raised a little higher as she grabbed one of her surrogate brother's hands and held it between her palms. "You want to be with Rias-san so much, and I have faith that it will work out between you two. You're a nice person Naruto-san, and strong too!"
"… Thanks Asia-chan." Naruto replied as he reached up and rubbed the top of her head, "You know, this was the first time I told anyone about that."
The girl smiled up at him, "I see, I'm glad to hear that… and I believe, that when it comes to love… it shouldn't matter what ranking you both are."
"… Yeah… I guess you're right." Naruto said as he smiled back at her.
"Hey Onii-chan, Asia-san, I'm back!" Mito called out as she walked up to them and noticed there position, "Did I miss something?"
Asia looked down at their hands and quickly let go with a blush, "Sorry Naruto-san…"
"It's no problem," Naruto grinned as he turned between her and Mito, "So what do you guys want to do next?"
"How about we go over there next?" Mito pointed towards a giant game with a wheel on top of it.
"Okay, let's go." The male blond said, causing his sister to let out a cheer before hurrying over to the game. As the last two walked over to the game, Naruto turned to Asia. "I hope you've been having fun Asia-chan."
"Hai, I've never had so much fun before!" Asia replied as she smiled up at him, "This has been one of the best days of my life… and I got to have it with a caring big brother and a cute little sister." The girl closed her eyes as she let out a happy sigh.
"Well, it's not over yet!" Naruto patted her on the shoulder, "We've still got the rest of the day to enjoy ourselves more."
Asia's smile grew bigger as she nodded her head, "Right, thank you so much for today… Naruto-niisan…"
"… No problem Asia-chan, anytime." Naruto patted her head again.
-NULNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRG-
"I hope you both enjoyed yourselves." Naruto said as he looked over at his sisters, each holding a stuffed animal in their arms. Mito was holding a small orange fox that was called Kitsu, while Asia had a small yellow and black creature named Ratchu in her arms. He had won two prizes from two of the crane games near the exit. At the moment they were walking down a path towards their home, enjoying the peace and quiet, as the road they were walking on was empty, not a person in sight.
"Hai! Thank you for today, Naruto-niisan!" Asia had a bright smile on her face as she held Ratchu closer to her.
"Yeah Onii-chan, today was so much fun." Mito agreed as she swung Kitsu around happily, she had been a little surprised when she first heard Asia call her brother, Naruto-nii-san, but quickly dismissed it as she excitedly though about having an older sister now.
"Good, then we-"
"Naruto-sama! You need to get away from there, NOW!"Saber's voice called out for the first time since they arrived at the shopping district.
'Saber? Is there…!' Naruto narrowed his eyes before grabbing a surprised Asia and Mito before jumping several yards back, just in time as a long dark-pink spear of light crashed into ground where he had been standing, causing a small explosion upon impact. He turned his gaze to the sky where a female figure was descending towards them. "I knew a Fallen Angel would appear sooner or later."
"Fallen Angel?" Mito whispered to herself as she looked up at her brother in confusion.
"Well, well, to think you would end up with a Devil… Asia." The woman said as her feet touched the ground, Naruto slowly put his sisters down and moved them behind him. The blond recognized this enemy, she was the woman who pretended to be Issei's girlfriend before killing him.
"Raynare-sama!" Asia exclaimed with a shocked look on her face, one of her hands grabbed onto the back of Naruto's shirt.
Naruto took a quick glance at Asia before turning back to the Fallen Angel with a smirk, "… So, it's Raynare, huh? I figured that name you had used before was a fake, it was way too cute for someone like you… Yuuma Amano."
"Oh, so you know that name." Raynare replied with an amused look. "Since you know who I am, why don't you just give me the nun, and I'll let you leave… maybe."
"Sorry, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline," Naruto released some of his power. "Asia isn't going anywhere, especially not with you… Fallen Angel."
"Do you really want to fight me Devil?" The woman asked as she placed a hand on her hip, shifting her body on one leg. "Asia is a useful piece to my plans, and I won't be leaving without her."
"Devil? Fallen Angel? What are you both talking about Onii-chan?" Mito spoke up, making Naruto's eyes widen as he remembered that Mito was with them. He slowly turned his head to look at the younger girl, "I don't understand…"
"Oh, so you don't know, little girl? Then let me tell you, your Onii-chan here is a Devil. And unfortunately… I will have to kill you, no witnesses allowed." Raynare had an evil grin on her face, enjoying the look Naruto shot at her. "Aw, what's a matter Devil?"
"I suggest you shut that mouth of yours while you still have it." Naruto growled as he reached behind his back and grabbed the sword hilt he had out under his shirt before bringing it in front of him. Charging his energy into the hilt, a golden blade once again appeared, and Naruto's wings quickly appeared behind him.
Raynare took a step back in shock as she watch Naruto being surrounded in light magic, "That shouldn't be impossible… a Devil using the power of light, it should be burning you apart!"
"I'm an exception, I am completely immune to light and holy objects." Naruto said as he shifted his position, "Now then… I believe you just threatened my little sister."
"… It doesn't matter, even if light doesn't hurt you, I can still kill you!" Raynare said as she summoned two spears. Just as she was about to throw them, a voice called out.
"Enough Raynare." Everyone turned towards the voice and Naruto's eyes widened as he watched Abazeth land a few feet behind Raynare. "I recall telling you that you could come with me to retrieve your little nun, but the Devil was mine to kill."
"Abazeth-sama is here as well?!" Asia had tightened her grip on Naruto.
"Who is he?" Mito stared at the man.
Raynare was visibly shaking as she stared at Abazeth, her spears disappearing as he got closer to her. "My apologize Abaz-" The female Fallen Angel was cut off as the four-winged man back-handed her, sending her crashing into the floor.
"Learn your place, wench." Abazeth gave the girl an icy stare as his powerful aura surrounded him, his head turned towards Naruto and the others, his gaze went down to the sword in his hand. 'It seems you've gotten stronger Naruto Uzumaki, and an interesting little toy too."
"So that's… Naruto Uzumaki… and that girl must be Mito Uzumaki." Raynare looked between all three teens, all of their targets were standing in front of them.
"Yeah, I took it from one of your exorcists," Naruto replied as he raised his sword. "Now why are you here?"
"Didn't you listen to what I told you several nights ago? Our battle will come… a lot sooner than you think." Abazeth smirked as he raised his hand and summoned a large amount of light weapons, "And I'll be taking the nun as well."
"Not going to happen!" Naruto shouted back before turning to the girls behind him, "Listen, I need you two to get to a safe location. I can't fight and protect you both at the same time, especially when fighting these two." Asia was looking at him in surprise before hesitantly nodding her head, but Mito showed no reaction. "Mito, listen to me! You have to get out of here!"
The girl recoiled and snapped her head to look up at her brother, he's never said her name without the added -chan before. Naruto looked down at Mito and noticed her eyes were looking up at him, hints of fear present in her eyes. His eyes narrowed a little as he stared down at his sister before turning away from her, but if one were to look closely at his hand, it could be seen trembling a little. Asia looked between the siblings before placing a hand on Mito's shoulder, "Mito-san, we need to move back." Mito looked up at the blonde before slowly nodding her head, and the two quickly retreated back.
When Naruto sensed that the two had made it to a safe area, he called out to Saber, 'Keep an eye on them Saber.'
"But Naruto-sama, if I leave you alone, then you won't be able to-"
'THAT DOESN'T MATTER SABER LILY, I NEED YOU TO WATCH OVER THEM!' Saber was surprised at Naruto's tone, even though he was angry, it seemed… off somehow. 'Do you understand me?'
"… Yes, I will do my best… but remember I won't be able to do anything besides lead them along. Even if… you lose."Saber and Naruto were quiet for a moment before Naruto nodded his head.
"That's fine… I'm counting on you." Naruto muttered as he raised the sword again. "… I'm surprised you waited for me like this."
"It would've been boring to just kill you when you're not even paying attention." Abazeth smirked as more weapons appeared around him, Raynare was several steps back, watching with her arms crossed. "Now then, let's get started!" With a snap of his fingers, all the weapons of light started firing at Naruto.
Naruto raised his other hand and summoned a second sword, this one completely made out of light. Charging forward, he knocked away several of the weapons while dodging a few others, this was much harder than when they fought the first time. No doubt Abazeth had been holding back a lot that time, especially with Naruto being a human at the time. The blond didn't have any more time to think as a spear went right through his side and caused a large amount of blood to spill, making him flinch a bit before quickly regaining his baring and took a giant leap back to dodge a giant sword coming down. Taking a glance down at his already healing wound, Naruto gritted his teeth, something was wrong with him, he wasn't usually this slow and distracted.
"That's an interesting healing ability. It reminds me of what I've read about the House of Phenex, only without fire." Abazeth mused as he summoned more weapons, "Let's just see how well you heal after being skewered!" Once again the weapons were fired at Naruto, who continued use his swords to deflect the attacks as fast as he could, but he was unable to react in time as a sword from behind him pierced through his arm and made him lose his grip on his sword of light. The barrage of weapons continued to connect as they stabbed him in the legs, his arms, and even his chest. One last spear pierced him through the heart, he could feel his body falling forward and hitting the ground. And as he lied there, he could hear Mito's voice.
"ONII-CHAAAAANN!" Mito cried out as she ran over to Naruto's side, she had managed to run back to where her brother had been fighting, only to see him fall to the ground. "Onii-chan, please be okay! You have to be!"
"Mi… to… What are… you doing here?" Naruto gasped out as he looked up at his sister's teary face. "I… told you… and Asia… to run…"
"Baka Onii-chan! How can I leave you?" Mito cried out as she raised her brother's head, "You're my big brother."
"Mito-san, Naruto-niisan!" Asia called out as she ran to their side, her rings already out. "Don't worry, I'll heal you-" She was pulled away from Naruto by Raynare, who had an evil smirk on her face.
"Nice for you to return, Asia." Raynare said as she brought a hand under Asia's chin, "Now why don't you be a good girl and return with us."
"N-No, I refuse to be a part of your plans. I'd rather… I'd rather become a Devil myself then help you kill innocent people." Asia exclaimed before she was slapped across the face.
"Such a tongue on you, maybe I should rip it out. After all, I only need your power." Raynare said as she grabbed Asia by her long hair, giving it a pull making Asia cry out in pain.
"Let her go… you bitch." Naruto growled as he tried to raise himself up but was stopped by Abazeth appearing above him and slammed his foot on his back, right on top of Naruto's wound, making him crash into the ground with a painfilled shout. "ARGH… Damn you… Abazeth…"
"Don't even try, Naruto Uzumaki, weak trash like you has no right to speak." The blue-haired man smirked as he pressed his foot down, making Naruto grunt again, "I am really disappointed, I really thought you would give me a challenge." Abazeth suddenly felt something tackle into his side, but he didn't budge an inch.
Looking down, he saw Mito glaring up at him with tearful eyes, "Leave my Onii-chan alone!"
The smirk on Abazeth's face grew darker as he suddenly reached down and grabbed Mito by the throat, lifting her up to his eye level. "And what are you going to do? After all, I plan on killing you and your brother… maybe I should start with you first, that way I can enjoy the look on his face as the life leaves your e-" He was cut off as a large pressure suddenly pressed down on him, he looked down and saw Naruto being surrounded by a powerful aura, however it wasn't his usual golden, this one was black with hints of purple and red.
"Let… My…SISTERS… GO!" Naruto snapped his head up to look at the Fallen Angels, his eyes blood-red and full of bloodlust. Abazeth's own eyes widened as he jumped back, just in time to dodge the large beam of energy that shot off Naruto's body.
Landing a few feet away with Raynare by his side, he turned to look at the girl. "Raynare, take these two back to the church. You can do whatever you want with the nun, but leave Mito Uzumaki alone, I will decide what to do with her."
"Hai Abazeth-sama!" Raynare nodded her head before taking the struggling Mito away from Abazeth before wrapping her wings around her and the other two, "It's time we returned, we have to prepare for the ceremony tonight!"
"Let go of us!" Asia cried as she and Mito thrashed around in the Fallen Angel's arms. "We don't want to go!"
"Onii-chan!" Mito reached out for her brother.
"Mito-chan, Asia-chan… Give them back!" Naruto shouted as he tried to run towards them, but his wound was affecting him. While most of his wounds would normally heal in an instant, having several fatal wounds took a little longer if he didn't give his body time. Reaching out to them, Naruto could only watch as Raynare disappeared with his sisters. "ASIA, MITO!" The dark energy around Naruto grew as he turned his gaze to Abazeth, who had a giant grin on his face.
"Now this is what I wanted to face!" Abazeth laughed as he created several more weapons. "Let's see how you do this time, Uzumaki!" Before either could move, a large bolt of lightning struck between them, making Abazeth jump back to avoid damage. "What the hell? Who did that?"
"Ara ara… I believe this battle is finished, Fallen Angel." A voice called out from behind Naruto, both males turned around to see Akeno walking up to them with her eyes closed and a hard smile on her face. "Unless you want to receive some punishment, then I will be happy to oblige."
"Who the hell are you?" Abazeth questioned as he glared at the woman who would dare interrupt his fight. But as he stared at Akeno, he couldn't shake the feeling he knew her from somewhere, there was something familiar about her.
"… Akeno… what are you doing here?" Naruto asked as he looked back at his fellow Devil, wondering why she was here.
Akeno flashed Naruto a quick smile before turning back to look at Abazeth, "Buchou had asked me to retrieve you and Asia-san around this time, so we could make sure she arrived at our headquarters safely… unfortunately I was too late to help you stop them."
"… Woman." Abazeth called out to Akeno, "Tell me… is your last name Himejima?"
"Why yes it is. And how do you know who I am?"
Abazeth started to snicker, "There's plenty I know about you… You're his daughter, after all." As soon as the word left his mouth, Naruto could see Akeno's body freeze up before her facial expression went cold and rage filled her eyes. Lightning surrounded her and multiple bolts headed towards the Fallen Angel, who smirked as his wings covered him and he transported away, leaving a few black feathers behind. But even though his body disappeared from their sight, Abazeth's voice could be heard, "I'LL BE TAKING MY LEAVE! NARUTO UZUMAKI, IF YOU WANT YOU SISTERS BACK, I SUGGEST YOU COME TO THE CHURCH TONIGHT! OTHERWISE, THE ONLY THING YOU'LL FIND ARE TWO CORPSES… AND UNLESS YOU COME WITH YOUR FULL POWER, YOU'LL BECOME THE THIRD! BWHAHAHAHA!
Naruto and Akeno watched the feathers fall to the ground before the blonde's body started to sway and fell forward. Akeno barely had time to catch him before his body made impact with the ground, she could see the energy surrounding him disappear as Naruto started to lose consciousness. She quickly summoned a magical circle and lifted Naruto up with one of his arms around her neck, as the two made it into the circle and it started to glow, Naruto's vision went dark, with only one thought going through his mind.
"I will save you both… I SWEAR!"