Rias had spent the morning patiently answering Naruto's endless questions about his new life as a Devil.
"Well, I suppose if you're the standard I can expect when meeting a Devil, you guys certainly can't be bad," Naruto gave the girl a bright smile. "You seem really nice. Nothing like what I've read from books and stuff."
"That's kind of you to say," and she meant it. While most Devils might be insulted for someone calling them nice, she was not. "I'm glad you don't seem to hold onto the stereotypes most humans have for Devils."
"I just try not to judge people by what they are, but who they are." Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "To me, it doesn't matter if you're a Devil or a human. So long as you're a good person, then there's no reason your origins should matter. I've had too many people judge me based on things other than who I am as a person. I'm not going to do the same to someone else."
Rias watched as his hand went down to rub his stomach. She took note of the odd action, but discarded it for now.
"Anyways, you should finish eating," Naruto informed her. "We only have half an hour left before school starts." Rias blinked in surprise. She had been so caught up talking to Naruto that she had completely forgotten about the time. "After you finish breakfast, you can take a shower. It's the just down the hall on the right hand side. It's the only door in the hallway so you can't miss it. You'll find the towels hanging on the rack to the right."
"Thank you." As she watched the blond scratch the back of his neck in what she was beginning to recognize as a habitual reaction to any kind of compliment or praise, Rias could not help but think about how lucky she was to have gotten someone like Naruto on her peerage. He was quite thoughtful and kind, and he didn't even care that she was a Devil, or that she had turned him into one.
Yes. This Uzumaki Naruto would make an excellent addition to her peerage.
"How about a favorite movie?"
"I don't really have one."
"Eh!? How could you not have a favorite movie? Don't most people have one?"
"Do you have one?"
"Well, no... but I have more important things to do then watching movies."
"Like what?"
"Like training!"
Naruto found himself walking backwards, hands behind his head and a sunny smile on his face as he escorted Rias to school. It was only right that he did so. Escorting her to school that is. She had not only saved him, but had been at his house anyways. Plus, this gave him the opportunity to get to know the beautiful and intriguing red head who had reincarnated him as a Devil a little bit better.
"Training?" Rias looked vaguely curious.
"Um!" Naruto nodded his head. "Ever since I was younger, I've always trained myself in order to grow stronger." He grinned widely as he held out an arm and flexed his muscle while placing a hand over his bicep. "And I like to think I'm pretty strong."
"You do seem to be very fit," Rias commented, "Is that because of your training too?"
"Pretty much," the blond confirmed as they entered the school gates. All around them, students stopped what they were doing so they could stare at the strange duo. Everyone seemed shocked that the new student with the ridiculously bright blond hair was in the company of the red-haired beauty, Rias Gremory.
Not that Naruto cared. He pretty much blocked out everyone around them save the girl in front of him.
"Why do you train so much?"
"Eh?" Naruto blinked as he thought about her question. Then he shrugged his shoulders. "Habit, mostly. I've been training for so long that it's pretty much a part of me. It just doesn't feel right for me to slack off on my training for any reason." Even if he had no purpose to get stronger for, he had been training to grow stronger for so long that it was pretty much ingrained into his very psyche.
"I see."
"Alright, so about this. What's your favorite color?"
"My favorite color?" Rias blinked, then smiled. "Blue."
"Really?"
"Really," Rias nodded, "And what about you? What's your favorite color?"
"Orange!" Naruto announced proudly. And loudly. "Orange is the color of the gods! Only someone as wise and gracious as the gods could have possibly come up with such a divine color!" Rias giggled at him, causing Naruto to grin widely at the girl, uncaring that she was laughing at him. "Though, I will admit, I really like red too."
"Do you?" Rias calmed down from her giggles and took a strand of her hair between her ring and index finger, twirling it around. "So you really like my hair then?"
Naruto nodded seriously. "It reminds me of my mother."
Rias perked up. "Your mother?"
"Mmm." Naruto hummed. "I never really got to meet my mom, but I do know a few things about her that other people told me. She was a major tomboy when she was younger, and because she had really bright red hair and a pudgy face, she earned the nickname tomato when she was in school. Back then, I was told she had beaten up all the boys who made fun of her and they ended up giving her the nickname Akai Chishio no Habanaero because of her red hair and fierce temper."
Rias held a hand to her mouth and giggled. "She really does sound like a tomboy."
Naruto grinned proudly. "Yep! Anyways, because of how much people made fun of her back then, mom really hated her hair. However, all that changed thanks to my dad." A small, nostalgic smile appeared on Naruto's face as he remembered the story his mom had told him the one and only time they had ever met. "Mom was a very prominent person where I lived. I suppose you could say she was sort of like you." Rias looked at him curiously. "She was the heir to a very powerful clan called the Uzumaki Clan."
"Clan of the whirling tides?"
"I think they were called that because of where they originally lived," Naruto said, "You see, before the Uzumaki Clan was mostly wiped out save for a few scattered remnants, they lived on an island that had a natural defense of dozens of whirlpools. Because of that, it was very difficult for attacking forces to invade them."
"I see," Rias smiled at his helpful answer, "Please continue with your story, Naruto-kun."
"Right, well, mom was the last surviving member of the Uzumaki Clan and this made her a target for a rival village who wanted to hold her for ransom. They ended up infiltrating the village and kidnapping my mom."
Rias found herself getting sucked into the story. "What happened?"
"When they were taking her away from the village, mom managed to leave a trail made from strands of her hair. And the one who followed them and managed to rescue her was my dad."
"Your dad?"
"Yes. Back when they were in school, mom didn't actually like my dad." He chuckled a bit. "She thought he looked flaky." Rias giggled as Naruto continued his story. "But on that day, mom's opinions about dad changed. You see, he not only rescued her, but he told her that the reason he had been able to find her was because of her beautiful red hair. He was the only person to ever compliment her hair color. After that day, mom fell in love with my dad and decided that she loved her hair too. She even went so far to call her hair the 'red thread of fate' because it brought her and dad together."
"That sounds like such a romantic story," even Rias was prone to dreamy sighs after a tale like that. It was like one of those classic fairy tales people read about in fantasy romance novels. "Is that why you like my hair so much? Because it reminds you of your mom?"
"Not really," Naruto shrugged, "Your hair color is a lot different than mom's. They may both be red, but hers was a lot lighter, while yours is more of a crimson." He grinned as he placed his hands behind his head and looked up at the sky. "I just think you have really beautiful hair." He looked back down at Rias, his grin widening. "That's all."
"I-I see..."
Rias looked away, causing the blond to tilt his head curiously. Had he said something wrong? He thought girls liked it when they were given compliments.
He looked over to where Rias was looking and saw the perverted boy he had tried to save last night staring at them. Leaning in ― and ignoring the loud noises coming from the people around him when he did this ― Naruto whispered, "Did you reincarnate him too?"
Giving one last look at Issei, Rias smiled and responded by whispering in Naruto's ear. "I did."
"Got'cha," Naruto nodded and leaned back, "I just wasn't sure. I don't really remember much of what happened after..." he trailed off for a second, his hand going towards where the large hole in his chest had been.
"I understand," Rias stopped after they entered the school building and turned to face him. She grabbed the hand Naruto had placed against his chest and moved it away so she could place her own hand there. Startled gasps emerged from those around them. Naruto ignored them as easily as he ignored the glares he used to get in his former home.
"You really are a kind person, aren't you?" she continued, causing Naruto to blush with a sheepish smile. You wouldn't think so from how he used to act when he was younger, but Naruto was never very good at accepting praise. "Worrying about someone you don't even know. Even someone you seem to enjoy playing pranks on."
"That was his own fault," Naruto defended himself, "he and his friends were just leaving themselves wide open like that. I couldn't not prank them, you know?"
Naruto could only hope prank-loving devils weren't destined for a life of virgin sacrifices and worse.