Crazy.

That was the first thing any student of Kuoh Academy would describe one eccentric and sometimes deranged Naruto Uzumaki. On his best days, he showed zero interest in anything and stared intently at the classroom's wall. On his worse, he set fire on random inanimate objects without physically doing the crime. How did people know he was the pyromaniac?

Naruto would stand up, point a finger at the fire, and guffaw like a devil, while students started screaming in frantic frenzy.

Nobody knew how he did it. No, scratch that. Nobody wanted to know how he did it.

His sociopathic tendencies deterred everybody from approaching him. Once, a group of sophomores decided it would be a great idea to lock Naruto up in the classroom's closet for the weekend. The next morning, the janitor found the bullies tied up to the teacher's desk with their naked rear facing the ceiling and a plethora of stationaries jammed down their rectums.

When the sophomores regained their consciousness and were interrogated, they had unfortunately not regained their sanity to speak coherently, spluttering gibberish nonsense and breaking down into sobbing messes. At the very mention of Naruto Uzumaki's name, the bullies collapsed like puppets having their strings cut off and foam was oozing from their mouths.

That incident had cemented Naruto as the infamous Monster of Kuoh Academy.

Nobody had the balls to talk to him, but that was not the case for Akeno Himejima. She was the class president, thus the duty to ensure every student behaves properly falls on her. It was a tiresome job, but she didn't complain, because she was the revered and idolized Onee-sama of Kuoh Academy. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Akeno stood before the lackadaisical blond with furrowed brows and an arm underneath her ample bosom. "Uzumaki-san, why -"

Naruto dropped his legs on his table, leaned into his seat, threw his hands behind his head, and interjected. "Before you say anything, I just wanna say that it wasn't me who set chickens loose in the teacher's lounge."

"No, I did not come here to talk to you about -"

"You're not?" Naruto stiffened.

"No…?"

"Okay." The blond dropped his shoulders and let out a sigh of relief.

Akeno blinked, realization suddenly dawn on her before her beautiful features contorted into a horrified blanch. "W-Wait, it was you?"

Naruto swallowed sheepishly. "…No?"

Nursing her throbbing temples, Akeno pulled a chair beside the blond with the intention to corner him, sat down gracefully with her skirt tucked under her thighs, and shot him a disapproving look. "I won't pursue that matter, but I hope you would execute your future antics more discreetly."

Naruto quirked a brow. "What? You're not gonna lecture me to death about appropriate conduct and whatnot?"

"If I do, will you miraculously change your ways?"

An impish grin played about Naruto's lips. "Aww, you know me best, Akeno-chan."

The blond pressed the class president's nose gently and beamed. "Boop."

"W-What?" Akeno stifled her embarrassment and peered at the blond incredulously. "What are you doing?"

"What did I look like I was doing? I just booped your nose." Naruto justified his action as if it was a natural thing to do. "Now go on with what you want to say to me. I don't have all day."

"Can you explain to me why did the Student Council find four third-year students hung upside-down in the male's lavatory?" Akeno smiled sweetly

Naruto raised a finger and corrected. "You missed out the fact that they were butt-naked."

Akeno palmed her face. "Why?"

"Why what?"

Her patience was wearing thin as she elaborated with frustration lacing her words. "Why did you do it?"

Naruto clutched his chest and blinked innocently at Akeno, who schooled her expression into something akin to indifference. "You wound me, Akeno-chan. You would think that low of me? That I was the one who did all those things to those poor third-year students?"

Akeno shot the blond a dry look and responded in a monotone. "Yes."

The blond nearly fell down from his chair in a comical fashion. "Let me get this straight. If anything weird happens in this school, you automatically assume I'm behind it? That's outright discrimination and I resent that!"

"Here's the ultimatum." The class president narrowed her eyes, licked her lips, and smiled wryly. "Surrender, confess and submit to me of your own volition. That is the easy way out for you. Or you can go with the hard way and I'll just forcefully make you surrender, confess and submit to me. Either way… I win."

"But -"

"No, no, no, no, no," Akeno drawled softly and placed a finger on his lips. "Shh… No buts."

She leaned forward until their noses were inches apart and she pursed her lips seductively. "Will you surrender to me?"

Sweats were forming profusely on Naruto's forehead as he gave the very attractive and well-endowed girl an appraising look. She was the epitome of elegance. From her angelic features down to the way she walks, Akeno Himejima was undeniably a beauty of heavenly proportions. The masses would cut a leg off just to smell her fart, but not Naruto, because he knew behind that beautiful face was a sadist who would love to see man like him subjugated under her will.

"Sounds kinky, but I have nothing to declare but my genius." Naruto unexpectedly seized Akeno's wrist and pulled her closer to him, whispering conspiratorially into her ear. "However, if you can catch me, I'll let you do anything you want to me."

A mischievous grin curled at her lips, her husky voice was barely containing her excitement. "Anything?"

"Well, that is if you can catch me."

The class president's eyes widened like saucer plates when she saw the blond dug out a smoke grenade from his breast pocket and carelessly tossed it on the ground. "Oh snap. Time flies when we're having fun, but I gotta go. See ya, Akeno-chan!"

As if on cue, the smoke grenade exploded, flooding the entire classroom with orange gas, prompting a bedlam that had students coughing and running in disarray.

When the gas had dispersed, the blond was long gone.

The window beside Naruto's seat, which was supposedly close, was opened and the curtain was fluttering wildly.

Akeno took a deep breath to suppress her desire for blood, but what she saw written on the blackboard had invigorated her with righteous fury.

Written on the blackboard in bold letters were four/five words:

AKENO-CHAN DOESN'T WEAR PANTIES

Akeno cracked her knuckles and stared dangerously at the blackboard.

"When I'm done with you, you will wish you were never born."

-Devil Game-

Naruto was humming a tune that he had faintly remembered while he strolled along the bustling street with his hands in his pockets and his back slouched. He had initially decided to go to the usual ramen store ensconced near a secluded alley, partly because the chef was an ancient crone who really knew how to cook ramen, but he had shook that urge off.

"A pesky little bird is following you."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I'm not an amateur, Kurama. I could smell her right from the jump."

"I'm glad your sensory skills haven't gotten rusty yet. I would have thought you playing house with these cockroaches had made you… weak. Glad I was wrong."

The blond clicked his tongue and surreptitiously snuck into the alleyway. Leaning against the brick wall, he snuffed out his presence like blowing out a candle, concealing his track in the process. He had learned this parlour trick from the Tsuchikage a few days before he passed away.

"Still thinking about the past, huh?"

"I already forgot all about it." Naruto grimaced.

"You can't lie to me, kit. I am a part of you. And I know how much it hurts to think about those stuff. But you gotta let it go. The guilt will one day kill you, if not, drive you insane. I know it's not my place to tell you to let it go. One can't just let go all those burden suddenly, but it has been far too long for someone to mop about 'what-ifs'. Time to wake the hell up."

Naruto raked his fingers through his unkempt hair and heaved a tired sigh. "Just go to sleep, you oversized fur-ball."

"I hope you don't go and do something stupid that would inadvertently get yourself killed while I'm sleeping. After all, you're a trouble magnet. You find shit like moth find flames."

"Hey! That's not true. I don't go and openly find shit. Shit finds me. There's a difference!"

Kurama did not speak afterwards.

Muttering inaudible curses under his breath, the blond formed his signature hand-sign and two clones seemingly puffed into existence. "A fallen angel is on our tail. I want you two to scout the entire city. Fallen angel doesn't operate alone. They fight in a pack, like wolves. I bet my candy ass there is a bunch of them hiding somewhere, so it's gonna be a bad idea to instigate a fight with the unknown without some insurance policy. You get my drift, boys?"

The clones gave their original a rigid salute and murmured in unison. "Understood, boss."

Naruto made a gesture and watched as his clones vanished into golden blurs.

"I'm gonna scare myself a fallen angel."

-Devil Game-

Raynare really despised that angel-side of her.

She was edging through the sea of people in humid heat while keeping a close eye on her target with rapt attention, like a hawk studying its prey, but got distracted when an elderly woman begged her desperately for help. Hundreds of people had strode past the poor old woman, yet nobody heard her pleas.

Raynare wanted to walk away, but the wrinkled woman kept tugging at her sleeve. She was a fallen angel, not a goody-two-shoe charity-case, and most importantly, she had a mission! She couldn't just abandon her mission just to help an annoying old woman.

"I'm really sorry, baa-chan. I-I'm kinda in a hurry."

"I-I see. I'm sorry." The elderly woman's crestfallen face irked the fallen angel.

Raynare shook her head to dismiss her thoughts, tidied her pink sweater, straightened her polka dot skirt, and stalked towards her objective. She caught a glimpse of the elderly woman in her peripheral begging for people to help her, yet everybody was avoiding her like a plague. Chewing her lips and exhaling an irritated sigh, Raynare walked briskly back to the old lady. "Baa-chan, I'll help you."

"I-I thought you were busy." The old woman blinked apologetically.

The fallen angel smiled wearily and waved a hand. "No, no! It's okay. Tell me what do you need help with?"

She took one last glance at her target and fiddled with her fingers. "He's energy signature makes him a walking beacon. I'll find him later. Right now, I'll just need to -"

"Thank you so much, Ojou-chan." The elderly woman smiled kindly. "I need to find my grandson. I told him to wait for me at a ramen store, but I lost my way. Can you bring me there?"

"Yes, of course." Raynare nodded with a small smile. "Does the store have a name?"

"Y-Yes. It's called… Shinto Ramen."

Raynare heard about that peculiar store before. Supernatural entities tend to avoid that area at all cost, but nobody knew why. Her superior had specifically instructed her never to tread lightly on forbidden grounds, in this case, the territory that housed Shinto Ramen. It was highly unlikely that the elderly woman would deceive her; she didn't even reek danger or contempt. Hell, she smelled like any ordinary human.

Raynare abolished any further hesitation and guided the old woman to her destination. They walked past two districts, crossed a bridge, made a few detours, and finally ended up on an alleyway that led them directly to the store.

It was then the fallen angel detected anomaly in the atmosphere.

The air was dense.

No alleyway smells like spring and daisies.

The thing that stood out the most was the dreadful silence that coerced the place.

It shouldn't be this quiet.

Raynare spun around.

Her eyes widened in horror. The elderly woman was gone. But that wasn't possible. As a fallen angel, her ability to track energy signature was paramount. She started scanning every inch of the alleyway with stern scrutiny, but there was nobody, not even a fly.

And then there was applause.

Raynare's eyes drifted sharply to her side and found a mysterious blond standing before her. She took a tentative step forward and narrowed her eyes, discerning the features of the enigmatic man, and was baffled when she unravelled the man's identity. "Y-You!"

"Me." Naruto pointed a finger at himself and a Cheshire grin tugged at his lips. "Hi."

"W-Where is the old lady? W-Who are you?" Raynare's posture was jittery, but she did her best to conceal her apprehension and mustered a brave visage.

"You don't need to be tense." Naruto snapped his fingers and his frame immediately erupted into smoke. The fallen angel flinched in shock when the elderly woman stepped out of the dust cloud. "I am the old woman."

Raynare scowled and her lips were stretched in a thin line. "You tricked me."

The elderly woman transformed back into the blond, who was smiling suavely. "So, mind telling me why you're following me?"

"I wasn't." The fallen angel looked away.

"Right." A billowing breeze swept past, tousling their hair. Raynare was experiencing a bombardment of emotions to do anything about it. Naruto leaned against a nearby wall and crossed his arms, his triumphant grin widened. "Let's cut the chase. Who sent you?"

"W-What?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Your kind doesn't work alone. You guys travel in groups and are always supervised by a superior. That means you would never come to this world without any reason. Judging by how you hold yourself, I bet you're just a foot soldier. Therefore, whoever your commander is, I am one hundred and ten percent sure he didn't send you here to buy me a year worth of ramen. I know at least that much. Now, the million dollar question comes."

Raynare's eyes darted left and right, as if finding an escape route, but unfortunately, there was none. She was trapped in a highly sophisticated barrier that was beyond her and she cursed herself for being sloppy.

"What does your commander want from me?"

"H-How did you know I was a fallen angel?"

Naruto glanced predatorily at the fallen angel with a haughty grin on his comely features. "I never said you were a fallen angel."

Raynare started knocking her temples for being so ludicrously stupid.

The blond actually found her adorably stupid. "So, who sent you? Azazel? No, no. That idiot knows better than to send someone of your calibre to spy on me. It can't be Baraqiel. That man is as stiff as a lamp post. So, it has to be… Kokabiel, right?"

The fallen angel swallowed down her trepidation and materialised a spear of light instinctively. "I… I don't know what you're talking about -"

"You see, by the way you react to Kokabiel's name, you become excessively jumpy. You were fearful of Baraqiel; that much is awfully certain, but I can tell you hate Azazel. The way your lips twitch when I mention Azazel's name shows contempt. I would say… he is the reason why you fell from grace." Naruto's knowing smile became disturbing wide when Raynare's knuckle went white from gripping her spear a little too tight. "Alright, I'll stop messing with you. Now tell me what does Kokabiel wants from me?"

The fallen angel's beautiful face became solemn and she glared vicious daggers at the blond. "It doesn't matter. My cover is blown. I have to kill you."

Letting out a war cry, Raynare charged towards the still-grinning blond and swung her spear. She was dumbfounded when she stabbed air. Turning around, she found the aggravating blond blowing his nails. "It's cool to have a spear. But having a weapon means absolutely jack if you can't hit your opponent, right?"

The fallen angel's eyelid twitched vigorously before she made another attempt to pierce the unfazed blond, who had merely sidestepped her haphazard assault and kicked the back of her shin. Losing her momentum, Raynare tumbled to the ground and unwittingly dropped her weapon. It was then Raynare understood why the blond had led her to this sequestered alleyway.

The confined space of the alleyway restricted her from swinging her spear dexterously. The barrier encompassing the alley would probably take twenty magic technicians to dismantle, hence preventing her from flying away and forbidding any intrusion from outside force. "He orchestrated everything right from the start! To think that I would be tricked by this… Wait a sec! He doesn't smell like a devil, yet the barrier has demonic origin. He sure as hell ain't an angel and definitely not one of us. Just what is this guy?"

"I'm a human."

Raynare peered up and blinked. "Y-You're reading my mind?"

"No." Naruto snickered. "You're just too transparent."

The fallen angel picked up her spear, clambered up to her full height, and regained her composure. "I have to kill you."

"You don't have to."

"I won't be swayed by words!"

Naruto tilted his head to his side to duck from an incoming spear strike. "Look, whatever that old slime offered you, I'm pretty sure it won't work."

Raynare's teeth was gnashing as she performed a horizontal slash with her light spear, but the blond had deftly evaded the attack with grace. "You don't understand anything! So stop pretending you care!"

The blond took half a step back, avoiding another spear strike that was aiming for his eye and fluidly snatched the spear. His palm drew blood, yet he showed not even the slightest of discomfort, stupefying the fallen angel. "I know what he offered you. I'm telling you it's not possible."

Raynare struggled to yank her spear off Naruto's firm grip, but his herculean strength made it impossible to even make her weapon budge. "You know nothing!"

"Once you fall, you never go back." The blond sighed, hoisted his free hand up, and tapped the side of his head with his finger. "Think about it. How many angels have fallen? Thousands? Ten thousands? I bet more than that. Surely there are one or two who felt remorse and wanted to return. So why hasn't any angel who fell managed to return to heaven? The answer is simple. When you fall, it's an irreversible process. But you know that, right?"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Raynare exclaimed with tears bursting from her eyes. "Don't pretend to be high-and-mighty when you know nothing about me! Did you think I fall of my own accord? That damnable Azazel manipulated me! Manipulated us! He wanted thousands of angels to fall so he could have an army of war machines under his hegemony! He promised me a paradise if I were to follow him! He told me he loved me! And what did I get in return?"

Naruto stared with icy cold eyes at the fallen angel who had become an emotional wreck.

"Nothing! I got nothing but a fool's paradise! He threw me away like I was a toy! A fucking toy!" Raynare growled as her eyes turned murderous and she let out a seething breath. "I'm done getting kicked around. I'll rather die standing with whatever dignity I have left than -"

In an instant, Naruto crushed the light spear in his grasp into sparkling dust and brought a kunai to her neck. "The world is unfair. People make mistakes. Sometimes you can bounce out of the mess. Sometimes you can't. You were a fool to believe in Azazel and you paid the price. Now, you are repeating the same mistake as you did once by placing your faith in the likes of Kokabiel. I'm sure you know all about the fool-me-once fool-me-twice crap."

"Just kill me." Raynare closed her eyes, hot tears were still streaming down her reddened cheeks.

The blond resisted his urge to roll his eyes and glowered at the fallen angel. "If you lack the will to live because life is meaningless, then by all means, die somewhere else. I'm not taunting you. I'm speaking from experience and I understood what you're going through. Unlike you, my life was pretty much shit since the day I was born. I worked my way up and became something. It took just one mistake for shit to go crashing down. But if fate enjoys fucking with you, grovelling in defeat is not the solution. You fuck fate back. Well, that's what I would do."

Raynare turned away, but the blond had gently twirled her chin so they could meet eye to eye. "Kokabiel is a third-rate asshole. If you can't even see that, then you can return to his side and watch if things would turn out well for you. But let me remind you."

Naruto never blinked, not even once, when he stared with ruthless ferocity at the fallen angel, who cringed at how cold his gaze was. "If you obey Kokabiel and do his biddings, only death awaits you, and let me tell you this, there will be neither honour nor meaning to your imminent demise."

The man who radiated an air of an assassin and raw power simply flicked his wrist and the barrier that enveloped them was tore down. He jerked his chin at the sky and smiled at the fallen angel. "You can leave now."

"W-What?"

"Go. Do what you need to do. Evaluate Kokabiel's trustworthiness."

Raynare pushed a wiry lock of black hair behind her ear and averted her gaze. "How?"

"Probe him about the details of turning a fallen angel back to its original state. You already know he has no answer for that. Judge him by his reaction."

"He's not going to spill it out -"

Naruto poked the fallen angel's forehead and chastised. "Use that brain of yours and figure it out."

Raynare rubbed her forehead and stared curiously at the blond. "Why are you helping me? You do know I'm a fallen angel, right?"

"Stereotypically, a fallen angels doesn't help old lady." Naruto slid his hands into his pockets and softened his gaze, chuckling at how cute the fallen angel was when she failed miserably to hide her pink-tinted cheeks. "Stereotypically, devils eat children for breakfast. Stereotypically, angels are naked kids with wings and play the harp like hobos. But that's not the case, is it? Life isn't black and white. Just like how there are kind devils in the underworld and there are douchebags in heaven. A fallen angel who is willing to help an old lady in need is definitely a good person in my book."

Raynare was dumbfounded. "You didn't just lure me here. You were testing me?"

Naruto's lips drew into a smug smile. "I need to know who and what I'm dealing with. If you haven't helped the old lady back then, I would have deemed you as a stereotypical fallen angel and dealt with you like how I deal with those stereotypical fallen angels I have encountered in the past, and trust me, you don't want to know how far a crowbar can go up the ass."

That didn't feel assuring to Raynare at all. The fallen angel suppressed the shuddering chill crawling up her spine. Who knows what would happen if she had just ignored the elderly woman. "I guess kindness has its virtues after all."

Naruto grasped Raynare's slender shoulders and lowered his voice. "I just spared your life. So, technically, you owe me a favour."

The fallen angel looked away, her lower lip was trembling from sheer fright. "I'm scared of what you want me to do."

"You should be scared, because what I'm about to ask you to do is going to be quite difficult for you to handle." Naruto smiled. "Pull yourself together. That's all I'm asking. You're wasting your life serving under those obnoxious imps."

"It's easier said than done." Raynare hugged herself, unable to meet Naruto's compassionate gaze.

The blond shook his head and chuckled. "The decision is all yours."

A stilted silence followed, but he soon broke the tension with a wanly smile. "At any rate, you should leave."

Naruto turned around and strolled briskly towards the ramen store, which was right around the corner of the alleyway.

"W-Wait!"

The blond stopped in his strides.

"You know so much about our worlds." Raynare eyed dubiously at the blond. "Just what are you?"

Naruto hesitated for a moment and said, "A human who wants to be left alone."

-Devil Game-

In the eyes of many, Shinto Ramen was a quaint food stall stationed on the corner of a rundown street. In the supernatural world, Shinto Ramen screams no-trespassing to angels and demons alike. The sky above the shabby stall was clogged by a vortex of swirling thunderclouds from perdition that blot the sun out 24/7; the setting looked exactly like a fictional devil's abode.

The owner of Shinto Ramen was an old god who had a notoriety for being abrasive and belligerent at anything that pissed him off. Demons and angels used to shit bricks when they encountered him in the battlefield. Those were the dark days. Now, he had decided to be a humble ramen chef and -

"Iza-jii-san, one miso ramen! Hurry up, you old fart! I'm starving!"

Izanagi was a mountain of a man who had greasy short hair that was slicked to the back of his head, a jagged scar that ran down his eye, and a cigar poking out of his mouth that never seems to die out. Ducking out his head from the kitchen, Izanagi gritted his teeth and snarled. "Damn brat! Have some respect for your elders! Didn't your parents teach you any?"

"Jokes on you, coz I ain't got no parents to teach me any manners. What's your point?"

"Boohoo! Start learning some!" Izanagi stormed into the bowels of his store, gathering the ingredients for his customer. When he trudged out of the kitchen, he had a pot of broth in his hand and he placed it on the small stove behind the counter. "So, the fallen angels finally contacted you, huh?"

Naruto cocked a brow. "Were you watching me?"

The old god snorted. "Duh."

"Perv." The blond retorted.

"I was being vigilant, brat. Know your shit." Izanagi grabbed a handful of pre-cooked noodles and tossed it into the pot. "You know what that means, right? The three factions are all on the move. Everybody wants a piece of you, especially in your weakened state."

"I'm in my weakened state, that part is true." Naruto pulled the chopsticks out of the holster and smirked. "But that doesn't mean I'm weak."

Izanagi didn't say anything and poured the broth and noodles into a bowl. Placing the bowl of steaming ramen before the blond, the old god lit up the cigar in his mouth with a snap of his fingers and puffed out a ring of smoke. "So why let the fallen angel go?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Do you even Art of War? It is a necessity for soldiers to have complete faith in their commander's leadership. Our cute fallen angel's relationship with her commander is shaky, at best. You just need a little spark of heat and you can conjure a forest fire. I have her trapped inside that barrier with me to prove a point. That I was in control of her fate, but I didn't abuse that authority to dominate her. No. I gave her a second chance. I gave her a choice to do things right. I showed her benevolence, in which her superiors didn't."

Izanagi scoffed as he twisted the tap and rinsed his wooden ladle. "And what makes you think she won't spit on your kindness?"

"I let her choose which shade of the world is better. If she firmly believes Kokabiel is the solution to her problems, then I wish her good luck." Naruto inhaled his salty noodles, chewed a bit, and swallowed hungrily. "That's the beauty of this world, right? The ability to choose for yourself."

"And you once chose to wage war against gods, angels and demons, Trihexa-san."

Naruto made a muffled choking sound and coughed. "I told you to stop calling me that! If you insist on referring to people with their nicknames, please call me Sage of Six Colours Rainbow or the Sexy Hermit of Mt. Handsome. How about that?"

"I strongly suggest you to start taking things seriously, Naruto."

"Meh." Naruto toyed with the chopsticks between his fingers. "Life is too important for me to take anything seriously."

Izanagi dumped his dirty pot in the sink and scrubbed his kitchenware with a sponge. "The Great War was one of the bloodiest war recorded in the history of all creations. Millions of lives were lost every day. The notion of peace was really a hopeless case. Until one day, a monster came storming into the battlefield, slaughtering and devouring anything that stood in his way. No angels could harm him. No devils could lay a scratch on him. No god could smite him. His fearlessness and ungodly strength made every warmonger who participated in the battle running away in terror."

The old god twisted the water tap off and pulled out his cigar from his mouth. "God saw the consequences of allowing that monster to roam free. I guess God thought the monster would one day rupture the balance of the world. When the war was over, God went to confront the monster with a legion of his best men as escorts. I wasn't there to witness it, but I heard the Grand Canyon was the result of their battle. Everybody thought God had sealed the Beast of Apocalypse away, but we both know that's not entirely true, is it?"

Naruto let out a contented sigh as he dropped his finished bowl of ramen. "Let's drop all the boring talk and get down to business. The soup is too buttery. You can't serve this hideous crap to your customers. Lessen the goddamn butter, old fart."

Izanagi growled. "If the soup is crap, then why the hell did you drink everything?"

The blond snorted. "I'm just making sure nobody gets to eat any of this."

"Ungrateful punk!" The old god crossed his arms and scowled. "What are you going to do now? You can't fight city hall, especially not in your pathetic state. Heaven fears you. Hell hates you. It won't be long before they send their best to hunt you down for sport."

Naruto rest his chin on the base of his balled fist and bit a toothpick. "You just worry about yourself, old man. I know what I'm about. They can come and do their worse. You see, old man, I possess a particular set of skills that make me a nightmare for people like them. Once I find them, I will torture their bodies and break their spirits. I will make them -"

"Found you!"

"AHHHH!" Naruto shrieked aloud in a high-pitch voice and jolted in shock, falling from his seat in a clumsy manner. "W-What? Akeno-chan? H-How the hell did you find me?"

Izanagi stifled his giggle at Naruto's bewildered state. "I wish I had a camera on me. That picture would be great blackmail material. The Great Beast of Apocalypse screaming like a little girl. Ahhh…"

Akeno calmed her laboured breaths, tided her dishevelled raven hair and stood with utmost grace before the perturbed blond. "Do you know why I'm here, Uzumaki-san?"

Naruto shook his head, scrambled to his stool, and pouted. "Well obviously you felt the need to exercise your imaginary power over me and punish me for messing with you." The blond swirled in his seat to face the fuming girl and raised a hand in a surrender notion. "It's okay, I understand. I like to punish people too."

Akeno suppressed that chill of excitement tingling underneath her skin and narrowed her eyes. "That's very droll, Uzumaki-san. Laws are established in our society to preserve peace and harmony. It works in schools too. If a student in my class misbehaves, it is my duty to… discipline them."

Naruto noticed the sadistic glee rolling out of her tongue when she mentioned 'discipline' and he arched an amused brow. "I bet you break the laws sometimes."

The statuesque beauty was caught in a trance as she peered at the pair of alluring and soporific blue eyes before her. "…Yes. I knew it was you who set the chicken loose in the teacher's lounge, but I didn't say a word because I enjoy watching those adults squirming and screaming in fear. It… turns me on."

Naruto chuckled, his smug smile never faltered, not even the slightest. "Yeah! It's fun, right? Watching people suffer and whatnot. What a thrill, isn't it?"

When Akeno regained her senses, she was floundering for words and stuttered weakly. "I-I… I didn't say that…"

"It's okay, Akeno-chan. People tend to tell me things. Your secret is safe with me."

The flustered raven-haired girl plopped down on the stool beside the blond and glared heatedly at him. "What did you do to me?"

Naruto glanced at Akeno innocently and asked, "Pardon?"

"You drugged me, didn't you?"

"Nope. People just tell me their secrets because of my good looks. Anyway -" Naruto turned his attention to Izanagi and grinned. "Old man, one bowl of pork ramen for this girl. I bet all the running has really tired her. She deserves the best for her effort."

Akeno blinked and shifted her attention to the old god, who was scratching his chin and studying the girl with curiosity and amusement glinting in his eyes. Akeno however was confounded; she swore she had seen the man somewhere, if the wave of nostalgia she just felt was anything to go by. Shoving her contemplation and doubts aside, Akeno bowed politely and spoke with a soft eloquence. "Thank you."

Izanagi grinned. "Now that's what I called manners. Learn from her, brat."

"Never." Naruto pouted childishly and crossed his arms.

The old god shot the beauty a dry look and said, "My condolence."

"What for?" Akeno arched a brow.

"For having to deal with this brat."

"Oh, you have no idea."

Naruto deadpanned. "Guys, I'm still here."

"As a token of appreciation for taking care of this brat, the ramen is on the house."

"Thank you." Akeno giggled. "It is tough taking care a five-year old whose soul is trapped inside a body of a sixteen-year old."

"Hey! I resent that!"

Izanagi broke into a guffawing frenzy. "I like you, girl! Order as much as you want! The tab is on me!"

-Devil Game-

The evening air was soothing and calm. Naruto expected his esteemed class president to live in an opulent accommodation at a pompous street of novelty, but the street they were walking along was anything but extravagant.

"You don't need to walk me home. I can take care of myself."

"I may be an asshole, but I'm not that kind of asshole who would let a girl walk herself home all by herself." Naruto shivered as a chilling gust swept down and he rubbed his forearm to generate warmth. "And it's cold. A handsome, strong gentleman such as me should be there to offer you a jacket and -"

Akeno looped her arm around Naruto's elbow and pulled him leaned closer to her. "I think you're the one who need a handsome, strong gentleman to offer you a jacket."

The blond pouted. "Don't make it sound gay, Akeno-chan."

She grinned impishly and pressed his nose. "Boop!"

Naruto's brows knitted together in confusion as he touched his nose. "What the hell is that for?"

"That's for making fun of me this afternoon." Akeno cutely scrunched up her nose and exclaimed. "You got off easy with all the teasing and innuendos, Uzumaki-san. I usually make it excruciating for those who tries to defy me."

The blond smiled happily. "Then I'm glad I'm the first to live and survive the tale, huh?"

Akeno playfully punched Naruto's muscular bicep, a small smile crept up her pink lips. "So what did you do after you ran off from class just now?"

"I was cooped up in a sweaty room, copulating with a feisty young woman named Destiny." Naruto grinned saccharinely. "Wanna join?"

"I would love to." The dignified beauty purred.

Naruto quirked a brow. "You have no shame."

"What's that?" Akeno tapped her chin with a slender finger and blinked innocently. "Shame? Why I've never heard of the word."

They both shared a light-hearted guffaw. Naruto had never seen a genuine smile from the gorgeous class president. She always portrayed herself as the dauntless and stunning beauty who had a bewitching smile and a ravishing figure. She was many boys' wet dream and many girls' secret fantasy. In all honesty, Naruto had never seen this side of her.

When they had come to a stop, Naruto glanced up, scratched his scalp and pointed a finger at the isolated shrine situated atop a hill. "Why are we here? Don't tell me you live in that stuffy place."

"Why yes. I'm a Miko. It was my mother's lineage after all."

"Was?"

Akeno winced and the blond caught on. "I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I grew up without knowing who my mom or dad were. I only met my mother once, and it was a very awkward meet."

The beauty veered her attention to the blond and tilted her head in confusion. "Why would I feel better knowing you're an orphan."

"I don't know." Naruto shrugged. "I figured if you knew I'm an orphan, we can relate better."

"Oh?" Akeno leaned forward and caressed his cheek. "Sounds like somebody wants to have an intimate relationship with me."

To Akeno's surprise, Naruto leaned forward too, their lips were mere inches apart. Naruto stared at Akeno with such passion and ferocity that it was starting to make her flustered; the butterflies in her stomach didn't help at all. "I would love to share a relationship with you, but it won't be anything sexual. A friendship will suffice."

"Why is that?" Akeno placed a hand on her curvaceous hip and smiled confidently, her pulchritudinous features radiated a soft glow under the moonlight. "You do know many boys in our school would kill just to have a relationship with me."

Naruto didn't formulate any reply, but Akeno had caught a glimpse of the sorrowful smile that flashed momentarily on his face. The blond took a step back, gave his class president a sluggish wave, and walked away. "Good night, Akeno-chan."

The sound of crickets' chirping pervaded the silence.

Akeno stared quietly at Naruto's retreating form, unable to assess the nauseating puzzle that was Naruto Uzumaki. Akeno had always prided herself for being perspicacious and she was competent at perceiving and peeling off the façade that people wore before her, but none of her tricks worked on the blond. It wasn't his overbearing nature or his swagger that peeved her.

It was his innate charisma to compel people to open up their true self to him that bothered her.

Shaking her thoughts away, Akeno whispered. "Good night, Uzumaki-san."

-Devil Game-

The first thing Naruto did when he entered his measly three-room apartment was to kick his shoes off, down a glass of chilled water, and take a cold shower. When he walked out of his bathroom with a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, he was greeted by his two clones. "Any news for me?"

"Boss, we found their hideout." One of the clones reported. "They took over an abandoned church. Kokabiel is definitely inside. There are five other fallen angels with him too. Your hunch was right after all, sir."

"Great." The original smirked. "Now, we can -"

"Uhh…"

The original deadpanned. "What? Something happened? They found out about you guys spying on them?"

"No sir." The second clone replied hastily, "The feathered friend who was spying on you this afternoon stirred a commotion when she returned to base. We're not sure why, but it ended quite quickly."

Naruto bit his lip and beckoned his clones to leave. They gave their boss a salute before they exploded into smoke. The blond immediately received an onslaught of memory from his clones and he grimaced. "Stupid girl. Why did she go and rile Kokabiel up? Damn it! Kokabiel might have already killed her for treason."

Pacing around in his bedroom, Naruto mused. "Should I go and check on her? I am responsible for meddling with her head. It is only right for me to make sure she isn't dead. Wait. Why would she be dead? Killing her gives Kokabiel no benefit whatsoever. But I can't be too sure about this. If I go and rescue her, a battle with that crafty old scoundrel is inevitable. That means I have to risk disclosing my existence to them. I should just ignore this shit and go back to sleep. It's not my problem anyway. Yup, that's right, not my problem."

The blond nodded with half-assed conviction, climbed to his bed, and threw his blanket over his head.

When he closed his eyes, he saw the fallen angel's wounded form lying on a pool of fresh blood. She was staring pleadingly at him with her haunted eyes, which were filled with hurt and betrayal as she tried to reach out for him, helplessly begging for him to save her. Her beautiful features were haggard and blemished by the stain of her blood, her voice was raspy, her -

"DAMN YOU, NARUTO!" The blond kicked his blanket away and ruffled his golden hair in rage. "Damn you for being such a soft-hearted douchebag!"

Author Note: Please support this story with your kind reviews.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Highschool DXD and Naruto.

Pairings:
1.) NarutoXRias
2.) NarutoXAkeno
3.) NarutoXRaynare
4.) NarutoXSeekvaira
5.) NarutoXRossweisse
6.) NarutoXHarem

Please do drop a comment on the reviews. Let me know how you feel.