Here's Chapter 7

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"Shut up!" Naruto smashed his hand into the snooze button.

"Unff…" Rias muttered, shifting under the covers.

"C'mon Rias." Naruto shook her. "We have school today."

"I know…" She sat up, letting the sheets fall around her body. Naruto had forgotten about her nudity from last night, but by now he was mostly used to her curves, so he just looked away and ignored the blood rushing to his cheeks.

"Naruto?" Naruto froze, glancing up at the open doorway. "Are you home?"

"That's...Sirzechs, right?" He whispered. Rias nodded.

'I don't want to know what would happen to me if he found out that I was sleeping in the same bed as Rias…' Naruto winced at the thought.

He teleported to his living room, appearing behind Sirzechs and Ajuka.

"Yes?" He asked, trying to hide his embarrassment. "What's going on?"

"Ah, there you are Naruto," Sirzechs exclaimed. "We actually completed a prototype prosthetic and we'd like you to come and test it."

"That sounds great but I have school today," Naruto said, looking at the clock. "I have to be back here in like...half an hour."

"Ah, but we both know that you don't actually want to go to school." Sirzechs grinned, clapping his arm around Naruto's shoulders. "It's not like you actually understand any of the lessons anyway."

"Rias told you?" Sirzechs nodded. "Rias, what the hell!"

"Sorry, Naruto. He was wondering how you were doing." Rias said, stepping out of the hallway. She had gotten dressed while Naruto had been out here.

"Imouto!" Sirzechs face lit up. "How is it living here? Is everything alright?"

"Yes, Nii-sama…" Rias sighed. "What's this about his arm?"

"I just wanted to borrow Naruto for a while. He's been complaining about his arm, and so Ajuka and I have been trying to create something suitable for replacement. Think of it as a...side project that we've taken an interest in."

Naruto sighed, thinking about whether it would be worth leaving today to avoid school. Honestly, he did always say he wanted to quit and/or skip, but he was so used to going now that he wasn't sure if he wanted to just leave.

"How long will he be gone?"

"Just around a day or two. It's a prototype, so we'll test it and then check for any problems while we create a finished version." Ajuka said. "So will you be coming, Naruto?"

"Yeah fine, I'll come. Just let me get dressed first."

"So should we ask Naruto to help us?" Issei asked.

"No, he wasn't here today," Kiba responded, "And this is personal. I want to be able to get my revenge with my own strength. I don't need Naruto to carry me."

"Naruto?" Saji asked. "The new crippled kid? Why would we need his help?"

"Uh, Naruto is actually really OP. He's insanely powerful, like, no matter what you did, you would never win."

"But my absorption line would be able to drain him of his energy."

"Yeah, but you'd probably explode from how much energy he has." Issei nodded. "It's just way too much for anybody…"

"Naruto is the strongest," Koneko commented.

"There they are," Kiba said, stopping the three boys in their tracks.

Irina and Xenovia were standing in the middle of a busy street, preaching about something. Thankfully, the devils were far enough away that it didn't hurt.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Issei walked forward. "Let's talk to them." He raised his voice. "HEY, IRINA!"

"Issei?" Irina looked towards the group of devils. "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to help you guys. We don't want to have Excalibur in the Fallen Angels hands either."

"And may I ask why that is?" Xenovia stepped forward. "Devils would never help someone without having their own goal."

"I have a history with Excalibur." Kiba stepped forwards. "And I do not want Kokabiel to use those swords."

"And why should we trust you?"

"I'll buy you lunch."

"We'll split up." Xenovia decided as the boys finished disguising themselves. "I'm sure the Grigori have hidden within Koh Town. We have to cover as much ground as possible."

"We'll go East. We know the area, so our search will probably be faster than yours." Issei said as Koneko walked back from wherever she had been changing.

"Very well. And, I do need to tell you this." Xenovia said'

"Yeah?"

"The White Dragon is awake."

"Huh?!"

"You have to be mindful Issei. He is dangerous and is likely to attack you at any time."

'I get it…'

"Issei?"

"Yeah?" He muttered.

"Are you alright?" Koneko asked.

"Yeah...just wondering where we should look next!"

"I may have an idea of a possible hideout."

"You know where they are?"

"Perhaps." Kiba nodded.

"Isn't this the place where we fought that Stray Devil? She was…"

"Viser." Koneko nodded.

"You guys fought a Stray Devil?" Saji asked.

"Yeah, she lost control of her powers and starting eating people." Issei and Koba began to walk towards the entrance. "Not a nice scene."

"Wait." Kiba held up his hand. "Someone is here."

"Huh?"

"Up there." Koneko pointed.

"Well, if it isn't a few Devils in a shitty disguise!" Freed laughed, hopping down from the top of the building. "How's it goin'?!"

Kiba created a sword, blocking Freed's attack.

"It's that stray exorcist!" Issei remarked.

"It's that kid and the midget from before!" He laughed. Koneko flinched, glaring up at the man. "I mean young woman! I was hoping for something nice, but it's just more Devils!"

Kiba lowered his stance, glaring at Freed's sword.

"It's an Excalibur, isn't it?" Issei asked. Koneko nodded, ripping her disguise off. Issei and Saji did the same, leaving Kiba as the only one in a robe. "Dammit."

"Aw, four vs one?"

"No, I'm your opponent!" Kiba shouted, vaulting upwards to the pillars Freed stood on. "Prepare yourself."

"It's too bad you decided to fight on your own," Freed said as he backed away. "I have this new Excalibur! Rapidly!"

"Where did they go?!" Rias slammed her hands into the desk. "I knew that Kiba would try something like this, but Koneko and Issei went with him?"

"Stay calm, I'm sure that we'll find them in time," Sona said. "And Saji agreed to go with them too. I thought he was smarter than that."

"It seems that both our peerages are having problems today." Akeno sighed. "And after all that trouble we had last month."

"If Naruto were here, this would be much easier," Rias muttered, searching for Issei and Koneko's energy.

"What do you mean?" Tsubaki asked.

"Naruto has the ability to easily sense and differentiate between people's energy. It makes it quite difficult to sneak up on him." Akeno said. "Where is he actually?"

"He is testing his new prosthetic arm in the underworld. Nii-san and Ajuka-san came early this morning."

"I found Saji." They are on the East Side of Kuoh Town, near an abandoned building.

"Hm...Koneko and Issei are there as well. Kiba is near too."

"Well then, let's see what they're up to." Tsubaki pushed her glasses up. "And give them proper punishment."

The two kings activated their respective magic circles, disappearing from the school campus.

They reappeared on the steps of the building, just in time to see Kiba run off with Irina and Xenovia. Rias felt saddened as she watched Kiba run off in pursuit of whoever they'd been fighting.

"Hey, Kiba! Wait up!" Issei began to run after him. She couldn't have that now, could she?"

"Issei? Mind telling us what exactly happened here?" She smiled, but even she knew that her true feelings were leaking out. Anger at how they'd gone against her orders, and worry because with how dangerous Kuoh Town had become recently, she did not want one of her peerage members to be hurt. It was already bad enough that Kiba was ignoring her and going off to fight, she didn't need the rest of her peerage to follow suit.

"Buchou!" He shrieked. Good, he should be scared. Worrying her like that.

"Saji. What happened?" Sona did not even attempt to smile.

"President?!"

"We vowed not to get involved in their battle. We said we would supervise, which Akeno was doing for me. So why did you get involved, Issei?"

"Well, Kiba-san was so...determined to get his revenge that I was worried that he would get himself into trouble," Issei admitted. "So I thought that if I helped out, we wouldn't have to worry about him."

"And who were you fighting before we arrived?"

"Well, we met that stray exorcist from before. Freed, and then the guy who was in charge of the Holy Sword project showed up, I think his name was Valper and they escaped together."

"So he went after him."

"Yeah, he's working with Xenovia and Irina now."

'...Please tell me that they're getting along. I don't need him to be fighting with the Church too. This would all be easier if Naruto were here. He always knows what to do.'

"He'll probably give us a call when he gets into another fight. We're working together."

"I doubt that Issei." Rias shook her head. "Kiba is obsessed with his revenge now, especially since Valper has appeared now. If he finds him, calling for help will be the last thing he thinks of."

"Shit…" Issei muttered, glaring at the floor.

"Koneko, why did you go too?"

"I...I did not want to see Yuuto-senpai go either." Koneko looked down sadly.

"Huh, well you've already fought now, so I can't do anything to change that, but you are both aware that what you've done could affect the Underworld? Politics is a messy battlefield."

"We were aware," Issei admitted. "Sorry, Buchou."

"OW!" Issei flinched at the sounds of pain Saji made. "I'm sorry Buchou! Please forgive me!"

"No."

'Fuck, she's using magic to spank him. That has to hurt a lot!' He glanced back at Rias, who was watching the scene in mild interest. 'Please don't tell me…'

"Issei, Koneko." Rias stood. "How dare you worry me like that!" She stepped forward to hug them. "Don't you ever do something like this again!"

"See, they settled theirs nicely!" Saji yelled.

"That's her peerage. This is mine." Sona said, spanking him again.

'I'm so glad I'm not in the Student Council…' Issei thought.

"Now then, show me your behinds."

"Naruto?" Rias asked as she walked inside. She got no response. 'I guess he's still testing it out.' The house felt empty now that she was alone. She had gotten used to his presence, and him being gone, albeit only for a day was taking a toll. He managed to make her feel better even during a hard situation. Yesterday he had been the one to ease the tension between her and the girls.

'And he'd find Kiba in just over a minute.' Rias sat down on the couch, too tired to actually cook anything. Maybe she would settle for one of the numerous packets of instant Ramen Naruto had in the kitchen.

Why did all these things happen to her? The factions had been relatively silent towards each other for the last few decades, but now it was all blowing up, and it was all happening in Kuoh Town. She'd already had to deal with the Fallen Angels before, and she was sure that the Church did not appreciate the fact that Asia was a Devil now. Now she was in a feeble alliance with the Church, against a very powerful Fallen Angel, along with the Stray Exorcist and the man Kiba hated. Kiba had lost his mind, too focused on revenge to think rationally, and it was unlikely that he was even thinking about the consequences of his actions, along with the fact that he was still only a Middle-class Devil. He would not stand much of a chance if he ended up fighting Kokabiel directly.

And she had to admit that she had not helped Kiba get over his trauma. She'd given him a home and a place to return to, but she had never addressed the root of his problem. Maybe it was because she had hoped that it would never have come up. She had seen the signs: Kiba's need to get stronger, his distance from other people in the school. He never seemed to treat his house like it was home. And she had never done anything about it. She had let him do what he wanted, hoping that it would get better over time. It had been a mistake. She hadn't been able to help Kiba.

'Is this what Naruto felt when Sasuke left. Overwhelming amounts of guilt and worry?'

"He hasn't contacted us all day…" Issei looked down at the ground. He was starting to wonder if it had been a mistake. Maybe he should have stopped Kiba from going in the first place, instead of helping him. "

"I see…" Asia sighed, worry etched across her face.

"We cannot wait for him to contact us," Rias admitted. "Are familiars are searching through the entire town. They'll have to find something eventually...and it seems that we have." Rias stood. "Let's go."

The entire peerage was teleported via magic circle to what appeared to be a dirt road."

"Irina!" Issei yelled, running forwards. Irina was badly injured, given the state of her clothes. Her breasts were entirely exposed, and while she had no visible wounds, she was unconscious.

"Asia, please heal her!"

"Of course!" Asia ran forwards, activating her Twilight Healing. "...who would do something like this?" She ran her hands over Irina, trying to heal her as quickly as possible.

Irina responded quickly, something that Issei thought was a good sign. Hopefully, she wouldn't have any permanent damage.

"Irina? What happened to you. Where are Kiba and Xenovia?"

"They...ran." Irina flinched, trying to muster up enough energy to stay awake. "I tried to...fight, but...he was incredibly strong…"

"Don't talk," Asia commanded.

A Magic Circle appeared in front of them, revealing Sona, Tsubaki, and Saji.

"You came," Rias said.

"You asked for me, so why wouldn't I?" Sona walked forwards, crouching down to Irina. "She is badly injured, yes?"

"Yes, I can heal her physical injuries, but her energy...Twilight Healing can't do anything about that."

"I have a healing room that will help with the recovery," Sona said, picking Irina up off the ground. "Tsubaki."

"Yes." Tsubaki took Irina into her arms.

"Take care of her."

"Of course."

"I'm guessing that Xenovia and Kiba are fine." Issei stood. "Since Irina said they ran…"

"Are you alright though, Issei?"

"Yeah, Asia healed me when I got home…"

"I didn't think that all of you fuckers would take the bait…" Freed walked out from the surrounding foliage. "But I guess that's what shitty Devils do…"

"Freed! Did you do this shit?!"

"Who cares?! I'm surprised that the traitor showed up too…" He glared at Asia. "Enjoying your life as a shitty devil?"

"Fuck off!" Issei activated Boosted Gear. "You lay a hand on Asia-chan and I'll-"

"Stop right there Freed," Sona commanded, landing in front of Issei. She raised her hand, magic circle activating. Rias did the same.

"Hey, hey, chill out!" Freed held up his hand. "I gotta talk with the redhead."

"Hm?" Rias asked, lowering her hand.

"Well, not me. Just my boss." He pointed upwards.

The sky, which had just been turning orange for the evening was replaced with an evil, swirling purple. A large figure appeared in the sky above them, boasting 10 black angel wings. He smiled down at them, centering his focus on Rias.

"We've never met before, have we Gremory?" He snarled. "I am Kokabiel."

"A pleasure, Fallen Angel Leader." Rias crossed her arms, stepping forward. On the inside she felt completely out of place, meeting with an ancient and powerful being, but she had to be strong for her comrades. Moral needed to be kept high. "I am Rias Gremory. I'm sure that we are well met."

"Vibrant Crimson Hair...so similar to the Crimson Satan. Your brother, correct?" Kokabiel said. "Just seeing that color is unpleasant."

"What is the purpose of such a meeting?" Rias asked. "I'm sure that a Grigori leader like you doesn't come out just to talk." She smiled.

"I'd like to cause a scene around Kuoh Academy," Kokabiel admitted. "Doing so will draw your brother out. After all, he does love his sister…" He smiled.

Rias's face hardened. "If my brother intervenes, the Church will see it as a threat, and we'll all be involved within another war!"

"Honestly, I believed that Michael would have the sense to send more after his Holy Swords were taken. But all he sends were an exorcist and two girls...he's soft. It was not nearly enough."

"So, you want another war?" Rias asked. "That was why you did this?"

"Exactly!" Kokabiel laughed. "You are young, but I've grown bored of this peace. I haven't had any excitement since the last War. Azazel and Shemhazai don't want another war, but they don't understand."

"Azazel is the Governor of the Fallen Angels," Rias said. "Why are you going against his wishes?"

"Azazel isn't just against war, he started collecting and experimenting with Sacred Gears as a hobby!"

"So you want Sacred Gears too?! Holy Swords wasn't enough?!"

"I couldn't care less about your Boosted Gear. Azazel can have his toys." Kokabiel turned his attention back to the two kings. "What I do care about is that Kuoh Academy is the home of two important devils. Sister of Lucifer, Sister of Leviathan, the energy that permeates through your Academy is enough to cause enough chaos to start a war! The Three Factions are teetering on the edge! Constant skirmishes have worn down our nerves. The next war will begin, and all I need to do is give it a little bit of a nudge." Kokabiel's eyes glinted. "The Devils will be blamed for the beginnings of this one."

"So it isn't enough just to start a war? You're going to frame us too?" Rias asked.

"Don't you just love how fucked up my new boss is?!" Freed laughed. "He's just as bad as I am! And he gave me these presents too!" Freed through his jacket open, revealing the two swords that hung inside.

"Those are Excaliburs…" Koneko said.

"Oh, and now I got Excalibur Mimic from that pig-tailed girl!" Freed pulled on a string wrapped around his bicep. "With Four Excaliburs, I'm invincible!"

"Freed." Kokabiel began. "Let's begin the war." Magic circles appeared in his hands. "Sister of Satan Sirzechs Lucifer!"

"Run!" Rias commanded, holding up her hands to create shields. Sona did the same. However, the explosions were so large that the shields were only able to block the attack from directly in front of them, and Issei and Saji were still thrown backward.

"Where'd he go?!" Saji looked around as the smoke cleared.

"He went into town. Towards Kuoh Academy." Koneko pointed.

"A Fallen Angel on his level...one of their leaders, could easily erase the entire city."

"The entire thing?!" Issei screamed. "There's no way we let him do that!"

"Of course not." Rias declared. "Let's go!"

"We'll be maintaining the barrier, so it will be up to you to stop Kokabiel. Hopefully, this barrier will be able to contain any damage, but I can't guarantee that if the situation changes."

"Thank you, Sona." Rias smiled.

"Perhaps you should contact Lucifer-sama."

"I already have." Akeno stepped forward before Rias could decline "I know that you do not want to bother your brother, but Kokabiel is a Grigori leader. We need help." Rias just sighed in response, accepting the outcome. She was too nervous to actually put up a fight. "His reinforcements should arrive in an hour."

"Then we'll have to buy an hour of time. We cannot allow this war to begin!" Rias declared. They all walked through the front door of the academy. "Issei, we will need to use your Boosted Gear if we ought to stand a chance. Asia, stay near the back and be ready to heal if any of us fall. Us three will have to buy Issei time."

"Yes." They all said in unison.

"We have to attack Kokabiel," Rias explained. "But I will not allow any of you to die. I want you all to be as cautious as possible."

"Yes, Buchou."

"Promotion: Queen!" Issei said as he felt the energy shift.

"Then let's begin!"

"What was that?" Naruto asked. Sirzechs had returned, and his face did not reflect the joy he'd had when he'd gone. "Something wrong?"

"It's just some problems on the Surface that I can't get involved in." Sirzechs sighed. "I hate politics."

"Why can't you do something?" Naruto asked, flexing his new arm. It felt a little slow, but Ajuka kept tweaking at it.

"Since I'm a Satan, if I get involved the situation could spiral out of my control and war could break out," Sirzechs said, watching the settings over Ajuka's shoulder. "Honestly, I wish I could, but I'm not willing to subject the Devil Race to war just for personal reasons."

"Try using your Rasenshuriken," Ajuka said, setting the tablet down. "I set the artificial chakra hold to 20% resistance. That should be about as high as your other arm."

"Alright." Naruto held his right arm up, moving his chakra to his right arm. He could feel the prosthetic shake a bit but it held up, and the Rasenshuriken appeared in his arm. It was slower than he was used to, but being able to use his dominant hand for things was still very nice.

"Hm...the connection is unstable. I'm not sure if it's because of your chakra, or if I designed the chamber incorrectly." Ajuka muttered. "It's not sustainable, and it'll fall off eventually."

"Why don't we replace the storage chamber with an artificial vein network instead? That should solve both problems, right?"

"...true...chakra isn't stored, it's sent through the limbs." Ajuka nodded. "Alright, let me see if I can make something quickly." He stepped forward, tapping a hidden seal on the prosthetic. "The Rasenshuriken dissipated and the arm was disconnected from Naruto.

"How's it feel?"

"It feels pretty good." Naruto looked up. "But my arm was better. It feels a little clunky."

"Yeah, but you can't expect them to get it right on their first try," Gyuki said. "How's Kurama?"

"It's fine. How is life in the Underworld?" Kurama asked, taking control of Naruto's body.

"It's nice here. Plenty of space, a few other beasts that are just a bit smaller than us, and the Devils we meet never run in fear."

"That's strange, you're much more powerful than they are…"

"True, but they're used to living around creatures like that," Gyuki said. "How's life in the human world?"

"It's actually pretty interesting," Kurama said. "Naruto's going to school, and he and Rias are living together, so you know…" Kurama trailed off, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Ahh…"

"And you can shut up Kurama!" Naruto said, emerging. "Rias and I aren't like that!"

"Well, is that how you want it?" Gyuki asked. "Cause Bee never got a girl...I'm sure you know why."

"Yeah…" Naruto sweat-dropped, remembering Bee's...exotic personality.

"So...what about you and that Rias girl?" Gyuki asked. "She was the red-head who was about to get married, right?"

"Yeah, that was her…" Naruto checked around, but Ajuka and Sirzechs were out of sight. Even their energy was gone, which meant that they'd returned to the lab. He did not want them around to hear this. "I like her. She's really nice, and she does her best even though she's inexperienced. She's already a leader, and I know that she puts on a strong front when she needs to, but she's still cute." Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "I would like to...have a...something with her."

"So are you going to ask?"

"Well, I want to, but I have no idea how I would do that," Naruto admitted. "I mean, it's not like I've ever been in a relationship before."

"You kept asking Sakura out over the years…" Kurama muttered.

'That was...It's not like that. It's different this time.' Naruto said.

"Just start a conversation, and ask her out on a date," Gyuki said. "Something simple, like going to dinner together, or going to a carnival. Give her an experience she normally wouldn't get."

"I was just going to ask her to Akihabara…" Naruto muttered. "She likes the figurines."

"You could do that too, but if she likes that so much, she might have already done it a few times, so it might not be as rewarding."

"Why do you know so much about relationships, Gyuki?" Naruto asked. "You're a Bijuu."

"That's true, but I've always been interested. It's hard to be violent all the time. It's just some of the information I've picked up over the years."

'Now if only you were this helpful.'

"Hey! Human Relations aren't something I ever cared about." Kurama defended. "I was interested in escape, or sleep. Gyuki can do his thing, I'll do mine."

"Try this one," Ajuka said, reappearing alongside Sirzechs. "It should be more susceptible to chakra than magic."

"Naruto took the prosthetic, holding it to his stump. He pushed chakra through his arm, much of it leaking out in waves of blue since he didn't have fingers that allowed for easy control. Soon though, he felt the prosthetic connect to his nerves, and the chakra surging through his stump began to fill the artificial veins in the prosthetic.

"It seems to be working," Sirzehcs said. "Try out a Jutsu."

"Rasengan!" Much to Naruto's surprise, the Rasengan appeared much faster than before. Apparently, connecting his arm using veins rather than chakra chambers made the connection speed much faster. It felt sooo much better than it had a few minutes before.

"It's working!" Ajuka shouted. "Finally!"

"Well, I'll leave you guys to it." Gyuki turned. "Saiken wanted to show me something, so I'll see you later Naruto."

"Bye, Gyuki!" Naruto called after him, waving his new arm through the air.

"It's working much better now." Sirzechs grinned, a bit of life returning to his face. "Let's try some of your more powerful attacks.

"Kurama!" Naruto yelled, and he activated his Kurama cloak. His prosthetic was covered in Kurama's chakra, but it seemed mostly fine, if slightly warm.

"Keep going!" Sirzechs shouted.

"Here!"

The chakra cloak exploded outwards, expanding until it was the size of a Bijuu. Even at that power, the prosthetic held up.

"Tailed Be-" As soon as Naruto began concentrating his chakra into a small point, the prosthetic began to shake violently, releasing larger amounts of chakra than Naruto needed, which made the Jutsu impossible to control.

"Hm...anything higher than your Rasenshuriken seems to overload the chakra veins. They can't deal with Kurama's chakra and the chakra particles required…" Ajuka commented. "I guess that the real one will have to be created with Demonic Steel. Hopefully, that won't clash with your chakra." Naruto returned to the ground, and the prosthetic stopped vibrating, though it was still pretty hot to touch.

"What was this one made of?"

"A combination of Iron and Titanium," Sirzechs answered. "Since it was just a prototype, we didn't want to use any metals you didn't know. We didn't want to make a prosthetic that you couldn't use. Different dimensional beings might not be able to force energy into things that didn't exist in their dimension.

"Huh, I wonder if that's true…"

'I never thought of that.' Naruto admitted. 'I wonder if chakra is even compatible with magic…'

"You could try, but why? Your chakra destroys moons. Why would you need to fire a lightning bolt?"

'I need some weaker attacks Kurama.' Naruto said. 'I don't want to kill everything I fight.'

"If you really need to, why not just make your own Jutsu," Kurama said. "Make them all sealles. You already know all the Nature Transformations. I bet you could even recreate some of Sasuke's techniques. Like the Chidori."

'That technique is literally designed for assassinations!" Naruto yelled. 'I said weak!"

"Then...I don't know, some random Earth Style Jutsu. Like what Kakashi used to pull Sasuke underground. Or Zabuza's Water Style stuff. Or, I'm sure you could find some way to recreate Wood Style."

'Wasn't that like...a Kekkei Genkai?'

"Yeah...I don't know Naruto. You're just too strong. If you need to use weak moves, use Taijutsu. Or learn some Sharingan Genjutsu. That shouldn't kill."

"Well then, let's do some more testing. I want to test the physical strength of the prosthetic." Ajuka said. "Try to break this boulder."

"More tests...I've been here for at least a day or two."

"Just finish it so we can go home."

"Akeno! I got you!" Issei jumped into the air, grabbing a falling Akeno and landing on his knees, softening the blow.

"Issei?" Akeno asked as she opened her eyes.

"I got you." Issei smiled. "I won't let him hurt you!" Issei stood, rushing towards Kokabiel, who still sat on his throne.

"Ah…" Akeno muttered, watching Issei run. "He…"

"Akeno-senpai!" Asia yelled, running forwards. "Let me heal you!"

"Are you alright?!" Rias asked, landing nearby.

"I'm fine, Issei made sure of that." Akeno smiled. "But I'm afraid that we won't last until reinforcements come. It's only been 15 minutes."

"I know...we need another angle." Rias looked around the battlefield. "...Kiba?!"

"Valper Galilei...I survived your holy sword experiment…" Kiba held his sword out. "In truth though...I died. However, I was brought back as a Devil. And…" Kiba closed his eyes. "I refuse to die until I have avenged my comrades!"

"Wait!" Rias yelled, watching Kiba rush towards Valper. She could see Kokabiel holding an arrow, ready to aim it at Kiba. Issei and Koneko saw it too, and they rushed forwards to Kiba's defense.

The arrow collided with the ground, exploding outwards with the same force as the explosion that had destroyed the school's gym. Issei and Koneko were blown backward, scraping across the ground.

"Kiba!" Issei yelled as the dust cleared. Kiba was motionless, lying near the center of the resulting crater.

"Freed, use Excalibur to dispose of these Devils."

"Ah, Upgraded Excalibur, I do love how you rest in my hands." Freed laughed, appearing beside Valper. "Who wants to die first?" He grinned maniacally. Issei stepped in front of Koneko, using his Longinus to hold her back. "Guess that Shitty Devil is on the menu tonight!" He held his new sword forwards.

A shadow rushed above Issei, launching itself at Freed. Their blades clashed, each trying to overpower the other.

"It's too bad that I have Rapidly on my side!" Freed yelled, disappearing from sight.

"Xenovia!" Issei watched Freed reappear behind her, ready to slice her in half. Xenovia flipped forwards, using her hands to maneuver around the attack and kick Freed in the face.

Issei watched in disbelief as Xenovia had a harder and harder time fighting Freed, who was using all the abilities of the Excalibur fragments at once. 'How powerful was the original…' he wondered.

"Go." Koneko picked up Issei, throwing him towards Freed just as Xenovia was getting backed into a corner.

Issei flew forwards, kicking Freed in the face. "You're fighting us too!" He declared, landing just in front of Freed.

Meanwhile, Kiba had finally mustered the energy to stand. He could barely concentrate on what Valper was saying, or at least that was true until he'd heard that Valper had succeeded.

"Huh?"

"Each of you had the energy, but not enough of it. So, all I had to do was extract and concentrate that energy. So, I was able to crystalize it." Valper held up a small blue gemstone that gleamed softly in the red light.

"They died cause they couldn't handle the power!" Freed yelled, swinging wildly. "I'm just much better than some shitty kids!"

"And yet, the Church still has Holy Sword Users. I created the means they needed, and they excommunicated me…Of course, Michael probably did it without killing people, but…" Valper shrugged.

"Then...you didn't have to kill us?!" Kiba clenched his fist. "Why did you do it?!"

"Materials are meant to be used. What's the point of useless material? Much better to dispose of them." Valper said.

"We...we did it for the Lord...and we suffered because of it...but you...we…"Materials?"..."Dispose of?"...why?" Kiba shook. How could one man have so little humanity left in him that he saw children as materials for an experiment? How could he believe that torture was the best thing?

"You can have it." Valper tossed it towards Kiba, who slowly bent down to pick it up. "We can mass-produce it now." Kiba stared down at the crystal, remembering the faces of each and every one of his friends. The people who had died for this…

"You'll be going to hell for this Valper!" Issei yelled.

"...how many people have died for your waste and greed, Valper?! How many people have you made suffer?! Was it just us? Or was it more?!" Kiba yelled, clenching the crystal in his hands.

"Hey wait...the crystal...those are people." Issei realized. Vague blue figures were appearing around Kiba, surrounding him.

"You know...sometimes I wonder if I deserved to live...there were others who dreamed of doing great things...people who wanted to escape more than I did...so I ask...why am I the one who survived? Why did I get to live in peace?"

The blue spirits solidified, resembling the children who had suffered at the hands of Valper Galilei. One of them reached up to grab Kiba's sleeve. Issei couldn't hear what they said to Kiba, but they swirled around him, shining brighter and brighter, until Kiba clutched the crystal close to his chest, his eyes filled with tears.

Rias smiled, finally seeing Kiba get the closure she could not provide. Kiba opened hands, watching the crystal disintegrate. He closed his eyes one last time, allowing his friends' words to truly sink in. He would face Valper. Not for revenge, but because it was right.

"Valper Galilei." Kiba walked forwards, summoning a demonic sword. "Your stain on the world ends here. I must not…" He grabbed the hilt. "Let anyone walk in your shoes again!"

"Freed! Get over here!" Valper yelled.

"Coming!" Freed appeared between Kiba and Valper, Excalibur glowing.

"C'mon Kiba!" Issei yelled. "Erase him!"

"I have come to understand my place in the world," Kiba said, holding his sword high. "I am a knight. I am the sword created to fight for my comrades. I will fulfill the dreams we could never fulfill. I will become the sword they need. For Buchou and for myself!Sword Birth!"

"So, you like to collect junk, just like your brother." Kokabel laughed. "Come now! See if you can hurt me!"

Rias tried. She had tried. She had forced all her energy into that attack. She had had Issei's boost. She thought she had done her best. So why was it so one-sided? Why did nothing that they did hurt him? Kiba and Xenovia had attacked him together, and he'd had no trouble. Koneko had been blown backward, severely injured, almost certainly putting her out of the fight. Kiba had managed to slash him across the face, but he had healed so quickly that it seemed inconsequential.

"Honestly, I'd have thought that the Church would have quit fighting, especially since your master's gone." Kokabiel shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Xenovia demanded. "My master?"

"Oh!" Kokabiel laughed. "It's supposed to be a secret! I forgot for a second…" He grinned. "Not that it matters. I'm starting a war, so let's forget about secrets!" He stood tall, staring each and every one of them down. "In the Last Great War, the Four Satans died. That's common knowledge...but what isn't known, is that God was a casualty as well!"

"N-n-no!" Xenovia yelled.

"That's never happened before!" Rias exclaimed. "It's impossible!" Asia was unable to even make a sound. She was too shocked.

"After the war, the population of the Three Factions was at an all-time low. Angels couldn't reproduce, and there were barely any Pure-blooded Devils left. All Three Factions needed humans, so they decided to conceal his death in order to keep the humans at peace!" Kokabiel declared. "They decided that when the father died, that was the end of the war!"

"L-liar!" Xenovia collapsed to her knees.

"It's unbearable!" Kokabiel clenched his fist. "To stop fighting for such a silly reason! We would have won if we'd kept going! Azazel even declared that we would never fight again! We, the strongest Faction, would let the Angels and Devils do what they wanted?!"

"If the Lord is dead, then where does his love come from?!" Asia asked, shaking in her shoes.

"Michael is desperately trying to hold God's system together," Kokabiel answered. "He's been leading Angels and Humans since the last war. I suppose that as long as the system works, exorcism and prayers still work…"

Asia faltered, her mind was unable to process all of the information.

"And since there is no longer a stable power at the center of the system, oddities have been appearing ever since. That's probably why a Holy and Demonic Sword is possible now. Two things that were never meant to mix." Kokabiel snarled. "I will end this war, and the Fallen Angels shall rise to the top. The way it was meant to be! And you will be the first casualties!"

"SHUT UP!" Issei yelled, glaring at Kokabiel. "Your stupid problems with God are not or problem! What right does that give you to destroy our home and our friends?!" He ignored the stab of pain as he spoke. "And you're trampling on our dreams too! I won't let you get in my way! I am the Harem King!" Issei raised his longinus to the sky.

"That's the Welsch Dragons Dream?" Kokabiel laughed. "To become Harem King? I can grant you that wish. Follow me, and I'll provide the most beautiful of women for you. You'll be able to do whatever you want with them!"

Issei faltered for a moment. "I-I won't be deceived." He said. "That's not...that's not the most important thing!" He finished, showing a lot more conviction now. "I won't let you destroy our home, even if I have to exchange my Harem for it! I'll get my Harem in a different way!"

"Boost"

"And I definitely won't let you stop me!"

"Boost!"

"Boost!"

"Boost!"

More and more light began to shine from Issei's Boosted Gear. The green glow bathed the area in light, causing Kokabiel to cover his eyes.

"Boost!"

"Boost!"

"Boost!"

"For once, he's able to use it without a perverted incentive," Akeno muttered. "I'm surprised.

"Your desire to become Harem King can boost your power this much?!" Kokabiel asked, holding an arrow in his hand. "Let's see what you can do!" He threw the arrow forwards, aiming directly for Kiba and Xenovia. Issei ran forward, and moving with the speed of a knight, punched the arrow out of existence before hitting Kokabiel in a fierce uppercut that would have knocked the teeth out of anyone weaker. He followed that with a left hook, spinning Kokabiel around. Kokabiel clutched his cheek, summoning another light arrow. Issei jumped back, blocking it once again, but the light in his Sacred Gear was starting to fade, and Issei was starting to feel extremely tired.

"Where's the power going kid?!" Kokabiel asked, "Or was that it?!"

"It's not enough…" Akeno said. "We can deal some damage, but we don't have the energy or the power to land a fatal blow…"

"There must be something…" Kiba muttered. "Someway to win this."

"Dammit!" Issei yelled, stumbling a bit as the last of his energy left him. "Why now?!

Xenovia stood, grabbing the hilt of Durandal. "Do you think that will stop me?" Kokabiel laughed, flexing his wings, knocking Xenovia down again.

"Argh!" Issei ran at Kokabiel, albeit much slower than before. Kokabiel calmly raised his wing to push Issei back. Issei flew through the air, landing with a wheeze.

Rias watched as their chance was lost. They had hoped they could hold out until reinforcements arrived, but it was too late. They still had another 20 minutes to wait. Even if they pooled all their energy together, Kokabiel would just tank it and move on. She should have realized that there was no guarantee of success. Kokabiel was just too powerful for them. She should have asked for help much earlier. She should have asked as soon as Kokabiel's name had come up. Why she hadn't was a mystery. Had it been pride? Determination? Stupidity? Well, it didn't matter anymore. "It's too late to change it…"

'What about Naruto?' A voice inside her asked. 'He'll come.'

'He doesn't know.' She responded. 'He has no idea what's wrong. He isn't coming.'

'Then let him know.' It replied. 'He promised. You just need to call.'

'...' Rias placed her hands over her breast, directly over the seal on her heart. 'Naruto...I need you.' She thought.

'He'll come.' The voice reiterated.

Naruto flinched, feeling some kind of ping in his chakra system. His chakra was already preparing the Hiraishin for use, and Naruto realised what that meant.

"Sirzechs, Rias is in trouble."

"What?!" Sirzechs whirled around. "How do you know?!"

"I put a seal on her. She's calling for me!"

"Go!" He gestured. "I can't, but you can!"

"Got it!" Naruto let his chakra activate, disappearing in a yellow flash.

"So that's the end of this fight." Kokabiel sighed, walking towards Rias's peerage. "Disappointing."

"Woah...that's hard on the eye…" Naruto said, appearing before Rias.

"Naruto!" Issei smirked, seeing him appear from his place on the ground. "You're here!"

"N-naruto?!" Rias asked, standing.

"Yeah?" Naruto glanced back at Rias, holding his new arm out. "I promised I'd come right?"

"Yeah, yeah you did!" Rias smiled, tears leaking.

"And you are?" Kokabiel asked. "Another Devil?"

"And I guess you're the enemy here. What are you, Angel? Fallen Angel? Human?"

"I'm Kokabiel, one of the leaders of the Fallen Angels!"

"Ah…" Naruto nodded. "No wonder you guys had such a tough time."

"You act as though they are below you," Kokabiel smirked. "I sense next to no power from you."

"Strange, because I could say the same thing about you!" Naruto said, pointing his metal finger at the man. "How dare you hurt my friends!"

"I will start my war, whether you like it or not!" Kokabiel ascended into the air, holding two arrows in his hands.

"...you want to start a war?" Naruto lowered his head, bangs covered his eyes. "You want war?! What's wrong with you?!"

"I'm bored!" Kokabiel laughed. "This peace is boring! My life was war! I lived in the fight! Not that you would understand!"

"Oh, I understand living in the fight! That was my life too!" Naruto glared up at him. "But that's not something that I ever want to return to! And how dare you try to bring that suffering upon other people! Upon my friends!" Naruto jumped upwards, streaking towards Kokabiel. "People like you are the worst!" He dodged Kokabiel's attack, using it as a foothold to gain even more speed. "You just want to see people get hurt! You don't have an ounce of sympathy for other people!" He punched Kokabiel in the face, causing the angel to fly back. "I don't know what reason you might have for that, but hurting other people is inexcusable!" He pounded down on Kokabiel, forcing him back towards the ground, creating a small crater as he landed. "You just want the world to suffer, whether it be because you suffered, or because you think they deserve it! But I won't allow that! Rasengan!" Naruto drove the attack into Kokabiel's stomach, pushing the Fallen Angel deeper into the ground. Naruto vaulted out, activating his Six Paths Powers.

"Who's the most injured?"

"Either Akeno or Koneko," Rias answered. Naruto held his hands up in a cross. 2 clones appeared, jogging towards the two girls mentioned. They held their hand up, and a soft yellow glow began to shine, similar to the green glow of Asia's Twilight Healing.

"Are you guys alright?" Naruto asked. "I'm sorry I'm late."

"Dude, we could have used you since yesterday!" Issei said, running over to the group. Naruto grabbed Kiba and Xenovia, hauling them to their feet.

"Your arm…" Kiba trailed off.

"Yeah, they actually got it to work." Naruto grinned. "It's nice to have it back." He flexed his fingers. "And it feels so real too. Just a little weak. I can't use my larger attacks, or it'll probably explode."

"Yeah, well large to you is city-destroying to us." Rias laughed. "Thank you."

"Hey, again. I promised. If there's one thing I try to do, it's keep my promises." Naruto grinned.

"How...what...where?" Xenovia asked. He could destroy cities. He just took Kokabiel down in about 5 seconds? He'd appeared out of nowhere?

"Naruto is from a dimension of super-powerful soldier's, and he's the most powerful of all of them. Their planet was destroyed in a war, and Naruto appeared here." Koneko explained, managing to do it in a lot fewer words than Naruto could.

"That's the really short version, but yeah." Naruto nodded. "I'm stronger than...I'll say most things here.

"I'd say all," Issei muttered.

"I'm trying to be humble." Naruto shook his head. "Kurama doesn't want me to become arrogant."

"I'm not done!" Kokabiel shouted, zooming out of his crater. "I don't know where you came from kid, but I won't lose! My war will begin!" He charged up a massive light arrow.

"No, it won't!" Naruto held his arm up. "I refuse to let war destroy another world! Rasenshuriken! Naruto threw the attack upwards, just as Kokabiel threw his attacks downwards. They met in the middle, exploding outwards in a combination of wind and light. Kokabiel watched in disbelief as his arrow was consumed by the sphere of wind.

"Aw, I hoped that would overpower his…" Naruto muttered, causing Rias's peerage to sweat-drop. "Well, that gives me a chance to test this!" Naruto activated his secret storage seals, bringing out a bunch of kunai. "While I was down in the underworld, I had a bit of time, and I made these!" He grabbed 6 of them, putting them between his knuckles.

"Those are all...you put the seal on those!" Rias exclaimed.

"I did." Naruto nodded. "Now, I may not be as good at this as my dad, but I'll show you why he was called the Yellow Flash!" Naruto thrust the kunai upwards, and they all raced towards Kokabiel, he weaved in between them. However, just as he passed the first one, Naruto appeared before him, punching him hard enough that he traveled with the kunai as they flew upwards.

Rias's peerage and Xenovia watched as what seemed to be a tornado of yellow lightning struck Kokabiel constantly. They barely ever saw Naruto fully materialize, only barely catching him when he turned around. Finally, the kunai lost momentum, near the top of the barrier, and Naruto caught all of them, allowing Kokabiel to fall back down to the ground. Naruto appeared directly in front of Rias. "Holy shit is that disorientating…" He grabbed his Rinnegan. "Being able to see chakra makes it even worse…"

"And you said that you weren't good at it!" Issei yelled. One of Naruto's clones brought a now conscious Asia over to the group before dissipating. Naruto was pretty sure most of their wounds had been healed.

"I'm not though. My dad never had to stop, and he could teleport to literally hundreds of them. The entire country was covered in his seals when he was Hokage. He had complete control over the battlefield when he fought."

"Your dad sounds badass…"

"He was awesome! I idolized him." Naruto admitted.

"I won't stop!" Kokabiel rose again. "You will fall!"

"...I'm holding back, trying not to kill you," Naruto said, stepping forward once again. "I guess you're more durable than I thought…I hope this arm can hold out." 'Kurama?'

"Here."

Orange flames covered Naruto's body, draping over him like a cloak. He'd been walking around in a t-shirt before, but he felt much more comfortable with this on. He held out his arm, hoping that it would last for this. He didn't want to go back to being armless now that he'd had another taste of life with both arms.

A small dark ball appeared in his hand, a similar size to the Rasengan. This, however, didn't make a noise. It didn't spin, it didn't react. It sat there, seemingly very dense. Kokabiel prepared himself, too tired to muster up the energy to fly.

Suddenly and without warning, Naruto blitzed forwards, seeming to disappear and reappear as he ran. He emerged just underneath Kokabiel, and he thrust the ball into Kokabiel's gut.

"Super Mini-Tailed Beast Ball!" Naruto pushed the ball upwards, forcing Kokabiel up with it. He stopped running, deactivating the cloak. Kokabiel was pushed higher and higher into the air, until the ball suddenly exploded, destroying the barrier, and most of the ground between Naruto and the rest of them entirely. By the time the light had died down enough for them to see each other again, Naruto was already running back over to them, running through the massive crater that was at least the size of the track.

"Finally," Naruto commented when he reached them again. "That red has been annoying the Rinnegan for a while.

"And here I thought that I wouldn't find anybody worth my time." Naruto glanced upwards, looking for the new voice. A stranger wearing white armor held Kokabiel's limp body over his shoulder. "I would like to fight with you one day." He flew down, landing near Freed's body, which had not been engulfed in the explosion somehow. "So this trip was worth it...but Azazel wants to talk with these two.

"Ignoring me, White One?" Naruto heard from the gauntlet on Issei's arm.

"...so you're alive Red One." The armor of the man spoke. Naruto glanced between the two,

"I sense two powers sealed within the armor and the gauntlet. They are powerful...around Gyuki I think."

'So I could take them.'

"One of them. Most definitely. Both of them...maybe. I'm not sure how much more powerful you are yet. You haven't been pushed to your limits."

'That's a good thing.'

"We did not meet under favorable circumstances…" The white one said.

"It's alright." The red one said, "We'll meet again."

"Well met Ddraig."

"You as well Albion."

"Hey wait a minute!" Issei yelled. "What's going on?!"

"You are weak." The guy in the armor said. "You need to become a lot more powerful to understand the truth. But...we are fated to fight. So I'll see you later, rival."

"The White Dragon Emperor…" Sona said, walking in just as the man in armor flew away. "I did not expect to meet him here."

"Neither did I…but he did take Kokabiel and Freed off our hands," Rias said.

"And you were the one who destroyed the barrier," Sona said, looking at Naruto.

"Yeah. Was it a problem?"

"We were going to use it to keep the damage to the city at a minimum...but now that Kokabiel has been defeated, that's no longer a concern."

"That big explosion was you?!" Saji asked. "Holy shit!"

"Now then, let's begin with the rebuilding. We should have it finished in time for tomorrow." Sona said.

"We can help too."

"No, the maintenance of the school is the responsibility of the Student Council." Sona declined. "We will handle it."

"So...did you get your revenge?" Naruto asked. He knew the look on Kiba's face. He'd seen it present on Sasuke's after Itachi had been killed.

"Yes and no...I defeated the man who killed my comrades...but his research is still being used for evil. I have to stop that."

"Hm...but are you going to leave the peerage in order to do that?"

"Never. My loyalty is with Buchou. I already turned my back on them before...and it was a mistake. I will not make it again."

"I'm glad to hear that Kiba." Rias stepped forward. "I, Rias Gremory, welcome you back."

"Yes." Kiba kneeled. "I swear that I will serve Buchou always and forever. I am her knight."

Naruto grinned, watching the peerage grow a little closer to each other. THankfully, Kiba hadn't allowed his revenge to consume him. He'd made it through, and was not likely to ever waiver from the path again. He laughed slightly when Rias raised her hand, condemning Kiba to 1000 spankings. They sure were a nice little family.

Naruto glanced down at his new arm. It seemed a bit worn, but it still worked pretty well. Too bad that the metal just didn't look good compared to his skin. If he wanted to walk around with it, he'd have to cover it up with something.

"Naruto? Come here!" Rias called in between her spankings. "What are you doing over there?"

"Nothing!" He walked over to them, trying to ignore Kiba's whimpers. "Just checking my arm."

"I'm about ready to go home." Issei declared. "That fight was tough."

"Go Issei, Asia, Koneko, Akeno. You all should get some rest. Naruto and I will supervise Kiba." Naruto grinned. One by one, her peerage left, leaving Rias and Naruto alone, along with Kiba and his sore ass.

"You arrived just in time...we wouldn't have survived without you."

"How long were you guys fighting?" Naruto asked. "Sirzechs told me that he couldn't get involved without starting a war."

"At least 45 minutes…" Rias brought her hand down again. "...I never thought that someone would want the war to start again…"

"Some people are like that…" Naruto nodded. "They don't know anything except the fight. They feel lost without it... There were a few people like that back home." Naruto looked towards the sky. "But that doesn't make them right."

"It's a good thing that you're a good person, Naruto." Rias smiled. "I'd hate to imagine what would happen if you weren't so nice. With your power…"

"I'd just be another Madara," Naruto said. "Using my power to force my will onto other people." He glanced down. "Rias, could you cut him some slack? It's been at least 30…"

"So we have another 970 to go." Rias glared down at Kiba. "That's what you get for worrying me."

"I'm sorry Buchou!" Kiba yelled.

'...I should've trained them. They asked for it, but I haven't actually done anything yet. They might've had a better shot if I'd helped them.'

"You barely had any time to do that Naruto. Between school and the beginning of this...I'm not sure if your training would have amounted to much. There wasn't enough time."

'But still, some training is better than no training.' Naruto thought. 'After school on Saturday, I'm holding a Bootcamp over the weekend.' He slammed his new fist into his palm. 'I'm starting to get the feeling that a lot of things are going to start happening around here.'

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"I know that this doesn't affect you as it does us, but the God of the Bible...The Leader of the Angel Faction is dead."

"Huh…" Naruto stalled. "So the Angels aren't having a nice time are they?"

"No, probably not...and the fact that we know the truth now means that it's likely that the Tension between the Factions will rise. The Church is weak without God…"

"Dammit...wherever I go, something always has to happen... " Naruto sighed. "Can't I ever catch a break?"

"I can finally rest without having to worry about the destruction of the city…" Rias pulled her shoes off. "At least for a little while."

"Yeah," Naruto pulled out a cup of instant ramen "And I can finally eat something good. 2 straight days of testing…"

"Could you make me one too?" Rias asked, sitting down on the couch. "I'm too tired to cook."

"Gotcha…" Naruto turned the stove on, heating the kettle quickly. "What happened with Kiba while I was gone?"

"We decided that he needed to get revenge on Valper Galilei, and he teamed up with Irina and Xenovia to track him down. He ignored my orders not to get involved and refused to contact us for help!" She whined. "Why is being King so hard?!"

"Well...It seems like it resolved itself." Naruto pointed out. "Kiba has sworn his allegiance, and he got his revenge...that's better than Sasuke did."

"What did Sasuke do?"

"He went from wanting to kill Itachi, to wanting to destroy Konoha...and then he decided that he would become Hokage!" Naruto threw his hands up. "And then he wanted to kill the Five Kage! If that teme was here…!" Sasuke just flipped all over the place. "He joined Akatsuki and became an international criminal! He attempted to kidnap the Raikage's brother! I don't even understand what was going through his head at that point?!"

"Wow…" Rias muttered. "That sounds much more complicated than what happened to us…"

"Yeah, but that's a good thing." Naruto poured the water into the two cups.

"This would all have been easier if you'd never left." Rias took the cup and chopsticks from Naruto, who sat down on the couch next to her.

"Yeah, but I can't solve all of your problems Rias." Naruto slurped on his ramen. "If I did that, all you'd do was rely on me to fix your problems."

Rias nodded in agreement, turning her focus to her food. They ate in silence for a while.

"You should ask her out," Kurama said, almost making Naruto choke.

'Now?! Right after she had that massive fight?' Naruto waved her concerned look away.

"Yeah. She finally has the mental space to think about other things. If anything, it might put her in a good mood." Kurama said.

'What if she says no?'

"So? What if she says yes?" Kurama rebutted. "Sakura said no all the time, and you still ended up friends. If Rias says no, well, you'll just move on."

'Why am I taking relationship advice from you?' He lamented.

"Cause I've been present for more relationships than you. Hashirama and Mito. Minato and Kushina. Both of them were pretty happy relationships."

'I guess you have a point…'

"Well?"

'I'll ask her tomorrow. Give her a chance to settle any lingering problems.'

Rias watched Naruto converse with Kurama. She had been concerned when he'd started choking, but now he seemed alright. She wondered what it was like, having someone always present, someone who could hear your thoughts. Did Naruto enjoy it, having someone so close to him, or did he get annoyed by the breach of privacy?

She set down her empty cup, leaning into Naruto's side. She rested her head on his shoulder, and she smiled as he shifted, looping his new arm around her torso, absentmindedly playing with her hair.

Maybe she'd be able to sleep peacefully tonight. She knew that the bonds between her peerage were important, but they always seemed to get people into trouble, and she always ended up worrying about them. She didn't want that. She wanted to be sure of their safety at all times.

She laughed softly. She sounded like a mother. Naruto glanced down, grinning slightly.

"What?"

"No, I just sound really old," Rias replied. "Like I'm some parent scared of letting my kids go."

"Ah…" Naruto nodded. "But try not to worry about them too much. If they ever really end up in danger, I'll save them."

"You promise?"

"Promise."

This chapter felt kinda meh, to be honest.