Chapter I: Arrival

[{Unholy Heading}]

The rook was edged forward, just outside the range of her nearby knight. It was a tempting prize, but a clear sign of bait to someone who knew her, and her opponent knew her well. Still, the temptation to knock off one of Sona's strongest remaining pieces was too good to ignore and Rias sent her bishop in for the kill. It took everything Sona had to keep from smirking in earnest when she retaliated by shifting her knight, isolating the bishop in the corner slot while simultaneously preventing the brazen advance of Rias' last pawn. Sona sat back and watched as Rias tried to salvage her attack strategy.

She was getting antsy now, Sona knew her friend well enough to recognize the signs. She had shifted forward in her seat, her blue-green eyes narrowed slightly while she studied the board. Sona was also aware that it wasn't entirely about their match. She had noticed how Rias had become more aggressive in their bouts lately. Typically, the two of them would probe each other's lines, trying to manoeuvre the other's pieces into traps. Rias had opted for a more offensive approach recently, going so far as to adopt strategies that favoured the use of her pawns.

"I felt the presence of a fallen angel last night."

Rias nodded absently, her brow furrowed in thought while she reached for her remaining knight. "Issei had a run-in with one after his job. He's alright though, even managed to unlock his sacred gear in the process."

Sona's interest piqued at that. "Oh? Is it as much as you'd hoped?"

The pause that followed surprised her. Rias, herself, seemed to be mulling over the question. "I. . .believe there is more to it. It awakened as a twice critical." She elaborated at Sona's questioning look.

That would explain Rias' agitation. Sona knew that her friend had staked a great deal on her pawn baring a powerful sacred gear, perhaps even one of the thirteen strongest in creation, the longinus. If things didn't work out like she planned, Rias would find herself at a gross disadvantage in the days ahead. As much as she sympathized with her situation, there were other matters to discuss.

She reached for the board once more and let her remaining rook take Rias' knight. "That makes this the second time these fallen angels have entered our grounds."

The emphasis she put on the number wasn't lost on Rias. She flinched, refusing to meet Sona' piercing stare and kept her eyes fixed on the board.

When they had first felt the fallen angels skirting the bounds of their shared territory, Sona had felt it merited a warning. Rias had insisted on taking care of it herself, though in truth she had her own plans. To say Sona was displeased when she had learned of it was an understatement, the lecture she had been given was bad enough, but it was Sona's insistence on dealing with further affairs together that truly haunted her. To know that her ploy with getting Issei into her peerage had cost her part of Sona's trust never sat well with her.

"I gave the fallen angel a warning. Based on his reaction, they didn't seem to know that devils operated here."

"Be that as it may, I still-"

Sona's response was cut off when the doors to their private room opened. A black haired girl bowed to the two. "Apologies for the interruption, but an. . .envoy from the Underworld has just arrived."

That made Sona pause. No-one had been expected, not that she was aware of anyway. A discrete glance to Rias confirmed much of the same. The hesitation from her queen had also made her curious. "Who is it Tsubaki?"

"It would seem to be someone's familiar, President. She says that her master will arrive soon and that he acts as an envoy of the satans."

Sona quirked a brow at that. It was unusual enough for a devil to send a familiar ahead of them, stranger still for a satan to send someone else in their place. There were simple spells for such communications and another easy matter to just set up a transportation circle and come personally if it was of a pressing nature. Still, as strange as it seemed, it would be improper for the heiress of a pillar family not to greet a messenger upon their arrival, particularly one affiliated with a satan.

Sona rose from her seat, sending a glance to Rias as a silent invitation. The red-head smiled at the consideration, acquiescing with a nod as she followed suit. They moved after Tsubaki, coming out of the private meeting area and into the student council room proper.

A set of tables had been arranged in a rough U formation with the president's desk in the open space at the front. The rest of Sona's peerage were already there, their usual diligence in working on school affairs had been exchanged for curiosity. Their eyes were trained upward, tracking the wild movements of what could only be the familiar Tsubaki mentioned. A small, luminous being flew around the area, wings flapping wildly while musical laughter filled the room. Her circumnavigation came to a halt after Sona and Rias entered.

She landed on the president's desk, the glow fading enough for her form to finally be visible. Pink, butterfly shaped wings fluttered absently behind her as she moved across the surface, a stray strand of her short, cherry red hair was brushed aside as her emerald eyes focused on a stack of papers. She was a tiny being, just over a few inches tall, though she possessed strength that defied her small stature; it was something of a shock to see an enormous stack of papers lifted by such minuscule hands.

Sona stiffened the moment she saw the familiar, a fairy of all things. It was extremely unusual for any of them to bond with devils. As beings widely recognized as the epitome of darkness, devils often evoked a strong sense of unease in fairies just with their mere presence, to say the least. Pacts between them were such a rare event, in fact, that the number of occurrences could be counted on one hand, and Sona knew of only one in recent memory to have accomplished it.

"Fiona." Sona called out, ignoring the surprised look from her queen and fighting to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

At the sound of her name, the fairy turned her attention away from the paperwork, a cheery smile spreading across her lips once she saw the speaker. "Oh, hello Sona."

"Please tell me he's not the one who was-"

The rest of her plea was lost amidst a thunderous crash. The doors of the student council room were blown off their hinges, splitting into pieces when they slammed onto the floor. Standing atop the fragments of a shattered doorway was a widely grinning, spiky haired blonde.

"Itttt's. . .me!" He drew out the first word in a dramatic manner, spreading his arms out in a grandiose fashion at the end. "Hooray!"

The cheer was echoed by Fiona, a beaming smile on her face while her wings fluttered excitedly.

Sona's peerage was not nearly as ecstatic. They scrambled out of their seats and hastily shifted to defensive stances at his grand entrance out of pure reflex. Saiji, the only male member of the student council stepped forward. He eyed the other blonde with thinly veiled distain, the burnt orange t-shirt, loose fitting pants, and black boots leading him to believe the intruder was some kind of academy delinquent pulling a prank.

"You can't be here. This room is for the student council only."

The newcomer made a show out of looking behind him before his eyes flicked to his right and he spoke in a stage whisper. "I think he's talking to you."

Too late did Saiji take note of the fairy now perched on the blonde's right shoulder. He paled at the realization that he had just insulted the envoy of a satan, hastily stepping back. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were the one to. . ." He trailed off, apologizing once more before falling silent.

The blonde eyed him in silence for a few seconds before he smiled and started to chuckle. Saiji nervously followed suit until a casual backhand- courtesy of their surprise guest- sent him crashing into the far wall.

"Apology accepted." The man cheerily remarked while two other council members cried out in alarm and rushed to the downed boy.

Sona pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head and barely biting back a groan. She closed her eyes, wishing the whole thing was just a crazy dream, and that she'd wake up to find that she'd fallen asleep during her chess match with Rias.

No such luck.

"Little Sona! Its been ages, how have you been?"

She deftly avoided the blonde's attempt to give her a hug, absently adjusting her glasses and trying to clamp down on the embarrassment she felt at his exuberant display. "Naruto, why are you here?"

He reluctantly dropped his arms, a frown on his face. "Sona, why do you always have to turn my smiles upside down? Can't I just stop by to say hi?"

It took a lot for Sona to keep her composure, a slight twitch in her brow the only visible sign of her struggle in containing her bubbling frustration. The only person more aggravating to deal with was her sister. "Naruto," She repeated, the definitive edge in her voice made it clear she didn't want to play his games.

He looked at her for a moment before the frown on his face settled, the amusement faded from his eyes, and his lazy posture abruptly straightened. Suddenly, he looked very much like the queen of a satan's peerage; stern, calculating, and brimming with suppressed power. Sona watched out of the corner of her eye as her own queen reeled back in shock watching what, for all intents and purposes, seemed to be a transformation. She couldn't blame Tsubaki for her reaction. Even she still felt unnerved by it and she had seen it more than once growing up; though seeing the gob smacked expression on Rias had given her some semblance of amusement.

"To the matter then." Naruto spoke in a voice completely devoid of the boisterous cheer that had laced each syllable just moments before, a contrast so sharp it sent shivers wracking down their spines. "Troubling news has reached me, concerning the presence of fallen angels here in Kuoh."

Sona unconsciously straightened when his cerulean eyes bore into her, clearly waiting for a response. "There is no cause for concern." She hurriedly assured. If her sister had even the slightest inkling that she was in danger, she would rush over and cause all kinds of havoc. Serafall might even decide it was too dangerous for her to be in the human world and that was the last thing she wanted. "The situation is under control."

Naruto raised a brow, looking very sceptical of her claim. "Are the fallen angels dead?"

"No." Sona quickly denied, narrowing her eyes in annoyance at the insinuation that she would do anything to jeopardize the fragile armistice between the factions.

"Have they been evicted?" Naruto asked, ignoring her reaction.

Again, she shook her head. She knew what he was getting at but he continued before she could utter a word.

"Well then, surely you must have come to some sort of arrangement with them."

When she denied it again, Naruto gave her a deadpan look. "Either the phrase 'under control' has gone through some major revisions since my last visit here, or these fallen are still a problem."

"They are being monitored!" Sona defended, a little heat beginning to seep into her voice. She was never fond of how he could make her feel like she was still a child. "Rias and I are dealing with the situation." She persisted, switching gears before Naruto could get another word in. "We don't need any help."

Naruto looked to Rias for the first time since he had entered. She looked startled at suddenly being the centre of attention, having watched the play by play between him and Sona with rapt interest. "Would you agree with that assessment Rias?"

Her eyes widened in surprise at being addressed by just her name, without any title shoved in. Even her brother's own peerage treated her like she was a princess and she had known most of them since she was a child. "Yes." She slowly replied, shaking herself out of her stupor. "Sona and I can handle things here."

Silence reigned in the wake of her declaration, Naruto's gaze shifting between her and Sona as if weighing their worth. Rias felt a little uncomfortable under the blonde's scrutiny and had to fight the urge to shuffle her feet like a scolded child.

"Okay then." Naruto said, the simple statement bringing an end to the overbearing silence.

Sona and Rias blinked at the abrupt statement, exchanging incredulous looks. Sona was the one who gave it voice. "Okay?"

"Okay." Naruto confirmed with a teasing grin as he stepped back.

Sona huffed, tinges of red on her cheeks when she realized that she'd just played into one of his little games. It seemed he had reverted to his more energetic personality. "You're really going back?" She asked carefully after a moment. She had to be sure.

Naruto grinned. "Certainly. I'll just return to the Underworld and tell Serafall that she'll have to get personally involved."

Sona went ramrod straight, stiffening as if she'd been zapped with an electric current. Her eyes widened and a feeling of dread settled in the pit of her stomach the moment the words started to sink in.

Her overbearing, fiercely protective sister coming to the one place where she had peace and solitude. . .

"Wait." Sona tried to object, but the shock hadn't quite settled and her voice sounded weak even to her own ears.

"She'll be so thrilled to know that her little sister desperately wants to spend time with her." A magic circle appeared beneath the blonde, the leviathan crest emblazoned in the centre. "I'll see you around Sona, Rias."

"WAIT!"

Everyone turned to look at her, the room falling silent save for the light hum of Naruto's transportation spell. Sona flushed when she realized she had broken into a yell. She took a moment to clear her throat, trying to regain her image.

"You can stay."

The magic circle disappeared beneath the older devil's feet, while he turned his inquisitive gaze to Sona and held a hand up to his ear "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"You can stay." Sona repeated a bit more firmly, her eyebrow twitching at the mischievous glint in his eyes.

Naruto let out a cheer, Fiona following suit as master and familiar exchanged high fives. "This is going to be so much fun! We can work on training and we can play games. . .and then we can eat ramen together." He spoke in rapid fire sentences, his exuberance mounting until the last part came out as an excitable squeak.

Sona couldn't help but palm her face, already regretting her decision. "I would welcome your instruction." She carefully started, "But please do not cause any problems while you are here Naruto. I have enough troubles without you adding to them."

He held his heart in a dramatic fashion, looking at her as though her very words had severely injured him. "Sona, why would you say something so cruel? I have never caused problems for anyone, ever."

Not even his familiar was buying that one. Fiona cast a sidelong look at her master, quirking a brow and looking a little thrown by his declaration. "What about that incident with the Chimaera you set loose in the Underworld barracks?"

Naruto just waved his hand dismissively. "That doesn't count. Sirzechs was the one who suggested I give the troops some instruction. Besides, that lazy prick Falbium needed a wake-up call."

"Or that time you knocked out a fallen angel and spray painted his wings white to see how he'd react."

"That was just a bit of fun!" Naruto defended, beginning to looking annoyed at the interrogation. "How was I supposed to know he'd try to go back to Heaven?"

"And then there was that time you were vacationing in Italy and thought it would be interesting to mess with-"

"The Vatican, yes!" Naruto interrupted, holding a hand to his forehead. "Fine, so maybe I've done a few-" He cut himself off then, narrowing his eyes at Fiona. "Whose familiar are you anyway?!"

"Yours of course." Fiona remarked, her innocent expression completely at odds with the mischievous gleam in her eyes.

Naruto huffed, purposely turning away from her and wondering if he had rubbed off on her a little too much. "Well, it doesn't feel like it."

Fiona just giggled at his antics, giving her master reassuring pats to the head that just made him blanch in response.

It was a rare sight to see a devil shot down by their own familiar. The fact that it was Naruto just made it all the more amusing to Sona. She sent a grateful smile to Fiona for curbing his exuberance, if only a little. She didn't know how much more of it she could take. "Naruto, I have business to take care of now. If that is all. .."

It was an obvious dismissal but Naruto only whined in response. "Ah, but I thought you said I could stay."

"Not. Here."

Deciding he had teased the girl enough for now, he just shrugged. "Well, I know when I'm not wanted. Come Fiona, let us away to the nearest ramen stand."

The moment the blonde and his fairy disappeared in a flash of light- a trick she still had yet to decipher- Sona all but collapsed into her chair. Encounters with Naruto always left her feeling drained. If it wasn't his mischievous, exuberant nature, then it was the unsettling shift in personality that could cow even Serafall; something she would not have believed possible had she not seen it first hand.

"That was. . .interesting." Rias was still looking at the spot where Naruto had suddenly departed. Her blue-green eyes shifted to Sona and an amused smile stretched across her lips. "I had not expected your sister's queen to be so. . ." She paused, searching for the right word.

"Vexing?" Sona helpfully supplied.

Her smile widened even as she shook her head. "Lively," she corrected. "Though I suppose it shouldn't be too surprising considering who his king is."

Sona groaned in agreement. Sometimes she wondered if her sister had based her behaviour off Naruto, they were awfully similar in that regard, though at least Naruto could act professionally every now and then. She shook her head after a moment and turned to a more serious note. "At least the fallen angels are no longer a concern."

Rias nodded. That was something they could both agree on and, while neither heiress would readily admit it- having wanted to firmly establish their own capabilities while in Kuoh- there was a part of them that was grateful Naruto had shown up. The current armistice between the three factions meant that neither Rias nor Sona had been able to directly confront the fallen angels the moment they had appeared, despite the fact that they had been deliberately skirting the borders of Gremory-Sitri territory. All they had really been able to do was give a stern warning, one Rias had since delivered after Issei had been targeted.

If the fallen pressed again, a devil response would require more direct methods and that was always a risky move. Rias and Sona had been meeting more frequently as of late to plan for the worst. If it became necessary to take matters into their own hands, it would have to be done carefully. If they went overboard in their response, it could be just the excuse the Grigori needed to start clamouring for blood. On the other hand, if their response was too light it would make devils look weak and could encourage further brazen acts, and not just from fallen angels.

Sona felt like a bit of weight had lifted from her shoulders with Naruto's presence in that regard. She couldn't help but wonder, however, what other troubles he would bring instead. Her sister's queen had always been something of a trouble magnet, after all.