Chapter 15
Naruto, Issei, and Asia were together at Naruto's apartment. They were seated around his dinner table, with Rias sitting at the head. It was after school the day after they'd fought Freed.
Rias started with a sigh. "I assume all of you are curious about Kiba after last night."
Naruto looked around the table. Everyone was waiting with baited breath. He said, "You could say that."
Asia stared at her lap, fidgeting with her fingers. "Yuuto-san seemed…different tonight."
"Kiba… What did that sword do to him?" Issei asked.
Rias closed her eyes. "Kiba is a survivor of a horrific experiment the church carried out called the Holy Sword Project. I don't know every detail, as Kiba has kept most of it to himself. What little I do know I was able to find out for myself either through Onee-sama or my own research. I ask that you all stay quiet while I tell you what I know."
Everyone nodded. Naruto said, "We're listening."
She nodded. "Good. Where to begin? I found Kiba when he was still a boy. He was my second Piece—after only Akeno, though both have been with me for about ten years. I made him my Knight, as you all know. Kiba is, as far as we know, the only survivor of that…barbaric experiment." Her fingers clenched and shook atop the table. "He was taken in by the church at a very young age and then given over to that project as a human test subject.
"The Holy Sword Project. From what I have been able to piece together, it was sanctioned by the church's highest authorities as research into finding ways to get more people who can wield a True Holy Sword. Any more than that, I haven't been able to find out. Kiba and a few dozen other children, the youngest was maybe three and the eldest was around Kiba's age, were the test subjects.
"He spent many weeks under their…care, if you could call it that. They treated the children like they were little more than cattle and had no regard for their lives at all. They performed many unsavory experiments in the name of the church. I won't tell you everything I heard, because even thinking about it churns my stomach. The thought of those poor children…" She wiped a few tears from her eyes. "Sorry, everyone."
Asia said, "It's okay, Buchou-san. We understand. Please take your time."
Issei had gone rigid in his seat. Naruto closed his eyes and thought back to his time back before coming to Japan. Sounds like Orochimaru, doesn't it? he asked Kurama.
In some ways, yes.
Then I suppose whoever's responsible will have to die then, if that snake is the first person I compare him to.
I am in favor.
Naruto kept his smirk off his face, not wanting to draw attention away from the somber mood. I thought you would be.
Rias smiled gratefully at Asia. "Now back to what I was saying. They cared little for the children under their care. The experiment failed, from what I have found. When it was shut down, they attempted to destroy proof of their misdeeds. And then they… They… Gah! Just thinking of it makes me want to kill them myself!" She calmed herself with a few deep breaths. She said, curt, as if trying to rid herself of the words, "They then killed the children with toxic gas."
Asia gasped, her hand rising to cover her mouth. Naruto grit his teeth, and Issei stood up so fast he knocked over his chair. Issei said, his rage cold, "How could someone…do such a thing? It's… It's inhuman! And this is supposed to be the church? The one who preaches about kindness and love and all that? That bunch of preachy assholes?" Asia looked away, her eyes closed to keep a few tears hidden.
"Issei, calm yourself," Rias said, cutting through the rising temperature of the room. "I understand your anger, and I share it with you." Issei met her eyes for a minute before gathering his chair and sitting back down. She nodded, thankful. "Thank you. Yes, you are right to be furious. Asia alone is proof that the church is not all it claims to be. I'm sorry, Asia-chan, if I'm bringing up something that makes you think about such unpleasant memories."
Asia gave a watery smile. "No. It's fine. Thank you for your concern, but what I went through is nothing compared to what Yuuto-san did. I can understand why he hates the church so much."
"It's not the church so much as Holy Swords in general," Rias said. "He understands that the Holy Sword Project went rogue. When it came out, the head researcher was immediately excommunicated and his research confiscated. I tried to find out who it was, but the church expunged his name from everything I got my hands on. Someone from the church actually tracked down Kiba and came to me personally seeking to apologize for what he went through. Kiba refused to see him but did send his thanks for coming all that way.
"But that's not relevant to this. You are right, Issei, that the church does not live up to what it says it is. Kiba, however, despises Holy Swords in a way that even I have a hard time understanding. I worry that he will go off on his own to hunt down that exorcist from last night, which is why I have Akeno watching over him in case he tries to do something foolish like last night.
"Naruto-kun, I may request one of your clones to replace Akeno when it gets close to dinner time. She's been staying with him all day with no reprieves yet, and I don't believe Koneko could physically restrain him if needed."
Naruto nodded gravely. "Sure. I can send one. Have Akeno text me when she's ready to go."
"I appreciate it. Next is Excalibur.
"Excalibur is the sword that Kiba knows the best, since it was the sword the Holy Sword Project was focused on. It was originally one of the swords of the original King Arthur from British legend. One of the most powerful holy artifacts in the world. One day, for reasons I'm not entirely sure of, it was shattered into seven distinct swords. The seven shards are Excalibur Destruction, Mimic, Rapidly, Nightmare, Transparency, Blessing, and Ruler. I know that the three Christian sects each have at least one, but I don't know which ones are with which group."
She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back into her chair. "My best guess is that someone managed to steal one and it somehow found its way into that filth's hands last night. Who knows how long he's had it or even who gave it to him? Regardless, I highly doubt he will stay hidden for long with such a treasure in his possession." She looked up to Issei and Asia. "Kiba told you it was Rapidly you faced last night, right?"
They both nodded. Issei said, "Yeah. There was a moment when I had him, but he somehow got faster and managed to get away."
"That makes sense. Rapidly, as you likely have guessed by now, has the ability to greatly enhance one's speed and reflexes. Prior reports of it that I've read say that it is able to put even a normal human on par with a Knight's speed."
"That's insane!" Issei shouted, slamming his palms on the table.
"And… Freed-san has that?" Asia said. She started shaking. She wrapped her arms around herself.
"It would seem so." Rias then looked at Naruto. "Naruto-kun, can you please repeat what you told me earlier today so that Issei and Asia are in the know as well?"
"Sure." He leaned forward. He'd been looking into Freed on Rias' behest ever since they'd found out he was back in town. "Freed has been on a killing spree the last few days," he said. Asia gasped and Issei grit his teeth. "He's been going after priests for some reason. From what my clones got so far, he's killed at least a dozen priests over the past few days. I believe he's been at it longer, though. At least a week or two, though his first kills were sparse and spaced out over a few days. My bet is that he was testing out his new sword to get familiar with it before risking anyone's suspicion."
Rias nodded. "Likely a good guess. So Freed has had this Excalibur for over a week at least. I am surprised the Church hasn't sent someone to try and deal with him before I noticed him."
Naruto shrugged. "Could be they already have. A few of the priests he's killed only recently got here, and those ones were in pretty good shape. I was able to get the death certificates and a few pictures of them." He reached into his pocket and tossed a few photographs of dead priests on the table. "They were likely exorcists, based on how in shape they were. This one," he pointed to one of the male priests who'd died via stab through the heart, "had thick calluses on his palms consistent with someone trained in the sword. This one had empty gun holsters that I believe held light-bullet guns. This one was well-respected for facing down a few vampires in the Chilean mountains. And so on."
Rias grabbed a few of the pictures and looked them over with sharp eyes. "I recognize this one," she said, showing them one of the dead priests who had greying temples. "He is one of the liaisons Sona has spoken with when she and I would report some suspicious activity of some of the churches in the area." She set the photos down. "But, looking these over, I do believe you're right, Naruto-kun. The church has gone behind my back and sent exorcists into my territory without first alerting me." She smirked. "I can use this."
"I'm sure you can. But let's focus on what's going to happen next," Naruto said.
Asia was looking through the photographs, horrified at what she saw but refusing to look away. Issei asked, "What's coming next? What do you mean?"
Rias nodded to Naruto, understanding his point. She said, "What Naruto means is that, since their discreet attempts have failed, they will have to be more overt. That means someone from the church will approach me in the next few days, most likely. And it will be one of their heavy-hitters." She looked around at everyone, concern on her face. "Everyone will need to be careful. We don't know who they will send, but we can safely assume they will be dangerous."
"Very dangerous," Asia said, her voice trembling. "I don't know much about the exorcists, and even less about the Holy Swords. I never met any when I was still with the church. But what I do know is that the ones with True Holy Swords are the best of the best. They're the ones the church sends when they're really worried about something."
Issei flexed his hand and flashed a confident grin. "They won't be any issue for us. Right, Naruto?"
"Don't get cocky," Naruto told him, cutting through his confidence. "You don't know how good or not these people are. If even Freed is now fast enough to fight a devil on equal footing then what else can these Holy Swords do for someone?" He didn't say that he was almost certain he would be fine regardless.
Issei sat down, going solemn. "I… I guess you're right."
Rias' eyes softened. She said, her voice kindly, "We will be safe. I promise you. I won't let anyone harm any of my cute servants." She glanced briefly at Naruto.
Heh. She trusts me to keep everyone safe.
And she knows you will.
Yeah, you're right.
Rias let out a tired sigh. "We should all go home for the night. I know that this has been tough on everyone, so please go rest."
Everyone nodded and accepted her decision. Rias teleported home. Naruto sent one of his clones to relieve Akeno from watching over Kiba. Asia and Issei decided to walk home together, and Naruto went with them in case they ran into Freed again. The three of them talked about classes and some of the gossip from school, though Asia generally didn't listen to gossip. Issei had to remind Asia to not listen to the perverted girl, Aika Kiryuu, too much, as Naruto and Issei both knew Kiryuu was the female version of Matsuda and Motohama—arguably worse. Asia confided in them that she was having problems dealing with assignments in kanji, and Issei offered to help her even though he wasn't too good at it either. Asia, of course, graciously accepted the offer. Naruto was pretty sure she'd only said it to try and get him to spend time with her anyway.
As they approached the Hyoudou residence, Naruto felt the hairs on his arms stand up. He reached out with his senses and could feel something unsettling in the air, and the source was definitely coming from Issei's house. He started to worry for Miki, since she was home alone at the moment.
He flexed his fingers, ready for the worst. Please let her be okay, Naruto thought. She's innocent in all this. Freed was absolutely the type to go after someone's family to get to them.
Issei noticed something too. His shoulders were tight and he leaned forward, coiled and ready to fight. That was good. Asia hadn't noticed why they were tense, but she had realized that they were readying for a fight. She went silent, casting her eyes down.
They opened the door, Issei calling out, "Mom! We're home!"
Miki's voice came from down the hall. "Oh, Issei! Come quick! You won't believe who stopped by!"
Issei looked at Naruto, confused by his mother's words. She didn't sound like she was in distress, but the source of that disquieting feeling was in the same room as her. The three of them crept forward, Naruto keeping his eyes peeled for anyone else trying to set up an ambush. Reaching out with his senses, he felt two people in the room with Miki that he didn't recognize. He didn't feel anyone else in the house, but that didn't make him feel any better. That just meant the potential threats were focused in one location.
The sounds of Miki's and another young woman's laughter reached them. Naruto flexed his left hand, his fingernails extending into claws. Issei was the first one around the corner. When he saw everyone there, he came up short, stopping where he stood. "W-Wha?"
Asia walked in and Naruto poked his head into the doorway. Miki was sitting on the floor with a cute young girl with brown hair tied in a pair of lengthy twintails. The girl had a bright smile and mirthful eyes that belied the sense of danger his instincts were screaming at him. There was a third woman as well, though this one sat separated from Miki and the other girl. This one had short blue hair with a single strand died green and had a very large sword-shaped package wrapped tight in bandages laying on the couch next to her. Naruto could feel that the package and something else in the room that was on the brown-haired girl were the sources of the discomfort in the air.
He guessed, Those are Holy Swords, aren't they? However, these two young women were not active threats, from what he could tell. The girl with Miki seemed to enjoy talking with her. Naruto retracted his claws and entered the room as well. When he walked in, the girl on the couch stared daggers at him while the other one ignored his presence entirely, and he got the distinct feeling these girls knew that they were devils. He made no movements, but he summoned one of his clones back so that it could arrive quickly in case the situation escalated.
"Oh, there you are, Issei! Come! Irina-san is back!" Miki told them.
Issei blinked for a minute, what his mother had said not registering. He shouted, "W-W-Wait! Irina's a girl!"
"Issei!" Miki admonished him. "That's rude!"
Irina waved her off. "Oh, it's okay, Hyoudou-san. I can't blame Issei for thinking I was a boy. I acted like one, after all."
"I… I don't… What is going on?" Issei's eyes moved between Irina, the other girl, and Miki, worried and confused.
Miki sat up, a bright smile on her face. "Irina is visiting and stopped by to check in on everyone. And hasn't she grown up so much!" Miki leaned over and wrapped Irina in a caring hug. "It's been so long, my girl."
Irina returned the embrace enthusiastically. "It really has, hasn't it?" She looked up at Issei. "Everyone's changed so much." There was a deliberate undercurrent to what she said. She then spied Asia and Naruto behind him. She peeled herself off of Miki and bowed to them. "Hi there! I'm Irina Shidou! Nice to meet you as well."
"H…Hello there. I'm Asia Argento." The woman on the couch flinched towards her wrapped sword but didn't grab it. Naruto made a mental note to keep an eye on her.
She recognizes Asia. He raised one of his hands in greeting. "Yo. I'm Naruto."
"Oh, come now, Naruto-kun!" Miki said, her hands on her hips. "Give a proper greeting!"
Naruto's eye twitched, but he did so. "Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you. Better?" Miki had a satisfied grin on her face. "And who are you?" he asked the as of yet unidentified girl with the huge sword.
The girl said as few words as possible. "Xenovia."
Irina laughed nervously. "Sorry, sorry. Xenovia and I are working together on something, and she's not very social, you see."
"I couldn't tell," Naruto said blandly.
Miki pulled Issei and Asia into her conversation with Irina, who seamlessly rejoined by asking about everything Issei had gone through over the years. Issei was obviously flustered, but Naruto trusted him enough to not say something too stupid. Irina, at the very least, Naruto was certain was not a threat at the moment. But Xenovia, on the other hand, was a different question altogether. She radiated contempt towards almost everyone in the room.
Naruto walked over and sat down beside her on the couch. She didn't look at him at all. She scooted over to get away from him. Naruto said, his voice low so as to not be overheard, "I know you both have Holy Swords."
She spoke back, her voice equally low. "And we know you three are devils." Her hand crept towards her sword on the couch.
"You can relax. No one will cause a scene about that here tonight. Will you?"
Xenovia tensed. A moment passed where Naruto waited to see what she would do. If she tried to harm anyone, he would kill her before she could even make the first move. To hell with the consequences. At last, she said, "No." Her body relaxed, and he did after. She looked at Miki, who was smiling and laughing like a mother who hadn't seen one of her children in years. "She doesn't know, does she?"
Naruto shook his head. "No. Issei doesn't want his family involved in the supernatural. If you, or anyone, tries to harm Issei's parents, I will kill you."
"Is that a threat?" Her voice was tight.
"A promise."
Xenovia's mouth twitched upwards. "Then you may rest easy. We are only here because Irina wanted to see how her old friends were doing. We will not be here long."
"You're here after Freed and his Excalibur, aren't you?"
A sharp intake of breath was his answer. "How—"
"Issei saw him last night. Freed's been on a killing spree. Killing priests in particular. I wonder where he got his Excalibur fragment from?"
Xenovia stared at him for a moment, shocked that he knew so much already. She then smirked at him. "You think you have everything figured out already, don't you?"
He shrugged. "I have an idea." He said nothing more.
Xenovia let the quiet remain as well. After a minute or two passed, she said, "You three are of Gremory, aren't you?"
He nodded. He asked, "When can we expect you to want to meet with Rias?"
"Tomorrow. It appears we need to correct a few misconceptions you have." Xenovia stood up. "Irina. We should get going."
Irina pulled herself out of the conversation. "Huh? Is it that time already?"
Xenovia nodded. She grabbed her wrapped Holy Sword and slung it over her shoulder. "We still need to check in." She bowed to Miki. "Thank you for your hospitality. We won't forget it."
"Oh, it was nothing. It was wonderful to see Irina again. Please give your parents my best when you see them next."
Irina gave a bright smile back. She nodded a few times enthusiastically. "Of course! They'll be happy to hear everyone is doing so well still." Irina walked over and joined Xenovia. "I'm sorry, but Xenovia is right. We really do need to get going. It was great meeting everyone and seeing you again!"
Miki said, "Please don't be a stranger. Promise me you'll stop by again before you have to leave."
Irina stared at Issei as she said, "I'm pretty sure we'll see each other again sooner than you'd think."
She and Xenovia then left. Miki and Asia cleaned up the room while Issei said goodnight and trudged up to his room and bed. Naruto left and went back to his apartment, texting Rias that they'd made contact with the church's agents and that they wanted to meet tomorrow.
Naruto leaned against one of the walls in their clubroom. Xenovia and Irina were seated together on a plush sofa across from Rias, and the rest of her peerage was standing behind her in support. Naruto had separated so that he could move without restriction if the situation devolved.
"Thank you for meeting with us," Irina began the conversation. "We understand that this city is supposed to be under your protection, so we did not want to begin our mission without first informing you."
Rias crossed her fingers in front of her face. "Interesting. As my intelligence suggests your superiors have done just that over the past few weeks."
Xenovia grit her teeth, but stayed quiet when Irina held out her hand. Irina said, "We are curious how you know this, as we are not aware of any other operations ordered in this area. Regardless, we won't push back against you right now. We have bigger fish to fry at the moment."
"I would say so," Rias said. She kept her voice level and did her best to not give anything away. "One of your rogue priests has been on a killing spree. And before he started killing his former colleagues, he killed a few of our clients for, how was it again? 'Cavorting with devils' I believe?" Her eyes went sharp. "Tell me why I shouldn't just have his head delivered to me right now?"
Irina spoke again, keeping Xenovia from saying something she'd regret. "We won't contest that this rogue exorcist has been a problem in your area. However, we have details that are relevant to what is going on. With your permission, we would like to propose something."
"Very well. I will hear you out."
Irina said, "This rogue exorcist was excommunicated many months ago before he first came to this area. He now serves under the Fallen Angels and has been ever since he was cast from the church. However, that is not the biggest issue at hand."
Xenovia spoke up. "Three of the Excalibur swords were stolen about a month ago, and we have tracked them all to this city."
Rias' eyes widened. "Three of them? Here?" Kiba's fist clenched so hard it began to shake from behind her. Naruto's glare kept him in place.
Xenovia nodded. "Yes. One from each of the Christian organizations. Irina and I are here as representatives of two of the faiths. We are here to ensure the Excaliburs don't remain in the wrong hands. I shouldn't need to tell you how catastrophic that could be."
"No, you don't." Rias went thoughtful for a moment. "Then what do you want from me? I highly doubt you intend to work together with any of the devils here to recover them."
Xenovia shook her head. "No. We could not trust you to not try and destroy them before we could stop you."
"That is fair," Rias said.
"But, what we are here for, is to make sure you will agree to not interfere in our mission."
"Oh?"
Irina took over. "Let me explain a little. We are authorized to tell you about the Excaliburs so that you will understand why we ask this. The three churches each possessed two of the seven shards of the original Excalibur. Counting the three stolen and the two that we are carrying, that has left the church with only one. The seventh piece was lost centuries ago and no one knows where it is. The last Excalibur is purposely being held back in case we fail."
"I see." Rias glanced between the two of them. "And which ones have been stolen?"
"That is classified," Xenovia said. "That we are not permitted to reveal."
"But we can tell you which ones we have," Irina said. "Xenovia has Excalibur Destruction, and I have Excalibur Mimic." She pointed to a scrunchie on her arm, and Naruto realized that was actually supposed to be the Excalibur she wielded.
Interesting, he thought. Mimicry of any item the wielder imagines, I'm guessing. That can be dangerous in the right hands.
"And we know that Freed has at least the Excalibur Rapidly," Rias said. Xenovia's eyes sharpened.
Xenovia said accusingly, "Will you agree or not?"
"And why should I?"
Irina held out her hand to stop her partner. "Xenovia," she said firmly. Xenovia sat back and huffed. Irina said to Rias, "Please understand that our friends, mentors, and people we respect have died already. We are here only to deal with the Fallen Angels and take the Excaliburs back. We have no quarrel with you. We don't want to fight with you." She looked at Issei briefly when she said that last bit.
"I can respect your rage at losing your friends." Rias glanced at Kiba. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. "Very well. I will agree that the devils in my city will remain neutral. We will not aid the Fallen Angels or you. But," she added, her voice firm, "if there is a threat to any of us, we will retaliate with full force. Understood?"
Xenovia tensed but Irina nodded. "That is the best we could expect." She stood up and Xenovia followed suit. "Thank you." Neither bowed.
Rias stood as well. "Very well. Goodbye, and I hope to never have to deal with either of you again."
"Heh. Same to you," Xenovia said. The two from the Church began to walk away.
Asia was fidgeting in her place beside Issei. As Irina and Xenovia neared the door, she jogged over and stopped them. She said, almost breathless, "I am sorry for your losses. I will pray for both of you to succeed."
Naruto nearly smacked his face.
Irina was gobsmacked at Asia's words. "You… A devil? Pray for us?"
Xenovia snorted derisively. "I recognize you, devil. You're the witch who was excommunicated for healing a devil, aren't you?"
Asia stepped back like she'd been slapped. "I… I…"
Xenovia looked over her shoulder to check if Rias was going to intervene. Seeing she wasn't, Xenovia said, "So you are a devil who still believes, are you?"
Asia took another tentative step back.
Xenovia turned on her like a predator who'd found its next meal. Irina tried to stop her, "Xenovia, she was probably just being nice."
Xenovia shook her head. "No. There are times that someone is turned into a devil but retains their faith. It is disgusting. No real believer would debase themselves in such a way. I will offer you an escape from your prison. I can exorcise you if you wish to be free of—"
"Shut your mouth!" Issei screamed at her. He sprinted over and shoved Xenovia back. "None of you ever cared about Asia! What do you know of what she went through? Huh? That love you preach is just bullshit, isn't it?"
"Issei-san…" Asia said, her eyes watering.
Xenovia glared daggers at him. "A devil would dare to tell me what is faith or blasphemy? You dare."
"Issei," Rias warned.
"I agree with him," Kiba stepped forward to say his piece, and Koneko looked towards him, concern obvious on her face. "You people don't give a damn about the people you hurt. You just want them to fall in line and do as they're told. Even if it is to die."
Xenovia turned on Kiba next. "How. Dare. You." She gripped her wrapped blade as if to use it. Naruto readied to intervene.
"Enough!" Rias yelled, cutting through the tension in the room. No one moved or spoke. She sighed tiredly. "I see this won't be settled easily, will it?" Kiba, Issei, and Xenovia shook their heads. "Fine. Let's take this outside so you can let it all out without breaking something. Agreed?"
Issei and Kiba glared at Xenovia, who returned it with equal intensity. Irina scratched the back of her neck and laughed nervously. Naruto rubbed his forehead, lamenting how fast everything had gone sideways.
Everyone walked outside. Kiba and Issei walked at the rear. Irina was talking to Xenovia in hushed whispers. Asia walked behind Rias, her head down. They moved to a clearing not too far from the clubhouse. Akeno, under Rias' instruction, set up a barrier around the area so that nothing would be damaged. Irina and Xenovia walked to the other side and tossed aside their traveling cloaks, revealing their skintight black battle attire.
Rias sighed tiredly. "You can fight it out here. But no going for serious damage. I will take it as breaking our agreement if anyone dies." She turned towards her Pawn and Knight. "And that goes double for you two. Understood?"
Issei and Kiba nodded gravely. They stepped forward and everyone else stepped back so that they wouldn't interfere. Naruto, though, did not retreat. He looked between the pair of duos on either side. He sighed, exhausted, and said, "I will make sure no one goes too far. If anyone goes for a kill shot I will step in and end this."
Rias gave him a grateful smile. Issei and Kiba didn't look away from Xenovia and Irina. Irina gave her assent to Naruto's terms, and Xenovia didn't even acknowledge his existence. Xenovia unwrapped her sword, and Irina grabbed the scrunchie and it turned into a long, thin katana.
"Very well. Begin!"
Issei summoned his Boosted Gear and Kiba created one of his pure black swords. The two of them leapt forward, Kiba going after Xenovia and Issei attacking Irina. Irina deftly jumped back while Xenovia met Kiba's sword with her own. With a harsh shout, Kiba summoned another sword and grabbed it with his other hand. He brought it down, aiming at Xenovia's Excalibur.
Xenovia didn't even react. Kiba's second sword shattered on impact. She shoved him back and Kiba had to regain his balance. Xenovia pointed her sword at the ground and pushed it down. The sheer power of her Excalibur formed a crater ten feet in diameter around her. Kiba hesitated at the display of casual strength. He grit his teeth and charged forward regardless.
Issei was chasing after Irina, who seemed to almost be toying with him. She was bouncing around his blows, evading them with ease. She contorted her body like a gymnast a time or two to dodge. She seemed to deliberately not swing her sword at him. It made Naruto think that she didn't want to hurt him, which would only infuriate the boy more.
It did. Issei began to get frustrated, so he started charging his Boosted Gear in earnest. He tightened up his form and started getting closer and closer to landing a blow. When he was getting close, Koneko warned Irina, "Don't let Issei-senpai touch you. He has an ability that destroys your clothes."
Irina squawked in surprise. Her sword turned into a large shield and Issei struck it. The shield almost seemed to reflect the blow back at him, as he went flying through the air. Irina asked, distressed, "Is that true, Issei? Being a devil has turned you into such a carnal beast?"
Naruto felt a bead of sweat fall down his neck. He was like that before becoming a devil.
Irina clasped her hands in prayer. "Oh, God. Please forgive Issei for his sins. He has become something terrifying as a devil!"
"Oi!" Issei shouted, indignant. "Koneko! Don't give away my secrets like that! Especially in a way that makes me look like that!"
"Like a pervert?" Koneko shot back, her monotone somehow sounding angry.
Naruto paused when he felt something shift in the air around Irina. A faint sense of holy power enveloped her as she prayed. Something that he'd never seen since he'd come to Japan. This girl is the real deal, he thought, looking at Irina in a new light. He glanced at Asia, who seemed to have noticed it as well. Was it like that for you, Asia, at one point?
As Irina kept on praying for Issei, Naruto turned his focus back to Kiba and Xenovia. Kiba had a ring of seven swords surrounding him in the ground. He said to Xenovia, "Excalibur Destruction. I know it well. I created this sword solely to destroy it."
Xenovia held her sword to the side casually. "You can't."
Kiba's jaw clenched. He pulled one of the swords from the ground and dashed forward. "I will see Excalibur destroyed if it's the last thing I do!" he shrieked.
Xenovia brought her blade around and blocked the blow. Kiba tried to press her with his speed, dashing around her so fast that most would have trouble keeping up. Xenovia didn't panic at the difference in speed. Instead, she just stabbed the ground again and another crater formed, forcing Kiba to abandon his speed advantage. Xenovia pressed forward, swinging her blade and forcing Kiba on the defensive.
He's sloppier than usual, Naruto realized. Kiba's footwork was all over the place, and his swings were uncontrolled and wild. It was like Kiba had gone into a berserker state. Naruto summoned one of his clones and told it to keep a close eye on Kiba in case something went wrong. He then turned back towards Issei and Irina.
"Gah!" Issei was gripping the sides of his head in frustration. "Fine! I'll promise I won't use it on you. Okay?"
Irina feigned defenselessness. "But can I trust the word of a devil? Oh, God! Please guide me. Send me a sign!"
Naruto slapped his forehead. "You have got to be kidding me…" He shouted to them, "Issei, I will intervene if you try to use Dress Break! Is that okay for you?"
Irina smiled at him. "Oh, Naruto-san. You must be an agent sent by God himself to help me!"
"Not likely," he grumbled. "Now either get back to the fight or withdraw!"
Issei looked like Naruto had betrayed him, but he didn't say anything. He instead shook his head and refocused on Irina. His Sacred Gear let out another cry of "Boost!" as he fell into one of the fighting stances Naruto had taught him.
Smart, Naruto thought, appreciating Issei's thought process. He's going with more of a water style, which lets him better face an opponent who has a sword when he doesn't. Naruto's chest swelled with pride. He then looked at the Boosted Gear. How much longer until Issei has enough power built up? He should be close by now.
He then turned back to watch Xenovia and Kiba. The area surrounding them now resembled a pincushion with how many swords were in the ground. Kiba didn't break stride once in his relentless assault, now pushing Xenovia on the defensive. Whenever she would destroy the swords in his hands, he would immediately pull two out of the ground without missing a step. Kiba's speed kept pushing her back, and now he wasn't letting up and giving her enough time to destroy the ground to reset the fight.
Kiba continued to shout with every thrust and slice, swearing his vengeance upon Excalibur and the people who were responsible for what he went through as a child. Naruto warned his clone to move if Kiba started to take it too far, and the clone accepted the order with a single nod. Xenovia was starting to sweat under the constant barrage now. She was unable to find a hole in Kiba's assault that would let her counterattack, and Kiba knew it from the wicked grin on his face.
"Explosion!"
A gust of wind came from where Issei and Irina were fighting. Naruto looked back and saw the Issei had finally activated his Sacred Gear, the gathered energy pouring into him. The energy was so potent that it seemed to create a constant wind around Issei and the air around him. A grand green aura covered him from head to toe.
"Alright then." Issei put his gauntlet forward. "Time to get serious."
Irina's face lost all humor. She was trained well enough to realize when she was in a real fight, and Issei was taking this seriously. Issei charged her, forcing Irina on the defensive with his enhanced strength and speed. Irina blocked his strikes with her Excalibur, now shifted back to a kite shield that easily withstood Issei's enhanced strength. However, the might behind the blows pushed her back further and further.
Issei overreached on one of his punches, and Irina used that opportunity to counterattack. Her kite shield shifted in the air into a small knife that she brought up to slice into Issei's cheek. Issei managed to bring up his gauntlet to deflect it, and the two of them jumped away to reset the fight.
Irina's sword grew into her previous katana, and she fell into a defensive stance. She had a slight appreciation for Issei in her eyes now. Issei's glow began to fade, and he knew full well that he would lose his temporary advantage if it disappeared completely. Issei began summoning his draconic energy in the air in front of him.
Naruto knew then that it was time to stop the fight. He looked over to Kiba and Xenovia, and saw that it was time to intervene there too. Kiba had gone manic, gleefully swinging away sword after sword after sword at Xenovia and the Excalibur Destruction. He howled with joy at being able to push her back so thoroughly. He managed to push Xenovia back against one of the trees on the school grounds, and Xenovia was holding her guard steady but was unable to do anything else.
Damn it. Kiba, you've gone too far now. Alright. Let's move, he said to his clone.
Naruto and his clone flashed over. Naruto closed his hand over Issei's Boosted Gear right as he was about to punch the small ball of energy and use a Dragon Shot. Naruto's clone caught both the Excalibur Destruction and Kiba's neck with its hands, lifting Kiba off the ground as he did so. The hand grabbing the Excalibur erupted in agony that reminded Naruto of when he'd held Asia's crucifix, but he could push through it since he'd done so already once before.
"Enough!" both he and his clone shouted at the same time. "This has gone far beyond a mere spar to get the anger out," the original said. Naruto swapped over to his clone and glared daggers at Kiba, who was doing the same to him. "Kiba, you are disgracing yourself, your King, and your sensei. Issei," he jumped back over to his own body, "this is not a real fight. Remember that before you try and obliterate the entire school."
He tightened his grip on both Kiba and Issei. Kiba gurgled but refused to relent. Issei fell to his knees, gasping in pain at Naruto's grip. "Is that understood?" Naruto asked them both simultaneously.
Issei nodded and dismissed his Sacred Gear. As he did so, Naruto let him go. The energy within him suddenly evaporated and Issei fell to the ground. When it did, Naruto noticed a small, faint cut on his cheek that he'd missed earlier. The wound started to ooze a thick black smoke. Issei hadn't escaped unscathed then. He gestured for Asia to come over and she did so.
Kiba still refused to relent, but he did dismiss all of his swords. He then held up his hands to show Naruto's clone that he was done, and it let him go. Kiba fell to the ground in a disheveled heap, gasping for air.
Irina walked hesitantly over and inspected Issei, who was still face-down in the dirt. Her eyes widened when she saw the small cut on his cheek. She looked at the scrunchie on her arms appreciatively. She said, "He was able to stand even after being harmed by Excalibur Mimic?"
Naruto grinned. "He's not so weak." He turned around and looked at Irina. "You pulled your blows, didn't you?"
Irina feigned innocence. "Well, it was just a spar, wasn't it? I didn't want to cause an incident if I seriously hurt him."
"You wouldn't have." Asia kneeled down at Issei's side, worry on her face. She activated Twilight Healing and Issei's wound healed immediately. "Your witch," he spat, "is the best healer I've ever met."
Irina's voice went solemn. "I never knew her before everything. All I knew is that she was excommunicated for cavorting with devils. I only know her name because my superiors briefed me on the Gremory servants."
"Tell me," Naruto said, his voice even. "Does someone like that strike you as someone deserving what your church did to her?"
Irina shook her head. "It is not my place to judge. Only God and his chosen may do so."
Naruto snorted derisively. "It must suck to be so blinded by someone that doesn't exist."
He felt Xenovia's presence come up behind him. He then felt her sword at his back. She said, her voice dangerously low. "Take. That. Back, devil."
"Make me," he grinned.
Xenovia roared and swung her sword at him. He heard a few stunned gasps but saw Rias was smirking like he was. Naruto didn't even turn around. He reached up and grabbed the blade with only his fingers as it fell. His fingers began to bubble and sizzle and ooze a black smoke, but his injuries healed just as fast as they were made.
He yanked hard, pulling the sword over his head and yanking Xenovia off the ground with a surprised shout from her. He threw her onto the ground with such force that she let go of her sword. He flipped the sword, swiping it out of the air. He ignored the agony racing up his arm from where his hand gripped the pommel.
He inspected Excalibur Destruction. "Hmm. A good blade, but far weaker than I'd feared." He tossed it to the side like one would a piece of garbage. "Some mythical weapon."
Irina helped Xenovia to her feet, whose glare promised him every agony that she could inflict on him. She made to say something, but Irina shushed her with a sharp word. The two of them conversed briefly in tense whispers. Xenovia held her gaze for a moment longer before looking away in disgust. She then stood up and pushed Irina's arm off her. Xenovia walked over and collected her sword, wiping the dirt from its blade while staring daggers at Naruto.
Irina said to Rias, "We shall take our leave now. Please remember your promise, Gremory-san."
"Oh, you needn't worry about that," Rias said, grinning. "I will keep my word. We will remain neutral in your fight with the Fallen Angels unless it threatens us."
Irina and Xenovia nodded once, turned on their heels, and left.
Rias watched them go. When they were out of earshot, she said, "Akeno, you know what to do."
"Ara, ara. Of course, Buchou." Akeno summoned her wings and flew off in the air towards the Student Council building.
Rias then looked around the clearing. Kiba was nowhere to be seen. She sighed. "Curses. Kiba is already gone."
"Already tracking him," Naruto told her.
"Good. Koneko, please watch over Asia-chan and Issei-kun." Koneko accepted her orders with an emotionless nod, though she did send a longing glance in the direction Kiba had run off.
Rias walked over to Naruto, and the two of them moved to where they wouldn't be overheard by anyone. Naruto said, "That went better than anticipated."
"Agreed. I was worried for a moment that things were about to get bad. You stepped in at the right time."
"Thanks." He closed his eyes and looked through his clone for a few seconds. "Kiba's running off in a fury. He reallywants to destroy those swords, doesn't he?"
"Can you blame him?"
He shook his head. "Not really."
Rias started pacing. "You were right. I tried to not let this happen, but there was little I could do to stop it. No matter how I run it in my head, I couldn't have stopped Kiba and Issei, and that Xenovia is as hot-headed as Issei."
"Hard to believe she's supposed to represent an organization that claims it values patience and sincerity, isn't it?"
She grinned. "I suppose so. Then again, you aren't the greatest representative of devils either."
"Never claimed to be."
"True, but we're getting off topic."
He nodded. "Your promise was perfectly worded, by the way."
"Was it?" She gave him a coy smile. "I did try to make it so that we could jump in if we wanted to, but that would've been too obvious, don't you think? This way, we're guaranteed to get involved. There's no way that a conflict between the Fallen Angels and the Church wouldn't threaten the devils of the city. The only question is how."
"But that's what you've got me for," he finished for her.
"Indeed. Naruto, you know what to do. Find me my excuse to insert myself into the situation."
He bowed. "As you wish, my King." He then activated his wings and flew off into the air.
Chapter 16
Naruto spent most of the next day on his own, trying to track down any leads on the Fallen Angels organizing in their city. He started by going after Freed, but even he had gone to ground and was difficult to track, much to his consternation. However, Naruto knew that Freed wouldn't be able to hide from him on his own. For Freed to so thoroughly disappear, he had to have someone powerful backing him.
Naruto then spent his time looking into the potential Fallen Angel leaders and narrowed it down to just those who were of the Cadre-class or above. It greatly narrowed down the list of people it could be, but it did mean he still had almost a dozen potential suspects.
His clones followed Kiba and the two Holy Sword wielders from yesterday. Kiba had walked away from Rias and refused to return whenever Rias reached out to him. He spent his time searching for Freed on his own. Kiba never went home and stayed moving so that he was difficult to find by Rias or the rest of the Gremory group. He just didn't know that Naruto was far better than even he'd thought.
Irina and Xenovia, he quickly found, were almost a pathetic pair on their own. They had no money and spent their morning and afternoon begging for assistance on the street. Most people ignored them. The two of them heaped copious blessings on anyone who did leave them a handful of change, and after six hours of begging they'd gathered less than a thousand yen total. Naruto almost took pity on them himself before he saw Issei, Koneko, and Saji, of all people, walk up together and ask to talk to them.
The three devils had treated them to an all-they-could eat lunch, and their wallets regretted that decision. Irina and Xenovia either had black holes in their gullets or they hadn't eaten in days, from how much they shoveled down their mouths.
Irina had prayed for blessings upon the devils for their graciousness, which had given Naruto a little chuckle when the three of them had suffered the headaches that came with God's 'blessings' upon a devil. Xenovia had dramatically lamented the state of the world that made her rely on the kindness of a devil for survival, and Naruto had rolled his eyes.
Issei then told Irina and Xenovia of his plan, which Naruto had to admit was unusually astute for him. Issei had proposed working with them towards destroying the Excaliburs in the Fallen Angel's possession, and Irina and Xenovia had eventually agreed. They then told the devils of the true threat behind this plot: Kokabiel.
Kokabiel was one of the Cadres of the Fallen Angels. From what little he had found from his research, Kokabiel was one of the first of God's Angels to fall after Lucifer, though the reason was left ambiguous. He wanted to ask Rias and Akeno about his potential as a threat but was still trying to track down their base. He'd resolved to ask when he reported to Rias that night, but even that had to take a backseat when Issei had unveiled his daring plan to lure Freed out.
Issei had figured that, if Freed was hunting priests, everyone should dress as one. By doing so, Freed was likely to target them if he saw or heard of their presence. It was a good plan, Naruto thought, except for the part where he needlessly placed everyone in mortal peril against an insane killer with a weapon capable of killing them with the barest touch.
A great plan, really.
Well, with Naruto watching, it actually was.
A better plan would've been to trail a group of priests and wait for Freed to make his presence known, but Naruto could work with this.
As he moved around the town, Naruto began to notice that someone was following him, and this person, whoever it was, was unusually competent. He was able to lose his shadow for a few minutes every once in a while, but the same presence showed up on the very edges of his senses whenever he stopped. After about two hours of this game of cat and mouse, Naruto decided to lay a trap and confront his pursuer directly.
If this is someone who can keep up with me, I need to take care of them, he thought, worrying. He'd not come across anyone in the city yet who came close to his level, but this person was at least that good when it came to trailing someone. Someone able to follow him was likely exceptionally dangerous. With someone like Kokabiel already nearby, he couldn't afford to deal with someone else that powerful.
He sat in wait for his pursuer to come around the corner. He'd led them to a deserted alleyway at the edges of the city so that there was minimal chance of injury to innocent bystanders if it came to a confrontation. He'd summoned one of his clones away from trailing Kiba since the group Issei had arranged was on their way to him at the moment anyway. He'd used that clone to replace himself and head off so that his pursuer didn't think anything was suspicious.
Naruto killed his presence to where he was essentially a part of the wall to all senses but sight, and even that would've been difficult to notice him. He'd never been good at the Transformation technique, and his new chakra made it essentially impossible for his normal body. His clones could since they were made of chakra on their own, but that was something else entirely.
Kurama said, Get ready. They're close by.
Got it. Naruto extended his fingernails into claws and bent his knees, ready for action.
When he felt the presence get near the corner, he jumped out and reached for where the person should've been standing.
Except no one was there.
Naruto blinked, shocked. He looked around the alley, thinking maybe he'd missed them. But no. No one was there. He reached out with his senses again, searching for someone who was maybe using an illusion like Kuroka had been. But he didn't notice anything at all that was unusual. Kurama was keeping an eye on his body and reported that nothing was out of the ordinary.
He scratched his head. "What the hell? I could swear I felt…" He looked down and noticed something was off about his shadow. "Wait a second." He lifted his leg and his shadow did the same. He squinted at it. Ah. I see it. Kurama, you notice this too?
Kurama took a moment, but he then said, I do. Time to meet our tail.
Naruto nodded. "Okay. Whoever you are, you can come out of my shadow now."
"Damn it." The voice was feminine and seemed to almost echo over itself. "How did you know?"
Naruto got the feeling that she wasn't a threat, so he told her, "My shadow is a little larger than it should've been. Not enough to where most would notice, but I'm not most people."
"Ah. I suppose that's true." A head of spiky blonde hair came out from his shadow that then turned into a fully grown woman. She had eyes the color of blood and wore a jumpsuit that was bright crimson. Naruto noticed an unfamiliar coat of arms over her left breast that was worn so bad that he couldn't make out the text written on it. "I'm Seras, by the way." She held out her hand to him.
He reached out unsteadily and took her hand. "Naruto. Who are you and why are you following me?" He took a brief glance at her aura, and it resembled a pure black, shifting shadow. He'd learned though that a dark aura didn't necessarily mean the person it came from was evil. He thought he saw a small purple flame within that the rest nearly suffocated, but it didn't seem a hostile reaction. It faintly reminded him of his bond with Kurama.
Seras shrugged. "Curiosity, to be honest. I'm new to the area, and you were the most interesting person nearby."
"Okay. Now for the other question please."
Seras blinked in surprise. "Oh. Right. You did ask two questions. Huh." She eyed him suspiciously. "You speak unusually good English for someone so young from Japan."
"Avoiding the question again." He crossed his arms, starting to show his annoyance.
Seras met his stare with a defiant grin. She said, "I already told you my name." She then shrugged. "You could say I'm a drifter at the moment. Don't really have much of a home right now."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "And you just so happened to be following me when I'm out on a mission looking into a powerful fallen angel?" he asked skeptically. He told Kurama to get ready in case he needed to fight her.
Seras blinked again, her eyes wide. "Huh? Fallen angel? What do you mean? Like Lucifer?" She leaned forward and knocked on the side of his head. "You all there?"
He bared his teeth at her and she stepped away. "I'm perfectly sane, thank you very much." And keep your quips to yourself, fox.
Kurama snickered.
She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head. "Huh. You seem to think you're telling the truth at least. Interesting." She went contemplative, like she was having a conversation with herself. "Huh. I guess that's possible. Though I don't… Hush, you."
Naruto had to shake himself. Is she…talking to herself?"Are you okay?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes. Perfectly fine, thank you. Just had to chat with my inner conscience, as he likes to call himself."
"O…kay?" Is this how I look when I talk to you around other people?
Why are you asking me?
I don't know. Got any idea though?
Kurama snorted. Maybe?
Damn. No wonder people think I'm nuts.
Seras stopped muttering and looked Naruto up and down. "Are you from around here?"
"Why is that relevant?"
"Curious."
He hesitated. "Not…exactly."
She nodded, as if she'd confirmed something for herself. "I got that feeling. Neither of us are from around, are we?"
Naruto got the feeling she wasn't just talking about the city, sending alarm bells off in his head. He narrowed his eyes. "That's possible, I guess."
She smiled at him. She said, "Just so you know, I'm going to be shadowing you for a little longer."
He blinked, surprised she'd admit that to him. "Uh… Why?"
"I already told you that. You're curious, and I want to find out why."
"That's not a very good reason to stalk me."
She waved off his accusation. "Bah. I'm no stalker. Trust me. I've dealt with one or two in my days." She went quiet for a second. "Why, yes, I am talking about you. Not you, Naruto-san," she added hurriedly.
Yep. She's nuts. He felt a bead of sweat go down the back of his head. "Okay. This is starting to get weird, but I have other places I need to be."
"Oh, don't let me hold you up." She paused for a second longer. Her eyes lit up and she hit her fist into her other palm. "Oh! Good idea! Naruto-san, you said you were looking into the fallen angels, right?"
"That's…right." He wondered whether talking to her any longer would be conducive to his good health.
It's not like you could shake her off anyway.
Quiet, you.
Her eyes shimmered in what little light there was. "I actually happen to know a lot about Christianity. I'm talking stuff that not even the church would acknowledge. I can help you out with looking into the fallen angels you're after!"
He blinked, unsure how to take her offer. Do you get the feeling she's telling the truth, Kurama?
I thought you wanted me to be quiet.
Just answer the damn question!
Hmm. Yes. She's telling the truth. Or at least she believes she is. She may at least be worth talking to. You can confirm anything you learn with the others when you see them.
I suppose you're right. "Okay. What all do you know about a fallen angel named Kokabiel?"
"Kokabiel?" One of her fingers rested on her chin as she thought. "Oh. That's a hard one. Not a lot of people even know about him. He was one of the original angels God created. You see, each of the original angels was made with a specific purpose in mind. I have no idea if that specific purpose requirement was later waived or not. Kokabiel was created to lead God's armies. I think he's supposed to be leading an army of three-hundred-something thousand spirits. He's also associated with teaching astrology to people, which is weird, I know.
"But back to religious history. Kokabiel is associated with some of the initial fallen ones, or fallen angels, as you called them. He's one of the first Watchers listed when you look into them." She noticed his confusion. "Oh. Those are what we called the leaders of the couple hundred or so fallen angels who fell after Lucifer. I'd recommend reading the…Second, I think, Book of Enoch. That's the one that talks about the members of the fifth heaven who fell. Most of those first two hundred who fell fell because they married and had sex with a human woman, which was deemed below them. Strange, now that I think of it, that God created humans, told Angels to love them, and then cast them out for actually loving them."
"That is strange," Naruto said before he could catch himself.
"Right! God really does operate in mysterious ways." She grinned a toothy grin. "More confusing than mysterious if you ask me though."
Naruto noticed a faint glimmer off her fangs, which were longer than normal. A vampire? he wondered. He nodded his thanks. "Thanks for that. It's a lot of information I didn't know before. Probably because I had no idea where to look for it."
"You're very welcome." She sniffed the air. Her mouth started watering. "Hey. Would you… Never mind." She looked away. "So I suppose you'll need to get going then?"
"You're right. I do." He rolled his neck to stretch it out. "I suppose I'll see you around then?"
"You absolutely will!" she said with a bright nod.
Naruto leaped into the air and landed atop one of the buildings on the side of the alley he'd just been standing in. Seras' eyes never left him as he jumped up and then fell down. She waved goodbye to him with an earnest grin. He waved back and then started leaping from building to building, thinking of how strange that woman had been.
He then made towards where his clone was watching over Issei's group, who had just finished talking with Kiba.
Rias was sitting on a bench in the clubroom. She was listening to one of Naruto's clones report to her everything that he'd found out so far that day. She'd sent Akeno off on a separate errand, so she was alone at the moment.
"And that's about all, Boss Lady," the clone finished with a crisp salute. "Boss convinced them that he was on their side and they're going to dress up a few hours after sundown."
She nodded, taking in everything. She said, "Tell Naruto-kun he has my thanks, and that you clones are very efficient."
The clone grinned the toothy grin that the original always did. It was almost eerie how alike the clones were to him, but she figured that made sense. The clone then disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
She thought on what Naruto had discovered today. Kokabiel, she frowned, is far beyond what I expected. A Cadre is involved. It will be easy to say that his involvement is plenty dangerous enough to warrant getting involved. But still… She bit her lip. This is far beyond merely dangerous. She pondered in silence a moment longer. Should I inform Onee-sama immediately? She looked at her desk, which had a communication magic circle she could use to call into the Underworld for emergencies. That would be the smart thing to do. She thought of Naruto then, and how powerful he seemed to be. But this might be a chance to see how strong Naruto really is.
She stood up and started pacing. She had to think about everything, not just her fascination with Naruto. Kokabiel's presence endangered everyone in the city, not just the devils or church personnel present. She then had to worry about whether Kokabiel was running a rogue operation or if this was sanctioned by the Fallen Angels. If it was, this was a formal declaration of war. If she mis-stepped even slightly, hundreds – no, millions – would die. The more she thought about it, the more she started to sweat. This was a far greater problem than a few stray devils.
"I need to talk this through with someone," she said aloud. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was late evening. "Sona should still be around."
She left the clubhouse and walked across campus to the Student Council building. On the way, she saw a few other clubs that were heading home after finishing their activities for the day. A small part of her chest fluttered when she saw the couples holding hands or stealing kisses away from the others, but she put her eyes forward and focused on moving. She could think about her romantic options after the Kokabiel problem was dealt with.
She entered the building without issue. There were a few members of Sona's peerage bustling about while carrying papers. Sona's Knight, Tomoe, told her that Sona was still in her office as President. Rias thanked her and walked up to Sona's private office. Tsubaki was leaving just as she arrived.
"Tsubaki." Rias nodded in greeting. "Is Sona busy?"
"Never too busy for you. Please, go on in."
"Thank you." Tsubaki held the door open for her and closed it behind her. "Sona. Do you have a few minutes to talk?"
Sona was scribbling away at a few papers on her desk. The office was always organized, and now was no different. Thick leaflets piled on either side of her that had various announcements of the school and other various clubs. Sona insisted on manually reviewing every proof and approving them herself even though she could pawn it off on any of her servants. Sona was stern but fair to her servants, and she always took her own duties seriously. Even more-so than Rias took her own.
Sona looked up. "Ah. Rias. I didn't notice you came in. Please sit. I shouldn't be more than a minute or two. Last minute deadlines."
"Of course." Rias idly thought if Sona would still consider her deadlines more important than the news that Kokabielwas in town. She nearly laughed when she realized that Sona probably would, and she'd say something along the lines of 'Kokabiel isn't going anywhere, while these need to be done now'.
Sona put her pen down a minute later. "Alright." She looked up at the clock on the wall. "Would you care to join me in the bath?"
Rias felt the aches in her shoulders and nodded. "That would be pretty nice."
"Then let's go there." Sona stood up. "It will be more private there anyway."
Rias joined her and the two left her office. Sona had installed a private bath under the school where she, Tsubaki, Rias, and Akeno would often meet to talk about matters both private and public, both mundane and supernatural. It was always a nice and relaxing way to talk and get advice from one another, and Rias had used it privately a few times as well.
They arrived shortly thereafter. They disrobed and entered without caring about modesty. The two of them had shared far too much to be worried about that now. Sona turned on the faucet and started filling the exceedingly large tub that was more the size of a small lake than bath tub. The two of them walked across the smooth flooring to the half-moon bench around a single column that let out steam to turn the area into a sauna. Rias poured some water on the coals and steam began to envelop the room.
Rias and Sona took their respective seats on either side of the bench. The only sound was the sizzling steam between them. They both took a moment to let the heat wash over them and enjoy it while they could.
"Very well then." Sona leaned back and let her head fall. "What do I owe the company for today? Not that I'm complaining, of course."
Rias took just a few seconds longer to enjoy the heat. She said, "Naruto has been looking into everything going on with the fallen angels I told you about."
"And what has Uzumaki-san discovered?" Sona's voice was even, but Rias could tell when she was curious and eager to hear something new.
"Kokabiel is involved."
Sona was quiet for a long moment, digesting her words. "Oh. Less than ideal then."
"That's one way to put it." She let out a tense breath. "Kokabiel is, based on what Naruto has discovered, leading whatever operation that is going on in my city. He is also behind the theft of those three Excaliburs I told you about."
Sona gripped her chin thoughtfully. "That is disturbing news. Kokabiel is one of the most dangerous and powerful Fallen Angels."
"You could argue he's the most dangerous, since he's a known battle maniac and has not been quiet about how much he wants to resume the war."
"That is true." Sona hummed thoughtfully. "Do we know if this operation is sanctioned by the Grigori?"
She shook her head. "We don't. All we know is Kokabiel is involved. Which explains a lot. For one, how Freed managed to hide himself so long from us. Not to mention how they managed to steal three Excaliburs from the church."
"Mmhmm." Sona didn't let her worry bleed into her words, but Rias saw the slightest twitch of her eyes that gave it away. "I'd wondered how someone like that measly exorcist had done that. I suppose that makes sense. Kokabiel's presence changes things."
Rias nodded. "It does." She hesitated to ask her next question, though she knew Sona would notice.
Instead, Sona said, "We should inform Lucifer-sama immediately."
Rias hesitated, and Sona noticed. Rias said, "I don't know if I necessarily agree."
"Why?"
She didn't berate her. Sona knew Rias well enough to know that Rias was no fool and didn't act without reason. She's not dismissing me immediately, which is a good start, I suppose. She said, "Because we might not need Onee-sama or Onii-sama to handle this ourselves."
Sona's eyes sharpened but she didn't accuse her. She asked, "What makes you think that? Kokabiel is far beyond either of us, even if we combined our power."
Rias said only, "Naruto."
Sona hummed but didn't dismiss her out of hand. "He's powerful, yes, but on par with a Cadre? What haven't you told me, Rias?"
Rias grinned. Sona knew she'd been keeping information from her, and nothing intrigued her quite like a good secret. Rias said, "Do you remember what I told you about our training trip before my Rating Game with Riser?"
Sona nodded. "I do. You said Uzumaki-san went off on his own while your peerage trained Hyoudou and you focused on forming a strategy. I admit that Uzumaki impressed me by dealing with Riser so thoroughly, but I fail to see how defeating someone like Riser made you think Uzumaki can face a Cadre on even footing."
"What I didn't tell you," she said, "is that I had one of the family butlers keeping tabs on the energy readings in the area Naruto was in."
"And what did they say?" Sona was practically begging for her to reveal her secret.
So she did. "Sona. The demonic energy readings were above Ultimate class."
Sona sat back, letting that revelation sink in. It almost didn't seem to make sense for her, which Rias would admit she'd initially shared that reaction, though she'd had time to come to grips with the fact that Naruto broke all common sense with regularity. Enough time passed that the steam began to get thin, so Rias poured some more water on the coals to refill the room.
"That," Sona's voice sounded even, but Rias heard the slightest shake, which showed how severe the information had rocked her. "That is…" Sona shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "I won't belittle you by asking if you're sure. But… How?"
"Good question." Rias had wondered that same thought ever since she'd first seen the readings herself. "I've been working on a few thoughts for a long time. Would you like to hear my theories?"
"Of course." Sona was leaning so far forward she was about to fall off the bench.
Rias began explaining her thoughts. "You see, Naruto-kun has told me a little of his past. And, to be honest, it makes little sense. He speaks and acts like a war veteran, but he's our age."
"He's a child soldier then."
Rias nodded in agreement. "That was my thought as well. I believe he was, but I could find nothing that matched up with his story anywhere. At first, I'd thought I was just looking in the wrong place, but, the more I thought about it, the more I realized it didn't make sense because I really was looking in the wrong place."
Sona's lips thinned. "I'm not sure I understand your meaning."
Rias smirked. "Naruto-kun has been very careful with the information he's given me, but I have found out enough over the months that I should have found something about his home. I haven't, by the way. Even the most secretive of human societies are known by now. Even if the humans themselves don't know of them, we devils do at least.
"First I had to rule out certain aspects of human society to narrow things down. His complete inability with magic tells me he was never taught it, so we can be certain that he isn't from the Magicians Guild. Or, to be frank, any other supernatural society. That means that he should've been a mundane human by all measures, right?"
Sona nodded. "That makes sense. I looked into Uzumaki-san myself when he transferred into Kuoh. He seemed a regular human by all tests. The only thing that didn't make sense was how he was endorsed by your brother."
"I have a few thoughts on that as well. Just give me a minute." Rias took a few seconds to regather her thoughts. She was nearly getting ahead of herself. She'd been thinking about this for a long time, and she was hoping Sona would agree with her conclusion. "As we both now know, Naruto-kun is not and has never been a normal human. An Evil Piece does not add energy when used. It only ever converts."
"But Uzumaki-san was your Unique Piece, no?"
"True, and I will admit that we don't know the specifics of how it worked. But I would wager it's a safe assumption that it is at the very least similar to a regular Piece. I doubt it suddenly changed Naruto-kun from a normal human to someone possibly on par with a Maou."
Sona sat back. She thought for a second. "I agree with you. It would break all we know about the Evil Pieces if that were the case."
"Glad to see you agree with me," Rias said with a nod. "So, that means that all of this energy has always been within Naruto." She let that revelation sit for a moment.
Sona's eyes widened when she realized the truth of her statement. "By the original Four… You're right! But how? It makes no sense!"
"If you would let me continue?" Sona did so. "Thank you. I have had a thought come to me recently, and would like to hear your thoughts on it. We both know that Naruto-kun, by all accounts, did not even officially exist as of around a year ago. We both did our research, and neither of us could find anything real. So then what does that mean for this? It means that he didn't."
Sona arched her eye but remained silent, letting Rias continue.
She did so. "Sona. I believe that Naruto isn't even from this dimension. And I'm not talking about just Earth either. Nor am I referring to any of the other parallel ones." She let Sona put the pieces together for herself after that.
When she did, her jaw dropped. "Wait. You're trying to say that Uzumaki-san is from beyond the Dimensional Gap? But that's impossible! Great Red is there!"
"I know," Rias said with another nod. "But it's the only thing that makes sense. It explains why Onii-sama was so interested in him, and actually why all of the Maou are, now that I think about it. It explains why Naruto seemed to be a normal human before I used the Unique Piece on him. It explains why none of my other Evil Pieces would work on him. It explains how his past life that he's told me about seems to not even exist, even though I am certain that he hasn't told me a lie yet. It explains—"
Sona cut her off. "Wait. Wait. Hold on, Rias. While I admit that it does make sense, to pass through the Dimensional Gap like that is impossible."
"From what we know," Rias corrected her. "But even you know that there are many things out there that are unexplained as of yet. For all we know, it may be possible to get by Great Red. Or maybe Great Red even let him pass through. Naruto-kun is certainly powerful enough to withstand the nothingness of the Gap. I've seen the proof myself."
"Again, while I do not doubt you have put considerable thought into this, I am hesitant to agree. I have spoken with my sister at length about the Dimensional Gap, and she assures me that travel through it is impossible except by ways we already know of." Sona gripped her chin. "I am more inclined to believe Uzumaki-san is from a different planet that developed humanoid life rather than that he is a traveler from across the Gap."
Rias snorted. "Have you seen him try to operate a computer? He knows to press a few keys and then press 'Enter' and that's about it. He's no genius of technology."
"That doesn't necessarily mean anything," Sona countered. "It could just be that he's not familiar with the technology here on Earth.
"Regardless, we have strayed from the topic at hand. Kokabiel. And your decision to not inform Lucifer-sama immediately." Sona's eyes went accusing.
Rias sighed, realizing that Sona was done discussing Naruto's origins for the time being. She likely thinks it's interesting but not necessary to know right now, and I can't fault her. But still… She was sure that Naruto was a traveler from the Dimensional Gap, but she didn't yet have the proof. She thought back to Naruto's words from when he'd returned from his private training. 'You can just ask.' I suppose I'll do just that. But Sona's right. That can wait. For now, Kokabiel comes first.
She then began discussing plans and contingencies with Sona. Rias promised her that she would inform Grayfia of Kokabiel's presence the moment things got even slightly out of hand.
She did her very best to convince Sona not to call Serafall the second the two separated.