It was noticeably late when Naruto found his way downstairs. After their fun finally drew to a close, Naruto had been caught between the two girls, their heads resting on his chest and their fuzzy ears pressing into his cheeks. They'd remained that way all night.
Now that he'd woken up and finally worked his way free, it was close to eleven in the morning. Much later than Naruto usually made the trip downstairs.
He found his mom in the living room. Ravel was beside her, eating a sandwich, while Bafeel stood nearby, choosing not to sit while in the presence of her "superiors". Sometimes, Naruto just didn't understand the girl's ideas about what a servant was supposed to do, and he'd discovered a long time ago that it was just easier not to argue. She enjoyed it in her own way. Like a roleplay.
"Sup." Naruto had swiped an apple from the kitchen on his way. He flopped down on the far end of the couch, sharing it with his mom and sister, Ravel sitting in the middle.
"Good morning, Naruto. Or should I say good afternoon?" Lady Phenex said.
Her voice was distracted. Primarily, she was watching the TV, where an Underworld News Network broadcast showed the front of the massive train station in Lillith, the capital of devil society. It also happened to be the closest major city to Phenex Territory. Naruto had been there a day ago to take a train back from the human world.
The building hadn't been on fire then.
Ugly smoke billowed out of the front of the building. The reporter was a buxom devil with purple hair and small horns on her head.
"—perpetrator fled the scene. So far, no casualties are being reported, only injuries. Devils in the vicinity of Lilith are advised to remain vigilant. Low and Middle Class devils are advised to stay inside when possible. More updates will follow…"
"Was it a stray devil?" Naruto asked.
"They don't think that's likely," Ravel said. "Strays don't leave enemies alive. Whoever did this is in control of themselves."
She rewarded herself for the prompt answer by scooching to the side. In the most subtle manner she could (it wasn't subtle at all) Ravel positioned herself on Naruto's lap, continuing to eat her sandwich. Naruto accepted this in silence, leaning to the side to look around her and keep watching TV. She'd picked the habit up from Shirone, arguing that if the cat girl got to sit in his lap, his sister should get to as well.
"The assailant tore through the entire security force around the station, sending two High Class Devils to the hospital," Lady Phenex said. "They haven't been identified, nor is their motive known. Our world is dangerous. You kids don't understand because of how much things have changed. We have peace for now, but it didn't come easy, and there's no guarantee it will stay."
"Mom, you sound scared," Ravel said.
"I am," Lady Phenex confessed. "I've never liked violence. When your brothers were your age, I worried about them this way, but they've grown up into strong young men. I believe you two will do just as well for yourselves… But you're so young! The idea of you ending up in danger…"
She choked up, trailing off. Naruto set his half eaten apple down on the armrest, not in the mood to eat anymore. It was clear that whatever was going on in Lilith had reminded her of her fear for his fate.
"I'm sorry I worried you," he said.
Lady Phenex sniffed. "I just don't understand. Why didn't you call?"
"I forgot," Naruto said. "I know that sounds bad. I mean, it was bad. But I just didn't think about it. I'm not used to having people who worry about me."
In one of his two lives, he had been a child soldier trained to kill and die for the sake of his village. He was an orphan. Even after he made friends, they were almost all ninjas like he was. Of course they wanted him to come back from every mission. It was just, all of them had accepted death as a fact of life. A loving mother, especially one who was a self-admitted pacifist, was completely different.
"What do you mean? Of course we worry!" Lady Phenex said.
"I know," Naruto promised her. "I know. I'll remember that from now on. I promise."
She couldn't understand why he'd acted the way he had, and he couldn't properly explain it to her, not without coming off as crazy. Lady Phenex didn't NEED to understand it all though. She could hear the sincerity in his voice as he promised to do better in the future. That was enough for her.
"Maybe it's time to get Riser to give you some lessons," Lady Phenex said. "He's a rising star in the Rating Game world. I may not be interested in those games but I know how impressive that is. He could show you the basics of fighting better than the magic tutors you've had in the past.
Bafeel developed a harsh cough. She was forced to turn her body to the side to hide her face from Lady Phenex.
"Big Bro Riser? You don't have to ask him," Naruto said. "I get plenty of practice with Kuroka and my peerage!"
"Kuroka is strong, but she's never participated in a Rating Game. Her last master wasn't fond of them and you're too young," Lady Phenex said. "The more I think about it, the better the idea seems. Unless you don't want to spend time with your brother?"
There was hurt in her voice at the idea of her boys not getting along.
"That's not it!" Naruto said.
And he wasn't lying; he really loved Riser, even if Riser could be annoying. Whatever bed replacement Riser had given him was beyond Naruto's wildest dreams. Last night would have caused a whole host of problems just like his first time with Kuroka had if not for Riser's gift.
It was just a waste of time. Riser had nothing on Kurama, let alone Vali… Her absolutely broken ability still gave Naruto shivers when he thought about it. Halving the enemy's power and taking it for herself was just NOT fair.
Besides, it's not like he was hiding his abilities from his parents on purpose, really. It had just been SUCH a headache when he accidentally showed Sage Mode that he chose to keep things like his Rasenshuriken to himself. That way they didn't have to worry that he was going to explode or suddenly fall over dead, they way they had when he showed off his use of natural energy, and Naruto could keep practicing with Kuroka to hone his powers. Now that they had Kurama, the training would be even better! Although they might need to take a vacation in order to cut loose properly…
As if summoned, Kuroka and Kurama picked that moment to enter the room. Kuroka looked like she was glowing; there was a luster to her skin and her expression was extremely satisfied after the night of fun they shared.
On the other hand, Kurama looked shellshocked. Her tails and ears were out, swaying and twitching as she continued coming to terms with what she (and Kuroka) had done with Naruto.
They entered and found seats around the room. Fujimai came in right after them, smiling as she joined the group after finishing some chore Lady Phenex had assigned.
Fujimai paused as she passed Kuroka and Kurama. Her smile faded and she sniffed the air a few times. She gave her daughter a searching look, offering the same one to Kurama. Luckily no one except Naruto noticed, and Fujimai didn't say anything, finding a seat within the room.
"Someone's up early," Lady Phenex said, smiling at Kuroka.
"I am, aren't I?" Kuroka said. While this was getting up late for Naruto, Kuroka routinely slept until one in the afternoon when she had a free day. Sometimes, she even took a nap a few hours later. She was a very lazy kitty.
Naruto picked his apple up, finishing it now that he had allayed his mom's fears. He was just crunching through the last bite, the whole group chatting while watching the news, when Kuroka went stiff.
Her tails stuck up straight like antennas. The way her head whipped toward the window outside wasn't missed.
"What is it?" Lady Phenex asked.
Kuroka's tails started to swish. "My spells are still active. The ones that warned me when Naruto was going to arrive. Someone just arrived on the property."
"Is Riser coming to visit? Or Ruval, or Riven? Maybe Dad finished his business in the city early?" Ravel suggested.
"They're coming toward the mansion fast. At the speed of a car," Kuroka said. She winced a second later. "I sense more presences now!"
"We should leave," Lady Phenex said.
"No. We have to meet them," Naruto said. "What if it's someone who needs help?"
"The first presence doesn't have negative emotions," Kurama reported.
Lady Phenex hesitated. Naruto used that opening to lead the group toward the front door, instead of taking them away. He understood his mom's worry but the whole castle was safer if he and Kurama were part of the greeting party.
He jogged to the front door to get there in time. His mom arrived behind him, Kuroka and Kurama behind her, and the others further back. Bafeel had found a sword somewhere along the way. Naruto squinted, watching as a blur sped toward the castle.
He saw flashes of black and white, which he eventually recognized as a nun's uniform. As you might guess, that was pretty unusual in the Underworld.
The nun was running at an incredible speed. In one hand she had a sword. Its blade was straight and sharp on both sides, with a deadly point crowning the top, the entire sword forged from dark metal with lines of red running through it, giving it a dastardly appearance. The size and weight of it must've been close to Kubikiribocho, the cleaver sword Zabuza fought with. The nun carried it in one hand and it wasn't even slowing her down.
Her other hand held a girl that was much younger. Naruto could make out blue hair and a buxom figure. It was clear that this girl was unconscious. Her body was limp, being completely carried by the nun.
When there was about fifty meters between them and Naruto, their pursuers appeared. Flying on bat wings, more than two dozen armed devils chased the nun. They wore uniforms that Naruto recognized as belonging to the Uvall family, a midranking member of the 72 Pillars who specialized in running law enforcement in Lilith. He had asked directions from a helpful officer in the same uniform just a day ago.
Although the nun was fast, her exhaustion was obvious. Naruto started to step forward. Kurama had said the nun had no negative emotions, only those chasing her did. The second part was obvious, given the murderous looks the devils were giving the fleeing woman.
Before he could act, his mom grabbed him from behind. "Don't!"
The first of the devils caught the nun. Two tried to stab her with spears. She ducked without looking back, twisting between the attacks. Bending her legs, the nun kicked off and shot herself forward.
Contrary to common opinion about nun outfits, this one was designed skintight for ease of movement. Her skirt fanned out and her chest jiggled as she crossed the distance to reach Naruto.
Kurama stopped the others from attacking the nun, even as the woman slashed her sword. Lady Phenex screamed. Naruto didn't move, tracking the sword's trajectory while standing in its path.
He allowed the blade to hit him. Just like he predicted, the swing barely left a cut, narrowly clipping the bridge of his nose.
The wound didn't heal as fast as his injuries usually did. Naruto grunted as he felt a strange sucking feeling against his very being. It reminded him a little bit of Kuroka's mouth the day before… Only it was the Phenex powers he was born with that were getting slurped.
As soon as she cut him, the nun dropped to her knees, prostrating herself. She had managed to lay the girl she was carrying in front of her, bowing toward Naruto, her face lowered to the ground.
Lady Phenex screamed again, this time not for her son but for the woman, as ten different devils stabbed the nun in the back, turning her body into a pincushion. Swords and spears stuck through her abdomen.
"Got you, church scum!" declared the first man to stab her.
All those present were stunned when instead of bleeding, the only thing that came from the nun's wounds was smoke. Flames licked around the weapons that had been inserted into her, waiting to heal the damage once the implements were removed. Naruto recognized the reaction. It was Phenex regeneration!
"Please!" the nun said. Dark spots appeared on the ground beneath her lowered face, giving away that she was crying. "I am willing to pay any price! I will give you my life, through death or servitude, and fulfill any heinous order you give to me! Just please, Devils of the Phenex Clan, save my ward!"
.
Check the link in my profile to find more.