ch 22 - connections of love

It was early in the morning. Saturday. Naruto stood in the doorway with Rias, Irina, and Metatron, handing out some last minute instructions to the archangel and his newest friend.

"Also, just in case some kind of post apocalyptic emergency comes along, I've bought you all cellphones. My number is already keyed in on speed dial, so don't be afraid to give us a call, okay?"

"Don't worry, Naruto-san," Irina said with a smile and good cheer. "We've got everything under control here."

"Yes. Worry not, Ninja-sama. I shall protect your home, even if it costs me my life." Metatron gave Naruto a thumbs up and flashed his pearly whites. Naruto could have sworn the archangel's teeth made a pinging sound.

"I'm counting on you two—eh?" Naruto looked down to see Ophis staring up at him. She was grabbing at his shirt and tugging. "What's wrong, Ophis?"

"You should stay," Ophis said with a serious tone in her voice.

"Aww! Are you gonna miss me?" Naruto scratched Ophis behind the ears. The dragon goddess of unlimited power became putty in his hands. "I'm sorry, Ophis, but Rias and I have planned this for nearly two weeks, and she's really looking forward to it."

Rias had been ecstatic when she'd heard about the anime convention that would be happening in Akihabara. Ever since then, she'd made plans to go there, buying tickets, buying cosplay, planning out their itinerary. There was no way he could deny her this chance to go when she was looking forward to it this much.

Ophis's expression didn't change, but he got the feeling that she was disappointed. "Fine… but when you come back, you're going to take me out somewhere."

"Sure," Naruto said without really thinking about it. "I'll take you somewhere."

Rias rolled her eyes but smiled. "Do you ever think before you speak?" When Naruto just looked at her in confusion, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "It's nothing."

Naruto frowned at Rias, but shook his head and dispelled his confusion. He turned back to the others and thought about any other last minute instructions he should give. Rias had already informed them of how everything in the house worked, so he didn't think there was anything more to say. As he looked at the four other people standing in the room with him and Rias, a flash of pain struck him.

"Ravel is still locked up in her room?" he asked.

Yesterday after school, Naruto and Rias had arrived home from doing some work that Srizechs had foisted on them to discover that Ravel had locked herself in her room. Naruto had tried to get her to come out. She'd told him to leave her alone. Then he'd tried to enter her room.

She'd lit his head on fire.

Naruto didn't know what was wrong with Ravel, but his inability to help her was eating away at him.

"Don't worry, Naruto," Koneko said. "I'll talk some sense into her."

Naruto reached up and gently scratched Koneko's ears. The white-haired nekousho purred and leaned into his hand.

"Thank you," he said.

Soon after, Naruto and Rias left the house, several bags filled with cosplay outfits in their hands. A taxi sat outside on the driveway, waiting for them. As he opened the door for Rias to enter, he unbiddingly found himself staring at their large home.

"Naruto, are you okay?" Rias asked, reaching out to grab his hand.

"Yes." Naruto took a deep breath and smiled, even though he didn't feel like smiling. "I'm fine."

"Hmm…"

Rias didn't look convinced, but she didn't say anything else. After closing the door behind her, Naruto climbed in on the other side, sat down, and buckled up. Once he'd done so, Rias scooted over to the middle seat and leaned her head on his shoulder. The taxi then pulled out of the driveway and drove down the street.

Naruto took one last glance at the house, his thoughts on his friend who was currently hurting over something that he couldn't see.

Ravel…

~Devil Ninja~

Koneko watched Naruto and Rias enter the taxi, which drove off moments later. Standing by her side, Irina waved until the taxi was out of sight.

"Well, I guess it's just gonna be us," she said in that cheerful voice of hers. "It's going to feel weird without Naruto-san and Rias-san around."

"Hm."

"Are you okay, Koneko-san?"

"I am fine," Koneko said. "It's Ravel that I'm worried about."

Irina's smile shifted, no longer cheerful, but showing off a sadness that Koneko understood. "Ravel… she doesn't like me very much."

"It is not that she doesn't like you," Koneko said carefully, "it's just that she believes you're a threat."

"A threat? Why would she think I was a threat?"

Irina's confused expression was fetching. Koneko wondered what Naruto thought when he saw the cute faces this Exorcist could make. More than that, she wondered if making a face like that would help her get Naruto to think of her as more than that cute girl who lives with him.

"Because Naruto likes you, and she has a hard enough time getting his attention because of how she acts."

"W-what?" Irina's cheeks suddenly went red. "N-Naruto-san likes me?!"

Koneko gave Irina a deadpanned stare. "Do you think Naruto would let you stay with us if he didn't like you?"

"O-oh… you mean, like a friend, right?"

"What else would I mean?"

"T-that's good," Irina said with a relieved sigh.

"Is it?"

"Of course. While I really like talking to Naruto-san, I don't think it would be a good idea to let something happen between us. He's dating Rias, and the bible says that a man and woman should remain loyal to each other. If something happened between us, it would mean that Naruto-san was being unfaithful, and I would also become a sinful scarlet woman. If that happened I'm sure Michael-sama would be upset with me. Oh, Michael-sama, worry not, for I shall remain faithful. Amen."

"If you say so," Koneko said. She wondered how long Irina would maintain that attitude with them. Naruto had a way of making you fall for him without realizing it.

"What's this about scarlet women?" Metatron asked.

"N-nothing, Metatron-sama. We were just talking about the importance of remaining faithful."

Metatron crossed his arms and nodded. "Indeed. I am pleased to hear that you understand the importance of faith. One must always remain faithful, even when it seems like all hope is lost…"

As the archangel dubbed the Voice of God lectured a starry-eyed Irina about faith, Koneko left, wandering across the wooden archway toward Ravel's room.

"Ravel." She knocked on the door several times. "Ravel, it's me. Come out."

There was a moment of silence. "Are Naruto-sama and Rias-sama gone?"

"Yes."

Another moment of silence was followed by the soft sound of footsteps. The door soon opened a crack, and a single bloodshot blue eye peeked out.

"Can I help you with something?" asked Ravel.

"I just came to check on you," Koneko said. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I just had my heart ripped out."

Koneko ignored the spiteful tone in Ravel's voice. "You know that Naruto didn't say no to you, right? He'd already made plans before you asked him."

"I know that." Ravel sounded glum. "It still hurts."

"I know, but you're overreacting."

"Overreacting?!" Ravel's eyes could have melted steel. "How am I overreacting?!"

"You're acting like Naruto told you that he doesn't like you, that he doesn't want to spend time with you."

"It's true, isn't it?" Ravel spat. "If Naruto-sama wanted to spend time with me, then he would have done so already! Instead he practically ignores me in favor of Rias-sama!"

"Rias-buchou is Naruto's girlfriend. It's only natural that he would spend more time with her than you."

"You can only say that because you spend all the time you want with him! He doesn't ignore you!"

Koneko didn't get angry as Ravel yelled at her. She knew that her friend was upset and hurt, just as she understood that this was her friend's way of releasing all of that pent up anguish.

"Naruto has never ignored you," Koneko said calmly. "He always goes out of his way to make sure you're comfortable and happy. You're just upset that he hasn't gone out with you outside of the house."

"Of course I am!" Ravel looked ready to start crying again. "Naruto-sama is always going out with you, Rias-sama, and even Irina-san, but he never goes out with me! Why? Why won't he spend time with me like he does you and the others?"

"Because we ask him to spend time with us," Koneko answered. "Naruto's really busy with a lot of stuff, so he doesn't really think about going out unless someone else mentions it. Even Rias-buchou needs to tell Naruto that they're going out, otherwise she and Naruto would never go on any dates."

Naruto had been taking on a lot of burdens recently. He'd been working on something with Sirzechs for the past two weeks, helping Rias with her workload, helping train her and Issei, plus his own training. She, Rias, and Irina had been asking him to spend time with them because if they didn't, then Naruto would work himself into the ground. It was for his sake as much as their own.

"If you want to spend time with Naruto, then you need to ask him," Koneko continued.

"I did ask him, in case you didn't realize that," Ravel grumbled.

"I know that, just as I understand that it's my fault this happened."

Ravel's head snapped up. Her eyes went wide. "K-Koneko?"

"I didn't know that Naruto would be going out with Rias-buchou this weekend. If I had known that, I would have never suggested you ask him out. I would have told you to wait until next weekend."

"N-no, this wasn't your—"

"That's why, when Naruto comes back home, I'm going to make sure he spends time with you," Koneko interrupted. "I'm going to make this right."

As Ravel blushed from the roots of her hair down to her toes, Koneko promised herself that she would make amends for upsetting her friend. Come hell or high water, Naruto was going to take Ravel out on a date next weekend.

It was the least she could do.

~Devil Ninja~

The taxi took him and Rias all the way to the train station, where they hopped onto a train that would take them to Akihabara.

The train was crowded. All the seats were taken when they arrived, and the many people standing were packed shoulder to shoulder, like sardines, only smellier. He and Rias had to stand near the exit, which was the only place left. Their bags sat against the wall next to them. He stood directly behind her, enjoying the feel of her amazing butt pressing against him. His arms were around her slim waist, and Rias had placed her hands over his, leaning into him. This not only allowed them to bask in their shared closeness, but it also kept train gropers from trying anything funny.

Naruto looked out the window as the train moved. Unlike most people, who'd likely only see a blur, he could see the buildings as if the train was standing still. Yet even though he was looking at the passing scenery, he didn't see any of it.

"Are you worried about Ravel?" Rias asked, shifting against him.

Naruto sighed. "Am I that transparent?"

"To me you are." Rias took a hand off his arms and reached behind her to caress his cheek. Naruto saw her concerned eyes staring at him in the window's reflection. "What's on your mind?"

Leaning into her hand, Naruto said, "I just… Ravel was really depressed, but I don't know why. I want to help her, but without even knowing what's wrong, there's nothing I can do. I don't like feeling helpless like this."

If it had been something simple like someone being mean to her, then Naruto could have done something, but without any enemy to fight, any need to protect her from someone else, he was at a loss.

"Hm…" Rias hummed for a moment. "Can I ask you something? What do you think about polygamy?"

Naruto was startled. What kind of random question was that? Still, he answered to the best of his abilities. "I know what it is, but I've never really thought about it. Why do you ask?"

Rias didn't answer at first. When she did, she spoke slowly, as if she didn't know how to properly word what she wanted to say and was carefully choosing her words. "Did you know that in the Underworld, a lot of high class devils have harems?"

"I did not know that," Naruto admitted. "I thought the only devils who had harems were douchebags like Rizer."

Rias chuckled at the comment. She still didn't like Rizer very much. "It's not something we talk about often, but it's something of an open secret. Rizer isn't the only person who turned his peerage into a harem. He's just the most obnoxious about it."

"Is that so? Why are you telling me this?"

"Because Koneko and Ravel love you."

Naruto would admit that he could be dense, but being dense wasn't the same as being stupid. He could see where Rias was going with this. He understood, she wasn't talking about them loving him in a familial way, but in the same way that she loved him. Rias's mentioning of polygamy suddenly made a whole lot of sense.

Rias must have seen the realization on his face. Her smile was soft and gentle. "I think the reason that Ravel is so upset is because you haven't been spending much time with her. She loves you, and the fact that you're always spending time with other people or training hurts her."

"I see…"

Naruto thought about all the things that Ravel did for him. The times she would bake him sweets. The times she would predict what he needed and respond before anyone else, as if she'd been observing him to make sure he never wanted for anything. All those moments, the little things she did, like how she'd worn nothing but an apron Friday morning, it all clicked together, like pieces to a puzzle suddenly fitting into place.

"What… what should I do?" Naruto asked. He was conflicted. He loved Ravel. He really did. At the same time, the idea of expressing love for someone who was not Rias made him feel like he was being unfaithful to the most important person to him. Even if he loved Ravel, Rias was his world.

Rias tenderly stroked his cheeks, and Naruto closed his eyes at her soothing touch. "When we get back home, the first thing you are going to do is ask Ravel out on a date."

"And you're okay with that?" Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I know you, Rias, and I know that you dream of having a fairy tale relationship. You're looking for the kind of romance where the prince and princess ride off into the sunset on their giant mecha steed. Is this really something that you're okay with?"

Turning around in his arms, Rias threaded her hands through his hair, leaned up on her toes, and pressed her lips to his. Naruto held her tightly and melted into her kiss. Her lips were softer than the finest silk, and her nails gently scraping against his scalp was heaven. When she pulled back, her lips were curved upwards, and her eyes shone with a compassion that only she could ever pull off.

"I love Ravel and Koneko," Rias said. "Koneko has been a part of my family for years now, and Ravel has grown on me. I want them to be happy, and I know that you make them happy."

Naruto marveled at Rias's kindness. Rias was a princess; she could be spoiled, and she could be greedy, but her capacity to love was bigger than anyone else that he knew. When she loved someone, their happiness became her happiness, and she would do everything she could to make the people she loved happy.

Holding Rias close, he placed his chin on her shoulder and closed his eyes. "Have I ever told you that you're amazing."

"Not enough," Rias responded. "Be sure to tell me that more often."

"I will," Naruto said, quietly chuckling to himself. He pulled Rias closer, and she responded by eagerly tightening her hold around his neck. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Rias said.

As the train continued on its way to Akihabara, Naruto and Rias held onto each other, feeling closer now than ever before.

They ignored the catcalls and whistles from the people around them.

~Devil Ninja~

Issei was just coming home from another contract. He'd been doing pretty well with those—contracts, that is. While he used to suck at them, he'd eventually gotten the hang of it thanks to Naruto-sensei and Akeno-sama showing him the ropes. While he still completed less contracts than everyone else, he felt like he was getting a lot better.

Oddly enough, even though he could now use transportation circles, he still rode on his bike. People simply expected him to be on a bike now, so it would be weird if he suddenly appeared inside of a transportation circle.

As he opened the door to his house, Issei's eardrums were struck by shouting.

"Don't lie to me, you fucking bitch! I know you're the one who destroyed my bedroom!"

"Ara, ara. I don't know what you're talking about, cum bucket? Are you sure you didn't just destroy it yourself? Perhaps you were destroying things in your sleep. You fallen are pretty violent."

"I don't want to hear that from a disgusting half-breed like you, so shut up, half-devil whore!"

"Ufufufu, it seems like someone needs to have a lesson in humility."

"A-ano… p-please don't fight in the house you two…"

"You stay out of this, nun!"

"Indeed, Asia-chan. Please stand back while I mete out punishment to this pathetic excuse for a slave."

"You're going to regret calling me that!"

Issei stepped into the living room after taking off his shoes. His three housemates were all present, and two of them looked like they were about to come to blows. Asia stood between Akeno and Raynare, trying to settle the pair down. It was clear to Issei that she wasn't succeeding. Akeno and Raynare verbally beat the poor girl down whenever she tried to make them stop.

He frowned when he saw the tears gathered in Asia's eyes. Few things bothered him. Asia crying was one of them.

"What's going on here?" Issei asked, surprising the three girls. They must have been so into their fighting that they hadn't even noticed him enter.

"Ise-san!"

"Ise-kun!"

Akeno quickly ran up to Issei and grabbed his arm. She pressed herself against him, and Issei suddenly had a hard time thinking when the heavenly softness of her breasts touched his arm.

"Ise-kun, this fallen angel is being mean to me," Akeno said, purring. "Could you kill her for me? Pretty please?"

"What?!" Raynare squawked. "I'm not doing anything! You're the bitch who keeps ruining my stuff! And don't go to your limp dicked boyfriend for help, bitch!"

"Your stuff? Ufufufu, dear girl, you don't have any stuff. Everything in this house belongs to us. The furniture in your room, the food that you eat, even tose clothes on your back do not belong to you. I could easily take them away if I wanted. In fact, maybe I should do that. Perhaps being forced to walk around naked will make you more amenable."

"Fucking cunt," Raynare ground out.

Issei knew that he had to do something. He couldn't allow any fighting to go on in his parent's house, especially since a fight between these two could very well destroy the house.

Reluctantly slipping out of Akeno's grasp, he went over to Asia.

"Asia-chan, what exactly happened here?"

"Um, I-I'm not really sure," Asia admitted. "I-I was getting ready to take a bath when I heard screaming… but I think, um, Raynare-san's room was destroyed, and she's blaming Akeno-sama for it."

Issei scratched the back of his head. "Well… why don't we take a look at Raynare's room."

Unlike Naruto's mansion, Issei's house was a simple two-story home. Rias had hired people to expand it, so it now had several extra rooms, including extra bedrooms and an indoor hot spring.

Raynare's room was on the second floor, three doors down from his. It was also a complete mess. The wallpaper appeared to have been ripped to shreds by an animal. It hung from the wall like curtains trailing against the floor. A single window sat in the room, situated against the far wall. It had been broken. Shattered glass fragments lay scattered along the floor. Even the bed had been demolished, torn apart and black, as if it had been struck by several bolts of lightning.

Asia gasped and held a hand to her mouth. "T-this is really awful…"

"You see this?" Raynare pointed at the destroyed room. "There's no way I could have done this! My powers have been sealed by Azazel. I'm no more powerful than a pathetic human."

That was true. Raynare didn't have any power right now, so she couldn't have done all this, which meant that the only person who could have done it was Akeno. But, even if Akeno was the perpetrator, Issei didn't want anyone blaming her for it.

"W-well, let's not worry about who's responsible," Issei said at last. Akeno smirked at Raynare, who opened her mouth to scream. "I'll help you fix this place up. That should be good enough, right?"

Raynare's mouth snapped shut. Akeno lost her smirk.

"What?" Raynare asked, as if she couldn't believe he'd just offered to fix her room.

"Ise-kun," Akeno started, a dangerous edge tinting her voice, "you really don't have to do something like that, not for this vile wench."

"A vile wench, am I?!" Raynare snarled. "Who's the one that destroyed my—"

"Don't worry, Akeno-sama!" Issei thumped his chest. "I don't mind doing this. I've got this one customer who's always making me help build homes for people, so I'm pretty good at fixing stuff!"

"That isn't what I meant…"

"All right!" Issei rolled up the sleeves to his blazer. "Asia-chan!"

"Y-yes?"

"Do you know if my homebuilding supplies are still in the garage?"

"Um, yes, I think so…"

"Awesome. Then I'll go and get those now. Would you like to help me?"

Asia brightened at the request. "Yes!"

"Akeno-sama, I know it's a lot of trouble, but, um, do you think you could help me, too?"

A conflicted expression crossed Akeno's face. Issei held his breath. If she said "no," then his attempt at smoothing things over would fail.

Fortunately, Akeno seemed to be willing to play along. She smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Ufufufu, why, Ise-kun, are you trying to order me around?"

"W-wha—no! Of course not! Akeno-sama is the only one allowed to give orders. I know that. I was just… making a request. That's all."

"Hm… very well. If it's a request from you, then I suppose I can help you out."

Issei sighed in relief. His relief was short-lived when Akeno grabbed his arm and held it close.

"I'm still going to punish you, though," she purred.

"Urk!"

"Ufufufu, now, I wonder what I did with my whips and chains…"

~Devil Ninja~

After exiting the train, Naruto and Rias entered the first building they could find that would let them use the restrooms.

Standing in front of a mirror, Naruto looked himself over. He had to admit, he looked pretty badass. While Bleach wasn't a series that he particularly enjoyed, it was one of Rias's favorites. There'd actually been a debate on the way here about which cosplay they should wear. It had been between Archer and Rin, Ichigo and Orihime, Natsu and Lucy, and Alibaba and Morgiana. Rias had argued with herself long and hard, with Naruto standing on the sidelines watching, before she'd come to her decision.

"Naruto, have you finished changing?" Rias asked from outside the bathroom.

"Almost," Naruto called back. "I'm putting on the finishing touches."

Making a hand seal, Naruto applied a quick transformation jutsu to his hair, turning his blond locks orange.

"There! All done."

Exiting the restroom, Naruto found Rias standing out front.

He paused.

Rias had chosen to dress like Orihime when she'd been kidnapped by the Arrancar. Her white dress went down past her knees. Small black lines defined the swell of her breasts, and a black belt wrapped around her thin waist. The shoulders were flared out, while the bust and hips conformed to Rias's voluptuous body like a glove. Her outfit ended with a pair of black boots.

"Wow," Naruto muttered.

"You like it?"

Grinning, Naruto gave Rias a thumbs up. "You look hot!"

"Why thank you."

Rias smiled as she grabbed his hand and tugged him along. They exited the small store, ignoring the man at the register who gawked at them, and wandered into the crowded streets.

He and Rias weren't the only ones dressed up. Numerous other people wandering down the street were also decked to the nines in cosplay. Being something of a newbie to the whole anime thing, Naruto only recognized a few of the outfits there, and only the cosplay that were from mainstream stuff and the few weird shows that Rias had introduced him to.

"We're drawing a lot of attention," Naruto commented as several people pointed at them.

"It's probably because we look a lot like the characters," Rias said, twirling a strand of her now orange hair. "I even dyed my hair for this. You're lucky." She pouted. "All you have to do is that transformation of yours. This is going to take days to get out."

"Ah, the price one pays for her obsession."

Rather than get angry, Rias chuckled at the small jab Naruto made at her passion for anime. Wrapping both her arms around his left arm, she lead the way to their destination.

Having already been to Akihabara once, Naruto thought he'd known what to expect. He really should have known better. If there was one thing that life had taught him, it was that he should always expect the unexpected. Expectations had a tendency to be dashed when one least expected it to, after all.

"Whoa…"

They soon reached a massive complex, a ginormous building composed of glass and steel. Shaped like a dome, the building seemed to tower over everything else. Already hundreds of people were present. A large upside down pyramid stood several meters from the building itself, and numerous people dressed in cosplay had congregated there.

"This… is where the convention is taking place?"

"Yep. Pretty impressive, right?"

"It's huge!"

"That's what she said."

Naruto paused before answering. When he did, it was with a smirk. "Well played, Rias. Well played."

Clasping hands, Naruto and Rias grinned at each other before running into the crowd. He hadn't thought it possible, but they appeared to garner even more attention than before. Naruto wondered if it was because they were both foreign. Rias was a gorgeous girl who most people would have mistaken as someone of European descent, and while Naruto had never been to America before, a lot of people said that he looked like a yankee.

I wonder what a yankee is, Naruto thought. That thought was dispelled as he and Rias walked past several large pillars that appeared to be supporting a network of steel bars overhead. Rias already had tickets, so all they needed to do was show it to the staff outside, who waved them in.

"Ah…"

Naruto didn't think he'd ever seen so many nerds packed into a single place before. Then again, he didn't know if he was allowed to speak, since he was dressed in cosplay as well, and his girlfriend was the queen of nerds, even if she looked more like the kind of girl who enjoyed having tea parties and going to balls.

"Come on, Naruto!"

With Rias in the lead, Naruto was pulled into the crowd of onlookers.

They lost themselves within a sea of bodies. Rias pulled Naruto to all of her favorite stalls, where she bought several doushinji and figurines. Several times they were stopped by photographers who wanted to take their picture. During these moments, they would stand in various poses, all of which Rias had taught him beforehand. After several hours of wandering, picture taking, and shopping, Naruto felt dead on his feet.

"Let's find a place to sit," Rias suggested, having apparently noticed his dishevelled state.

"Thank you."

Locating a couch in one of the lounges, Naruto set their bags down and slumped onto the furniture. He closed his eyes and felt the couch shift as Rias also sat down. A second later, Rias snuggled into him, resting her head on his shoulders and her putting legs across his lap. The soothing scent of her hair, a combination of lilac and vanilla, made him relax. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Hey, Naruto?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for doing this with me."

Opening his eyes, Naruto presented Rias with a smile. "You're welcome. I know you've wanted to come to a convention for a while now."

"Yeah… still, I appreciate it. This really does mean a lot to me."

"Whenever you want to do something like this, just let me know," Naruto said, burying his face into Rias's hair.

"I will."

A soft silence penetrated their area, disrupted only by the noise of the crowd. The flash of several cameras went off, but Naruto ignored them as he closed his eyes and relaxed. He felt like he could fall asleep right there.

"Tired?"

"Hardly. It will take far more than two hours of walking to tire me out."

"Speaking of walking around, are we going to do anything aside from walking and checking out the stalls?"

"Of course we are."

"Like what?"

Rias lifted her head from Naruto's shoulder. Her were gleaming like two greenish blue gems.

"We're going to enter the cosplay competition together," she said succinctly.

~Devil Ninja~

There were two cosplay competitions: One for singles and one for couples. Both were held in the same place, at the same time. Those who were competing stayed in a room behind a stage, and an announcer would call them up one by one.

"Next up, we have Sachin and Kuromaki, who are cosplaying as Inuyasha and Sesshomaru!"

Naruto looked at the stage from behind the curtain as two dudes dressed as pretty boys walked up on stage and struck a pose. It was a disturbingly erotic pose. The woman in the crowd went crazy, and several were even launched through the air from the force of their nosebleeds. All the men turned green and blacked out.

"Huh… never expected to see incest yaoi in an anime convention. The things you learn, eh… Rias?"

Naruto turned to look at his girlfriend and felt a drop of sweat trickle down his neck. Rias looked frightening. Her normally blue eyes were glowing a demonic red. The sound of her teeth grinding together set him on edge. Dark shadows hovered over the top half of her face, so all he could make out was the glowing eyes and viciously gritted teeth.

"Um… Rias?"

"How dare those idiots destroy a fandom like that," Rias ground out in outrage. "Inuyasha and Sesshomaru aren't in that kind of relationship! Inuyasha belongs to Kagome!"

"Only you would get upset over something like that."

Rias whirled on him. "Aren't you mad, too? Those two idiots have completely destroyed everything that made those characters cool! Their attempts to attract attention have destroyed a fandom that has held strong for decades!"

"I think you're overreacting a bit…"

"Overreacting?!" Naruto stumbled backwards when Rias got into his face. "Everybody knows that Inuyasha loves Kagome, and even more people know that the only person Sesshomaru will give the time of day to is Rin! Those two aren't lovers! They're brothers! This is a travesty, Naruto! A Travesty!"

"Uh… right. Travesty."

Rias narrowed her eyes at him. "Do you not agree with me?"

Naruto honestly didn't care, but he knew what Rias would say if he said that. It was best to just go along with her in these instances. "I completely agree with you."

"Liar."

"I'm being serious!"

Before Rias could respond, the female announcer spoke again. "Next up, we've got none other than the famous Serfall Levi-tan, who's dressed up as Magical Girl Milky Spiral Seven!"

"What?" Naruto and Rias said at the same time. Turning back to the curtain, they looked out to see none other than Serafall Leviathan, one of the four Satan's and Sona Sitri's older sister, posing in magical girl cosplay, much to the pleasure of all the men.

Black hair was tied into long pig tails that went down to her butt. Purple eyes stared at the world like bright, iridescent bulbs. Despite not being very tall, she had a figure that many a model had killed themselves trying to achieve. Her large chest was covered by a sleeveless pink shirt with a cape attached to the back. Black sleeves wrapped around slender arms, ending in a pair of black fingerless gloves. Her skirt was short, and Naruto could see her panties as she posed. Pink and black thigh high socks covered an amazing pair of legs, and black boots with pink ribbons were settled on her feet.

A large cheer went up as Serafall blew everybody a kiss. Winking, she turned around and walked backstage, where she inevitably ran into them.

"Ah!" she gasped in surprise. "It's Rias-tan and Naru-tan!"

"Naru-tan?" Naruto made a face at the nickname.

"I didn't expect to see you two here," Serafall continued. "Are you guys here to see me make my debut in the human world?"

"Um…"

Naruto wondered if it would be proper to tell her that they hadn't even known she would be here.

"Actually, we hadn't realized you would be coming here," Rias admitted, saving him the trouble.

"So I see." Serafall looked a little disappointed, but she perked up quickly. "Then why are you two here?"

"Uh…"

Naruto looked at Rias, who was at a complete loss. Her Japanophilism was something that she'd gone to great lengths to hide from the public. Only the people who lived with them knew about her obsession. Telling a Maou, someone with the same status as her brother, was like telling God that she'd committed a sin.

Looks like it's up to me.

"I'm a big fan of anime and manga. When I heard about this convention, I knew that I had to come, so I convinced Rias to come with me," Naruto lied. He liked anime and manga, sure, but he watched it mostly because Rias loved it.

"Oh!" Serafall's eyes widened as if surprised. "You didn't really strike me as the otaku-type, Naru-tan. I guess it's true what they say about not being able to judge a book by it's cover."

"Right…"

"Next up is lovely couple, Rias and Naruto, who are playing Ichigo Kurosaki and Orihime Inoue!"

"That's us." Naruto turned to Rias and held out his free hand. His other hand held what looked like a giant butcher knife. "You ready?"

"Yes!"

Rias took his hand, and together, they stepped onto the stage. The crowd grew silent as they walked forward. When he and Rias stopped, they gazed at the people below, then posed together, with him standing protectively in front of Rias while she stood behind him, a hand clutching her chest. The crowd went wild. They did several more poses, when Naruto was struck by inspiration.

"N-Naruto!" Rias squeaked in surprise when Naruto pulled her into a one-armed hug.

He grinned. "Fans love to ship couples, right? That's what you do all the time. So, let's give them something to really go crazy about."

"What are you—mph!"

Rias's eyes widened as Naruto's lips hampered her own. She blinked several times, a blush spreading across her face before she slowly closed her eyes and leaned into him.

The world around them disappeared. The people faded to the background. Nothing existed in that moment anymore. It was just them. Rias and Naruto.

Then the world reasserted itself as Naruto pulled back. He gave the flustered looking Rias a bright grin. She looked at him, her cheeks flushed a bright shade of red.

"You… you're really being bold today, aren't you?"

"I'm just following your advice."

"I don't remember telling you to do anything like this?"

"Should I not have?"

Rias paused, then shook her head. "No… I-I liked it," she muttered, turning her head away from him.

"Then it's all good. Now, let's take a bow."

"You're really getting into this."

"So, you can tell?"

"Of course. I can always tell what my boyfriend is thinking."

With matching grins, he and Rias held hands and bowed to the crowd that was going absolutely wild, cheering and screaming. Not all of the screams were good. It seemed as if some of the people shipped another Bleach couple, Ichigo and Rukia, and they were upset that he and Rias would ruin their favorite pairing. Most people seemed to enjoy their antics, however, so it was all good.

"Wow! What an adorable couple! That was Rias and Naruto dressed as Orihime and Ichigo, folks! Let's give them a round of applause!"

Giving one final bow, Naruto tugged on Rias's hand and left the stage.

"That was really cool, you two!" Serafall said in greeting as he and Rias went back inside. She seemed even more excited than they were. "You two were so cute!"

"Thank you," Rias mumbled. Her cheeks were still red.

"Do you think you'll win?" Serafall asked.

Naruto shrugged. "Don't know. Guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"And now to announce the winner's of this year's cosplay competition!" the announcer lady said. Rias, in spite of being embarrassed, turned to the stage and stared at the woman as if willing her to select them. "In third place for the singles competition, we have Daisuke Kanda dressed as Natsu Dragneel. In second place, Kirahino Satchiya as Yuno Gasai, and first place belongs to… none other than Serafall Levi-tan!"

"Yay! Magical Girl Levi-tan wins!"

Laughing like a child, Serafall rushed onto the stage, where she received her prize.

"She's awfully excitable," Naruto said.

"That's Serafall-sama for you," Rias agreed. "She's been like that ever since I've known her. It drives her sister insane."

"Interesting."

Serafall came back, her giddy expression making Naruto smile. The woman was so excited that her enthusiasm was contagious. Even Rias, who'd been trying to hide her excitement since they'd met up with Serafall, wore a wide smile.

"And now for the couples competition. In third place we have Hina and Touya, who dressed as Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell. In second place goes to Kanade and Nuran, who came as Mashiro and Sorata. And finally, in first place, our winners of the couples competition is…"

Naruto and Rias gripped each other's hand tightly.

"… Murakita and Uroshina, who played Kuro and Shiro!"

"… Eh?"

Naruto and Rias stared blankly at the announcer as two men whose black and white outfits contrasted with each other walked onto the stage. Naruto felt like a bucket of cold ice water had been dumped on him. From her expression, Rias felt the same way.

"EH?!"

~Devil Ninja~

It was Sunday evening. The sun was setting by the time their train arrived in Kouh station. Naruto and Rias took a taxi to a small park, where they got out and walked the rest of the way home. Holding his girlfriend's hand, their fingers entwined together, Naruto listened to the disappointed Rias as she bemoaned their unfortunate fate.

"I can't believe we didn't win. We didn't even get third place! And that stupid yaoi couple who ruined a perfectly good bromance ended up in first!"

Rias was an avid shipper. She had so many couples that she shipped that he'd long since lost count of them. He wondered if that was something that all Japanophiles did, or if Rias was just special. Seeing his girlfriend get so worked up over a fictional pairing made him chuckle.

"What are you laughing about? This is serious, Naruto."

"You are just way too cute, Rias. I hope you never change."

"Hm?" The smile that appeared on Rias's face was one of seductive gratitude. "I think words like that deserve a reward."

"They do?"

Naruto turned his head to look at her. The moment he did, Rias leaned up and placed a kiss on his lips.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I know I'm not always an easy girl to please."

"If you say so. I think you're perfect just the way you are."

Rias let go of Naruto's hand and moved closer to him, taking his arm and putting it over her shoulder. He got the hint and pulled her close. She placed her head on his shoulder, and they walked the rest of the way home like that.

"You remember what you're going to do when we get home?"

"Yep."

"Good. Be sure not to just spring it on her okay. Ravel needs a delicate touch."

"Delicate touch. Got it."

"I'm being serious, Naruto. You need to be delicate when asking her out."

"Hey! I can be delicate!"

When Rias deadpanned, Naruto turned his head and grumbled, causing her to chuckle.

Their home looked the same as it always did; a large, imposing Japanese-style mansion. The front yard, reminiscent of a traditional Japanese garden, had a koi pond and stream running underneath a bridge, which he and Rias walked across to reach the front door. They opened the door—

"Get back here, you damn cat!"

—and ducked underneath a fireball that flew over their heads.

Ravel snarled as she launched another fireball at Koneko, whose cat-like laughter eerily reminded Naruto of Kuroka. The fireball missed the nekousho and instead exploded against the wall, bursting into a brilliant plume of sparks. He was very grateful they'd decided to fireproof these walls.

"WAAAHHHH! MY HAIR! WHY IS IT ALWAYS GETTING LIT ON FIRE?!"

"P-please calm down, Metatron-sama! I can't put it out with you running around like that! Oh! Michael-sama, this must be a trial that you have placed before me! Fear not, I will put out the fire on Metatron-sama's head."

Naruto and Rias stood in the doorway for several seconds, wondering about what kind of hell they'd just jumped into. It was like they'd stepped into a chaotic world of unimaginable proportions. Everyone was running around, fireballs were being flung through the air, Metatron was beginning to look extra crispy, and Irina was freaking out.

"What is going on here?" Rias demanded to know.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to face them.

"N-Naruto-sama! Rias-sama!" Ravel squeaked.

"What are you all doing?" Rias asked with a sigh.

"Ah, t-this is—"

"Naru-tan, nya!"

"Nya—whoa!"

Naruto was surprised when Koneko leapt at him like a tigress leaping on a mouse. She tackled him to the floor, where she proceeded to nuzzle her face against his chest.

"Nya, nya, nya! It's Nyaruto-tan! You smell so good!"

"W-what the heck?! Koneko, what's wrong with you?!"

"Nya, Nyaruto-tan, let's make babies, nya!"

"B-babies?!"

Naruto knew that something was wrong with Koneko. He didn't know what, but the Koneko that he knew never acted like this. She was acting like a horny cat! And dang it, he was responding to her!

Crap! If she doesn't stop rubbing against me, my dick's going to be hard enough to cut glass!

"R-Rias! Help!"

"So," Rias turned to Ravel as Koneko continued to rub herself against Naruto like a cat marking her territory, "how did this happen?"

"Don't ignore me, damn it!"

"T-that's my fault," Irina admitted. "I found a stray cat the other day. It was living in a cardboard box and I felt really bad for it, so I brought it home with me. I bought some catnip at the convenience store and Koneko found it."

"Oi! Oi!"

"Ah." Rias nodded several times. "That makes sense. Well, I guess there's nothing to do but wait it out."

"What do you mean 'wait it out?!'" Naruto shrieked when a tail snuck down his pants.

"Good luck, Naruto!" Rias gave him a thumbs up.

"Wait! What do you mean good luck?! Rias! RIAS! HELP MEEEEE!"

~Devil Ninja~

It took nearly two hours for Koneko to run out of juice.

Naruto felt like he'd been put through a dry tumbler. His hair was a mess, his clothing was ruffled, he was exhausted, and there were several suspicious stains on his pant legs that he'd rather not think about. In short, he really wanted to head to bed. Unfortunately, there were still things that he needed to do before he could reach the blissful nirvana that was slumber.

Sitting on Koneko's bed, Naruto tenderly ran his hands through the girl's hair. Her white locks parted like silk threads before his fingers. Her hair was impeccably soft. Even though he was exhausted, Naruto felt like he could have stayed like this for hours.

"Nya… Naruto… pet me more…" Koneko mumbled in her sleep.

"She seems to be enjoying herself," Ophis said.

"Yeah, she really likes it when I pet her."

"Must be nice to have you pet her like that."

"I guess."

"You should pet me, too."

Naruto bit his tongue and tried not to scream when he realized that Ophis was now in the room. He stared at the dragon god, his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest. When had she shown up? How had she snuck up on him without him realizing it? What kind of ninja was he to let a half-pint little girl sneak up on him?!

"When did you get here?"

"I've been here for several minutes."

Naruto twitched. "Couldn't you have knocked on the door?"

"I did. You didn't answer."

"All right. You got me there. So, what have you been up to?"

"Research."

"Research?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

Ophis nodded. "Yes, research. Please look forward to it."

Naruto didn't want to know. "Right, well, I've got some things to do, so…"

"I'll come with you," Ophis said, climbing onto his lap.

"… What are you doing?"

"Carry me."

Naruto sighed, but he didn't have the strength to argue. He picked up the dragon disguised as a girl, and carried her out of the room.

Rias and Irina were waiting for him. They stood outside of the door, one looking worried and the other frowning at Ophis.

"What are you two doing?"

"We just wanted to check on you and Koneko," Rias assured Naruto. "How is she?"

"Sleeping like a baby now."

Rias gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry for not helping you out."

"Had you tried to help, Koneko would have simply changed targets. It was better this way, I think."

"I-I'm sorry, Naruto-san," Irina apologized, squirming. "I was the reason Koneko-san was acting like this."

"It's fine. Just… don't buy anymore catnip, okay? And if you do, be sure to get rid of it before coming here."

"Right." Irina nodded, her expression serious. "Don't worry, Naruto-san. I swear on the great Michael-sama that I'll do exactly what you ask. Ah! Michael-sama! This must be a lesson from him about learning to co-exist with devils!"

As a starry-eyed Irina clasped her hands in prayer, Rias turned back to Naruto. "By the way, why is Ophis in your arms."

"Because I want him to carry me?" Ophis said.

"Why did that sound like a question?" Rias pressed a hand to her face. "Anyway, Ravel is currently in her room. You should go there before getting ready for bed."

Naruto agreed. "Ophis, I need to talk to Ravel alone, so can I let you down now?"

"Why are you asking her for permission?" Rias asked.

Ophis frowned. It was tiny, miniscule even, but it was there. "Fine," she muttered, sounding almost disappointed. "But you're going to spend more time with me."

She must have been feeling neglected, Naruto realized. He'd been so busy that he hadn't spent much time with her.

"Sure thing. You and I will do something fun together later," Naruto said.

After parting ways with Rias, Irina, and Ophis, Naruto found himself in front of Ravel's door. It was a very normal door made from wood and painted white. It didn't look any different from any other door in the house, yet Naruto felt a sense of foreboding as he stared at it.

Is it because of what happened the other day? Naruto wondered. Rias told me that Ravel had probably been asking if I was busy because she wanted to spend time with me. It must have hurt when I told her that I'd made plans.

The very idea of hurting the people he cared about was anathema to him. Yet that was what he'd done. He'd hurt someone important to him.

I have to make things right.

He knocked on the door.

"Ravel? Ravel, are you in there?"

Pausing, Naruto strained his ears to listen. There was nothing at first, but soon, he could hear the padding of feet along carpet. The sound soon stopped. There was a click. Then the door opened, and a single blue eye surrounded by blond hair peeked out of the crack.

"Naruto-sama?"

"Hey." Naruto gave her a soft smile. "Can I… come in for a second? I wanted to talk to you about something?"

The door remained partially closed for a moment, and Naruto feared Ravel would slam the door in his face. After several tense seconds of silence, she hesitantly opened the door.

"Come on in."

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Ravel's room looked exactly as he expected it to. The light pink walls complimented the beige carpet. Portraits of her family hung from the walls. Off to the side sat a round table with glass chairs, and a tea set had been placed on top of it. Her bed, which was a bunk bed that she normally shared with Koneko these days, was situated in a corner of the room.

"Would you like to have a seat, Naruto-sama?"

"Um, yes, thank you."

Naruto felt nervous as he sat down on a chair. His heart was like a bongo drum in his chest, pounding away with the force of an earth jutsu. He cursed himself. Before now, he would have never been this nervous around Ravel, but his heart had been going haywire ever since he'd learned about her feelings for him. In hindsight, it should have been obvious that she liked him. Naruto couldn't believe he'd been so blind.

"Can I get you something to drink?"

"Oh, uh, no, please don't trouble yourself. W-why don't you also sit down, Ravel?"

"Okay."

Ravel sat down on the opposite side of the table. She observed him with the slightest of frowns, and Naruto could sense the way her eyes studied him, cataloguing everything about him.

"You're troubled." It was not a question. Somehow, Ravel always seemed to see through him. "Are you okay?"

I should be the one asking that…

Naruto felt sick to his stomach, and not just because he'd come here to do something he never thought he would do. Even now, after he'd hurt her, Ravel still expressed more concern for him than she did for herself.

"I… um, that is… I'm just—well, I was wondering…"

"Naruto?"

Naruto winced. He was tripping over his words like a newborn tripping over their feet when they first started to walk. This wasn't like him at all! What happened to the young man who plunged on regardless of the consequences? Where had he gone?

I guess it's different now. This isn't like when Rias and I became a couple. It's not the same.

He was uncomfortable with the idea of being with someone other than Rias. At the same time, he really did love Ravel and Koneko and wanted them to be happy. Rias had expressed this desire as well, which was what had led to now. But now that he was here, worry gnawed at him like a rabid pack of angry dragons.

Come on, Naruto! Just do it!

Standing up rather abruptly, Naruto startled poor Ravel, who released a squeak of surprise.

"Ravel!"

"Yes?!"

"Will you go out with me?!"

…

"Eh?"

Ravel sat there, staring at him with unblinking eyes. She didn't seem to understand what he was asking, at least not at first. It took a while, but as the seconds ticked by, Ravel's eyes slowly widened and her cheeks grew warm. They went from a soft pink to an iridescent red. Naruto thought they might catch fire.

"W-w-w-what are you asking?!"

"I'm asking you to go on a date with me," Naruto plunged ahead. He couldn't allow himself to stop now. "Would you like to go out with—bwa!"

Naruto screamed in surprise and pain when a fireball exploded off his face.

"Yo-you can't ask a girl that so suddenly!" Ravel shouted, her voice a high-pitched squeak. She stood up abruptly, the chair she'd been sitting in tipping over. "W-what do you think you're—kya!"

"Ravel!"

As Ravel tripped over her own chair and began to fall, Naruto grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her small but womanly figure. Ravel buried her face in his chest, and her small hands came up to grasp the back of his shirt. Her hands were trembling.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked.

"Did you mean it?" Ravel asked, her voice muffled.

"W-what?"

"Do you really want to go out with me?"

Naruto relaxed as her words reached him. "Of course I do. I wouldn't be asking you to go on a date with me if I didn't want to go out with you."

"What about Rias?"

Naruto wondered what he should say. If he said that Rias told him to ask her out, then it would make it seem like he didn't want to go out with her. If he said that Rias wasn't involved in this, it would make it seem like he was going behind his girlfriend's back.

"Rias and I have spoken about it," he said carefully, "and she said that she's okay with us going out."

"Really?" Ravel lifted her head up and set her chin on his chest. Her blue eyes glimmered as the light hit them. "Really, really?"

"Yeah, really, really."

When Ravel buried her face back into his shirt, he thought something was wrong. When his shirt became stained with tears, he felt like panicking. He was about to try and calm the blond girl down—

"I'm… so glad…"

—when she spoke.

"W-what?"

"I… I was really worried. I really want to become closer to you, but I could never work up the courage, and then when I did, you were too busy to even spend time with me. And it hurt. I know it wasn't your fault, but it really hurt when you said you were doing something this weekend."

Naruto pressed his face into Ravel's hair. "I'm sorry. If I had known you wanted to go out with me, I—well, I don't know what I would have done, but I would have thought of something. Can you forgive me?"

Ravel turned her head and pressed her ear against his chest. He wondered if she was trying to hear his heartbeat.

"Of course. More than anything else, I want to put what happened behind us."

"Okay. Then that's what we'll do, and we can go on our date next weekend, if you aren't busy."

"I'm not busy. I… I'd like to go out with you next weekend."

"All right, then. It's date."

Naruto and Ravel smiled at each other—until they noticed how compromising their position was. Then they blushed and let go of each other.

"S-so!" Ravel squeaked. "Would you like some tea?"

Naruto, more than eager to play off what just happened, nodded fervently. "Ah, yeah, okay."

"T-then please sit down. I'll prepare some tea for you."

As he sat down and Ravel left the room to prepare tea, Naruto wondered what the results of this day would bring.

"Whatever it brings, I'm sure it'll be interesting."

"You said it."

Just then, a series of loud bangs and crashes came from outside the room.

"K-Koneko! What are you doing?!"

"Nya, nya, nya, Ravel-tan! Let's have some fun in the bath together, nya!"

"In the—no, wait! I'm supposed to bring Naruto-sama some tea!"

"It's okay, nya. He can join us, nya!"

"J-j-join?! Don't say something like that so readily! And stop trying to take off my clothes!"

As squeals erupted from beyond the door, Naruto shook his head and sighed. His life, it seemed, was about to become even more interesting.

Why do I feel like there's a god out there playing with my life? Naruto wondered to himself. No one answered him. Unfortunately.