ch 55 - irina's need

Naruto and the others had fought against dragons like these before, but it looked like the ones arrayed against them now had been heavily modified. The fifty strong dragon army appeared stronger somehow. There was something about them that made Naruto wary, though neither he nor the others had time for concerns.

"Yura-san, activate your shield to protect our backs! Hold it for as long as you can! Gasper, activate your balance breaker and stop them in their tracks!"

Ravel was still giving them orders as she assessed the situation. Yura reactivated her artificial Sacred Gear, a powerful shield that could cover nearly the entire length of this strange space. Several dragons slammed into the shield without relent. Yet even though Yura squeaked when they bashed and clawed against her shield, it still held.

Gasper quickly consumed a bit of Issei's blood, and with the power of a dragon flowing through him, he activated his Balance Breaker, Forbidden Invade Balor the Beast. Darkness engulfed the area around him. Gasper himself seemed to sink into the darkness. The darkness consumed him before a massive hand with claws that looked like they could tear through steel slammed into the ground. It was followed by what, at a glance, appeared to be a several meter tall monster with a dragon's head and wings protruding from its back.

This was Gasper when he transformed.

His trump card.

Gasper didn't stop there as he began creating multiple twisted monsters to contend with the dragons. Nearly twenty monsters appeared and charged into the enemy lines under his command. This was one of Gasper's greatest strengths. His Sacred Gear gave him an advantage when battling multiple opponents because he could make up for his lack of numbers with his Balance Breaker. Of course, he still needed Issei's blood to give him a power boost.

"Ise! Naruto! Saji! You three should charge in the middle. Koneko, Tsubaki, and Loup Garou will take the left. Irina, Bennia, and Xenovia the right! The rest of us will provide support!" Ravel continued issuing orders.

No one said anything as they let Ravel direct their forces. It was clear that she knew what she was doing. The three strongest were going up the middle to break up the enemy formation, while a powerful group of three would attack either side in a pincer-like maneuver.

Naruto had already activated Kurama's Ten-Tailed Chakra Shroud, which he would need if he wanted that extra boost in strength. It still had a time limit, which sucked balls, but he didn't have time to reverse summon Kurama. But rather than his normal Kurama Mode combined with Rikudou Sennin Modo, Naruto simply stuck with using Kurama's chakra, transforming his body into a miniature ten-tailed fox.

The first thing he did as the massively powerful chakra created a life-sized transparent fox avatar around him was extended numerous chakra hands that touched his allies, revitalizing them, healing whatever wounds they had, and giving them temporary chakra cloaks. Those who were with him became shocked since this was something he hadn't revealed yet, but Naruto was already busy slamming head first into the first dragon.

Naruto created small Bijuudama in his right hand and smashed it into the face of a dragon, watching in grim satisfaction as the head exploded. He didn't stick around. Once the dragon was dead, Naruto crouched low, looking like a feral animal, and used his ten tails as weapons to attack the dragons. Several tails speared his enemies with impunity. Another tail wrapped around a dragon's waist and squeezed, tearing the dragon in half. With a roar, Naruto created a Bijuudama from his mouth and fired it at a dragon in front of him, blowing a hole clean through its chest.

"Be careful, Naruto. If you use too much power, this space will destabilize. I don't know what will happen, but I know it would be bad if you destroyed this place."

"In other words, stick primarily to taijutsu. Got it."

It had been a while since he could fight like this, but he understood that going all out inside of a space located within the Dimensional Gap was a bad idea. He might be able to survive thanks to Kurama. However, the others would most certainly perish. The Dimensional Gap was not a place someone could just enter without immense strength or prior preparation like how Arthur traveled using Caliburn.

Since that was the case, Naruto stuck with pure melee combat. He used his arms, legs, and tails as weapons of war, wielding all fourteen limbs with ease, sending dragons flying. These modified dragons were strong. He was certain they were stronger than the ones that attack the Underworld. However, compared to Niðhöggr, these creatures were small fry.

Naruto lost himself to the flow of battle. He slipped right. A dragon appeared before him. It attacked, he dodged, and his right arm went straight through its chest when he punched it. The cloying scent of blood became thick in the air as he removed his hand, allowing warm blood to gush from the creature, spill onto the floor with a splatter, and grow into an ever expanding pool.

He was already turning around as it fell face first to the ground.

There was no telling how long Naruto and the others fought. He attacked and attacked and attacked, until he realized there was nothing more to attack. All the dragons lay slain on the ground, though the magician who had summoned them was nowhere to be seen.

Thanks to Naruto's chakra cloak protecting them, no one had any serious injuries, and what wounds they did have healed quickly. Naruto sighed as he let Kurama's chakra go, flinching as small aches appeared on his body. Using Kurama's chakra without also enhancing his own ability to withstand it by using Rikudou Sennin Modo was a foolish idea, but he didn't want to destroy this battlefield by releasing too much power.

"It seems the battle is over. We weren't able to capture the mage responsible, but we learned a lot, enough that I think we should let the higher ups know what transpired here. I'll be sure to write a report to the Four Maous and Archangel Michael. Naruto and Akeno, you two should write a report for Azazel-sensei when he comes back from visiting the Vampires," Sona said, adjusting her glasses as Tsubaki moved to stand beside her, naginata firmly grasped within her left hand.

"Great. Writing a report. That is just what I need," Naruto mumbled with a tired sigh. He walked over to Ravel, who was standing beside Asia and Yura. He placed a hand on Ravel's head and began rubbing her hair. "You did a great job, Ravel. Your strategies saved us."

"I-I didn't do much." Ravel flushed under the praise and gave him a small smile. "You… probably could have taken on every dragon here by yourself."

"Probably, but I would have destroyed this entire dimension to do it, and then we'd all be in trouble." Naruto grinned at the girl. "Don't undersell yourself. You were awesome."

"T-thank you," Ravel said with a slight stutter.

"You were pretty amazing too, Naruto-onii-san," Asia said with admiration sparkling in her eyes. "That cloak thing you placed all of us in was incredible! It felt like my entire body and magic was being strengthened! I felt ten times stronger and more energetic than normal."

"Yeah. Kurama's chakra is pretty amazing like that," Naruto agreed with a nod. "When I touch people with Kurama's chakra, I can revitalize the life-force of anyone I touch. This also heals their wounds. Even a life-threatening injury can be healed with Kurama's chakra because of the incredible vitality it contains."

"I am surprised you haven't used that ability before," Irina said as she wandered up to them with Xenovia, Koneko, Issei, and Gasper, who had transformed back into his regular self.

Naruto shook his head. "I don't use it often because I can't control it very well. Ever since Kurama became the ten-tails, his chakra has become far more powerful than a normal person can handle. Even though I am now a Devil, the stress it places on my body is incredible. I normally have to combine Kurama's chakra with my own rikudou Sennin abilities just to withstand the pressure it places on my body… but when I do that, I cannot gift it to others."

"I see. Yes, that would explain why you haven't used it before," Irina said with a slow nod.

"You might be able to extend the time you use it if your base parameters are strengthened."

"You think so?"

"Yes. If you gain powers comparable to someone like Sirzechs in your normal form without augmentations, you should have the strength to withstand my chakra."

"Guess I'll need to train harder then."

"Even if you can only use it for a limited amount of time, it's still very impressive," Xenovia said with an odd look on her face. "I'm a bit depressed you didn't use this to battle against Cao Cao and his group. Had I known how strong you were in advance… well, nevermind that. I'm not dissatisfied with my choice."

Naruto had no idea what this woman was talking about, but he didn't care enough to find out.

Under Sona's direction, their group left the space where they had battled. Sona sent Tsubaki on ahead to inform some of the Three Faction members stationed in Kuoh City to come to the train station. When they arrived, she explained the situation to them and asked a specialist to help close the space the Stray Magicians were using, though not before removing the bodies of the now inert clones.

Naruto took the clones. He placed them inside of a storage seal with the intention of giving them a proper funeral.

It was almost sunrise by the time everything was over. While the rest of the team was exhausted, Naruto still felt completely energized, if a little sore. He stood over by the window as the others sat inside the train station. While not the kind of guy who often contemplated a lot, Naruto was currently in a contemplative mood.

I need ramen…

Well, he looked like he was in a contemplative mood, but the truth was he just wanted to eat some delicious ramen and was having trouble deciding on what kind he should consume. Should he go with the classic miso ramen, or should he maybe have some tonkotsu? He did enjoy the thick broth made from pork bones, fat, and collagen. So delicious. Oh, crap! He was drooling!

"Naruto-sama?"

Ravel's reflection appeared within the window. Naruto wiped the drool from his mouth before turning to look at the girl.

"Ravel. What's up? Did you need something?"

"I… um… I was wondering if you could help me," Ravel made her request with a hint of hesitation.

"Help you with what?" asked Naruto.

"With… the people who are creating Fake Phoenix Tears." Ravel's lips trembled, but her eyes were hard as she stared at him. "I cannot forgive those people for what they did. They cloned members of the House of Phenex, trapped those clones within tanks, and forced them to produce tears. It's unforgivable. So I want you to help me… put a stop to this. Please."

Naruto studied the girl for a few moments. She looked like she was very worried that he wouldn't be interested in helping her. He sighed, walked up, and pulled her into a warm hug. Since she was so short, her head barely coming up to his chest, he was able to place his chin on the crown of her head.

"Of course I'll help you. I'm your King, after all. But more importantly, I am your fiance, right? Whatever you need help with, I'll definitely give it my all."

"Thank you."

As Naruto held onto Ravel, who pressed her face against his chest, he thought back on what they had seen and what he needed to do. Discovering the location of the factory that produced Fake Phoenix Tears was going to be hard. It sounded like there might even be multiple factories since the one they had gone to had been in the process of getting shut down. He'd probably need to contact aniki and let him know about this.

To make matters worse, Naruto had not heard from Rias, Kiba, or Azazel since they left for Vampire territory. He knew they might be busy, but he wished they would contact him so he would know they were okay. Maybe it was just the result of what happened with these Stray Magicians. However, Naruto had a bad feeling that something may have happened to them.

~Devil Ninja~

A few days passed since the incident with the Stray Magicians. Life returned to normal—save for the fact that Kiba and Rias still hadn't returned from the Vampires's territory.

While Naruto never expressed his worry to anyone, the others noticed that he became more absentminded as time went on. He'd be caught spacing out when he should have been working on paperwork, would sometimes trip or bump into things despite not being very clumsy, and had been sighing so much everyone in the house was worried he would breathe out all his happiness.

Among those worried for Naruto, Irina was perhaps the most worried. Call it her nature as an angel.

"I want to help Naruto get his mind off his problems, or like, I want to at least help him settle down."

That was why she had gone to Xenovia and Asia for help. The two girls were Irina's best friends now, people she spent nearly every day with, and the students at Kuoh Academy had even begun calling them the Church Trio because of how religious they acted.

It was lunchtime at school, and like always, Irina had traveled to Asia and Xenovia's classroom so they could eat lunch together. All of them were chowing down on the boxed lunches Akeno had made for them. It was filled with furikake rice, sliced omelette, an assortment of vegetables, and weiners.

That women knew how to make a mean bento.

"Is Naruto having a problem?" asked Xenovia right before she stuffed a weiner shaped like an octopus into her mouth. Before coming to Japan, none of these girls had known people could cut weiners the make this shape. She popped another weiner into her mouth and spoke before swallowing. "He seems fine to me. He's probably just thinking about Rias."

"I think it's gone beyond merely thinking about Rias," Irina muttered. She didn't mean to sound so bitter, but she also couldn't stop from wondering if Naruto would be this worried about her were she to disappear.

"I agree with Irina," Asia said quietly. She was already finished eating, but her portions had been much smaller than theirs since she didn't eat as much. Staring into her cup of steaming hot tea, she furrowed her brow and presented the two with a sorrowful look. "I've known Naruto almost as long as I've known Ise. He is almost always upbeat and cheerful. In all the time I've known him, he's never looked so upset before. It's gotten so bad that Koneko even…"

Asia stopped talking and blushed bright red, which caused Irina and Xenovia to become curious and stare at the girl, waiting for her to continue. She did not.

"Anyway, Naruto is definitely feeling a lot of stress and worry," Asia concluded.

"Hold on." Xenovia raised a hand to forestall the conversation from going further. "What did Koneko do? I'm curious."

"Me too." Irina leaned forward eagerly.

Koneko Toujou was the person who got the most affection from Naruto after Rias Gremory, and Irina knew the girl had been taking advantage of Rias's absence to steal his free time. She was jealous—er, no, that wasn't right. She was not jealous. Irina was just worried that Naruto wouldn't have time for anything else if he spent it all with Koneko. That was all.

"Er… well…" Asia's cheeks became an even brighter shade of red. She looked around as though seeking an escape route, but Irina and Xenovia had no intention of giving her one. Finally, she relented. "She was… um… writing on his… his thingy…"

"She what?!" Irina and Xenovia shouted in shock.

Their voices were so loud that the other people in the classroom stopped talking and turned to stare at them. Irina became keenly aware of the eyes on them, so she coughed into her hand and tried to make herself smaller. Shouting so loudly like that was embarrassing. It was even more shameful considering the topic they were now discussing.

Asia nodded once. Her cheeks were already so dark they could not have become darker.

"I went into the office Naruto-onii-san has been using for work, and I found Koneko hiding under the table. She was writing 'property of Koneko' in marker on his… thingy," Asia muttered, unable to call the boy's private parts by their real name.

"I didn't know she was doing that," Irina said with a frown. "I hope she didn't use permanent marker."

"I'm sure she wouldn't do that," Asia assured her.

"Is writing on someone's privates with marker something all couples do?" asked Xenovia, then she paused as a very serious expression crossed her face. "Should I write on Ise's dick?"

"Absolutely not!" Asia shouted. "Don't you dare even think about writing on Ise's weiner!"

Once again, the shout was so loud that everyone turned to stare at them. This time, unfortunately, Asia had said something that the other students couldn't ignore.

"Are they talking about privates?"

"OMG. The Church Trio is discussing someone's junk."

"And Asia said Issei. Is she talking about Hyoudou?"

"Gross."

"Hey, Asia! Why are you talking about my man bits like that?!" Issei shouted from where he was sitting with his two friends, Matsuda and Motohama.

"Er… ah… no… it's not…" Asia tried to say something, but considering what she just shouted out, was it any wonder she couldn't find the words?

"Oh ho ho. What's this. Is the infamously chaste Church Trio interested in learning about dingleberries?" another person asked. She was a girl in their class. Aika Kiryuu was a bespectacled girl with a nature that was every bit as perverted as the so-called Perverted Trio composed of Issei, Matsuda, and Motohama. Asia still thought she was really nice, but she had learned months ago not to trust what Kiryuu said because all of her advice was super lewd.

"T-that isn't what we are talking about!" Asia tried to deny it.

Kiryuu was having none of that. "Now, now. It's totally alright. I understand you three are young and curious. Allow this humble onee-sama to give you some advice."

As Kiryuu tried to offer Irina, Asia, and Xenovia advice they really didn't need, Issei and his two friends came over to them.

"Hey! Stop filling their heads with your weird ideas!"

"Haaa? Weird? The only weird one here is you. You're a full-time pervert who's been dipping your kielbasa into various sauces, and yet you are worried about me corrupting these girls? Pu-lease."

"H-how did you even know about that?!"

"It's obvious to anyone who knows you." Kiryuu paused. "And Asia told me about the first time you two had sex."

"Asia!"

"I-I'm sorry! Kiryuu found out because I was glowing. She said I looked like a maiden who'd just been thoroughly fu—"

"Don't say it, Asia! It's okay. I understand that witch is the one who is to blame. Please don't say anymore!"

"Ise, you still have not fucked me."

"You stay out of this, Xenovia!"

Irina felt like a fifth wheel now as she watched Kiryuu string along Asia and Issei, with Xenovia adding her own unnecessary commentary. She felt a little lonely being the only one not part of this relationship. Yet just as she began thinking that, an image of Naruto telling her that he loved her entered her mind, and she began feeling better. While she still felt some resistance toward their relationship, Naruto had done everything he could to make her feel secure and comfortable.

But right now, Naruto was hurting. Maybe Xenovia didn't notice because she wasn't interested, but Irina had been watching him for a while now, so she knew how he felt.

Lunch ended and Irina went back to her own classroom, the one she shared with Naruto and Kiba. Kiba was not present right now because he was with Rias Gremory, but Naruto was sitting in his usual seat, spacing out as usual. She slid into her seat across from Naruto and found herself watching him.

Naruto didn't seem to be paying attention to anything. His eyes were blank as their math teacher lectured them about Geometry-Congruence. He didn't seem to even hear the math teacher's lecture, though she could see his hand moving as if he was really taking notes. She bit her lip. It really was worrying her to see him like this.

Throughout the whole day, Irina could not stop thinking about Naruto. She couldn't get over her worry for him. That was why she had decided to speak with someone who she believed might be able to help her.

After school ended, Irina went off on her own and called up… her boss.

"Hello?"

"Hi, um, Griselda…"

"Now this is a surprise. I do believe this is the first time you have called me of your own volition."

"Er… I am sorry about that…"

Since Irina didn't want anyone overhearing this conversation, she was careful to find a place where very few people traveled—behind the old school building. While the Occult Research Club used the old school building as their clubroom, no one ever traveled behind it. There was no reason to.

Irina was pacing the length of the wall as she called her frightening boss. While she was not as afraid of Griselda as Xenovia, who was utterly terrified of the older woman, she still felt a thrill of fear when they spoke. There was just something about Gabriel's Queen that made her feel like her every action was being scrutinized.

"Well, it is fine. May I ask what you are calling me for? I cannot imagine you called me without a reason."

"Ah ha ha… yeah, I did call you for a reason. I need your help with something."

Since Irina had nothing to lose, she laid all her thoughts and worries on the table, telling Griselda about how Naruto had been acting since Rias disappeared, and how she wanted to help him but didn't know how. She made sure to leave nothing out. By the time she finished, a long silence ensued as the woman on the other line absorbed the knowledge before speaking.

"So you really are dating Naruto Uzumaki. I assumed as much when I saw how you acted around him. I honestly thought you would have begun dating Issei Hyoudou since you were in love with him, but I guess people fall in and out of love all the time."

Irina had never mentioned to her teacher and boss that she was dating Naruto, but it was probably obvious to anyone associated with her. There had been a very obvious shift in her actions and emotions lately. So no, she was not surprised that Griselda had figured her out. It was still embarrassing though.

"I want to help him, but I don't know how."

"And so you came to me for advice. You do realize that my own experience with relationships is severely lacking, correct?"

"I-I know that… but I couldn't think of who else to turn to. Please. You might be the only person who can help me."

"Ha… okay. Give me a moment to think about this. You wish to help Naruto settle down and stop stressing out about Rias Gremory, but you don't know what to do because this is something you have never done before."

"That's right."

The other side went dead for a long moment, and Irina wondered if the line had been disconnected, but then Griselda spoke up again.

"I think this issue will be fairly easy to resolve. Men are simple creatures. They are easy to distract. Here is what you will do: Take Naruto out on a date."

"Is that it?"

Irina didn't know why she felt so disappointed, but perhaps she had been expecting something more comprehensive. Just telling her to take Naruto on a date was not the advice she had been looking for. She wanted something more specific.

"No, that is not it. Listen, if you were a human girl, I would normally suggest offering him something more, but you are an angel. If you and Naruto had sex right now, you would fall. We can't have that."

The words coming from her teacher shocked Irina. She would have suggested having sex with Naruto if she was human? Really? The Church had some very strict policies regarding sex. It wasn't forbidden, but it was something done between a man and a woman who had been married under God.

Of course, Irina understood that many rules regarding sexual relations had been relaxed since the founding of the Church. The simple fact was very few people subscribed to this belief that people needed to have sex before marriage. Still, hearing Griselda say something like this was a shocker.

"Then what should I do?" asked Irina, getting over her surprise to ask the most important question here.

"Since you cannot offer him your body, here is what you are going to do instead…"

Irina listened with a serious expression and even more serious blush as Griselda laid out Irina's plan of attack. She would help Naruto conquer his sorrow, even if doing so made her feel embarrassed.

~Devil Ninja~

"Let's go on a date!"

Naruto had been working on the paperwork that was normally Rias's job when she was in town when Irina barged into his office and blurted out those words. He stared at the girl who would normally never say that with shock written plain as day on his face. In return, Irina's cheeks burned with a savage fierceness. Yet even though she was clearly embarrassed, her gaze did not waver.

"Er… w-what I mean is… you have been working really hard because of Rias's absence… and I think you could use a break, so…"

"Okay," Naruto said simply, interrupting Irina.

"O-okay?" Irina asked like she didn't understand at first.

Naruto grinned. "Let's go on a date."

"Ah! Right! Yes! Let's do that! What day should we go on our date? Do you think the weekend would be best? Where should we go? Naruto, what do you think we should do?" Irina asked, her voice containing an odd combination of excitement and nervousness.

Now that Naruto was thinking about it, he and Irina didn't really do that much together—certainly, he didn't do anywhere near as much with Irina as he did with the others. Koneko, Ravel, Rias, Rossweisse, and Ophis got far more of his time than this girl. He wondered if that was because the others were so much more demanding. Irina was quiet and unobtrusive, almost like she was worried about taking up too much of his time.

"I think Saturday would work," Naruto said. "We can plan our date for early afternoon. As for what we can do…"

Naruto had Irina come around to his side of the desk as he turned on the laptop. He didn't use computers often because he wasn't used to them, but he at least knew how to make them work. Rias had taught him.

The first thing he did was pull up a map of Kuoh City and a search engine, which he used to run a quick search on any fun activities that were happening that weekend. Irina placed a hand on his shoulder as she leaned over to look at the screen. He wondered if she was even aware of what she was doing.

"It looks like there's a concert."

"Ah… I'm not so good with loud noises."

"Hmm. What about… oh! It looks like there's going to be a Noh play performed this weekend at the Crimson Lord Resort." Naruto paused when he saw the name of the resort. "Isn't this one of the many businesses owned by the Gremory Family?"

"A Noh play, huh?" Irina muttered with an intrigued look. "It is true that I haven't seen any Noh plays in a really long time. My family took me to a few of them, but we're all Christians, and Noh plays are often based on traditional literature involving supernatural beings transforming into humans."

"Is that a no?" Naruto asked, scratching the back of his head.

Irina smiled. "While it doesn't exactly mesh with traditional Christian aesthetics, I have always enjoyed seeing stuff like this. Noh plays are the oldest form of theatre art that's still regularly performed in this day and age, you know. Besides, with the new alliance between the Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels, I don't think there is anything wrong with experiencing this kind of culture. Besides," she giggled, "we already experienced similar culture during our trip to Kyoto."

"True. Okay then. Let's see a Noh play."

Naruto nodded and typed away at the laptop, placing a reservation for the Crimson Lord Resort and buying tickets to see the Noh play with Irina. The Noh play wasn't until later at night, which meant they would still have half a day left to themselves. Naruto decided that before they went to the resort, he and Irina would just enjoy a day of wandering the town together and window shopping.

After all, didn't most girls enjoy shopping?

~Devil Ninja~

Because the date wouldn't begin until early in the afternoon, Naruto spent most of that time with Rossweisse in the library. His mansion had an extensive library filled with books related to all kinds of subjects. Of course, there were the subjects on magic, demonology, and the various mythologies around the world, but there were also fiction books, non-fiction, self-help, and a variety of books that taught numerous subjects. Naruto did notice there was a rather large amount of Chess books located in one corner of the room.

Those belonged to Rias.

Naruto really did not like reading. He got tired when he stared at pages filled with nothing but letters. However, Rossweisse was there to help him overcome this difficulty. She was like a stern teacher… oh, wait. She actually was his teacher. Now that he thought about it, dating his teacher was kinda hot, wasn't it? He wondered if he could convince her to have sex in the classroom after school.

"It's almost time for your date. You should get ready," Rossweisse said after looking at the clock.

"Right." Naruto stood up, leaned over to kiss Rossweisse on the cheek, and said, "Thanks for keeping me company."

"Ah. Yes. Well, you're welcome," Rossweisse said, smiling at him.

Since Naruto didn't want to go on his date without freshening up, he first took a quick shower instead of a long bath. Then he went back to his room and got dressed. Since it was a date, he didn't want to wear his normal outfits. After rummaging through his drawer, he found something he believed was suitable. He slid on his black pants, an orange undershirt, and a black collared shirt that he left unbuttoned. After all, it would have been a shame if no one could see the orange.

After saying goodbye to everyone he passed on the way to the entrance, Naruto saw himself out.

"Let's see. Irina said she wanted to meet me in Kuoh City's town square," Naruto muttered to himself.

Town square was basically a plaza, a sprawling mixture of offices, restaurants, entertainment centers, a theater, and several resorts. There were already hundreds of people when Naruto arrived. The massive throng of humanity made it difficult for Naruto to reach the designated area where he and Irina were supposed to meet, which was a small bridge that traveled over a thoroughfare.

Irina was already there when he arrived. He paused for a moment, more than a little stunned when he saw how she was dressed. A white shirt without shoulders covered her torso, meaning her slender shoulders and collarbone were visible. The lines of her collarbone drew attention to her elegant neckline. Perhaps it was because of her shoulderless ensemble that he realized she had a very pretty collarbone. She wore black pants, a belt, and slip on shoes with very small heels. All in all, she presented a fashionable image.

He wondered who had a hand in arranging her outfit.

"Irina," Naruto said as he walked over. "You look good."

Irina wore an embarrassed but pleased smile as she spun around for him. "Thanks. I've never gotten dressed up like this, so I had some help."

"Ravel?"

"She is surprisingly good at matching clothes."

"That she is. Should we head off?" Naruto held out his hand.

"Yes." Irina took it and let Naruto lead her off the bridge and toward the busy streets.

"You came early," Naruto said as they wandered through the streets, mixing in with the flow of traffic.

"Yeah… I was a little excited," Irina admitted. "I kept looking at the clock to see when I should leave, but it felt like time was moving too slow, so I just left."

It had been decided by Irina that they would not leave from the house together and instead meet up after reaching Kuoh Town Square. Naruto thought it was odd. Why bother meeting up when they both lived in the same place? He didn't understand, and since he didn't get it, he decided to ask Irina why they had done things this way.

"Because that's how dates are supposed to start."

Her answer surprised him.

"It is?"

"It is."

She had such a serious look on her face that Naruto couldn't find it in himself to dispute her, and indeed, this did seem to be the standard for dating—at least according to anime and manga. Every date in anime seemed to begin with the guy and girl meeting up, the guy would show up early, while the girl would arrive late and apologize. Meanwhile, the guy would say how he "just got there" and then compliment the girl on his looks.

He guessed Irina was just trying to stick to the tropes.

Since their first decision was to simply wander around until it was time for the Noh play to begin, they walked up to several stores, window shopping until Irina found something she was interested in. Most of the stores they went into were novelty shops. It seemed Irina was mostly interested in looking at cute novelty items like the coin stealing cat, which was actually a really ingenious piggy bank. You put a coin a platform, and then a cat lifted the lid to the box, swiped the coin, and went back inside.

Now that he was thinking on it, one of the things Irina had really been taken in with during the trip to Japan were the cute items found at souvenir shops.

"Ah! Check this out, Naruto! Aren't these animal rings cute?!"

Another thing Irina had found while searching one shop were rings that looked like animals. There was one that looked like a sloth hugging your finger, others that looked like seals, and there was even a porcupine.

"What about these squishy faces?"

On the other hand, Naruto had found human face anti-stress balls. They were fat faces with several different expressions. When you squished or stretched them, they would look even more deformed than they already were.

They didn't want to buy too many items. On the other hand, Naruto felt they should get something to commemorate their date, so he bought a matching pair of charms and a Hello Kitty stress ball.

Because of how long they spent wandering in and out of stores, they ended up eating a late lunch, but neither of them minded. They had lunch at an outdoor cafe. Naruto ended up getting a simple sandwich, but Irina decided to try out a matcha parfait, which was a parfait that used green tea as its main flavor and had mochi balls inside.

"It's been a really long time since I walked so much," Irina said as she stretched her legs underneath the table. Her calves brushed against his, which caused her to retract them with an embarrassed smile.

"Everyone has been pretty busy, so none of us have had time to go out like this," Naruto agreed.

"Hmph. You go out with Ravel and Koneko a lot. I also see you going out with Rossweisse quite often. And you go on dates with Rias almost every weekend."

Irina sent Naruto an accusing glare as she pointed out all the times he went out, making him look away. It was true. He did do all those things with the others. That did make him feel a little guilty, especially since he was the one who had confessed to Irina, yet they had not really acted like a couple.

"We should go out more then," he decided out loud.

"We definitely should," Irina agreed.

They spoke for nearly an hour at that cafe, content to simply relax. Then it was off to the Crimson Lord Resort.

It was perhaps expected of a resort owned by the House of Gremory, but the Crimson Lord Resort was a massive building that made Naruto think of a palace. It was at least twenty stories tall, featured architecture more in line with European castles, and had the most refined decorations money could buy. Even the floor of the lobby was extravagant. The tiles had been designed into a painting depicting a fox woman dressed in a crimson kimono.

"Welcome, honored guests. How may I help you?" asked the clerk manning the front desk.

"We have reservations for the Noh play that's playing in the amphitheater," Naruto said. "You should find our name under Naruto Uzumaki."

The desk had a laptop sitting on it, and the clerk typed on the keyboard as he pulled up the reservations list for the Noh play.

"Uzumaki. Uzumaki. Ah. Here you are! Please take these tickets and travel straight down that hall. The amphitheater will be the large double doors on the right. I recommend entering through door A. Those are the closest to your seats."

"Thank you."

Naruto took the tickets from the clerk's hand and led Irina down the hall toward the door in question. Door A was, indeed, a fairly large double door. The doors were opened, exposing the amphitheater, which he realized was even bigger than he initially assumed upon entering. It had at least two hundred rows of seats. It seemed a little extravagant for a Noh play, but he understood the Gremory Family enjoyed being ostentatious. It was a common Devil trait.

Their seat was in the middle row.

A good portion of the seats were already filled by the time they arrived, and Naruto couldn't help but notice that most of the patrons were dressed luxuriously. Fine silk dresses. Suits with extensive embroidery. Beautiful kimonos. Everyone looked like a high-class member of society. It appeared this play catered primarily to the wealthy.

"I feel a little underdressed," Irina admitted as they sat down.

"Me too," Naruto said with an uneasy chuckle.

Because they didn't want to disturb anyone, they leaned in close and spoke in hushed tones. It wasn't until Naruto heard a gasp that he turned his head to fully face Irina. That was when he noticed how close they had gotten. Irina's face was just a few centimeters from his own, her lips so close he only needed to lean down a bit more The thought of doing so was tempting. In fact, as Irina closed her eyes, Naruto was unaware that he was closing the distance between their lips.

Unfortunately, that was when the play started, interrupting the pair. They jerked away from each other and, with matching expressions of dismay, looked toward the stage so they could watch the play.

~Devil Ninja~

"That was fun."

"The Noh play was oddly interesting. I honestly didn't expect to like it as much as I did."

Naruto and Irina emerged from the amphitheater where the Noh play had taken place. This particular play was a Mugen Noh—a play that involved supernatural worlds, featured gods, spirits, ghosts, and phantasms in the role of the hero. The Noh play they had watched was about a god who was cast out of heaven for the crime of assaulting Amaterasu. Most of the first half involved the hero raging against the gods and threatening revenge, but then he had a change of heart after falling in love with a human woman.

"That ending was so tragic though." Irina sniffled as she wiped her eyes. "The hero fell in love, only to be forced back to Heaven after heroically sacrificing himself for the woman he fell for. I wish they could have stayed together."

"I've noticed that a lot of Japanese stories like this tend to end tragically," Naruto muttered. "Why is that?"

"Hmm… I think it's because Japan believes in aesthetic endings that are beautiful," Irina said with a tilt of her head.

"Beautiful? What is beautiful about the person you love dying?" asked Naruto.

"I think it's in the intentions." Irina gripped his hand as he led her into the lobby. Her hands were very soft and warm. By contrast, Naruto felt like his hand was sweaty and gross. "I remember when I was younger and still living in Japan, our class read a story called The Flower Wife. It's about a young man and woman who got married. One morning, after coming home from a mountain, the young husband wanted to show his wife a beautiful evening primrose he cut while traveling home, but he discovers that his wife had collapsed in the kitchen. She tells him that she is the spirit of the primrose, that she fell in love with his voice and transformed into a human to marry him. She thanks him for giving her happiness before dying."

"So… the husband killed the wife without knowing it?" Naruto asked.

"Yes."

"And that is beautiful?"

Irina wore a strained smile. "I sort of understand how you feel. To me, it feels kind of like an injustice. Why can't the man and his wife be happy together? But I moved away from Japan when I was younger and lived in Europe for the last half of my life. That's why I… Naruto?"

"Yes?" Naruto asked as he walked up to the front desk, where the same young man from before was standing.

"Are we not going home?"

"I thought we could spend the night here."

"S-spend the—wait, what?!"

"Excuse me," Naruto said to the clerk manning the front desk. "Can we get one room for the night?"

Naruto reached into a pocket, removed his wallet, and pulled out a golden card, which he showed to the clerk. The man's eyes went wide when he saw the card.

"O-of course, good sir! No, of course, My Lord! We can definitely accommodate you. In fact, the King's Suite is currently available if you'd like."

"We'll take that room. Thank you."

"Not at all. Not at all."

Naruto had never used this card before, which had been given to him by his aniki, but now that he knew what kind of reception he could get if he used it, he planned to take full advantage. The idea of traveling around to all the resorts owned by the House of Gremory and getting to stay in their VIP suites for free sounded pleasant. Yes. He would definitely do this at some point.

Once he was given the keys to the suite, Naruto led the shell-shocked Irina by the hand. The King's Suite was on the top floor. It was basically the penthouse suite. As they entered an elevator, Naruto pressed the button for the top floor, and stepped back as the lift silently rose.

That was when Irina finally got over her shock.

"N-Naruto! W-wait a minute please!"

"What is it?"

"This is… um… how do I say it. I mean… i-it's not that I don't want to spend the night with you or anything, but… as angel, I can't do, um, that with you, so…"

Naruto tilted his head as he looked at the girl in confusion, but it cleared up a moment later and he smiled.

"Do you think I decided to spend the night here so we can have sex?"

"Er… is that… not why we are here?" asked Irina carefully.

Naruto shook his head but didn't say anything as the elevator door opened. He led her into the hall and up to the only door at the end. Like most doors these days, this one could only be opened with a keycard, which Naruto slid through the card reader. A soft beep followed by a click echoed around them. Naruto twisted the handle, pushed the door open, and led the girl next to him inside.

The King's Suite truly was a place fit for a king. Soft carpet spread across the spacious interior, which reminded him more of an apartment than a hotel room. He and Irina were currently standing at the entrance, which opened into a living room and kitchen that was bigger than his entire apartment from before Rias renovated it into the mansion it had become. The furniture was also top quality.

"I know you can't have sex with a Devil," Naruto finally said as he walked further into the suite. He turned around to look at Irina, still standing in the doorway with a dumb look on her face. "You'll fall if you have sex with me, right? I understand how important being an Angel is for you, so I would never let you fall."

"Then why are we here?" asked Irina.

Naruto shrugged. "I just want to spend time with you. When we are at home, I have to divide my time so I'm not neglecting anyone. I can't spend all my time with just one person, and I feel like you often get the short end of the stick. Figured this would help make up for neglecting you for the others."

Ever since he began his polyamorous relationships, Naruto had been having issues juggling the amount of time he spent with everyone. Rias often got to spend more time with him than anyone. After her was Koneko, who made her desire to be with him known every chance she got, followed by Ravel and Ophis. Rossweisse and Irina were the two he didn't spend much time with. And between the two, he spent less time with Irina than he did Rossweisse.

Irina stared at him for such a long time that Naruto wondered if maybe she'd been frozen. Then she looked away. He noticed her ears were a little red.

"That's very sweet of you," she said at last, her voice soft. "I, uh, well. I don't really know what to say, except… thank you."

"Why are you thanking me?" asked Naruto.

"For… for being like this, I guess. For treating me like this." Irina gripped her clothes with trembling hands as she forced herself to look at him. "The truth is, I have been wondering if I made the right choice when I decided to date you instead of continue going after Ise. The reason I didn't ever try to get close to you was because I felt guilty."

"Because you still have feelings for Issei?" Naruto asked.

Irina nodded. "Yes. Even after we began dating, a part of me still liked Issei. Because of that, I felt very guilty, like I wasn't being a proper girlfriend to you. I didn't feel like I could show you as much affection as the others. The way Rias, Ravel, Koneko, and Ophis act toward you is something I didn't feel like I could do." After taking a deep breath, Irina looked at him with determination in her eyes. "But after this, I think I can really fall in love with you. You're not just my second choice anymore. I'm not dating you because I didn't feel like I could date Ise. I'm dating you because I want to date you."

Naruto walked over to Irina and embraced the girl. He pulled her tight to his chest, placed his chin on her head, and enjoyed the feel of her. Maybe he was imagining things, but he felt like he could hear her heart hammering in her chest.

"I'm glad you feel this way," Naruto admitted.

"Naruto…?"

"To be honest, I've been feeling pretty guilty too," he confessed. "I guess… I didn't feel like I was giving you the love you deserve, that I wasn't paying enough attention to you. That's probably why I haven't spent as much time with you."

Irina giggled. "So you felt this way too. I guess we were both being kind of silly."

"Seems that way." Naruto hugged Irina for a bit longer before stepping away. "In any case, why don't I make you some dinner?"

"You can cook?" Irina asked in surprise.

"That's rude. Of course I can cook. How do you think I survived before we all began living together."

"I thought you survived off ramen."

Despite standing in place, Naruto tripped over something and slammed face first into the floor. He quickly leapt back to his feet, rubbed his now sore face, and frowned at the girl, who had the decency to look sheepish.

"Well… I guess you're not completely wrong." Naruto did survive mostly on ramen, but even he knew you couldn't eat ramen all the time. "Anyway, I'll make you some dinner."

"Can I help?" asked Irina.

"Sure."

While Naruto didn't have much time for it anymore because he was busy with work as a High-Class Devil, he still used to spend a lot of time helping Ravel cook. He knew at least enough to make some decent meals.

Ravel primarily specialized in baking sweets. She excelled at European confectionaries, but that didn't mean it was all she could cook, and thanks to her expanding her own repertoire of dishes, Naruto's own cooking had increased. He still only knew how to make mostly European foods. However, he did know a bit about Japanese cooking.

Since it was pretty late, Naruto decided to make yakiniku. It was just grilled meat. There was fortunately plenty of food in the fridge and plenty of seasonings in the pantry. There was some sliced beef in the fridge, so he used that and mixed it with the basic sauce me made.

This kitchen did not have a grill, so he used a frying pan instead. It only took a few minutes to grill up the meat. He also sliced some vegetables and brought out a bottle of sake. Meanwhile, Irina set the table.

"You realize we're not old enough to drink, right?" Irina said with a bemused frown.

"Maybe not by Japan's laws, but where I come from, the moment someone becomes a ninja, they are an adult." Finished cooking the beef, Naruto placed it and the vegetables on a tray, which we brought to the table. "Back when I was younger, my sensei took me to numerous bars across the Elemental Nations and had me try all kinds of alcohol with him. I guess you could say I acquired a taste for it. Besides, we aren't going to drink much. Just a single cup should be fine, right? Don't Christians drink a glass of wine to honor God?"

"Well… I guess."

"That's the spirit."

Naruto and Irina sat down for dinner, and Naruto poured Irina a single saucer of sake. The food was good. Not great, but Naruto had to pat himself on the back for cooking something, even if it was very basic. After dinner, Naruto and Irina washed the dishes together.

"So, um, what do we do now?" asked Irina.

"Well, there is a perfectly good bed in the other room," Naruto said with a grin.

"Naruto…"

"We're not going to have sex. We're going to cuddle and sleep."

"Oh. I guess that is okay."

The bedroom was almost the same size as the living room. Naruto was getting used to unnecessarily large rooms, however, and so he didn't let that bother him.

Like the room, the bed was unnecessarily big. It was bigger than a king-sized bed. He didn't know what size you could even call it. Emperor? God? It was ridiculous. White sheets spread across the bed to present a clean and neat aesthetic.

He and Irina were still in their clothes from the date, but there were pajamas set out for them. All the outfits were on the racy side. Irina had no choice but to wear semi-transparent lingerie that just barely hid her breasts. On the other hand, Naruto just put on a pair of black pajama pants and went without a shirt.

Naruto would admit if only to himself that Irina looked stunning in lingerie. Because it was partially see-through, her beautiful nipples were visible through the fabric. She wore simple white panties. While her undergarments were not anything special, the wonderful curvature of her hip drew his eyes to the delicate lines of her body. Irina had wide hips, a slim waist, and a bust that would not lose out to the best of them.

Since Irina was hesitant, Naruto understood that he was the one who needed to take charge here, and thus he pulled the girl onto the bed with him. She squawked as her head fell onto his chest. However, she settled down after they were both comfortable.

"Hey, Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"I thought I'd let you know… I'm going to try and find a way we can, um, a way we can do it without me falling."

Naruto understood what she meant without her having to full out say it.

"Does that mean you want to have sex?"

"W-well, of course I'm curious and… it's not fair that everyone else can do it, but I can't," Irina tried to justify herself. He laughed, which caused her to pout at him, but they both settled down and Irina began speaking in a softer voice. "I want to connect with you on a deeper level, so of course I want to do that with you."

"Thank you," Naruto said. "I want to connect with you too."

"I'm glad. Really glad."

"Hmmm. Me too."

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Um, thank you for being so patient with me." Irina looked up at him. "I know we haven't really acted like much of a couple until now, but I want you to know I appreciate you a lot."

"I should be the one saying that." Naruto reached up and caressed Irina's cheek. "Thank you for being with me despite how difficult I am."

Irina tilted her head and leaned up as Naruto leaned down. As their lips pressed together, Naruto decided that he was also going to work hard so they could eventually take that final step.

~Devil Ninja~

The early morning sun was rising behind the steel frames of Kuoh City as Naruto and Irina sat on the bus that would take them home. A soft weight rested against his shoulder, Irina, who had her eyes closed and wore a content smile on her face. She'd been like this ever since they woke up. It was like a weight she had been bearing for all this time without her knowledge had finally been lifted from her shoulders.

On a side note, both of them had still been wearing clothes upon waking up.

It felt a bit odd to Naruto, who was so used to having sex, but that was neither here nor there.

"Looks like this is our stop," Naruto murmured to let Irina know they were about to get off.

"Are we already there?" Irina lifted her head from his shoulder, looked outside the window, and pouted as she realized that, yes, they had reached their stop. "I was hoping for a little more time with you."

"I'll be sure to spend a lot more time with you from now on," Naruto assured her.

"You'd better keep that promise," Irina said.

After they stood up and exited the bus, Naruto glanced around. This area was mostly a cul de sac. There was a park across the street, where he could see a couple of older people walking their dogs. It was still early morning, so nobody was outside yet. Naruto was certain plenty of kids would come once the hour grew late.

It only took a few minutes to reach their mansion. No one came to greet them when they entered the entrance hall, slipped off their shoes, and set them on the rack.

"We're home," Naruto announced.

While he didn't expect someone to greet them upon first entering, he did frown when no one responded. Could it be that everyone was busy? This was a big house, so perhaps they were just somewhere deeper inside? He shrugged and was about to march into the living room with Irina—when a loud crash followed by a catlike laugh echoed from the door.

"Nya ha ha ha! We have no need for clothes, Vali! Let's remove them now!"

"Someone stop her! Damn it! Who the hell brought out the catnip?!"

"Nya…. you smell so good, chicken wings!"

"My name isn't chicken wings! Why are you calling me that?! Also! Let! Go! Of! Me! Now!"

"Vali! Make a baby with meeeee!"

"Kuroka! Stop being a pest! And you! Stop laughing! This is all your fault, you know!"

"Huh." Naruto blinked several times as the familiar voices reached him. "It sounds like Team Vali is here."

Naruto opened the door and stepped inside to find something that looked like it had come from the most atrocious porno director in the entire world. Madness was the only word he could think of to describe the scene playing out before him.

Koneko was butt naked and rubbing against Ravel… who was equally naked. While the nekousho's clothes were nowhere to be found, the scraps remaining from Ravel's lay discarded on the floor beside her. Naruto had a pretty good idea as to what happened there.

A little ways from Koneko was Vali, Kuroka, Le Fey, Arthur, Bikou, and Fenrir. Vali was lying on the ground and struggling to get a naked Kuroka off him. He was pushing and shoving to no avail. Meanwhile, Bikou was chortling as he gleefully watched Kuroka attempt to rip off the boy's pants.

"Stop laughing and give me a hand!" Vali shouted.

"I think you have this situation well under control, White Dragon," Bikou said with mirth clear in his eyes and voice.

"Um, even if I wanted to, I don't have the strength to stop Kuroka," Le Fey added.

Arthur pushed his glasses up his nose. "I'd rather not get involved."

"Woof!"

"Damn all of you!"

Team Vali, Ravel, and Koneko were not the only ones in the room. Watching this scene play out was Raynare, Asia, and Issei… sort of. Issei was not able to see anything because Asia and Raynare were covering his eyes.

"No, you can't look, Ise! I refuse to let you!"

"If you even think of peeking at these girls, I will gouge out your eyes."

"I'm not looking! I promise! I promise!"

Though he said that, Issei's nose was bleeding so profusely it looked like flowing magma. He'd clearly gotten a peek of what was happening just a little before the two girls blinded him.

"So, uh, can someone please tell me what's going on?" Naruto asked of no one in particular.

The moment his voice rang out, Koneko and Kuroka stopped attempting to molest Ravel and Vali respectively and turned to him at the same time. A shiver ran down Naruto's spine when he saw the looks in their eyes. The hunger. Or was that thirst? He couldn't remember, but he was certain he'd once seen a meme about thirsty thots, and while he'd never call these two something so crass, the words did float through his mind at that moment.

Then again, it could have been his mind attempting to disassociate itself from his impending doom.

"This looks bad," Irina murmured.

"Yeah. Anyway, Irina?"

"What?"

"I'm leaving this to you."

"Oh. Okay."

…

…

"HUH?!"

Seconds before Irina could fully comprehend what he said, Naruto bolted back out the door and began racing down the hall. He did not know what happened after that, but a shrill scream followed by two catgirls laughing "Nya ha ha ha!" echoed from the room behind him.

~Devil Ninja~

The issue regarding Koneko and Kuroka eventually ended when the effects of the catnip ran out, and Naruto returned and sat beside an upset Irina as the situation was explained to him. Apparently, Asia and Ravel had been preparing tea for our guests. Asia had asked Issei to help her get out the cream, sugar, and creamer… but he had apparently grabbed catnip as well because it was right next to the creamer and didn't have a label.

Yes, their mansion had catnip. Kuroka had brought some over on her last trip here when she was training Koneko. It was like LSD for cats and nekousho, too, apparently. It also had a very strong effect on both sisters.

Fortunately, as was the case with most cats, the effects of catnip only lasted for maybe ten minutes or so.

"I'm surprised to see you here, Vali. Weren't you looking for Rizevim?" Naruto asked as they sat around the living room.

Koneko wasn't sitting on his lap, but the catnip must have been giving her some after effects. She sat on the floor and was rubbing her face against his leg. It was very much like a cat seeking affection from their owner. It was also a little weird, but Naruto wasn't going to say anything.

"We were looking for Rizevim, and we found out where he's hiding. The problem is where we found him and what he was doing there." Vali wore a humorless smile. "Do you remember the dragons that attacked the Underworld?"

Now that Kuroka wasn't trying to rape him, he seemed a lot more composed, but he was still sitting as far from the woman as was physically possible. For her part, Kuroka actually had the decency to look a little embarrassed. She wasn't quite blushing, but she also wasn't looking at anyone. It was oddly cute to see the normally confident young woman looking so coy.

"I do remember." Naruto nodded. "What about them?"

"They were created by Rizevim by using a Sacred Gear known as the Holy Grail… which he acquired from the Vampires. I recently learned that he is currently in Vampire territory along with Yami. What's more, they have not only allied themselves with the Tepes Faction, they recently launched an attack on the Carmilla Faction and they have taken Rias Gremory and Kiba Yuto hostage," Vali explained.

Naruto almost shot to his feet when he heard that. He gripped his pants as a sour expression crossed his face.

Rias Gremory had been taken hostage. The words echoed inside of him, rattling him more than anything else could. His girlfriend had been taken hostage by his dark half.

"Rias Buchou is… no way!" Issei exclaimed in shock, eyes widening.

"I can't believe Rias-sama was taken hostage," Ravel said with furrowed brows.

"I'm guessing you've already got a good idea of what's going on over there. What does the situation look like?" asked Naruto.

Vali leaned back, placed his left leg onto his right, and explained the situation in a calm tone. "It's not looking good. Most of the Tepes Faction has been transformed into modified dragons and the Carmilla Faction has currently set up a defensive barrier with Azazel's help, but it won't hold for more than a few more days. If that wasn't bad enough, then there are two more Evil Dragons present: Apophis and Crom Cruach. It seems they were revived using the power of the Holy Grail."

"If I'm not mistaken, the Holy Grail is the Sacred Gear that Valorie has, isn't it?" Ravel bit her lower lip. "If the Chaos Brigade is using it, then…"

Vali nodded. "It is very likely they took it from Valorie Tepes."

A somber tension pervaded the room.

It was possible to steal someone's Sacred Gear using a ritual developed by none other than Azazel of the Fallen Angels. Naruto still remembered when Raynare had used that ritual on Asia, stealing her Twilight Healing at the cost of Asia's life. That was because a Sacred Gear was tied to the possessor's life. Without it, the original possessor of the Sacred Gear would die.

Gasper was going to be heartbroken.

"Ravel, where are Akeno, Gasper, Ophis, Rossweisse, and Xenovia?" asked Naruto in a soft voice. "Also, where's Metatron?"

"Akeno is currently speaking with Sona Sitri," Ravel said. "Xenovia is training with Gasper, I think. He's been very motivated to grow stronger ever since learning about Valorie… oh, Gasper. He's going to be heartbroken." Ravel paused, closed her eyes, and then continued in a much softer voice. "I think Ophis and Rossweisse are out shopping for groceries. They left a few minutes before Vali arrived. Metatron is still in Heaven."

"I heard there was a big meeting between the Archangels," Irina added. "Lord Michael said they had several important decisions to make that couldn't be made by him alone."

Naruto nodded once but didn't say anything. He was thinking about what they should do.

It was obvious they needed to travel to Vampire territory, rescue Rias and Kiba, and beat back the Chaos Brigade, but it sounded like they would be up against some overwhelming opposition this time. Should he call for aid? No. There was no time for that this time. He would have to work with the people currently present.

"Irina, can you go get Gasper and Xenovia and let them know what is happening?"

Naruto looked at the Angel, who nodded once.

"Please leave this to me," she said.

He smiled, though there was no joy in it, and then looked at his male friend. "Ise, I want you to find Akeno and tell her to book us a flight that will take us to the Vampire's territory. Also, please call Rossweisse and tell her and Ophis to come home."

"I can do that," Issei said, standing up with Asia and Raynare, who looked like they were determined to stick with him.

As he left, Naruto looked back at the one who had delivered all this bad news. "Vali, you and your group are coming with us, right?"

"Of course we are," Vali said like the answer should have been obvious from the very beginning.

"We've been tracking Rizevim for months now," Bikou added with a chuckle. "You can't expect us to leave all the fun to you and your group after doing all the leg work, do you?"

"No, I don't."

Naruto shook his head, then looked at Le Fey. She stared at him for a moment before seeming to know what he wanted. She moved over to his side and sat on the couch where Issei, Asia, and Raynare vacated. It was a smooth action, but she looked a tad nervous.

"Oh, my. It seems you've already become accustomed to being Naruto's contracted magician," Bikou observed. "I guess it makes sense. After all, you've been lusting for him since—"

"Don't you dare tease me, or I'll turn you into an ugly toad," Le Fey grumbled threateningly.

Bikou laughed. "You can feel free to try, but you know I'm immune to most magics."

Naruto didn't pay attention to the fight between Bikou and Le Fey, which seemed more like a friend teasing his friend for having a crush on their other friend. Something like that. Anyway, Naruto was more interested in continuing his conversation with Vali.

"Don't you think it would be more efficient to use Arthur's ability to teleport us with Caliburn?" asked Vali.

"I thought about doing that, but I think we need more time to plan and prepare," Naruto said. "Also… Gasper will need some time to come to grips with Valorie's situation. He's going to be very… distraught when he learns about what happened and that could lead to hesitat when the time comes. I can't have him incapable of acting when we need him to."

Vali nodded once. It was decisive and quick. He understood how emotional trauma could lead to someone becoming hesitant or even dead to the world. Gasper was certain to become like that once he learned about Valorie. They would need the Dhampir's power if they wanted to succeed in rescuing Rias, so they couldn't afford to plunge head first into the situation until they knew Gasper would be able to act.

Naruto sighed. He had been having a bad feeling ever since Rias left, and now he knew that his bad feeling was completely warranted. Life sucked sometimes.