Chapter 23

They experienced all of his memories; they went through all of it. From the day he was a young boy being kicked out from the orphanage, looking for food in a garbage bin before the kind Ichiraku gave him the very first meal that filled with love, ramen to the day he became a gennin and started his dream at becoming Hokage, in order to be recognized by the villagers.

They watched him fought to protect the people he care about, saw the determination burning in his eyes, how much he grown up after every battle. They watched him, from a young boy became a man, forced to mature faster than his ages should be.

Even though his friend pierced his chest with a lightning hand, Naruto was still considered that person his brother in anything but blood. Even when he was facing his worst enemies, the one who was the reason why he was an orphan, he still showed unquestionable kindness to that man.

He got a life ahead of him, and to their shock and jealousy, a woman who loved him dearly for almost all of her life...

And yet, that man took everything away from him in just one single night.

Rias Gremory opened her eyes and stood up, she could feel dry tears on her cheeks. She had cried multi times when she was in Naruto's memories.

Slowly, everyone woke up, their consciousness returned to them.

"Naruto-kun" Rias whispered when she saw him already woke up and standing beside the window with his back to them, his hand on the wall.

They wanted to run to him, to comfort him, but the moment they started to do that, Naruto tightened his fist and gave the wall next to the window a hard punch.

"Damn it" he muttered and teleported away before any of them could call out to him

Line Break

Naruto Uzumaki, the son of Minato Namikaze, Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato and Kushina Uzumaki.

He remembered all of it now, his past life, everything, the person he used to be, and the ones he cared deeply about...his real family, his origin. He remembered his dream, to be Hokage someday, to be recognized and accepted by the villagers who once hated him. He remembered his friends, the ones he hanged around with every weekend and every time he got his free time. He remembered his best friend, Sasuke Uchiha the one who pierced through his chest with a lightning fist and yet he was still considered that person his brother in anything but blood.

He remembered himself, a shinobi of Konoha...he remembered everything now.

And he remembered her, Hinata Hyuuga, the girl who hopelessly in loves with him from the days she was young and yet...he was too naive to be able to return her feeling.

All because of that man...he couldn't see his face, but Naruto could tell that he was the reason he had lost everything.

All because of him...

"Naruto-sama" Naruto looked up, a little surprised when he saw Ravel standing there with a nervous expression on her face.

"Ravel..." he muttered her name, his fiancés and the girl who was bonded to him through her sacred tears "...how can you..."

"I just know where to find you Naruto-sama" Ravel muttered softly. Naruto had disappeared this morning and no one was able to find him, no matter how they tried so Ravel had to recall the connection between them and started to follow her instinct, the next thing she saw was Naruto sitting on the grass beside a riverbank, completely lost in his own thought.

"Oh, I forgot" he totally forgot about that. Of all the people that could find him, Ravel was the only one who had the most chance. He didn't want to meet any of them now, wanting to have his own space but he couldn't kick Ravel home either.

"If you want me to go home then I will..."

"No no" the bond was becoming stronger now, so Naruto had to be careful from now on. He quickly shot up to his feet and called for her "Wait Ravel, you don't have to go anywhere, you can come here and sit with me if you want"

"Thank you Naruto-sama" She bowed her in gratefulness before coming to sit down next to her fiancés.

The two was quite for the first few second, neither of them wanted to be the one who broke the silent. Naruto knew that keeping quiet with Ravel was no use, because she could feel and somewhat read his thought and understand what he wants.

"I..."

"You don't have to say sorry Naruto-sama" Ravel said softly, just enough for the two of them to hear "you have the right reason to be alone" she turned her eyes to look at him "but sometimes, friends is the one who can help you overcome these kind of situation the best, Naruto-sama"

"I know Ravel" there were the difference between the way he was calling her now, but Ravel know it wasn't anything that could hurt their relationship "but I can't think of facing anyone, not like this"

"Why?" she asked "You know you have us"

"No Ravel" he turned to her, looking directly into her eyes, grabbing her shoulders "I want that life back! I want to have that life back. To where I was still Naruto Uzumaki, the shinobi of Konoha, the place I was born...the place I fought so hard to protect" He said with tears falling down his eyes "I want to have it back!" his head lowered into Ravel's chest and he started to sob, with his teeth gritted to the point it hurted.

"How can I face everyone like this?" Ravel looked at him sadly, with her own tears rolling down her cheeks. She could feel what he feel but she knew that it was much worse for him than the feeling rushing into her mind.

Slowly, she wrapped her arms around him comfortingly, letting him cry into her chest.

"You have us right here with you, Naruto-sama" Ravel muttered softly "no matter what you want, what life you prefer...we always want to walk side by side with you" She kissed the top of his head softly "you don't have to hold it in, just let it out, I'm here"

"Ravel" Naruto looked at her beautiful blue eyes "I..." but he didn't have to say anything more, because his lips were met with Ravel's smaller one in a soft kiss.

Naruto was surprised by her action but nonetheless returned to Ravel's kindness by kissing her back, their lips wrapped around each other and it was the most amazing feeling Naruto had ever felt in his life. Warmness, happiness...all kind of positive feeling rushed into his body through the kiss between them.

Phoenix was the creature of passion; of love...Ravel Phenex was letting Naruto experience the true power of Phoenix only a full-blood female of Phenex Clan was capable of, bringing joyfulness and happiness to her lover.

Wings of fire grew from Ravel's back and slowly, the younger girl lifted Naruto up with her to the sky. Unknown to him, the bottle of phoenix tears, Ravel's tears in his pocket was glowing brightly.

"Ravel?" Naruto asked in surprise when he realized the girl was glowing. Pulling back from her lips Naruto couldn't contain his shock when the girl suddenly burst into flame, but it didn't seem to hurt her or him.

"Naruto-sama..." she whispered "I love you" and the fire became greater.

He was scared at first, thinking something wasn't right with their bond and it was his entire fault. But when her flaming wings began to materialize, becoming actual wings with golden feathers that shone brightly in the sky, he knew miracle was happening right in front of his eyes.

"Ravel" He muttered in shock.

When the flame died down, in his arms was no longer the petite young girl with drills pony-tails, but a full grown woman with extremely long, golden haired shining like crystal floating in the air. Her face was an almost twin version of her mother, only more beautiful and attractive. Her body also filled out greatly and all at the same place, her chest now probably on the same league with Akeno and Rias.

Ravel became as tall, if not a little taller than he was, to the point her dress became a short dress that only reached down to her mid-thighs.

"Ravel...you" she put a hand on his cheek before kissing him softly on the lips again.

"Naruto-sama" she whispered with a more mature tone before closing her eyes and fell.

Naruto widened his eyes in shock and quickly shot down to grab her. Wrapping his hand around the now grown up Ravel he flashed both of them away into Gremory Residence where he had left a mark there for his own teleportation need.

To say everyone was shocked to see him was an understatement.

"Naruto-kun" Rias ran at him worriedly, everyone turned their head to look at him and all sighed out in relief "Where...who is this?" she asked the girl in his arms, with golden feathers falling down to the ground from her wings and busted into flame.

"It's Ravel" Naruto said quickly "She found me, we talked but...she suddenly became like this after we kissed" he said quickly.

"Quick Naruto-sama, rest her here" Grayfia said quicky, being the first person to snap out of her shock state "No Ojou-sama, don't!" She cried out when Rias was about to help him with Ravel, her hand touched Ravels' feet slightly and quickly shot back like she just touched something extremely hot.

"Ouch!" Rias took her hand back and saw a burn mark there "it's hot"

"At the moment only Naruto-sama could touch her" Grayfia said "Let's her rest here" Naruto nodded and laid Ravel down the couch as carefully as he could and make sure she was comfortable.

"What is the meaning of this Grayfia?" Naruto asked, kneeling down next to his unconscious fiancés.

"Maturing" Grayfia nodded her head "only happened when the full-blood female Phenex's lover was in danger or in an extreme emotional state, she will be forced to mature in a few second in order to have enough power to protect him, or enough experience to cheer him up" Grayfia said "With the current situation I guess it was the later"

"Yes" Naruto nodded his head tiredly "Can we do anything to help her?"

"She will wake up soon" Grayfia said "but I will still calling Raven-sama and Lord Phenex, they need to be informed about this"

"Just do it Grayfia" Naruto nodded his head

Putting his hand on his neck Naruto turned his head from side to side, sighing longingly, so much things happened in one day he seriously needed a rest right now.

But the moment he turned around, he saw Rias and everyone looking at him with a slight glare in their eyes.

"So..."