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2: Beginning

- Phenex Manor, Underworld -

Riser Phenex, the youngest son of the Phenex house, scowled angrily as he strode through the halls of his family's beautiful manor.

'Rias…'

He had just gotten the news from Mihae about Rias going missing and that was not the only thing that was annoying him to no end. Somehow, even after sending his best trackers to the human world, he was still not able to trace where she had gone to. 'It's my mistake.' He should have known that letting Rias live alone with just a single member of his peerage in the human world would eventually lead to the current predicament but he couldn't do anything in that matter as it was his mother's order to let her finish her school.

'Maybe that was her plan all along. First, fool my mother with her sweet words and then betray her trust when the moment arises for it.' Riser thought bitterly as he continued walking towards a particular room.

In some way, it was his mistake too. After defeating her in that fight, Riser was so happy that he didn't even question his mother's order to let Rias go back to Kuoh to finish school. On top of that, he only sent a single peerage member after her instead of more people like he would have if he wasn't so caught up in his victory.

Reaching his destination, Riser knocked on the door to his father's study and said in a solemn tone when he received permission to enter. "Father, we have a problem..."

-An Unknown Town-

As Naruto reached the entrance of the town, he couldn't help but note this place was not much different from the previous town he was in, Kuoh.

Pavements were dotted with trees and houses, which were mostly small, but a few were big enough to qualify as mansions. The similarities between the two towns were so many that for a second he thought he was back in Kuoh.

'Kuoh!'

He blinked and veered his eyes off to his side to look at his traveling partner. Seeing her in a visibly relaxed demeanor confused him quite a bit, but he didn't comment on that. She had seemed to be in quite a hurry to leave Kuoh for some reason, but he didn't comment on it either, letting her lead the way. It was her personal matter after all, and the last thing he wanted to do before dying was to interfere with someone's personal matter. That had gotten him into enough trouble in the past, he didn't have the mental energy to go through anything like that again.

"Rias" the words, spoken in a soft tone, that defied the speaker's rugged looks broke Rias out of her stupor. She hadn't been thinking about anything specific, like always; all her thoughts revolved around 'what ifs' now.

Green eyes veered over to him, rendering him silent once again. "Hmm?" Her voice was enticing as ever and so was her whole demeanor. It was like she was born to mesmerize people in her allures and if the ring on her finger was anything to go by, then Naruto would say she was quite successful in putting that skill to use.

Snapping out of the useless thoughts, Naruto glanced around them, taking note of the darkness that had begun to devour the sky in its gloomy grip. "What is the time? Seems quite late." He whispered.

"Oh, it's 8 already." Looking around a bit, Rias noticed a small restaurant that should be able to take care of their dinner needs for the night, but a look at her companion made her put a hold on the decision of entering the place. He looked like an average homeless person in his current attire, someone the staff would most likely not appreciate. A small shopping stop was in order before dinner, she decided.

"Naruto" she called him and was more than appreciative when he immediately stopped whatever he was doing and glanced at her. "I think we both need a change of clothes. Don't you think so?" she inquired, staring at him calmly as he began to assess his worn-out clothes with a sad expression on his face.

"Yes."

She nodded her head. "Then come with me, I remember seeing a small clothing store close by. You did pack other things right?"

Shame shimmered within those beautiful blue eyes of his. "No."

"Essentials…?"

This was quite a situation for the young blond, a shinobi, former or not, setting out without proper provisions was practically unforgivable. "I-I didn't have money to buy-"

Rias didn't need to be explained further. His embarrassed face was enough to deduce the rest of the predicament. "Ok, don't worry about it. I need to buy a new sim card, so.." She paused. "If you want, I can buy clothes and other things for you as well."

"Sure. Just come back quickly. I'll wait for you here." Naruto said offhandedly, not even asking what a 'sim card' was.

"Huh?" Her voice failed to hide her surprise. "What do you mean by that? Don't you want to pick up clothes according to your preferences?" She asked him.

In response, Naruto shook his head gently. "No." He mumbled as he sat down on the cold tiles of the footpath. "I don't want to visit any shops right now."

"But-"

His blue eyes met her beautiful green eyes and for a moment, Rias found herself at a loss for words. "I trust your judgment, Rias." His words managed to spark something within her again. She did not know what but they did. "I'm sure you'll select fine clothes for me. Now go, otherwise, we'll be late."

She nodded. "Fine. I'll be back shortly.'' With that said, she immediately vanished into the town, daring not to look back at the strange boy who had just surprised her with his odd words.

-Near Shop-

As Rias walked along the empty road of the beautiful new town, she couldn't help but wonder just what she had gotten herself into. She wasn't supposed to do this. Journeys and joy were not for her, especially with someone whom she didn't even know at all.

"But he seems nice." She tried to argue with her mind, remembering how the boy had accepted her absurd proposal without putting up any sort of argument against her when they first met.

'Nice?' The voice inside her mind snarled in repugnance. No one was nice in her world. Everyone was a monster, ready to rip out each other's souls at any given moment and Naruto would be no different. He had already shown his true colors when he decided to rob her and she was sure that sooner or later, he would either betray her or rape her when conditions fluctuated in his favor. It was inevitable.

"He doesn't seem to be that type of person. He didn't do it when I offered to let him have his way with me back when he was robbing me. He could hav-"

She stopped when the pain inside her mind increased and reminded her of one important thing. What did she know about people? Nothing. They were an unknown variable to her. Their emotions and schemes, even more so. She could argue that she knew a little bit, but even that would be a gross exaggeration. Even her own father was a mystery to her. She knew nothing about him and the hate that he held for her. Sure, she knew it was related to her being a weak devil, but still, that much hate couldn't be there just for that reason alone.

So, to say that she could trust Naruto was like saying she understood her father. It was absurd and ridiculous.

'Then why did I decide to follow him?'

She could remember that she felt wonderful when she had asked him if she could follow him, but she couldn't understand why. Why was she so happy when she had asked him? She couldn't think of an answer. The logical side of her had told her that there was freedom to be found on this path and she must take her chance when she could. And so she did, not wasting a second more than required in giving her reply. But was that the only reason? Or was there something more? Her mind had turned into a conundrum for her as multiple thoughts grew into a plethora of reasons for her current state. Yet her inability to understand remained, as the right thought hadn't made itself known.

"Maybe I'm finally going insane." She couldn't help but laugh at her own situation. What used to be a happy and fearless girl was now nothing but a broken shell of her past self. "I have failed everyone, even myself."

With more depressing thoughts running through her mind, Rias began to walk towards the closest shop in the vicinity, hoping to find some decent clothes for her traveling companion. He really needed them since his current clothes were nothing more than a train wreck. They were a beacon and a guaranteed ticket to the closest police station if someone were to see her with him.

It wasn't long before she finally found a store that was perfect for her needs. It had everything she wanted, from essential amenities to beautiful branded clothes, everything was laid before her eyes.

"Welcome to our store, ma'am."

The unique yet soft voice of the shop manager brought Rias' out of her strange thoughts. Wasting no time, she immediately smiled at the young lady, trying to appear as normal as she could to her.

"Thank you." Her lips wavered a little as she slowly entered the main section of the store.

"If you don't mind, is there anything specific you are looking for?" The lady politely asked while walking in front of her customer, ready to assist her anytime.

Rias stopped walking and slowly glimpsed at the owner of the store. "What do I need? Hmm.." With a thoughtful look on her face, she began to assess the rather vast section with her sharp teal colored eyes. Why was she here again? She thought to herself because couldn't remember why she was here in the first place.

'I trust you, Rias. I'm sure you'll select fine clothes for me.'

A strange warm sensation flooded her whole body as she recalled the words of her companion. "Clothes… I need clothes for him." She immediately answered.

"Clothes for whom?"

Just like that, the warmth abandoned her body, leaving her behind with nothing but loneliness and a strange question for which she had no answer. "For who?" She deliberately repeated those words. What did he mean to her? Was he a friend? She didn't think so as he had already cleared that. Then was he an enemy? No, not an enemy either because if he was one, then he wouldn't have helped her at all. 'Then what?' A beautiful scowl marred her red lips.

While Rias was busy arguing with herself, the shop owner was sharply inspecting her customer's clothing. To say she was pleased would be an understatement of the century. She was beyond pleased as after so many years, she was finally going to serve a rich customer and everyone knew what that meant. Money, an unfathomable amount of money, but to get that, she first needed to satisfy the girl's needs. So forging the brightest smile she could muster, the lady chuckled lightly.

"Ma'am, it's completely fine if you don't want to share any-" Whatever she was about to say vanished from her mouth when her eyes caught something mesmerizing wrapped around the finger of her customer.

'A ring!'

"Oh my God!" She screamed at the mere sight of it. "You're already married, ma'am?" She looked at the stunned girl, surprise still noticeable in her voice.

"N-n… Y-yes."

The lady sighed. "You are so lucky, ma'am."

'Lucky?' Rias blinked at the woman in confusion and was about to ask her why she was behaving like that but stopped when she followed the course of her gaze. 'The ring.' Everything began to make sense in her mind and soon a small smile flickered on her lips. It was hard to find people who could be this much happy for others. "I don't think so. I'm sure there are many others who are even luckier than me." She finally responded.

The sound of small giggles echoed in the room as the owner began to laugh at Rias. "Aww… you are so cute, ma'am. Anyway, if you want to buy clothes for your husband and yourself, then we have this amazing corner filled with matching luxurious and branded clothes for couples. Do you want me to show it to you?"

Rias could have corrected the lady again but didn't as she hardly cared about anything now. Her life was a tragedy in itself and some stupid words of a stranger weren't going to change anything. "Sure." She told her.

"Ok!"

And so began Rias' search for the finest clothes in that store for her husband.

-Phenex Mansion-

"Riser, you stupid boy! How could you let this happen?" The head of the Phenex House, Revan, yelled at his youngest son, cursing him for the stupid debacle his carelessness had led the Phenex House to.

Riser sighed at his father. "Don't worry, father," He began. "It's just a minor problem, nothing else."

Revan growled loudly. "Minor? What are you on, Riser? Your wife has run away with some stranger and you are telling me that it's just a minor problem! No it's not. She is your wife, Riser. She means business."

Blue met blue as Riser stood up from the luxurious chair, making his way to his father. "I'll find her." He whispered in a steel voice. "She is mine, father and I don't let my things be used by someone else, especially a human."

"What are you going to do about it? We don't have any trace of her at the moment."

At that, Riser began to laugh like a maniac. A laugh that even scared Revan for a moment. "You don't have to worry about that, father. It's my problem and…" His smile turned even more devious.

"And?"

"I'll deal with it myself."

Revan still wasn't convinced. "What about that boy? From what Mihae had told me, the boy doesn't appear to be normal. He was oddly very fast for a human being according to her." He tried to argue with his son.

The devious smile turned sinister. "Fast? Human? Oh come on, father. He is just a lowly human being." His lips trembled in excitement.

"Riser…"

"I'll kill him!"

-oOo-

"The moon looks just like her eyes. Pale and full of life…" Naruto whispered as he stared at the beautiful illuminated pale sphere in the sky. It was mesmerizing and miserable at the same time. On one hand, it made him remember her smiles, her words, and her eyes; on the other hand, the patches on its otherwise flawless surface reminded him of the wounds that covered her body during the war and that bloody smile that she flashed before dying in his arms.

"You were stupid, Hyūga. You should have never loved me. I deserved none of that." He murmured silently while looking at the Moon, hoping that the girl was listening to him from far above in the sky. "You should have let me die that day with you. I would have been happier with that. I don't like anything here. The loneliness inside me is killing me slowly and my heart can't help but wish to join you there. Maybe then I can fall in love with you." His eyes glistened a little when his mind recalled her confession during Pain's attack. It was one of the few moments of his life where someone actually told him that they loved him. Before that, only Iruka sensei and Ero-sennin had done that.

Her confession was pure, filled with nothing but unconditional love for him. It was so genuine that for a whole week he was unable to form any response to her words. What was he supposed to say? That he didn't feel the same at that time? No, he couldn't do that to her, she was too pure and kind for that. So in the end, he just decided to remain silent about that.

"That was the biggest mistake of my life."

If he had told her that he didn't feel the same way about her, then maybe, just maybe, she might have stopped loving him, and then she would have never sacrificed herself for him like that. He was her murderer, she died because of him and no one else. The love she held for him led her to that painful death.

Out of all the deaths that happened during that war, her death was one of the most painful to watch. He could still remember her smiling face as she fell beside him with dozens of nasty splinters embedded into her back.

"But even on the verge of her death, she didn't forget to remind me how much she loved me…"

"Loved you?"

The sudden sound of Rias' voice almost made him jump away in surprise. "W-what? When did you come back?" He stuttered, glancing around himself to find something interesting to look at. What was her deal? Whenever he's trying to act normal, she comes out of nowhere and surprises him.

The redhead blinked at her partner. "What do you mean? I told you I'll be back shortly, didn't I?" She asked, sounding as surprised as him.

"Yeah.. you're right."

His strange behavior and those tears didn't go unnoticed by Rias. Something was troubling him, she could see it on his face but right now, she wasn't in a position to question his personal life or his past. So she did what was the most logical thing to do at that moment, remaining silent about it. "Hmm… Anyway, I purchased some clothing for us." She held out the shopping bags to him. "Have a look at them. If you don't like something, let me know, I will get them changed for you."

His rugged hands met the soft skin of her hand as Naruto obtained the bags from her gentle grip and brought them close to his face. "Hmm…" his blue eyes analyzed the clothes for a while before looking back at her. "They are nice." His small and ridiculous reply took her by surprise.

"Aren't you going to try them first?"

"What do you mean? Do you want me to try them in front of you?"

Rias stumbled back in embarrassment. "N-no…" She stuttered. "I-" Her words were cut short when a pair of foreign hands grabbed her from behind and pulled her towards the offender, making sure to maintain a powerful hold around her slim waist.

"Well, well…" A gust of hot malodorous breath entered her nose, making her nauseous at the mere smell of it. "Look what we have here boys. A beautiful and rich girl traveling alone with some blond punk!" The hold around her waist tightened as the man feverishly began to snag a whiff of her perfume, all while lecherously smiling at his subordinates who were standing calmly beside him.

"Tama senpai, what do you think we should do with this girl?" One of the subordinates asked the man as he slowly positioned himself between Rias and Naruto. "Should we kill her and take the money?" His slender fingers touched her soft cheeks and pinched them lightly. "Or should we have some fun with her-" Before he could completely voice out his depraved thoughts, blood burst out of his mouth and his brown eyes rolled into his head when an abrupt backhand from Naruto viciously struck his right cheek.

Everything happened so fast that for a second, the leader of the group couldn't even comprehend what just happened in front of his eyes.

'Thud' The unconscious body of the man fell harshly to the ground, spreading a cloud of dust around it and a sense of fear inside the minds of the unwanted guests.

The leader of the group, Tama, began to shake violently as a feeling of dread swelled in his mind. "S-s…" For a good amount of time, he couldn't speak anything from his filthy mouth, fearing that he might anger the boy in front of him. "Guys," Moving slightly in his position, he glanced to his sides and gulped loudly, "Go, get him."

His order, unfortunately, didn't have the desired effect. Instead of charging straight towards the deadly silent boy, his juniors began to step back in fear, something that he didn't notice he was doing too until his head bumped lightly into an electric power distribution line pole.

"Let her go."

It was the most acceptable sentence to say in that situation possible and was spoken in a very calm voice, but for the already afraid goons, it was a decree, enough to instill tyrannical authority inside their hearts.

"Hehe," Tama's weak laughs were futile at that moment, not nearly enough to provide sufficient cover for his piss poor bravado, "Stay away from us, punk." His hands began to sweat and tainted the gorgeous dress that was covering Rias' body, leaving behind stains reeking of a degeneracy soiled in anxiety and fear.

Naruto ignored his words and kept walking towards the nervous thugs. As he walked towards them, he couldn't help but notice the lack of interest in Rias' eyes. It was as if she didn't care what was happening around her.

"Leave her alone."

But he did. Cold as he might appear these days, he was still Uzumaki Naruto, a guy who cared for his comrades, and right now, Rias was one of them.

Tama gulped as he locked eyes with the blond and within a few seconds, he slowly withdrew his hands from the girl's waist, carefully not to trigger a further response from the boy. Powerful as he might be, he still didn't have enough power or any sort of weapon to fight with this idiot. "Sure…" He whispered while grinding his teeth in anger.

"Now leave."

The grating of teeth increased as Tama watched the girl walk away from him, his eyes precisely fixed on her rear that was swaying in a hypnotizing manner. Those small and unintentional sways of her butt were like unattainable prizes and reminders of his humiliating defeat, provocatively reminding him of just what he had lost today. He could have had her all for himself, but no, the boy ruined everything.

"Leave."

Tama growled lightly but didn't dare to oppose the order of the blond as it would be terrible for his health, he was sure. His friends were scared for their dear lives and he wasn't faring any better either. So after gulping down the shame that had been accumulated in his throat, Tama slowly began to step back from the duo and instructed his pals to do the same.

"You don't know us, boy. We are Yakuza." He whispered ever so silently. "We rule these dark streets of Japan and believe me when I say you will suffer, I mean it."

Scowling when he saw that his threat had absolutely no effect on the boy, he and his boys vanished into the thin air, leaving behind no trace of their presence.

For a period, a tense silence suffocated the surroundings while the boy and the girl stared at each other, neither of them trying to break eye contact. It was extraordinary because without even whispering a word, a lot was said between those two.

"You know," After a while, Naruto finally broke the silence, his voice as calm as it was when he had first met her, "I need to change my old clothes urgently because I'm starting to feel a little uncomfortable in them now."

Rias nodded her head, her eyes never leaving his face. "Ok. I'll turn around-"

"No, No. I'm going to change them somewhere else, not here. You don't need to turn around or anything."

A flicker of pain erupted inside her heart, rendering her silent for a moment as the burden of reality finally fell on her shoulders. He was going to abandon her. She could see that in his eyes. And why wouldn't he? A guy from Yakuza had just warned him about the painful future that was laid ahead. She was sure any sane person would have done what he was about to do right now. There was no point for him to hang around her anymore. "I see." She gently smiled at him with a defeated expression on her face, trying to say her last goodbye to the boy.

"Ok." Naruto didn't waste any time and vanished into the darkness of the night, leaving behind a sad and miserable Rias on the cold road.

"Goodbye..."

-Deep into the Forest-

Tama was angry; no, he was beyond angry. The emotion that was surging through his veins couldn't be described in words. It was horrible and was making him feel like he was some sort of a coward and loser, a pathetic worm who couldn't accomplish anything in his life without the help of others.

"Agh!"

He roared in humiliation, surprising his stupid subordinates who were resting quietly beside him against the trunk of a tree.

"I need her!" Another loud growl escaped from his mouth and just like before no one said a single word in rebuttal. "That girl…" He paused in order to remember that extraordinary feeling of her smooth skin. It was so soft and felt like he was touching something out of his world. Her hips were phenomenal too but not as much as her breasts. Those beautiful mounds of soft flesh were still instilled in his mind and he wanted nothing but to molest them again. He wanted to knead them, suck them, and squeeze them dry. Yes, that's what he wanted to do.

'Leave her…'

Tama frowned when a familiar voice of that asshole echoed inside his mind again. "That asshole… he took my fun away from me. She was supposed to be my play toy, not his fuck doll. Did you guys see how she was looking at him? Agh… fuck that bastard. I'll show him his place soon."

Nonsense was all he could speak at that moment as there was no way he could fight that boy alone. That stupid cunt sent one of his subordinates into a coma with just a single punch. A fucking single punch.

"I need to call more people." Tama was horny but not without some self-preservation instincts. He could deduce any person's power with just a single glance and he was more than sure that boy was someone whom he should avoid confronting alone at all cost. "More people means more power and then we will show him the true strength of our group." A devilish smile appeared on his lips as he began to think of the possible things he would do to that girl when he finally gets her under his grasp. He would eat her alive as he made him watch. After all, it's not every day that you see a big-breasted girl roaming carelessly in their territory.

"I'm going to milk her dry first and then you guys can do whatever you want to do to her… hehe!"

Tama would have continued spewing his depraved monologue, but abruptly stopped when he noticed something unusual around him. "Guys?" There was silence everywhere and no matter how hard he tried to listen, he couldn't hear anything, not a single sound, and that made his heart race at an abnormal speed.

"Tama…"

For a moment Tama almost died of a heart attack when an eerie voice entered his ears. It was soul-sucking and emotionless. Still, for the sake of his ego, he decided to feign a show of confidence and turned around, only to come to face evil in the form of a human.

"W-what?!" His mouth parched and his brain went numb when instead of seeing the familiar face of the boy, he saw the unconscious body of one of his lackeys. It was torn apart and was bleeding red from every pore on its skin.

"Rias? That's her name right?"

A sinking feeling stirred inside his heart when the voice caressed his ears again, this time from behind. Emotionless as ever, it was even scarier this time. 'Don't look behind…. Don't!' He didn't know about the cat but curiosity was going to get him killed for sure. "Aaah!" Like a pathetic person, who couldn't do anything but watch his world wither away in front of him, Tama screamed loudly when someone blurred right past him. It was fast, so fast that he couldn't even see it. The only way he was able to feel it was because of the wheezing of wind around him.

"You were going to kill me, right?"

'No!' Tama wanted to scream; he wanted to run; and most importantly, he wanted to apologize to the devil in front of him. 'But I can't speak anything right now!' His lips were sealed due to the fear that was consuming him from the inside. In his lifetime, he had seen countless maniacs, him being one of them, but never had he seen someone so silent yet so deadly.

"Do it."

'Squelch!'

The leader of the gang jumped away in fright and fear when red began to descend from the heavens hidden beyond the murky skies of the night. "W-what is this?" He held out his hand and skimmed it through the untamed downpour to palm a few drops of the red liquid. Caressing them a little between his fingers he began to analyze them. It wasn't long before another wave of fear and dread struck his mind. 'Blood!' Eyes raised to confront the skies, Tama gulped when a horrendous scene began to take shape in front of him.

"Takashi…"

There he was, his oldest and most loyal subordinate, hanging lifelessly from the branch of wood above him. His eyes were devoid of life, nothing was left inside them except for the colors of death. They were staring at him and were blaming him for their owner's state. It was all his mistake. He was the reason why everyone died at the hands of the monster skulking behind him.

"Kill me. Rape that girl."

Death was inevitable, Taka could feel it in his heart. Sooner or later, he, too, was going to die and that made the whole scenario even more unbearable for him. His life wasn't supposed to end like this! He was supposed to rule this city! Everyone was supposed to be under him, working tirelessly while he enjoyed the fruits of their labors. 'Girls…' They were supposed to be his playthings, existing just to satisfy him and his carnal desires.

Then where did everything go wrong?

'Thud!'

Brown eyes moved once again in the dark and widened ever so slightly when a naked body, punctured thoroughly in vicious wounds, fell before them. "Souzen…" Taka didn't even have enough time to weep for his friend, as another body, once again covered in horrid gashes, landed his way. "Rei…" He murmured, his hands shaking in fear and a perverse sense of anticipation.

Everything continued for a while before his mind suddenly remembered the words of the monster and began to work contrarily.

'Thrill…'

Forgetting the dreadful fear of death, his heart began to ache with a thrill for what was about to come next. It was wicked and pathetic how he, even on the verge of his death, was more excited about the heinous acts of defiling and violently taking pleasures of a woman's body. Even now, when he was sure he would be killed at any moment, the mere mention of that girl sparked a sense of euphoria and hunger within his heart. He wanted to see and ravish her before the death, that was waiting for him at the end of the road, could claim him.

"It excites you, doesn't it?"

The boy's distinct voice rang inside his ears and gave rise to a hungry smile on his face.

"The mere thought of touching that girl brings a sense of euphoria, right?"

Tama nodded his head in agreement. "Yes…" He was beyond redemption now and that thought only made everything more exciting.

"Then grab my hand, Tama." For the first time since he had begun to torture him, the boy showed himself to Tama. "I'll guide you to her."

Every cell of his body tingled with excitement and awe when Tama's eyes met those golden orbs of bliss. They were beautiful and bewitching, something Tama noticed immediately when his hand seemingly rose by its own volition and grabbed the hand of the boy.

'Squelch!'

It started with a minor irritation but soon became unbearable.

"Agh!" Tama roared in pain when blood spattered out of his palm and began to stain the ground beneath. "You fucker! What did you do?" He yelled and looked in front, only to gasp when he found no one there.

"Huh?"

He tried to move but couldn't. "Agh!" He tried again but the result was the same. Annoyed and scared, he looked down to unravel the cause of his immobility.

"No… No… No…"

-Back to Rias-

It was over. There was nothing she could do to reverse it. Her heart that was wallowing in the beautiful and mesmerizing scenery of the town earlier, was now just beating silently inside her chest, waiting—waiting for the inevitable end of her adventure in this cruel world.

"I…" Rias couldn't even form words to describe what she was feeling. It was plain misery.

Consumed in her unbearable thoughts, she realized that her mind was right about everything it had warned her about a while ago. Everyone was the same in her world. Greedy and depraved when they needed her but scared and insensitive when she needed them. Naruto was no exception either. Just like everyone in her life, he had left her when she needed him the most. His departure from her life was as abrupt as his arrival.

"I had at least hoped to see some more of the world before he left though..."

A pathetic smile bloomed on her lips and just as she was about to wander off, a familiar voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Rias."

Her eyes went wide and her heart stopped beating as soon as his voice entered her ears. It was incredible, so much that for a moment it felt like music to her heart. "N-naruto…" She stuttered and began to shake lightly with all the emotions that his voice had spurred within her.

"Ehh… you can turn around. I have changed my clothes."

A smile, a big and very genuine smile made its way to her plump lips. "I-I know" She whispered, still stuttering and not daring to turn around and look him in the eyes, for her mind and poor heart couldn't possibly bear it if reality proved his voice to be a product of her delusions.

Naruto, who was standing a few meters away from her, didn't know what was going on and let it slide as another weird characteristic of the girl. After all, Rias was quite an unusual human. There was something different about her but he couldn't understand what. "Ok…" he hummed. "Anyway, I-"

"What took you so long?"

Her feeble voice took Naruto by surprise. "Umm… the food guy took too long to prepare our dinner."

"Ohh."

The lack of proper response to his questions and her constant refusal to turn around was making Naruto a little uncomfortable now. "Is everything alright, Rias?" He couldn't help but ask because a sad companion meant more depression and more depression was something he wasn't ready to handle anymore. When he started his trip he never thought he would say it but he preferred the old weird Rias, with whom he had lived in that apartment for five days, more than this present Rias.

"Yes. I'm fine."

He saw her nod her head but she still didn't turn around. Cracks were also noticeable in her voice now and Naruto wasn't someone who could be fooled by a false act of normalcy. "Do you want me to leave you alone for some time? I mean, if you want I can-"

"No!" Shining pearls of liquid whipped around in a horizontal arc in the night sky as Rias abruptly turned around to face him. "Don't leave me now!" She yelled at him, shocking Naruto with her vulnerable voice and her tear-streaked face.

"Rias, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I-I… I-I." She fumbled for a second before lowering her head in shame.

The silence told Naruto everything he needed to know. Sometimes silence spoke a lot more than some random words. The Hyūga girl, through no proactive action on her own, helped to reinforce that lesson.

"The food is getting cold." He murmured and interrupted her. If she wanted to keep something secret then who was he to stop her from doing that. She could do whatever she wanted to do.

"…"

"Also, try to cry less, Rias. You lose a good amount of water and salt when you do that. It's not good for your health, especially when you're on an outing with an unknown individual." It was a random fact that he had learned from Sakura during the war and he thought Rias needed to know about it more than anyone else.

"O-ok."

-END-