Chapter 6: Arising Problems

Chapter 6: Arising Problems

Naruto hadn't been able to sleep last night. Perhaps it was due to the reminder that even in this new world there were still people who didn't care about others, people who had no trouble spreading hatred to the world in order to satiate their own desires. Or maybe it was just because he had been feeling restless. Whatever the case was, Naruto had been incapable of getting even a wink of sleep, thus he decided to do something more productive with his time.

Noises most often associated with mass destruction resounded throughout the wooded area surrounding the now completely abandoned Church. Minor explosions rang out all around as a number of trees were felled. The air was kicked up by violent torrents of wind, causing strong updrafts that sent gravel and large rocks into the sky before they were shattered by a powerful fist as they descended once gravity had taken hold of them. In the center of this destruction was Uzumaki Naruto.

After realizing that sleep was out of his reach, Naruto had decided to get some training in. Most of what he worked on was basic stuff and things he already knew: chakra control, elemental composition, enhancing the body with chakra. Things most ninja of his former village learn at some point or another and don't require them to have massive reserves.

Another thing Naruto wanted to work on was Tsunade's super strength technique. He remembered Sakura giving an explanation on how it worked at one point in time. Naruto hadn't really understood what she had tried telling him at the time, but he managed to at least get the gist of it.

To use the Chakra Enhanced Strength Technique, the user had to focus chakra into their hands and feet using extremely precise chakra control and release it with pinpoint precision and perfect timing. This greatly enhanced the user's strength to a degree that very few could ever hope to match without some kind of supplementary jutsu like the Lightning Armor of the Yondaime Raikage.

According to Sakura, the training to learn this technique was intense. She had told him that once she'd learned the principles of the technique and gotten the basics down, Tsunade had come at her with full strength and she had been forced to become capable of using it while under pressure. The result had been that Sakura was capable of literally causing five meter wide craters to form on the ground with little effort.

It was brute strength maximized to the extreme.

Naruto did not have Tsunade to help him here. Nor was he as smart as Sakura. All he had was determination, guts, and his own ingenuity.

It would have to be enough.

Glaring at his newest opponent, another tree, Naruto set himself in a horse stance, legs spread wide, knees bent, and fists tucked into his sides. He closed his eyes and began to circulate his chakra, feeling it flow through his coils, a mere trickle compared to the unfathomable ocean it had once been. Grabbing onto the flow, he then directed it all towards his left hand, which was soon coated in an ethereal blue flame that pulsed and flickered in time with his heartbeat.

Blue eyes snapped open.

"HYA!"

With a loud shout Naruto's fist struck the tree, creating a resounding "BOOM!" that echoed within the forested area like thunder striking the earth.

"YEOWCH!"

Naruto's scream of pain went unmasked even by the rumble of the tree as it was felled, striking the ground with a loud crash while several hundred splinters flew off the wood where his fist had struck like a pantheon of angry gods.

Swearing like a sailor that had just gotten shit-faced after having the worst day of his life, the blond Uzumaki waved his now red and swollen hand about frantically, as if doing that would actually make it feel better.

It didn't. In fact, the wind seemed to make it worse, but Naruto was in so much pain that what little agony was added on by the act didn't register.

"Fuck! Fucking, God Damn stupid tree! Fucking stupid technique! How hard can it be!? Shit! Dammit!"

As the swear words spouting from his mouth began to wind down, the swollen hand was raised to his face to allow his eyes to assess the damage. It honestly wasn't too bad. The hand was red and looked sort of like a balloon that was only half blown up, but it would go down soon enough.

The real problem was the burns marks on his hands. They were chakra burns, a term used to describe what happens when too much chakra is pumped into a specific part of the body and released without being properly directed. The burns covered much of his knuckles where he had directed most of his chakra and even some of his fingers. Those would take a lot longer to heal.

"I don't think I'm going to get anymore done today," Naruto sighed as he looked up at the rising sun. It was getting late...early...whatever. The point was he should probably head back home.

Naruto began speeding through the trees with chakra enhanced leaps. As he traveled home, he wondered why he couldn't seem to get the Enhanced Strength Technique down. What was he doing wrong? Was it because he had not channeled enough chakra? Or had he just not gotten the timing down? It could be either one of those. Hell, it could have been both of those or another problem so unlikely he simply hadn't thought of it. There was no real way to know what he was doing right or wrong in this instance. Naruto was pretty much running around in the dark.

Trees soon became buildings. Not wanting to be seen by the local population right now, Naruto took to the roofs, running along at speeds most humans wouldn't be able to keep up with. If anyone were inclined to look up, they would likely just see a blur of black and orange.

He arrived home in short order. After deactivating the traps he walked into his house and strolled towards the bathroom, stripping off his clothes as he went. They were getting pretty smelly...and cut up, with several tears and a number of holes that made them look more like rags than actual clothes. He was going to need a new pair soon, sowing these things up just wasn't cutting it anymore.

The hot water of the shower felt extremely nice, and it did a good job of relaxing his aching muscles. He did wince a few times when some of the hot water splashed onto the burn marks on his hands. Still, he did his best to ignore that and get cleaned up.

Once done in the shower Naruto, with a towel wrapped around his waste and his hair still dropping wet, made his way into his bedroom.

It was there that he realized he had a late night visitor, who apparently decided to stay over even though he hadn't been home. Somehow, he should have realized she would be at his apartment. She had practically moved in these days.

Naruto walked over to the bed where Rias was currently sleeping. She was lying on her side, facing his side of the room, her legs curled slightly as she held a pillow to her like she normally did him when they slept together. Her red haired fanned out around her like the long, sensuous tails belonging to a creature of unfathomable beauty. There was a small frown marring her face.

Naruto got dressed in a pair of black boxers and some pants. He decided to forgo his shirt for now and instead walked over to the bed where he began to shake Rias awake.

"Good morning, Naruto," Rias mumbled sleepily after she woke up. Naruto took a step back and watched as she sat up in bed, the blanket falling off her generous figure as she stretched and yawned.

"You look tired," Naruto noted.

"I didn't sleep very well last night." Rias blinked some more, a small grimace appearing on her face as the sun shone in her eyes. "I was too worried about you."

"Worried about me?" Naruto was touched that she would worry about him, but also confused. "Why were you worried about me?"

Rias tucked her feet underneath her and leaned a little to the side. A strand of hair found its way to her hand, which she absently twirled as a concerned gaze crossed her face.

"Last night," she began slowly, as if not quite sure what she wanted to say. "After your battle where you killed that Fallen Angel you seemed so...so angry...so hurt..." bluish green eyes looked into bright azure that were as clear as the afternoon sky. "I just wanted to know if you were okay."

"Oh...hehehe," Naruto chuckled a bit as he scratched the back of his head. "I'm really sorry about last night. I didn't mean to go off on a rant like that. I just..." he looked away, his eyes closing and a grimace of pain coming to his face. "I really don't like people like that. People like that, they don't care about anyone else. The rest of the world could burn, so long as they're able to satisfy their lust for blood and battle, nothing else matters. It's worse because these kinds of people realize that their desire to kill and maim will cause other people to feel the pain and hatred associated with loss, but they just don't care."

"You seem to have very strong opinions about this," Rias stood up from the bed and walked over to him. She was naked as always. Even though Naruto claimed not to be as perverted as Issei, that did not mean he was not above ogling a female when she so blatantly displayed herself to him.

The blond found himself slightly entranced as her breasts bounced and swayed with each step she took. Despite their size, they stood upright and proud, defying gravity in a way that had to bend if not break several of the laws that had been accepted as fact. There was absolutely no sag to them, perhaps because of her youth, or maybe her Devil heritage.

Not that he cared. Oppai were oppai, as Issei would say.

Her hips held an alluring sway to them as she walked towards him. It wasn't a seductive sway like some of the kunoichi he had met who specialized in espionage and assassination, but more like the kind of natural sway that some females just possess and didn't realize it. There was just something about the way her hips swung slightly from side to side that made all the blood rush to Naruto's head.

Yes, it was that head, not the one on his shoulders.

Of course, the reason for his current stiffness could just be due to the fact that she was naked. Really, there wasn't much more a guy needed to get revved up than a beautiful, naked girl standing in front of them.

"I guess I do," Naruto admitted as she took one of his hands and brought it up to her face. His fingers were clenched tightly and there was blood leaking out from between them. Rias forced them to relax, spreading his fingers wide so she could examine his palm. The wounds where his fingernails dug into his skin were already healed.

"What's this?" asked Rias as she turned his hand over and saw the burns covering his knuckles. "You didn't get these when fighting those Fallen Angels last night, did you?"

"No," a shake of the head was her answer. "I got these this morning while I was training in a secluded area of the forest."

Rias frowned. "What kind of training does this to the person?"

"Um...my kind of training?" said a completely unsure Naruto. When Rias deadpanned, he looked away. "What?"

"Nothing," Rias sighed, bringing his hand up to her face. She gently pressed the back of his hand against her moist, red lips. Naruto withheld a shudder; her soft lips felt like chiffon velvet against his skin, and a part of him was not ashamed to admit that he was wondering what those lips would feel like wrapped another part of his anatomy. When she removed her lips from his hand, she let go of it and allowed him to take his appendage back.

A quick glance at the back of his hand showed that all the burn marks on it were healed.

"Thank you," Naruto said. Rias smiled as she grabbed his other hand and brought it to her lips.

"Don't mention of it," she replied, her hot breath hitting the back of his hand. "You know I would do anything for my cute, powerful servant."

Naruto sweat-dropped. "You really shouldn't call someone cute and powerful at the same time. Those two things just don't go together very well...unless you're name is Koneko," he added, almost as an afterthought.

Rias' left eye twitched.

"OWCH!" Naruto yanked his hand back and rubbed it where several puncture marks could now be seen. "What the hell was that for!?"

"For being an idiot," Rias said, licking her lips to get the blood off.

"An idiot?" Naruto blinked. He knew he was the sharpest kunai of a set, but to just call him an idiot out of the blue like that. "How am I an idiot?"

"Hmph," Rias huffed, "You shouldn't need me to tell you. Now give me your hand."

"No," Naruto pressed the hand she had bitten to his chest, cradling it like a small child. "You're just going to bite it again."

A single red eyebrow twitched.

"Naruto, give, me, your, hand."

"Nu uh. I prefer my hand to not have any holes in it, thank you very much."

"Dang it, Naruto! Give me your hand now!"

"How about no."

"Na-ru-to!"

~KatCHRP~

The party to celebrate their newest club member and newly reincarnated bishop of Rias' peerage, Asia Argento, was well underway.

Now that Naruto was able to really look at Asia, he had to admit she was a cutie. Her hair was long and blond, falling down her backside to her, well, her backside. She had the brightest, most naïve green eyes he had ever seen. There was an innocence about her that he couldn't help but find endearing.

It had been an amusing scene to watch as Rias brought in the cake she apparently made sometime last night, probably before showing up at Naruto's house. Issei had tried to hog it all once he found out it was made by Rias, only to get stabbed by Koneko, who wanted the sweet treat for herself. The second year pervert had been forced to cut it and hand pieces out to the others, lest he suffer the cute first years wrath.

Kiba had not been satisfied with the sliver thin slice of cake he had been given. He probably should have been lucky Issei was even willing to give him some. It was clear to anyone with a brain that the boy only allowed the girls a larger slice of cake because they had breasts.

Really, there was just something wrong with that kid. Perversion was all well and good, but being that lustful was just unnatural.

Maybe he really was Jiraiya's reincarnation.

One thing Naruto noticed throughout most of the party was the expression on Rias' face. She looked like she was deep in thought, and had spaced out several times during the party.

He thought about asking her what was wrong, but figured if there was an issue she would probably tell him eventually. The least he could do right now was give her some time to try and deal with whatever ailed her on her own.

If, after a certain amount of time passed, she still remained this way...well, all of his friends had called him nosy before. This certainly wouldn't be the first time he had butt into someone else's business. It wouldn't be the last time either.

~KatCHRP~

Issei was having a wonderful dream. He was wearing a white suit and standing in front of a chapel. There were people all around him, well wishers who wanted to see the newly weds off. His parents were standing up front, his dad was crying manly tears as he wished his son well and his mom was telling him that she wanted her first grandchild to be a girl. He could even see his two friends, Mitsuda and Motohama there as well, crying their eyes out and raging at him.

Rias was also there, walking down a path made from a long, red carpet. She was wearing a gorgeous, white, knee length wedding dress that had a large cut out around the neck so as to display a generous portion of her magnificent boobs. Over her head was a headdress that covered her beautiful crimson locks, and within her hands was a bouquet of roses.

She walked forward, coming up to him and taking one of his arms, forcing Issei to walk with her. Together, they marched down the isle.

Was this really happening? Were they really getting married?

The wedding itself was a whirlwind. Issei barely remembered any of it. Then again, he had mostly been focused on Rias boobs, so it wasn't exactly his fault. Anyone whose ever laid eyes on those bazookas would understand.

They had made their way to a love hotel after the wedding. Issei waited on the bed, feeling incredibly nervous as he thought about what was going to happen while Rias took a shower. Images flashed through his mind, each one more deprived than the last. Truly, X-rating did not begin to describe the thoughts flying through his head.

With all those perverted thoughts, it was almost a wonder the boy had not been thrown by back the most epic of nosebleeds.

While he was preoccupied with his thoughts, the door to the shower slid open and Rias stepped out. Issei nearly died of a nosebleed right there. Rias moved over to the bed wearing nothing but a pair of panties as she crawled on top of him. Her breasts bounced and jiggled and swayed in the most enticing of ways. She was soon straddling his body, her crotch pressing against his groin and, in a voice that made Issei feel like he would die of sexy, asked him to kiss her.

He had been just about to oblige when a voice spoke out. "Dear god, you really are one horny little bastard, you know that?"

Suddenly, the world was plunged into darkness. Rias disappeared and Issei fell flat on his face. With his nose bleeding, he jumped back to his feet and looked around.

"What the―!? What's going on!? Where is this place!?"

"Ku ku ku..." A deep, dark voice laughed out, echoing all around him. Issei shivered in fear. It sounded like the bass rumble of some kind of long forgotten demon or something.

"W-Who's there? Where are you?"

"I'm right beside you," the voice rumbled behind him. Issei froze, his entire body screamed at him to run away, yet something else compelled him to confront the person talking to him.

He turned around...

...And screamed like a little girl at the frightening sight before him.

Standing in front of him, nearly a hundred times larger than himself, was a creature he had only heard about in legends. It's mouth was a mass of razor sharp teeth and its face held a distinct reptilian appearance. Long spikes jutted from the back of its head like a crown that continued on as spiky ridges along its neck and back. Its entire body was covered in bright red scales that shone with a brilliant luster as the fire raging around it refracted off the surface of its body.

"Holy shit! A dragon!"

"Thanks for the stating the obvious," the dragon rumbled. Its narrowed, rhomboidal eyes rolled at it's partners apparent need to state something so blatant. "You know, I've been trying to talk to you for a while now, but my words have never been able to reach you because you were still so weak. Finally..." its eyes glared down at Issei, nearly making the poor pervert quiver in fear. "Finally I am able to appear before you."

"What do you mean!? Why were you trying to speak to me!?" As the giant dragon's head leaned towards him, Issei stumbled backwards and fell on his backside. He gulped as steam from the dragon's nostrils hit him in the face, causing his hair to whip about in a frenzy. Two large, clawed hands attached to a pair of muscular arms clamped down on the ground on either side of him, making Issei squeak like a mouse that had been caught by a cat. "You don't...want to eat me, do you?"

"Eat you?" The dragon reared its head back and laughed. "Bwahahaha! Even if I were inclined to eat you, boy, I would not. You are far too skinny and unappetizing for me to even think about eating you." After chuckling for a good few minutes, in which time the earth rumbled with each bark of laughter that escaped its jaws, the dragon deigned to speak again. "I merely wanted to meet the partner with whom I'll be fighting alongside from now on."

"Wha...?" Issei was understandably confused. Perhaps if he was, you know, smarter, things would be different, but as that was not the case he couldn't put two and two together. "What are you saying? Fight with me!? Who are you!?"

"You should already know who I am. You have used my power several times now." Issei's eyes finally widened in realization. "That's right, partner. I am the gauntlet on you're arm. You have to wake up now, but let's speak again some time."

"W-Wait!" Issei called out to the dragon, his hand raised, but the great creature that appeared before him was already gone, enveloped in darkness.

Within the real world, Issei shot up in his bed, his clothing caked to his sweaty body and his breathing heavy. He blinked several times as the light of the morning sun streamed in through the window. After a second or two, he relaxed.

It was just a dream.

"GOOD MORNING, ISE!"

"What the―"

Issei craned his neck to look out the window...and suddenly received a pair of booted feet to his face.

"GAH!"

Soaring backwards like some kind of missile, Issei was launched out of his bed. His back hit the wall with a loud "thud!" and then he slid to the floor, landing on his rump.

His nose now bleeding in the real world much like it had the moment before Ddraige appeared in his dream, Issei looked up at the ceiling in a daze as a head of spiky blond hair and a pair of mischievous blue eyes looked down at him.

"That was absolutely horrible, Issei. You should have been more than capable of dodging that." Naruto shook his head in disappointment and clicked his tongue. "It looks like I have much to teach you."

….

….

After several seconds of silence, Issei had just one thing to say.

"Huh?"

~KatCHRP~

"11..."

"12...!"

"13...13...! Ugh, I think I broke my spine!"

"Come on, Ise!" Rias urged her pawn to keep exercising. "Keep going! Just a few few more push-ups and you'll be done."

They were in one of the parks that littered the city, this one was closest to Issei's house. Like all parks, this one had a play-set for kids; monkey bars, slides, teeter-totters and a swing-set, all built within a small lot of sand. Surrounding the sandy lot was a grassy field with trees interspersed throughout. It was a nice place, pristine and possessing a calming, earthy scent. Naruto rather liked the place, as it reminded him of the play parks in Konoha before Pain had destroyed it.

Currently, Rias was trying to get Issei's physical strength and stamina up in order to make him more powerful.

It wasn't working out too well.

"I don't think I can go on..." Ise groaned, laying on his stomach with his ass sticking up in the air. It was a humiliating position, but the boy didn't seem to care as he panted and tried to greedily suck oxygen into his lungs.

Rias sighed from where she sat. "Ise, you need to get stronger. Your abilities as a pawn will become more powerful if your physical strength and stamina are increased. Without being physically capable, your body won't be able to use all its abilities to their full extent."

"Come on, Ero-Debegame!" Naruto said cheerfully from where he was doing his own set of push ups. By Rias' count, the blond was already one 156 and had yet to even break out in a sweat. "You need to keep going if you wanted to get stronger! You know that old saying: no pain, no gain! Now hop to it!"

"Grr! Shut up, you blond bastard!" Issei shouted from where he was laid out. He would have shaken his fist jealously as well, but those currently felt like they were made of led, so all he could do was glare.

"Naruto's right, Ise," Rias' statement caused a large rain cloud to form over the boy's head and begin pouring down on him, soaking his clothes all the way through. The dark, stormy cloud rumbled with thunder and several flashes of light could be seen from within it. No doubt a sign of the boy's depression.

The red head ignored this as she continued speaking while adjusting her backside so she could get more comfortable as the blond she was sitting on continued doing push ups with enthusiasm that was eerily reminiscent of a certain green spandex clad youth freak.

It was probably a very good thing Rias did not know of Rock Lee and his equally eccentric Jonin-sensei, Maito Gai.

"I know you're trying hard, but it wouldn't hurt to work a little harder." She smiled deviously as a thought occurred to her. "Perhaps if you work really hard, I would be willing to give you a reward..."

Issei stared up at her with wide eyes. Within his mind, images of Rias stripping down and revealing her breasts for his eyes to feast upon bombarded him. A trickle of blood escaped his nose.

A second later, Issei as back at it, doing push ups like a madman on speed. Or like Rock Lee...except with a lot less youth.

Rias shook her head. He didn't even allow her to say what the reward would be before he started.

As they continued doing push ups, Rias found herself looking down at the blond whose back she had decided to sit on when he said his push ups were getting too easy. He was wearing what looked like a standard pair of school gym clothes: a white shirt with navy blue accents and the Kouh Academy emblem on the left breast, white shorts, and a pair of navy blue and white sneakers. She didn't know why he was wearing his warm weather outfit when it was so cold outside, but she wasn't going to complain.

The difference between the standard Kouh gym clothing and Narutos' was miniscule, but noticeable. The blond had apparently decided that sleeves were unnecessary, and had thus ripped them off. This exposed the entirety of his arm to the elements.

Once more, Rias had to admire her blond servants musculature. His arms were incredibly defined. She would even go so far as to say they were completely ripped. Whenever he executed a push up, she could see his triceps ripple and form the distinctive U-shape which earned it the name "horseshoe muscle." Likewise, she could feel the muscles in his back and shoulder blades contracting as he moved, even though this exercise did not work out that muscle much.

His physique was just another part of his mystery. No newly minted Devil should have those kinds of muscle, and no human should be capable of gaining those kinds of muscle even with muscle enhancers. He had a body that put Olympic sprinters and fitness cover models to shame. They were not just aesthetically pleasing to the eye, they were also incredibly dense.

To put it simply, they were muscles designed for the sole purpose of being used in combat. Sculpted through years of the most physically grueling training routines and hardened from incredible amounts of physical abuse. Even the way they flexed and rippled told her that these muscles were created specifically for fighting. That he seemed to have exercised every single muscle in his body, including the ones that couldn't be seen just by looking, only provided her more evidence to support her theory.

But why would he need to have muscles like this? How had they been forged? Was he one of those child soldiers she had heard about? Trained since birth in the art of war and killing? Had he needed to face a threat that was so great he put his body through the most grueling paces imaginable in order to face it?

Rias had no idea that her last guess was more accurate than she could ever imagine, but she would find out eventually.

"Sorry I'm late!"

The two boy's stopped what they were doing. All three turned their heads to see Asia running towards them, waving one hand in the air while the other was holding onto a small basket. Like Rias, she was wearing a pink and white track suit with black accents. There was a large smile on her face and it was clear to all three present that she was not watching where she was going.

"Ise-san, Naruto-san, Buchou! I'm sorry I'm running la-kyaaahh!"

Issei, Naruto, and Rias watched in mute shock as the girl stepped into the sandlot they were using for their daily exercise and tripped. She fell down face first in the dirt.

"Owch...that really hurt."

While Naruto began snickering, Rias sighed. That girl was the most accident prone person she had ever met.

~KatCHRP~

"Here you go," Asia held out a small canister filled with tea to Issei.

"Thank you."

"Naruto-san?" Asia held out the tea out to him next. "I'm sorry I don't have an extra cup, but I didn't realize you would be here. But if you like, you can still drink some."

"I'm fine," Naruto smiled as he reached out and ruffled Asia's hair like an affectionate older brother. The blond girl pouted from beneath his masculine hand, but it was easy to see she was pleased by the gesture. He had a feeling the former nun was as starved for affection as he had been back in the Elemental Nations. "But thank you anyways."

"Hehehe..." Asia giggled, her cheeks flushing with pleasure.

"Asia," Issei said, glaring at the blond male. He already had Buchou's and Koneko-chan's affection! There was no way he was going to let the blond bastard take Asia's too! "What are you doing here?"

"Ah!" Asia blushed and looked demurely at her lap. "After hearing about how you were training everyday with Buchou-san, I wanted to help you out...but I wasn't able to think of anything I could do except make tea."

Sob!

Issei wiped his eyes with his sleeve as he began crying manly tears of joy. "I can't believe I've finally had some good luck. I must be truly blessed to have a cute girl like you saying such nice things to me!"

Issei held the cup of steaming liquid with the kind of reverence one usually reserved for praying...or for ramen (if your name was Naruto).

"Asia will make a great wife one day."

"W-w-w-wife!?" Asia squeaked, her face steaming. No, that was not an exaggeration. Her face had become so red it looked like someone stuck it in an oven and there was steam pouring out of her ears. "M-Mou...Ise-san...you shouldn't say such embarrassing things!"

Naruto was grinning like a loon as he watched Asia accidentally smack Issei across the face with one of her frantically waving arms, sending the boy reeling. He then watched as she squeaked loudly and began apologizing profusely. Even when Issei said something sweet and endearing, things still went wrong for him. It was just too funny.

And for some reason, it also reminded him of someone, though he couldn't remember who...

Ah well. He was sure it would come to him eventually.

"They make a cute couple, don't you think so, Rias... eh?"

The Cheshire cat grin left Naruto's face and was replaced with a frown as he looked at the red-haired beauty. He had been expecting to see her smiling at the scene like he was, but that was not the case. Instead, there was only a look of inconceivable sadness in her expression.

Scooting closer to Rias, Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder, startling the girl out of her thoughts.

"Naruto?" she looked up at him, blinking, as if she had just realized he was there. Naruto's frown grew.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," Rias shook her head, her long, luxurious hair getting flung about her face. "I'm fine." She smiled at him and Naruto could see how false it was. As the all time master of fake smiles, the newly turned devil could spot one of those a mile away. It was not one of those small, heartfelt smiles he often saw on her, nor did it reach her eyes like a genuine smile would. "Thank you for your concern."

"You know I'm here for you, right?" Naruto told her, sliding his hand down her arm until it was over her hand. "If you ever need me for anything, you know, to help with something, or if you just want someone to talk to...I'll be here for you."

Rias looked shocked for a moment, then, like rays of light parting through a sea of clouds, a genuine smile appeared on her face. She placed her free hand over the one Naruto had placed on hers. "Thank you, Naruto, but I really am alright. If..." she bit her lip, "if I ever need you for something, I'll be sure to tell you."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

After a moment of thought, Naruto nodded, deciding not to pursue the matter any further. She promised him that if something was wrong, she would tell him. And he was willing to trust her word. After all, unknowing or not, she was the one who gave him a new purpose in life.

~KatCHRP~

Naruto was frowning again as he sat on the couch within the occult clubroom. Sitting on his lap was Koneko, who was eating a banana, surprisingly enough. Naruto felt there was some irony in this, but didn't say anything since Issei was not there to hear it. As always, he was giving the white-haired first year some love, idly caressing and stroking her hair and ears. Despite the fact that she had her mouth full of food, he could hear the purr rumbling in the back of her throat.

Of course, she wasn't the reason Naruto was frowning, nor was Akeno, who was standing just a few feet away, smiling in amusement at the two of them as she held an empty tea tray in her hands. The reason he was frowning was Rias, who was staring off into space with the same expression he had seen for the past few days. She wasn't even glaring at him and Koneko like she usually did when the lithe first year sat on his lap.

Not knowing what to do, but needing to do something, anything, to make that look disappear, Naruto gently picked up Koneko and placed her on the couch. It was an action that got not just the white-haired girl's attention, but also Akeno's.

"Why'd you stop?" asked Koneko. She looked up at him beseechingly. Naruto winced at the look, but his concern for Rias overrode Koneko's cute factor.

"Sorry," Naruto told her softly, "But I..." he looked back over at Rias. Koneko seemed to understand, even though she looked depressed to know she would not be getting anymore pampering.

"I want more petting later."

"Of course," Naruto smiled. Acting on his impulsive nature (something he does more often than not anyways), the former ninja placed a kiss on her forehead. It wasn't much, but it was enough that when he pulled back, Koneko's cheeks were bright red.

"Ara, ara," Akeno smiled at the scene. "Koneko-chan really is taken in with Kitsune-kun if she's blushing like that." Koneko glared at her Akeno, but didn't say anything as she went back to eating her banana.

It was a very ineffective method of covering up her blush.

Naruto walked up to Rias, who was still ignoring everything else as she sat there in her own little world, and moved behind her chair.

He felt the red head stiffen at his touch as he placed his hands upon her shoulders.

That stiffness soon faded as he began to kneed the muscles in her shoulders and neck. Almost as soon as he started messaging her, Rias' posture slumped forward in her seat and a pleased sigh escaped her lips.

"What is this for?" she half asked half moaned.

"Nothing really," Naruto frowned as he was forced to accommodate for her movement by raising his arms due to the back of the chair blocking him. It made working her muscles much harder. Their positioning was just not good for giving someone a massage. "I've just noticed that you've been...preoccupied lately and thought you could use something to help you relax.

"Thank you," Rias said, both for the massage and for not trying to force her to reveal whatever was bothering her.

"You're welcome," Naruto frowned as Rias arced her back into his touch, forcing him to once more change the position of his arms. "You know, this really isn't the best place for a massage," he determined. "Why don't we move over to one of the couches?"

Rias was agreeable to this and quickly moved over to a couch, where Naruto bid her to lay down. It was a bit small, and Naruto wished they could move to the next room where he knew a bed was kept, but it would be rude to leave the other two like that.

Straddling her thighs, Naruto quickly began to work his magic. Deciding to use this moment as an exercise for himself as well as a way to help Rias relieve whatever stress she was dealing with, the blond began to use his growing chakra sensing abilities to scan her body and figure out where the knots and tension was being built up in her muscles.

There were several places that seemed to have the biggest build up of tension; her lower back and the junction just below her shoulder blades. There were multiple knots that he could sense there, some of which looked like they had been growing larger over time.

Were they because of her breasts? He remembered Samui once complaining about back pains.

Well, whatever. Time to work out those knots.

After probing the areas with the highest concentration of knots, Naruto applied physical pressure to work the knot out. Once he sensed that the knot and muscle tension was gone, he applied chakra to sooth and relax the area. He knew it was working when Rias let out an audible moan of pure, utter contentment the likes of which would have had Issei blasting straight through a wall from an epic nosebleed.

"Where did you learn to do this?" Rias' question was barely audible over the moans of ecstasy that escaped her lips, such was the pleasure she was experiencing.

"There's actually a funny story to this," Naruto mused as he used his elbow to rub out one particularly stubborn knot. Rias groaned as the knot gave way, then he let his fingers coast over the area and gently apply chakra, eliciting a near orgasm inducing moan from the girl whose legs he was straddling.

It really was too bad for Issei that he was not here, having been roped into taking Asia out shopping. Too bad for him.

"Ara," Akeno put a hand to her cheek, "I think I'm actually beginning to feel a little jealous of Rias. Wouldn't you say so, Kone...ara, ara..." The hidden sadist smiled in amusement as she saw Koneko glaring daggers at Rias. If looks could kill, their king would have been dead several times over.

It looked like someone really was jealous.

Smiling a bit as he put his hard earned skills to good use for the first time in a long time, Naruto continued. "You remember how I told you about how my godfather was one of the biggest super perverts ever known?"

Rias was barely able to nod.

Akeno and Koneko perked up at the mention of his godfather. Unlike Rias, who had spoken to him many times after waking up in his bed (which sounded a lot worse than it really was), they knew next to nothing about his past.

"I think I already mentioned this once, but during a training trip my godfather took me on, he would often spend time in brothels that were located in the towns and cities we went to during our travels. When I started my training trip with him, I was just 12, too young to be allowed to experience any kind of sexual activity, even by his moral code, so I was often left in the hands of one of the younger girls who lived there. It's not well known, but brothels also tend to act as orphanage's for young girls on occasion. Usually, these girls are trained to work their once they reach a certain age."

Naruto paused for a moment, just to make sure Rias was awake. His massages had been known to put some women to sleep. When she gave a noncommittal nod, he continued.

"Anyways, one of the girls, who I think at the time was around 16 or so, I can't really remember, decided to teach me how to give massages. The way she said it made it sound like some kind of training, so naturally I needed to learn it. As my godfather and I traveled and went to more brothels, I had the girl watching over me help me get better by giving them massages." Naruto gave a mildly self-depreciating chuckle. "Eventually I got so good that when we revisited a town, I had girls practically lining up to receive a massage from me."

By this point in time, Naruto had slid all the way down to the end of the couch until his backside was pressed up against the heels of her shoes. He had already finished kneading her tight, firm rear like an expert baker kneads dough. All he needed to do to finish up now was work over her legs.

There weren't as many knots in her legs, but he could sense a few in her hamstrings that felt coiled together like a loaded spring. Those required some work to fix up, but it still took less time than her back because they were not as numerous nor as big.

As he continued to work, the young, newly reincarnated Devil continued to talk. It was only after several seconds, in which time he had started on her calves, that he realized the girl underneath him wasn't replying to anything he said.

Looking up from his work, he saw Rias' eyes had closed completely, her mouth was partially open and her breathing deep and even. She had fallen asleep.

"Huh," Naruto mumbled, scratching the back of his head. "I guess I got a little carried away."

A tug on his sleeve caused him to look to his left to see Koneko standing there, an expectant look on her blushing face.

"I want one of those."

"Uh..." Naruto blinked, then grinned sheepishly. Rubbing the back of his head, he said, "Okay. I can give you a massage too. Just let me put Rias to bed, okay?"

"Ara, ara." Naruto and Koneko both looked up to see Akeno looking at him expectantly as well. She was also rubbing her thighs together in a way that let both of them know her thoughts were probably lewd on the same level as Hyoudo Issei. "I would also like one of those orgasm inducing massages, if you don't mind, Kitsune-kun."

Naruto sighed, but nodded nonetheless. He still reiterated that he needed to put Rias to bed first and that Koneko had first dibs on getting a massage from him. This caused Akeno to pout while Koneko put a hand up and gave a victory sign.

Gently carrying Rias in his arms like a newly wed bride, the spiky-haired shinobi made his way into the extra room that contained the large bed.

It took a bit of effort, but Naruto managed to work his arms without jostling the girl in them to make a hand seal. A second later, there was another Naruto standing with him. This Naruto walked over to the bed and pulled the covers all the way back before dispelling. The original carefully set the girl in the bed so her head was resting comfortably on the pillow. Now came the hard part.

Deciding whether or not he should take off Rias' clothes. She constantly told him that she did not like sleeping with clothes on, and he knew for a fact that she likely would not care if he stripped her naked. At the same time, it felt incredibly rude to strip a girl's clothes off while she was sleeping. It just didn't sit right with him.

It was also something Jiraiya would probably do...or Issei, which meant it was something Naruto probably shouldn't do. He was not a pervert.

…

…

Really, he wasn't. The tightness in his pants had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he had been straddling Rias' gorgeously crafted derriere, or the moans she had offered during the massage...or the way her body had shuddered against his, pushing her tight ass into his increasingly hard arousal and...

...Okay, so maybe he was a pervert, but if he was then it was all Jiraiya's fault! Yes, yes, he was not to blame for any bad habits and/or lecherous desires he had picked up from journeying with a Super Pervert for two and a half years. Not at all.

That's his story and he's sticking to it!

Shaking his head and trying to rid his mind of his admittedly less than morally righteous thoughts, Naruto moved over to the end of the bed and carefully lifted her left leg. He slid the shoe off her foot, then lifted her other leg and slid that shoe off as well. Taking them both, Naruto placed them by the door and walked back into the main room. He would ask Akeno to undress Rias further since she was a girl and Rias' best friend.

Outside in the main room, Naruto saw that Akeno had decided to start arguing with Koneko about why she should get a massage from him first.

"And why should you get a massage from Kitsune-kun first? He's always pampering you."

"Because I said so."

"Mu~ that's not a very good reason."

Standing there, listening to the two girls argue, the young man their converation was about promptly sweat dropped.

Maybe giving Rias a massage

~KatCHRP~

That night, Naruto lay awake in his bed, unable to sleep. Like usual, he was only wearing a pair of toad print boxers. His arms were stretched out behind his head as he stared up at the off-white ceiling, thinking.

He wouldn't say anything because he had promised Rias not to bring it up unless she came to him, but he was really beginning to worry about her. She was not the type of person to space out and forget where she was, yet that was exactly what had happened today, and multiple times to boot. And not just today either, several times within the past few days Rias had just completely zoned out and forgot everything around her. It was getting to the point where he was tempted to say screw the promise and force the issue out of her.

Only his integrity and iron will to follow his nindo kept him from doing such.

That still didn't mean he wasn't worried.

A sigh escaped his lips. Turning on his side, Naruto decided he should at least try to get some sleep. He would be no good to Rias and the others if he was tired.

Just as he closed his eyes a bright, red light lit up his room.

Eyelids snapped open to reveal blue irises once more. Naruto quickly sat up in his bed just in time to see the magic circle with the Gremory crest materialize on his floor right before Rias herself appeared before him. She was wearing her school uniform once more, meaning she must have put it back on after Akeno had taken it off her sleeping form. He absently noted that she wasn't wearing any shoes.

"Rias..." Naruto turned his body around so that his feet were dangling off the bed. "Is everything alright? Is something wrong?"

Rias looked at him and Naruto found himself frozen by her gaze. Had he ever seen such desperation in her eyes before? On anyone's before?

She marched over to him, not even stopping when she waltzed into his personal space. One hand was used to push him onto the bed so that she could straddle his waist while the other grabbed his hand and smashed it against her right breast. Naruto was so shocked by her actions that he found himself speechless.

"Naruto, please take me now."

Now that got a reaction.

"W-What?"

His eyes gazed up at her, uncomprehending. Had he heard her right? She wanted him to take her virginity? Why? For what reason? And why now when she had not given any sign of wanting him in a sexual manner like this before?

"Please..." Naruto felt his heart lurch at the tone in her voice. It was so desperate, so pained. A part of him was tempted to do as she asked just so he wouldn't have to ever hear such emotions in her voice again. "Take my virginity now."

For the first time in a long time, Naruto wasn't sure what to do. He had been in many situations before, some which would even leave his Club President and King gaping at him.

This wasn't even the first time he had been in a situation with a girl asking him to take her virginity. The circumstances had been different, and Shion had not been so desperate when she asked him, but it was still similar.

Naruto could feel Rias as she pressed her hot core against his crotch. The heat from her panty clad mound was causing his own arousal to sky rocket. No doubt she could feel the proof of how aroused he was through his boxers.

She proved this to him by grinding herself against him, extracting a moan from them both.

"Rias..." Naruto groaned as the hand she was using to hold his own hand to her boob forced him to squeeze the large mound of flesh. He could feel her panties getting wet with her juices as she continued grinding herself against him. Whether he wanted them to or not, her actions were revving him up like nothing else. "W-Why are you doing this?"

"Shh... ah..." Rias placed a finger to his lips with her free hand. "Don't talk. Just take me...now...please―ahn!"

For a second, it looked like Naruto was about to do just that. His body was certainly eager to do exactly what Rias asked of him. Even his mind was beginning to cloud over as his desire for the woman on top of him became almost overwhelming.

Yet somehow, someway, Naruto found it in him to resist her. He didn't know what it was. Maybe it was because of the words she had used, or perhaps because of the desperation in her eyes and voice, but he knew that he could not go through with this. If he did, he was sure that something bad would happen.

"Rias, enough," Naruto said, yanking his hand off her boob and pushing himself into a sitting position. His actions startled Rias so much that she began to fall backwards and would have fallen off the bed entirely had he not caught her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "I don't know what's going on, Rias, but whatever is bothering you, this isn't the answer."

"Don't you want me?" The look Rias gave him was like a punch to the gut. "Am I undesirable to you?"

"Of course you're not!" Naruto said passionately. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met!" Despite the situation, Rias actually blushed at his blatant declaration. "Yes, I want you! I want you so badly right now I can hardly stand it!"

"Then why?" Naruto took another hit when tears appeared in his King's eyes. They were tears of desperation, of frustration. Naruto suspected, rightly so, that they were caused by more than just his refusal to sleep with her. "Why won't you take my virginity?"

"Because I don't want it like this," Naruto growled. "I don't want it when you're so desperate to give it away that you're willing to abandon your pride and integrity! I don't want it when you're giving it to me, not as the ultimate expression of love, but because you think it will solve whatever problems your having!"

Rias looked stunned by his proclamation. Well and truly stupefied. She seemed incapable of even speaking after his words. It was so odd, hearing such maturity in matters of physical intimacy come from a boy. They were all supposed to be sex-crazed, but then, didn't this just prove that Naruto was not like other boys?

Naruto didn't even notice her look. Frustrated tears were welling up in his own eyes. He didn't know what was going on or why Rias was doing this, but the fact that he didn't know what to do to help her hurt. It hurt worse than when he had been unable to bring Sasuke back to Sakura after making her the promise of a lifetime back when he had been a naïve, fool of a genin. It hurt more than when Sasuke had shoved a Chidori through his chest and tried to break the bond of brotherhood that tied the two of them together as friends. It just plain hurt.

Overwhelmed by his own emotions and his need to do something, anything, to help the person who had given him a purpose in life, Naruto pulled the stunned girl into a hug. Rias, now even more shocked, was unable to do anything as her blond servant pulled her flush against him.

Their bodies melded together. Naruto's left arm found itself wrapping around her waist, resting against the small of her back. His right came up to her head, his hand placing itself on the back of her head, fingers threading through her hair as he pulled the startled girl to him.

"I don't know what's going on," Naruto told her. "I don't know why you're acting this way, or why you think I need to take your virginity now, but I promise you, we'll find a way to deal with it. Whatever is bothering you, we'll face it together and overcome it together. Just don't do this...don't act like this anymore. I hate watching you suffer like this. I hate watching you degrade yourself like this. You're better than this, Rias."

Rias did not say anything, still stunned by his proclamation and words. Though he could not see it, her eyes were wide and her mouth was parted in an expression of surprise.

After a moment of this, her mind snapped back to the present. She got over her shock. She didn't say anything, but she did respond to his attention.

Her own arms came up and wrapped around him. Her face soon found itself in the crook of his neck. There, she inhaled the scent she had become so familiar with, an earthen smell that was mixed with the fragrance of Miso and a masculine scent that was distinctly Naruto. It was an unusual combination, no doubt, but it had a calming effect on her mind.

As they sat there, Rias straddling Naruto as they held each other so close not even a microscopic organism would be able to fit between their bodies, a silver light erupted from the ground where Rias' magic circle had been just moments before.

Naruto reacted without thinking. Sliding out from underneath Rias, he stood protectively in front of her in case whoever was teleporting into his room was an enemy.

A kunai appeared within a grasp, which he quickly coated in wind chakra.

Moving just as he had done a thousand times before, Naruto's body slid into a combat stance. His feet slid apart and his knee bent, adopting a wide stance that was better suited towards enclosed spaces. It was a strong stance, designed more for blocking fierce attacks and returning them ten fold than dodging blows and counterattacking.

Another kunai appeared in his free hand. His finger looped into the ring with practiced ease and he spun it around until he was gripping it in a reverse handed grip. Now he was ready.

A hand being placed upon his shoulder startled him.

"It's okay, Naruto," Rias said softly, sadly. "We're not in danger."

"Rias..." Naruto relaxed slightly at her words. His head turned around to look at her out of the corner of his eye, but he was soon forced to look back at the circle.

A figured appeared before them. It was a very beautiful woman who did not appear to look a day over twenty. Lovely looking lips, a small nose and a delicate chin and cheekbones made the woman look like some kind of noble, yet her demeanor, the cool and professional aura she gave off made Naruto think of a queen, one whose icy personality could freeze all those who met her. Her hair was a startling silver that flickered and shone in the moonlight, flowing all the way down her back and featuring long, blue bows at the ends while the rest was let down, ending in twin braids. Her eyes, he noticed, matched the color of her hair perfectly.

Oddly enough, she was wearing what Naruto recognized as a maid outfit.

What the fuck?

"Do you honestly think that by doing something so degrading your engagement will be called off?" asked the woman. To Naruto, the words were like a physical blow.

"I see," he said, closing his eyes as he began putting the pieces of this elusive puzzle together. He would never claim to be that smartest person in the world, but he was not stupid, not anymore. He could see where this was going. "So that's why you asked me to take your virginity." Rias winced at the tone in his voice. "You're engaged to someone, someone I'm guessing you don't like, and thought that if you lose your virginity to someone, whatever contract bound you would be broken. Or maybe you thought this guy would be so repulsed that you would do such a thing that he simply wouldn't want to marry you." Naruto finally looked back at Rias. "Am I right?"

Naruto had learned a lot of about how marriages between nobles worked, both from Jiraiya and Tsunade. It was something he needed to learn, they said. It would help him for when he wanted to get married, they told him.

He was glad he listened to those lectures now, regardless of how boring they had been.

"Naruto..." she reached out a hand to him. When he took a step back she flinched. Tears sprung to her eyes. "Please don't be mad at me. Please."

"I'm not mad," Naruto's eyes softened. "I could never be mad at you. I'm just hurt."

Another flinch.

"Naruto..."

"Excuse me," the woman interrupted. "I hate to interrupt," she sure didn't sound like it, "But we really must be going."

Rias looked like she wanted to protest. Teary teal eyes met Naruto's azure blues. She bit her lip in indecision. "I...I understand," the beautiful young devil with red hair closed her eyes, her face set in a grimace. Upon opening them again, she looked imploringly at the silver-haired woman. "Do you think I could have a moment alone with my servant?"

The woman seemed to think on this for a moment before nodding. "That is fine, but please, do not be long." She turned to leave, but Naruto spoke before she could even make a single step towards the door.

"You know, it's very poor manners to enter someone's home and not at least give a name," he stated, causing the woman to halt in her tracks. Rias just gaped at him. "If you would be so kind as to at least give me the name of the lovely lady who has intruded upon my home without my permission."

Had the situation been different, less somber and demoralizing, Naruto would have grinned. That sounded like something Neji would say.

"Naruto," Rias said in trepidation. "I really don't think you should..."

"You are correct," the maid interrupted, about facing. "It was very rude of me. My apologies."

Rias gaped some more.

"My name is Gayfia Lucifuge," she curtsied to him. "I am a servant of house Gremory and Rias-Sama's sister-in-law."

"She's my brother's Queen," Rias added.

"I see," Naruto took a deep breath. Drawing upon those lessons of formality Tsunade had been so insistent on hammering into him―sometimes with her fists―he spoke again. "In that case, I welcome you to my home. Any family member of Rias' will always be welcome here."

"Thank you," Grayfia nodded her head. She looked at Rias. "Like I said, try not to linger very long." With that, she walked out, leaving Naruto and Rias alone.

"Naruto..." Rias looked so unsure of herself. It was completely unlike the strong and self-assured woman he had come to know so well. "I..."

"I wish you would trust me more," Naruto interrupted. "Had you told me about your problem before hand, I could have helped you find a way to break the contract before it got so bad that you felt your only option was for someone to take your virginity." He looked away. "I don't think you know how much it hurts to realize that you don't trust me."

"But I do trust you!" Rias shouted, her voice desperately trying to convey her feelings as more tears sprung to her eyes. "You're the only one I trust with something like this! If I had wanted to just lose my virginity to get out of this marriage, I could have gone to Issei, but I didn't! I chose you!"

"And yet you didn't trust me enough to tell me about your problems until just now when you were so desperate that you practically threw yourself at me," Naruto replied, to which she had no answer. "And somehow, I get the feeling that had Grayfia not interfered, you wouldn't have even trusted me enough to tell me why you wanted me to take your virginity in the first place. It's even worse because had you just told me why you wanted me to take your virginity, I would have done it."

Rias shoulder's slumped. Her body shook and tears leaked out of her eyes and made a trail down her porcelain cheeks like evanescent droplets of crystal that broke when they made contact with the ground.

"I'm sorry," she whispered despondently. "I didn't mean to make you feel like that."

There was an acute pain in his chest as he gazed upon this girl. Tears really didn't suit her, he decided.

Acting with a boldness he had rarely ever shown in the Elemental Nations, he closed the distance between them, and once again wrapped her up in a strong embrace. Rias returned the hug with the need of a person who was being tossed into a sea of emotional uncertainty. Her arms wound around him tightly as she pressed her face against his chest, staining his shirt with her tears.

"Rias," Naruto sighed as he buried his face in her hair. "Whatever happens, try not to worry too much. We'll deal with it, together, okay?"

Her face still pressed tightly against his chest, she gave him a noncommittal nod.

"Rias-sama," Grayfia said as she once more entered the doorway. "It's time."

Naruto released the hug, forcing her to do the same. Rias looked at Naruto, searching. For what, he didn't know.

"Go on," he said, nodding towards Grayfia. "We'll talk more tomorrow."

Rias nodded, still unable to speak, overcome as she was with emotions. She walked over to Grayfia as a magic circle appeared on the floor underneath the maid's feet.

As their bodies began to vanish, Rias finally managed to gain her voice back to leave one last parting comment. "I'm sorry, Naruto."

Then they were gone. Naruto stared at the spot where Rias and that other Devil left. A sigh escaped his lips as he climbed into bed.

That night would be the first night since he met Rias that he would sleep alone.

He quickly concluded that he did not like sleeping alone anymore.