Chapter Three
Happy Birthday, Kōtaishihi Denka
Naruto looked between his date's parents, who in turn looked back at him. Helsa sat beside him in her lovely lime green dress with black stockings, a black furry scarf, and green high heels. Seviathan is beside his father, his arms crossed as he looks out the window of the passing buildings. It had been like this since he entered the vehicle, no one really speaking but were blatantly looking at each other.
He finally leaned over near Helsa's ear without looking away from her parents. "You never told me we would be arriving with your family."
Helsa looked up from her phone to look at the blonde that just whispered in his ear before cracking a grin. She turned to her parents, who she has yet to talk to beyond greeting them when the limo showed up. "Mom, dad, I'd like you to meet Naruto. He's my date for the Princess's birthday party. Naruto, these are my parents, and my whiny brother."
Seviathan sneered but did not say anything.
"Greetings, Naruto," the father greeted with a nod. His teeth and eyes shined lime green, radiating a subtle power that felt sickly to Naruto's senses. "My name is Frederick, and this is my wife Bethesda."
"Hello, darling," she smiled and took in the sight of her daughter. "How long have you known Helsa?"
"Eh, we met not long after my arrival from Purgatory," Naruto rubbed his chin as he thought about what happened nearly two years ago. "Let's see, I'm technically sixteen going on seventeen right now, so I arrived when I was fourteen."
"What happened to you that you died so young?" Frederick had a curious gaze while Bethesda was concerned.
"I'm not from Earth, I'm from Ninkai," Naruto told that man with a shrug. "We haven't had our savior yet and we are pretty primitive compared to Earth. I was a ninja, a trained assassin and mercenary, and I held one of the strongest weapons of my nation. I died fighting someone who I considered a brother when he decided to betray me and the village for more power."
Naruto shrugged his shoulders despite the concerned and cautious gazes. "So I went to Purgatory where my life was to be judged. But because of my rough childhood and the shit I had to do while alive, they said I had too much sin to be allowed in Heaven or cleanse through Purgatory."
Helsa leaned into the blonde, resting her head on his shoulder as she scrolled on her phone. She knows a lot about the boy's life, the same way he knows of hers, and she was always upset to hear about what he had to go through. She has heard the grittier details than her family was getting, and knowing that made it even worse.
"I landed in the Entertainment District and took a while to get accustomed to Hell. I ended up getting my own place through some deals, where I made my own restaurant that has since become popular. I've hired and saved some Sinners I've known or had sympathy for." Naruto hummed to himself now as he thought of where specifically he ended up first running into Helsa. "When was it, five months into owning the restaurant?"
"I believe Percy said the restaurant was four months old," Helsa commented with a chuckle.
"Around then," Naruto shrugged before continuing the story. "Helsa is brought in with her date, Percy."
"That boy? Oh Satan."
"Yeah, him," Naruto laughed at the mortified tone of Bethesda and the annoyed twitch of Frederick. "He comes in, demanding a table without reservation, while we are packed during the peak hours of business. He then throws a fit when Stephen, my employee, tells him it would be an hour wait."
"Naruto had to come from the kitchen," Helsa giggled into her hand.
"I was helping Kris make all those orders!" Naruto sighed. "Rest in peace, big man."
Seeing the tilt of her parents' heads, she elaborated. "Kris used to work for Naruto as his chef, but he got caught during last year's Extermination."
"So yeah, Percy was throwing a fit and Stephen had to come get me."
"Came out with an aura of 'you fucked with the wrong one'," Helsa smirked as she remembered how pissed Naruto was when he had to leave Kris alone in the kitchen.
"You were being prissy, too, at the time, miss rich heiress," Naruto gave a dead stare with a raised eyebrow, making the girl sputter an excuse. "Right. Both of you asking me if I knew who you all were, then blowing your top when I didn't. You had the sense to not pick a fight, but Percy was missing a few brain functions that day."
"Like his instinct to live," Helsa huffed but didn't argue the foxboy's point.
"You killed him?" Frederick was surprised, mostly because the annoying boy had disappeared for sometime a year and a half ago.
"Nope, beat him bloody and nearly to death," Naruto snorted with crossed arms. "He now works off his debt from his outburst."
"Two years later?" Bethesda questioned with a narrowed, confused gaze. "How'd you get him to keep through this?"
"He doesn't have a choice. I believe the fine print he signed said 'until I was satisfied' and not for a specific period of time." Naruto shrugged but noticed he said something concerning to the three. "What?"
"The only people who have made contracts like that are Overlords, Naru," Helsa told the boy before looking out the window. "Ooh, we're here!"
Naruto was awe of the inside of the Magne castle - as even though they called it a mansion, it was TOO LARGE to just be a fucking mansion. The entrance alone was as large as his restaurant and first floor apartment combined. Each painting and artwork looked like it cost more than his life. Probably did, knowing who exactly owned this house.
Magne is the surname of the royal family of hell, centered around the fallen angel Lucifer and First Woman Lilith. Lucifer the Morningstar was considered the most beautiful of God's angels but he challenged God's rule and has since fallen to Hell. Lilith was the first woman created but she did not appreciate the life of just being the First Man's wife. From what he heard, the dude is a total ass.
After her fall and getting together with Lucifer and Hell was becoming a center of demons and sinners, the two had once taken up the name Morningstar. The title that once spoke of Lucifer's heavenly radiance while he was a seraphim was used as their surname. Mostly because they felt it would bother the haughty angels that inhabit Heaven the most, and also because they planned on a future family that would come to fruition a few hundred years after Jesus.
How is this an 'seventeenth' birthday then? So confusing.
They changed the name some 1,500 or so years ago, before the birth of the Princess, after they decided they did not like the name Morningstar. It was made into Magne as it is a form of Magnus, which meant "great" and Lucifer and Lilith were nothing if not that, apparently.
They sure are humble people. Naruto scoffed but he had to give respect where respect was due.
"Sevi!"
Naruto blinked as a small, blonde girl came rushing forward and wrapped around the annoying scion of the von Eldritch family. The insufferable frown that constantly marred his face disappeared and was replaced with a cocky, shit-eating grin. However, the only colors that surrounded the boy were scarlet, black, and green.
"Dark chocolate, licorice, and sour apple. Interesting." Naruto mumbled under his breath and tried to focus on the girl that held on the boy.
Pink and yellow. Love and joy. So much of it.
"Holy fuck, how is she a demon," Naruto pinched his nose as the bright color began to give him a migraine before he got an elbow in the ribs from Helsa.
"Stop checking out the Princess," Helsa muttered as green, scarlet, and a little red surrounded her current mood. "I'd rather not hear my little brother bitch about you getting his girlfriend's attention."
"You don't sound angry," Naruto muttered back while Frederick and Bethesda greeted the King and Queen.
He didn't get an answer, and instead he was dragged into the conversation by the two pairs of parents.
"You of course remember Helsa, and this is her date for tonight. Naruto Uzumaki." Frederick waved his arm to introduce the blonde foxboy. "Naruto, this is Lucifer Magne and his wife, Lilith Magne."
"Greetings, Tennō Heika, Kōgō Heika." Naruto bowed to his waist, as is tradition from his home. "I am honored to meet you."
Lucifer's golden eyes flickered over the blonde and he found him incredibly… intriguing. There was no other word to describe him, as saying interesting would hold him on the same pedestal as a new rubber duck, while enthralling would just make it seem like he was something unheard of. He was clearly a Sinner, but his body and aura screamed Sin. Wrath and Gluttony was the biggest ones in his mind, but neither Satan nor Beelzebub had children as far as he knew - and he was pretty sure the latter was still going through partners faster than her parties.
Lilith, however, had caught the subtle energy swirling around the blonde. It permeated his entire being, but most of it gathered within the pit of his stomach and within every fiber of his tail. It was similar to the Old Magic that most original demons, her and the Goetia included, used and protected from everyone else. But this magic was tied to emotion, Wrath first and foremost, and she felt the very Sin subtly manifest inside the boy when he spoke and moved.
"Wow!" Everyone turned to see Charlie looking at Naruto with wide eyes. "So this is why Helsa has been nicer. I can understand it now."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, catching the briefest of sneers and glares sent at him by Seviathan. He looked to his side and found Helsa smiling brightly, looping her arm with his, and leaning into his side.
"Jealous, Princess?" Helsa's tone was playful and teasing, but Naruto saw the slightest hint of scarlet from her.
"Enough, Helsa," Bethesda chided her daughter softly. "Don't tease the Princess like that."
"Of course, mother. It is merely in jest," Helsa smiled brilliantly once more.
Charlie pouted, excited to have the banter with the girl again after so long, before turning to Naruto. "I'm Charlie Magne, it's great to meet you!"
Naruto smiled at the dazzling amounts of yellow radiating from the girl. Yeah, definitely more like an angel. "Naruto Uzumaki. Happy birthday, Kōtaishihi Denka!"
She tilted her head in confusion. "Ko- koka- agh, what does that mean?"
"It's formal titles used for royalty in my language. I greeted your parents as His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress. I referred to you as Her Imperial Highness the Crown Princess."
Stars seemed to grow in her eyes at that, bringing her hands to her mouth and squealed girlishly. "Oh my Grandpa, that is so cool! It sounds so majestic! Can I hear it again?"
Naruto chuckled, while her parents gave amused glances at each other. "Anything for you, Kōtaishihi Denka."
He enjoyed the frown that was on Seviathan's face and the satisfying amount of sour apple-flavored green that surrounded him. The chili pepper red could be ignored, mostly because it would just make him sneeze uncontrollably. The perks of being a beast of Wrath were quite useful.
Better be considering what I went through alive.
"Come," Lilith finally spoke up to get everyone's attention. "The other guests should be arriving, so all of you can wait in the ballroom for them to come. Lucy and I will greet them, so go enjoy yourself darling."
Charlie nodded excitedly and grabbed Seviathan's hand before turning to Naruto and Helsa. "Come on, let me show you there."
"I already know where it is, Princess," Helsa smirked and began leading her date forward.
"But Naruto doesn't! And it's not Princess anymore, it's.. ko-ta-…"
"Kōtaishihi Denka," Naruto said with an amused smirk on his face.
"Yes! You'll have to teach me how to say that, Naruto," Charlie gave a bright smile before dragging her boyfriend along.
As they lagged behind, Naruto twitched his nose when he felt something pinch his side. More like someone. "Why did you do that?"
"If you keep being yourself, you're going to have the Princess falling for you," Helsa gave an annoyed sideways glance but there was clear amusement in her eyes. "I mean, you are quite the catch for any lucky lady. I just don't want to hear my brother bitching for the rest of our afterlife."
"Sounds like you rather like that idea more than you let in," Naruto hummed in a sing-song tone that made the demon girl bristle only slightly. "You taste like dark chocolate. Do you know what that means?"
Helsa raised an eyebrow at him. "You've eaten me out without me knowing? I coulda swore Percy said I tasted like tuna when we dated."
Her tone was clearly meant in jest but Naruto just growled unamused at her for making that joke as he knew it had bothered her deep down. "I thought I made it clear I didn't like you joking about that. I told you he was wrong, didn't I?"
"You were a virgin at the time," Helsa retorted back with a proud smile at getting the boy upset. It wasn't often she could so it was always a victory when she did.
"And I still handled it a lot better," Naruto rolled his eyes before pulling the girl close. "You like the Princess, don't you?"
"If you speak any more nonsense like that, I will make sure you never have kids."
Naruto narrowed his eyes in confusion. "I thought Sinners couldn't have children?"
"Magic," was her simple answer. "And plenty of favors."
"Ah."
Naruto said nothing else as he and Helsa entered the large ballroom. Fuck, if he thought the entrance of the mansion was huge then this room was ridiculous. He could fit his entire apartment here!
"This just isn't fair," Naruto whined as he looked up at the gothic arches supporting the ceiling.
"Hell's royalty, what did you expect?" Helsa eyed her date inquisitively.
"To be honest?" Naruto asked as he gave one look around the walls. "Hanging bodies, dark magic runes, the screams and wails of tortured Sinners. Y'know, the works."
"That's so prejudiced!" Charlie had apparently overheard him and did not take kindly to his assumption.
Blue now bloomed from inside her yellow. She's pretty upset.
"I'm unfamiliar with your family," Naruto shrugged as an excuse but was somewhat apologetic. "I apologize, Kōtaishihi Denka."
The blue went away and instead was shadowed by a new color, one he could not entirely see. Red? Orange? He couldn't tell. But he did catch the small smile growing on her lips. "I appreciate the apology, Naruto."
Helsa elbowed the boy's side when Charlie turned back to talk to Sev, who replaced his own scowl quickly to grin. She looked at the amused foxboy with a tired glare. "You're going to make this a long night, Naru."
"I can't believe that bitch!"
Stephen flinched as a dishpan was thrown across the kitchen, smacking against the wall and clattering to the ground roughly. It was closing time and the doors to the restaurant were already locked and the steel shutters were pulled down. It wasn't entirely useful in Hell where bombs and excessive firepower was readily available but it got the idea across to the average Sinner and Demon.
"She just likes to come crawling to the dipshit and he just eats it up like a naive shit! Slut!"
Another dish was thrown, this one a steel instrument that belonged to the slicer/mixer machine. It left a mark in the wall this time before slamming into the ground.
"Tayuya! Do not damage Naruto-kun's restaurant!"
Stephen's skin crawled and his tail curled into his back when Haku came into the back, a bar glass in his hand that he must have been setting in the cabinets with the others before he had to come to the back. The glass began to cool, webs of frost sprouting from his fingertips as magic power radiated from him.
Why must they all have powerful magic abilities?!
"But that bitch-!"
"Enough, Tayuya," Haku sighed as his magic dissipated and the demonic girl came around the corner with red eyes. "This isn't healthy for you. You need to calm down before you destroy something in the kitchen. Again."
Tayuya rubbed her eyes roughly, sniffling and smacking her cheek a few times. "Okay. Okay, I'm good now."
Haku nodded his head before going back to the front. "When you're done, head up to the living room. We're still having our movie night."
Tayuya nodded her head and went back to work, this time with a restrained anger and purpose that made Stephen more at ease around but still nervous. Giving one last glance in the direction of the dull, monotonous thuds and scrapes, he went to the front to find Haku calmly and quietly putting the bar stools on the bar table. The only sound of the room was their breathing, and the faint sounds being made by Tayuya.
"Uh, Haku," Stephen shyly called the other boy's name, the only foreign name of his coworkers and owner that he could properly say. "Why is Taylor so…"
"Upset?" Haku asked softly and continued putting up chairs. "She and I know Naruto-kun from our time alive, I before her but that doesn't really matter as we were both his enemies at some point. He found us during his time down here, me in the Vees territory and Tayuya in Cannibal Town, and had given us the choice to follow him and work with him to survive this place, or fade away in the next Extermination."
"I wasn't given that kind of choice, haha," Stephen gave a weak chuckle but the soft, kind eyes of Haku made him blush.
"He had a feeling you were a good kid. He has the ability to sense emotions, and from that discern someone's intent and personality. It's handy, especially if we were still alive." Haku sighed and shook his head. "But to explain why Tayuya is like this is because of her state of mind. She operates under the pretense of being dedicated to a leader, not even an ideal as she needed something physical to believe in, and in life that was a man named Orochimaru."
"Is that the… snake bastard?" Stephen was unsure as he scrunched up his face. "I've heard her mutter curses about someone like that."
"Yes, that's him. He was her leader in life, but in death she was lost and without a goal. Naruto-kun, upon finding her and giving that ultimatum, came to fill that hole unexpectedly." Haku paused now as he thought about the past. "She doesn't like how fast Helsa has gotten close to Naruto after her first appearance in the restaurant. She doesn't trust the girl and thinks Naruto-kun would be better off ignoring her."
"Oh," Stephen fidgeted with his hands as he stood there.
He was just staring at the ground, thinking of all the times the heiress of von Eldritch has come to the restaurant for the blonde owner. As far as he could remember, Tayuya has never had a good reaction to her. But today was the worst.
Haku patted Stephen on the head, making the boy scrunch up his face in confusion. "Don't worry too much about it. Naruto-kun can handle everything himself."
Stephen nodded his head, following the boy to the back so they could help Tayuya before starting their movie night. It was Naruto's night to pick the movies, as per the rotation schedule they agreed on. Even if he wasn't there to watch with them that didn't mean they would extend his turn, but he had some pretty good selections.
Why did he have to select horror movies though?!
He whined to himself before continuing with his closing tasks.