Chapter Six
Quite The Tale
Naruto watched as the demon fell back onto the floor, his gun clattering away from his impact and it fired when the cocked hammer slammed down. His stomach rumbled as the soul he devoured now rested in his stomach, exactly where his Biju seal used to be. It took a second to get used to it, the discomfort almost as if his organs were rearranging to accommodate a new one forming, before he noticed that Charlie was shaking where she stood.
He quickly walked forward to check on her, finding her sobbing and quivering in fear. She had no marks beyond the injuries on her neck from the demon's grip.
"Na-Naruto!" She quickly clung to him and she broke out into even more sobs.
She desperately held herself against him, clawing at him as if he would disappear or she would fall back into the hellhound's grip. He made sure to wrap his arms around her and let her cry into his chest.
"I'm here for you, Charlie," Naruto rubbed her back and slowly dropped to the ground when he noticed her legs gave out under her. "I'm here, Kōtaishihi Denka, no more worries."
"My… powers weren't working!" She sobbed into his chest and gripped his lime green dress shirt tightly. "I couldn't… fight back!"
"I know. They were using special magic," Naruto gripped the girl tighter before pulling off his jacket and wrapped it around her. "Nothing to fear, Charlie. I promise to protect you. I promise."
She shook as more tears fell but he knew she understood and believed his words, even if she was wracked with fear. She felt the strength and care in the man's body, and she felt protected like whenever she was with her parents. No one had provided something like this, not even Seviathan, and it honestly felt nice and assuring.
"Thank you… Naruto."
"Of course, Charlie-hime," Naruto smiled and gently wiped away the tears on the young woman's face. "Now come on, let's get you back to your parents so they stop worrying about you."
They had just gotten to their feet when a bunch of people burst through the door, barely avoiding the dead bodies that laid on the ground. First and foremost are the King and Queen of Hell, who led the charge and were the first to enter the room, and they were partially transformed in their demon forms. Behind them are a few members of the Goetia, also partially transformed into their own bird demon forms. Among them is the fox-bug woman he met before Lilith but she was not transformed like the others.
Now that Naruto has killed and consumed the man who was running this little terrorist group, the talisman has deactivated and the seals have powered down. The blonde himself could feel his own hellish powers returning to him but considering he was nowhere near as powerful as the others it was no wonder he has not recovered yet. Good thing he had other abilities beyond those.
"Dad! Mom!"
Naruto let Charlie run to her parents and collapsed into their embrace, easing the two rulers' worries. They held her tightly, their forms going back to normal, and the other Goetia did the same. They were whispering to her, too low for him to understand but he knew that this moment was for them and them alone. After this whole ordeal they needed it.
The woman that he met earlier came walking further into the room, looking at all of the bodies as she passed them. Her eyes quickly and expertly took in each corpse in a way that told him she has seen this kind of sight many times. That was not common to his knowledge since most of the demons currently alive are only a thousand years or so old.
There have been no wars or battles in that time, against Heaven or other Hell factions, so that meant she was much older than all of them. Considering his earlier thoughts, that only meant that she is a Deadly Sin and she had been around for the war against Heaven.
She finally came to stop next to him and looked down at the unmarked corpse of the hellhound leader. The necklace has disintegrated by now, most likely a fail safe to make sure it did not fall into others hands, but that was not what gained the woman's attention. She was more interested in the fact that there were no wounds on the body, and yet the soul was gone.
But that was impossible. This breed could not die that easily.
"You know him?"
She looked at the blonde after hearing his question, seeing his red eyes looking at her with a blunt and steady stare. He was different now than he was at the party, almost as if he was a trained killer even though he looked no older than seventeen. She knew it had to be after seeing what he did to all of the mercenaries in the ballroom before running here to save Charlie.
"I know all hellbeasts. I bred them, of course," she turned away from him to look at the hellhound's corpse.
"Bred, as in created?"
She nodded her head.
"Naruto!"
The blonde turned to the entrance of the room to see Helsa rushing in, breathing rapidly as she looked in the room. Her eyes widened when she saw all of the corpses on the floor and the amount of high ranking demons filling the room. Her eyes lingered on Charlie's quivering form for a moment before she saw Naruto standing next to the Queen Bee herself.
"I-I'm sorry," she mumbled before quickly making her way over to the blonde.
"Helsa, what are you doing up here?"
She gave a glare as she stood closely in front of him, wrapping her arms around him. She leaned forward to rest her forehead on him. "I was concerned about you, idiot. You disappeared so quickly after killing those bastards that I couldn't come to check on you."
"Sorry, I had to find the leader of the attack and Kōtaishihi Denka was missing from before the attack." Naruto rubbed the heiress' head with a small fond smile. "I'm fine."
"That reminds me," Lilith spoke up, brushing her daughter's hair as she finally calmed down in her and her husband's arms. "We need to talk, in private."
The last was said with a stare at the group of Goetia who were still there, before turning to look at the Sin of Gluttony. "Bee, my love, please take Charlie with you and watch her for a few minutes. Helsa, go to your family, please."
Bee? As in Beelzebub? Naruto's brows raised and he glanced at the woman that now has a name attached to her.
Beelzebub, the Queen Bee; the Sin of Gluttony and the progenitor of the hellbeasts that inhabit hell. She has also created Beelzejuice, a famous and loved alcohol throughout the seven rings. That explained the power he felt when around her, but that didn't explain how she knew of him?
Helsa nodded her head reluctantly, wanting to stay with Naruto for a bit longer but knew better than to argue with the Queen of Hell. She gave one last look before walking over to Charlie.
"Hey, let's go get a drink and a snack while we wait for them," Helsa gave a smile that was not like the usual teasing smirk she gave.
Charlie wondered how this was the same woman that she had teased and threatened back and forth with until each of them were sick of each other. Of course, all of that was momentary as they would be back with the jabs minutes to hours later. Truthfully, she considered the von Eldritch girl the only person she could consider a true friend.
She nodded her head finally before getting up and walking with the gray-skinned woman while Beelzebub followed them out.
Naruto immediately felt the shift in atmosphere around them once the three of them were left alone. It was an overwhelming pressure that made the hairs on the back of his neck bristle and he felt his fight or flight kick in overdrive. He began circulating his chakra again, this time more subtly, and his red eyes looked at the woman that now stared at him.
"Good reaction," she said but kept up the pressure. "I understand more of you now, ningen."
"Ningen? That makes more sense now," Lucifer thought about his wife's words.
Naruto looked between the two rulers and his fingers twitched as he was still on edge. "Is that a problem? Are ningen undesirable?"
"They are a taboo species, that's for certain," Lucifer commented offhandedly with a shrug. "Certainly explained the abilities while none of our magic worked."
Naruto fidgeted as he kept staring at Lilith, her own eyes never leaving him but he still couldn't read her emotions. There was nothing bubbling underneath, nothing to tell him what she felt at the moment, and it made him anxious.
"What are your plans, Naruto?"
His eyebrows raised when the Queen finally asked a question, her voice making him move a foot back instinctively to be ready for a fight. He blinked a few times and tilted his head once he processed her words. "My… plans?"
"Yes, what do you have planned going forward?"
"I… really only plan a quiet afterlife," Naruto admitted while lowering his stance slightly. "If not for tonight, I would not have used my abilities outside of running my restaurant and making sure none of the Overlords bother me and my employees."
Lucifer was really questioning how this kid ended up in hell, even if he was from Ninkai and they more than typically ended up here. Those of the past were usually separated from the rest of Pentagram City once their presence was felt, and the reason this kid did not was because he was not as mature and therefore did not have an overwhelming presence. But there was something, a fragment that felt like he was standing with the First Angels or even his Father Himself.
"I want to know, you had to go through Purgatory before receiving your sentence to Hell or Heaven," the King spoke up before his wife could continue her line of questioning. "Why were you sent here?"
Naruto frowned deeply at the question, mostly because it is the one that brings up a topic he can't forget. Even after these three years, he could not get it out of his mind and it only raised emotions he would rather not feel in his afterlife. Resentment. Hatred. Useless not that he is dead, and he needs to worry about the yearly exterminations conducted by the Exorcists.
"Gluttony, envy, covet, and wrath seemed to be the major points but they condemned me for stealing and lying as well." Naruto took a deep breath. "I would not beg for a Heaven that would ignore my troubles and experiences that explained why I did what I had done to survive."
Lucifer nodded his head, but he noted how murder was not one of those and that was the typical reason for most ningen to come to Hell. Has he not killed anyone before? Other than the leader and those in this room, the ones in the ballroom will live because they were not killed with heavenly weapons. So these were his first kills? And they were in defense of himself and of others, so it wasn't even a sin in Father's eyes.
"Would you like a job, Naruto?"
Both blonde men looked at the woman once they heard the question, one with a confused expression and the other with concern. Naruto was trying to understand what she wanted by asking him that, whether it was a true job or she was trying to lower his guard. For Lucifer, who understood his wife more than anyone, he was concerned about what she was going to offer the young man after learning what he was.
"What kind of job?" Naruto glanced at Lucifer for a moment before focusing back on Lilith.
"Caretaking, protection, and employment of your client," Lilith walked forward, slowly, and stopped in front of the blonde. "You will be protecting Charlie, guiding her in a way familiar to you, and employing her at your restaurant for a foreseeable time."
"Wait, love," Lucifer walked up to his wife and got her attention before he whispered. "Why are we sending away our daughter after what happened today?"
"They weren't after her," Lilith told her husband, low enough for the blonde boy to not hear her. "Even after him, those trained mercenaries were no match against him. And with the end of Charlie's relationship with Seviathan, it will be good for her to get out of the house and with someone reliable and her age."
"Wait, you said you know the reason for the break up prior to me telling you," Lucifer gave a questioning look at his wife. Did she keep a secret from him?
"Yes, Naruto was able to share with me the reason Seviathan broke up with our daughter just before you came and told us."
"I caught him cheating on Charlie-hime," Naruto now spoke up, getting a shocked look from the King. "I have a recording, as I was told that making the claim without evidence would not have anyone believing me. I did not want to ruin her Kōtaishihi Denka's birthday so I was waiting for the end of the party to bring it up to you and Seviathan's parents."
"And we appreciate your care for our daughter's feelings," Lilith said as she had yet to say anything before about it. "This is even more of why I want you to take care of our daughter. You are a good kid, not naive and gullible, so I know that you would be a good role model."
Lucifer rubbed his chin as he thought more on his wife's words. "Char-char does need someone close to her age that she can relate to. What about Seviathan?"
"If I am to take care of her, she will forget about him well into the rest of the year," Naruto made the promise with confidence and determination. "She deserves happiness, and Seviathan could not provide that without compromising his own selfish nature. I will make sure she grows into a strong and independent princess."
"But there is the client that hired these mercenaries to get you," Lucifer turned to the Hellhound and narrowed his eyes. "How did you kill a Prefect Hellbeast?"
"Prefect… Hellbeast?" Naruto raised an eyebrow and looked at the corpse of the mercenary leader. "What's the difference between him and any normal hellhound?"
"That's something for you to learn from Beelzebub, since she is the one who created them for me," Lucifer answered honestly as he knew it was not his place to describe the hierarchy established for the race. "But what I will say, imps and hellbeasts were created and birthed for my war with Heaven long ago. Satan made imps and Beelzebub made the hellbeasts."
Naruto nodded his head in understanding, noting that he will have to talk to Beelzebub about the hierarchy. "To answer your question, I have consumed his soul."
Now he can see their emotions. Orange and tangerine. Surprise. Gray and cherry. Fear.
"How did you do that?" Lucifer breathed out, sounding forceful but Naruto could tell it was not on purpose.
"I have the ability to sense all ranges of emotions, it being so strong I can associate flavors with them. But I can also project these emotions onto a person with eyesight." Naruto looked down when he said this, not wanting the King and Queen to get the wrong idea as if he is trying to do what he described to them. "I can manifest my power through emotions to penetrate the mind and inner core of a soul, and through this I can kill or consume the soul. With it, hypothetically until now since I have never done it before, I can gain control of that soul for my own use but I don't know the true extent of my power."
Lucifer and Lilith stared at the boy with surprise and fear, even though they would not admit it. They had never seen such blatant theft of someone's soul, which is so sacred and protected that not even the Seraphim or the Exterminators could change or alter that. Only the Trinity, the three of them, had the power to interact directly with the soul and maybe even steal it forcefully.
Certainly only Father could do this, Lucifer thought with a small frown as this only raised more questions and concerns.
"Do you plan to use this power at any convenience?" Lucifer asked seriously, no longer the goofy man that he was before. He now had to be the King of Hell.
"No, Tennō Heika," Naruto shook his head and still kept his eyes on the man's feet. "As I said, I wish for a quiet and simple afterlife. I died fighting for my village, and while I will never shy away from battle and do what needs to be done, I have no desire for chaos or such absurd schemes. If you still wish to trust me with the job, I will also make Charlie-hime as happy and powerful as I can."
Lilith smiled at this, the boy's words even getting a small sigh from her husband, and nodded her head appreciatively. No longer were fear and surprise there, but now joy and love.
"It seems like we have made a good choice," Lilith gave a smile to her husband and he gave a relieved nod.
"I will trust my daughter with you, Naruto. But be warned," Lucifer's face returned to before. "If anything happens to my little girl, I will make sure every moment of your time here will be spent in torment and pain. Do we understand each other?"
First was Kyuubi, and now the King of Hell. Must be a common threat.
Naruto nodded his head confidently, his eyes now meeting the King with a determined gaze. "I promise to protect her. No one that comes for me or her will touch a hair on her head or breathe the same air."
The party had ended early. Understandably so, as after finding yourself at the mercy of holy weapons with no access to your powers can be a very anxious event. It was a wonder how some stayed as long as they did, considering half of the Goetia were not fighters in the slightest. The children of the Kings and maybe even the Dukes were trained for battle simply because of their station high in royalty but not others outside of that.
Most of the guests had left shortly after Lucifer and Lilith's announcement that the party will end and everyone is free to leave when they want. The only ones that have stayed are Beelzebub, Prince Stolas and his family, King Paimon of the Ars Goetia, and the von Eldritch family. They all were the closest to the royal family and as such were sticking around to talk and try to make sure the night ended well.
They all now sat in the large lounge that was meant for a large amount of guests, which there was a sizable amount of them. They were waiting for Lucifer and Lilith to return with the Princess after freshening her up. Everyone understood perfectly that meant they were going to have their own moment ever the Princess was held in a life-threatening situation. To those who knew of the situation - being Beelzebub, Stolas, and Paimon - they were now regarding the young adult with more critique and care than they had the first time they met him.
Naruto, having seen and tasted the emotions, and therefore their thoughts, was grateful to have Gaara there with him. Besides needing him for later, as he had the recording, he provided a great amount of calm to the anxiety of the blonde. Call it destiny or whatever, but the redhead brought a sense of right and completeness that was only ever felt with Hinata, Neji, Kakashi, and… Sasuke.
The last one left a bad taste in his mouth; traitor, friend, betrayer, brother… murderer. So many things to describe the other boy, not all of them bad even to this day, but something about it just felt wrong. Something that should not have happened, even at the likeliest of possibilities, but he knew very well that it had happened. He refused to kill his brother, and he in turn died to him, but even then it felt… off.
His only distraction is Gaara's client, the daughter of Stolas, Octavia if he remembered correctly, who he found was oddly around him a lot once the party ended. She would be scolded by her mother for wandering off or for staring too long, which she would stop for a bit before continuing. He wasn't sure what the infatuation was but he wouldn't embarrass her by confronting her about it. He was more thankful for the distraction and found it adorable at the end of the day.
Now, if only he could get Helsa to understand that nothing was going to happen to him.
"I told you I'm fine!"
"And I told you I don't give two fucks and don't believe that's true!