Chapter Eighteen
Recovery
Naruto had been brought to Bee's home, which is a smaller scale of the Magne home. It was grand and excessive, with an indoor water fountain and grand staircases, but it was for the Sin of Gluttony. It sure did live up to her name, at least.
But Naruto had found that being in Beelzebub's care was a lot more than he bargained for. As soon as they arrived, she had him watched over by Vortex while she prepared a multitude of things. She had a whole plan for him and his recovery, and he wasn't exactly able to fight back considering her was practically paralyzed at this moment.
She had a bath started for him with special herbs she has manufactured - through science - to help the recovery of muscles. Once that was ready, it was apparent that he could not wash himself, or stay above water should he slip, so he had to be assisted.
He got Bee and Tex to agree, but the conversation that went was amusing and something straight out of a cartoon.
"Hey, Tex?"
"Yeah?"
"You're not gay are you?"
"Haven't met a man pretty enough to make me consider it, so no."
"Cool, you're gonna help me. I'm not able to fight back should Bee… wanna do more than just wash me."
Bee didn't appreciate being insinuated as a creep, but that stopped when she was asked a very unfair question. She was asked if when she has to wash his lower half that she would hold herself back from doing something else she could not honestly answer positively. Vortex could have died in laughter at the hesitant and insincere answer she gave.
After Naruto was cleaned and enjoying a few jokes with the hellhound bodyguard, he was treated to a Bee exclusive meal prepared by the Sin herself. That is to say, she had served him Texas style French toast drizzled with honey, a slice of pan fried honey hickory ham, and a bowl of enlarged fruit. Tex revealed that she is holding herself back with the array of extreme flavors that she usually makes for herself.
Finally, as the night began to come to a close, Naruto found himself trapped in the Sin's embrace on the couch. His head is placed between her thighs while her left leg curled under the arch of his back and her right is arched over his shoulder. She was playing with his hair as they listened to some pop music, the blonde slowly starting to fall asleep.
"You know," Bee said as she focused on the small braid she was making. "Some people would be dying to get into my pants the moment they had the chance to go serious with me."
"I'm just better," Naruto smirked with his eyes still closed. "A person's body is not what defines them as a partner to me. Personality, intelligence, and a good smile is more pleasurable to me than seeking carnal satisfaction."
This time, he opened his eyes and he caught her gaze. "I'm sure the moment I gave you permission you would wring me dry. I'm trying to recover, not hurt myself somewhere else."
Bee grinned and leaned forward with her bottom hands cupping the blonde's face. "I can go easy on you."
"But I don't want it easy," Naruto leaned up and caught her lips in a kiss. "I like to give it my all for the first time, easy can come after."
"Do you treat all girls like this?" She grinned as she pulled away from his lips. "I might be jealous at this point."
"I'm not too quick on relationships so nothing to worry there," Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "Only Helsa has had a sexual relationship of any kind with me. Although, she's not the only one whp wants me so I don't know how to feel about that."
Bee raised an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean? Isn't it great to be desired from so many people?"
"Not when I have to make a choice and hurt others."
Bee looked at Naruto's face and saw his eyes unfocused on something not in the room. She smiled as she understood that he just really cared for those around him and being loved by more than a few made it tricky for him. But it was amused how he thought he had to choose.
Well, yeah, there will be some who want to be exclusive, but for the most part it's not actually a common occurrence. Especially among royalty, where concubines are a given, multiple partners was seen as a symbol of status and power. For someone like the blonde, who is more powerful than a President of the Ars Goetia, it would not be far fetched for him to have as many girls and boys he wants.
"How about you worry about that when it comes up," she leaned down and kissed his forehead gently. "For now, enjoy your time being with me and I will take all of your worries away~."
"In here, Sera," Michael motioned into the door for the young girl.
She walked in and she was met with seven figures that made her heart drop. This is where I'm executed.
The rest of the Elders, excluding Azrael and Uriel, were in the room. Each one stood out among the other, showing that they were made to encompass something contrasting or similar to the other. God, when making angels, did not need many in its infancy, and the care put into each one during the time of the Garden of Eden was evident.
The first she saw was Gabriel, the Angel of Orders, who is now a Throne after the disbandment of the Archangel Order. He is the first to hear and spread the Word of God to the lower choirs, even among his siblings. His blonde hair in a low ponytail still kept him similar to his triplet brothers, and his cheeks had green circles on them.
Then there was Themiel, the Angel of Visions, who is Azrael's brother and is a Dominion. He has brunette-black hair and his eyes are covered by a pristine white cloth. No one other than his siblings know what his eyes look like because he has always kept a fold over his eyes. He wears a traditional cloth dress of hellenic women. He is skinny and toned, pale much like his brother, but there is a single black spot on his wrist.
Remiel, the Angel of Hope, was near Themiel. She has beautiful pink eyes and snow white hair that seemed to sparkle like the purest marble of Heaven, contrasting stunningly with her bronze skin tone. She is part of the Powers and has been a crucial reason why their line against the Darkness has not yet fallen. She had the ability to inspire and lift up the spirits of fellow angels.
Zachariel, the Angel of Memories, and a member of the Powers, has hot pink hair and pale blue eyes. His hair is held back with a pink and black plaid headband that is decorated with various pins he has found through the years while going to Earth. Around his neck is a black choker with a silver cross. He could recall many memories of any person he touched, especially those who had been affected by Alzheimer's, and he has gone down to Earth a few times to remind humans of the good in their lives.
Raphael, the Angel of Healing, is a member of the Principality, and closely resembles one of their fallen brothers. His blonde hair is just a bit longer and he has even been created with the same red circles on his cheeks, but he is not considered a sibling of theirs. He has incredible powers over healing, even having the ability to regrow people's limbs if they lose them.
Raguel, the Angel of Justice, is a Power and one of the largest among their siblings. He is almost seven foot and weighed just under three hundred pounds, even more when he was in his antique armor. He was second to Michael as one of the strongest warriors but unlike the Angel of Battle he preferred a spear as his weapon of choice.
Lastly is Raziel, the Angel of Mysteries, and the second of the Elders to be a Throne. He is the second largest, with dark skin and dark eyes, he was a formidable presence and a clever mind for any of his peers. He had never grown withdrawn despite the Book he kept in a satchel under his cloak, but he is protective of the secrets given to him by their Father.
"Calm yourself, Junior Seraphim Emily," Raziel spoke out evenly and calmly. "You will not find yourself harmed here."
"We are here because we need your help," Zachariel smiled brightly as his light voice made Emily relax a bit.
"Emily, I know you have been bothered ever since our interrogation about the sentencing of Naruto," Michael put a hand on her shoulder as he spoke. "You have the right to be, as you did not know yet that he was Father's Son and Savior for Ninkai, but the responsibility is not on your shoulders."
"You are to blame as much as us," Gabriel bowed his head sadly. "We should have kept a closer eye on him."
"But now we have the problem that someone close to the Seraphim Council is manipulating what has happened to Naruto," Michael picked up again. "You have been honest and genuine in your time so far in this ordeal and for that you are the only one that we can trust to keep an eye on the other Seraphim for us."
"W-what?" Emily looked at the man with wide eyes. "Why me? I'm the one who screwed up such an important thing!"
"Because you know you've messed up," Themiel smiled softly as he spoke to the girl. "That means more than trying to fix things."
"Although, fixing this would be best," Raguel chuckled softly.
"Can you do this for us, Emily?" Michael moved to stand with his family and turned back to the young girl. "Can we trust you? You will have to be careful of every other angel, even Seraphim Speaker Sera. Trust no one but us."
"You suspect Sera of being part of some plot?" Emily's eyes were wide as she questioned the man. "But she has served the Seraphim House for many years and not once has she... shown... heresy."
She trailed off at the end and her eyes were unfocused once she finished, leaving the other angels apologetic.
"We can not be too sure, and the balance of the universe is at stake," Zachariel gave an apologetic smile as he answered.
"Would you risk all of existence to the Darkness because you cannot distrust your peers temporarily?" Remiel asked seriously. "Think smart, Emily."
"Your duty is to God first and foremost," Michael told the girl and his tone told her she had to make her choice here and now. "What is your answer?"
Emily was quiet as she thought about Michael's words before nodding her head. "I can."
"Naruto!"
The girls were the first to surround the boy. Tayuya was moving his arms and moving his clothes to see for any marks, her dark eyes looking scarily focused on her task. Helsa was hugging his left arm tightly. Charlie, however, was the only one to notice Bee behind him in the rush to see the blonde.
"Auntie Bee…" Charlie's eyes traveled down to see one of the Sin's lower hands gripping Naruto's ass. "What… happened?"
"Long story short, the party never happened but I got my prize!"
Naruto rolled his eyes at the woman and scoffed. "Someone go get Haku and Stephen. This is a story for everyone."
"Oh, well, while you were gone, a few guests came over this morning." Charlie said before walking away to get everyone.
"Guests? Like who?" Naruto had raised an eyebrow now.
"Some Goetia girl and her dad, a hellhound and her dad, and that Rin chick," Tayuya answered smoothly.
"You were attacked again weren't you?"
Naruto shrugged at Helsa's question, not showing anything that would be positive or negative. "I will tell everyone once we've sat down."
Naruto made his way to the dining room with Bee right behind him, the two girls following as well. They shared a glance between each other as they had both noticed how close the Sin was to him. Considering her hand was still groping his ass, her hand in his pocket to do so, they had an idea of what was going on.
And they were jealous.
He began moving a few tables together and enough chairs for everyone. He was done by the time everyone began walking out from the back, with Charlie leading the group.
"Queen Beelzebub," Stolas greeted lightly with a bow of his head.
"Prince Stolas, how's the family situation?" Bee left Naruto and walked up to the man. "Still fighting with Stella?"
Stolas chuckled nervously before glancing at Blitzø. "There is one person who is making everything better."
Bee glanced down at the imp, tasting annoyance and embarrassment coming from him, before she began laughing. "You sure you aren't Ozzie's kid? Sure got the same tastes."
Octavia pulled her beanie further down on her head at the conversation between her father and the Sin, just knowing what they're talking about. But her feathers bristled flustered when she looked at the blonde that was still tidying the tables and chairs. Her tail feathers fanned out suddenly and she quickly took a seat to hide them.
What if he doesn't like them?
Stolas had seen his daughter's tail feathers fan out and he felt nervous for his daughter. She was only sixteen yet she had already instinctively fallen for someone so he could understand her reaction. The blonde, a little older than her, was not even a Goetia demon. While he did not care, he welcomed it actually, he knew it would serve to be the biggest obstacle when facing the rest of the family.
Paimon, especially, will argue against such a union.
"Why don't we sit," Naruto announced while sitting at one end of the row of tables. "Find a seat and we can talk about everyone here."
"First, what happened to you," Helsa said while taking a seat on his left.
Bee quickly took the seat to his right. She saw Charlie look a little downcast so, with a teasing smile, pulled her niece into her lap and cuddled her into her chest. The young girl giggled as she was embraced and her face turned a bit flush.
Stolas sat next to his daughter while pulling out a chair for Blitzø, a loving smile on his lips as the imp grumbled but got in the chair. Loona sat next to him, next to Helsa, and she pulled her phone out to scroll on Voxtagram. Rin sat next to Bee while Stephen and Haku took the last two seats at the end of the table.
"Alright," Naruto nodded his head once everyone. "I'm surprised with how many are here but I welcome all of you. As for the question of what happened to me, some of your assumptions were correct. I was attacked on the way to Bee's party in the Gluttony Ring."
"I knew it!" Tayuya shouted at. "You should have brought one of us with you."
"No I should not have," Naruto's eyes became a narrowed glare as he looked at the pinkette. "I faced a Tribune and while she was not uniquely strong, they had an even stronger enemy as reinforcements."
"Who was it?" Stolas questioned.
"My father." Naruto now looked at Rin and the woman stared back. "Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. The same person responsible for the burden I had to carry in life and the reason I suffered as I did."
Bee put a hand on his thigh in support.
"So I was right with my thinking," Rin said and sat back in her chair. "So your mother will be Kushina Uzumaki."
"If that's the redhead woman I saw, then yeah," Naruto nodded his head and took a deep breath. "Either way, I was able to survive by pushing all of my power into a technique and driving them away. But I know who is trying to kidnap me, if not one of the culprits. The Shinigami."
"You mean the death god?" Tayuya asked and while she sounded disbelieving he knew she trusted him.
"I doubt he portrays himself as a death god, considering we found out the Old Ways are true," Haku thought aloud. "But that means whoever the Shinigami is, they are strong enough to go to Ninkai themselves and then create a contract that can summon them."
"Exactly," Naruto nodded his head. "But that's all we know for right now so until then I want everyone to be careful."
He got nods from his employees and turned to the two father-daughter pairs. "I know what Stolas-dono is here for, but what about you Blitzø?"
"Loony wants a job," Blitzø answered with a shrug. "I thought it'd be fine until I got my own business going and she suggested it be here."
And by suggest, he meant she threatened to stab him in his sleep if he tried to argue on her choice. She was even more adamant of her choice now that she got to see Beelzebub up close. She had always had a crush on the Sin growing up and to be strong and independent like her.
"Understandable, and I am willing to accept," Naruto smiled at Loona now, making the hellhound blush and look back at her phone. "By the way, Stolas-dono, will Gaara be coming by to continue being Octavia's guard?"
Stolas shook his head at the question. "No, he is currently doing a little task for me. He will be busting until Extermination Day and likely a little after."
Naruto nodded his head in understanding and looked at Octavia to see the girl was watching him closely from under her beanie while slouching into herself. She held her knees up to her chin as she kept most of her face hidden behind her long skirt and pants. She was doing everything in her power to keep her plumage under control before she embarrassed herself.
"It's great to have you two on board! I'm sure you girls will get along well here." He bowed his head respectfully. "I promise to treat you both with respect while you stay here."
"When's the new restaurant opening, by the way?" Helsa raised an eyebrow as she asked the question some of them were wondering.
Naruto tilted his head as he looked at her. "It's already done. I've been trying to go around on the street and employ some people. Was also trying to approach Haku at some point about being the manager there."
Haku's eyes widened at that and nervously held his arms. "I'm not too sure about running a restaurant on my own. I don't think I'd be able to protect it on my own if I had to."
Naruto nodded his head in understanding. "Okay, then my other option is you, Rin." That got a few surprised stares. "I mean, you are clearly cooperative and I think I can consider you my friend at this point. So yeah, I think I can trust you to run my new store."
Rin was quiet as she contemplated the request. Truthfully, she didn't think she would stay around this long But she was kind of glad she did. It was at least confirmed he was the son of her sensei, which is what she wanted to know.
So, without much else stopping her, she asked. "How long do I have to prepare?"
Naruto held his head in pain as his vision blurred and unfocused for a few moments. It had taken a lot out of him to not pass out while talking to everyone. He wasn't fatigued from the battle anymore but something about his senses had changed overnight.
First of all, he felt something inside of him pulsing and throbbing. It was a wicked thrum that had him breathing abnormally and having varying control of his own chakra. It was like his body was trying to permanently enter the transformation but there was something blocking it from happening.
Then there were the auras of everyone. Before today, he could taste and see their emotions in their basic forms. But now he could actually feel his emotions and theirs intertwining! Like yarn being knit together into some kind of cloth.
Was his emotions now heightened from the transformation that it could affect those around him? Or would they affect him? He wasn't sure which was worse but he had to try hard to keep them from completely melding together.
Oh, God.
He suddenly lost his footing as the room quickly spun in his vision. He nearly fell to the floor but he was caught by someone.
"Woah, there, Nathan," Stephen was grabbing him and lifting him on his feet. "Hey, you okay?"
"Yeah, just… nauseous," Naruto did not like lying but if it kept others from panicking over him he would do it each and every time.
"Come on, I'll help you to your bed," Stephen grunted as he slowly supported the blonde to his room.
Fuck. Naruto let himself be led to his room by the smaller boy. "Th-thanks, Stephen."
"Of course, sir," Stephen's chipper reply made Naruto smile. "We're almost there."
Naruto held his head and nodded a bit to show he was listening. For some reason, his mind kept wandering to the revelation of who his father was. He really wondered what the man expected the village to react to being told an infant is now holding the most dangerous construct in the world. One that had just nearly destroyed the village and killed so many shinobi and civilians.
"Fathers are great at making bad choices." Naruto was surprised to hear Stephen talk to him, especially about something he was just thinking about. "But that doesn't change that they love their children. In their vision to set up the best future for their children, they sometimes make poor and emotional choices. That doesn't mean they love them any less."
Naruto was about to question Stephen before he was laid down on the bed. The room began spinning and he had to hold his head to fend off the coming nausea and migraine.
"Do not forget that you are the hope of both parents." The pillow was adjusted under Naruto's head and he was beginning to lose consciousness suddenly.
But Stephen kept speaking and the last words he heard were from him. "Just sleep it off and everything will be better in the morning, Naruto."
Thwack! Wham!
"Useless!" The lioness hellcat shouted as she raised her rod above her head. "You dare show your face after facing such a loss!"
Thwack!
Eir lowered her head and winced as the bulbous end of the rod hit her bare back once more. She was held by two fellow Tribunes but it was not like she would fight back. She deserved this for her failure. She was lucky her god had not forsaken her outright.
"Stop, Borghild."
The lioness breathed heavily as she stopped the rod in the air before stepping back and bowing her head. "As you command, my lord."
Eir was released by her peers and she collapsed to her knees as she completely lost any energy she had. She kept her head lowered as she knew better than to look up when she was being punished. Her breathing is shaky but she did not make a noise that would show discomfort or weakness.
Minato watched from the side of Óðinn as the hellfox was left on the floor. He did not like the brutality for a simple loss but he was unable to say anything about it. He was still under the man's control so long as held the soul marble.
"I hate having to do this to one as loyal as you, Eir." The elderly man leaned to the side in his chair. "But even those I trust the most must be punished like the others. You understand?"
"Yes, my lord," Eir breathed raggedly but still answered loudly. "I will endeavor to not disappoint again."
"Make sure you do, my dear," Óðinn nodded and waved his hand. "Go wash yourself."
Nobody assisted the hellfox as she got to her feet and uneasily left the room to do as ordered. She pulled her dress back over her shoulders and used the wall as support to move through the halls more evenly. As she did, she could not help the bitterness in her heart.
He sends me to fight someone like that and expects me to succeed? That boy is a monster!
She uses the word 'monster' loosely as she knew deep down he was not one. He had beaten her senseless, tossing her around easily and without care, but there was mercy. Mercy, a word that she gets her name from. But a concept that was foreign to her.
When was the last time she felt mercy? It surely wasn't during the beatings she received as a lower Standard. It wasn't the ridicule and abuse she faced from her peers.
He was the first to give me mercy. Even if it was harsh, he did extend it to her.
Someone like him… would make a better ruler than Óðinn could ever be.