Devil Ninja

Chapter 48

Naruto sat beside a bed, gently stroking the hair of a little nine-tailed fox girl. After the events several hours ago, in which Azazel activated the Dragon Gate with the help of Tannin and Vali but only summoned 8 pawn pieces, everyone had gone their separate ways. He didn't know where anyone else was or what they were doing in that moment. As the youngest and most impressionable person present, he had decided to help Kunou get some sleep. The events of the past few days had frightened her.

As he sat on the bed, many thoughts raced through his mind. Visions of the past flashed before him. He tried his best to banish them, but they were insipid and refused to leave him be. Self-recrimination filled his body as he thought about all the things he could have done to prevent what happened from happening.

Ise... you damn fool.

Just as he was about to remove his hand from Kunou's head, the door to the bedroom opened and a familiar redhead walked in.

"Rias," he greeted in a soft whisper.

The young woman stopped before the bed, glanced at what Naruto was doing, and then continued until she was standing right next to him. Naruto turned back to Kunou. The little fox girl whimpered a bit, but as he stroked her ear with the tenderness of an older brother, she quieted down.

"I am always amazed by how much kids love you," Rias said after a few moments.

"I think it's just certain kids." Naruto smiled and shrugged. "Kunou is a good child. I don't think I'd get along with some other random brat."

"Maybe not."

Rias didn't look like she agreed, but Naruto decided not to comment.

"How's Akeno?"

"She is... unresponsive," Rias admitted with a sigh. She tugged at a lock of red hair. "I have been caring for her ever since Ise's pawn pieces were summoned, but she hasn't said a single word the entire time. I only barely managed to make her eat."

Naruto nodded noncommittally. "She loves him."

"Of course she loves him." Rias wore an irritated frown, but he knew it wasn't aimed at him. "That idiot girl is so self-deprecating that she refused to be true to herself right until the bitter end. I think she wanted to punish herself for treating Ise like a toy when their relationship first started. But it was only now, after Ise disappeared from her life, that I think she really understood how much he meant to her."

Like Rias, Naruto had been aware of the turbulent relationship between Akeno and Issei, though he hadn't gotten himself involved. He believed romantic drama needed to be solved by the two engaged in the drama. Other people getting involved often caused more harm than good. Yet even though Akeno had broken up with Issei, the boy had stubbornly remained faithful to her. He had even gone so far as to put his dreams of being a Harem King on hold until he could convince Akeno to enter their relationship again.

"How is Asia?" he asked at last.

"She cried herself to sleep," Rias admitted. "That girl loves Ise more than anyone. She was incredibly distraught. I don't know if she will be able to recover from this. Xenovia is with her right now."

Asia was perhaps the purest among them and the one who was hurt the easiest. It didn't surprise Naruto that she was the most vulnerable. However, he also believed she would be okay. That girl had a hidden strength to her that most people didn't recognize. Of course, it wouldn't hurt for him to check up on her when he could.

Naruto studied Kunou for a moment before retracting his hand. The girl didn't stir, which meant he could finally turn around to face Rias.

The redhead looked worse for wear. Her eyes had bags under them, and her shoulders were slumped. Even her hair seemed messier than normal and the normally vibrant red of her locks appeared dull. She looked worn out and exhausted.