Chapter Four
An Old Friend
Stella tapped her clawed fingers on the table of her long, ebonywood dining table. She wore an elegant dress made of a white silhouette and sleeves, while the hemline and bodice were black with silver stars speckled all around. The dress parted just above her waist down to her knees, covering her modesty in the front and back while allowing her beautiful plumage to be visible.
She was waiting for her useless husband to arrive so they and their daughter could make it to Princess Magne's birthday on time. Octavia was sitting in her room in her dress as she waited to leave, but getting her into that dress was incredibly difficult and took quite a few bribes to accomplish it.
Stella still couldn't believe she agreed to take her daughter to a concert on the surface on top of taking her to this new 'hip' restaurant in one of the Pride districts. It was very new considering typical Hell ages, only three years if she remembers what her daughter said about it, but it is already a business with a queue lined up for months in advance.
But Stella will do it all, not only because it got her into a beautiful dress but because she truly cared for her daughter's happiness. If only the problems with Stolas' relationship with that imp wasn't causing so much stress on her and her image, she would have been able to live a happy life. She would be taking care of her precious hatchling while remaining cordial and even friends with her husband.
She really wanted that. It would be so much happier.
"Starlight! I'm back!"
Stella looked up when she heard Stolas' shout and found him passing by the doorway into the dining room. She knows he would go to check on Octavia first, as was expected as the only thing the two of them could agree on is their love for their daughter. She was the reason they have even stayed together this long, after all.
However, it was the second figure that gave her pause. Red hair with raccoon ears, golden skin that looked like the consistency of sand, and striking sea-green eyes. Only five foot six, he looked no older than their daughter but something about him made Stella uneasy. It was nothing like a normal Sinner, or even an Overlord, but it was nowhere close to the aura of a Sin.
Who did Stolas bring around?!
Naruto was enjoying himself as he walked around with Helsa, her arm looped into his as that is what she wanted. He has met quite a few notable demons at the party, all of them being among Lucifer's trusted subordinates but there was the odd one out. They were all older, a few decades to quite a few centuries, and they all greeted the Princess with respect as one would do to the royal family.
There didn't seem to be many demons around Charlie's age, as Naruto noted while walking and greeting the various aristocratic figures. The only ones who seemed to be Charlie's age is Seviathan, Helsa, him, and a few children of the Ars Goetia families that he couldn't stand. That seemed to be less than a dozen children, which would make sense considering these demons have lived for thousands of years and children were not so important to them as humans.
"Stop glaring at the son of Prince Orobas, Naru," Helsa whispered to the blonde foxboy while smiling brilliantly at a passing Goetia woman.
"He's checking you out again," Naruto said while pulling the girl closer to him. "He better stop or he will find laxatives in his drink later. See how he feels when he shits himself in front of everyone."
"While that would be amusing, I don't think you should ruin the Princess's birthday party." Helsa grabbed a glass of bubbly wine and offered it to the blonde. "Do you?"
"No," Naruto sighed and accepted the glass. Taking a sip, he said, "why are all these heirs so stuck up? I thought your brother was bad but these people are something else."
Helsa shrugged as she drank from her own glass. "Comes with the status. You learn to ignore it."
Naruto curled his nose in disgust as everywhere he looked he was surrounded by purple and the taste of grapes. "The amount of pride is suffocating."
"What does it taste like?"
Naruto snorted at the teasing voice of his date. "Grapes. Bitter ones at that."
"Oh, shit," Helsa coughed into her cup before setting it on a passing empty platter. "Look presentable."
"Why-?"
Naruto did not finish his question when his eyes widened at the group of four approaching them. His reaction was for many reasons, none of them any more than the other but that's just what he told himself.
The first reason is that the two adults were elegantly dressed bird demons, something that shouldn't be too foreign to him but their appearance was unlike anything he's seen before. The male was tall and slender, and the way he walked just screamed 'twink!', but his red eyes were demonic but not unsettling. The female was slightly shorter, only a few inches taller than Naruto with a beautiful plumage spreading from her backside, and her feathers are a perfectly pristine white while her eyes are pink with a white pupil.
Then there was the short but equally beautiful gray-feathered owl girl, around his height but that seemed to be because she was slouching. She has magenta eyes with a white pupil like her mother, while through them he can see that she wants to be anywhere but at this party. She tugged at her dress absently, clearly not used to wearing such clothing, and he could sympathize with her as he himself hated these outfits.
But the biggest reason his eyes widened is the final individual of the group lagging behind the young owl girl. He has red hair with familiar blue-green eyes and black makeup around his eyes. But the tanuki ears and tail only reinforces who he thinks he is looking at. An old friend.
"Naruto…?"
Naruto moved forward suddenly, unhooking his arm from Helsa, and quickly embraced the boy. He shut his eyes, shuddering deeply as he felt him hug him back.
"Gaara… what are you doing here?"
Naruto pulled back to look at the boy, gently holding the redhead's cheeks as he moved him around. He didn't know what he was looking for, whether it be a sign this was an illusion or a mask he wasn't sure. But the sound of discomfort from his friend made him stop.
"Naruto, you're making a scene," Gaara grabbed his friend's hands and pulled them down.
"I… I'm sorry, Gaara." Naruto hung his head a bit as he noticed a few people were looking at him. "It's good to see you again, but how did you die? What are you doing at this party?"
The redhead was going to answer but they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Both turned to see the three bird demons and Helsa looking at them with varying looks of curiosity and confusion.
"How do you know Helsa's date, Gaara?" The adult male spoke with a kind curiosity.
"Ah, I'm sorry," Naruto turned around and bowed slightly to the man. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I am Gaara's friend. We knew each other in life, before I arrived two years ago."
"Oh, don't be so scared, young one," the man smiled amusedly with a nod of his head. "I fully understand the reaction then. But let me introduce my family! My name is Stolas Goetia, prince of the Ars Goetia. This is my wife, Stella Goetia, and my daughter, Octavia Goetia."
"Pleased to meet you," both women curtsied.
"Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto reintroduced to them with a bow before motioning to Helsa. "I am miss Helsa von Eldritch's date for the party."
Helsa moved towards him, her aura palpitating with orange and tangerine, and she looped her arm back into his. "It's nice to meet all of you again. It has been a while, Octavia."
"It has," the young owl demon nodded her head but her eyes went curiously to Naruto. "How did you get Naruto as a date?"
"I have my ways," Helsa teased in response but got a snort from the blonde.
"She begged and when I wasn't going to come, she pulled out the teary eyes trick and I caved," Naruto gave a teasing grin at the flushed and embarrassed girl. "I hope none of you mind, I need to talk to Gaara for a bit. I want to know how he died as I haven't heard about what's happening on the surface."
"Don't take too long, Naru," Helsa smiled and shooed her date as she could tell this was important for him. "I'll be with the Goetias until you return."
Naruto gave a relieved smile and leaned forward to give a kiss on her cheek.
"Thank you," he whispered before leading Gaara away with a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"I didn't think I would find you here, Naruto," Gaara said once they were out of earshot. "You are doing well, it seems."
"I wasn't expecting any of you guys from when I was alive for another decade," Naruto commented while giving some smiles to passing demons. "To be honest, I expected old lady Tsunade before any of you guys. So what happened?"
Gaara sighed and shook his head. "There is a group called Akatsuki traveling around stealing Biju from Jinchuuriki. I was targeted by two of their members. The rescue team did not reach me in time and I died from the extraction."
"Damn," Naruto muttered and hugged his friend sideways. "I'm sorry to hear that, Gaara, I really am. What's been going on since I died?"
"Your death was hard for a lot of people to accept…" Gaara stopped walking and turned to look at his friend. "Because you died against Sasuke, there was nothing stopping Tsunade from marking him as a missing-nin with a dead or alive bounty. Sakura seemed to be the only one wanting mercy for him but after your body was brought back for burial and an official forensic analysis was done on the battlefield, even she stopped and believed the Uchiha too far gone."
Naruto nodded his head absently, glad to know his friends were doing well and that even Sakura would support him over the Uchiha. Sucks that it took his death to get that kind of recognition but there's no use crying for change. It was satisfying and melancholic in some way.
"I think there were a few times that he was almost caught or killed, but he somehow always made it out alive. During one of the attempts, it was found out that someone in Konoha had been working with the former Sannin and he was captured and later killed for his crimes. After that, there were reforms rolled out by Tsunade in her desire to prevent future child deaths. Graduation age is now sixteen."
Naruto now grinned at that. Trust the old lady to make such drastic changes that would shake up the oldest traditions just because she wanted to. "That sounds like the old lady. I'm glad she is doing well."
Gaara nodded his head. "Yeah, but the Kyuubi has not been reformed even up until my death. It is believed that whatever seal the Fourth Hokage used, it was able to truly kill the Biju."
"That would leave Konoha in a tough spot without a Jinchuuriki to deter the other countries," Naruto hummed to himself.
Gaara nodded his head. "In response to this, Jiraiya the Toad Sannin is training a new generation of Seal Masters to be able to combat the destructiveness of a Jinchuuriki and Biju."
Gaara looked at his friend at the mention of the boy's old master.
"I expected pervy Sage to just continue with his women and books," Naruto chuckled but it was a humorless one. "I guess he can take his job seriously, after all."
"He was deeply hurt to hear of your death," Gaara put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "He had doubled his spy efforts and is the reason for three quarters of the raids on Orochimaru's hideouts."
"That's… good to hear," Naruto smiled sadly. This was what he needed to hear after his death. "How did you end up in the Goetia care?"
"I was found by King Paimon, one of the Goetia kings and Stolas' father," Gaara began leading his friend through an open doorway where they could talk more privately. "Apparently because of my status as a Jinchuuriki, I have more power than any Sinner and most Overlords. I've been hired as heiress Octavia's bodyguard as per King Paimon's request and Prince Stolas' agreement. I will be set with a wage, suitable living conditions, and other amenities that will aid in my new position and future service to the Goetia family."
"Yeah, I realized the same thing as well when I arrived," Naruto chuckled and flexed his fingers a bit. "It's taken a while but I'm able to conceal most of my presence into that of a low-tier Overlord. Nothing exceptional, but something to be wary about attacking."
Naruto sighed through his smile and he looked at his friend. "I'm glad to hear you are set to have an easy time in Hell. I've been expecting some people from my time alive but not this soon. I guess with all of that I should have my clones on the lookout more often in case a war really is brewing up top."
Gaara was about to say something when he and Naruto heard breathy moans further down the hall.
They had entered a seemingly empty wing of the Magne mansion in their walk while talking, ending up a bit away from the party but close enough to still hear the chatter. It was not unlikely for some lustful demons to step away to sate their urges, but the likelihood of it happening in the King's own home was very unlikely. Unless one expected to be done and back with the party without anyone knowing.
"Oh, Satan!" A breathy voice reached the two former Jinchuuriki and this one was familiar to the blonde.
It was one of the unmarried daughters of King Paimon, who he met in passing while walking around with Helsa. She was a peacock bird demon with beautiful purplish blue feathers that were rainbow designed on her tail. She was constantly radiating scarlet and purple, even more when she met him but he did not return her obvious lustful comments.
"So tight!"
Now that voice made Naruto's blood run cold while his face burned hot. That was without a doubt Seviathan's voice, no matter how muffled and low it was. That little fucking bastard was cheating on his girlfriend at her own party!
"Naruto," Gaara grabbed his friend's elbow when he saw the boy start moving towards the direction of the noises. "If we confront whoever is there, it is likely that their word will be taken over ours. We need to have evidence or it will backfire on us."
Naruto breathed deeply a few times before nodding his head. "I understand. I can't just do nothing, though."
"That's not what I'm saying," Gaara pulled out his hellphone, one he was given by the Goetia, and opened the camera. "I will record the confrontation. That way, it will be yours to be presented to whoever needs to know."
Naruto smiled in appreciation of his friend. "Thanks, Gaara. Start recording now."
Gaara nodded and did so as they began walking further down the hall, and the moans got louder the closer they got. They finally ended up outside a closed door and it looked to be a closet for the many servants who would be cleaning the large mansion. The door was locked, as was found when Naruto quietly turned the knob and it couldn't be opened. He turned back to his friend with a narrowed gaze, getting a shrug in response, before he sighed and waved him back.
"Give me space."
Gaara backed up closer to the opposite wall and Naruto stepped three feet away from the door before moving his foot backward. He twisted his body once and twice before, with power and speed, slammed his foot against the doorknob and watched as it swung open and crashed into the wall behind it. Inside is a large utility closet, twelve feet by eight feet, with shelves and lockers lining the sides and what must have been a small table at the opposite end of the door. Standing in front of the door with his dress pants around his ankles is, like Naruto assumed, Seviathan, and sitting back against the wall with her dress hiked up to her waist is Pyxis Goetia.
Seviathan stumbled to pull out of Pyxis and grab for his pants and turned around to see who found them. Pyxis quickly closed her legs and pushed her dress down, wiping the drool from her beak and smoothing down her feathers. They had wide eyes and were staring at the two of them like deer caught in front of the headlights, and neither could speak through their surprise. Cowardice and fear radiated off of them in waves.
It would have brought an amused smirk to Naruto's face if it was not for the greater amounts of anger and disappointment that was bubbling in his chest. He crossed his arms and looked at both of them in their eyes. "Hello! Here's what is going to happen!"
Naruto's fake smile and light tone of voice had even Gaara pausing, and Seviathan only looked more fearful at the blonde speaking.
"Pyxis, leave and go to your family. If I see you anywhere that is not around someone of the Goetia, then your father will know of what you did with the Princess's boyfriend." The woman was moving slowly at first but Naruto's red fox eyes pierced her soul when he felt she was not moving quick enough. "Now, Goetia."
She quickly fixed her dress and slipped on her misplaced high heel shoe before quickly leaving the room. Once she was gone, Naruto turned back to Seviathan to see him quickly fixing his suit and putting the top hat on his head. He can now see anger and pride coming from him instead of the fear and cowardice, almost as if he thought that Naruto was not going to do anything.
"Well then," Seviathan cleared his throat. "I will go back to see how Charlie is doing."
"If you leave that room, I will tear off your arms and legs and leave you at the mercy of the denizens of Cannibal Town." Naruto glared at the man and fear blossomed in the man again. "Here is how this will go. You will stay away from the Princess until the end of this birthday party. We will not ruin her special day, as this is her day to enjoy, and you will not make your presence known with what you have just done and have likely been doing long before today. Once the party has ended and the guests leave, I will be making this known to the Magne family and your parents. Should you try avoiding the fate you brought upon yourself, the video will be making its way to every corner of the Seven Rings."
Anger sprouted in the fear but not enough to give Seviathan any courage. He stayed quiet and did not move.
"Leave now. Remember, if I find you near the Princess I will end your life." Naruto watched as the man quickly left the room and made his way back to the party.
Gaara stopped the recording and placed the phone in his pocket, giving one last glance at the retreating back of the demon.