1,207PROLOGUE: DO YOU DARE TO BE GOD?
There is a rumor about the seat atop the tower
They say its owner has left and took with him all his power
The loyal don't see their father has left them all alone
With nothing but sweet airs and a hollow throne
Their eyes held blind to the truth of their lost king
Such a void, so barren, that even choirs dare not sing
But do not despair
Perhaps your intent might be to sit upon his chair
But first, there is something you must be made well aware
The path to the top is not for the weak…
The Underworld.
A world believed to either lie below what is deemed the 'human world' or is in fact a world beyond the dimensional ties of 'Earth.' This theory has been given great thought by great factions of life and separate mythology. The Underworld is roughly the size of the human world, except for its absence of large bodies of water, such as oceans. Rivers and lakes appeared frequently across the vast expanse of land that made up the Underworld, to be certain, but all traces of oceanic life seemed to have evaporated many millennia ago. Regardless, vast amounts of flora and fauna were prevalent on the surface. This is, ironically, a subject of controversy amongst humans, who have spread ill-informed rumors about its makeup being that of fire and brimstone.
It would have been humorous if it weren't said with such harshness.
Life grew, expanded and, with some, developed sentience from this deemed Underworld. The most prevalent of these races was that of the race that would be called 'the Devils.' Of important note, this race was not originally called 'Devils' in their creation. Their original name was lost to history, as gradually those of other natures and races began to call them as what they are known to today and the 'Devils' accepted their new title with enthusiasm.
The Devils were very much human in appearance (or, depending on whom you ask, the humans were very Devil in appearance). Four limbs, bipedal, five fingers and toes, complex immune systems, sexual dimorphism and so on. If one were to stand a group of humans and Devils together, side-by-side, it would be a surprise if he or she managed to tell one apart by appearance alone.
Aside from humans, however, Devils were unique in how they separated themselves from humans. Devils held immense amounts of strength, speed, stamina, high magical influence and – over time – the ability to fly. Even their intelligence and innovation seemed to be above those of humans in the early ages. Whether it was evolution or some mythical force that might have been the cause behind such advancements in the Devil race, but it was undeniable that the average Devil held vast amounts of power over an average human.
These superiorities only grew, with many developing strange abilities singular to a family or race. And once discovery of the human world became known to the Devils – which they were capable of traveling back and forth from with the use of techniques they developed between the two realms – that is where the most well-known of tales between the Devils and the humans began.
Devils discovered the humans; discovered their dominance over the creatures that had only begun to develop into a race of some note. To the Devils, they only saw a species that might have been of some use in advancing and continuing their prevalence in the world – now worlds.
Among these great conquerors of humans, there stood the great generals of Devils. Lucifer, Leviathan, Beelzebub, Asmodeus; these Devils, known as the Four Great Satans, stood at the top of the food chain, leading the proud 72 Pillars of the Devilkind in the hopes of conquering this new world as their own.
The fate of humanity might have ended as quickly as it had begun. Few could stand against the onslaught of Devils. Those who attempted to press against the Devils died. It was a message that their invasion was not to be challenged.
Those were dark days in human, forgotten history.
It was amongst the enslaving and the conquering and the death that the Devils became known to others. Others who would shake the foundation of Devil and humankind for millienia to come. They were known as the Angels.
Angels – the originators of Heaven; their home. Angels were powerful, winged beings, similar, in fact, to the appearance of humans and Devils. They descended from the skies in blinding lights to prevent the increased empirical movements of the Devils. They attacked with powers that were formed with light and held strong capability in harming the Devilkind. Gifted by their Father, who is known today as 'God,' the Angels engaged the Devils in a war unlike any other; a war that would last for millennia to come.
Those were the years known as the Great War. The Four Great Satans fell in battle. The 72 Pillars lost great strength. A faction of Angels, disillusioned with the perfection that Angelkind held themselves at, formed amongst the human realm and Devilkind – effectively named the Fallen Angels.
No side was left undamaged. Their very foundations left them on the brink of collapse. It was by the judgement of these groups – officially known as the Three Factions – that the war could go on no longer. An uneasy ceasefire was forged; a stalemate to end the death and ruin of all worlds.
No peace was made. Not yet. Too much bad blood between all groups involved.
Now, what does this have to do with the story that will be told, you might be asking? Well, if you are still interested, perhaps this story of conflict, hardships, renewed life and perhaps, if you're lucky, even a little romance might tie up some loose questions you might ask.
The story is that of a once-dead Naruto Uzumaki. His story lied before the Angel and Devils' conflict. Long, long before. His time passed, but now, it must start over again –
For the throne atop the tower must be sat upon again…
In the vast cities of the Gremory Territory of the Underworld, the stone buildings and skyscrapers glowed beneath the moon in the night sky. The cities of Gremory House were proud monikers of their wealth and power. Several hexagonally formed cities could be seen all around vast forested areas, if one were to take a scenic route upwards and look down upon the amazement of the cities below. So perfectly lined with brightened roads and transit areas made it all seem like some gleaming snowflake amongst green grass. Without question, the House of Gremory's power was, as befitting one of the remaining original 72 Pillars, undoubtedly an impressive sight to be viewed.
But this is not where the story takes place.
Just outside the territory of this metropolis of metropolises, two travelers - Sirzechs Lucifer and his Queen, Grayfia Lucifuge - made quickened steps towards an as of yet unknown destination.
Sirzechs Lucifer was a handsome man of young appearance. With shoulder length crimson hair, fair skin and blue-green eyes, his appearance was actually quite similar to those of the main family of the Gremory Territory. The reason being was that the man was a former household member before being appointed as one of the new leaders of the Devil race some time ago. He wore long, flowing robes of gold and silver that matched his stance and stature as that of a noble man. Truthfully, Sirzechs Lucifer might have been considered by many as the Devil King, if not for the shared position among three others of similar rank.
The woman beside him – Grayfia Lucifuge – was the beautiful beyond all doubt. Similar to Sirzechs, she seemed quite young in appearance, with thick silver hair that reached down her back in an elegant braid; matching eyes that gleamed even in the dimly lit forest; and fair skin as pale as the moon above – Grayfia was a woman of exquisite appearance.
But that was only her physical features.
In contrast to Sirzechs, Grayfia's desired dress was formal but hardly showed the Devil in any sort of position of power. A blue and white outfit, almost indistinguishable to those worn my maids in service to the human world's European states, was worn by her from head to toe. While certainly this was not the most unusual of dresses, and it certainly was modest by all accounts, the way she wore it along with the cool expression on her face made her seem almost similar to a doll.
Indeed, looking at the pair of Devils walking so far from the comfort of their fellow kind and not knowing their reputation or relationship, one might have assumed they were master and servant. And in a way, they were. Grayfia liked to do chores that would befit someone of her dress. She was the ideal professional when it came to being a maid. But there was something that separated her from just being any maid employed to Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the Four Great Satans of the Underworld and Ultimate Level Devil.
And that was because she and Sirzechs Lucifer were married.
Indeed, the two were very much in love and very much husband and wife. Married after a war of conflict amongst the Devils, these two were the stuff of romantic tales and gossip. Their union was something that was none to dissimilar to the tales of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, though with a much happier ending.
Of note, their love was so well published and recognized throughout the underworld that even a movie was made based around their love -
But this is a deviation from current events.
Walking around tree and bush, with little light beside them except for a glowing orb of magic – courtesy of Grayfia, as was proper – the two made their way to a select destination.
Sirzechs smiled as his eyes followed the direction of the map in his hands. "We're close now," he whispered, "just a little further and we'll be there." Grayfia nodded, saying nothing and keeping her thoughts to herself.
This wasn't exactly how one expected to spend an evening. Especially a free one from the duties of being a Great Satan. The two had originally decided to come into one of the Gremory cities for a nice dinner and perhaps a show to spend the evening with one another. A standard, simple night. It would be nice, pleasant and perhaps with a little bit of enjoyment after the night was finished and over.
What she, perhaps, should have expected was her husband's innate ability to be sidetracked.
To make a long story short, they traveled through the market area that evening. Shop owners asked to purchase their 'mystic' goods in one form or another. Nothing exceptional could be seen by either of them so they simply enjoyed their presence, together.
Then came the peddler. "This. THIS! This's what you buy!" He shouted, running up to them both, holding the parchment her husband currently had great interest in. "Big grave! Yes. Big indeed. Very important. Important thing inside! Very important!" The peddler pushed the parchment into Sirzechs chest, surprising them both. Did the man not know who they were? "Five gold coin! Important, need coin to work! Find and you keep inside!"
So Sirzechs purchased the parchment. "Well," he said, smiling to his confused wife as the peddler giggled madly to the side, "how do you feel about a treasure hunt?"
She didn't mind, of course. She was proper that way. She enjoyed her husband's enthusiasm, even when he claimed that it wouldn't have been much of a challenge if they simply teleported or even flew to the location. No, he needed the walk, he said, so now, here they were, in the middle of the forest, chasing a hoax of a map to a location neither were familiar with.
It was to Sirzechs' excitement and Grayfia's surprise when, upon reaching the location pointed on their 'map,' the two actually came onto something…unusual.
It wasn't so much a grave, as the peddler called what they would find. Rather, holding itself high in the center of the small clearing, was a large tomb of sorts. Big, gray and made hard stone, it stood tall in front of them. Its doors closed and appearing to not have been opened for quite a long time, Grayfia marveled slightly at the structure.
It was very old. Just looking at it, she could tell it was older then perhaps even Lord Gremory – her husband and lord's father. Even graves made out to ancient Devilkind weren't as simple as the stone structure in front of the pair. With any other grave or marker, there would be some indication of what was the purpose of the work or to which family or territory it belonged to.
This tomb was nothing. No markings or symbols. Just placed stone.
Sirzechs was shaking. "I'm gonna check it out!" He raced towards the two stone doors that led down into the tomb, looking them over before starting to give them a push.
Grayfia walked over to him, bringing the light orb. "My lord, do you believe this wise?" She wasn't one to question him but this seemed eerie. A monument like this, so close to Gremory Territory, undiscovered? "This feels," she tried to find the words, "uneasy."
"Oh, come on!" Sirzechs continued to push the doors apart. It required more effort than he thought two doors made of only stone would require. "Where's your sense of adventure?" To humans, grave robbing or entering a tomb such as this might have been a bad taboo.
Not to Devils, though. They were creatures of passions and desires. This untouched tomb screamed to be explored from the usually well-kept Lucifer.
With a final push and the shaking of some loose dust, the doors were finally opened. The doors opened to reveal a stone staircase leading down to somewhere unlit by even the moon or the light orb. Dust and cobwebs were prevalent as far as they could see.
Sirzechs smiled, looking back to his wife. "I'll be back before you know it!" He said, waving his hand as his own version of a ball of light, red in color but still shining with light, formed at his side. "Just wait out here. I'll bring you back something nice!"
Then he descended, leaving Grayfia to watch quietly above.
Sirzechs did not consider himself a tomb seeker by any stretch. Most of his sense of adventure had been doused during the civil war between the Old Satan Faction and the Anti Satan Faction. Now his sense of enjoyment pertained to the idea of peace and continued prosperity of his Devilkind. He smiled every morning, knowing his kind would see another day, free from the former terror that their world might come to an end.
But that did not mean the work was done. Repairs were still being made from the two major wars that plagued the Devils. They could not afford to be weak or stand separate from one another. He had a job to do – a job of significant importance. But he realized soon into his new responsibilities as a Great Satan that, if he didn't take time to enjoy and relax around the company of others, the name of Lucifer would crush him.
That was why this new adventure enthralled him. This tomb was remarkably simple and fascinating to someone who believed he had seen every wonder of the Underworld. Where had such a treat been hiding, he wondered? And so close to his father's realm?
It was these thoughts that distracted him long enough to not notice when his foot tapped on a certain stone and a small 'click' was heard.
SLAM!
The walls around Sirzechs broke from their foundations and smashed into one another, effectively crushing Sirzechs and his ball of light. It was so sudden – so quick! – Sirzechs had little time to do more than widen his eyes in surprise before being squished effectively between stone.
There was a quiet to the tomb. The trap's old machinations ticked to a stop next to the walls, their duty complete in stopping all trespassers.
Then a shaking around the walls could be heard. It slowly increased in volume and rapidity, showering dust around the empty staircase, before a fair-skinned hand busted out from the compressed-together walls.
The hand pressed forward. An arm followed. Then a torso. Then the rest of the body.
Sirzechs Lucifer, smirking and brushing off loose dust from his cloak, chuckled as his light orb followed him out of his makeshift hole. "This is fun!" He shouted to himself. "I wonder what else is here?"
Poison darts, pitfalls, animated stone statues, fireballs – Sirzechs smile only widened as he went further into the tomb.
It was amazing! This place was ancient and yet its workings and traps were still intact and functioning perfectly! Whoever built this place, built it to last. Sirzechs was not a man of architecture or trap making (being a Devil King took up far too much time to study such things) but he applauded the soundness and effectiveness of the tomb's defenses. Lesser Devils then he might have had quite the tough time with even some of the earlier defenses.
Eventually, however, there was a bottom to the madness of the narrow stairs.
Stepping out from the staircase, Sirzechs came to a large room of some sorts. Held up by a series of columns, the room was sculpted quite magnificently, with ridged designs and markings that were quite the contrast from the outside tomb's entrance.
But there was also something puzzling. The room was nearly empty. No treasures, no old weapons, no golds or jewels or anything of great value. The peddler had made it seem like some great objects could be found here. Indeed, the level of defense put into this place felt like a buildup towards some magnificent riches.
Instead, the only notable thing about the otherwise empty room was the sarcophagus at its center.
Naturally, this was a tomb. Naturally, there would be a place where the dead owner would be buried. So why this surprised Sirzechs was a wonder.
Walking to the sarcophagus, Sirzechs looked it over. Like the room, it was brilliantly designed. Flawless and preserved. The sides had strange writings on it, as well. This is what caught Sirzechs attention most of all.
It was ancient. The writing was most certainly ancient. The dust and cobwebs Sirzechs had to brush away to read what it said signified this. But it was a peculiar writing. Not because of what language or dialect it was – Sirzech's own mother had taught him ancient languages and writing since he was a child – but because of how simple it was.
This wasn't some ancient language. It was aged in appearance, appearing timeworn and lacking in significant upkeep, but by no means was it an archaic tongue. In fact, the words were spoken modernly. He'd seen them used even in recent years, just not so much by Devilkind. It was a language he had become familiar with, in part thanks to his Knight's fluency.
It was a human language called Japanese.
HERE LIES NARUTO UZUMAKI
A FATHER
A HUSBAND
A LEADER
MAY HIS WILL OF FIRE NEVER BURN OUT
Sirzechs read over the passage several times. What was a human-based writing doing in the Underworld?
The Great Satan placed his hand on the sarcophagus, mesmerized. This was a mystery now. One he wanted to see through.
Thus, without delay, he stood up, pressed his hands to the sarcophagus's lid, and lifted.
What laid inside was a marvel to behold.
A long time ago, the man known as Naruto Uzumaki lived and died.
All men die, of course. It was natural. But when the Seventh Hokage of the Village, Konohagakure, passed from the world, it left a chill in its place.
His story was a long one. Sparing the excessive details of a long, long tale for another time, Naruto Uzumaki was a hero among heroes. An individual whom never gave in to evil or stepped away from doing what was right. A man who saw the best in people when they themselves couldn't see it. He fought wars, defeated gods and was held as a paragon for what people should aspire to.
He was remembered for his achievements and the connections he made. He unified a war torn continent and brought peace to what was once a chaotic world. He fell in love with a beautiful woman who always saw the best in him. He was the father to two wonderful children who loved him as he loved them. He made friends of enemies and redeemed the deemed irredeemable.
Naruto Uzumaki was a name that would be associated as 'hero' for centuries to come.
And yet he died, all the same.
He died old. He died with family around him. His wife had passed a couple years before and he wished to see her again. His country cried for his passing but he just smiled through it, telling them all he would see them again, soon. He left behind children, grandchildren and great grandchildren – all who, after his passing, would miss him dearly.
Naruto Uzumaki thought that his time had come and that was the end of his journey. Complete and fulfilled, he lived. So when he felt his life pass by him and as he closed his eyes one last time, he thought he was done. That a final peace would come to him.
But life is often not as it would like us to believe.
The moment he closed his eyes and felt the deep weariness pass through him, it hadn't felt like two seconds had passed before that feeling was ripped from him. And in that moment of elation, he opened his eyes again and saw only darkness.
He blinked.
His eyes roamed around him. He blinked some more.
His face scrunched up in confusion.
This isn't right, he thought to himself. At least, he hoped this wasn't right. When he died, he expected golden fields, gates, long-passed family members around him and his beloved waiting.
This was just dark.
Did I go to that other place? He hoped not. Sure, he might have not been a complete saint in his life, with his patented 'Harem Jutsu' being the first thing to come to mind, but that didn't make him evil, right? Just a kid/young man trying to understand and use the majestic nature of women for combat purposes. That wasn't evil, right?
The darkness didn't answer or change to a golden light for well over a minute. He guessed that meant 'no.'
Crap. He thought. Hinata's gonna kill me. If he had to bust some guys with horns and pitchforks to get back to his beloved, post-mortem, he was gonna be pissed. He was done with the whole fighting thing!
Okay, well, maybe not done but he still got annoyed when his grandkids tried to sneak attack him, as old as they were around the time of his passing. He didn't have all the time in the world to kick whippersnappers like them onto their behinds!
And if he actually died…
Kurama! He yelled, mentally. Please tell me my head's not empty for the first time in decades!
Kurama was a beast of energy, trapped into his body when he wasn't even a day old. Part of the longer story, mentioned above. The point being, the two were best friends since he was a young ninja. Confidants, even. When he passed, he expected Kurama to eventually reform from being an energy being in his gut to an energy being in reality.
He was fine with this. Naruto knew Kurama needed his freedom. But now, in the darkness, Naruto really wished he could have stayed for at least a couple hours longer.
Come to think of it, how long had it been since he thought he died and woke up here?
He tried to see his arms or legs in the darkness. His body felt stiff; his arms feeling like they needed a good stretch. How long did it take to die and go to one of the 'select locations' permitted for dead people?
He opened his mouth to yell. No words came out. Just some high pitched squeal he was embarrassed by.
Great. Even my voice is out of shape. How was he going to get out of this one?
This thought didn't last him long, however, thankfully. He heard a scraping from his side.
Someone was outside of whatever dark box he figured he was in.
He tried shouting again, only managing a quiet squeal, again. He was sure the sound didn't reach out from whatever stone box he was trapped in.
Naruto tried to move around in the box and make noise. How big even was this container he found himself in? As far as he stretched, neither his feet nor arms could touch the edges. He was a reasonably tall man. Only his back, pressed to the bottom of his dark vessel, seemed to be feeling anything. Stone, as it were, which felt unpleasantly cold at the moment to what he was just realizing now was his naked back.
I am alone. In the dark. And naked. How could this get any-
Then the edges of the roof of his box creaked to the side.
Finally, Naruto thought, squinting his eyes as a form of light crept through the crack forming above. Get me out of here demon or angel or whatever. Even if he had to fight his way to heaven, he was going to give whatever was out there one heck of a battle. Being aged like fine wine didn't mean you lost your edge.
Musings of battle and fighting out of wherever he was trapped inside of were soon waned by the pair of eyes staring down at him from the top of the box. A human with red hair was looking down at him, perplexingly.
The man blinked down at Naruto, as Naruto did the same to the man hovering over him.
What, you want a picture? Naruto would have asked, grumpily, if not for the fact his voice wasn't doing more than weird squeaks. Maybe he needed some water. Being previously dead seemed to have left him parched in the throat.
The man continued to stare downwards to the previously trapped man, as Naruto watched an odd excitement come over his eyes.
"Hey there," the red-haired man cooed, giving Naruto a smile that might have come off innocent and friendly but only seemed to unnerve the former Hokage, "what are you doing here?" He asked, throwing the box's cover away and reaching his hands down towards the still lying Naruto -
- who in response, started to freak. Oh KAMI! He's one of those guys who gets off on old men, isn't he?! Not that Naruto would ever admit he was old, mind you, but that was beside the point.
Trying to flail his hands out to stop the perv from grabbing hold of him, he failed magnificently as the man scooped up Naruto quite easily. Naruto struggled against his hold as the man smiled to him. "Hey hey, it's alright. I got you, I got you." The man's tone was soft and soothing. Naruto agitation and discomfort grew.
Letmego! Naruto tried to yell, only for his voice to come out as some mixture between a wail and a cry. Crap! What is wrong with me?!
This felt wrong on so many levels.
The man tried to soothe the tempered Naruto by rocking him back and forth. Naruto was thoroughly weirded now. That's it! Your ass?! GRASS!
Naruto threw his arm forward, reaching for the man face. It couldn't have been more than a foot away. Easy target.
His arm went forward, attempting to close the gap with a quick jab to knock a couple of teeth out and secure a distraction for a quick escape. It was simple, practical and didn't even come close to its intended target.
Damn it! Naruto screamed inwardly, his voice still squeaking. I'm gonna wipe that stupid grin off your stupid-
Then he stopped. The screaming, the flailing, all of it. He stopped and looked with his two bright blue eyes at the hand he pointed towards his founder/man handler.
It was small. So, so small. Puny even. He'd seen hands like this before. Back only when his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren were born.
But that couldn't be right.
The man who held him reached over and placed his own hand over Naruto's. In comparison, his was giant. "See? Everything's okay now." The man was smiling brightly still. Naruto's eyes never left his hand.
Smooth, tiny and without calluses from years of training. No blemishes or age marks to be found. His skin was pink and smooth and almost glowed. And his fingernails – petite and sharp.
Naruto raised his other hand. Same deal. He tried to arc his head to look down to his feet but couldn't. He only managed to see a naked belly with the same pigmentation as his arms.
Okay, hold on a sec! I need to think this through!
I keep making squeaky sounds!
My arms are small!
My skin is pink and smooth!
I'm being handled with care and affection!
And…AND…!
"Who's a cute little guy? You are! YOU ARE!"
Naruto stared at him.
I'm a f%&ing baby.
Grayfia stood patiently outside the tomb as she waited for her lord husband to return. Despite the sounds coming from inside the tomb, which included several that seemed to shake the tomb's foundation violently, Sirzechs' wife had faith all was well. Time passed quickly as she stood attentively until the glow of a small orb of light coming up the stairway from the tomb became visible, followed shortly by Sirzechs.
And he didn't come empty handed.
Quirking a silvery eyebrow on her usually stoic and passive features, Grayfia walked calmly to her husband, who had his cloak wrapped closely around something in his arms. Looking past the cloth, she saw two large, bright blue eyes turn and stare at her.
She stared at the baby in Sirzechs' arms for a long, quiet moment. She stared at it, than up to her beloved.
His smile was sheepish. "Can we keep him?"
Roughly 16-17 Human Years into the Future
"It's 7:00 AM!
"Are you ready to accept Phoenix Wright as your lord and savior?!"
A hand reached out from underneath a thicket of bedcovers to smash down on an annoying alarm clock at the side. A loud grunt could be heard through the large apartment as a bushel of bright blond hair made its way from under the covers of the bed.
Exhausted and looking irritable, the blond haired owner of the hand stood up from his bed in a slouch. Scratching his bed hair loose, the blond made his way out of his bedroom and into the kitchen, stretching out tight muscles as he did so.
The blond attempted to blink out remaining levels of exhaustion as he pulled out a carton of orange juice and drank it straight from the lid. Though taught better than to do so, he had a busy night prior. He earned a little pass from common practices of standard living.
Once the carton was empty, he pulled his mouth away and offered a sigh of relief. Nothing beat orange juice.
Tossing the empty carton into a waiting trash bin, the blond casually walked to the window of his apartment; gazing out over the view of several houses, stores and the single high school building off in the distance.
The owner of the apartment smiled out to the view.
"So," he said to himself, "I wonder if Raynare's going to kill Issei today?"
He continued to stare out at his view for a while, before shrugging and turning back to his kitchen. He felt in the mood for waffles.
To be honest, I have no idea why I wrote this. Mostly just to keep the creative juices flowing, I guess. Prevent writer's block.
Anyway, story has Powerful Naruto, Harem, Humor, Action, maybe lemon stuff, the works. Will try to deviate it from common Naruto/DxD stories, though. I prefer to keep my work unique, ya know?
