371A.N - After updating the story last time, I received some reviews highlighting some issues the readers had regarding the previous chapters. And after giving it some thought I realized that they were right. So I have decided to make some changes to all the chapters, excluding the first.
Please read them and tell me what do you think.
Also thanks to all of you who decided to stick with the story during the last 4 chapters.
-ooOoo-
Naruto never thought that making food could be so difficult. In his house, he was known as one of the best cooks to ever grace the underworld, thanks to the beautiful maids there who had spent countless hours teaching him the art of cooking, yet here he was, thinking about what he should prepare for the dinner.
"Will she like ramen?" Of course, she wouldn't. It was a food most of the underworld deemed as too cheap and unhealthy to eat, except for his mother.
'Mama' his mood took a downward turn at the mention of the lady. She was the only one who would eat anything he prepared. From totally burnt pizza to tasteless ramen that he made during his earlier attempts, to the perfectly cooked food he makes now, she never complained about anything, because for her, his happiness was far more important than the taste of a dish that would give her transient sensory pleasure. "I wish she was here" his eyes sparkled at the idea of having her beside him, cooking ramen wholeheartedly with that beautiful smile on her face.
"Sadly she doesn't like Rias" the sparkles vanished at the mention of the girl. Rias, a girl his mother hates with a passion. It was no secret. Rias and her friends were not that appreciated in his house. While he might have gotten over her words that day, the same couldn't be said for his mother. When she had found out what had been said by Rias that day, she was furious beyond anything he had ever seen from her. She had been this close to going and incinerating the Gremory girl, consequences be the only reason she didn't do it was because comforting her child was the first and foremost priority of hers.
"I'm home"
He did not register the voice, his mind too lost in the memories of that day. How he had cried himself to sleep that day. The pain caused by her words had been unbearable. He had refused to eat for days. The pain of hearing those harsh words from his friend had been too much for him. All the while his hands kept moving of their own accord, chopping the vegetables in fine pieces. l
"I'm home"
The vegetables were a lot nicer here. Sure the underworld was home to some of the wealthiest beings, yet the place lacked one thing, tasty and fresh vegetables. The vegetables which were grown there in the artificial fields could not compete with the freshly plucked vegetables of the human world. 'They have this nice taste to them' he continued his slicing of the veggies while scanning each and every one of them carefully.
"I'm home, Naruto"
His thoughts then turned to today afternoon. Akeno's words made a lot of sense to him. He wouldn't have minded if she had said something about him that day. He was used to insulting her and receiving insults in return from her, albeit not quite as vitriolic as her's on that day. He would likely have just stopped and asked her if he went too far and apologized for his prank, if she didn't drag his mother into it. That mistake had been the main reason for their falling out, resulting in this cesspool of awkwardness. If she had apologized for that, their situation might not have been this bad. 'I did storm out before letting her finish, not to mention slapping her as well. It is partially my fault too.' He bit his lip in slight agitation. He really shouldn't have hit her. He should have just walked away, but his emotions got the better of him.
"I'm home, Ruto"
The sudden voice that came from right behind him made him jump in surprise. He winced as the sharp edge of the knife made contact with his skin, shaving it remarkably in the process. His lips curved down when a small sum of blood began to trickle from his wound. It was red just like her hair he noticed.
"What happened?!"
He didn't know how she was able to see his injury, but as soon as she saw it, she didn't waste any time getting close to his side for the aid.
"It is nothing, Rias" he nudged his hand away from her when she tried to examine the injury. It was trivial according to him. His Phenex lineage was enough to help him with these kinds of things.
Rias' eyes lowered down. "Why are you acting like that? I'm just helping you" she whispered and again tried to get a glimpse of his injury but unfortunately, the boy rejected her advances.
"I don't need help, Rias. Small injuries like this hardly matter to me. They are insignificant and I think you should stop worrying about them too" with that said, he began to work on the vegetables again. Food was his topmost priority at the moment.
"But they are not insignificant to me! I can't help but worry about them more and more"
Naruto raised his brow, amusement twinkling within his eyes. "Why?"
Rias wasted no time in answering the question. For her, it was as obvious as the stars on a clear night. "Because you are my soon to be husband, Naruto" her words had a completely different outcome.
"Ok Rias, stop. Please. I get that we are going to get married soon. But I'm still not comfortable with 'us'."
Rias stumbled back in surprise. He had been much more comfortable around her in school. Was that an act? Was he so comfortable because of Akeno? There was a storm of questions rising up in her mind, with seemingly no answers in sight. "What are you doing?" Deciding it was not the right time to start an argument, she chose to change the topic of their conversation.
Now, Naruto was grateful to hear something other than how their lives were ruined because of the contract or how they should behave around each other. Food was something he loved more than anything else - other than his precious people of course - and so to start a discussion about it was not that big of a deal for him. "I'm preparing ramen," he answered.
"Ohh"
"Yup and guess what? I have prepared an additional serving for you too. So freshen yourself up and be ready at the dinner table in fifteen minutes" he told the girl with the most normal tone he could conjure.
"..."
A delicate frown tugged his lips when he got no reaction from her. "Rias?" He called out, thinking that the girl must have not listened to him earlier, otherwise there was no way she could say no to his food. From what he could remember, she always wanted him to be a good chef.
Lowering her head, Rias dropped the school bag on the couch, and began to walk towards her bedroom. "I'll be there in a second, Naruto"
Naruto frowned at her odd behavior. She was acting a bit down, which made no sense to him. He hadn't done anything, had he? Deciding to reserve these questions for the dinner table, he went back to cooking his ramen. Soon the house was filled with the aroma of delicious miso ramen. The smell only serving to make him hungrier.
"Come on Rias, hurry up already. I'm starving."
-oOo-
-Grumble-
Rias grimaced when another grumble shook her insides. It was getting difficult to control herself now. Her abdomen felt like it was ready to eat itself at any given moment, such was the fervor of her hunger. "Stupid Naruto" she complained, wiping away the remaining water from her skin. The smell of the ramen was too much to handle for her. Seems like he became a good chef.
"I never thought he would turn out to be a good chef," she mumbled as she looked directly at the moon. Even the beautiful Moon was looking like a delicious bowl of ramen now. The white soil was looking like delicious broth while the small craters appeared to be the beautiful toppings of the serving. "He used to be as bad as me in the cooking department, but now he must easily be as good as Akeno if the smell of the food is anything to go by"
Her eyes vanished behind the lids as a gentle gust of wind tickled her skin. It was cold and serene, something she really enjoyed a lot. There was a reason why she loved her dining hall so much. It was one of the best places in her house to sit down and think about random things. The fresh air, the moonlight, and ample space made it really comforting.
-Grumble-
Her head slumped harshly on the table as another loud outcry echoed inside her abdomen. "Why did I even remain hungry for him?" her eyes grew wide in surprise as soon as she realized just what she had spoken. "F-for him?! No No No. I didn't remain hungry because of him" even the silence of the room was coming across as if it was arguing with her on the statement she just made. "I only remained hungry because I thought it would be rude to eat food while your guest is probably starving" and yet again she ended up spewing another ludicrous statement. "No No No!" She shouted, trying to hide her face from the moon. "I didn't mean that either! I just wanted him to-"
'Impregnate you' her face drowned in the shade of red when she recalled the words her friend had spoken while talking to her in the clubroom.
"I totally don't want to have kids with blonde and red hair with him either" she mumbled.
"Kids with whom?"
Her whole body froze. Oh, dear satan. "N-Naruto" she slowly turned her head to greet the boy who was standing at the entrance to the dining room with two bowls of ramen in his hands."Oh thank Satan, I am starving." skillfully she changed the topic. Right now her hunger was way more important than her explaining to him about the statement she just made about their future kids.
In response, Naruto rubbed his head sheepishly with his free hand. "Sorry about that. I didn't know what kind of broth you liked so I had to ask Akeno. I'm surprised that you like miso. It is my favorite too."
'Akeno!' Rias cursed her friend for being so honest with Naruto. Couldn't she have lied to him? "Oh really?" she responded, trying to sound as cool as she could.
"But hey, food is ready now. Let's eat. I'm also hungry"
"Then why are you standing there? Come on."
Naruto shook his head at her antics. She must have been really hungry for her to sound so impatient. "I think I should have just cooked and eaten before you arrived", he jokingly said.
"Oh, so why didn't you?"
He shook his head lightly, "I couldn't. I'm not used to eating alone. In my house, my mother or my siblings usually eat food with me. Here I don't have anyone other than you. That's why I asked you to accompany me in the first place"
Setting down the food on the table, one bowl for himself and another for her, he uttered a light "Itadakimasu" Breaking his chopsticks, he began slurping up the noodles with great fervor. Seeing him eating so happily made Rias forget her hunger temporarily and she settled on staring at him.
Noticing her stare he turned his eyes a bit, "Are you going to eat or what? I put a lot of work in this ya know."
Blushing slightly, she also muttered a small "Itadakimasu" and took a small amount of noodles in her mouth. She had been expecting some tasty ramen when she smelled the broth. She was not disappointed. The way the noodles nearly melted in her mouth. The perfect texture is what he had achieved. Neither overcooked or undercooked. Just the right softness. If this was the kind of food he would feed her everyday, she had no issues with this marriage.
While that was her hunger talking, deep down she knew that didn't have an issue with marrying the blond. It was the fact that she was being forced to do so for 'the greater good' that irked her to no end. She knew that she loved being in control of her life and was willing to fully admit that she didn't appreciate anyone taking away her right to choose.
"Oi, Rias"
So lost was she in her thoughts that she didn't realize that she had already finished her ramen. It was Naruto's voice that broke her out of her trance. "Huh, what?"
"Are you alright? I have been calling your name for the last five minutes." The concern in his tone was soothing in a way. He did care for her after all. His words in the clubroom hadn't been lies.
"Y-Yes. I'm fine. Don't worry. It is nothing much."
"If you say so…" Giving her a slightly suspicious look, he turned back to his bowl, only to realize that his was empty as well. "Oh, man… I want another serving." This grumbling of his was quite common whenever he finished a bowl. "That aside, how did you like it? Was it good?" His question made Rias smirk a bit. He was clearly fishing for compliments.
"It was ok, could have been better."
"..."
Naruto stared at her for a good minute before getting up and moving close to her chair. Getting in her face he exclaimed with a very conceding tone, "Ohh… Well then princess, let us see you do a better job, shall we?"
"I uh, I… I could but you see we just had dinner so it would be meaningless."
"Don't worry about that, I'm always up for a bowl of ramen. I'll eat it." He realized that she was just trying to avoid making a bowl. "Or are you still so bad at cooking that you are afraid of making anything?"
"Bad? You ungrateful man. Didn't you eat the dinner I made yesterday?" Her annoyance was clear to anyone listening. How dare this idiot say that she was bad at cooking when she fed him such delicious food just the previous night. "And hey. I was always good at cooking. What did you mean by still?"
"Your food the previous day was something my first attempt could beat. And Akeno did tell me about the multiple times you had tried to cook ever since moving to the human realm. I believe I happen to have a few photographs lying around still."
At the mention of her first attempts, her face went red with embarrassment. She had tried to make sushi, but after she was done with 'cooking' it, it was difficult to tell if it was sushi or some month old burnt bread. 'Damn it Akeno. Why!?'
"I was fifteen at that time. Fifteen. It was bound to happen." She knew it was a weak defense, but one she hoped would work.
"HA! I was seven when I first tried. And it turned out edible at least, unlike yours. Ms. chef." His teasing was getting too much for her to handle now. She decided that backing down was the best idea before he managed to dig out more stuff to embarrass her. 'Damn you Akeno. Damn you.'
"Ok ok. I get it. You are better than me. But do you think your cooking can beat Akeno's?" Hoping to make him get off of his high horses, she decided to use this as her final argument.
"Think? My dear fiance," His words caused a splash of red to cover her cheeks, "she has already acknowledged me as the better cook." His smug smile was close to splitting his face.
"Oh, on what basis? It is not like you made anything for her today. You didn't. Right?" She had a feeling about where this was going, but she hoped that she was wrong.
"She had breakfast with us, Rias. In case you forgot." His deadpan expression was enough to make her want to dig a hole and stay in it for a while.
"Oh, um, hehe" her nervous laughter was enough of an indication for him. She was out of retorts to use.
"Well, whatever. Let us clean up. We should go to sleep soon. Don't want to be late tomorrow ." With that, he turned around and left in the direction of the kitchenette, taking his bowl with him. Deciding to do the same, she also got up and started to follow him. Now that their little 'argument' was over, she once again had time to think about her main concern. How to apologize to him.
While to everyone it might sound like a dumb question, and they would ask her to just go and say sorry, it wasn't that simple when it came to Naruto. She knew that she had to do something special for him if she wanted him to accept her apology. He was not one to get angry at someone that often. So when he did, it took a lot of work to calm him down. She could attest to this fact. There was that time in their childhood when a boy had insulted Akeno for her half fallen lineage. He was still missing a few teeth. And his dignity.
The sound of something dropping to the floor with a soft 'thump' attracted her attention, only to find a book lying on the floor, the title written in devil letters. 'Tips and tricks for having a successful married life; by Ruval Phenex'
"..."
"HAHAHAH!" Her sudden laughter caused Naruto, who was walking right in front of her, to turn around. He was about to ask what caused her to laugh so suddenly, but went completely red with embarrassment as soon as he saw the book in her hands.
"H-Hey, w-what, where did you get that book?" He didn't want Rias to find out that he had been consulting that book for advice. His biggest concern wasn't her finding out that he used a book for advice. It was her finding out the name of the proofreader.
"Oh look, what is this? Proofread by the 'some title, idk', wonder who this is." His face was going nuclear due to embarrassment. While her innocent facade might have fooled someone else, he knew very well that she was aware of who the proofreader was. It was the name he used in his childhood whenever he wanted to sound cool after all.
"Aww…, now I want to read this book so much." Wow. So this is what it felt like to be teased. It was a very weird feeling. On one hand, he wanted to die of embarrassment. On the other, it felt kind of relaxing. To be able to joke with her so freely, like they did in their younger days. He didn't want to lose this feeling, he decided.
"ALRIGHT. Dishes." His words reminded Rias that they had things to take care of. Didn't mean that she had to stop laughing though. Placing the book on the coffee table nearby, she moved to the sink, small giggles leaving her lips every now and then.
--oOo--
After they were done with the dishes and had taken a shower, they were sitting in the hall, enjoying the silence. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence like yesterday, more like a peaceful silence.
"Hey, Naruto"
"Huh?"
"Y-you want to read that book with me?" Her slight blush as she said those words was a thing of beauty for him.
"What? Why do you want to read that book written by my idiot brother?" He had read all of it in his younger years. While he might have been too innocent to understand all of it at that age, but that book was filled with lewd wonder his mother flipped her lid when she found out that Ruval made him read that book.
"Plleeeaaassseeee… Just this once?" Her pouty pleading face was too much for him to handle. No way could he say no to that face.
"Fine then. Just don't blame me for what you find in that book." With that, he got up from the couch and moved towards the coffee table, where Rias had put the book. When he returned with the book, he found Rias sitting on the center couch, with a blanket kept in reachable distance. Paying the last part no mind, he moved to sit beside her.
"Ok then, where do you want to start from?"
"Find me the best parts, I just want to see if your brother is any good as a writer." Her reasoning was something totally different, both her and Naruto knew that, but he didn't care much to call her out on it.
"There is this part that I find to be the best, let me find it." With that he began to flip through the pages, trying to find that part. Using the provided time, Rias covered herself with the blanket and was about to do the same for him, but decided against it. He was beginning to become more comfortable around her, no need to jeopardize it by pushing him too hard or becoming overly comfortable.
"Ah, here. So, the best way to kee-" his narration was interrupted by a rap on the door. Groaning at the slight annoyance caused by having to leave the couch, he moved towards the door. All the while wondering who it was this late at night. It was beginning to reach midnight.
On opening the door he was surprised to see a blond man, with striking azur eyes standing there, wearing an attire fit for a noble. As soon as his brain registered the identity of the person in front of him, he fumbled to hide the book in his hands. Judging by the slight chuckling coming from the man, he failed.
"Hello, Naruto. How was your first day in the human world?" His brother's words caused a plethora of memories to jump to the front of his brain. It was surreal. To think that so much could happen in a single day.
"It was… ok, I guess. It was a mixed bag, honestly. I managed to better my relationship with Rias a bit, found out that she is still a weeb, humans tend to do and say some really dumb things and that girls are creatures that can't be trusted. I also managed to find out what being eye raped feels like due to the aforementioned girls." The last part making Ruval shiver due to the countless memories that jumped to the forefront of his mind. "Anyway, that aside. Come on in."
"So, what brings you here so late at night? Couldn't live even a day without me?"
"Nope. I couldn't", his words drawing a small chuckle from Naruto. "Jokes aside Naruto. I have news." Seeing his brother's serious demeanor, Naruto also straightened up a bit. "Things got even tenser between mother and father. Riser got into a fight with both mother and father and has officially requested a match between you two to determine who is more suited to marry the Gremory heiress."
Naruto let out an irritated growl when he heard the reason as to why Ruval was here. Over the past few years, Riser had been getting more and more arrogant and prideful, thinking that he alone deserves everything on a silver platter. It had eventually gotten to the point that even some of his peerage members were starting to become uneasy around him, Yubelluna being a prime example.
However, one particular part of what Ruval said caught Naruto's complete attention. Riser had a fight with Layla? His Mother? The one who took care of him when nobody else would and gave him a home and a purpose in life? His fists clenched unknowingly and the air suddenly felt heavier due to Naruto's rage.
"That damn bastard! Can't he let me have some semblance of peace? I leave for not even one day and this happens? I swear I'm going to kill him someday if he doesn't stop troubling everyone."
Ruval was sweating a little bit, when his younger brother was enraged, there were very few people who could calm him down, usually only him, Ravel or Layla could. If they weren't there then… Well… The lack of any mountains behind Phenex Manor said it all.
Deciding to calm him down before he nuked Kuoh out of existence, he reached out and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, which immediately caused the pressure to dissipate.
"Now now, that is not a very nice thing to say Naruto. He might not be very likable, but he is family." he knew that his light chiding wouldn't have much of an effect, Riser had ensured that with his behavior towards Naruto. "Anyways Naruto, I have to go back to make sure things don't get out of control. Just know that you might have to come back to the Underworld soon."
"Why didn't you just use a communication circle if you are busy?" The question caused Ruval to give him a mock hurt look.
"Are you not happy to see your dearest brother again?"
Naruto froze for a second, before flailing his arms around wildly. "Wha- I didn't mean it like that! You do kn-" He broke off and pouted angrily at his brother, when he realised that he had fallen into Ruval's trap.
"I know, I know. I'm just joking. I just wanted to check up on you and find out how your first day in the human world went. Well, I'll get going now, take care Naruto. I'll try to make father see reason and deny Riser's foolish request, but I can't promise anything. If he accepts Riser's request, you'll have to return to the underworld."
"B-but I just came here. And this place is so nice. Unlike back home, I don't have anyone like Riser here. Not to say I don't like it at home or anything. Mom, you and Ravel make it worth it all." Sniff. The sound of a sniff drew his attention upwards towards his brother's face, only to see him crying fake tears.
"I feel so loved. My dear little brother loves me so much"
"Quit with the overacting already." Naruto groaned out in fond embarrassment. Seriously, his older brother is behaving exactly like Sirzechs and he would be damned if they ever met up and teamed upon him or Rias. However, unlike Rias, he actually enjoys having his brother around because his goofy antics usually brightens up the day. Not to mention that his older brother is among the very few people that actually like him due to his unique heritage.
Elsewhere, a certain red-haired satan let out a sneeze, sending the stacks of paperwork on his desk flying everywhere. His scream of despair was heard throughout the underworld.
Letting out a cheerful laugh at his little brother's embarrassment, Ruval spoke in a jovial tone as he prepared to leave. "Fine fine. Anyway, I'll get going. You must go to sleep, you have school tomorrow. And don't worry too much about the situation back home. You have at least a week here, make it count bro. Let's see how many times you can get laid in a week."
His answer was a light elbow to the ribs, courtesy of his little brother. What both men failed to notice was the redhead Gremory leaning against a wall listening to the whole conversation, an odd mixture of determination and sadness visible in her eyes. She might have only one week with him before he went away for Satan knows how long. She at least wanted to tell Naruto how sorry she was before he left. She needed Akeno's help with this… again. A light groan escaped her lips at the thought of the smug smile that her queen would undoubtedly give her.
-ooOoo-
A.N- If you haven't read the A.N at the start of this chapter, then please read it first.
Now I believe that you must have reread everything and noticed the changes I have made in all the chapters. Again, if you haven't read the previous chapters then, please do it because they contain very big changes that will affect the story in the long run.
So now, tell me what do you think of the changes? Were they good or were they bad?
After reading the reviews, I was shocked to see how many people were disappointed with how the story was going on because of the 'Bipolar attitude' and that 'Secret power'.
Even I was disappointed with it because it didn't resonate with you guys. So in order to redeem myself, I decided to completely remove those Bipolar attitudes moments and Secret power from the story.
The changes were not easy to implement though, because every chapter contained something about these two aspects. That's why a complete revamp of chapters was necessary.
I hope you guys like the changes.
Also, for the people who were spamming me in private messages, please get a life. Bullying someone on the internet for a mere error in a story will not give you anything, except for a tag named 'Retard'.
Thank you!
