Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not and never will own Naruto or Gundam Wing…the ownership belongs to the creators of these animes. I am just a fan of the shows and some of the characters, I do however own my own characters and creations so please ask if you want to use them.
Son of the Death god
Prologue
By
Phoenix Firestorm
Sandaime Sarutobi sighed as he listened to the council argue and fight among themselves to decide what should be done with the Yondaime's Legacy, he smiled faintly as he gazed down at the babe in his arms. The elderly man had no idea how the child did it, but little Naruto is sleeping through everything.
Finally he had enough and unleashed enough killing intent at everyone, except Naruto who still hadn't stirred, to silence a rampaging herd of bulls. Once the room was quiet, Sandaime cleared his throat and said quite bluntly "I have heard enough of this senseless bickering over my successors last wishes, but we still need to decide what should happen to little Naruto. So I am going to do this simply, I will ask some questions and you will either raise your hand…yes or no…clear?"
Everyone nodded once to show they understood, even if they didn't exactly like it. They really had no choice, especially with the Fire Lord here to oversee things. He had come to the village to see how bad the damages were and offer what aide he could, plus he too wanted to make sure the wishes of the Yondaime were carried out properly. Having grown to like the young man a lot since he became a ninja under his employment through the Hokage, this friendship grew as the Fire Lord watched Minato grow into the young man he showed everyone that he could be.
The Fire Lord was also one of the very few privileged to attend the secret wedding of Minato and his girlfriend Kushina, the others were the Sandaime himself and his two former students Jiraiya and Tsunade. Minato two surviving students were also in attendants, Rin as a part of Kushina's group and Kakashi as part of Minato's group. The Fire Lord was also another one who knew of Kushina's pregnancy and honored to be chosen as guardien of the child, on the chance that something happens to either Jiraiya or Tsunade or any of the others on the list.
"Now, who wants to see Naruto adopted into a good home?" Sandaime asked sternly only to sigh at the number of hands that rose, one eyebrow did raise some when the Fire Lord's arm went up as well. The elderly man knew of the friendship between his deceased successor and the leader of Fire Country, approving of it immensely.
"Who wants to see Naruto dealt with in some other way not pertaining to the Yondaime's wishes?" Sandaime asked only to wince slightly at the number of hands that shot up. The Fire Lord scowled as well, not liking what was happening to his friends Legacy….not one bit.
He suddenly spoke up "I am curious to know why everyone thinks that way, enough to hear your opinion before the final decision is made. Now you will each tell me what you think, then we will move on to the next person. I want your honest opinion, not what you believe or have been told of by others. Many of you hear know Minato quite well and are knowledgeable of his skills, so you know just what he is capable of and can do once he has set his mind to the task."
The council members thought about it and then agreed, so the Fire Lord started…beginning with the clan heads and moving on until everyone had spoken.
Those who wanted to honor Yondaime's last request and wish for his legacy:
Fire Lord
Clan Sarutobi
Clan Senju - Tsunade's family
Clan Nobuyuki - Jiraiya's family
Clan Namikaze - Minato's family…empty until Naruto comes of age to take the seat on the council.
Clan Uzumaki - Kushina's family…empty until Naruto comes of age to take the seat on the council.
Clan Hyuugi
Clan Aburame
Clan Akimichi
Clan Hatake
Clan Inuzuka
Clan Maito
Clan Nara
Clan Yamanaka
Clan Mitarashi
Clan Uchechi - an offshoot of the Uchiha Clan that broke away from the main clan because of a disagreement generations ago.
Clan Yuuhi
Those who prefer to ignore the Yondaime's last request and wish for his legacy:
Danzou
Clan Uchiha
Clan Haruno
Clan Utatane - Koharu's family
Clan Mitokado - Homura's family
Numerous other civilian clans and etc.
The Fire Lord frowned at the answers he got, while not all the clans wanted to do something other than what the Yondaime wanted. The number was still a disappointment, not counting himself…only 14 clans out of the 100 or so clans wanted to do as the Yondaime wanted. The rest of the clans and civilians had a variety of suggestions that ran from outright killing the child to banishing the child to locking the child up and throwing away the key to turning Naruto into a living weapon. It was the last one that disgusted the Fire Lord so much, sure Naruto would be helpful if trained properly but nothing is worth the cost of your humanity and free will.
"We happen to agree with you Daimyo, Sandaime." A deep ominous voice filled the room and startled everyone enough that they jumped a foot in the air, the council looked to see who it was but couldn't see anyone.
Minor chaos occurred when Shinigami appeared in the middle of the room, only to freeze into dead silence seconds later.
The Shinigami raised one hand slightly and loudly snapped his fingers, causing Naruto to disappear from Sandaime's arms and reappear in his arms. The baby didn't feel a thing and continued to sleep on.
"Instead of leaving like I normally would to continue on with the soul collection, I decided to stay long enough and see what would happen with the Hero of Konoha and Yondaime's Legacy? Needless to say, I am NOT IMPRESSED by what I just witnessed!"
"In fact, I am very close to breaking my sole rule and taking all your souls before it is time!"
Now this shocked and terrified the group, so much that they were frantically trying to think of a way…any way out of this mess.
"Except I won't," Shinigami replied and reassured everyone only to have them nearly knock themselves out when their heads collided with the table when they heard what he said next, "except I won't as that would cause too much paperwork and then I would have to explain things to Kami…not something I really want to do anytime soon. So instead of that, I will take the Legacy and give the child to one of my loyal followers to raise as his son."
Now many were shocked, surprised and stunned speechless at this. While others were terrified and worried, this was something totally unheard of as there had been no word about a cult that worshiped the Shinigami.
Neither did they have a chance to say anything as the Shinigami faded away, taking Naruto with it. Nor did they speak again for several moments, shifting in their seats uneasily.
"Oh," The Shinigami's voice reached them suddenly, "congratulations are in order. Your Yondaime heard everything as he wanted to be sure his last request was carried out, he is not very impressed with what all of you wanted to do to his son!!!" Those that wanted to do anything with Naruto except follow Yondaime's request, all paled at those words, swallowing several times with the thought of 'Oh shit! We are soooo screwed!'
While those who wanted to do as Yondaime wished, at least to the best of their abilities, had paled as well because no one had known Yondaime had any children…much less even married!!! They did manage to pull themselves together and looked amused by the other members discomfort, many had slight
Smirks on their faces.
"Hope you enjoy what is left of your lives because Yondaime will be waiting for you when your time comes," Shinigami continued, "I was so impressed with him that I made him my new punisher so he is busy creating rather nasty and inventive punishments for each of you!" Now this caused many on the opposite side to faint, dirty their pants and various other things. While Sarutobi, the Fire Lord and others were looking rather pleased with the young man's new position. Sarutobi also knew from the quick glance at Jiraiya that his former student is so pleased with his student that he may be next-to-impossible to live with for the next few years.
After that, there wasn't much left to discuss. Nor were they in any condition to do much more except weakly make their way back home. The one thing that they did agree on is not one word of what happened at the meeting is to be breathed to anyone not a member of the current council, Sandaime went so far as to make it a triple S-class secret and punishable by death! Something that no one wanted to risk any time soon, they had no intention of facing the fourth Hokage and going through whatever he had planned for them.
Once that was done and over with, Sarutobi and the Fire Lord went back to his office to discuss things further. Stopping just inside the door when they saw the Shinigami standing there patiently, they knew that the otherworldly spirit must have something to tell them so they entered the room and shut the door behind them.
Shinigami made sure that nothing could be heard by those outside of this room, then turned to Sandaime and said "I left Naruto to spend time with his parents before he goes to his new family, I needed to give you some more information."
He paused long enough to give Sandaime a black folder, then continued "This is a folder of information on my follower who will be Naruto's new family, it is only the basics as much of his life is need-to-know only. I also wanted to let you both know that Naruto will be returning, most likely with his new family, for your genin exam." "Naruto may want to stay in his new home, but he was born here so has to return for a certain length of time before he makes his final decision on where to call home. Also do not be concerned about his education, both normal and shinobi, as that will be overseen by his new family."
"I will be giving him a copy of my impressive library which has an extensive section on Shinobi's, jutsu's and etc. Of course, he will only have access to certain parts once his parents believe he is ready for it."
"Also, if his new parents permit it, he may be allowed to send letters to the persons who would have been his 'grandfather figure' and 'father figure' had I not stepped in when I did. Naruto's new parents may also want to discuss certain things with you as well, so be prepared for a lot of questions." The Fire Lord replied curiously "Thank-you for whatever assistance you could give to the situation, but I am curious as to what should we do with his parents possessions? Young Naruto inherits everything that belong to them once he comes of age, including property?"
"Gather everything up and seal it away until the child reaches maturity, then it can be given to him. I will ensure no one tries to enter the various properties his parents own," Shinigami replied calmly, "you may also look after any business dealings his parents might have had. I believe that Naruto's new parents will most likely want a monthly report on that part, this way they will know what is going on and can make changes if necessary." "I will assign several of my ravens to be messengers between the two of you, this will make things easier and allow no interferences. Not many are willing to disrupt death at its work, whether it is my assistants or not." Sandaime and the Fire Lord nodded then glanced at each other, knowing full well that they will be busy for the next several hours if not days.
While they were busy with their tasks, the Shinigami left to look after the Yondaime's properties and gather up a few things. Mostly a few photos of Yondaime and his wife, his team and friends. He also collected up most of the stuff in the nursery, but left the furniture where it was until later on.
When Shinigami had finished, he reappeared in the office again. Not too surprised to see the Sandaime and the Fire Lord put the final touches on their individual letters, each had written two letters. One was for Naruto once he got old enough and the other was to the childs new parents, explaining things and making the attempt to get the jump on whatever questions they may have.
Also ready and waiting was a detailed portfolio on Yondaime's business deals, finances and etc. The Shinigami gathered up the portfolio and tucked it away in his robes, then took the letters once the Daimyo and Sandaime were done. The three people knew that there wasn't much more they could do here, so decided to go their separate ways. Shinigami left to return to his realm, but the Daimyo didn't leave until much later.
Instead both men wanted to check out the folder on Naruto's new father, at least this way they would get a feel for what the young man is like. So Sarutobi reached over, pulled the black folder toward him and opened it. The first thing they saw was a large glossy photo of a young man with long chestnut brown hair pulled back into a braid, sparkling cobalt blue eyes and a wide mischievous smile that warned you to be careful around him or you will be in for a world of embarrassment.
They put the photo aside to study later, wanting to learn more about this person. Underneath the photo was a profile on the young man, the file didn't say much but it did tell them some about what to expect in the future.
"Name: Duo Anthony Maxwell
Age: 25
Date of birth:
Residence: Maxwell Recycling, L2 Colony
Parents: Samael Espiridion Khthonios- deceased
Morana Helmi Vartiter - deceased
Foster Parents: Sister Helen and Father Maxwell of Maxwell Orphanage, deceased
Siblings: n/a
Foster Siblings: Heero Yuy
Trowa Barton
Wufei Chang
Quatra Raberba Winner"
The Fire Lord paused after reading those names and said "Two of those names aren't familiar to me, which means that they are foreign. The other two are somewhat familiar, Chang is Chinese for 'smooth' but the name 'Wufei' is unusual as 'Wu' means '5'. Not to mention that I've heard of the Chang Clan, I'm unsure of this Wufei is a relative or not. The Changs are powerful warriors, swordsmen and martial artists. Even the woman but they learn fighting styles more suited to their body-type, the children start almost as soon as they can walk."
"They are also extremely honorable and live their lives according to their beliefs, not to mention their intelligence. I've been told or rather warned not to get into an argument with a Chang if I ever do meet one, they'll talk circles around me and not think anything of it. I was also warned not to in any circumstances mention the word 'justice' or the worse thing imaginable will happen, the Chang will begin the infamous 'Justice Rant'! Apparently that clan are very firm believers in justice in all its forms, they will go to great lengths to ensure it is carried out."
Sarutobi chuckled "The clan sounds very interesting, life will never be dull with them around."
"Agreed, my friend." The Fire Lord replied before they turned their attention back to the folder they were reading.
"Wife: Hilde Angelika Schbeiker
Age: 26
Date of Birth:
Residence: Maxwell Recycling, L2 Colony
Parents: Christoph Alexander Schbeiker - deceased
Annaleisa Hannelore Schbeiker -deceased
Siblings: n/a
Children: Helen Rosalba Elizabeth - age 5
Solomon 'Solo' Roi Alexander - age 3"
There wasn't much more after that, just a brief background outline which said that Duo and his brothers were all retired soldiers for the most part. Some, like Wufei, continued to work as a soldier of peace and prevent another war from breaking out. The two leaders sighed and glanced at each other thoughtfully, it wasn't much but they at least had some idea of what to expect over the years…hopefully.
~*~
"Cannonball!" Duo yelled as he charged toward the pool and jumped into the air, tucking his legs tight against his upper body to form a ball. Ignoring all the cries from his friends as he hit the water, creating a huge splash.
He burst into laughter once he surfaced and saw the looks on their faces, Heero had a resigned expression that was much better than what he normally had. Quatre was laughing as he managed to avoid most of it, unfortunately Wufei didn't and got soaked. Trowa was already wet as he had been swimming laps under the surface, coming up for air not long after Duo did.
Of the girls, only Kathy got spared as she relaxed on one of the deck loungers. The others, Relena….who managed to get a week off from her busy schedule for a short vacation, Sally and Hilde were in the shallow 'kiddie pool' playing with the children. Duo and Hilde's 2 scamps, Helen and Solo along with Wufei's little warrior princess Meilan. Her baby brother Nataku was beside Kathy in a carrier, safely out of the sun's rays.
Wufei being a father was a little unusual as he and Sally weren't married yet, just engaged. Meilan and Nataku are the results of an artificial womb, somehow the elders of Wufei's clan managed to move the clan bank to a safer location but didn't get a chance to tell anyone before everything went to hell in a hand basket. So it wasn't until Quatre went through all the old data files that Instructor H left behind that mention of it was found, nor did Quatre want to get his friends hopes up so kept quiet until he could validate it's existence.
Once he did, Quatre met with Wufei and told him everything.. Wufei wasn't long in deciding what to do either, he immediately took an extended leave of absence from work with the only excuse being that it was clan related business.
They had a little difficulty getting to the banks location as the elders planned it so that only Wufei could gain access to it…if he was still alive of course. The security of the actual bank was set up so only a clan member could get in and since Wufei is the only one left, there was almost nothing to worry about.
It was what Wufei found inside that shook him up the most, his deceased wife Meilan had several vials of eggs stored there. Wufei knew that he had several vials of sperm stored as well, but that didn't concern him. It was the fact that he could finally have another piece of Meilan in his life, besides the memories and the miniature model of his gundam that Quatre surprised him with. Each of the pilots got one on the 10th anniversary of the wars end, it wasn't necessary but they appreciated it just the same.
This is what Wufei and Quatre have been busy doing the past several months, Relena also got involved once she found out and allowed Wufei to set the reborn clan up as citizens of Mars once they were old enough to survive the trip. Zechs and Noin willingly agreed to foster any children Wufei sent to the colony, but only in small groups. Wufei didn't have any problems with that as he wanted to take things slow, not rushing the rebuilding of his and the other clans. In fact, Wufei was thinking of calling this rebirth 'the Phoenix Clan' after the legendary bird of fire but wasn't completely sure as of yet.
Either way, Wufei had his children and Sally once they married. Duo had heard rumors that Quatre was dating Dorothy but the couldn't be completely sure, Trowa hadn't found a girlfriend yet either but was still a performer in the circus with his sister. As for Heero, Duo snorted as he swam over to the side of the pool and started to climb out. He honestly wondered if his friend would ever get a life outside of whatever job Heero is doing at that time, the only girl Duo knew of to be interested in Heero is Relena.
Which made him uneasy as the Sanc Princess/Vic-Foreign Minister is a very high-profile person, Duo wasn't sure if that kind of in-the-spotlight-life would suit his friend. The braided destroyer shrugged his shoulders, knowing that there wasn't much he could do for Heero except stand by his side like they did during the wars. The other good thing about the Chang Bank is that Wufei and his fellow pilots could store their own samples there, knowing that they would be safe and their bloodlines won't die out.
So Wufei, Quatre, Heero, Trowa and his sister Kathy, Duo and Hilde, Milliardo/Zechs and Noin, Relena and surprisingly Lady Une all kept DNA samples there. Lady Une even went so far as to move the samples of Treize that remained into the Chang Bank….with Wufei's permission of course. Treize's only child also received permission to keep her own samples there, which is a good idea since Mariemeia is the last Barton/Khushrenada left.
Duo grabbed a towel and started to dry off a little, heading over to the kiddie pool to play with his kids until it was time to go inside. Everyone was glad to see each other and hang out, having made plans to get together once or twice a year and just have a vacation of sorts. It wasn't that they never saw each other the rest of the year, they just never had time to do much once business was dealt with.
A spray of water suddenly struck Duo in the face, shocking him out of his thoughts. He looked around crossly only to glare at his daughter when he heard her laughing, Helen grinned at her dad and squirted water at him again only to miss Duo by an inch as he ducked out of the way.
"Oh that's it, this means war you little minx!" Duo exclaimed with a grin, tossing his towel to one side.
Helen or 'len among her friends shrieked with laughter and turned to run, but didn't get far before being snatched up by her father. Hilde laughed as well as she watched Duo tickle their daughter senseless, Solo giggling from where he sat between his mothers legs.
Duo would have gotten away with it too had not help come in the form of Helen's best friend, another spray of water struck Duo in the face and nearly made him drop Helen but he managed to keep ahold of her. The two looked to see who did that only to be shocked by another spray of water, they did see who did it and Helen burst into laughter at Meilan armed with the most advanced water gun there is.
A wicked grin on her face that would have done Wufei and her mother proud, Meilan took aim again and pulled the trigger. Wufei snorted and looked rather smug as his daughter showed her braided baka of an uncle just who is boss. Heero smirked at his former partner then rolled his eyes, not bothering to rescue him.
Eventually Duo had no choice except put Helen down, but even then he didn't get much chance to retaliate. The moment Helen was free, she darted over and grabbed the other water gun her best friend had ready then turned around to let Duo have it. This also gave Meilan a chance to reload on water while her best friend kept Duo occupied, then she rejoined Helen in target practice.
Things only got worse when one of the blasts missed and got Kathy soaked, making her shriek at the sudden coldness of the water. Thankfully, the water missed Nataku who slept on undisturbed.
Trowa's sister glared at the girls before she got up and went to join the water fight. Meilan and Helen's eyes widened when Aunt Kathy joined Duo, then grinned in excitement at the challenge.
Everyone else just observed from the sidelines and cheered, but it soon came time to go in as it was getting late. So the kids were dried off then wrapped up snugly in towels before being ushered into the house, up the stairs to their rooms to change for supper. The parents and adults followed them moments later, heading for their suites to change into dry clothes as well. Something that didn't take them very long, most went back downstairs to the game room and relaxed before supper.
Duo and Hilde went to look after their kids, Hilde took care of Helen while Duo looked after Solo. The same with Wufei and Sally, Wufei checked on his son while Sally went to help Meilan. Hilde had surprised everyone the other day with the news of more additions to the family, poor Duo was shocked and stunned speechless by the announcement before he fainted. Thankfully it didn't last long and Duo was back on his feet moments later, half his normal self and half panicking over Hilde.
Neither one knew what they were having as it was too soon to tell yet, nor were they in any hurry to find out either. All they were concerned about is the health of mother and child, both of whom are doing well. Nor were Helen and Solo too upset about the addition to their family, at most both kids were curious and somewhat excited.
Once the children were taken care of and left in the watchful care of the capable nannies Quatre hired for the duration of the vacation, both couples headed down to join their friends in the game room. Duo chuckled when he saw Heero, Trowa and Quatre playing pool. Wufei snorted at how badly the blond Arabian is doing, both he and Duo went over to join the game. They did glance over to see what the girls were doing and winced when they saw them at the dartboard, Kathy was dominating the game of course so that didn't surprise them. It was what Kathy and the others were doing that worried them, Kathy and the other girls were teaching Relena how to throw the darts….knife style!
"I take it that Relena has some issues to work out of her system," Duo drawled, "just going by how hard she is throwing those darts. Who do you think she has pictured in her head as the target?"
Heero didn't answer but you could tell by the wary glances he shot at her that he sincerely hoped it wasn't him, Duo and Wufei picked out their pool cues then powdered the tips before rejoining the other guys.
"Hard to say Duo," Quatre chuckled, "it could be someone close to her or someone in political circles. Goodness knows there are enough idiots in government that seem to be undoing everything we do, just by the number of times they open their mouths and unknowingly stick either 1 or both feet into it."
Duo and Wufei waited until a new game started then teamed up with someone in the group. Duo of course, teamed up with Heero. Wufei teamed up with Trowa as Quatre decided to take a break and sit this game out, becoming the spare should someone have to leave for some reason or another.
"How are things going for each of you? I have a rough idea on what everyone has been up to, but time and 'some' people aren't being very cooperative when it comes to keeping in touch?" Quatre asked with a hint of his 'zero' side coming out as he glared at Heero.
Heero looked at the former leader of their merry band a little uneasily, wondering if he should hit the floor or not to avoid any incoming objects thrown at him. The other guys watched in amusement, smirking as Heero slowly got uncomfortable.
"Not much is going on with the scrap yard," Duo took pity on his partner and broke the ice as he got ready to shoot, "business has been steady over the years which is great. Not crazily busy so we can still spend a decent amount of time with the kids, which is always great since I am enjoying everything that goes into being a parent and having a family. Hilde seems to get frustrated at times but that could be because she has experienced the whole family and parents thing before, all I have to go by is my time with the orphanage and the gang. Solo, Father Maxwell and Sister Helen were the only role models I had. Howard joined that select number once we meet and I got to know him, although he's more like a crazy grandfather than uncle or father-figure."
"Hilde and I close the scrap yard or leave it in the capable hands of one of the sweepers who hired on to help out whenever we want to have a 'family day', which only happens when Trowa and the circus are in town. The kids love going to see Uncle Trowa and Aunt Kathy at the circus, Helen gets a kick out of watching Kathy throw knives at Trowa….not too sure what Solo likes yet though." "Whenever one of you guys or the girls are in town, it's time for another family outing day. So far only Quatre, Trowa and Kathy are somewhat regulars. Relena tries to leave an hour or so free so she can visit whenever she is on L2, it doesn't always happen but she tries." Trowa spoke up as he studied the balls on the pool table thoughtfully "Kathy and I are kept pretty busy with the circus, especially since the manager retired and we bought the circus from him. Being co-owners and sharing the workload helps a lot, I take care of the animals and equipment while Kathy looks after everything else."
"We didn't change much about the circus, just a few things like totally update the equipment and add a few new acts. I help out where I can and try to leave things set up for Kathy whenever I am called away, it's not oven but it does happen. Lady Une agreed to that condition when I joined the Preventers part-time, I was only to be called in when my skills were truly needed…..no sooner. The circus is my life now, not the Preventers or being a soldier."
The others all agreed, their lives as soldiers and fighting were over. It wasn't that they refuse to fight, they just preferred to be the absolute last resort to any situation. Wufei is the only one who was a full-time Preventor Agent, the others were part-time agents. Although they did keep their senses open for trouble and passed on anything they found that was of some importance. Quatre was more active in keeping the peace and moved in some of the same circles as Relena, often getting together to talk things over.
Heero finally spoke "Haven't been doing much, moving from job-to-job mostly. Sometimes up in the colonies, sometimes down here on Earth. Don't have the urge to settle down in any one place longer than a year, habits are hard to break but I'm slowly loosing the mold I was made into."
"Good to hear," Quatre exclaimed happily, "I'm glad that you are moving out of 'Perfect Soldier' mode and putting him to sleep until the next time he is needed. I hope we never do but the future isn't something we can predict, the most we can do is try and be prepared for whatever happens."
"Duo and Trowa send whatever bits'n'pieces of information they sniff out in their daily lives to either me or Wufei, depending on how serious the information is. I usually pass it on to Lady Une, but not always. Wufei is the one who mostly likely gets it, whatever happens to it then I don't know."
"Most times I investigate how useful whatever you guys send me is, then pass it to whichever department is handling that case or situation. A lot of the time, the stuff you all manage to dig up is missing pieces to certain puzzles we have going. A lot of it is reasonably harmless, but deserves a watchful eye kept on it just on the chance something causes it to be flagged as a 'red or yellow alert'." Wufei explained gruffly.
The others nodded in agreement before they focused their attention back on the game. Conversation changing subjects or stopping altogether, most times it was just 5 guys having fun and relaxing.
~*~
Hilde chuckled when she saw what Kathy and Relena were doing, wincing in sympathy of the person Relena was mad at now. These vacations did the girl good, it's just too bad that Relena couldn't take time off more often. She knew that Lady Une and Dorothy both kept an eye on Relena, managing her schedule and making sure she didn't take on too much.
"The kids happily playing under the nannies watchful eyes?" Kathy paused long enough to ask curiously.
"Yes, Helen and Meilan are in Helen's room while the boys were put down for a short nap." Sally answered for Hilde.
"I'm glad," Kathy chuckled, "the girls certainly had fun in that water fight against Duo and myself."
"True, they did and it was funny to watch as well. So what has everyone been up to since we last got together, I know some but news from Earth is slow getting to L2 colony. Although things have been getting better thanks to the combined efforts of Relena and Quatre, all the colonies have been improving over the years." Hilde asked as she and Sally joined the girls.
"Not much on my end that isn't already known," Relena sighed somewhat in disgust, "Ann and Dorothy make sure I get at least an hour each day just to relax. During that hour, nothing work related is allowed near me. I spend it either dealing with personal correspondence, getting some fresh air outside if the weather allows it. Although I can't help but be amused by the terror Dorothy puts everyone through if they try to get to me without an appointment, Ann has even said that Dorothy has Colonel Une beat when it comes to terror and intimidation."
The girls snorted with laughter at that, especially Hilde and Sally who have experienced the notorious Colonel Une before. Relena sat down to take a break, letting one of the other girls at the dartboard. As much as she enjoyed her work, Relena was glad for every chance she got to just kick back and relax with the girls.
"Any news from Milliardo and Lucreezia?" Sally asked curiously.
"Yes 'lena, what's going on with the Mars Colony Project. How is your brother and Noin?" Kathy spoke up from where she stood.
Relena chuckled "Better than everyone expected, Milliardo is actually enjoying himself and throwing everything he has into the colony. I get the usual report once a month or so on the technical aspects of the colony, so we know how well the colony is doing. Heero surprised both Milliardo and I by setting up a secure communication channel that no one can break through, for us to use. So I get a call from either my brother or Noin once a week, I am slowly getting to know my big brother again." "Although Noin has told me that Milliardo has had to go 'Zechs' on a few people who were doing something that either endangered the colony as a whole or just the people, Milliardo doesn't tolerate foolishness…especially when it can very well endanger lives. Neither did Noin in the time we were together, not only did she become my friend but she was also like the sister I never had."
"After this vacation, I'll be heading to Mars Colony to visit Milliardo and Noin. Also to do an inspection on the facility, the colonists don't know that though. All they know is that I am making a short side-trip to visit my brother…nothing more…nothing less. Ann would have liked to go with me but things at Preventer Headquarters won't let her, so it will be just Dorothy and I."
"Not really Relena," Sally spoke up, "Ann assigned Wufei and I to be your escorts while there plus to assist in the inspection. Wufei grew up in a colony so knows better what is needed to survive, you don't although she said that you are getting better."
Relena frowned at that then sighed "True, there is that…a spacer would have a better idea in what to look for than an earthier. I would have preferred Duo instead of Wufei though, mostly because of their backgrounds. Duo is a former street brat, so would know the inner workings of a colony better than Wufei. I have nothing against your partner Sally, but Wufei is like a noblemen and I highly doubt he was ever allowed to get his hands dirty before operation meteor began. Other than his combat training that is, I figure learning to fight and martial arts are an important part of his culture."
Sally chuckled "None taken Relena, we all have our faults and work to either improve upon them or at least acknowledge that they exist."
The girls continued their conversations, switching subjects whenever needed. The boys kept playing pool, not caring who won or lost. The only time they stopped was when the servants came to inform them that supper is now ready, so the group left the game room and headed for the dining room. Some continuing conversations while others remain silent and just enjoyed being with close friends again, the children were already at the table and waiting for everyone to arrive.
"Smells good Quatre," Duo complemented his friend, "pass the word on to your chef please!"
"I'll make sure to do so Duo," Quatre chuckled, "now shall we get to our seats and dig in. I know the children look eager to enjoy the food, even if the end result will be a big mess."
"Uncle Quatre, we don't make messes!" Helen retorted.
"Yes Uncle Quatre, babies make messes and we aren't babies!!! "Meilan commented sharply.
The adults burst into laughter, settling down after a few moments to turn their attention to supper.
~*~
Duo finished Helen's bedtime story and proceeded to tuck his little girl into bed, he chuckled softly as Helen snuggled down under the thick covers with one arm wrapped tightly around her Deathscythe stuffy.
"Good-night my little Shinimegami (goddess of death), sweet dreams!" Duo murmured softly as he headed for the door, turning out the light as he left the room.
"Good-night Daddy Shinigami." Helen answered sleepily as she stifled a yawn that refused to wait any longer.
Duo smiled faintly as he left Helen's bedroom, pausing at the nursery to peek in on Solo before continuing on to his own room. Entering it to see Hilde coming out of the bathroom, nightshirt brushing against her thighs as she moves.
"Helen tucked into bed and off to dreamland, honey?" She asked as she climbed into bed.
"Yeah, I read her a bedtime story. Finished the current book we have started," Duo answered as he started to remove his own clothes, "not sure what we're going to do once that series of books is done. There aren't many books out there that will interest Helen enough to bother with."
"True," Hilde chuckled, "maybe Quatre will have some ideas. If not then we'll just have to find something else to interest her….other than practice knife-throwing." Duo's muffled snickers came through the fabric of his shirt "Helen certainly knows what she likes and that is sharp, pointy things. Although I have to be impressed by her skills so far and the determination Helen has toward knife-throwing, even Kathy is pleased by her students progress whenever they visit."
Hilde snorted "Duo, love….Helen's love of sharp pointy things is preferable over your love of things that go BOOM!"
Duo just scowled at her once he got his t-shirt off then said "Ha-ha Hild, just you wait….one of our kids is bound to inherit my love of explosives…the bigger the better!"
Hilde rolled her eyes at her fun-loving, explosive-junky, prankster of a husband. Duo grinned as he headed into the bathroom to get ready for bed himself, not that he had a lot to do anyway since he didn't have to take a shower. The only thing that took him time is his waist length hair, Duo had gotten use to brushing it morning and night since the wars end.
Duo came out of the bathroom an hour later, hair brushed and freshly rebraided. Wearing only a pair of pajama bottoms, he seldom wore the tops so often left it in the dresser. The former soldier moved around the bed to the other side and climbed under the covers, snuggling up to Hilde with one hand laying flat over the slight swell showing.
"So how is our little one doing?" Duo asked with a bit of fatherly pride, knowing full well that it was too soon for their child to give any kind of response yet.
Hilde rested her head against his shoulder and listened to him sleepily, Duo always did this every morning and evening. It had become a ritual that began with each child after that, something that Hilde would miss once they had the 4 children they agreed upon back when they had gotten engaged.
Duo may have wanted a large family because of his being an orphan, but she didn't so they compromised with 4 children. Giving them 2 boys and 2 girls, if Duo still wanted more kids after that then he would have to go via test tube children. At least that is Hilde's verdict now, everything depended on what condition her body was in after this pregnancy whether she could carry more babies or not.
Eventually Duo finished his nightly chat with their unborn child and turned his attention to Hilde, reaching over to turn out the lamp before they began their own version of fun. Which wasn't much since Duo didn't want to risk harming the baby, most times they just cuddled until both drifted off to sleep.
~Dreamscape~
Duo blinked several times as he adjusted to the fact that his dream got rerouted to this place, although he really shouldn't be surprised as this isn't his first time here. The young man looked around the black and white stone room, cold mist lazily floating around him.
"Duo, what is going on? Where are we?" Hilde's voice reached him, causing Duo to spin around and look at her in surprise.
"Hilde, what are you doing here??" Duo exclaimed in shock, this is the first time anyone other than himself has been here…to his knowledge that is.
"I don't know, last thing I remember is falling asleep next to you in bed!" Hilde answered as she took the last few steps needed to reach her husband.
Duo put an arm around her to reassure Hilde that everything will be okay, he sighed and wondered why she was brought here to begin with. Hilde isn't a follower of Shinigami, he wasn't sure who his wife believed in. Religion wasn't discussed much in their family, which Duo knew won't please Sister Helen and Father Maxwell.
"Duo, is that you?" came another familiar voice and the couple glanced over to see others they knew come out of the mist.
Duo was really disturbed now as Quatre and Dorothy, Heero and Relena, Wufei and Sally, Trowa and his sister Kathy, Milliardo and Lu with Lade Une and Mariemaia being the last ones to appear.
"Alright, now I am officially confused. I have no idea what is going on or why all of you were brought here, normally I'm the only one to appear here when Shinigami needs to discuss something with me!" Duo drawled sarcastically.
"What are you talking about baka?!" Wufei snapped out in annoyance.
"Shinigami…..?" Trowa asked curiously.
Heero was the only one who looked uneasy, as if he recognized the place and really didn't want to be here! Relena stood next to him, looking uneasy as well.
Duo sighed tiredly then began to explain "Yes, Shinigami….did you honestly think the god of death didn't exist Wufei? Even Heero knows this and I suspect he knows where we are too, judging by how it looks like he is going to pull out his gun any second now and start shooting."
The others glanced at the Perfect Soldier and saw that Duo was right, Heero is acting very trigger-fingerish which made them wary.
"As for where we are," Duo continued, "this is the called the Hall of Death. It is the first place souls appear in when their mortal life ends, at least from what I've been able to figure out each time I appear in this place. Thankfully I've never really spoken to any souls, although I do get glimpses of them whenever the mist fades in places."
"I believe you Duo, my space heart is reacting to this place. We aren't dead," Quatre spoke up, "this is most likely a visitation in our dreams or something along those lines. I've heard of times in the past when people would be visited by certain beings while asleep, sometimes the visitations would even occur while awake but most happen as the body rests."
No one had a chance to say anything more as the mist got their attention when it pulled back to show a path for them to take, Duo headed for it without a word. One hand making sure Hilde is still with him, the others didn't waste any time in following their black-clad member.
The path eventually ended at another smaller room which looked to have been created for comfort, Duo sighed and pulled Hilde with him over to a seat.
"Grab a seat everyone," Duo muttered as he got comfortable with Hilde on his lap, "we're going to be here awhile." "Why?" Heero asked bluntly.
"Simple 'ro, this room is the equivalent of a waiting room in an office. I haven't been in this room much as he only uses it when he is occupied with something else, which is why I said to get comfortable as we could be here for awhile." Duo explained dryly.
Quatre was the first to take his suggestion and sit down, Dorothy in the seat next to his. Together they browsed through the selection of magazines and other material on the table in front of them, Duo just sighed and wrapped his arms around Hilde as he patiently waited for Shinigami-sama to appear.
Wufei went over to lean against the wall, choosing a spot where he could see the whole room. Trowa did the same and stood not far from his fellow pilot, Kathy and Sally both choose to sit down so picked seats not far from the men.
Milliardo, on the other hand, went to sit by Duo while Lucreezia headed over to Relena and get caught up on the news. Lady Une and her ward were there already, Mariemeia perched on the chair beside her role model….Relena.
"Why do you think Shinigami-sama has called us here Duo?" Milliardo asked softly.
This surprised Duo as he honestly didn't think Milliardo Peacecraft, the Lightning Count, would be a believer in the god of death.
Milliardo saw the look Duo gave him and snorted "How else do you think I survived the destruction of the Space Battleship, luck?!?!? True, I managed to get out of there with minimal injuries but my suit was shot. Epyon hung together until he got me to safety then quit, Shinigami-sama found me shortly afterward and made sure I survived." "Why he did so, I still haven't figured out, but I'm grateful whatever the reason. Nor do I know if we're the only followers Shinigami-sama has, you were rather easy to figure out considering your title is 'Shinigami'." "I also got the feeling that he is rather amused by the idea of a human going by the title of Shinigami, at least he seemed amused to me. I could be wrong though as I haven't known him as long as you have, it's hard to say."
Duo chuckled darkly, his eyes flickering between cobalt blue and violet. Warning everyone that their friends darker side is surfacing, but not a danger….yet.
"Oh he's amused alright," Duo muttered softly, "he calls me Shinigami Jr. or S.J. for short. Something that annoys the heck out of me, but accept it as something that can't be avoided or ignored. As for what he wants with us, hard to say really. It could be anything from soul-collecting to helping the management direct the incoming souls of the dead, my favorite is soul-collecting although it is also satisfying to direct the deserving souls on to heaven and their eternal rest."
"I got to see Sister Helen and Father Maxwell again during one such trip, say everything I didn't have a chance to say as a child and endure Sister Helen's mothering one last time. I learned that they were able to watch from heaven and saw everything, which I'm not very pleased about but they forgave me and said how proud of me they were."
"Father Maxwell and Sister Helen also approved of Hilde here, which meant a lot to me. Father Maxwell even gave his blessing to our life together, I'm just sad that Hilde won't get to meet them until her time comes. They would have loved her, despite Sister Helen saying that someone needed to keep me in line since she couldn't do it anymore."
Hilde was surprised by that bit of news, blushing over the fact that two of the most important people in Duo's life approve of her being with their 'son'. She knew why Duo wanted to name their firstborn Helen, but not how important it was to him. Sister Helen was the mother-figure Duo never had, Father Maxwell….the father-figure and Solo was the big brother-figure."
Duo sobered up and became serious saying softly "I even got to meet my birth parents while there, although I wasn't given enough time to really get to know them well. I did find out that I wasn't a mistake or accident, that I was actually wanted and eagerly looked forward to, that I was actually loved by them."
This surprised Milliardo and Hilde, it showing on their faces. Both knew that Duo was an orphan and former street brat, that nothing had ever been found of his past no matter how hard their friends searched.
"They were murdered," Duo said calmly, "my parents were murdered by killers hired by Romafeller! All because they saw something they shouldn't have, you know the saying 'wrong place at the wrong time'…..that was my parents." "Dad was on his way home from work when they got him, a simple schoolteacher for the most part killed just blocks from the school he worked at. I was with mom when they came for her, she had just picked me up from the sitters and were on our way home when it happened. I was 4-5 years old back then, not knowing what was gong on or why my mom just suddenly fell and not moving."
"I don't have very clear memories of my childhood before Solo found me, but that I do remember and it created my 'Shinigami Side' or rather gave birth to it. My parents are also part of the reason why I'm so glad Hilde is pregnant again, I want to name our child after them….depending on the gender of course."
Milliardo winced at that, Duo was another victim of Romafeller's actions. An organization that gave birth to Oz, which he was a part of. He couldn't help but wonder what Duo's parents saw that made Romafeller want them dead, it had to have been something pretty important.
Hilde smiled sadly at her husband, glad that he got to meet his parents and regain the lost part of his childhood back again. For this, she will let him name their unborn child as a memorial to his deceased parents.
"What were their names?" Hilde asked softly.
Duo glanced at her briefly before he answered "My father was Samael Espiridion Khthonios and my mother was Morana Helmi Vartiter, I did some research and found out that my dad taught World Studies as a subject. My mom was a nurse at one of the homeless shelters, she was the only one for an area of 10 shelters." Milliardo inhaled sharply at the fathers name, Dr. Samael Khthonios was on the committee that had been working with the real Heero Yuy toward peace between Earth and the colonies. It's no wonder that Romafeller wanted him dead, the man had picked up the pieces left behind by Heero's assination and continued the work for peace.
Milliardo couldn't help but chuckle in amusement, eyes twinkling when he said "Well, at least we know where you get your well-deserved title of Shinigami from."
At their curious expressions, he elaborated "Samael means 'venom of god' while Morana means 'death', don't know what the rest of their names mean though. Are you going to change your last name back to your birth name now that you know what it is?"
Duo shook his head then said "No, both Maxwell and Khthonios mean a lot to me so I've decided to combine the 2. Which would make my family and I Maxwell-Khthonios or even Khthonios-Maxwell, not sure which sounds better."
"I already informed Lady Une so she could make the changes in my file, although she didn't look too good when I told her my parents name. Almost like she was going to be sick or something, she was also in a hurry to end the call but I just assumed that she had a meeting or something to leave for." Milliardo mentally snorted at that, knowing just what Lady Une would have been feeling about the news….considering how close she was to Treize. His old friend probably knew about Duo's parents and most likely had a part to play in how Duo turned out, Milliardo couldn't help but wonder what else his deceased friend had been up to that he didn't know about.
~*~
Shinigami watched from the doorway of the nursery he had added to his new punishers quarters, smiling from within the shadows of his cowl at the happy image in front of him. Minato looked good in his new outfit of black with matching coat of the same style as the one he wore in life, the flames dancing along the hems were the only color on the whole outfit.
The former Hokage stood beside the chair Kushina sat in, both were looking down at the child in her arms with smiles on their faces. Little Naruto was gurgling up at his parents while griping his mothers finger tightly, his other hand was wrapped tightly around one of his fathers special kunai. Shinigami assumed that Minato wanted his son to have one of the special Kunia as part of his heritage, Kushina simply gave Naruto a necklace with a locket in the shape of a whirlpool. The locket contained a picture of both Kushina and Minato on their wedding day, a picture of Minato with Jiraiya and surviving teammates. The next picture was one of Minato and his own gennin team, the final one was of Minato when he became Hokage.
Shinigami cleared his throat to get their attention, both looked at him and Kushina became sad while Minato just nodded his head grimly. The time had come for them to say good-bye to Naruto as his new family was here, they knew that the child couldn't stay here as they were dead but it was hard to let Naruto go. Even with the fact that they could take turns watching over their son from the afterlife, it was still difficult to send their child away.
Minato reached down and carefully picked up his son, cradling the child gently in his arms. Kushina got to her feet as well and bent down to grab the bag they had prepared of necessities for Naruto, both souls came over to where he stood at the door. Shinigami didn't like tearing apart families, being a father himself but there wasn't much he could do about it. Naruto was alive, not dead so couldn't stay here. Minato and Kushina were dead, not alive so couldn't go with him.
Shinigami left the nursery, Minato with Naruto in his arms and Kushina beside him followed the death god. Nothing was said as the group walked down the halls toward their destination, only Naruto's gurgling broke the solemn air around them.
Shinigami motioned for them to wait outside the room while he spoke to Naruto's new family, Minato and Kushina already knew who the couple were. Shinigami-sama allowed them to watch the couples lives from the time of their birth until now, reassuring both that this couple would take good care of their son.
~*~
Everyone stirred when they saw the door open and froze when the cloaked figure entered the room, no one did anything right away then Duo and Milliardo surprised them when they got to their feet. Moved toward the cloaked person and dropped down on one knee, head bowed toward the floor.
"Shinigami-sama?" Milliardo questioned.
"Why have you called us all here, I can understand why I would be summoned but not the others?" Duo finished the question started by Milliardo.
Shinigami chuckled darkly "Please son, no need to be so formal around your old man. I called you and your friends for a very special task, it is mostly for you and your wife but your friends are allowed to assist." Duo glared at the death god for the 'son' comment, but didn't say anything as he got to his feet. Already curious as to what task Shinigami-sama had for him, he had the feeling that it would be something totally unlike anything he has ever done before for the ancient being.
"Son?" Trowa queried with a quirk of his visible brow.
"Yes, son. I don't know how much Duo-kun told you but I was surprised when word reached me about a mortal who was calling himself Shinigami, so I investigated and found Duo Maxwell here. As I watched his struggles, battles and how he lived his life during wartime. I slowly became amused and intrigued by Duo-kun, enough to appear before him at the end of your war."
Duo huffed and looked at his friends crossed-eyed at their expressions of amusement, amid other emotions.
He folded his arms over his chest and muttered "Alright, so I became Shinigami-sama's adopted son for my liberties at the use of his name…..sue me! It suited the occasion at the time, you also can't deny that I was good at doing the name justice!" "Serves you right baka!" Wufei chuckled.
"Oh shut it Wuffers!" Duo snapped out, violet eyes blazing at his friend.
Shinigami-sama stepped in before a fight broke out, speaking very seriously "I also want to introduce my new punisher to my followers as they will be working together at times in the future." Now this surprised Duo and Milliardo, Duo especially as he knew his adopted father had been on the look-out for a very talented soul who had the guts and imagination to handle the job. Everyone looked toward the door when Shinigami motioned for whoever was out in the hall to come in, no one said anything as the couple entered the room.
"Duo-kun, allow me to introduce my Punisher Minato Namikaze and his wife Kushina Uzumaki. Both are recently deceased and connected to your new assignment. The bundle in Minato's arms is your actual assignment," Shinigami replied calmly, "you will see why when I show you what Minato and Kushina came from."
Hilde had come over to stand beside her husband, not saying anything as she listen to what was being said. Duo and Minato gazed at each other wary, both remained where they were until they had finished measuring the other for whatever it was that they wanted to know.
Duo replied "Well, the old man seemed to be pretty impressed with whatever you did to catch his attention. I should know since I took on the title of Shinigami or The Great Destroyer during the war, I used both almost equally."
Minato chuckled "I know, Shinigami-sama allowed my wife and I to see your life so we would be reassured our legacy is going to be in good hands. We were both very impressed by your survival and fighting skills, not to mention how well you and your fellow pilots work together as a team. As one orphan to another, I know what it's like to survive day-to-day on whatever you can scrounge up." Duo's eyes widened slightly at that bit of news then a faint smile appeared on his lips, a knowing gleam in his eyes for someone who went through almost the same thing as he did.
Minato glanced at Shinigami-sama and sighed softly, closing the distance between himself and Duo. He carefully placed the bundle in the young mans arms, gently gliding his fingertips over the tiny face peeking out of the blankets.
"His name is Naruto, please take good care of him for us. He's all we have, our legacy and joy." Minato said softly and stepped back away from Duo, putting an arm around his wife who had given Hilde the baby bag.
Now this surprised Duo and Hilde, both looking at Shinigami as if not sure they heard Minato right or not. The others were equally surprised and also curious as to why the couple had given up their son to be raised by strangers, but didn't say anything right away.
Shinigami snapped his fingers and the room disappeared around them, leaving the group standing in a totally different place. The god of death motioned for them to be quiet and watch, things would make themselves clear as they observed what he wanted to show them.
"Where are we?" Duo thought mentally.
"This is my homeland," Minato explained softly, "Fire Country in the Elemental Lands."
"I am from the land of Whirlpools, but it is lost to us. The country neighboring us destroying everything. I am the only survivor to my knowledge, nearly didn't make it to Konoha." Kushina explained just as softly.
Duo and the others watched as Minato's life unfolded in front of them, each had a different expression on their face. Quatre couldn't stop rubbing his chest, feeling his space heart reacting to what is going on around them.
They were spellbound by everything from the culture to the lifestyle to the training they went through to take on the jobs they do, Heero seemed to be especially keen on the similarities to the Japanese culture he grew up with. Wufei was very impressed by the code of honor many of these shinobi, Minato especially lived by and showed in the battles they went through.
This code of honor and sacrifice was especially apparent during the battle against the monster of a 9-tail fox, many had different reactions to Minato sealing the creature within his son but Wufei understood strangely enough. The Chinese Nobleman couldn't help but wonder if he would have been able to do the same thing should he have been in Minato's place instead, it scared him to think that he very well might have.
Once done with Minato's life, they switched over to Kushina's life and watched how the childs mother became the person she is. The women were very impressed by how Kushina dealt with Minato and other certain males in her life, they knew that kind of career wouldn't have been easy on the female species. Even Wufei kept silent about the whole 'women fighting' topic, he didn't want Kushina to go 'Red Death' all over him.
What really pissed them all off was the actions of the council afterward, each of them wanted to go there and give out some punishments - Gundam style!
Hilde and Duo immediately accepted the task of raising the child as their own, heck….Hilde looked ready to grab Wufei's sword and some of Duo's explosives then give the idiots a good dose of mother's wrath. Duo himself is radiating so much killing intent that it was literally visible to the normal eyes as a wavy violet aura around him, plus his own eyes had switch to a deep violet color which meant that Shinigami was fully awake and ready to cause some long overdue destruction.
This surprised and impressed Minato as he had never before seen 'visible' killing intent, Kushina was greatly reassured that her baby would be safe with these people and loved. She will be watching them from here though, to see how her son will develop over the years and enjoy all the adventures he would get himself into.
Wufei was itching to grab his sword and slice the council into itsy, bitsy pieces. Heero was back into Perfect Soldier mode and wanting to use the council members for target practice, nor was he the only one either. Trowa and Kathy was itching for some knife throwing practice, Kathy even had one of her daggers out and was checking the edge on it.
Quatre was on the verge of going 'zero' on those responsible. Milliardo couldn't believe how idiot those people were, wanting to kill or harm a baby simply because their fears overwhelmed them, it made him sick! His sister wasn't any better either, Relena had seen a lot of things in her life but this was the worse.
Ann Une had one arm around her ward Mariemaia, thinking of what the 17 year old had nearly become thanks to her own grandfather. If it hadn't been for Relena and Heero, Mariemaia would have probably ended up even worse than Naruto. Mariemaia was also remembering what she had narrowly avoided being turned into as well, seeing the same thing done to an innocent baby at the beginning of its life adventure brought her own experiences back and it wasn't pretty. Both then decided to be there for the child in any way that Duo and the others would let them be, although Mariemaia was hoping to become something of a big sister figure to Naruto as she had always wanted a little brother to spoil.
Shinigami, Minato and Kushina watched their reactions in mild amusement. Waiting for them to calm down before anything more was said, there wasn't a lot left to do anyway. Shinigami just had to hand over the items he collected from the village and the trunk that contained his whole library of Shinobi related subjects, this dimension wasn't the only one with Shinobi….there were others out there.
~*~
Sarutobi chuckled as he waits for Jiraiya to finish absorbing the news about Minato and Naruto, then a big grin appeared on his face and eyes gleamed in amusement before he started to roar with laughter. The Hokage himself found it very amusing as well, especially since he did some more studies of the folder on Naruto's new parents and discovered that the father is actually Shinigami's adopted son…..which makes Naruto his grandson!
The elderly man would really liked to see Minato and Kushina's enemies go after Naruto now, the child won't exactly be untouchable but mighty darn close to it. Jiraiya eventually calmed down and sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk, snickers still escaping every so often. This almost gave him an idea for another book that was not in any way connected to his porn series, maybe it might even sell too.
Sarutobi spoke up "If you want to send Little Naruto a gift, then I would suggest the book that gave him his name. I know that I plan on sending him lots of reading material just to enjoy, Shinigami-sama will provide the Shinobi reading material so we can send books and scrolls just for enjoyment factor."
Jiraiya thought about it then shrugged before he said "I might or might not, although the chances are pretty good that I will. How is the kid going to get anything we want to send him?"
Sarutobi replied "Shinigami-sama is allowing us the use of his ravens as messengers and delivery birds, which is another reason why I want to be careful not to abuse the privilege given us."
Jiraiya nodded seriously, understanding his sensei's reasons and knew it wasn't a good idea to piss off someone as powerful as the god of death. Still, the councils reaction was highly hilarious and something he would remember for years to come. After all, who could say that they personally taught someone who eventually became a Punisher for Shinigami-sama after death!
~*~
Shinigami had given Duo and Hilde the 2 trunks containing all of Naruto's things, then would have sent them on their way but Hilde suddenly asked "Do you mind if we change or add to Naruto's name?"
Naruto's parents thought about it then Minato said "We would rather that you didn't change it because of how special it is to us, the meanings are only part of our reasons. Naruto means fishcake but also maelstrom in another kanji, it was the Maelstrom meaning that we had in mind when considering a name for our child….should we ever have one."
"My other reason is because of a character in a book my sensei wrote and tried to get published but it didn't sell, Kushina and I both could relate to the main character so wanted our child to be like that person or at least hope he would be."
Duo and Hilde both understood what the deceased couple meant so decided to keep the name Naruto for their memory, although they chuckled when Minato told them what his first and last names meant. It seems that family has a thing for storms and other weather related phenomena, which will make names that would fit a challenge to find.
Shinigami sent the couple and Naruto back to their sleeping bodies, each of their remaining friends also came up to say that they will each help Duo raise the child to be the person Minato and Kushina would like him to be. They would make sure he would always remember and honor their memory, even as he grew up in the care of a new family.
Eventually Wufei was the only one left and he first bowed to them as one warrior would to another of equal or greater strength, this bow was also different because both Wufei and Minato were leaders of their respective peoples/clans. Although what Wufei did next surprised them both as neither Minato or Kushina expected it, Shinigami-sama may have known but he wasn't saying.
"I know that you are deceased and just souls now, but if there was a way for your honorable clans to exist in our world then I would have offered an alliance between the Changs, Uzumakis and Namikazes. I would have cared for them as if they were my own flesh and blood, children of Dragons." Wufei spoke formally but with slight hints to something he wouldn't come out and say, making it a test to see if they could figure out the offer hidden in the conversation.
Minato smiled, nodding slightly to let the Chinese warrior know they got the hidden offer. Both of them wanted a large family but their lives ended before they could, Kushina had to restore her clan and he wanted a large family simply because he was an orphan and didn't have any. At least not until he became a gennin and met Jiraiya-sensei who became like a father-figure to him and is now Naruto's godfather. Duo and Hilde will learn of that once they read Naruto's file, so it wasn't something they needed to worry about right at that moment.
"I agree Chang-sama, it would have been nice if our clans were able to become allies." Minato agreed with Wufei, adding "maybe in another life if Kami allows it."
Wufei nodded then bowed once more before he too vanished, sent back to his sleeping body and life as a Preventer Agent. Minato and Kushina didn't leave for their own quarters for several moments, already missing Naruto.
Shinigami spoke up suddenly "Why don't you both write up a rough draft of the alliance form and send it to Wufei Chang to examine, the alliance can still happen with Naruto despite becoming a Maxwell now." Minato looked at his wife curiously and she nodded in agreement, this alliance would give Naruto added protection from a very powerful clan of warriors. Not to mention that more benefits could come of such an alliance in the future, like a marriage or two maybe.
Shinigami waited until the couple left then vanished himself on some kind of errand, very few dared to question him except Kami himself.
Reappearing in the main room of the Chang Bank and gliding down the aisle between stored samples, stopping at an empty space in the row. Shinigami focused his power and then snapped his fingers, causing vials of eggs and sperm to appear in that space. Normally this wouldn't have drawn another glance except for what the labels said, written clearly were the names Kushina Uzumaki for the eggs and Minato Namikaze for the sperm samples.
Shinigami nodded his satisfaction and vanished again, Naruto would have more siblings and the alliance will become real in this dimension as well. The Namikaze and Uzumaki clans may die out in their home dimension but they won't here, not with people like Wufei Chang as guardien.
~*~
Moonlight shone into the dark nursery, chasing the shadows away from the toddler-size bed and its occupant. They were the only ones who saw the arrival of the baby and the toddlers sleepy reaction to the infant, Solo rolled over toward the baby and lay one arm on the child. The 3 year old small body curled protectively around his new 'little brother', letting everyone know that they will have a fight on their hands if they tried to separate them.
Nobuyuki - "faithful happiness."
Espiridion - Spanish form of Greek Spiridion, meaning "little spirit."
Helmi - Finnish name meaning "pearl."
Khthonios (Χθόνιος) - Greek name derived from the word khthonios, meaning "of the earth (especially the inner earth, i.e. underworld)." In mythology, this is an epithet applied to Hermes and Zeus. It is the masculine form of Khthonia.
Vartiter: Armenian name meaning "rose-butterfly."