Doubly Rude and Once Ginger

Note:

I first wrote this with the intention of being a short, more or less humorous piece. But you know, when you get involved in anything, even a silly little fanfiction like this, your imagination can just run away with you and create an entire world/story. And so I have with this! It's going to become a full on cross over as I discovered, in my imagination, that Kushina would be an excellent companion for the Doctor. I have these brilliant (if I do say so myself) ideas in my head and I'm just dying to write them! So, yes, this story is gonna be more than 4-5 chapters long!

Again, thanks for the patience, and thanks for reading it! It empowers me to write!


Chapter 3: The Sacrificial Chamber

An uneasy silence fell on the Doctor and Kushina, one he didn't particularly appreciate. He was itching to know more about the world he was in and about his new little partner but he felt if there was any time to hold his tongue, it was now. The Doctor took this new silence to survey his surroundings. They were in a tunnel, yes, with its polish walls and ceiling. The light of the Gravity-Glo shone ahead of them just revealed more tunnels without any indication of ending or splitting into different paths. Only one destination, it seemed to him. The Doctor hoped it lead an interesting destination at the least, especially after all that running, falling and walking.

He glanced at Kushina, and tension lifted immediately. He couldn't hold back a grin. Her lips were puckered in a bit of a pout that made her look like a rather adorable child, especially on that shapely face that still sported traces of baby fat. He wondered if she took back her question in deference to him. That was awfully perceptive and kind of her and he greatly appreciated the gesture, because it spared him either the unpleasantness of answering or the awkwardness of trying to talk his way of it. He was most likely to do the latter in any case.

"This…" Kushina began suddenly, looking round with a scowl on her face, "This hallway is awfully long."

"Is it?" the Doctor said, looking around with wide eyes, "Although awfully long is awfully relative. Once I was on planet where everything was connected by miles of rather dreary looking tunnels, much like this one. Mole-race, they were, called themselves the Kathoones. Now those were awfully long and—"

"The what?"

"Kathoones—mole race. They are a blind race, like most burrowing, subterranean species, but don't let that fool you. Kathoone warriors are the sneakiest and most effective I've come across. Not unlike ninjas. Hah, that's brilliant—blind mole-ninjas! Or blind ninjas-moles."

Kushina gave him a doubtful look.

"They were!" the Doctor insisted. "They were quite formidable opponents. A lot more dangerous than ninja turtles."

Kushina looked unconvinced, though it wasn't the Kathoone ninja-mole/mole-ninja race she was concerned about. "I gotta to ask: if you're supposed to be an alien, how come you look…like me? I mean, aren't aliens supposed to be…not human looking?"

"Nope." The Doctor answered, with a firm shake of his head, "Humans aren't the only bipedal race in the universe you know. Billions of possibilities in the universe, and what you lot call the 'humanoid' form have evolved independently several times. We came first, so it's more correct to say it's you who look like me."

"Well, 'cause you're human," said Kushina matter-of-factly, "That's why I look like you."

"Nope! Wrong again. Didn't I say that the so called humanoid form evolved independently several times just now? Blimey, pay attention a little; I thought ninjas were supposed to be attentive and observant."

Kushina scowled and hmphed. However, she was finding it so awfully interesting that she just couldn't indulge her irritation. "Then what are you? What kind of species are you supposed to be?"

"Me? I'm a Time Lord." He shot an almost haughty smile at her. "Doubt you heard of us."

Kushina frowned at him. "Time what?"

The Doctor grinned even more broadly at her, and repeated, enunciating slowly, "Time Lord."

Her frown deepened. "Seriously?"

Well that wasn't the response he was used to. "Yes. Of course seriously. Why not seriously?"

"Well, I was thinking: what kind of stuck up species put the word 'lord' in their species name. I mean, says a lot, don't you think?"

The Doctor look slighted, and scoffed lightly. "You could talk—you lot named yourself Homo sapiens sapiens which, let me remind you, means 'wise man' in good ol' Latin—and from what I've seen of your human history, I'm not sure Homo sapiens is even accurate—you daft apes—ooh haven't said that in a while—at least we named ourselves aptly—"

Kushina did not understand half the words he was saying—Homo sapiens sapiens? Latin? She had to remind herself the man thought himself to be an alien. But Time Lord?

"Aptly?" Kushia repeated, quirking her brows in doubt, "But Time Lord is different! You can't possibly mean lording over time—"

"But that's exactly what I mean."

Kushina let out a short, incredulous laugh. "Riiight…first you're an alien, now you are a lord of time, and can bend time to your will. That's quite an imagination there, and pretty original too I gotta say. Never heard of the concept of a 'Time Lord' before. You'd be an awesome sci-fi novelist you know."

The Doctor gave a noncommittal shake of his head. "I've been told…though I much prefer living adventures than dreaming them—not that I don't admire novelist and writers mind you—they're brilliant!"

Whatever he said seemed to strike a chord with the young ginger. Her round eyes brightened, and she nodded fervently, exclaiming, "I agree!" The Doctor noted she sounded a little angry. "I'd rather be out there doing amazing things than being stuck in room just because I—" She stopped immediately, and released an impatient sigh. "Rather than reading all day long about other people and being protected. I want be what other people write about. I want to be the stories." She finished glumly with another sigh.

The Doctor looked at her sympathetically. Over 900 years ago, he remembered himself saying something very similar.

"Well, you are doing something aren't you?" The Doctor said gently, "You're here, out and about, right? Saved my life and all. And you're shinobi—your job is the stuff of stories."

Kushina flashed him an ironic smile. "Well, thing is—I've been put out of commission for awhile." A pause. "To be honest, I'm not supposed to be here."

The Doctor looked at her with a rueful smile, "Really now? A bit of a runaway then?"

Kushina looked suddenly guilty, puffed out her cheeks and released it with a tired sigh.

The Doctor grinned and nodded knowingly. "I have to say, running away to join a war isn't exactly the best way to look for adventure. I'd know."

To his surprise, anger suddenly flashed across the teenager's childish face. "Of course I didn't!" she snapped, "I'm not stupid! Don't you dare think that I would go looking for a war!"

The Doctor looked stunned. His large brown eyes took on a curious and sympathetic gleam, and he looked thoroughly chastised and apologetic. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, gently, and Kushina sensed that he was referring to more than his offhand comment.

She let out an impatient sigh. "—But enough of this. I'm not telling you anything anymore Doctor, because I don't know anything about you, and I won't trust you until you tell me everything."

The Doctor lifted his brows. "Everything?" he repeated doubtfully, "You don't trust anyone until they've told you everything? Mind you, that's a tough criteria for trust. No secrets with you at all then?"

Kushina rolled her eyes. "What I mean is—"

"—You can't really mean everything can you, cause there an awful lot of information there, a millennia worth of them. Of course we can start simple—like my favorite fruit? It's bananas by the way. Food really, favorite food. You know I invented the banana daiquiri centuries ahead. Made of the King of France jealous, me. And I hate pears." He made a disgusted face.

"I mean the important stuff!" she exclaimed hotly, "And don't knock pears, I happen to like them! They're high in fiber. And you can start with your name."

"Name?"

"You haven't told me."

"I haven't? No—I have! Have you forgotten already?" He crumpled his nose at her disapprovingly. "You really are the forgetful type, aren't you?"

"No you didn't," Kushina said slowly, "You just introduced yourself as 'the Doctor'."

"But that's my name."

"See, that's what I'm saying," Kushina grumbled, "You're name isn't the Doctor."

"Of course it is. Who are you to say it isn't?"

With an impatient huff, Kushina took several strides ahead, turned to face him and proceeded to walk backward.

"You might want to be careful doing that," The Doctor muttered, but she ignored him.

"Because, 'Doctor' is a title," she insisted, quite forcefully, "And a title isn't a name. Besides, a title of 'THE' Doctor is rather pompous don't you think. It's like you're saying that you are THE BEST Doctor. A definite article!"

"But I am," the Doctor insisted with a cheeky grin, "I'm rather brilliant you know."

She scrunched of her face in dislike and said, "You rival the Uchihas in arrogance. But really, honestly, what's your name?"

The Doctor was starting to feel irritation tug at him. "That Doctor, nothing more, nothing less."

"You parents can't have named you The Doctor!" she insisted, "They'd be insane."

"You'd be surprise that there are naming traditions on other planets that differs from yours," the Doctor replied, "Not every civilization names their children in the same way you humans and related species do! You're not alone in this universe you know."

"So your parents did name you the Doctor?" asked Kushina, looking amazed, "Is that what you're saying?" The Doctor was astonished by her apparent one track mindedness.

"Well, not exactly—"

"So you do have another name!" Kushina exclaimed triumphantly, "What is it?"

The Doctor marveled at her persistence. If she could channel that kind of energy to other things, she would definitely excel.

"It's just the Doctor!"

Kushina puffed impatiently, "Why are you being so stubborn?"

"Why are you?" the Doctor retorted, "Really Kushina, I have never met anyone who was this occupied by my name. And believe me, the people I've are…well…"

"Maybe they didn't have the need to!"

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "And you do?"

"Yes, to see if I can trust you or not!"

"Oh, that makes so much sense, doesn't it? If a name is all you need to know to trust someone, then you'd end up trusting everyone you happen to meet."

"But how can I start trusting you if you refuse to tell me your name? It's just weird and big red flag signs goes up in my head, so yes—I think I have a reason to be cautious!"

"Kushina—I'll just say it once more—The Doctor is my name. Everyone calls me The Doctor, and I've been called The Doctor for over 900 years."

Kushina suddenly stopped, still facing him. She looked at him with an odd look of contemplation, and the Doctor could just imagine her brain trying to process what he had said.

"Fine," she decided stonily, "The Doctor it is, then." She wheeled around started walking again. The Doctor let out an relieved breath, and followed her. She stopped again suddenly, turned around and said, "900 years?"

The Doctor cocked a smile at her. "I look pretty good for nearly a millennium, don't I?"

Kushina looked like she was bursting with words, but she only rolled her eyes, shook her head and carried on.

So the two walked on, and the atmosphere became comfortable enough for the Doctor to start gleaning information about this planet, the almost-war, and his new ginger companion. He was careful so as not to appear nosy, with her being already so paranoid, but once he did start asking questions, Kushina was surprisingly open and talkative. He wondered what happened to all that paranoia from before. And boy did she like talking.

He learned that she liked to cook, though she didn't like to admit it. That her mother was rubbish in the kitchen, and it was her father who taught her to make rice because her mother just could not do it. Her favorite color was different shades of red and olive gray, which for some reason the Doctor noted more strongly than other tidbits of information that was spewing from her mouth. When they came to talking about her friends, she was particularly enthusiastic, especially about her best friend Namikaze Minato.

"…he's brilliant. I mean, some people say he's lucky 'cause his sensei is one of the Sannin, but I disagree! I mean, he doesn't come from an actual Shinobi clan. His mother was a shop lady, and his dad made chuunin after he did. Anyways, Sannin or not, he would beat everyone's ass cause he really smart. Plus, he's really good with people you know. Disgustingly charming when he wants to be, but in that I'm simple and adorable sort of way you know, not like super suave sort of way. I mean, he can do that too, I've seen him, but he's really quite sweet. Well, most of the time. He can be such a blonde idiot sometimes, that flake, like all guys of course—"

The Doctor felt like he was caught in what one would call 'girl talk', but he was grinning at her rather pronounced adoration of this Minato person all the same. It was quite cute, and her affections were very much obvious.

"So brilliant blonde idiot," he put in, which made her laugh. "Sound like you fancy him."

Kushina reddened. "Do not! Really, can't a girl be friends with a guy without all that?"

"Yes, but in this case—"

"And don't ever repeat what I said about him!"

The Doctor grinned knowingly. "Lips firmly sealed."

Not too soon after their compromise, the Doctor noticed that the walls had changed: strange carved symbols and letters started to appear all around them, covering the walls from the ceiling to the floor. The Doctor stopped to take a closer look at the symbols. He fished a pair of spectacles from his pocket, and examined a section with a puzzled frown.

"Can't be a language," he muttered to himself, "Cause the Tardis should have translated…"

"Of course it's not a language," Kushina muttered impatiently, "Look." She pointed a swirl symbol. "That's my clan symbol. They're all just insignia's of Konoha's clan. Well, all the clans associated with Konoha. My clan actually lives in Whirlpool Village. I moved to Konoha when I was kid."

"Ah I see," said the Doctor, nodding, "So we're somewhere familiar to you, are we?"

"No idea," she replied with a shrug, "Could be."

"Alright then, let's keep going! And Whirlpool Village? Really? I suppose it's more inventive than Leaf or Stone Village."

Kushina snorted at this. "Cause they're the shortened names. Really, the shinobi villages are called something like Village of the Hidden Leaf or Village Hidden in the Leaf. But Leaf is shorter."

"Ah. Well, that makes a bit more sense. Still, not much variety there is it?"

She shrugged, not knowing what to say to that. Shinobi were known for their austerity and utilitarianism, not their creativity. Kushina thought it was really such a bummer, because creativity begets progress and brilliant ideas. Plus, being creative was fun.

"How many are there?"

"Of what?"

"The Villages."

"Shinobi? Well, there are five great villages, and then there are smaller ones. Leaf, Stone, Sand, Mist, and Cloud are the five biggies."

"And they don't get along, I suspect, especially Leaf and Stone since they are in this almost-war."

"The shinobi villages rarely get on with each other," Kushina muttered darkly, "It's kind of stupid sometimes, 'cause they can't mind their own business."

"Ah, why am I not surprised? It's the story of the universe, really."

They continued walking until they came, quite abruptly, to the end of the tunnel. The wall facing them was starkly blank, solid and well…that was it. It was a blank, solid wall. No doors, no button or lever or anything to lead them further.

Kushina let out an angry groan. "Don't tell me this is a dead end!" she shouted, hitting the wall with her palms, "Come on, you stupid thing!" She turned to the Doctor, her expression fierce, "Use that blue thing to figure it out. Talk to the wall or something!"

"That was rude," the Doctor chastised, "The walls will never talk to us now that you called it a stupid thing. And this blue thing—" He brought out the sonic screwdriver and flipped it adeptly in his hand, "Is called a sonic screwdriver."

Kushina, for the first time, took a good look at the apparatus in his hand and a question popped into her head that she couldn't believe she never asked before. She glanced up at him and muttered, "I gotta ask, how can a screwdriver be sonic?"

"Oh you know," the Doctor said, grinning at her, "Through my technological brilliance."

"It doesn't even look like a screwdriver," she insisted, plucking the device from the Doctor's hand to examine it.

"Oi—" The Doctor reached to grab it back, but Kushina deftly turned away. Oh she's a slippery one, he thought irritably.

"Can it even you know…screwdrive things? Or drive screws or whatever?" she asked, turning it about and holding close to her narrowed eyes.

"Of course it can!" the Doctor exclaimed exasperatedly, "Put up a lot of cabinets with those. And it can detect dark matter. And anti-matter. Not to mention saved all of reality and space more than dozen of time."

"Huh," she muttered, unimpressed, but her survey of the alien tool was cut short when the Doctor took the chance to snatch it away from her.

"And ask before you grab things," the Doctor insisted, tucking his sonic screwdriver safely away in his coat pocket, "It's rude to take it from other people's hands. Blimey, I'm starting to sound like a broken record."

"Rude rude rude," Kushina mumbled dismissively, "Right then, do something about this wall already."

"Ah right—actually, it's the same as before," he said, facing the wall again, "Just do whatever you did before to release the illusion."

Kushina's face brightened with a hopeful smile. "Really? Brilliant! Alright, stand back!" Kushina stepped forward, brought her hands together into the needed hand sign, and shouted "Kai!"

The wall, to her complete pleasure, shivered, but as it did, it didn't reveal a door or passageway, but just the same wall.

"No way!" she shouted angrily, giving the wall an angry kick, "It didn't work! It is a dead end!"

"Not so fast! Look, something is different." The Doctor pointed to a small outline of a square in the middle of the wall, that, if Kushina could correctly recall, wasn't there before.

"What is it?"

"It's a square."

Kushina rolled her eyes. "I can see that."

The Doctor smirked. "Well that's what it is. You didn't ask what it does."

"Don't get all clever with me, Doctor," she warned, irritated, "Not in the mood for it."

"Right right, well…I don't know what it does either." He brushed his fingers over the small square, and was surprised to feel a spark of telepathic energy concentrated in that little space. It wasn't just any telepathic energy, it was an identification patterned telepathic energy, which meant that this little square was a key, or rather the keyhole, that opened only when the right mental pattern connected with it. A telepathic door only opening for the right person. It was brilliant, really, and bit intriguing. It was surprising how much telepathic energy was being used on this planet. In fact, every since he landed, he had felt a heightened sense of mental energy that permeated not only the air, but the very earth itself. If he really stopped and observed any section of the wall, he could feel the telepathic energy radiating from it. The superhuman abilities he had seen from that man and Kushina was in no doubt connected to this rather odd phenomenon.

He grinned to himself. This was getting more interesting that he had expected! Now back to the square—of course, it wouldn't open for him. The square rejected him immediately. Made sense—he wasn't even the same species, so in no way was his neural pattern would be even similar to the ones that the square was supposed to recognize.

He glanced at Kushina curiously. Maybe she would work.

"Kushina, put your hand inside the square."

Kushina frowned at him. "Why?"

"Because I think you might be the key this time."

Kushina looked at him oddly, but she placed her left palm inside the square on all the same. The moment her skin touched the wall, it started to shake. Kushina let out a surprised yelp and jumped back a little.

The wall disappeared, and pitch darkness greeted them.

"Well then," the Doctor muttered with a self-satisfied grin. He took out his sonic again, pointed at the Gravity Globe, which flew into the room and flooded it with even more light. He grinned at Kushina, who grinned back, though a little uncertainly. "Allons-y!"

The Doctor stepped through the doorway, and found himself in a surprisingly large chamber with a high rock ceiling, and partially polished stone walls. From where he entered, he was looking down into the room from above, and he could see two long rectangular stone table placed side by side below. A rudimentary stone staircase was just to his left, and he quickly flew down the steps, his mind hungering to explore his new environment, not even remembering to glance back at Kushina.

"Wonder what this is about," he muttered as he descended the stairs. At the head of the two tables, there was another long stone table placed perpendicularly to the others. This one, however, had strange letters and symbols carved into it. He put on his spectacles and peered closely at the markings, frowning his usual analytical way as he tried making sense of the symbols. He was puzzled as to why he couldn't read it or recognize it. At least not yet. There was something familiar about it, but something not quite—he couldn't put a finger on it.

He went to the tables that lay side by side, cocking his head to the side when he discovered what looked like metal bindings on both, which he hadn't noticed above. He fingered them, realizing that they were hand shackles, used to secure a body to the tables.

"But they're not tables," he muttered to himself, "They're some sort of bed—no—like ancient…no…" He scratched his head, frowned and looked around wildly. He finally understood: two human sized stone tables with metal bindings. A head table with strange symbols—this was the very picture of a sacrificial set up—a sacrifice chamber or at least some primitive surgery theatre. But for what?

"Kushina, you better come down here and look!" he called, still peering down at the tables. He moved back to the table with the carved symbols and looked again at the carvings, more carefully this time. Then it started to make sense, those strange symbols—but it was—"It couldn't be!" he exclaimed to himself, "This kind of mental and physical energy manipulation is uncalled for, especially in a world like this—no—this is a bit different." These symbols were referring to, if he was remembering right, to a mass energy transference…from one living body to another. What was this? "Kushina! Come down here! Kushina?" He paused for an answer, and received silence. That was odd—the girl liked to talk, and by now she would have made a comment or something. Concerned, the Doctor climbed up the steps, "Kushina?"

The Doctor stopped in his tracks when he saw her, and his hearts shivered with pity at the sight. Kushina, who had been so lively, stubborn and rude before, was slumped against the wall, with the expression of utter horror and panic distorting her young, pretty face. Her eyes were wide with fright, unblinking and shimmering with fresh tears.

"Kushina?" he called gently, carefully, as if she would crumble any second, "What's wrong? What is it?"

She seemed to have finally noticed him, and turned her tear filled eyes on him, her expression still of stricken terror. She blinked, the tears spilling, and shook her head at him slowly, doubt and anger now evident on her face.

"You!" she cried hoarsely, "You liar! You brought me here on purpose!"

"What?" the Doctor exclaimed, stunned at the passionate accusation, "Why would I—"

"Well bad news for you, Doctor—whoever you are!" she spat, each world accented with such burning anger that it made the Doctor cringe. "There's no way you can handle him. You can't stuff him in any old thing like you can do to Shukaku! And unless you have another compatible Uzumaki there's now way you can extract him and take him—if you release him we all will be killed so don't even think you about it sneaky, lying bastard!"

"Him?" the Doctor repeated, astonished and completely confused, "Kushina, whatever you're thinking, it's not true!"

"Don't lie to me!" she growled, "You conspired to bring me here didn't you? Though this chamber can hold him? But it can't I'm telling you! You rat! Oh I knew it! I shouldn't have—"

"Look," the Doctor interrupted urgently, holding his hand up to her. He took a step forward, and realized too late it was the wrong thing to do. She took it as a sign of aggression, and launched into full combat mode. She moved blindingly fast, and the Doctor was convinced he had never gotten a beating this bad before, especially not from a 16 year old ginger girl. She kicked him in the chest, deftly pulled his two hands behind his back and flipped him backwards so that he landed on his face. This really wasn't his more muscular bodies-his previous body would be able to take more of this beating, but Rassilon, the girl can kick!

Before he could assess any damage, she turned him over and slid the cool blade of an oddly shaped dagger under his neck, and looked down met his eyes with cold fury. In his pain, he wondered what terror she had experience so she could wear such an expression with that much depth.

"Now tell me, no more lies or I slit your throat!" she growled, "Who are you?"

"Slit my throat?" he repeated, coughing, "Really? Could you?"

"Yes," she answered, her voice hard. The Doctor looked into her eyes and believed her, and how he felt sorry for her at that moment. The fear in her eyes just broke his heart.

"I'm the Doctor," he said quietly, holding her furious gaze.

"Don't lie!"

"Kushina. I'm not." He continued, gently still, trying to pacify her, "I'm called the Doctor. I am over 900 years old, and I'm a Time Lord from Gallifrey. Here—I can show you." He slid his free hand to her temple, quickly before she could react, and spilled his memories into her. Selective memories of course, just one pertaining to his identity, to show her that he was not what she thought he was.

The contact only took a second, and he released her immediately. Kushina gasped, and threw herself off of him, crouching on the ground and cradling her forehead.

"That was…" she whimpered between heavy breaths, "Doctor…?"

"Yes," he answered, still lying on his back, breathing as fast she was, "I'm the Doctor." He gathered all his will and strength, and with a burst of energy, pushed himself into a sitting position. He groaned, the pain from Kushina's kicks and punches stinging his chest and stomach, and for a moment he was sure he broke a rib or two. But that wasn't important right now.

He looked at Kushina, who was still holding her head, staring at the ground and breathing heavily. He needed to clear this up—he needed to know why this was affecting her so.

"Kushina?" he tried again, softly.

"Yeah?" she answered, her voice trembling. She was staring down at the ground, as if she was afraid to look at him, with eyes unblinking.

"Kushina…does this…have anything do with the fact that you have a mass of energy equivalent to half a dozen hydrogen bomb compressed in your stomach?"

Kushina slowly turned her eyes to him. They were filling with tears, and the Doctor found, with great surprise, deep sympathy and sadness in those eyes—sympathy and sadness for him.

"So many…" she began, her voice broken with suppressed sobs, "So many times…"

The Doctor blinked, confused. "What?"

"You've died…so many times…" She sobbed, letting her tears flow freely now, "How could you stand it?"

"Oh." So that what she meant. She had picked that out from the memories he had given her? He had paid special attention to leaving unneeded things out. He was glad he didn't let on anything relating to the Time War.

"Does it…scare you…every time?"

Doctor let out a sigh. He did not like discussing his deaths and regeneration. "Look, that's not important—"

"Yes it is!" she snapped angrily, "How could dying not be important? You did so nine times!"

"Kushina, please, just answer my question! We can talk about me later."

"You answer mine first!" She looked at him challengingly, her eyes ablaze with a sort of justified anger.

He returned her fiery glare, and a tense silence divided them for several moments, and in the end it was him, the 900 year old Time Lord, who relented. Besides, he told himself, they weren't going to get anywhere, especially when she was so stubborn and had a one-track mind.

"Yes," he answered finally, his voice quiet and hoarse, "Every time. Even when I know I'll still live, it scares me every time." He let out a tired sigh and looked up at the ceiling.

"That's good," Kushina whispered.

Surprised, the Doctor looked at her with a questioning gaze. "Good?"

"Yeah," she answered, "It means you still value life. That…you don't have this blasé attitude towards it. That's good."

He frowned at the little teenage ginger girl who had just uttered something so very wise, and he found himself marveling at her. Humans—they were such a rich species, and how he loved them, wherever they were, wherever they ended up.

"I'm a host," she said finally, with a teary, confessional sigh, her shoulders slumping and her eyes glazing as she spoke, "I'm the host of the Nine-tailed demon fox." She looked at him with a sad smile. "I'm a walking prison. A living bomb."

The Doctor could only look at her; both anger and sorrow rising in him as he fully comprehended what she meant. The resigned sadness in her voice broke his hearts, and his large brown eyes widened with a deep empathy and sadness. "I'm so sorry," he said, and he really really meant it, like he always does. "I'm so so sorry."


Note: I know...on a sad note. Thanks for reading this silly little crossover!