A/N: I didn't realize that my scene breaks weren't going through. So I changed them to the number 8, so even the spaces disappeared you can still tell what's what. Apologies for any confusions this may have caused, I should have noticed was being a pain in ass.

PART 3:

The battle was over in less than ten minutes, teen one was on his butt with his back against a tree, defeated. His comrades, who were equally defeated, lay in tangled unconscious heaps on the ground. The sound of fire crackled in the background, the air was a smokey gray, and smelled of burnt flesh and plastic. All around them playground equipment lay in smoldering heaps. He stared up at Ryoko with wide eyes, watching as the ex-space pirate strode towards him, her energy sword ignited and at the ready. Her eyes, no longer a warm amber were glowing red and yellow, and she was staring down at him as if he were nothing more than a cockroach.

Whiskers much like Naruto's were visible on her cheeks, her pronounced canines were even more pronounced, and the ghost of a second pair of arms were forming from mid-way on her torso. A soft, barely audible, bubbling sound like boiling water could be heard, and a black aura surrounding her made the teen wish he could push his body through the the tree behind him until they were one. She was becoming a genuine demon right before his eyes. And yet, he could hear no screams of alarm from the crowd that had formed outside the playground. Nobody was coming to his aid. Couldn't they see she was a monster like the boy?

She knelt beside him and leaned so that her mouth was near his ear. Her breath, unbearably, inhumanly hot burned his earlobe while conversely sending a chill up his spine. Her sword, positioned under his pale chin forced him to keep his head raised, and his indigo eyes focused on the calm blue sky that seemed to mock him with its tranquility. He fought the urge to show fear, to allow this thing the satisfaction of knowing that she had completely emasculated him, but his body betrayed him. Tears came out in rivulets where they made a path down his cheeks and throat, collecting at the collar of his shirt. His nostrils flared and his breath came and went in short quick puffs, and a distinct odor of urine made its way to Ryoko's sensitive nose, causing her to crinkle it in disgust.

"You listen to me boy," she said in voice only he could hear. "The only reason you're not dead is, I made a promise to my sister to stay out of trouble. But, if you ever bully that boy again, all bets are off. I will find you. I will kill you. And I will scatter your atoms to the four winds."

Ryoko rose to her full height, and extinguished her sword. Her eyes were back to their normal color, and with that the genjutsu she used dispersed. She blinked several times clearing her mind, and took stock of the damage she had helped to create. A large sweat drop appeared on her forehead as she thought of the tongue-lashing she was going to get from Ryo-ohki. At least it wasn't a school this time,she thought ruefully.

Her attention then went to Naruto. He was standing in the only spot in the playground that had no signs of battle damage. His hands were pressed against the shield, which had done its job of protecting the boy. Anyone else in his position would have been terrified at being so close to that much violence, but he was smiling at her in genuine happiness, warmth and appreciation. She released the force-field and went to him. Already the fight was becoming a distant memory. "Are you okay, kid?"

Before he could answer, they were interrupted by the sound of someone loudly clearing their throat.

The blond boy spared a glance to his right and saw Master Iruka behind the chain link fence beckoning him, along side him were Master Mizuki, Kakashi and several other Jonin commanders from the academy. Behind them was a small, but growing, crowd of people.

"Uh, miss?" Iruka asked tentatively. His eyes were transfixed to the kunai in her side. Its blade was buried deep in the soft tissue of her abdomen (her oblique muscle to be more precise). "You have a kunai in your side. Doesn't that hurt?"

"What?" she asked looking down, she then chuckled. "Oh that thing? I had completely forgotten about it." She pulled out the kunai, and casually handed it to a shocked Naruto. There was no blood on the blade, and the cut, which should have been deep, and painful closed in a blink of an eye. All that was left was a tear in her yukata. Then she turned her attention back to Iruka and held her arms out in surrender. "I suppose I'm in trouble."

"It will be up to our leader, the Hokage to decide that, so you can put your arms down." Kakashi answered instead in his usual neutral tone. "I need you to follow me."

"HEY! HEY! She didn't do anything wrong! It was those three! They're the ones who started it," Naruto said with a backward glance to the teens being helped by medical shinobi.

"They will be dealt with," Kakashi said. "Iruka, please take Naruto home."

"Right."

"But . . .but, Master Iruka, I was a witness. Why do I have to go home?" Naruto's eyes sought out Ryoko's and held them, willing her to understand she was the first person to come to his rescue, to acknowledge him. He didn't want her to go away.

The ex-space pirate was taken back by the depth of emotions in one so young, the desperation that clung to his every word, the loneliness in his eyes. She felt something stir within her, a maternal extinct that she thought had died long ago.

"Naruto," she said kneeling in front of him. "You be a good boy, and do what your teacher tells you, okay?"

"But, will I see you, again?"

The ex-space pirate straightened up, and gave Naruto a sad smile. "I don't know kid, it's up to fate now. You just be good, and stay out of trouble."

Ryoko turned her back, grabbed her backpack, and bag of carrots, and followed Kakashi who in turn was followed by a small procession of shinobi and curious onlookers. Naruto stared after her until she was completely gone from his sight. A glint of determination shone in his eyes. Even at a his young age he didn't give much credence to the fickleness of fate. He was going to see her again, and that was that.

Hours later, after filling out endless forms in triplicate, and answering endless questions in triplicate, (Though it probably would have gone a lot quicker had the old man been able to keep his eyes off her breast for more than two minutes.) she was finally released. Stealing herself for the expected earful from Ryo-ohki when she stepped out of the Hokage's tower, instead she was greeted by the sight of her little cabbit companion nestled on Naruto's lap, sleeping soundly. The boy, who had also managed to doze off, didn't stir a muscle as she approached and crouched in front of him.

He was indeed a demon just as she assumed before, he even had cute little whiskers on his cheeks, and yet there was something about him that wasn't like any demon she had ever come across. There was still a light within him. That black hole that every demon has in their soul was there, but it wasn't growing as would be expected. Ryoko shook her head in wonder. What a strange boy, she thought.

"Hey. Hey, you two, rise and shine," Ryoko said while tapping gently at Naruto's knee. Ryo-ohki was the first to awaken, she jumped from the boy's lap, saw the bag overflowing with carrots and dived in like a man who had been in the desert for three months would dive into a pool of water.

Naruto on the other hand was a little slower to awaken. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat straighter with an expected look on his face.

"What are you doing here kid?"

Naruto smiled. "I thought I'd give fate a little help."

Instead of being happy to see him as he had hoped, Ryoko sighed, stood up and brushed invisible dust off her obi. "Look kid, I appreciate the gesture. But, you need to forget you ever met me."

"Why?"

"I'm . . . there's something wrong with me, Naruto. I'm not a good person, as a matter of fact I'm quite the opposite of a good person. I'm a grade-A certified demon, and I have a lot of blood on my hands." To enforce her claim she showed the boy some of what she had shown the teen in the park.(She didn't want to give the kid nightmares, just scare him off.) Her eyes once again flashed red and yellow, her lips were peeled back to show canines that were unnaturally long.

And for a moment it did work, the blonde boy stared at her in wide-eyed fear. He scrambled to his feet making Ryoko think he was going to make a run for it, but instead of running his expression changed. A look of determination came over his face.

"If your such a horrible person, then why did you help me? You could have turned around and walked away just like everybody else in this damn village! No one would have blamed you. As a mater of fact they would probably patted you on the back and given you, and those teens, the keys to the village."

Ryoko returned to her normal self, and stared dumbfounded at the boy who had tears in his eyes, and snot hanging from his nose. As much as she wanted to out and out lie and tell him it meant nothing to her, that he meant nothing to her, she couldn't. Because it did mean something, and he did mean something, something that both terrified, and gave her hope. Something that she was unable to articulate into words, so she just stood and stared mutely as the boy continued to pour his heart out to a woman whose name he didn't even know. Every once of loneliness was placed before her like a meal at a buffet table, and every word he spoke was like a porcupine quill being shot right into the ex-space pirate's heart.

"They all hate me, the whole village, and I don't know why. But I thought . . . I thought maybe you would be different. I . . .thought . . ."

Naruto's legs gave out, but he didn't hit the ground. Ryoko with her incredible speed was there to catch him, she lifted him and cradled him to her chest, and this was all done completely instinctually. There was no hesitation in her actions, just as earlier there was no hesitation when she fought those teens. Only a strange, overwhelming, inexplicable desire to protect this boy.

As if on cue, Ryo-ohki, who had long ago stopped eating, jumped out of the bag of carrots and onto her sister's head where she proceed to groom herself. Ryoko shifted Naruto so that he was only occupying one arm, his small body being supported by her right hip and arm. His head fitted perfectly in the crook her neck, his spiked blond hair tickled her chin. His arms instinctively wrapped around Ryoko's neck, and sigh of contentment was heard from him.

For the first time in along time, the ex-space pirate felt at peace. Already she could feel a growing affection for the boy in her arms. It was a surprising, but not a wholly unwelcomed emotion. It meant that there was still a small flicker of light within her. And maybe, just maybe if she could save this boy, then she could save herself. She could keep herself from drowning in that growing abyss that was smack dab in the middle of her soul.

With that last thought, she grabbed the bag of carrots with her free hand, and with an audible grumble about how she was being treated like a pack mule, the three of them made their way down main street.

It looked like they were going to be spending another night in the woods.

From high above, the Hokage watched the three disappear from his immediate sight. Taking a draw from his pipe, he smiled benevolently. Next to him Kakashi stood with nose in his book, seemingly oblivious to the scene below.

"Do you think it wise to allow her to be near Naruto?"

"They seem like a perfect fit to me."

"No disrespect sire, but she seems a bit unstable to me."

"A bit? That's putting it mildly."

"Not to mention she took out three chunin in record time, and destroyed the playground."

"Which she compensated for," the Hokage replied. On his desk were several heavy gold coins that would be more than enough to pay for new equipment. "I saw how she defeated them with my crystal ball. She could have easily killed them."

"Then, once again I ask why? Why allow her access to Naruto?"

"I think there is more to Miss Hakubi than meets the eye. Though if it puts your mind at ease, you can keep an eye on her."

Kakashi's shoulders drooped in disappointment for a quick second, and a barely audible sigh escaped his lips at the thinly veiled order. "Understood sir."

After the one-eyed shinobi took his leave, the Hokage's attention returned to looking outside the window where he stared at the full moon above. "We are heading towards some interesting times," he mused.