Hello, my fellow Readers. I really must learn patience and how to keep the audience guessing, because here's another chapter, in less than a week. New goal is to space it out over a week's time. We'll see how long that lasts.

Cordia: Thank you, not just for reviewing, but for encouraging me to get started in the first place. The reason the last bit in the previous chapter was italicized is due to it taking place . . . well, outside the perceptions of a normal person, even a shinobi person. Like, guardian angels looking on, that sort of thing. Does that make sense?

If anyone sees any spelling mistakes, please tell me. They will be corrected by the posting of the next chapter, whenever that will be. Thank you.

Anyway. On with it, slave!

*Story bows its head mockingly at the Authoress, and gets to work*

~O~O~O~

During Jiraiya's Fight With Pein

He was powerful. Jiraiya knew that. He also knew that, no matter how much he took care of himself, he was getting older. He still didn't think he'd be losing the fight quite so badly.

Having taken a blow to the head, his hearing was out. So he was wondering why he could still hear. No, that wasn't it. Why, with busted ears, could he hear anything, never mind something as strange to hear during a shinobi battle as drums? Panting with exertion, Jiraiya disengaged Naga-no, he was Pein now, jumping back a ways. His old student, in his god complex-induced arrogance, didn't pursue.

Jiraiya spared a moment to the odd drums -pounding, pounding, pounding, in time with his fast-beating heart, making his blood pump faster - before noticing something else. The rushing blood, the pounding drums -Drums of War, aren't they just a myth? - how he was actually beginning to have fun in what in a fight that really should be tearing his heart apart. Not just the Drums. Warrior's Joy. He'd experienced it a few times before, most memorably the one-sided slaughter, not in their favor, when he Orochimaru, and Tsunade went up against Hanzo the Salamander. Was Na-Pein really pushing him that hard, or was he just that out of the game? No matter, really. A bad, if helpful, sign either way.

Just as he was about to re-engage his obviously-in-need-of-a-fight-with-Naruto old student (old, not ex, because I've still got things to teach you) the world around him went grey-scale, and he couldn't move. Panic was about to set in when a voice, male and about as deep as his, spoke. 'you will not even live very long, at this rate. Do you wish for power, that you might live long enough to warn you allies, comrades and godson?'

"What the hell are you." It was a demand, rather than a question. Jiraiya hadn't lived as long as he had by being stupid, no matter what Orochimaru thought.

'What I am matters not. What I can do, however, is make you briefly the equal of you old student. It will not last long, and the price will be a steep one. Regardless of anything you do, this is a battle you will not win. With my aid, however, you will be able to warn your godson and those who stand with him.'

". . . Yes. To all of it." Jiraiya didn't really know what to expect, but the washing away of all his aches and pains was a good approximation to the feeling he had. He felt . . . younger, almost, though he knew nothing had really changed in the scant few seconds the exchange had taken. He was still dead. He didn't even have a fighting chance. As the world gained color again, he heard one last time,

'I'm sorry' was the man's only words. And he really sounded like it, with the heaviness that indicated there was much, much more to that than was said.

Jiraiya wasn't. He'd be able to warn them about N-Pein, they'd be prepared instead of completely blindsided. That was worth it, in his opinion.

Dying didn't really hurt. Was like falling asleep, almost, if not for the massive amount of pain he'd been in. Still, the voice had made good on his promise. Time for him to pay his dues.

Except, it look like he'd get a break first. Several breaks, actually, judging by the magnificent scowl Kushina was sending him, along with the bring-your-brown-pants glare. That was all well and good, really, he'd pissed her off before. No, it was the calm, polite smile on Minato's tanned face sending chills chasing each other up and down his spine. He'd had that smile aimed at him the one and only time he'd peeped on Kushina. He'd only peeped once for a reason.

He held his hands up, realizing in this not-life-not-death there really was no sound, and so tried to settle for looking pathetically cute, you-don't-want-to-hurt-me,-really and likely only succeeding in the former. Because the cold, hard blue of his most successful -for now, the brat was working on it- student promised far more than a stern lecture.

He gulped. They pounced.

EMIYA watched, amused as much as he could be, as the parents tore the godparent to metaphorical, then literal shreds upon discovering they reformed here.

Eternity might be hellish when this was done with. But, maybe not being alone for it would make it a little more bearable.

It was too soon to hope.

~O~O~O~

Battle With Kaguya

Naruto was very carefully not panicking. Only he and Sasuke (finally, he's back, took the stubborn bastard long enough, and he calls me a loser) had chakra, the obviously unstable woman who had the power of eight out of nine Tailed-Beasts and the body of the Ten-Tails besides, along with all the chakra from all the Kage, Jonin Chuunin, Genin and assorted nin in the Nation save him and Sasuke, was beating him them both around like a cat who'd found a yarn ball, smelled catnip inside, and wasn't too fussed on the state the ball would be in when it got its treat.

Stoic bastard that he was, Naruto had been around several by this point and could read him plain as day. Sasuke was also very carefully not panicking.

They couldn't defeat her. It wasn't a matter of finding the strength within oneself, finding that one right way out of the plethora of wrong ones. They simply could not, were incapable, of defeating her. She couldn't take their chakra. She was simply incapable of it. An impasse, as it were.

They needed help, and there was no one. They needed a trump, and they'd used all they had.

They needed a miracle.

Hearts already pounding with the rush of life-on-the-line fighting, the striking of a hammer on an anvil didn't seem all that out of place to Naruto, though Sasuke looked around for the source. No one else did. Shared hallucination? Possible, but unlikely.

And the world went grey-scale. They were still colored, as well as an area around them. A hand against it- a wall, solid, yeah, they couldn't leave that area.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked quietly, the unspoken 'what the hell is this, do you know?' heard clearly.

"Time-space technique. Gotta be. Fine control, too." Was all Naruto said. He knew enough weird shit to identify it. Getting rid of it was out of the question. They might unravel Time Itself, which was a very bad thing. Unless you could control that, but the amount of time needed to do so made it impossible.

Then, out of nowhere -because there was no one who could've said it, Sasuke was always quiet and Kurama was, like them, very carefully not panicking - a man's voice sounded, 'would you like the power to stop her? Match her, and defeat her?'

Naruto glanced at Sasuke, catching his dark grey gaze with his own lighter blue. It would be nice. But-

'Would you pay any price, no matter how steep, to take her down?' And there was the catch.

A held gaze. They knew each other well enough that words weren't needed. They didn't even need to talk about it.

"Yes. To all of it." They said. And no matter what followed, they would not, could not, regret it.

'I'm sorry' whiled the man who was helping them very much could, and very much did. That, and so much more.

Match and defeat the mad almost-goddess they did. However, what they didn't take into account was that the power to do that would, like as not, ravage the world around them. Match and defeat her they did, not easily and very messily, and the world suffered for it. Their battle raged for days, none of them knew how long, but they won. And there was no prize to be had.

They also hadn't taken into account what the power to match an almost-goddess would do to their puny, mortal bodies. When all was said and done, and they stood to look on a devastated world bereft of almost all life, they felt mourning. Sad, at the waste. And their bodies gave out on them, because no mortal can withstand the might of a near-deity for days unscathed.

What they found was surprising. Naruto first saw, and therefore first tackled, Jiraiya, who was bowled over easily by his grief-stricken godson. Sasuke was staring at the Yondaime in utter bewilderment, and was thus unprepared when the red-haired woman wrapped him in a startlingly maternal hug.

Naruto then saw his father -whose identity still simultaneously boggled and not-surprised Sasuke (because it's Naruto) - and dragged his bedraggled godfather over into a bigger hug. Then saw his mother - who apparently was good friends with Sasuke's mother, which was all kinds of I-sort-of-expected-that-after-everything-else and this-is getting-ridiculous - and initiated a group hug.

Sasuke was not amused. The red head - Kushina, he vaguely recalled - was.

Which is when they all noticed the white haired, dark skinned man with grey eyes, dressed all in reds and blacks, who was standing there like he'd been there for some time.

All of them, perhaps instinctively, knew he was the one who'd reached out and aided them. They stood straight before him, waiting for what he would ask.

But he only smiled sadly - heavy with the regret they'd all heard in his voice - and turned-

to the swirling blue whirlpool in the air, that expanded and-

even if it could be heard, none of them would've had time to scream before it was upon them.

~O~O~O~

Heroes' Throne, Counter Guardians Quarters

As they looked around their destination - the whirlpool thingy having obviously been a portal of some kind - they all, once again, lay eyes on their mysterious helper.

"So, who are you, anyway?" Naruto piped up, looking like an eager puppy. Minato smiled, Kushina and Jiraiya grinned, and Sasuke rolled his eyes and smirked.

The man only looked at them moment, then said. "My name is EMIYA." The capitalization was literally audible. "Welcome to my personal hell."

Simultaneous blink. And "What do you-?" Minato began to ask, eyes narrowing, before he was interrupted and their attention drawn to the glowing woman-figure who hadn't been there a second before.

"Don't Mind My Servant. He's Overdramatic."

They didn't hear her voice, so much as feel it. And, somehow, understand it.

The white-haired man in red spoke one word, heavy with something other than the regret they'd all heard.

Heavy with unadulterated loathing.

"Alaya."

~O~O~O~

Well, that's that done. How's my first cliffy? Like it? Hate it? That strange, frustrating combination of both that makes you want to yank the author through the reading device so they can finish it, because suspense like that is really unfair? Review, and tell me!

*Story looks out at you, wishing to know.*