I am floored. Truly. To have people enjoying this story, regardless of TenTen being the Main character and not Naruto, I am surprised, but VERY happy for. Naruto may not be THE main character, but he is still a BIG part of this story, a partner character is seen many times over than any other character in the story they are in. just because our story follows TenTen, does not mean Naruto will just vanish and never be a part of the story again for chapters on end. So for those of you who understand that, and are enjoying it this way, then get ready, we are gonna get right back to it.

XxX xXx XxX xXx XxX xXx XxX xXx XxX xXx XxX xXx XxX xXx XxX

TenTen was smiling. She had a field day on her item hunt. She grabbed a few small arms, any ammo the Raiders stored and were carrying, even found a combat knife from the military they had. Not to mention she found a few books still intact that she thought was worth keeping.

Her bag was full of supplies, even a few medical supplies she found around. The infirmary was stocked with Stimpacks and manual treatment kits, it even had training manuals, but only two were even eligible.

She came back to Naruto, who she heard grunting and rushed to see what was going on. As she held her gun up she seen him standing up, having to exert a massive amount of effort to go from sitting to standing. When he finally stood he huffed,. "Seems you got what you needed I would assume?"

TenTen sighed, putting her pistol down, holstering, as she stepped up to Naruto. He had stood all the way up as she got to him. "Yeah, some ammo I found on the ones we killed, even some from old military boxes just lying around, medical supplies from the infirmary on the first floor, and I even got a few intact books."

Naruto smiled at her, holstering his own rifle on his back, slinging it over his shoulder. "Good. I think we need to get going and review, before we catch a few more hiding. Either that, or you want to stay to read?"

TenTen shook her head, getting her backpack on straight. "Nope, I'm good. Let's hit Megaton, we should get some rest. It's only been about a half hour, we can sleep before hitting the road."

Naruto nodded and started walking, though TenTen could see clearly the strain it put on him. his whiskers flaring a bit and his eyes narrowing, slitting the pupils. She hoped they return soon, so he can relax.

It took them a few minutes to get back, Naruto had to go the longer way, so he didn't have to climb up or down hills. But soon enough, they made it, and his home being right there made it easier for them to get in. TenTen set her bag on the table and helped him get out of the armor.

As they got it all off, Naruto tore the broken cell off the back and sighed. "This is in complete disrepair. I need a new one, no way I am fixing this, the power is all leaked and no way to find a new recharger from an old cell. Guess I am going to be utilizing the bear minimum, my salvaged suit."

As Naruto set it all down he looked to Tenten. "How did your haul go? Show me what you got and I can tell you if its any kind of useful." He knew what was good to use, either to repair or build, use on the spot or when only in dire need of it.

TenTen nodded and poured the contents of her pack on the table, shifting it around so everything was seen. Naruto was impressed, she managed to get a good amount of usable things. He seen medical supplies and ammo, as well as a few guns.

He grabbed the rifle she managed to find. It was a Hunting Rifle, a .308 that looked in good condition. He checked it out, unloading it and putting it on safety. After a good look he smiled. "This is a good long range weapon for you. Ammo won't be hard to find, and I can make it work perfect by the morning. Good find."

He put all medical supplies to the side as he put the Rifle on his workbench. He seen the books and grabbed them. One was on energy weapons, a guide to them and power armor. He put that down and seen the other, which was a novel. "Hm, 'The best laid plans'? I don't know whether to be cautious or curious. Is this a sign of things to come?" "This is a good book, but it's about how things go wrong. So if you want to read something telling you about how things go wrong, that's your choice."

TenTen looked curious on that and took the book. She opened it up as naruto sorted the rest of the materials. All the rest was some batteries and technology she had found. A Conductor, several Sensor modules, and three fission batteries. As well as some belts and a radio.

She sighed, seeing he was right, and put it on the table. "Sorry, it was intact, I thought it would be a happy book. Guess I should have checked before bringing it." She sees him setting things up to the side of the table and was curious. "What are you doing?"

Naruto finished and smiled, pointing to the medical supplies. "These are yours to keep as your own. Stimpacks, really lucky to find the Rad-away, Rad-X and Med-X are all in the lunchbox you brought, along with the surgical tubing and scalpel. That's your personal medical supply."

He pointed to the ammo. "This will be divided evenly amongst us, you need three types of ammo, and I need the other two. You managed to find Energy cells, I can use them and a fission battery to make ammo for my Laser Rifle, and magnum ammo for my revolver."

Lastly, was the guns and misc. items. "These I can use tonight. As you get some sleep, I will be fixing your pistol and rifle, and I will also be taking some of my own stock to make your gear a little better. You can read the energy book before sleeping, keep that handy, you'll want to know everything about power armor and energy weaponry by the time we get to GNR."

TenTen knew she could trust Naruto not to make any bad choices with the items she found, she just grabbed what she thought was useful, she had thought the belts would be better than the rope she used for her blaster skirt. "I'll let you handle that then. Can I have something to drink before bed? And where do I go?"

Naruto pointed upstairs. "The open door to my room, you can use the bed. I'll be up a good while tonight, so just rest easy."

TenTen didn't take that lying down, she knew he had exerted himself to the point of using this mutation he told her about, he would need rest. "You should sleep, it's better for you to get some rest than me, your mutation needs to be settled down."

Naruto chuckled as he started putting the working gear for his work tonight on the bench. "Not really, the mutation won't calm down until I burn through it. Best I have something to do tonight, than to wake up with my super-human abilities breaking my robot cause I forgot my strength. Before you say anything, trust me. I will sleep once it's burnt through, but right now, I need to burn through it. As for your drink request, my fridge is stocked with Nuka-Cola. I never come back without a good amount of it. If you want, there's a few tidbits to eat. All safe, don't worry."

As Naruto went to his bench, TenTen went to the fridge. She grabbed a Nuka-Cola, and seen more steak, but also something that looked like small muddy pancakes. She grabbed one and gave it a bite. She smiled and ate it. "What's this small mud-cake you got?"

Naruto looked to her. "Mirelurk cakes, it's sea-food basically. Mutated lobster-men, tough to kill but give a lot of meat. Don't worry about how much of it you eat, it never goes bad, and there's always more to make. Mirelurks are abundant in the wastes around here. Oh, as you go up, mind handing me the skirt? I want to fix it up so a belt will hold it up."

TenTen untied it and laid it on the table for him, drinking some of the Cola as she walked upstairs. She seen another room and the door was closed. "What's this other room up here?"

Naruto looked up to her. "It's my storage. Where I keep all my necessary work and travel materials. Don't be going in there, it's kind of full and id rather nothing get messed up in there, I have a missile launcher with missiles. What if you had one drop to the floor?"

TenTen blinked in disbelief, but decided to let it lay. She went into the bedroom and laid down, opening the science book she got. As she grew more tired, she yawned. "Night!" And with that, she fell asleep.

XxX Morning XxX

TenTen awoke with a start, having tossed and turned all night with nightmares. She had nightmares of her escape of the vault, and of the Raiders cruelty being inflicted on her. She was sweating profusely. She got up and put the book on her chest on the desk, getting up. As she came downstairs, Naruto was grunting a bit.

She came down and seen him placing a new armor on the table. This one had free joint movement, no wires or anything that she could see. Even the back had no power cells, just plate armor, the joints seemed more vulnerable, however, less armor at them. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

Naruto huffed as he set the armor down. He looked up at TenTen and smiled. "Morning, sorry if I woke you." The question hit him as soon as he finished saying that and he nodded. "Yeah, I slept. You'll find that out here, sleeping for six hours is a blessing, I've been trained to sleep for four or five with no ill effects."

The Mister Handy came from the kitchen. "Sir, did the armor on you last night bear any ill-effects, such as stiff joints or hard of breath from compression? Sleeping in such a manner is usually the best way to gain terrible back problems."

TenTen seen Naruto's eyes back to normal, and he did have trouble carrying the armor. She wondered why he slept in such a way. "Why did you sleep with that thing on top of you? Didn't the mutation stop causing you unrest?"

Naruto sighed at that. "Not at all. After I finished with my work, I still felt power coursing through me, so I slept in that dangerous state, but instead of on this table, or in a chair, I just slept with something heavy on me. My strength wouldn't hurt the armor, and I'd be burning through it when I moved it off me."

TenTen blinked, seeing the amazing plan as it was. As Naruto prepared breakfast, she looked over the armor. It was colored bluish silver, like the other armor, but it had a tint of gold in the paint, like it was rusted, or was designed different. "What's the deal with the armor? It's a little more colorful, like you painted over the original paint."

Naruto gave her some Mirelurk cakes, and a bottle of Cola again. As she ate one of the three cakes on her plate, he popped his cola and drank before explaining. "It's because it was part of another faction. See, this was a secret, even from then brotherhood. When I made my base in the west coast? I had made modifications to a trunk. Gave it an advanced lock, not even the brotherhood could hack it, it wasn't technical as functional. It was a dial lock, with reinforced snap locks to keep it from being forced open. I used it to hold all my secrets and valuables I wanted. This was in it."

He patted the armor again, smiling. "When I was being helped by the NCR? I kind of got Ranger training. During my little 'play practice, from one of their best, some Super Mutants attacked a nearby squad. The Ranger went to help. I followed shortly after, and managed to come up on the Ranger, near death, with an NCR squad all dead, and the Super Mutant with it's head blown to pieces. The Ranger told me to book it out of the area, cause he heard his comms from HQ tell him the town was being killed off. I ran for it."

He grabbed the Helmet, looking solemnly into the visor. "A few days after I found my new HQ, I went back. The Ranger was gone, but everything else was still there. One of the NCR guys who were killed had this armor, some NCR Power Armor. The NCR didn't have the technical skills to repair or use their armor, no special training, so they just got rid of all the electronics, and made heavy armor. That was when they first found some, later on, after the Brotherhood was being wiped out by them, they just salvaged armor from dead Brotherhood soldiers. This is an early salvaged armor, no electronics. Just pure armor and steel protection. I locked it in a trunk, brought it with me, and had it ever since. I was gonna use it for my first Power Armor, but I was initiated to use REAL power Armor before I had the chance. I recolored this armor, which was originally golden brown, and here it is. Ready to be used."

TenTen was impressed by the story. She could see Naruto didn't like how his history happened with this armor, or his history in general, but she seen he dealt with it, looking to make a diamond out of a mud-hill in his life. As she finished her Mirelurk cake she looked the armor over. "What makes this different than your other armor? No power? Can it work with no power?"

Naruto chuckled a bit before putting the helmet back on the armor. "Power Armor is basically just Heavy Armor, designed to make a single person able to fight against a platoon of normal soldiers. A dozen rifles on a guy wearing Power Armor will do some damage, but only if they sustain fire for a few minutes. They don't have that long if he's wielding a chain gun, now do they? The Power cells do nothing for the armor's ability to sustain damage. The armor can be worn without power, but the armor cannot function with no power to make the servo's work. No servos or power? The armor is just armor plating, and pretty heavy at that."

TenTen thought about that. "So, what makes power armor, POWER armor? Servos and power cells? If the powering of the servos, and the servos moving, do nothing to increase it's ability to defend the wearer, then what does it do?"

Naruto smiled wide. "The servos and power gives the wearer super-human strength. The servos move on the whim of the wearer, only if they have power to turn the gears. The whole servo and gear system is to take the burden of weight from the wearer, so they can carry heavier gear into battle, such as Chain guns and Missile Launchers, and the such. I use it mainly for sentimental reasons, but it also helps me carry my backpack. When it's full, it's quite heavy."

TenTen understood now. The Power Armor was basically able to give the wearer high amount of protection and the ability to carry heavy ordinance into battle, to then take on overwhelming odds in a brutal war, like the one that destroyed the world. "And this is just Salvaged Power Armor, stripped to be Heavy Armor?"

Naruto nodded at that. "It's a bit heavy, but it'll be best to go through on our journey with me wearing it." Naruto chuckled nervously. "Though, you will have to carry anything of value we find on the way. You don't have to carry my heavy backpack, but your own might get full by the time we get done."

TenTen looked confused by this. "Why can't you carry anything?"

Naruto gestured to his armor. "This thing is heavy, I will only be able to carry my three primary weapons, and some ammo for each. So you will have to carry everything else."

TenTen nodded. She understood, but it kinda made her feel like a pack mule. "so, I will need to carry everything, even the heavy stuff?"

Naruto shook his head and got up. He have her a smaller backpack than the one she got yesterday. "I wouldn't burden you, you won't be carrying TOO much. Just essentials, and I will be with you to tell you what we need to take or not."

TenTen smiled and nodded. She just thought of something though. "Where did you get this armor? I thought you said the upper room was dangerous to open."

Naruto smiled at her, shrugging as he went to the bench. "It is, but if I need to get in there I can. I didn't, my special trunk is right here." he pulled it from under the bench, showing her before putting it back. "And before I forget.. here is your new gear."

Naruto grabbed her three weapons from the top of the bench, sliding them to her as he got the armored skirt. TenTen looked amazed at what Naruto did. The Rifle has a scope, like a medical one, but it was modified, with a target in the middle of the sights. It also had some fabric around the middle, which felt soft to the touch, as well as a wrap on the stock and a small bag, for carrying ammo clips. It held five already. And it used a belt to make a sling to go over her shoulder.

The Shotgun had a new bayonet, longer and sharper it looked like. And her Pistol was the one with greater modification. It had a short range scope with a red dot on it, and an extended barrel, for increased spin to the bullet.

TenTen stood up, hosting her Pistol and Shotgun. As Naruto gave her the Blaster skirt, she noticed it had a belt now, one with holed for her shotgun shells. She slipped it on and grabbed her Combat armor from the locker she put it in the night before. After putting it, and the backpack, on, she slung the Rifle over her shoulder, and what she could over her head, so it would stay in place. She grabbed her helmet and slipped it on.

Naruto smiled, seeing her all outfitted. "You look ready. Feel ready? What we will face on this journey will be much harder than a dozen Raiders..."

TenTen smirked under her helmet, gripping her rifle's sling. "I'm ready. Whatever we face, I am sure can't surprise me, or shock me, like what the Raiders did, or what I seen of a mutated scorpion."

Naruto knew otherwise. The horrors in the wastelands he seen were much more shocking and frightening, and much tougher to face, than some raiders. But he knew another thing, he could handle it. Even if TenTen couldn't handle the horrors out there, he would protect her, because he saw in her the same fire to explore that he had, and the same determination to continue on a journey that already seemed horrible, with the same will to bring justice and peace that he did.

He nodded. "Grab twenty of the Nuka-Colas from the fridge, and I have a box prepared with some food, it's not heavy, but will last a few days, especially if we hit our destinations quickly. Grab the Medical supplies I gave you, as well as my personal supply upstairs, that should take care of our needs. If you want, bring that book, you can read during our breaks."

TenTen nodded and started grabbing everything, as Naruto started putting the armor on. She grabbed the Cola's, and opened the box of food, seeing some Mirelurk cakes, a couple Brahmin steaks, and some tin cans full of sloshing liquid. After getting everything in her backpack, all the holes in her belt filled with shotgun shells, and slipping a few clips in the jumpsuit holster along her lower leg, she came downstairs to see Naruto in full armor, except helmet.

Naruto was putting the Brotherhood Shoulder pads on this armor, the discoloration slight, but noticeable. He slung the Laser Rifle on his back, his Magnum revolver in one of the two leg holsters, and in a Fanny pack all his ammo for both. He had another weapon, a strange pistol of some kind.

It was dark green, with swirling lights on each side. It looked like it held only one bullet, a bigger one than she seen before. He had a special case he slipped inside the pocket of the chest armor, as well as a black book of some kind. After Naruto had put it all together, he hooked the helmet on his back, a hook clicking into a small slot on the top of the helmet.

He smiled at TenTen. "Let's move out." Naruto reloaded his Laser Rifle, cause of the depletion of last night, as TenTen came outside.

As the two came out, Simms was waiting on them. "Howdy, TenTen. Might I say, the news of the bomb's defusing spread wildly. The Church is a little miffed that you would tamper with such a thing, but the people here know for sure the bomb is safe. Thank you, on behalf of Megaton. I see you're bunking with our resident drifter and protector?"

Naruto came out and smiled. "Hey there, Sheriff. She's my ward currently. I promised to help her out with finding her father."

Simms nodded. "Admirable. She told me she was looking. Find out where he might have gone?"

TenTen smiled as she took her helmet off. "Yeah. He's gone to the GNR building."

Simms looks stiff. TenTen looked confused by this, but he loosened up and sighed. He gave TenTen a concerned look. "That place is a danger-zone. Frequent attacks from Super Mutants. And the brotherhood is having trouble protecting it."

That got Naruto's attention. "They're getting beaten? Which source did you get that from?" TenTen could see his concern. Even when cast out, he cared.

Simms nodded. "Last I heard from some traders who were protected coming from the Mall, their concerned about losing the GNR building soon. And with it's signal cut short around these parts, no one will know if their going to be alright, or gone."

Naruto looked up, taking a deep breath. As he closed his eyes, Simms came up, putting a hand on his shoulder. "For what it's worth, the Brotherhood's never going away. They may fall at the GNR, they may not, but they will never abandon the safety of this wasteland and it's people."

Naruto nodded, grabbing Simms by his shoulder as well. "Thanks, Simms. Tell the Regulators to keep an eye out, if the Brotherhood fall, their the only ones left to take the torrent."

Simms nodded and started going. With a wave of his hand as he walked away, he spoke to TenTen. "I wish you luck finding your Father, and be careful out there."

TenTen looked to Naruto. "You going to be ok?"

Naruto nodded, sighing, but smiling as he looked to her. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go." She nodded and they both started walking off. TenTen put her helmet back on and followed Naruto's lead.

As the two started walking back through Springvale, TenTen got curious. "Who are Regulators?"

Naruto chuckled a bit at that. "They are a group of people who, back out west, try to control people through tyranny. But, the ones here are different. The Regulators in the Capital Wasteland are a group of law-bringers, good ones. Simms is one, so you can expect the others to be just as good."

TenTen hummed at that. Naruto always went back to the west coast. "Why do you keep referring to the west coast of the USA?"

Naruto looked back at her, stopping as they past the school. "Because, that's where I was born and raised. It's where Civilization is finally becoming a reality. It's a goal being fulfilled. I have to remind myself why I fight, so I can give that goal to the people here. Where the West Coast has people who live in peace, I fight to give the people here peace."

TenTen looked wide-eyed as Naruto looked at her with determination, pride at his goal. He turned and started walking again. She followed and smiled. In her mind, it was made up what she wanted to do. She wanted to help Naruto make this world better. But she knew she would have to see how the world around her was so disgusting to Naruto, and understand why he hated this place. "Even if I falter, even if what I see before me becomes too much to bear, I will never give up. I will push myself to fight, fight for the better of all, just like Naruto."

With that, the two journeyed to their first destination, which Naruto told her as they walked around the nearby lake, Rivet City.

XxX Rivet City, Science Lab XxX

"All I'm asking is a chance! We can make it work, we just need to find a-" "No, this is insane, James! You can't expect me to go along with this!"

A man with a mustache and goatee, slicked back hair, named James, was arguing with a young woman with brown hair, both in lab coats. James looked down. "I know I shouldn't have come... But I can't stop thinking about what we can accomplish! Please, Maddy... This can change the world."

The woman crossed her arms, turning to the side. "Nicknames won't change my mind. We may be friends, but I still have my pride as a doctor. It's Madison Li when I'm in the lab. And the answer is still no."

James brushed his hair back, sighing heavily. He stepped up to her. "I'm sorry. I know you are doing god work here, asking you to help me is selfish. But your work here is amazing, and just what our ideal is about. Look! If I make the Project work, this will be everywhere!"

He grabbed an orange stick with leaves on the end. It was a carrot, and just like it would have been before the radiation of the nuclear holocaust hit, Fresh and pure. Dr. Li grabbed it and set it on the table, glaring at James. "Without your mythical magical device, then all you're spouting is nonsense! You have no proof that this G.E.C.K exists! You're speculating, and with the Brotherhood and their Outcasts scrounging for technology and STILL not finding anything like it, then I see no hope of ever finding one!"

James opened his Pip-boy and shown a document. "But it's real, this proves it! There's one in a Vault, I just have to FIND this vault, get the G.E.C.K and get it working on Project Purity. We'll finally purify the land, all this Radiation creating all these Ghouls from our own friends is going to vanish! We can even find a cure for Ghoulification if we put our minds to it!"

Li shook her head. "James, until I see it, it's not real. We're scientists! You should know that unless there is physical proof, or a scientific formula showing a higher than half possibility of making something work, it's not deserving of our time! Project Purity is gone, all our work is stopped. We can't go back, not now... Please..."

Li held his arm and looked down sadly. "Don't throw your life away, James. Even if your wife is gone, you still have your daughter, waiting for you in that Vault you found. She's an adult now isn't she? I bet she's worried sick. Go back, tell her you had to take a vacation. Even if this Vault doesn't have your magic device, it's still a pure home. Whatever Vault you think has this device, you can't continue to pursue it."

James grabbed Li's hands and held them in his. The two were great friends, and at one time lovers. That connection wasn't lost, but it was diminished. James backed up, letting go. "I can't go back now. If I do, I will die. They will kill me for breaking their rules. I have to continue. This isn't just a pursuit of Science. Scientific curiosity has no meaning to me right now. This is to give life to the land, to purify a world for my daughter to finally roam in, free of isolation. I will give my Daughter the Waters of Life, through my Scientific Pursuit." he turned around to leave. "I wish you luck with your work. Fresh food is finally being made, a start to a goal we all dreamed of. Goodbye, Maddy."

Dr. Li started crying, soundlessly as she watched him climb the steel stairs. "If you go, you won't make it to the Vault you want to find. Super Mutants are all over that Memorial, getting in or out, either way, is your death wish. Please, just go back... Be safe... Don't throw your life away."

James looked down at Dr. Li. "I threw my life away years ago. I wasted my life, and the life of my child, in a Vault of a Tyrant. When I could have raised her to understand the world we live in is not desolate, but full of Hope, no matter what dangers await. There's no going back. Not again, not now. I must press on. Understand that I must, regardless of the dangers before me."

Dr. Li cried in her hand, just turning her head away and letting him go. "Idiot..." he didn't hear, as he had left. She looked at her fresh fruit and vegetables. "The Project is dead. My work is proof that all the technology we can find cannot magically purify the Capital Wasteland. We could work for years and still be unable to purify the waters of the ocean. But even if it's slow.. Progress can still be made. In Safety."

She went back to work. No time for tears, she had to finish purifying the next vegetable, a potato. Little did she know, the child she helped give birth to, the one she worried was alone in a Vault, would soon find their way to Rivet City. They wouldn't recognize each other, at least not the first time they met, but their paths would cross, just like how hers and James crossed paths once more.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX;

There, all done! I was having horrible trouble doing my reworked chapters for another story I work on, and had no internet, so all I could do was write, and play 1 game.. Fallout. So, with my time playing Fallout, I had inspiration to write! Sadly, because of the fact the only fallout game I have on my computer that's playable without internet being Fallout New Vegas, I had to do an easy ending scene... I initially planned for a little look into the Brotherhood, or Enclave, but to tell ya the truth I haven't played FO3 past the GNR building...

So, I will be playing like NUTS when my living situation gets settled, but until then I had to give you all something to enjoy! I know there is so little action right now, but we are finally on the move. Naruto and TenTen are out of Megaton traveling, more back story, and a little look into James. Hopefully the story is good, even if my action is a bit lacking...

Hope you enjoyed~!