Chapter 36

Invasion

"I can't give you an answer right now, Commander. Not without talking with my comrades first..."

"Why is that?" asked Kushina patiently, and saw Raval engrossed in a deep personal conflict.

"I would love to have my life in the Navy back and I am grateful that you are offering me this chance. But my life isn't mine anymore, I have made an oath just as sacred to the one I made to the Alliance. Unless my leader agrees to this, I can't accept your offer..." admitted Raval honestly,

"What if your leader refuses? Is that person that much more important to you than the Alliance?" asked Kushina with a frown,

This time Raval gave her a knowing smile.

"Considering he has defeated you once, saved you from that disastrous trial, exposed Saren and is currently the only one fighting openly against the Reapers. Then yes..." said Raval proudly,

Kushina's brain stormed through every mission that she had undertaken in the last few years. Except for her failure at Eden Prime and the escape of that female human operative who captured the Prothean Beacon escaping from Therum Station...

That was it.

Her eyes widened as the connections which were previously hidden started coming to light. She still remembered that unknown soldier who had first given her the warning about Reapers, referring to himself and his group as a kind of Legion standing against the tide of enemy forces.

Her trial had also been setup from the start, but at the last moment Saren was exposed and her innocence proved. The result was Humanity gaining a seat on the Council due to Udina's threats of war. While the human ambassador was given the entire credit for such a massive victory, Kushina had never fully believed that man had alone managed such a victory.

So, there were hidden forces currently fighting against Reapers and also protecting humanity. Not to mention Kushina herself.

A Shadow.

And Raval was one of those fighters. She could only continue to stare at this young boy, without betraying his comrades he had given her a lead. Proof that she was not alone in this fight and there were people protecting her from all enemies.

Foreign and Domestic.

"Your group has the Prothean Beacon..." said Kushina in realization,

Raval neither accepted or rejected her claim only maintaining his smile.

"You are not alone in this fight, Commander. But I'm afraid I cannot willingly provide you more information unless my leader supports this Alliance. But I see that it is time our group starts sharing information when the Reapers are scoring many victories..." suggested Raval,

"If what you say is true then you have committed an act of war against the Alliance by stealing the beacon. It is humanity's property..." said Kushina fiercely,

"And you shall have it back. We have no intention of keeping it with us more than necessary, by now I think our expert must have already scoured through most of the information. If you can allow me to contact my leader, then perhaps we can agree to some mutually beneficial terms..." offered Raval, as Kushina narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Or I can simply put a gun to your head and make demands..." warned Kushina, but was surprised when Raval simply shrugged.

"Won't work. We don't negotiate such deals with threats on our heads, you can kill me. But I must warn you doing so will lead to you burning all bridges and no further support shall be provided to you. Our group won't attack you since you are important to humanity, but you will certainly earn our ire. If we can manipulate the Council to save you and benefit humanity, think about the benefits we can offer in this war..."

Kushina could only stare at this boy. To think he turned the tables on her instead, those eyes of his had lured her by showing he was vulnerable. And now that he had seen all her cards, he had shown his.

Given her an offer which was almost more tempting than the one she had given him.

This was not some ordinary officer and if he had the reach to his group's leader, then it could only mean Raval was quite high up in the chain of command. Possibly even the second in command of the group.

And he knew she was more desperate than him for information given the losses humanity was suffering since the Geth had focused the war on their race alone.

"Fine, we'll contact him. But any funny moves, and I'll blow your head off..." warned Kushina,

"Fair enough, Commander..." replied Raval coolly,

Kushina sighed. Just what mess had she gotten herself involved in?

Regardless as a Spectre and an Alliance Officer she was determined to pursue all means necessary to protect humanity and the galaxy at large. Even dealing with shady groups like the one Raval belonged to.

Naruto watched the Geth Fleet depart from the former battlefield.

A truce had been agreed upon alongwith the promise of facing the Reapers together. On that trust, he had agreed to not interfere as the Geth increased their fleet, more specifically the number of dreadnoughts they had. For only those ships would have a chance to take down the army of Reapers their joint forces would be facing.

Yet his fleet still lingered in the sector. Not for combat but...

2741 lives.

He closed his eyes as the faces of all those nameless soldiers who died during the battle invaded his mind and heart. Warriors who would never go back home, ones who had died following his orders.

He had been used to killing people, but this was the first time he had sent so many of his own allies to their deaths.

Despite what most people thought, he too suffered from guilt. One that was deeper than any vast ocean in the galaxy. He never wanted this much responsibility or this much power, but he could also not simply sit back and allow the Reapers to win. Yet even so, this battle had also took something from him.

A part of his heart broke on imagining the grieving friends and family of the deceased soldiers.

He had ordered the recovery of all the bodies floating in space, no matter what condition those soldiers were in he would be sending them home. Their funerals would be sponsored by the Akatsuki, and all possible efforts would be made to look after their bereaved families.

It was all he could do for them now.

Until and unless every last soldier's body was not recovered his fleet would not leave the Veil, even the Geth had bowed to his demand which was good for their own sake.

"Was this worth it?"

He saw Mirala stepping beside him, the Asari Matriarch had been the Fleet Commander during the battle. The lives that were lost would weigh on her the most after him who ordered them to death.

"I can only hope that the blood that has been spilled today can help save the galaxy in the future..." said Naruto silently,

"It's easy for you to say that. The ones in command so often say such things, but rarely are your loved ones and friends among the dead. I know that you are going to create even greater rivers of blood across the galaxy in time, I can only pray that your soul can bear that burden and one day you maybe able to live with your actions, Namikaze Naruto..." explained Mirala patiently,

She was not surprised when the human's eyes became moist...

"The living maybe blinded by your brilliance, power and leadership. They may adore you, praise you, but one day this war will end. And the dead will never forgot how they were burned to death because of you, Kaiser..."

"Eventually you will pay in blood for all the blood you have spilled..."

Naruto stumbled back, his legs no longer being able to bear the burden that weighed on his heart. Those words were more powerful than a nuclear strike as it teared through his chest. In the older Asari's eyes he saw the ghosts of all those that had died, their anger and misery combined with Mirala's own pain burned brightly in those accusing orbs.

A tight slap sent Mirala crashing on the deck, as a pair of arms caught Naruto from behind stabilizing him.

There was the sound of a gun being unlocked and the very next second a pistol was pointed straight at Mirala's head, courtesy of an enraged Mikoto.

Liara held Naruto as the enraged human female glared murderously at the defiant Asari.

"How dare you..." snarled Mikoto,

"Fleet Commander, you know nothing of what the Reapers will do. You are mistaken in blaming Naruto..." advised Liara tersely,

Mirala only glared harder at her fellow Asari who was holding the blonde human in her arms.

"That's it..." said Mikoto furiously, as she placed her gun over Mirala's head.

"Enough..."

Both Akatsuki members were surprised when Naruto spoke in such a low voice. Devoid of all confidence and full of regret.

"I won't allow any more lives to be spilled. We have already lost enough..."

With that final order, the Kaiser removed himself from Liara's grasp and slowly started walking away. Each step he took echoed fully across the silent bridge and the people were shocked to see something they had never expected.

The mighty Kaiser's shoulders were completely slumped.

A dim table light was the only source of illumination in the room. Surrounded by darkness, Naruto sat stiffly on a chair. An old wine glass rested on the table alongwith half an empty glass full of the red liquid.

The air in the room was cool yet it didn't stop or ease the fire burning within him. Threatening to burn him just like it had burned all those soldiers.

He quickly swallowed the rest of the wine in the glass and hastily reached out for the bottle. The faces still flashed before him and he mistakenly made the glass overflow coating his hands in the red wine.

With a slight hiss he slammed the bottle back on the table alongwith the glass, but as he jerked his hand away he saw they were blood red.

He could only stare in shame at his bloodied hands and slumped back in his chair.

He didn't even care when he heard the door to his room open, if he was lucky it would be some enraged friend of any of the soldiers who had died wanting to take revenge on him. Although that chance was low considering the security Garrus had placed near his chambers, but a man could dream atleast.

However he was forced to open his eyes when he heard a soft female sigh.

"Mikoto..." he said slowly,

"Naruto, I have taken care of that bitch. Fools like her know nothing-"

"She was right, Mikoto..." agreed Naruto, much to her shock.

"I'm a murderer and a coward, too..."

"Kaiser..."

"I could have stopped this battle if I wanted. Never allowed it to happen, but I did. Those foolish Geth harmed humanity and I retaliated in vengeance. I know I'm despicable, I may or may not deserve to lead this war but I certainly don't deserve the cheers of the soldiers..." confessed Naruto,

"If only I had you by my side Raval, maybe you could have stopped me. You are perhaps the only one in the galaxy that could have made me back down and despite all my powers I am lost in this war without your guidance. I cannot seize this universe without you by my side..." thought Naruto sadly,

He numbly watched as Mikoto knelt down and carefully started cleaning the blood red wine from his hands. She didn't say a word and also cleaned the wine spilled across the table. When that was done, she placed the stained cloth away and turned towards him.

For a few minutes neither of them said anything and simply stared at each other.

"Naruto, even if you've committed sins the burden you carry on your shoulder and the sacrifices you have made over the years more than make up for it. You sacrificed your childhood and teenage fighting for humanity, broke away from Cerberus despite how much it must have hurt you, even now you fight for the survival of all races with no self gain at heart. They may not seem much to you, but to others it does..."

"From your experiences you are preparing the galaxy for the upcoming struggle better than anyone else could by changing politics and society at whole. You may never receive any praise for all your sacrifices and only receive scorn for the methods you undertook, but that has never stopped you from doing the right thing.

There was the crime, then the punishment and in the end rewards. Please do not despise yourself, there are many people who will be saved by your actions. And it is because you bear this throne full of spikes, others are saved from dealing with this burden. It is cruel but only you have the strength to bear it, so don't give up..." pleaded Mikoto,

Placing a soft kiss on his forehead, she got up and started walking away.

"Mikoto..."

She stopped. But didn't turn around to face him.

"I don't want you to leave. Please stay..."

Mikoto slowly turned back and saw his fist had clenched shut. It had taken nearly everything he had to express his desire...

"I don't think I can bear being alone tonight. Please don't leave me alone..."

The silence that lay between them was heavy. Mikoto found herself in a troubling dilemma. She knew the consequences if she stayed tonight as well as of those if she left. While she was sure about her love for him now, she still didn't feel she was worthy of his affections after everything she had done to him.

But he had called out for her, there were moments when she would see a ghost of the love he had for her, even Liara had admitted to seeing the same thing.

Against her wishes, destiny had again placed her at the crossroads. If she left now, she would never have him.

But if she stayed...

His eyes were still fixed on her, his pleading yet sharp gaze taking in all her emotions as if testing her resolve. When the silence stretched too far, he simply nodded in understanding.

Time seemed to have slowed down for her as she watched his disheartened gaze going away from her. Before her eyes flashed the rest of her life. A single woman working tenaciously to stop the Reapers, she had friends and comrades but no one to go home to. No one to share her happiness and pain with. No one with whom she could one day hope to have children and a family one day.

Her life being devoid of the light and joy that he always brought with him.

And she didn't want that.

As she stormed forward, she had no idea what the future held for them, or how they would deal with the situation with her and Liara, or if they were even destined to survive against the Reapers. All she knew that for long or short, better or worse, she wanted to be with him.

Naruto had stood up, his eyes wide as he saw her storming towards him. The look in her eyes saying all he needed to know...

The next thing he knew were a soft pair of lips softly kissing his own.

As he came within arm's reach, her hands glided out to meet him, slowly stroking up the front of his chest. They centered on the buttons, methodically unfastening each one, starting from his neck and working her way lower. When enough of his shirt was undone to please her, she slipped her hands inside, feeling the warmth of his body, her lips planting soft kisses on the exposed skin. His own hands caressed her, slipping from the small of her back to explore further. His right hand moved up, along the curve of her spine, then found a comfortable spot between her shoulder blades. The left slid downward, feeling the curve of her hips, cupping her buttocks lightly. He squeezed, eliciting a heated moan from her.

Mikoto backed away enough to look up at him, her fingers balling into fists around the tails of his shirt. Apparently she had had enough of the buttons – she yanked, hard, and Naruto could hear the muted click of plastic bouncing along the floor. Giving him a small smile, she slid her arms around him, under his shirt, letting her hands move up and behind to tug the article off of his shoulders. Naruto responded by slipping his hand into the her military uniform, at her hip, fingers sinking into the soft, yielding flesh. She gasped, moaning around the nipple she now teased with her mouth.

At her urging, he let his arms drop to his sides, allowing her to pull the shirt off the rest of the way. It fell forgotten on the floor, Mikoto now concerned only with feeling the toned muscles of his chest with her hands, kissing and licking his skin. He managed to push her shirt down a bit, causing it to bunch around her slim waist, one hand massaging the curves of her rear while the other caressed her inner thigh, moving ever higher.

Her gasp echoed his own when he touched her, after what seemed an eternity of teasing. She was sodden with wetness, her lips swollen and sticky, quivering at even the lightest brush of his hand. Deftly, his fingers found the hard bead of her arousal, pinching and twisting it mercilessly. Her arms, now wrapped around his neck, were her only support when her legs gave out beneath her, knees turning to jelly, the release shuddering throughout her body. Using his free arm to hold her waist tight to him, he kissed the side of her neck as she recovered, Mikoto panting audibly. His words were a warm whisper against her ear. "Come to bed with me...?"

Her tongue flicked out, licking his earlobe.

"No," she said in a low, sultry murmur,

"...right here is perfect." Sitting back on the edge of the table, Mikoto's expression was wicked as she removed her pants. Slowly lifted up one slim leg, bent at the knee. Her inviting womanhood clear for him to see, her fingers slipping down to spread the lips wide apart. "Right here, Naruto." His mouth felt suddenly dry. She waited.

Naruto discovered in a moment of panic that his fingers didn't quite remember how to unfasten his belt. She laughed, reaching over to tug at the leather tongue of it, beckoning him closer. Finally, he remembered, and soon she had the throbbing hardness of him in her hand, guiding it up and down the length of her slit, until its tip glistened with her juices.

"Are you ready, Mikoto?" he managed to ask, his breathing short and tight. She nodded, dark eyes gleaming with need, positioning him at her entrance. Sinking into her, he moaned, reveling in the slick heat that surrounded him, squeezing him in slow waves. Limbs tangling with his, Mikoto held him tightly for a few moments, not moving, just wanting to feel him fully within her, her ankles locked around his waist. His hands were flat on the table, supporting himself behind her as she clung to him.

Slowly, she loosened her legs, letting him move. That brought a long moan from her, his manhood sliding nearly out of her before pushing its way back in. Her breaths came more quickly as he began to gain speed and momentum, each thrust more powerful than the last. He felt her slicken with release, her nails digging into his back, but he showed her no mercy, giving her no respite, so that each orgasm that rocked her followed on the heels of the last. Muffling her screams, she buried her face in his neck; the hot breath and saliva on his skin excited her.

He was close. His arms slid behind the crooks of her knees, holding her legs apart so he could enter her deeper, the front of his hips slamming against the inside of her thighs. She let go of him, falling backward to lie on the desk, clutching the stained cloth in the corner she had used earlier to her chest tightly, biting down on it to stifle her cries. The erotic sight of her, naked in front of him, her skin tinged red, the cast of her eyes as they stared into his, lost in bliss, the way that her hair fell perfectly on the desk beneath her, the feel and sound of her swollen lower lips, sucking him back inside in invitation whenever he withdrew – all of it brought forth his release, Naruto collapsing atop of her as his seed spilled forth, pulsing inside her, but not before his thumb found her clit, rubbing vigorously and sending her over the brink of her own climax, her hips gyrating against his hand, her sex tightening, squeezing the last drops from him.

He kissed her, long and deep, before they both had to gasp for breath, panting as they recovered. Her fingers ran through his blonde hair, damp with sweat. He nuzzled her neck, licking the salt from her skin. She rocked her hips back and forth, pleased that he was still hard and ready inside her. "Let me clean you off," she murmured with a hot breath into his ear.

When he straightened, Mikoto still clung to him, keeping him inside her for as long as was possible. Her legs lowered, tentatively touching the ground, and when she was sure of her footing, she hesitantly pushed him away, the feeling of emptiness without him eliciting a soft sigh of regret.

Naruto was in an uncomprehending daze as she slid to her knees in front of him, her hands trailing down the front of his body. One hand slipped to hold his shaft near the base, while the other gently fondled his balls. Her lips parted, each warm breath on the tip of his manhood causing tingling pleasure to spread throughout him. He watched, mesmerized, as her tongue slowly extended, tentatively licking the underside of the head, tasting his juices combined with hers. The tip of her pink tongue swirled around him, feeling every ridge and contour, teasing, until finally, when he could stand it no more, she engulfed him with her mouth.

The sensation was wonderfully hot and wet. She moved slowly, savoring the taste, and with each stroke, she took a little more of him inside her. He could feel the insides of her back teeth, rubbing against his skin in a sharp twang of pleasurable pain. Her tongue, which danced along the underside of his shaft, was pure bliss. When her lips reached the hand around the base of his shaft, she backed off, skimming a loose fist along the wet length of him and sucking one of his balls into her wanton mouth.

Naruto moaned, his fingers working into her hair. She looked up at him, and with her eyes heavy with desire, she set the tip of his manhood against her pursed lips. Her hands slid behind him, to the small of his back. She didn't move, gazing up at him, beckoning him. Slowly, he pressed his hips forward, pushing past the tightness of her lips and into her waiting mouth, going deeper until he felt resistance at the back of her throat; he stopped, but she forced herself forward, her throat loosening to take him fully inside, her lips wrapped around the very base of him. Her tongue slid outward, licking the skin beneath, before she withdrew entirely, gasping for air. He quivered. He had almost lost control when she had deep-throated him. Mikoto smiled knowingly up at him, giving the tip of his saliva-coated shaft a quick kiss before rising to her feet.

"Now that you're ready," she said as she turned her back to him, leaning over the desk with her upper body and wiggling her hips in the air, "...maybe we should try it... here?" She looked back at him suggestively, her right hand pulling aside one lush cheek of her buttocks, exposing the tightened sphincter above her sex.

Naruto was stunned. "Mikoto…" he managed to say, the shock obvious on his face. She laughed lasciviously.

"Come on, just put it in." She licked her lips. "It'll feel good." She swayed her hips again, inviting.

His left hand squeezing the other cheek, he angled the tip of his manhood at her entrance with his right hand, the shaft still slick with her saliva. Slowly, he pushed against it, but he found tight resistance, her body not quite willing to let him enter. She stopped him, slicking her fingers using the wetness of her sex, and then slid those fingers inside her with a moan. When she withdrew them, her rear entrance had loosened slightly. He pressed against it once more, leaning into it, and reluctantly, it admitted him, Mikoto inhaling sharply with the intrusion.

The sensation of it was unlike anything he had ever felt. The first inch of her was like a tight ring, gripping him firmly around his shaft, followed by an inviting, diffuse warmth. She moaned when the front of his hips met the curves of her buttocks, now fully sunken inside her. "You can move," she said between ragged breaths, "but just… take it slow.…"

He didn't have to do it slowly for long. When he felt her relaxing, that coil of muscle loosing its grip slightly, he was able to speed up his pace, she accepting him easily, passionately now, her hips rocking back to meet his with every thrust. Each time he slammed into her, it seemed to knock the breath from her lungs, and she gasped anew, holding the stained cloth tightly in her hands as though it anchored her to reality.

Sensing his impending climax, Naruto slid his hand around her, down her lower belly. When she realized what he was about to do, she grabbed his hand, looking over her shoulder, eyes desperate. "No, Naruto - it's too much!" He thrust into her again, causing her to bite back a cry.

"It's okay," he gasped, "– I'm almost..." Reluctantly, she released his hand, allowing him to slide his fingers down to the wetness of her sex. He stroked her painfully hard clit back and forth, causing her hips to buck as the anticipated pleasure coursed through her. Screaming now in her long delayed release, Mikoto didn't bother muffling the sound; with her orgasm, the ring of flesh tightened around him unexpectedly, taking him with her in her ecstasy. Naruto sank atop of her, his chest heaving with every unsteady breath. When his hand found hers, she clutched it gratefully.

As Mikoto lay contentedly atop of him on the bed, Naruto stroked the skin of her back, still damp from the shower they had shared. She nuzzled into his chest with the touch, her eyes closed. Quietly, he whispered her name lovingly. She smiled, crawling up the line of his body so that their eyes were level, her polished dark irises drinking deeply of his own piercing blue ones. The locks of her hair gently licked the sides of his face, surrounding him in a curtain of raven, so that all he saw was her, suspended above him, her lips a hairsbreadth away from his. Her eyes quivered, reflecting the sense of vulnerability revealed as again in the tremble of her lower lip, in the slight red flush of her cheeks.

When she kissed him, softly, tenderly, a sudden wave of understanding rushed through him: all her years alone, running, sometimes so afraid that she could only huddle in a corner, praying to be loved again – all the deaths that she had survived, hoping that perhaps the next one would finally end the misery of her troubled life – all the friends and the crush she had lost in the swirling passage of time.

"No matter what awaits us," he murmured, stroking her cheek, "I'll love you" Tears welled in her eyes, and he held her against his neck as she cried.

The dim, early morning light of impending dawn crept through the glass in the far away corner, as if afraid to intrude upon the peaceful calm of the serene bedroom within. Only one figure occupied the wide bed fitted with white linens, and Naruto watched her intently as she slept, he having woken some time ago.

Piercing blue eyes traced the lines of her body, just half covered by the thin white bed sheet that clung to her skin. Mikoto shifted in her sleep, the edge of the sheet sliding down her side to settle in the curve of her slim, pale waist.

Sinking back into the chair at his desk, Naruto let his eyes take in the sight of her once more. Her hair, a healthy, shimmering black, fell around her body with an uncanny perfection, looking not at all mussed despite having been worn to bed down and wet; instead, it framed her form in startling contrast to the smooth alabaster of her skin. She was laying on her right side, one hand tucked under the pillow beneath her head, while the other rested easily at the side of her upper thigh, the elbow of that arm angled slightly behind her. Her left leg was half drawn up, bent at the knee, while the right extended fully, the shape of her legs quite discernible with the way that the thin fabric hugged their contours. Even in sleep, she seemed to offer herself in open invitation. Naruto looked briefly away, his cheeks warming with a sudden flush of unexpected embarrassment.

As intently as he watched the rise and fall of her chest with every breath, Naruto noticed when that rhythm changed, interrupting for a moment, before deepening. Glancing up to her face, he wasn't surprised when dark eyes met his blue ones, regarding him through thick, half-lowered eyelashes. "Come back to bed," she murmured softly in a voice still contented with sleep. He sighed, giving her a tight-lipped smile of apology.

"There is a lot of work left to do. It's time to head back to base, follow any leads Intelligence may have collected for us..." he answered,

"You're right. But are you okay?" she asked worriedly, receiving a half hearted smile from him.

"This is my burden and I will bear it. And when the time comes, I'll pay for all my sins. But until then I'll keep on fighting no matter what..."

Coming near, he placed a deep kiss on her lips gently caressing her cheek with his hand. Her bliss ended when he ended the kiss.

"Thank you for being there..." he replied gratefully,

She nodded with a smile.

He marched towards his desk, picking up the stark white haori and placing it over his shoulder. Combine that with his ever sharp Imperial uniform and confident look, he looked exactly like an Akatsuki leader should.

With one last smile in her direction, he swiftly exited the room.

Another day to fight.

On the barren snow covered lands of Noveria stood a lone Asari Matriarch. Around her remained an entire Asari commando squad armed to the teeth. All of their gazes were blank with the Matriarch pointing her hand forward.

The valleys and mountains around them echoed from the screeching wails of thousands of insect like warriors.

A race that had nearly defeated the mighty Citadel Council in the past had been reborn.

The Rachni had returned for vengeance under the leadership of the Reapers.

Benezia pointed her finger in the direction of the main spaceport of Noveria directing the army of Rachni's attention towards the designated position.

"Let the Cycle begin..."

Author's Notes: End of chapter.

Hope you guys liked it.

Until Next Time,

Blackwolf501