Misplaced

by Deus Swiftblade

When the seal broke and he opened his eyes, he had hoped to see his friends standing around him, welcoming him back to life. But now he's in a different time and all of his friends have long since passed away. Now the only thing he can do is put what he has been trained to be to good use and serve the galaxy from the shadows.

38. This is how you walk and talk

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Mass Effect.

Misplaced

Chapter 38: This is how you walk and talk

"Talking"

"Thinking"

"Bijū/VI/Geth/Reaper talking"

"Bijū/VI/Geth/Reaper thinking"

Reading/News/Intercom

(Location: the Normandy)

Naruto walked into the meeting room in complete silence. He saw Jacob standing on one side of the table, looking down at the report he was working on. He walked over to the other side of the table and waited quietly. Jacob saw him quickly enough, rising his head up to him. "Commander," he said in greeting.

"What are their conditions?" Naruto asked him. When they had gotten back onboard the Normandy, both Garrus and Musashi had been whisked away to the medical bay. That had been over eight hours ago.

"Musashi got off lucky. That axe wound didn't hit any of his arteries. The doctor says that he'll have a stiff shoulder for a couple days, that's it."

"What about Garrus?"

He fell silent at that, but only for a moment. "Dr. Chakwas has done all she can for him, but he took a bad hit. She corrected him with surgical procedures and cybernetics. Best we can tell, he'll have full functionality. But—"

"Stop," Naruto told him. "Don't get my hopes too far up. That just gives them a bigger height to fall and crash."

"Sorry, Commander," he apologized.

"There's no need to apologize. You haven't done anything that requires an apology. Have you?"

"None that I am aware of," he answered with a straight face. "Sir, I wanted to say that working with you is a great opportunity to do something that matters."

"You waited this long to say that?" Naruto couldn't help but ask him. Usually, that was something that was said after the first couple of days or something.

"We have been busy, sir. But it is a privilege to serve on the Normandy."

"Let's just hope we don't end up like the first one did." That had ended with his ship being destroyed, his crewmates being scattered, and him losing two years of his life. Not exactly a bright spot for him.

"As long as the Illusive Man walks his talk, and you do the same, I'll do my best to make sure we succeed."

To that, he smirked. "You should know by now, Jacob. I don't walk. I run, I charge. I leap. I duck. I stalk. I hunt. I don't walk."

"Yes you do," Isobu said to him. "You walk all the time."

"Commander, you walk all the time," Jacob said to him.

"See?"

"Anyway, that's been the condition of my service so far."

"So far?" repeated Naruto, looking at him pointedly waiting for him to give an explanation.

Luckily, he did. "I have issues with certain actions the Akatsuki has taken in the past."

"So do I."

"That is true, Commander. But I have issues with the current Akatsuki, not the historical one."

Now the blonde was curious about what he had to say. "What've they done to get your tail in a knot?"

"A lot," Jacob answered. "They've been called terrorists, and with good reason. Doubt you could find a more checkered past. But if we take care of the Tribe and let the entire galaxy know what it is they've been doing, the Akatsuki will be remembered differently." He paused for a moment in thought. "Or we'll all be tried and executed. Can't count on people thinking about it as hard as I have," he added.

"You sure about that?" he asked him.

"I don't know." He looked up at the ceiling of the room for a moment and then back at the blonde. "Have to say, you run this ship tight and we're getting things done."

"We're still in the process of getting started," Naruto corrected him. "We haven't gotten anything done yet."

"We've gotten a few things done. We've released Ruko from imprisonment and setting off chaos in the ship while we did, cutting a severe loss to the Blue Suns. We've recruited Mordin who's probably able to help figure out how to get the rest of your chakra back. And we have Garrus and his team, provided that he makes it."

"He'll make it." There was only firm belief in his voice, no doubt.

Jacob chose not to argue with that. "In any case, we keep on this kind of track and maybe we'll figure this all out. Personally I hope so. I'm not looking forward to the debrief if it all goes to hell."

"Trust me, after things go to hell in succession the debrief isn't going to be the nasty part." There had been enough times when Obito sent them into hell with his actions that when it came to debrief, Naruto would start to glaze over it. He looked at Jacob after his quick stroll down memory lane. "So, were you always with the Akatsuki or did you do something a bit more respectful beforehand?"

"I was in the Alliance military."

"What happened?"

He folded his arms together. "I did some things that caught attention and stirred up the Citadel. That was after the Alliance put me on leave though. Didn't drive a Mako through a relay or take down a Reaper, but you covered that," he said to him.

"Technically speaking, I wasn't driving."

"But you did take down a Reaper. Everyone saw it happen."

"Truly one of your finest moments of showing off," Kurama declared.

"You're just saying that because I used your chakra to deal with Sovereign."

"Why yes, I do believe you're right."

"Ugh, don't get him start, Naruto," Matatabi told their host. "He'll get unbearable and we'll be forced to live with it."

"What about you?" Naruto asked Jacob. "What was a career highlight for you?"

He was silent for a long second, thinking it over. "Well, the job I'm proudest of wasn't for the Alliance. Nobody really knows about it."

"Hit me."

"A batarian group was plotting to release a weaponized virus and kill the Council. Miranda and I stopped it."

"And they kept it quiet," he finished.

The Akatsuki member nodded in agreement. "The real work doesn't get publicized. They say it's better that people don't know how fragile the systems is or how close the bad guys can get. So it never happened. Like you and the Reaper," he added. "And that's why I'm here."

"I'll admit that it's annoying," Naruto said. He had wanted to throttle the Council when they had released the "official" report of what happened on the Citadel. Kami knows how people had seen Sovereign attach itself to the Citadel and shut it down. "When it comes to something like that, I preferred it during the war."

"Why is that?" Jacob asked.

"After Obito obliterated the Fire Daimyo's palace, there was no way of convincing the population that was everything under control. The truth was out in the open and we didn't need to hear any kind of spin." He paused for a moment and remembered the days afterwards. When he spoke again, his voice was a lot more subdued. "But it didn't help us in the long run."

"That would be an understatement of very epic proportions, gaki," Kurama told him.

"You don't have to beat it into me. I got it a long time ago," he mentally replied.

"Just making sure," the fox said with a dry smirk on his face.

The door to the room opened, making them turn both their heads to look at it. "Naruto," Garrus said as he walked into view. His armor had been blackened and scarred from where the grenade had struck him. The right side of his face was patched up but there were still bright pink scarring on his mandible, right next to his mouth.

Jacob couldn't help but whistle at the sight. "Tough son of a bitch," he declared, "didn't think he'd be up yet."

Naruto looked at Garrus with a smile. "Good to have you back on your feet, Garrus."

"Nobody would give me a mirror. How bad is it?" the turian asked as he walked into the room.

"Oh, that's just begging to be served up as a joke," Saiken declared.

"You think he's going for it?" Isobu asked.

"We are talking about Naruto here. When hasn't he gone for it?" Chōmei asked back.

"Oh yeah, good point."

And they were right. "Look at it this way, Garrus. You'll finally be able to get a date with something that isn't a gun. All you have to play up the "I got wounded in battle" card. But aside from that, you're just as ugly."

"Ooh, good one!" Shukaku praised him.

Garrus seemed to think so too. He chuckled for a moment before wincing in pain and then holding the injured side of his face. "Don't make me laugh," he told the blonde. "Damn it. My face is barely holding together as it is." A sly smile came across the uninjured side of his face. "Ah, probably for the best. Everyone was ignoring you and hitting on me. Time for you to get a fair shot at it."

"They'd have to hit me first."

"Commander, if you'll excuse me?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah, go ahead," he told the man, who saluted him before leaving the room. "And there's no need to salute me!" he shouted after him.

"Was there really a need to shout that? He's just going to keep doing it," Matatabi remarked to him.

"A guy can hope."

"Still hate all the saluting?" Garrus asked him.

"At least they've stopped calling me 'Lord Naruto,'" he replied before shuddering at the thought of the word. It made him feel old.

"You are old, gaki," Kurama reminded him.

"And you're older than me."

"Ooh, he's got you there," Shukaku said with a smirk.

"You're the same age as me, idiot raccoon," the fox replied.

As he looked at the blonde in the dark hoodie, Garrus's face became serious and grim. "Naruto, I'm a little concerned for you," he said to him.

It got his attention. "What makes you say that?"

"I've heard bad things about the Akatsuki over the years."

"So have I. Sure, it might've been a different version but it's still the same thing," he retorted. "I'm not here by choice, Garrus. But I am glad to have you at my back while I walk into hell."

The turian couldn't help but laugh at that. "You realize that plan has me walking into hell, too. Hah, just like old times."

"Yeah, just like old times, without the Reapers."

They both shared a laugh at that. But when they were done, Garrus was serious once more. "I'm fit for duty whenever you need me, Commander," he declared. "I'll settle in and see what I can do about the forward batteries."

"Don't get too attached to them or you won't be able to find a date again."

"Funny, funny," he remarked drily as he walked out of the room.

"It's nice to see an old face around here," Isobu said. "There are too many new ones."

"I hear that," Kokuō agreed.

"Commander," EDI said as her sphere appeared in front of Naruto.

To his credit, he hadn't full on jumped away in surprise at the sight of her. But he did flinch a little. "What's up?" he asked her.

"Professor Mordin would like to see you in the lab. He may have found something regarding the inhibitors."

"Alright, I'll head over there now." He walked over to the door and then through it.

But then he saw someone he really didn't want to see right now waiting against the wall. "Commander," Cuanmiztli said when she saw him.

"Oh look, a problem for you," Shukaku said with obvious glee.

"Thank you. I hadn't noticed her standing there until you spoke up, Shukaku," he silently replied.

"Not a problem."

"He was being sarcastic, you moron," Kurama told him with a roll of his eyes.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked the Hunter.

She came away from the wall and stood before him. "I would to talk to you for a moment."

"I don't."

"Sir, I wouldn't bother you if I didn't feel the need to speak with you was urgent."

"You know she wouldn't, Naruto," Matatabi agreed.

He did know it and that was what irritated him. "What do you want to talk about?" he asked Cuanmiztli.

"It's in regard to the previous mission."

"What about it?" But even though he said those words, he had a feeling he knew what it would be about.

"I'd like to ask why I wasn't a part of the team when it to go retrieve Garrus and his squad."

"I wanted someone to keep an eye on Mordin while he worked. You were the first one I thought. Sorry, but that's just how my mind worked at the moment," he told her with an indifferent tone to his voice.

Her facial expression hardened a little but not by much. "With respect, Commander, I call bullshit on that. You didn't need me to guard Dr. Mordin. He wasn't going anywhere. You just didn't want me around."

"Got it in one," he told her, not even bothering to deny it. He tried to walk past her but she stood in his way. "Move," he ordered.

"Yeah, somehow I don't think that's going to happen," Son remarked.

"Commander, we must talk about this," Cuanmiztli said to him.

"No, you want to talk about. I don't. Now move."

"Sir," she began.

"We are not talking about this."

"Maybe you should," Kokuō suggested.

"What?" he asked mentally.

"She's not going to give up on this, Naruto. You might as well give up on trying not to talk about it and get it over with."

"Sir, I must insist that we talk about this. Why was I left behind when I was needed?" Cuanmiztli asked him.

He didn't know why he took the Gobi's advice, but he did and he was going to be brutal about it. "Fine, you want to know why you weren't on the team? It's because I don't trust you. You let me think you were dead on Virmire. And then when I find out that you were alive, I also find out that you're with the Akatsuki, the very organization that had hunted me and that I had tried to destroy, and may have been with them from the start. You let your teammate die. You let Kaidan die when you could've saved him! That is why you weren't on the team and if I had my way, you wouldn't even be on the ship!"

This time, he shoved his way past her and walked towards the lab. He stuffed his anger away as he walked through the door. That was for Cuanmiztli and no one else, not unless they earned it. "Commander," Cuanmiztli said once more. There was no emotion in her voice and that meant he didn't know what she was feeling.

He also didn't want to stop in his tracks but he still did. "Why are you stopping?" Isobu asked him.

"I really wish I knew."

"What are you doing, gaki?" Kurama asked him.

"Giving her what she wants." He turned his head ever so slightly to the side so he could see her. "What?"

"How can I get your trust back?"

"You want the truth?"

"Yes."

"I really doubt that you can. You betrayed me, Cuanmiztli." He kept on walking into the lab, leaving the Hunter alone in the hall.

Mordin was at the lab table, staring at a screen with hard intent. When he heard the door open, he barely flicked his eyes upwards to look. "Commander, how can I help?" he asked.

"You tell me, Mordin. You're the one who wanted to see me."

"Yes. Found something interesting."

"Ooh, something interesting," Saiken said. "Ask him what it is."

"I'm getting there," Naruto replied.

"You're taking too long. Hurry up!"

"Will someone restrain him before he gets too excited? That's something I don't need now."

"On it," Shukaku said gleefully as he turned to the slug.

"Hey! Hey! Watch those claws and that tail!"

"What do you got?" Naruto asked Mordin.

"Found reason sister was able to break 81 of the inhibitors in you."

That got his attention. Now he was focused on the salarian. "Okay, how did it happen?"

"Quite simple," he began. "Since sister is clone, she is you. Therefore, her biotics are yours."

"But I don't have biotics. I'm a chakra user."

"Yes. Ruko is you as biotic user."

He was starting to think that being excited for whatever Mordin had for him was probably something he should get excited for. "We already established that, Mordin. Is there an actual point to this?"

"Getting there, wanted to start simple." He bent down to the screen and typed in something fast. From the screen, an enlarged image came out of it and hovered over the table. It was an image of a human body, minus any kind of hair. A couple of taps on a keyboard from Mordin and a series of lights began to shine on the body. "This is you."

"Obviously," the blonde replied.

"Don't get snarky," Kurama told him.

"What are you, my mother?"

"No, but I knew her."

"Lights on body represent Tenketsu and also inhibitors."

"Okay, I'm following." It was helping that the salarian was doing the point-by-point idea now.

He taped another button and a number of the lights faded away. "As stated, 81 inhibitors are now broken due to biotics."

"Yeah, by Ruko's punch. We've already gone over this already."

"Yes. Punched by own biotics."

"And you've lost me again."

To his surprise, Mordin didn't look annoyed or exasperated with him. In fact, he looked happy. "Simple. Inhibitors designed to initially react against biotics belonging to you. Since Tribe did not know of sister, most likely thought that this was best safeguard to preventing use of chakra."

"And since Ruko is me with biotics, she's able to break the inhibitors," he finished, finally understanding what he was saying.

"Yes. Hypnosis is that if number of inhibitors broken is due to level of biotic power used. If she used more when punching you, most likely more inhibitors would've been broken."

He smiled at that bit of good news. "Well now we know how to proceed from here."

"Hold on that, kit," Kurama told him.

"What?"

"Think about what he said. I know it'll hurt but do try."

"Real funny, furball," he retorted. But he did think about what Mordin had said and soon realized what the fox was talking about. "What did you mean by 'initially'" he asked Mordin.

"When looking through scan of body and inhibitors, discovered critical factor," he began. "Inhibitors have ability to react and adapt. Not a good thing."

"What does that mean for me?"

"Having sister punch you again will not work again. Inhibitors have recognized biotic signature and adapted themselves to stop it. Very problematic."

"That would be a fucking understatement," Shukaku declared.

"Would you get off me already?" Saiken asked him. "You're crushing under all that weight!"

"Do you have any way to fix that problem?" Naruto asked Mordin.

He shook his head. "No, not unless you want operation."

"That's liable to get me killed."

"Aware. Not really planning on following through with idea. Too risky anyway."

"Are there any other ways that can be used to get rid of the inhibitors?"

"Still figuring that out. But will warn you. Any use that might be discovered will be used once only. Inhibitors will react and adapt. Would have to make each method count."

"I understand." Those inhibitors were becoming a real pain in his ass to get out. But what was he going to do about it now? It wasn't like he could burn them out with excessive use of his chakra. "Wait…"

"Don't you even fucking think about it," Kurama told him instantly. "Not only is it stupid, it's suicidal. You could very well kill us as well as yourself trying to do that."

"Hey, it was just a thought."

"Don't bring it up ever again."

"Hey, Mordin," he said to the doctor across the table as the hologram body disappeared. "What would you think of me trying to use my chakra to burning out the inhibitors? Trying to power through the pain to get them out?"

"What did I just say!?"

"When does he ever really listen to you?" Gyūki asked him.

Mordin looked at him and thought it over. "Hmm, interesting thought. Might be a good idea. But risky, very risky. Could very well be killed by pain while trying to use method. Not recommended. Use only for last resort, if have to."

"Thank you, Kami," the Kyūbi said with a great tone of gratefulness. "For once, you were listening."

"Duly noted, Mordin," Naruto said to the scientist. He decided to move to a different topic. "So, how are you settling in here?"

"Quite well. Thank you." He looked around for a quick moment. "Impressive laboratory setup. Missed working for operations with a budget. A.I. in particular very helpful. Best set up I've ever seen since work with Special Task Group."

"Yeah, when the Akatsuki deliver, they deliver. By the way, have you gotten word back from your assistant?"

"Yes. He's quite well. Safe and sound. Neighborhood mostly quiet with plague gone. Left him the security mechs, just in case. Can't be too careful. Also tired of mechs. Noisy. Never used them in STG."

"What exactly did you do with those guys anyway?" Naruto was curious to know. "Some kind of research?" he asked.

"Not simply research. Several recon missions. Covert, high-risked. Served under young captain named Kirrahe. Studied krogan genophage. Took water, tissue samples from krogan colonies."

"Hey, I worked with a salarian on Virmire named Kirrahe? Same guy?" he asked.

"You're beginning to sound like him," Son told him.

"Most likely. Heard he was able to take down Saren's cloning facility, with help," Mordin said, looking right at Naruto as he spoke in that fast way of his. "Good captain. Dedicated. Bit of a cloaca, though. Loved his speeches. Hold the line! Personally preferred to get job done and go home. Probably military bravado. Jargon, chest-pounding. No offense."

"None taken," Naruto replied. "And besides, it's hard to come up with a good one-liner. I'm just glad the shinobi corps already had one when I joined them."

"Oh? Never heard of shinobi one-liner. Interested in hearing it."

"It's simple." He took a deep breath and looked right at the doctor. "It's time to play the game."

"Hmm. Simplistic yet also mysterious. Also touches of melodramatic. Must ask though, what is 'game?'"

"No one really explained it to me. But it's mostly self-explanatory. It's basically every mission we take on in service to our village and our land, going up against other shinobi who are trying to stop us from succeeding and vice-versa. That kind of thing," he explained.

"Ah, you're right. Makes much more sense now." His mood became pensive as he thought about a past memory. "Once had an encounter with ANBU shinobi during service with STG."

"How are you still alive?"

His lips crinkled upwards and Naruto could see humor in his eyes. He thought that what he had just said was supposed to be funny. It wasn't. "Posture the same, no change in voice volume and tone. You are not joking."

"No, I'm not. ANBU are ANBU for a very good reason."

"Perhaps clarification in order. Did not meet any ANBU agents but did notice that they were there."

"Could you start at the top, please?"

"Getting there. During conflict between Systems Alliance and Batarian Hegemony, STG groups were sent in to scour for information about ANBU and chakra. Operation turned out to be failure. Never found any trace of ANBU. Finally called off when groups found notes by bedsides one morning."

"What did the notes say?" He tried keeping a smirk off his face as he asked the question but was trouble doing so. He could probably guess what the note would say, having worked with more than a few ANBU over the years during the war. They had a warped sense of humor and he had a feeling that it went down through the years.

"You're not having much success with keeping that smirk off," Chōmei idly commented.

"Very simple. 'Would you please stop? We're too busy to be playing around with you.'"

He couldn't hold it and started to snigger. "Yep, that sounds like the ANBU."

"Don't see humor. Personally, found note to be a little insulting. STG did not play when it came to that operation."

"Come on, Mordin. Try seeing it from the shinobi side of the view," Naruto told him once he got his sniggering under control.

"Which is what?"

"Look, I read about what happened. The ANBU were tasked to find the slavers and pirates and stop them before they could even attack, all the while trying to find the incriminating evidence that they needed and figuring out how to get through the defenses of the batarian homeworld in order to kidnap the leaders of the Hegemony. Compared to that, evading and tricking a couple of STG groups would seem like playing. When it comes to being serious, the ANBU can't afford to play."

"…Understandable. Would be busy protecting Alliance from Hegemony. Could very well see STG as hindrance and annoyance. Would want us to leave them alone."

"Yeah, they were even polite about it too."

"Polite?" he repeated.

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, they left you guys a note that used the word 'please.' Usual protocol for convincing people to leave them alone is to kidnap them, interrogate them for all information that they have, and then leave them with a memory wiped of any dealings with them. And that's them being nice about it."

The salarian doctor stared at him for a long second. "On second thought, will stick to polite form of address. Most likely because Alliance asked them to do so."

"I'd be willing to bet money on that." His humor disappeared as he turned back to a slightly more serious subject. "Mordin, is there a reason the STG would be studying the genophage?"

He turned just as serious. "Krogan Rebellions bloody, dangerous. Nearly bad as rachni attacks. All species evolve, adapt, mutate. If genophage weakens, need to be prepared."

"Prepared how exactly?"

"Military schematics for likely krogan population growth. Political scenarios for attack points. Genophage reduced krogan numbers. Species aggression unchecked. Population explosion would be disastrous. STG helped check Krogan Rebellions. Needed to be ready to do the same. Simple recon. Nothing to worry about."

"Anyone else get an uneasy feeling about his words?" Shukaku asked.

"Yeah, I'm with you on that," Son agreed with him. "There's more to this then he's letting on."

"Gaki, pump him for information," Kurama told Naruto.

"Already on it," he replied. "What can you tell me about the genophage, Mordin? I've kept hearing the word thrown around but don't really know anything about it," he asked the salarian.

"Bio-weapon designed by salarian science team. Deployed by turians against krogans to end Krogan Rebellions more than a thousand years ago. Affects every cell of krogan body. Commonly and incorrectly considered a sterility plague. Actually adjusts viable fertility rates to compensate for high krogan birthrate. Stabilizes to pre-industrial population growth levels."

"That's his justification?" Chōmei asked. The Nanabi couldn't sound more horrified if he tried.

"Mordin, have you ever told any krogan that kind of thing," Naruto asked him.

"No. Would consider it form of suicide."

"I think that would be putting it lightly."

"Time to go, gaki," Kurama suggested.

"See you around, Mordin," he said, already turning for the door.

"Yes. Must get back to work on chakra blockage. Truly fascinating." He was already talking to himself by the time Naruto was through the door.

---

When he walked into Miranda's office, he found her sitting before her computers. She was busy at work and yet raised her head to see who came in. "Commander," she greeted him as he came to a stop in front of her desk. "What can I do for you?"

"I figured that we could finish up our conversation we were having on route to Garrus," he told her. "You don't have any trouble with that, do you?"

"Please say yes. Please say yes," Son started chanting.

"Hey, knock it off," his Jinchūriki told him.

"Not at all," Miranda said aloud. "I'm just finishing up the operations report for that." She brought her head back down to the screen and focused on what she was writing.

"Awww," the Yonbi whined.

"Grow up."

"I'm impressed, Commander," she said to him, looking back up again. "So far things have gone exceptionally well. As Akatsuki operations go, this is one of the best I've been a part of."

He didn't like it when she made it sound like they had rescued him just so he could be a part of the mission. "Just remember who you're following," he told her.

"I know who exactly I'm following. I report to him regularly. I'm here — we're both here — because he wants it that way," she replied easily.

"You walked right into that one," Gyūki told him. He had to agree.

"The Akatsuki gave you a second chance, Commander," Miranda told him. "Maybe you should do the same for us. We're not the same organization that you once knew."

"No, they wanted to control the world. You're just glad to be in the shadows and be the boogeyman."

"Someone has to be." She turned back to the report she was working on.

"And you walked into that one too," the Hachibi told him.

"Okay, you can shut up now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"You had to ask that question?" Kurama asked Gyūki with faint annoyance in his voice.

"Blame it on spending too many years with Bee. I had to be sure."

Naruto ignored his tenants and looked back at Miranda. "So tell me. What made you join the boogeyman?" he asked.

She paused in mid-type and looked up at him, meeting his gaze. She was looking for something in his eyes. "…I suppose you've earned the right to know…" she said, mostly to herself then him.

"Thank you for trusting me," he replied.

"Hey, watch the sarcasm," Kurama told him. "You don't need it right now."

"I know that."

"Then why are you using it? Please, tell me."

"…Shut up."

"Do you remember when I told you how I was genetically altered?" Miranda asked him, getting his attention back.

"Yeah, I remember. You did a bit of bragging as you explained," he remarked as he walked over to the wall and leaned against the wall.

"It's not bragging if it's true," Miranda said to him, getting his attention. "But just because I was genetically modified, it wasn't my choice." A look that was a mixture of both pain and disgust briefly appeared on her face. "My father…created me."

"Of course he created you. Did you ever get the lesson about the kunai and the holster? You see, when a mom and a dad really love each other—"

"Dipshit, you really don't need to use that, okay?" Kurama told him. "And secondly, I don't think that she meant it in the Jiraiya-sense of the word."

"Why can't you just say mature like the rest of us?" Matatabi asked him.

"Get back to me after you've spent actual time with that fucker. I am never going to look at a hose the same way again because of him!"

Naruto was too busy staring at Miranda after having fallen into silence. "…You meant only he created you?" he finally asked.

"Yes," she answered.

"No mom?"

She shook her head. "No. My father's a very influential man, and extremely controlling," she told him. "He didn't want a daughter — he wanted a dynasty."

"That…couldn't have been good." What else could he have said about it? He never had a parent to grow up under to begin with.

"I ran away as soon as I was old enough and brave enough. I went to the Akatsuki because I knew they could protect me."

At that sentence, he gave her a long look. "You?" he said. "You who bragged about what she could do and how she could survive anything? You went to the Akatsuki for protection?"

"Yes." She made it sound like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why?"

"My father invested a great deal in his dynasty. It wasn't a matter of just leaving… I knew he would continue to pursue his…investments."

"So she's been on the run," Isobu remarked.

"Yes, that's been established already," Saiken remarked drily. "The question is what is Naruto going to do about it now?"

"How about you don't talk about me in the 3rd person like I'm not here?" the blonde silently suggested. To Miranda, he said, "So you went to the Akatsuki in spite of what had been done to you?"

"Of course," she answered. "The Akatsuki endorses anything that advances the cause of humanity…genetic modifications included. But unlike my father and his own selfish reasons, the Akatsuki and the Illusive Man believe in a greater good. They see the bigger picture…and I feel like I have a purpose here."

"Uh-huh." He couldn't really say anything else about that, at least not at the moment. "So who's your dad?"

"A businessman," she answered shortly, "but a very wealthy one." She chuckled for a moment. "It's ironic. My father believed deeply in a human-positive agenda. He donated generously to the Akatsuki…before I joined them. That's how I first heard about the Akatsuki — through my father's connections."

"Hmph, a dynasty to one, a weapon to another," he said loud enough for her to just hear it.

"What was that?" she asked him.

"You heard me. You know how you sounded to me just now? You made yourself sound like a tool that just being used, whether it's by your dad or the Akatsuki."

"Maybe," she conceded, albeit with a brief look of unease crossing her face. "I like to know where I fit in the world. It helps me find meaning in how I was created."

"I thought you were created to be the beginning of a dynasty."

"Well…yes."

He sighed and shook his head. "That's no way to live, Miranda. You decide who you are, no one else."

"That's easy for you to say."

"I think you're treading dangerous waters here," Isobu told Naruto.

"So?" he asked.

"Maybe you should back off and try asking her something else."

He didn't see the reason for such a thing but he decided to entertain the idea. He chose to go back to something she had said earlier. "Are you sure you don't have a mother."

"Yes. Most of my genetic material is based on my father's tissue. His Y chromosome was altered with an amalgam of desired traits from various sources." A scowl came across her face as she talked about it. "How arrogant can you be?"

"I hope for your sake that's a rhetorical question." He had enough doozies for answers that should be unnatural in a regular man's life (but for him, it was about par for the course).

"Kit, this isn't about you. This is about her," Kurama reminded him.

"I know that."

"The man is completely egomaniacal," Miranda told him, getting his attention back. "And another reason I had to get away from him."

"Can't blame you there if he's as bad as you make him out to be," he told her. The guy was beginning to make Orochimaru look like a saint in comparison. He was glad that snake was long dead, otherwise they might've compared note (and that was a disturbing thought).

"You know, I think that her dad just might take that as a compliment," Kokuō remarked.

"All in favor in killing this guy first time we meet him?" Gyūki asked. He got a chorus of "Yes."

"That's a little early to be decided," Naruto told them.

"After what we just heard and who you compared him to, you really want to see him still kicking?"

"I didn't say that. I would rather meet the guy before I decide to kill him."

"But you do agree that he needs to be killed?"

"Meet him first then decide to kill him. We work from that." He pushed off the wall and started for the door. "Good talk, Miranda," he told her. "Now you've finally told me something about you."

"Commander," she said. The way she said wasn't a farewell but rather silently asking him to stick around for a moment longer.

He stopped in his tracks and looked back at her. "Yes?"

"Is it possible to ask you about something regarding the team?"

He turned around fully and looked right at her. "What's on your mind?"

"I want to speak about your…sister."

"You almost said clone, didn't you?" He wasn't insulted by the insinuation. If anything, he was amused by it. He had a feeling about where this conversation would be going and he was probably going to enjoy it.

"That is not important right now."

"Alright, what do you want to talk about?"

"Your sister needs to be reined in. She's too much of a liability to the team. She barely listens to orders given and acts on her own most of the time. With that kind of attitude, she's going to get other members of the team killed."

A small smile appeared on his face when she was done talking. "You do realize that you're talking about me when I was a kid, right?" He had done the same things that Ruko was doing now.

"As you said, Commander, you were a child. Ruko is not. She needs to be controlled."

"Careful now," he told her, his voice turning slightly hard. "If she's anything like me, she isn't going to be very fond of words like 'controlled.' You're going to have to be careful about the words you use."

"It's the truth. She's not a wild card. She's a loose cannon."

"Hmm, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Kurama asked the blonde.

"Oh yeah," he replied.

"You think that she's figured it out yet?"

"No way," he said.

"Shall we burst her bubble?"

"Shall I take care of it?"

"By all means, go ahead."

"What are you two talking about?" Saiken asked.

"Just watch," the fox told him.

"You know, I think there's an actual reason you don't want Ruko on the team," Naruto said. "And it's not because you think she's a loose cannon."

"And what would that be?" she asked, arching her eyebrow at him.

"Put that eyebrow down. This situation doesn't require it."

She did as she was told but the expression was still the same. She was confident about her stance and opinion of his sister. "Please, tell me what the actual reason is." She was sure that she knew there was nothing else that could be a reason.

Oh how wrong she was. "You like Ruko, and I'm not talking in the friend sense of the word."

The reaction was almost instantaneous. Her confident expression vanished and was replaced by surprise and denial. Inside his head, the Bijū started laughing. "Oh man, that never gets old," Kurama declared.

"It is quite fun to watch," Chōmei said, his wings buzzing rapidly with his laughter.

"You're…you're wrong," Miranda finally said, trying to put her expression back into that confident look. But it was still a little shaken.

"What makes you think that?" he asked her.

"Because I know what I feel about Ruko. It's not any kind of feeling of love."

"Are you sure?"

She frowned. "She is reckless, impulsive, foul-mouthed, rude, and unable to take orders. She charges right into things without even considering the outcome. She is an idiot who is going to get herself killed."

He just listened in silence as she listed off the reasons why she didn't like his sister (and how he was wrong). When she was done, he said, "It looks like I was wrong. You don't like her."

"Thank you for seeing that."

"No, you really like her."

She lost her confident expression again, only this time more visible. "You're wrong."

"Between the two of us, who was the one trained by Jiraiya? Trust me when I say that when you like Ruko, you like Ruko. Maybe it's because you're both similar and yet completely different."

She scowled at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh come on, you haven't noticed it?"

"Noticed what?"

"Oh my, this is rare," Matatabi remarked.

"Are you going to ruin her thought process about this whole thing?" Kurama asked Naruto.

"What do you think?" he asked back.

The fox grinned widely at that. "Alright, have a good time."

He looked at Miranda. "The fact that the two of you are very similar," he told her.

"We are nothing alike," she said firmly.

"Really?" he asked her with an amused look. "Two women, clones at that and very powerful in biotics, running away from their creators to a life that they hadn't known before?" he listed off the points. "You seem very similar to me."

"I'm not a clone. I am genetically modified."

"What's the difference?"

"Well—"

"Ah, ah, still talking here," he told her, holding up a finger to her.

"Really, the finger?" asked the Kyūbi.

"Yes, the finger. Just be glad that I didn't use the middle finger," he replied as he kept facing Miranda. "Do you have the full set of parents?" he asked her.

"No." She had already told him that.

"Were you created from your father and only from your father?"

"Yes." Again, she had already told him that.

"Were you designed from birth to be something more then what is normal?"

"Yes."

"If you were male and not female, would you look exactly like your father?"

She…hadn't thought of that (quite frankly, she didn't want to. It was too disturbing). "I would guess so."

He nodded his head as he listened to each and every one of her answers. When she was done, he looked her right in the eye and said, "You're a clone."

She grew angry at those words. "I am not a clone!"

"Do we need to go down the list again?" he asked.

"That list doesn't matter! I am not a clone." She had been told that every single day of her life when she lived with her father.

"The list does matter. Do you know why?"

"No, I don't." Not that it mattered. She wasn't a clone. She was a genetically modified human. There was a difference.

"The list matters because not only does it describe you perfectly, it describes Ruko perfectly." Even though he called her his sister, Naruto had to admit that Ruko was his biological daughter. But he still preferred to think of her as his sister (she was too old to be called a daughter and he wasn't old enough to be a father).

She opened to fire off a retort, only to close it. She hadn't thought about it but now she could see it. It described the two of them quite both had one parent and they were created from that parent without a mother. They were created with more power then what was normally expected in a human. They had both ran away from what they had known as home (or what could barely be qualified as home).

All these things were now just slapping her in the face but she was stubborn. "I am not a clone. I was genetically modified." Besides, there was one thing she had that completely annoying woman didn't.

"Semantics," Naruto said with a wave of his hand. "Face the facts, Miranda. You two are mirror images of each other. You could've easily gone the way Ruko had and vice-versa." She thought about it and actually saw Ruko in better clothing, less tattoos (and a lot less piercings), and a much more calmer attitude. "And you still like her."

He left the room with her trying to come up with a response. "Always a good time with you around, gaki," Kurama told him.

"Thank you ever so much, furball."

As he walked past the cafeteria, he saw Erik sitting at the table, happily eating away with his axe leaning against it. "Ah, Commander!" the blonde giant said, waving towards him. The other two crewmembers who shared the table saw him and quickly stood up, coming to attention.

"Hey, Erik," he said in greeting as he walked over. He waved at the crewmembers, silently telling them to sit back down (which they did, thankfully).

"Am I the only one who thinks that this guy looks like Naruto, just taller, with more hair and a very bushy beard?" Son asked.

"It's just you," his Jinchūriki told him. He and Erik didn't even look remotely alike.

"I don't know. There might be something there," Gyūki said thoughtfully.

He chose to keep on ignoring them. "How's the food?" he asked Erik.

"Quite delicious!" he declared loudly. "In fact, I was hoping to get the recipe from the cook."

"Thank you!" said the cook.

"Which just proves this guy isn't normal," one of the crewmembers commented to Naruto, pointing obvious at Erik with his eyes.

"I heard that!"

"Hey, when your food doesn't kill us at first smell, then you can complain!"

"Don't go insulting the cook," Naruto told the crewmember. "Our lives and stomachs are dependent on what he cooks up for us."

"Come on, Commander," the other crewmember said. "You've tasted the stuff he cooks. You were warned to stock up on instant."

"I can still hear you!" Shin shouted.

"Then get better at cooking! We don't want to die from something you claim was meat!"

"It was meat!"

"Not according to my stomach and my bladder!"

"Hey, what did I just say about the cook?" Naruto asked them rhetorically.

"Yes, it is quite rude," Erik agreed. He looked at the crewmembers with disappointment in his eyes. Somehow, he was able to make them look very large and sad. "You two should be ashamed to insult the cook like you have. His food is quite good."

"I think you don't have any more tastebuds anymore," the first crewmember told him. "How else can you eat that slop?"

"It is not that I don't have my tastebuds, I have them and they are all in perfect working order. It is the fact your tastebuds are uneducated in fine cuisine. That is something that you might want to consider later."

"You're crazy."

"He also has an axe," Naruto remarked, watching the entre thing with amusement. The two crewmembers looked at the axe, at Erik, and then at him. "Just pointing out so you could know," he told them casually.

"We should probably get back to our stations," the second crewmember said. They stood up from the table and left quickly.

"What?" Erik asked as he watched them leave. "It is not like I would kill them here. That's rude."

"But you would kill them anyway?" Naruto asked as he sat down at the table. When he did, his chin almost instantly found his palm.

"Not at the table of food. That's just rude to the food and to the cook." He turned his head to look at Shin. "Seconds!" he shouted.

"Coming right up!" shouted Shin in reply.

"He sounds happy," Matatabi remarked.

"Thank you for stating the obvious there, Captain," Son said sarcastically.

"Here you go," Shin said as he came forward and place the plate in front of Erik. "Enjoy it."

"I will. Thank you, my friend," Erik said, taking his fork and began eating away. The cook smiled and walked away.

"He's happy," said Matatabi.

"Again, thank you for stating the obvious there, Captain," repeated Son.

"So, Erik, tell me," Naruto said to him. "How did you get involved with Garrus?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, going to his food without actually looking at him.

"How did you get involved with Garrus?" he repeated himself. "It's not like you just saw him fighting one day and decided that it seemed like fun to join in on his side." The blonde giant didn't say anything. He kept his focus on his food. "Right?" asked Naruto. He still didn't get an answer, which was an answer by itself. "…You have got to be joking."

"I have not said anything," Erik told him as he scooped up a big portion of the food with his fork. "It is rude to speak with your mouth full, after all."

"Something you didn't really know about," Kurama remarked.

"Shut up, fox," Naruto told him. To Erik, he said, "I'm still waiting for an answer."

"One moment, please." He took the food on the fork and shoved it into his mouth. He chewed for a couple of minutes before finally swallowing. "…As a matter of fact, what you say is true."

"I knew it!"

"Yes, we were aware of that," the Kyūbi said drily.

"What exactly happened?"

"I was walking down one of Omega's districts when I came upon Garrus and his little group fighting it out with one of the mercenary groups, one of the smaller ones I believe."

"Hold on, there was more to his team than just you and Musashi?"

"Yes."

"What happened to the others?"

He went still for a moment, his fork stuck in the food. When he finally answered, he said, "That is something you will have to speak to Garrus about."

"Cryptic," Naruto thought. But he wasn't going to push it with him. "Alright, continue."

"After watching for a minute or so, I decided that since they were outnumbered, it was only fitting that I help them even the odds. So I started to shell the mercenaries, allowing Vakarian's group to get an edge on them. Afterwards, I joined them."

"Just like that?" he asked.

"Yes."

"He's got some balls," Saiken remarked.

"Of course he does, he's a guy," Shukaku said back.

The slug scowled at him. "Not what I meant and you know it."

"Well, that's interesting. But I've got another question on my mind," Naruto said to Erik.

"What is it?" he asked.

"How does an Einherjar end up on Omega?" He gave the taller blonde a long look that was both questioning and suspicious. "Are you one of the Disgraced?"

"That would depend on who you ask." He took another bite of the food and chewed on it.

"I'm asking you. I want a straight answer."

He swallowed the food and looked at him. None of the humor or good nature he had before in his eyes was there. "Aye, I am one of the Disgraced."

"Then why weren't you with the Blood Pack? I thought that's where all the Disgraced would go."

To that, he snorted like he had smelled something disgusting. "Those are not proper Disgraced people. Damn Newbloods making everything difficult for us who are just trying to make a living," he muttered to himself.

"Newbloods?" repeated Isobu.

"That's what I heard," Gyūki said to him.

"Care to explain?" Naruto asked.

He stopped his muttering to look at him. "You do not know?"

"I thought all Einherjar that were on Omega were Disgraced and a part of the Blood Pack." That was he had learned.

"Those are Newblood Disgraced and they're an insult to the name."

"What does that make you? An Oldblood Disgraced?"

He frowned. "I hate that title. It's a—"

"Disgrace?" the smaller blonde offered with a joking smirk on his lips.

"Ooh, nice one," Shukaku laughed.

Erik gave him a long look that might've spoke volumes, if he actually knew the guy. "…Very droll, Commander," he finally said. "But I was going to go with insult. Please do not put words in my mouth."

"Alright," Naruto agreed, rising his hands in slight surrender. "But in all seriousness, what is the difference?"

"These Newbloods have been popping up ever since the Alliance has travelled to the stars and found that we weren't alone. Us Oldbloods have been around…" He trailed off as he stared at the smaller blonde. "For much longer," he finished.

"What's with the look?"

"What look?"

"The look that you just gave me," Naruto said. "The one that was equal parts sad, horror, and terrified. What's with it?"

The jovial giant was gone and a somber one was there instead. "We've been around since a little after you were sealed away."

He looked hard at Erik and then began to mentally connect the dots. A little while after he was sealed could mean a lot of things in the span of two thousand years. But he was talking to an Einherjar on the matter of the Disgraced. That "little while" could very well be placed in the War of Three Flags. "For what exactly were you disgraced for?" he asked.

"Well, I wasn't exactly disgraced," Erik said with a small attempt at humor.

"Erik, don't play around here. I'm looking for a straight answer. What happened?"

The humor left him just as quickly as it had appeared. "Can't you tell?"

"I want to hear it from you."

A sigh escaped his lips and it made his whole body move, like a mountain rumbling. "My ancestor was exiled and disgraced because he completed a mission given to him and refused to take the consequences."

"You mean ambushing and butchering the third generation of the Sannin," he finished for the bigger blonde.

"Yes."

Anger started to boil in his stomach because of those words. But before it could get worse, he clamped down hard on it. What happened had happened a long time ago. He hadn't even known the third generation Sannin (that was his own fault but it still remained the truth). There was no point in bringing it up and throwing it in Erik's face. Instead he said, "You guys have been in exiled for over two thousand years? That's a long time."

"We've known that," Erik said.

"Haven't you tried to go back?"

"The All-Father remembers everything and what he remembers, his children remember."

"Huh?" That didn't make any sense.

A small smile crossed his lips. "Midgardians have a long memory, especially with literature helping them."

"I see." He stood up from the table. "We'll talk later, Erik. But now, I'll just leave you to your food."

"Thank you, I would appreciate that." He watched as the smaller blonde stood up from the table and started walking towards the medical center. "Musashi is still sleeping," he said, stopping him before he could reach it.

"Thank you for letting me know." He turned around and walked away like that had been his intent all along.

---

"You still down here, Ruko!?" he shouted into the bowls of the ship as he descended down the steps. Before he had come down here, he made a quick pit stop with the engineers. He listened to Gabby play around with Kenneth in regards to Ruko and then he made himself known to give a slight warning to Kenneth if he was being serious (and he had no idea why the man paled once he was done, it was only a slight warning). As it turned out, one of them had been able to get enough shore leave to go onto Omega and find the cables that they had been looking for.

"Yeah, I'm here," she shouted in reply as she came into sight, sitting on a crate.

"What are you still doing down here? You know we've got actual beds upstairs, right?" he asked as he came off the steps and walked over to her.

"I like it down here. Plus, I'm still checking out your ship. Wouldn't mind putting her through her paces when you're not around," she said with a challenging grin on her face.

"That you're going to have to take up with Joker and I'm fairly certain it's going to be a conversation you're going to lose."

"I could beat him easily." Her fist began to glow red, emphasizing her point.

"It's his ship. In that regard, he could probably kick your ass."

As the glow died, she smirked dangerously at him. "You know…this ship is a powerhouse. You could go pirate, live like a king. I could help."

"That's not my thing," he told her. "And besides, you'd still need to get it past Joker. I wish you all the luck with that."

"Relax," she said, the smirk vanishing from her lips as she stood up and walked around a little. "Joy-riding doesn't have the thrill it used to. Besides, if I wanted it, I'd take it."

"Again, you'd have to take that up with Joker."

She barked out a laugh. "That guy would be easy."

"You sure about that?" he asked.

"Yeah, I am," she replied as she finally stopped pacing and leaned against one of the metal poles. "I've been around. Ran with gangs, wiped out some gangs, joined a cult. Didn't like the haircut, so I lost it," she added as an afterthought.

"You joined a cult?"

"Yeah," she said shortly, not bothering to look him in the eyes. "I was looking for answers. Drugs and sex and going to a better place." A bitter laugh escaped her lips at that notion. "A better place…right. It was all about money. They wanted to take a colony, shake the suckers down to fund their spread. And guess who was their ace in the hole?"

"A giant smoking toad with a jug of sake?" he couldn't but ask.

"Kit, there are times when your sarcasm isn't needed," Kurama told him.

"Luckily for the both of us, now is one of those times," he replied.

Ruko turned her head to look at him. "You're fucking hilarious," she told him, matching his sarcasm.

"Hey, you asked." His grin faded a little. "Have you ever lived for yourself, Ruko?"

She snorted. "You're one to talk. I do read the history books. You've done nothing but live for other people"

"That was my choice."

"And this is mine. Everyone wants something. And because of that, everything is fair game. Murder, assault, kidnapping, drugs, stealing, arson. Done it all."

"So did I. Well, aside from the drugs," he said easily enough.

Apparently, she took that as a challenge. "Piracy, theft of military craft, destruction of a space station, and vandalism. That was a good one," she added.

"Kit, do you know what I've just realized?" Kurama asked him.

"That she's describing my childhood, just more violent?" he asked back. To Ruko, he just smiled. "Yeah, you're definitely my sister."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Like that hasn't already been proven."

"I'm just saying that I've done exactly what you've done, albeit to a lesser degree. I've cried out for attention. I've wanted people to recognize. I know how it works."

"That wasn't what I was doing."

"So why did you add vandalism to that list?"

"That's what the hanar call it when you crash that space station I mentioned into one of their moons and make a new crater." She started to giggle. "They really liked that moon."

"Yep, you're trying to get people to see you. I take it that the hanar weren't pleased?"

"Why do you think I said that they really liked that moon?" She kept giggling for another few seconds before becoming serious again. She pushed off the pole and looked at him, her face a mixture of confusion and curious. "No one's ever asked me about this shit. It's strange to talk about."

"I'm your brother, Ruko. If I can't talk to you about your life, what kind of brother would I be?"

"An absent one for most of my life," she said shortly. "Are you going to tell me that wasn't your fault now?" If he did, she wouldn't be surprised.

"No. But I do have a question about the tattoos. What's with all of them?"

That was a subject she didn't have any trouble talking about. "Some are for prisons I've been in. Some for kills. You know, good ones. Some are for things I've lost. Those aren't your business. They're nobody's business. And some are because, hey, why the fuck not?" She gave him a challenging look. "You got a problem with them?"

"No. I've got my own. Not as much as you and not that big, but I've got my own."

"Really?" she asked, losing the look and replacing it with a smirk. "Show me."

"Alright, fine." He unzipped the hoodie, letting it fall to the ground. As he turned his back to her, he lifted his shirt just enough so she could see his back. His tattoos were just large enough to be seen with the normal eye. There were two of them, each on either side of the spine. Each of them was one line of kanji, short in length.

Ruko looked closer at them. She didn't really know kanji, only a few basic ones (and none of these were basic). She was about to ask him what they meant when all of a sudden, she knew what they meant. "Konoha Twelve and Jinchūriki," she read them aloud, the words coming out of her mouth like it was a natural thing. But then she looked at him and asked, "What the fuck do those mean?"

"Read a history book if you want to know that," he told her as he lowered the shirt and put the hoodie back on. "I can't give you all the answers."

"Asshole," she told him.

"Takes one to know one," he replied.

"Ha! Ain't that the truth! By the way, could you do something for me?"

"Depends on what that something is."

"Can you get the cheerleader off my back?"

"Ah, the plot thickens!" Son said triumphantly.

"You really need to stop watching the memories of those soap operas," Kokuō told him reproachfully.

"Why do you want Miranda off your back?" Naruto asked his sister. He knew the reason but he wanted to hear her side of it.

"Have you seen her? She's a complete bitch. Always so prim, so proper, so fucking perfect! It's enough to make me gag. And she's always getting on my case too! Telling me what to do, how to do it, what I should wear, how I need to speak, and on and on and on! Can't she just fucking leave me alone? Gah, I want to strange her by her hair some of these days!"

"Don't do it, gaki," Kurama told him.

"Can't help it," he replied.

"It's not going to help the situation."

"I know."

"If you know, why are you going to do it?"

"It's funny." He did it: he sniggered loudly. It echoed in the tiny area they were in.

Ruko swung her head around to him so fast it could've come right off. "What the fuck is so funny about this problem?" she demanded.

"Miranda was asking me about you earlier," he told her. "She was complaining just like you are now."

"And that's funny."

"No, what's funny is what I told her and what I'm going to tell you." He looked her right in the eyes and said, "You like Miranda."

Her reaction was much more visible to see. She actually jerked her head back like she had been struck by something heavy. "What!?" she shouted at him, her voice reaching the higher octaves. "I don't like her! She is a completely annoying bitch who has the time to make my life a living hell just by being annoying!"

"And now I'm going to tell you the same thing I told her: you really like her."

"NO, I DON'T!"

"Of course you do, you're practically the same. You're both strong women who knock a hell of a punch with your biotics." He wasn't going to tell her about Miranda's "birth" (if it could be called that). He would let them figure that out. "If anything, there was a good chance you could've been like her and she like you."

"Hey, Commander," Joker said over the intercom. "Aria's swordsman is back and he wants you."

"What for, Joker?" he asked.

"Considering who he works for, I'm assuming that her Piratey Grace wants to see you."

He laughed. "Joker, tell me you didn't just say that."

"I would but I would be lying."

"I'm on my way up."

"Hey, we're not done here!" Ruko shouted at him as he went back up the stairs.

"I think we are," he replied, raising his voice only so she could hear him.

"I don't like that cheerleader. You hear me!? I don't like her!"

"You keep telling yourself that. Oh, and by the way, Mordin told me that your punch was literally a one-hit wonder for the inhibitors!" That got a chorus of groans from the Bijū.

"Did you have to say that of all things?" Son asked him.

"If it fits, wear it," he replied.

"That line was way too cheesy for this situation!"

"Forget cheesy, it was corny!" Chōmei declared.

"Would it be easier to just call it cheesy and corny?" Isobu suggested hoping to stop the argument before it even began. He was partially successful as he did stop that argument but he started another one about the difference between cheesy and corny and if there was any difference between them at all.

Naruto was too busy silently laughing at them all to be bothered to stop them.

(Location: Omega)

The first thing that got his attention was the sound of the table being smashed through. "Repent, traitorous heathen!" he heard a human voice bellow.

"I will not!" a second human voice, pained but defiant said back.

"Repent!"

"No!"

"What is going on over there?" Shukaku asked.

"Should we go find out?" Saiken asked.

"Hey, who's in the control of this body?" Naruto asked them.

"At the moment?" replied Kurama.

He froze for a moment as he processed those words. "Not funny, furball."

"It's a little funny."

He decided to follow the sounds to their origins, moving through and around the other people on this level of Omega. As he got nearer and nearer to the sounds of fight, the people started to turn towards the sound to, facing in one direction rather than just milling around or going about their business.

When he finally got to the front, he was able to see what was going on. It was a fight between two humans that much he already knew. They were shouting as they fought, the first voice belonging to the taller, more bulky of the two while the second belonged to the smaller yet leaner one.

Their shouting pretty much revolved around two basic ideas: the first human wanted the second to repent and the second would not do so. It went back and forth and back and forth so many times that he could've counted beats by them speaking.

"Repent!"

"No!

"Repent!"

"I will not!"

"Okay, this is getting a little bit boring," Shukaku declared.

"They're not doing this for your personal amusement, Shukaku," Naruto silently told him. He continued to watch in silence as the struggle went on.

Finally, someone, a turian, broke through the crowd and stood between the two fighters. "Alright, break it up. Break it up!" he told the two humans. He grabbed hold of them both and pushed them away. The first human tried to go after the second but the turian stopped him. "What happened?"

"He's a filthy heretic who has turned from the true faith and refuses to come back! He must be put to death!" the first human screeched.

His voice was loud enough to make everyone in hearing range wince. "Check the lungs on that guy," Kokuō said.

"They certainly are loud," Chōmei commented.

"That's what I just said."

The turian wasn't impressed. He turned to the second human. "What happened?" he asked again, not ever changing his tone of voice.

"I gave some money to a quarian who needed it," the second human told him. His voice was calm, like this was an everyday occurrence. "He was stuck here on his Pilgrimage and needed to get out. So I helped him as I was taught, refusing any gifts he wanted to give me." He pointed to the first human. "He saw me and confronted me about it. We argue and he started to fight me."

"You only have yourself to blame, you heathen!" the first shouted.

"Knock it off before I shoot you," the turian warned. "Now go away."

"But—"

"Go." He glared at the second human while the first left. "You've been warned about this, Traveler."

"I have done nothing to start the fights," he replied. "I have only helped the others who walk the same road as I do, as my lord has instructed us."

"Uh-oh," Matatabi said in realization. "Um…Naruto, do you remember that incident with the guy on the Citadel?"

"Yes, I do." He could remember it quite clearly.

(Flashback)

They got back to the main floor and were about to head over to their group when a human walked up to them and stopped. "Can we help you, sir?" Garrus asked him.

"So it is true," the man said to himself as he stared at Naruto. "The Holy One has returned to us."

That set off warning bells to everyone who had heard him. They also all shared the collective thought of "Uh-oh." However, Naruto was a bit confused by what the man was saying. "Is there something that you need?" he asked the man.

"The Holy One asks me if I need anything," the man repeated before falling to ground and bowed his head. "I'm unworthy of such a thing!" he cried out, making the rest of the people there stop and look over at them. "Please, Holy One, tell this unworthy man that it is time for the war to begin?!"

The silence that engulfed everyone there was palpable. All the aliens were tense along with the majority of the humans (some of them looked expectedly). "Why do I have the bad feeling that question just put me in no man's land?" Naruto silently asked himself.

"Probably because that guy is a member of the Church of the Nine, AKA the Church of us," Gyūki remarked with disdain. Naruto had read about the Church when he sent his clones into the library, thus allowing the Bijū to know about them. Needless-to-say, they weren't impressed.

"Tell me, oh great Avatar of the Bijū, tell me that the time of the holy war is now!" the man implored. The sense of agitation that came with the silence grew even more as people kept watching.

Naruto just stared at the man kneeling before him. No one was able to tell what he was thinking at that moment. "…Why do you want bloodshed?" he asked, almost quietly.

The man looked up at him with confusion in his eyes. "I do not understand."

"It's a simple question, why do you want bloodshed? If you ask me if it is time for a war, then you must be ready to spill blood. You must be ready to commit these sins."

"Sins, Holy One, there are no sins in a holy war to rid the galaxy of its infestations."

He scowled when he heard those words. "And what infests the galaxy? Is it the krogans? The turians? The salarians? The asari? The volus? The drell? The hanar? Tell me, are they the infestations you speak of?"

"Yes, they are!"

"Why?"

"They refuse to see us as their superiors!" he cried his eyes hot and angry. "Humanity is destined to rule the galaxy and yet they refuse to acknowledge the fact. So they must be gotten rid of."

"How is it Humanity's destiny to rule the galaxy?" a nearby turian shouted out loud. "Your species has just barely joined the Council. Compared to the rest of us, you're like a child!"

"What was the race that discovered chakra?!" he shouted back. "Who was it who beat back your race, who claimed to be the military arm of the Council, within the space of a week? Who was it that went after the batarians when all you did was whine and say that there you could do? It was us, the humans! What else do we need to prove?"

"How about you need me in order to have this 'holy war' of yours?" Naruto asked, getting the man's attention. "And I don't see the other races as infestations of the galaxy."

"But Holy One, they mock and look down on us!"

"And they do that because they don't know us." he replied easily. "You would incite a war because they think of us as newcomers?" He shook his head. "No, you wouldn't incite a war, you would incite a purge!"

"What? No!" the man protested the look of horror on his face evident for all to see. "We do not plan to do that, Holy One!"

"Do you think I am a fool?" Naruto demanded. "You and your leaders call it a holy war and yet, I know that you would use it to kill all those who stood in your way. The babies, the children, the civilians, the innocent! And you would use me as a symbol to do this!"

"NO! I swear to you, Holy One, I do not mean to do that! Please forgive me!" He bowed his head. "Forgive me for being a fool. I promise, it was never my intent to participate in such a massacre! Is there any chance you can forgive me?"

"That depends. Are you willing to listen to what I say?"

"Yes, Holy One."

All of sudden, the blonde didn't know what to say. "Crap, I'm stuck!" he thought in a panic. Most of the stuff he had said earlier had been on the fly.

"Relax, Naruto." Matatabi told him. "Just repeat what I tell."

He nodded and focused back on the man. "Stand up," he ordered. The man did so. "If you will listen to what I say, listen well. From now until the day you draw your last breath, you will see the other races as friends and neighbors. If one asks for your help, you will give it. If one is hungry, you will feed them. If one is need of shelter, you will take them into your home. You will not refuse a single one, and you shall help them as you would help your fellow human, just as you would help a fellow traveler on the road."

"So it is said, so shall it be done," the man said, bowing his head. "I accept your commands, Holy One." He raised his head and walked away. The crowd that had surrounded them dispersed, the people going back to their business.

As he and Garrus walked back to the team, they couldn't help but stare at the blonde. "What?" he asked.

(End Flashback)

"It ballooned into this?" Gyūki asked, looking at the scene in front of them.

"Maybe these two are just an isolated event?" Matatabi suggested. She certainly was hoping that it was an isolated event.

"Knowing our track record, you really think that's the case?"

She deflated at those words. "Good point."

"Traveler, just get out of here," the turian told him, giving him a hard shove into the crowd. He didn't even stumble as he was shoved. He took it in stride and moved into the crowd, vanishing from sight. "Everyone else, move on!"

The crowd dispersed and went about their business. "Well, that was interesting," a voice from beside Naruto remarked.

He turned to see a red-headed human in armor next to him. The voice was familiar and the Alliance symbol on the armor was crossed out. "Shin, I take it?" he asked.

"The very same," he replied. "But I may have misled you during our communications." He gave Naruto an observing look. He wasn't wearing any obvious armor, only a pair of pants, shirt, and a jacket that enabled him to blend into the crowd.

"How so?" the blonde asked him.

"I am Shin Uzumaki, second in command of the Ronin."

He wasn't surprised by the fact he was an Uzumaki (the red hair did tip him off). "Any relation to Kushina Uzumaki from Bijū?" he asked.

"She's a…distant cousin. I do have her music, though. It's very good."

"So who's the leader of the Ronin?" He was curious. He was important to have been contacted by the second in command of a mercenary group. But that left the question of who was actually in charge.

"You, my lord," Shin told him.

He froze and so did the Bijū. "…Did he just say that?" Son asked.

"Yes, I think he did," Saiken replied.

"Naruto, investigate," Kurama ordered his Jinchūriki.

Normally, he would've retorted with sarcasm. But he happened to agree on that point. "I think we need to talk," he said to Shin, "and not in the middle of the district."

"There's an alley down that way," the merc replied, pointing to his right. "Will that work?"

"Yes." They quickly walked down to the alley and then into it, out of sight from the other people in the district. "Now what do you mean by I'm in charge of the Ronin?"

"You took control of the Ronin almost two years ago from me in combat. Once you had beaten me, you pulled me back up to my feet and made me second in command. You told me to keep running the Ronin like normal but to obey whatever orders you gave us. You're the reason we were there at Archangel's last stand."

"What? I didn't contact you guys."

"Yes, you did, my lord. You contacted us mere days before you arrived. You instructed the men to keep an eye out for you and to have me contact you once it was confirmed. You were the one who gave me that phrase."

"That's impossible." He had never contacted the Ronin before reaching Omega. He didn't even know how to contact them! What the hell was going on here?

"Kit, remember the video?" Kurama asked him.

"…Yeah, I do." In the video, he had been warned to not panic when he had blackouts and had no memories of what happened. Was this one of those moments?

"It could very well be."

Shin must've seen the doubt in his eyes. He pulled out an OSD from a pocket on his armor and held it out to him. "Here. You told me to give this back to you if you ever started acting like this."

"Thanks." He took the OSD without a second question. Odds were that he was going to need to hear what was on it.

"My lord, what is going on? You contacted me with exact orders one moment and then you don't know that you're in command in the next."

"I wish I knew."

"Kit, probably not the best thing to say right now," Kurama remarked.

"Yeah, right," he silently agreed. "It doesn't matter, Shin. Just go about business like normal."

"Yes sir."

He suddenly reached out and had the other Uzumaki by the throat. "And don't get any ideas just because I'm having problems with my memory. I'm still in command of the Ronin in the end."

"I am most aware of that, my lord." Even though his neck was being held tight, his expression didn't change a bit.

"Good. You're dismissed." He released his grip and lowered his hand.

"Thank you, Lord Naruto." He walked out of the alley, leaving the blonde alone.

"Was that threat necessary?" Isobu asked him.

"He was dealing with a second in command that used to be first in a mercenary group," Saiken said to the Sanbi. "It kinda was."

Naruto went further into the alley, making sure that no one was able to see him. Once he was certain he was alone, he took the OSD and uploaded it to his omni-tool. A video appeared almost instantly. It was him. Did he look a little less dirty then in the last video? "Hey. If you've found this, that must mean you've found out about the Ronin. It's best to let them be as they are now. I took command for insurance and firepower. You can trust Shin to lead them well. He's may not be on good terms with the Alliance, but he is loyal." He looked off to the side, like he had seen something. "Shit! I thought I had more time." He turned his attention back to the screen. "I'm going to have cut this short."

"No, wait!" But the screen already went dead. "Kami take it, that's annoying."

"Well, there's a good thing about it," Shukaku said.

"What's that?"

"You're constant," he declared with a snigger.

"…One of you guys want to curb stomp him?" he asked the other eight tenants in his body.

"Actually, I'm going to have to agree with him," Kurama said. "You can be annoying."

"I hate you."

"You've said that before."

---

"You're late," were the first words Aria said to him when he walked through the door to her home. She was standing there with folded arms. She wasn't dressed as casually as she usually was when he came here. She was still in her bodysuit and jacket.

"I got held up," he replied.

"By what?" she asked him, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Religion," he answered with a straight face. When she didn't say anything, he did. "What did you want to talk about, Aria?"

"A lot," she told him. "I don't appreciate being disappeared on like what you did."

"Oh yeah, you're the one who usually does the dumping." It was something that she had told him early in their "relationship" (if it could be called that). He had replied that it was a good thing that they weren't actually dating.

"What happened?"

"Would you believe me that it was because of a top secret Alliance mission that required me to go so undercover, the rest of the galaxy thought I was dead?" he asked her. There was a hint of humor in his voice when he asked her that question.

But she wasn't amused. "What happened?" she repeated herself.

"You should probably trend lightly," Matatabi told him.

"No kidding."

"Now's not the time to get smart."

The Nibi was right and he owed Aria at least what he knew about what happened. "Do you want the truth, Aria?" he asked the Queen of Omega.

"Yes," she answered shortly.

"I don't know what really happened."

She started to glow blue. She was ready to punch him. "That's not the answer I want."

"It's the only one I have. The Normandy was attacked and I lost two years of my life."

"Attacked by whom?"

"The Tribe of Athame," he told her. "Once I told them I was on board, they opened fire."

"That was stupid of you."

"I know." He sighed in exasperation. "Look, can we sit down or are we just going to stand while talking to each other?"

"You'll sit when I say you can sit." Her voice was quick and sharp, cracking like a whip.

"What else do you want to hear, Aria? I was gone for two years without any warning to you or to anyone else. I don't know how. All I do know is that I woke up in Tribe lab and was being tested like some kind of damn experiment."

"I hope that you're not trying to get some kind of sympathy from me."

"No, I didn't. But you can't tell me you never been trapped by your enemies before."

"No, I wasn't." Becoming the Pirate Queen hadn't been without its perils. "But I was able to get out of them alive."

"So did I."

"You had help from the Akatsuki. I would've thought that you wouldn't want to work with them just because of that name."

"I don't have a choice. Their leader blackmailed me."

"I see." She finally turned around and walked into the house proper. "Follow," she commanded him.

He did so. "You want me to cook something?" he asked her as they walked to the lounge room.

"Absolutely not," she replied instantly.

He grinned at her. "What? Afraid of what'll come when I clean the dishes?" She didn't say anything in reply but he had a feeling that she was thinking of what happened that night. "The food was excellent, wasn't it?"

She looked back at him. "It could have used some improvements."

"Duly noted, but you were the one who enjoyed it."

They sat down in the lounge, opposite chairs from one another. They stared at each other for a long couple of seconds. Finally, Naruto broke the silence. "So, what are we now?" he asked her.

"What do you mean?" she asked him.

"You know what I mean. It's been two years, Aria. Are we the same fuck buddies we were before I disappeared? Are we not? Are we…something more?"

She knew what he meant, even though she did not say anything. Every time that they had slept together, she had taken the lead. But that last night before he disappeared, after the date, he took the lead. He went slow and gentle. To her surprise, she found herself responding to it. That night, they didn't fuck like normal. They made love. That night, she had melded her mind to his.

He hadn't revealed anything about it when they were in the club. But now, in the privacy of her home, he revealed his uncertainty about it all. But her eyes were hard and steady as they looked at him. "We are what we were before. Nothing more," she finally told him.

He looked at her for long time. "I see."

"I hope that you weren't foolishness enough to think that one time was enough to change me or make me fall in love?" she asked with a scoff. She didn't believe in such a thing. One couldn't afford them here on Omega.

He shook his head. "No, I'm not that naïve. I just wanted to see if you thought differently."

"Then why bother taking me out on a date in the first place?" She had assumed that he had done in an attempt to woo her and gain power through her.

"I thought that even you of all people needed to have a night where someone treated you right, where you weren't the Pirate Queen of Omega or any other kind of title, just you." He was sincere in his words.

She knew he was sincere. She could tell just by looking at his eyes and hearing his voice. He was different from the lovers she's had before. He didn't assume and he didn't want any of her power. But he looked past all the rumors and titles she had been given (and taken) and saw her, yet he did nothing to change her. It was something that she found mildly intriguing and also irritating. Her meld with him had shown her that he was a good man and she always had good men coming after her, either to jail her or redeem her. He did neither.

A sound of a baby beginning to cry came from the adjourning doorways. She didn't react the way Naruto did, whipping his head to the sound. "There's a baby here?" he asked her, looking back at her.

"Yes, there is." She stood up from her chair and walked to the door, disappearing from sight for a few minutes. When she came back, there was an asari child in her arms. Her hard look was gone. Instead there was a soft and warm smile directed at the baby. "There now," she said to her. "Mother's here." The child smiled happily at her and snuggled into her neck.

Naruto stood up from his chair and looked at the child. She was probably about 2 years old. Her skin was the same hue as Aria's but it was her eyes that got his attention. They were blue, a deep blue that was like looking at the ocean. He knew because they were the exact same hue of his eyes. All that went into his head and he made a conclusion that shocked him.

"Aria is…is she…?" he tried asking, only to find that he was having trouble saying the words.

Aria looked at him, clearly amused. "Yes, she is. Meet your daughter, Kaguya T'Loak." At the sound of her name, the child looked up. She saw him and watched him with her eyes. They were cautious but also curious, like she didn't know him but she was curious about him too.

"Wha…how—?" he began to ask, only to stop himself. He knew the how of it, having read about it before. He took a breath and look at her again. "That night, was it intentional?"

"Yes." She had melded with him just long enough to get what she wanted, not a second later. "Are you angry?"

"Yes, I am." He could believe that she had used him like that, but the fact that she still did hurt him. His anger was beginning to burn inside him. But when he looked at Kaguya and how she watched him, his anger vanished in an instant. "Can I hold her?"

Aria walked over to him and wordlessly held her arms open. He took their daughter out of her hands and into his own. She looked up at him and he looked down at her. "Hello there, little hime," he told her. "I'm Naruto. I'm your daddy."

She reached up with her hand and touched one of his birthmarks, tracing it with her finger. "Daddy?" she repeated curiously.

"Yes, that's right. I'm your daddy."

She smiled and her eyes lit up with warmth. "Hi, Daddy," she said before snuggling against his chest.

He began to rock her back and forth, a little uncertain at first but quickly figuring it out. "She's beautiful," he told Aria as he looked down at her, watching her drift back into sleep.

"I know. And she doesn't have a hint of eezo in her," she replied as she sat down in her own chair.

He looked up. "What?"

"You heard me. I had her tested after she was born, like all asari children are. The tests came back negative."

"Are you sure?" A dread was beginning to fill his stomach, telling him that was what was coming next was something he would be afraid of.

"Yes, I am. I did the test twice more to be sure. Both came back negative." She paused for a moment, as if she was figuring out if she needed to tell him what came next. "Then I had her tested for chakra."

Those words sent a bolt of something through him, realizing that dread. "No…"

"Yes. Your daughter is the first nonhuman to have chakra."

"Well, not the first," Kurama commented with a hint of amusement. "But I'm guessing that she doesn't know about that."

Naruto ignored the fox, keeping his attention on Aria. "How much?" he asked.

"She's going to be a juggernaut when she's an adult. Kojirō was actually nervous when he told me the results."

He gulped, thinking about what she had said. If she was truly going to be powerful when she was older, that kind of thing couldn't be left alone. "She needs to be trained how to use it."

"I am aware of that."

"No, Aria. I'm not talking about having one of the Ronin or Kojirō teach her. I'm talking about proper training. When she's old enough, she needs to go to the Academy."

A look passed over her face at those words. "That will be decided when she's older. And she also needs to be kept secret from the galaxy. You know what kind of people and organizations would want her if they found out. The Tribe would be just one of them. I need to keep the people who know about my daughter to an absolute minimum. I need to keep the people who see her even lower."

He didn't like where she was going. "What are you trying to say, Aria?"

"That this will be the only time you see her."

Kaguya stirred slightly in his arms. "…You can't be serious."

"I am very serious."

"I'm her father, Aria!" He tried not to raise his voice at her so that their daughter could still sleep. "You can't keep me away from her."

"You would rather risk her safety by coming here again and again?"

"People already know that we're sleeping with each other. My coming wouldn't be any weirder."

"We were sleeping with each other two years ago. And now you've got strings attached and shadows chasing you. I will not have her endangered because of you." She looked him right in the eye. "I assume you know that."

He did. Kami he did. He had only just met her, but already he didn't anything bad to happen to his daughter. Aria was right. The Akatsuki would love to get their hands on her just as much as the Tribe would. He would not risk that. But still, to have only met your daughter and then told to keep away from her? It was a hard blow to him. "…Are you telling me to leave now?" he asked the Pirate Queen of Omega.

She shook her head. "No, you can stay for the night. But once you leave, you can't come back. Do you understand?"

"I do. But it's not going to be forever, Aria. She's going to grow up and she's going to have to learn how to use her chakra properly. When she's fully able to handle herself, I want to see her."

"That is not now." It wasn't an agreement, but it wasn't a rejection either. He took it with a nod of acknowledgement.

---

Codex Entry (Culture): ENGLISH

The human language known as English is the only known artificial language to have become so popular that it became the dominant language on Earth. Ironically enough, its origins were not through any scientific or artists means but rather through criminal means.

The basis of English is a mixture of High and Low Frontier and was used as a trader's language between various criminal organizations and smugglers to circumvent being caught and taken to court by the authorities on account of their words. When the War of Three Flags broke out and Midgard began launching attacks onto the Frontier, known members of the criminal organizations came to the Iron Court and offered their services to the war effort. A part of those services was using the trade language to facilitate a code that would be unbreakable. The idea was successful and the teams of code talkers (See: the Speakers) was a main factor to the duration of the war.

English is a language that adapts any new language it comes across, taking words and putting them into its own use. A notable example of this action is after the war when the Midgardian language came into actual contact with it, doubling the size of it. The Down-Under in its initial stage spoke majorly English. When war broke out, the rebels spoke solely in English, taking it and making it their own. After it became an independent nation, English became the national language of the Down-under.

No one really knows who came up with the word "English" for the name of the language, but they do know who helped further the spread and popularity of it. The writer Kevin Brookwater was famous for his series of criminal investigation novels written completely in English, having wanted to capture the complete essence of the criminal underworld in the Frontier.

During his writing, he actually helped the language grow by borrowing words from different languages and transforming them into a set of slang within the language. Because of his inflating the language, he wrote the first English dictionary. (According to popular belief, he came about this decision when the criminal organization he had been writing about kidnapped him in order to ask for it, that way they could, "figure out what the hell you're saying," as the quote goes).

---

End

Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Yes, yes, a lot of talking to other characters in this chapter. Some people call them fillers; I personally like to think of them as necessary for information. It can't all be action, shooting, running, and explosion. Plus, how else am I going to do the loyalty mission without them?

The religion he created is back and has grown since he was gone. With any luck, I can put some focus on them and the tension they've got with the Church of the Nine later on in the story. It'll be interesting to see if he could play mediator to them both, especially when he's seen as a holy person to both groups.

Naruto has a daughter. Kaguya T'Loak pretty much came after the idea of putting Naruto and Aria together. The only real difficulty I had with her was coming up with the right name. And I know that some of you will complain that Naruto wouldn't agree to not seeing her, I want to point out two things. The first is that he can see the danger of him being near her and Aria. He could probably get away with Aria in small doses but any more than that and he risks being found out. The second is that he can't see when she's a kid. Once she's out and about, he can see all he likes.

Aria did what could be described as a mind meld "quickie" with Naruto. She melded with him, got what she wanted from him, and pulled out when she was done. That's why she didn't meet the Bijū, she was too fast (that, and they were probably enjoying the show).

For the codex entry, I would like to thank the Fanfiction author James Golen and his story Avatar of Victory. His entry on English as an artificial language got me thinking about the same idea and allowed me to come up with a different variation on it. High Frontier would be Latin and Low Frontier would be a healthy mixture of both Germanic and Celtic. Add in the adaption of Midgardian, which is basically Norse, mix them all together, and you've pretty much got the English language.

I've gotten your replies about the lack of reviews about my stories. I would like to thank each and every one of you guys for believing that I'm a good writer and that I'm creating great stories. There are times where I have a hard believing it but seeing and reading all of your reviews telling me otherwise, it helps. So again, I say thank you for your kind words and praise.

I'll see you all next chapter!