AN: I don't own Naruto/Star Wars: Legends


GRS 4:10:2


Drip... drip...

It was remarkable how silent thing were, when Naruto wasn't speaking. Laying in the water, the red of blood seeped into it, spreading rapidly outwards from his body. Above him, Kurama loomed, staring down at him.

"... wake up."

Drip... drip...

"Wake up..."

...drip...drip...

Shifting, Kurama stared at him, growling and moving his claw through the water. The ripples moved rapidly over Naruto, yet even with the speed of them racing through the room, Naruto moved closer to Kurama, his body motionless. Lifeless.

He'd been silent, trying to let Naruto live his life. The galaxy was his, not Kurama's. Hagoromo had spoken to him, tried to tell him that his place was with Naruto, among the stars, but he hadn't seen it. He didn't want a part of it. There was nothing about it that he could do within the world, and he was fine to let Naruto die out and fade away, then emerge and just disappear.

Except, with all that Naruto had learnt, Kurama had learnt as well. There were so many people, of intellect and of stupidity. Places of exotic, beautiful, or noxious. Buildings and structures of archaic that spoke of people's hubris. Forests and waves of different kinds, more of those worlds nature taking charge and keeping strong against any who would wish to face the challenge of those worlds. Places of battle, of peace. Of blood, and of streams.

With all of the technology, and wonders within the galaxy, one might wonder if Kurama would have grown to appreciate any of it. He didn't. He preferred the lush forests, the open places - even the desert of Tattooine was better in some ways than the wide expanse of Coruscant. This world was a great place, this Dathomir, and were Naruto younger, Kurama might imagine that he could let himself slip out and be free.

"Wake up!"

But Naruto had kept speaking to him. He had attacked and injured him, then realized his mistake and put in work to fix it. Small things; talking, checking in, not taking from Kurama, even when it might be easier to win by taking from Kurama. Little things. Things that had added up, and now he felt a pang as he stared down at Naruto's limp form.

He had moments. Seconds, elongated by the time within the seal seeming more stretched. He had options, but seeing another burst of blood, Kurama realized the creature had taking Naruto off its tusk. It was a gut wound, but if the poison didn't kill him, the creature would in just a moment.

"I understand..." Jiraiya's ghostly form sat cross legged next to Naruto, his own life force flickering as he stared down at Naruto. "I can't say I agree... but, I think I'd understand."

Kurama stared at the fool. And truly he was a fool, thinking that he would leave Naruto like this. Still, the words cut deep, and a deep snarl resonated throughout the chamber.

"Then you know nothing." Kurama's tails dipped into the water, vibrant red energy roaring through the water and into Naruto's body. "Of me... or what I want."

Before their eyes, Naruto's body began stitching together his wounds, venom pulsing through his blood as it was quickly burnt out in a hissing smoke. The more energy that raced over him, the deeper the red coloring grew. Soon, a cloak began to consolidate, a fox shape forming around him, with a single tail, then two. Kurama didn't know what it would take to defeat this creature, but he was taking no chances.

"Go to the others." Kurama glared at Jiraiya, watching the old man blink in confusion. "Go and tell them where he is. This creature will be dead by then."

"You're sure?"

"Do you doubt me?"

Jiraiya looked like he had words that he wanted to say, but wisdom told him to move and not speak. Fading out of existence, it left Kurama alone with Naruto once more. Staring down at him, Kurama's eyes slowly flashed, glowing red as he looked through Naruto's eyes, taking his first personal look at the creature. It had harmed Naruto. That was fine. Naruto would live, and a glancing blow was simply something he would learn from.

It had nearly killed Naruto.

For that, he would rip it apart.

[=-x-=]

Those in the clearing stared at the body of Naruto, the witch he'd flashed in front of staring up at his bleeding body as he held the tusk from simply breaking his spine, and somehow keeping it from attempting to spear both him and her. Slowly, his body seemed to grow more slack, coughing up blood and looking down at the protrusion pierced through his gut. A killing wound, no matter how strong most were.

Watching him be yanked off, of the tusk, the witch attempted to push herself back as the creature threw back its head in a triumphant roar. Brutus screamed back at it, still shifting as he tried to protect the two witches still behind with him, and fight his desire to rush in and fight. Whatever the witch had done held him in place, keeping him from running in, but even that had gone slack upon seeing what had happened.

Kyrisa slowly breathed out, going from mildly dejected, to worried for their safety. That maleing had been their best chance at escaping this creature, and one sister who'd stumbled over her own feet had caused him to stumble and falter, trying to protect her. Funny, how one moment they'd been chasing him down, with a clear intent to capture him, to take him away. Then, in the next moment, a creature had shifted things, and he had been fighting for their lives, to the point of throwing himself in front of them.

Chanting, she winced as she watched the creature move to grab her sister. She hadn't gotten up to run. Foolish. Now her efforts were in vain, and their only chance was to leave her and run. Unhelpful, but she couldn't-

A wave of energy washed over them, and any words or thoughts stopped immediately. The creature didn't seem to notice at all for a moment, or perhaps it ignored the sudden feeling that washed over them. As it reached forwards, it suddenly lurched back. Looking behind itself, it's arm that held the maleing suddenly yanked backwards as its body was lifted off the air, hurled backwards as if slung at high speeds into a tree, releasing the maleing.

The man stood still, a red, visible aura shrouding him. As they watched, his stomach wound began hissing, almost seeming to crackle and smoke, healing over at a pace that was not possible. No one should have been able to simply be run through and stand up, let alone to heal in such a quick manner. Yet, there he stood.

Slowly he seemed to take a more feral stance, the shroud now completely encompassing him, looking vaguely vulpine in appearance. Then, he snapped his head up, hearing the crunching of wood as the creature raced out and screeched in defiance, and the two collided.

The fight was suddenly much less straightforward than it had been before. Before, it had been a battle of intellect verse a beast. A clever man, trying to use the tools he had, fighting against the stupidity of her former sister, and the primal predatory nature of the beast. Now, it was a slug-fest between two beasts.

Each blow from the creature seemed to push back the shroud bit by bit, but as much as it did damage, the shroud returned. Each blow was then matched in turn with fist and claw alike, its more nimble, smaller form able to move and dash across it's attacks at times, getting in far more attacks into it than it got into him. At more than a few points, it was so fast she swore that each hit was actually two; the first hit of his actual fist, the other of the shroud hitting.

Whatever the shroud was, it was power. Something pulsing, like the green mist of Dathomir, yet more. Stronger. He bled, like any other, yet this thing was still something more than he himself was. Overwhelming, powerful, enchanting.

Landing in front of the creature, he pulled back, screaming and scraping his clawed hand against the ground as a third tail extend from his back. With it, he screamed again, the air around them vibrating and shaking, forcing even the creature to cover its ears as it took a step back and away from the sound.

Almost as in response to it stepping away, two clawed arms suddenly extended from him, grabbing the creature and pulling it towards him. It dug in its heels, trying to pull back against it, and eventually moving more to a stand still. Seeming to accept this, he leapt from the ground, diving feet first into the creature's face.

While it shook its head, it quickly fell under a rapid barrage of attacks. If possible, their ferocity had increased, each one slamming and beating into its tough hide, causing cracks to begin rapidly moving across its body. It shrieked, slamming its tusk into his gut, only to find that this time, the cloak held firm against its assault. Moving his arms down in a hammer-fist motion, a resonant cracking echoed through it. A moment later, the tusk landed well behind them, the creature screeching in pain.

Throwing his hand back, he didn't slow down or hold back on his assault. In his hand, black globules began forming, pulling towards the center of his hand at a rapid pace. Then, as they spun rapidly, he reached out with his other hand and grabbed onto the creature's other tusk with a grip that seemed to prevent it from even stumbling back as they locked eyes.

"Chew on this, and burn!"

The ball of whirling black energy slammed into the creature's teeth, creating an ear piercing screeching of the energy against bone. The bone was tough, clearly able to withstand far, far more than any other creature's should have been able to. It even had time to try and grab him, to try and push him off, to grab an throw him into the forest, away from it. Away, to stop the pain. All too late.

With a roar, the energy suddenly expanded, and burst. Shards of teeth shattered and scattered, it's body ballooned for a second, and a wave of destructive energy erupted from its back. Staring down, completely immobile, uttering a death gurgle, the creature slowly collapsed, letting go of the maleing.

Turning to face them, Kyrisa finally took a breath. His arm was completely black, a whirling black and red energy pulsing across him as the buddings of a fourth tail began peaking, then receding back into his body. As the red energy followed, he moved towards them, his body seeming more on autopilot. As he did, Kyrisa idly heard Terresh gasp, then lean over and retch.

Their third sister was still near him, her body trembling as she stared up at this red shrouded... creature. Human though he seemed, he had gone hand-to-hand with a creature that had ripped apart two of their rancors, and killed two of their sisters. His arm hissed with a light pink coloring as the red pulled back, his hand extending towards her. All of them held their breath, hearts dropping as they saw him reach towards her, no idea of what he would do.

As his hand rested atop her head, a faint sigh could be heard from him, his body wavering slowly. Eyes fluttering, he looked up towards them; slit, red eyes slowly beginning to flicker to azure blue, that quickly faded, his body shifting, and falling to the ground. Motionless, there was no more sound that resonated in the clearing save for their retching and breathing.

Slowly, the rancor Ah'le had attempted to tame moved over to the man. Scooping him up, it held him in a motion almost akin to a cradling gesture. Staring down at them, it shifted slowly, then began walking away.

"... Ven? You alive?" Terresh asked after a moment, getting their sister to jump, startled by the voice suddenly cutting through to her after all that had just happened.

"I'm... alive. Unharmed. I... he saved me."

"I saw." Terresh wiped her mouth, staring at the rancor as it left. "... didn't you rein it in?"

"I did." Kyrisa stared after it, watching curiously. "... it broke free."

"It broke free? How?!" Terresh asked, looking frantic. Admittedly, it was more than alright that she did; this was not a day of normality. Something like this happening right after a man had done what they'd just witnessed screamed of things weaving against them. "That shouldn't be possible..."

"There are strong willed rancor, that have proven to resist even stronger than you or others." Kyrisa said softly, shaking her head.

"But you are stronger than-"

"It wasn't a strong hold. I threw it out to keep it from the creature so it could grab us if needed. It... was able to wiggle out." Moving over to the other rancor, she motioned for them to move so she could climb back up. "Follow it."

"... excuse me?" Ven asked, more of a whimpering squeak. "After it? After that? Why?"

"... so you can thank him for saving your life." Kyrisa was already trying to think several steps ahead, chewing on her lip slowly. "And, perhaps, we can use that kind of strength. We couldn't crack open the barriers to see what Matriarch Zalem has been trying to hide from the clans. She's been suspiciously quiet about it, other than it being a way to destroy our enemies on Coruscant. As though we are willing to believe such things without proof, or not take what is ours by right."

"... yes." Terresh nodded slowly, getting a groan from Ven.

"You're agreeing with her?"

"Yes. If we follow him, they might go back to our sisters, and to the two who were with him. If they are even remotely strong, they could be helpful. Especially after our..." Terresh stopped, eyes dropping as she refused to look where their sisters had been torn into. "We... should bury them, or give them-"

"We leave them." Kyrisa motioned quickly to the forest, feeling their immediate desire to argue with her. "This place is shrouded in dark, and our rancors desire to be rid of this place. Our payment is loss, and folly... now get moving before I strap you to a rancor's arms so we can move now rather than see if that creature was the only one here."

That thought got a spring in their step, getting them to begin moving and climbing up to mount and move out. Kyrisa kept her eyes on the clearing, staring at the dead creature for a moment. Then, slowly, her eyes moved up, staring at the carnage of trees that had occurred directly behind it, as a clear path of trees had been blown away or uprooted, the devastation visible for them to observe and consider. Only she took the time too do so, and to recognize the destruction for what it was.

Power.

Breathing out slowly, trying to keep from giggling, she moved up and mounted her rancor. Moving it after the smaller of its kind, she considered what possibilities were open to her with such an event. As well as what she could get out of it, should she play her cards right. Yes, there was potential there... she just had to follow through, carefully.

[=-x-=]

Leaning against the logs and trees around them, staring at each other, Aurra, Aayla, and the witches were silent. The rancors still stood alongside Aayla and Aurra, still growling and snarling whenever the witches began moving, or doing anything that seemed remotely untrustworthy in any regard. They had quickly realized this and grown entirely silent, waiting instead on the two women before them to make the first move, or offer them conversation.

They had made their way outside of the shadows, now just near where the crash site had been, with its scattering of metal and starship pieces, it made for a rather stark contrast from the rest of the forest, and would be a place Naruto could - hopefully - recall and come find them at. If he didn't get caught and dragged further away from where they currently were. That was a whole other sort of problem, but one that they'd have to deal with. Already, it was clear that each were dealing with it in their own ways, and not all of them were working well together.

"Shouldn't we go after him?" Aayla asked, constantly turning and glancing towards the forest and pacing anxiously. Clearly chewing on her lip, she grimaced and snapped back to Aurra. "You felt that, didn't you? How long was it? What if he's hurt? What-"

"Please stop." Aurra tried to avoid clenching her teeth, but her words still came through as a low growl than a confident dismissal. "Going back into that forest isn't a good idea, even with that... feeling. If anything, I feel sorry for anything that crossed Naruto if he was on the giving end of... that."

"Are you sure?"

Aurra stared at Aayla, her eyes glowering and her lips curled, while her heart felt like it wanted to scream. No, of course she wasn't sure. If there were ever a time she were more unsure, she didn't know of it. Maybe Nar Shaddaa, but even then she had been able to see him. To know what was going on. Now, she was however far away she was from him, and he had vanished from her. From her sight, senses... even the Force.

She had no faith in the Force. Her hands were what had gotten her though life, her instincts had kept her alive, and while she had felt the Force, she didn't let its whims and whispers lead her on. They'd ended in many times where she'd wound up in trouble when she had, and been forced to use every tool in her arsenal to get out. That said, there was one thing the Force had given her that she trusted; a bond to Naruto. She felt him, knew him, and could tell he was okay. Then, he'd suddenly vanished for an instant, and she no longer was certain.

"If I may..." the wounded witch said slowly, shifting in place when one of the rancor snarled at her. "... there are some of the majick arts that allow for a person to be more easily found. I am not a practitioner of such, but there are others who might be better suited for it. If we were to seek out our sisters..."

Aayla shook her head. "He had been leading them away from us, with just you two behind us. I, don't think he'd trust you any more than you trust us."

"She's right Kara," The other witch began moving over, flinching and shifting at the growl of the rancors, but managed to ignore it enough to slip around to begin fully treating the wound. The fact the other witch - Kara - still had an arm at all was lucky for her. One solid hit from a slug could rip a person's arm off. "Just stay still, and we'll see our sisters find us eventually."

That thought hadn't crossed either girls' mind, and both looked to one another with a nervous look. Against two, it had been a race and a run. There had been more than just two sisters, and each had been riding atop their own rancor. Not odds they were looking forward to, even with Naruto on their side. Then again, if Naruto was captured, that automatically took them out of the fight. Neither of them would say it, but if Naruto taken, they would give in to allow themselves time to plan and find a way to get him away.

"You shouldn't be so obvious Yenwin." Kara muttered, wincing when Yenwin placed a salve on her arm. "We only have advantages so long as we keep them."

"Perhaps," Yenwin nodded, gently reapplying her bandaging and helping Kara move her arm into something akin to a sling. "But if they were able to wrest out rancor from us, and do the same to our sisters, then we will find ourselves losing more than we need to. Watch, and be patient sister... and if they move to harm us, they will find our sisters will not take such lightly."

Kara didn't look happy about it, but nodded all the same. When Yenwin leaned in and whispered something else, her expression seemed to shift to one of a more thoughtful nature, getting her to relax and nod her head more. "Yes, I understand..."

Aurra fiddled with her belt, hand brushing against her lightsaber a few times, considering going into the forest with it hacking through anything in her way. It was the smart idea, and she could certainly move through the forest without utilizing it. The temptation to do so, to find Naruto as fast as possible, was there though. Each time she brushed her hand against it, the thought would pop up again, and she'd have to force it back.

"... Aurra..."

Her eyes slowly moved to Aayla, then rapidly away. That hadn't been her voice; it was far to masculine. To deep, and yet still familiar. Not Naruto... had it been here imagining?

"Okay, I think I've got this. It's me again. Sorry to just pop in again... kinda."

Slowly, Aurra saw a familiar form begin to take shape across from her. The translucent figure, an older man with hair that hung near to his knees, seating himself near where the two of them stood, that she'd seen both in her cockpit and a few times across her ship. Shifting, she rolled her blaster in her hands, considering firing at him. He'd just shown up a few times, and being out here meant he wasn't a hologram, meaning she was completely unaware of who or what this actually was. Except, he'd mentioned his name. Once.

"Look, I don't know how to keep this up for too long, so I'll cut straight to the point." He looked both relieved, anxious, and concerned. "Naruto is okay, but he was... he had to take a ride. Last I saw he was on his way here, but he's not conscious at the moment. But he's alive."

"He's alive?" Aurra whispered, almost instinctively reaching out in the Force. The action surprised her, almost pulling back with it, until she felt it brush against something. Reaching out further, she felt a faint energy, a pulse, that set her mind at ease. Naruto. He was alive.

"Yeah, well, he's apparently got some heroism in him." The man kicked his foot - Jiraiya. He'd called himself Jiraiya, hadn't he? "He fought that big creature - not as big as the two behind you, but bigger than him. It gave him some trouble, and almost killed him. It's... good, he has an ace in the hole. That thing is dead now, he isn't, and he's on his way here. I figured he'd want you to know."

Clenching her jaw, Aurra closed her eyes and groaned. She'd known what she'd been getting into when she'd fallen for Naruto, but being reminded that the fool was a man of heroism wasn't the most comforting. Still, he'd just stated that Naruto was alive. Nodding to herself, she slowly sat down. "... he's on his way here?"

"Huh?" Aayla glanced back at her, shifting and began opening herself to the Force as well. "You can tell?"

"Mm," Jiraiya rubbed his chin, looking them all over before nodding. "Kid's got good friends. Clearly he knows how to pick 'em. Could've used my wisdom to help him know more about how to pick some... eh, probably not. He'd probably yell at me if I continued that, and I don't need you telling him what I said. Ladies don't need to kiss and tell~"

Aayla suddenly seemed to balk, eyes snapping towards the man in confused shock. "Um, Aurra...?"

"Yeah."

"You see..."

"Yes."

"... and, it's okay?"

"No, but if I just let it happen, maybe I won't feel so crazy later."

"What are you two talking about?" Kara asked, hissing when Yenwin pulled a bandage tighter in response, getting the two to begin talking to each other again in hushed tones.

"Nothing of your concern." Aurra took one glance away from Jiraiya, and as she glanced back, he was gone. Great. "I need to ask him far too many questions..."

"You know him?" Aayla asked, shifting her gaze between Aurra and the spot where the man had been seated.

"... in a way. Not a great way, but a way..."

Slowly standing, Aurra began reaching out with the Force more, trying to wrap herself in Naruto's presence. He was out there, alive, but faint. He wasn't hiding himself fully, and that flickering of his life was like a beacon to her, moving closer, bringing a warmth that soothed her and calmed her despite how chaotic their situation had been.

Hearing a cracking, the two turned their head towards the treeline, seeing a large, lumbering form break through the trees. A smaller rancor, shifting through and sniffing at the air, growling and lumbering about. Both Aurra and Aayla shifted as well, seeing the two rancor perk up at the newcomer.

{Brutus arrives.}

{Scent different. Coming from a fight?}

{Another scent...}

The two rancor moved over towards the rancor. No, not just a rancor; Brutus. Perking up, Aurra moved closer, trying to peak around the two as they quickly moved over and seemed to huddle around the young rancor. Aurra found herself mildly startled when she understood snippets of what they were saying, even at this distance, but forgot everything they were saying when they parted, and she could see Brutus arm. There, nestled into the crook of it like a sleeping baby, was Naruto.

Rushing up towards them, the two rancor made a disapproving noise until Brutus huffed and stepped closer, ignoring the other two as they protested. Slowly, he leaned down and let Aurra take Naruto from his arm, shifting and slowly glancing to the other two sisters with them.

{Do we eat them?} Brutus asked, lips curling into a snarl.

"No, we don't eat them." Aurra sighed, brushing Naruto's hair and checking him over. Physically he appeared mostly fine. One arm looked like it was far pinker than the other - like he's somehow stuck his arm and only his arm to get sun burnt. Additionally, his clothes had a number of cuts and holes through them, with one particularly large one that had punctured through the armor of his vest on either size.

{They are here too?}

Aurra slowly looked past the rancors, staring at another two who had exited the forest as well. Atop them were three more women, watching the interaction between Aurra and the rancors. One of them held herself tall, seeming to hold herself high in spite of the clear and present danger that was before her. She was in danger, and yet she held herself tall with pride. In what, Aurra couldn't have said.

{Kill? Destroy the Nightsisters?}

{... they have not harmed him. They tried to contain me, but I have broken free. Let them live for the moment. He may have more to ask of them. He does ask many questions.}

"They're just... watching us..." Aayla said after a moment, shifting and rolling her finger across her lightsaber. She was anxious, and uncertain.

Were Aurra Naruto, she might have comforted the girl. As it were, she decided instead on brutal honesty. "They're probably just checking to see which of us will try killing the others first."

"Why would either try to kill the other?" Aayla asked, glancing between Kara and Yenwin and the newcomers. "We don't need to fight at all..."

"That's a good idea, but that's not necessarily what they will think, or want." Aurra scowled, noticing that the bold woman was dismounting from her rancor, the other two seeming to not like what she was doing. Slowly, Aurra passed Naruto to Aayla, and began moving forward herself, moving to meet them halfway.

The two stood across from each other, taking a moment to look the other over. The sister had a number of markings on her face, giving her a primal appearance that contrasted her composed and calm expression. She seemed curious, considering, and calm. Aurra kept a hint of agitation, wanting to stay on her toes as she stared the woman down, then pausing when she noted something she hadn't noticed until that moment. Strapped to her hip, was a lightsaber.

"So," The woman slowly had a hint of a smile to her face. "You are the ones he was traveling with. I, suppose that is fair then, that the creature he spoke to would go to find you."

"It's his brother." Aurra wished she hadn't put it as though it were so clear and obvious, but for her it was. Naruto and Brutus had made their interactions clear, and it was easier to think of them as such.

"Is it now?" She seemed to take it in stride, eyes sliding past Aurra to Aayla, Naruto, and Brutus. "Brother... so he has a kinship with the rancor?"

"He was adopted." Aurra slowly smiled wryly at that, recalling all of that fiasco once more. Seeing the confused expression on the witch's face, she decided not to elaborate. Let her try and wrap her mind around that thought.

"I...hm." Shaking her head, she crossed her arms, slowly letting herself relax. "You appear to have much the same talent as he, taking the rancors from my sisters, and turning them to your will. I am impressed."

"Mm, it's more that they got loose because they thought they could smell Brutus on us, and as such Naruto." Aurra shrugged, glancing quickly back to the rancors as they made a protective ring around Aayla and Naruto.

"Naruto? Is that his name..."

Aurra cursed to herself. Of course they wouldn't have known his name. It didn't give any sort of advantage, but knowing that could be dangerous in the future.

"I am Kyrisa. These are my sisters, Terresh and Ven. We are among the Nightsister clan of Dathomir, and we... may wish to speak more with your friend, Naruto." The Nightsister - Kyrisa - spoke slowly, clearly seeming to take the time to decide on her words before she spoke.

Staring back at her, Aurra slowly relented. "I'm Aurra. That's Aayla... and I want to know what you want. What are you trying to get out of him?"

"Mm," Kyrisa slowly nodded, as though agreeing with Aurra's curiosity. "That is fair. I suppose..."

"Sister..."

"It's fine Ven." Slowly, Kyrisa moved over to a log, seating herself and motioning for Aurra to do the same. When Aurra ignored her, she shrugged, continuing on. "I have been working with my clan leaders to disrupt some of what we've seen going on, and what our majicks have revealed to us. Tell me... have you been here long?"

"No."

"Then you do not know the danger of the current gatherings Matriarch, Zalem." Rubbing her hands together, she leaned forwards. "You are not from here, and unless you plan to simply attempt relocating and living among us, I would presume you wish to finish whatever it is you're doing here, and be done with it. I, and my sisters, can help... if, you'll let us."

Aurra considered her words. There wasn't anything she would be losing by helping them, and from the sound of it, she could be gaining allies to help her. Everything she was saying was a win for her, not a loss. Yet, she wasn't the one to make the choice in this; Naruto was. He was the only one who seemed to know what it was they were even doing on this forsaken forest planet. Gritting her teeth, Aurra crossed her arms.

"We wait for Naruto to wake up. Let us discuss it, and we'll decide then."

"Take your time." Kyrisa slowly let her smile widen, a glint of excitement in her expression. "I can wait..."

Moving back away from Kyrisa, Aurra slowly stared down at Naruto. His unconscious form was weak, and frail looking the way he was. With so many holes to his clothing, she almost thought that taking them off would harm him with how broken he should be. Slowly, she sat down, pulling his head into her lap and ran her fingers through his hair.

"... wake up Naruto. We need you."

With only the wind rushing through the trees in reply, Aurra slowly closed her eyes. It was going to be a long few hours, waiting to see what their choice would be.


AN: Fun times, and plannings ahead. It's amazing how fast the fight scenes can be described, but how much more thought needs to be put in for discussions as a writer. Then again, knowing what someone will say will influence them more or less in the future. Which can be great, or terrible. All the more fun to play with.

For anyone wondering, Naruto has not managed to get the full power cloak he gets when he "takes" Kurama's chakra for his own yet. Unlike in the manga/anime, Naruto hasn't had a reason to as much as he did then. There's no war here, and no one to teach him, to speed up and stimulate that power spike. Those who discuss it as being underpowered, just remember... power scaling and progression took hundreds of chapters even for Naruto. And I'm only at 142 - so I have plenty of time to play around both with power, and with expansion. And trust me, I am the most fearful about the second, since I will have a galaxy's worth of trouble to play around with.

Thank you all for your reviews, they are always great to read. If you haven't seen, the Naruto poll is done, and now there is a poll to go over the pairing options for Anakin on my Profile page. I look forward to seeing who you choose, and how I'll be able to consider and use it through the building story.

May this chapter find you well, and may the Force be with you.