Broken Angel: Rising Demon

by I LIKE FEAR 1-2

The Age of Man, is over. The Age of Magic, is about to begin. A Demon stands upon the Earth. A beast, named goddess by right of passing. Darkness settles upon the Earth, will this goddess usher in a golden age for humanity? Or will she cast them aside to drown in their own sins? Behold the rise of the demon, and the Kingdom of Albion. (Sequel to Broken Angel)

30. 30: The Preamble

Alright, time for the next chapter, this one is gonna be a long one, as it follows a huge sequence of events. So strap in folks, this one is gonna be a bit rocky.

Broken Angel: Rising Demon

Chapter 30: The Preamble

-Riley's Home, Albion. May 13th 2000-

Perfect. That was the only way to describe how Riley felt right now. Every woman she had so far developed feelings for, she now had as a mate. Fleur, Katie, Daphne, Luna, Kaede, Gaia, Yugito, and now Artoria.

From the time when she was eleven years old, to now, the various loves of her life, were now all her mates. Every woman she'd ever considered pursuing, was now hers. Would she ever love others, would she fall in love again? She didn't know, possibly, maybe, anything was possible. But for now, she had everyone that she wanted. All that was left now was to cement that bond and marry each and every one of them.

With a smile, Riley ran her eyes over her mates, taking in their slumbering forms. The only one missing was Gaia, and Riley would savor the day that she got all eight of them together at once, and made love to them.

The Demoness couldn't be happier right now, it just wasn't possible, as far as she was concerned. This, this was perfection.

The sun would rise in an hour or two, and a short while after that, her mate would begin stirring, Riley couldn't wait for that moment, as her eyes drifted to where Artoria lay, slumbering by her side. When her newest mate awoke, Riley fully intended to make love to her again.

As she planned out how she'd go about wooing her newest bed partner, in the back of her mind, a small voice began to speak up. It was barely perceivable, and it would take some time for Riley to notice it was there, but one day soon, she'd be able to hear it. A voice urging her to take the next step. To make them her paths, and grant them her powers.

That time was fast approaching, but Riley wasn't yet ready to seize upon it. Just a few more months, some time for Artoria and Yugito to settle in, than the day would come.

Only a few short months left, and the world would change.

-Later-

Artoria sat working in her office, blatantly ignoring the grinning visage of her longtime advisor Merlin.

"Stop staring at me." Artoria commanded, sending a glare at the man, who's grin only widened.

"You're positively glowing my queen." Merlin replied with a chuckle.

"You're bothering me." Artoria noted with annoyance.

"I know what that glow means. I've seen it in many a fair maiden in my day. I'm usually the cause…" Merlin continued, unabashed.

"Merlin!" Artoria warned, but he ignored her.

"So when shall we be expecting an heir?" Merlin inquired teasingly.

Artoria let out an audible sigh and rose to her feet. Her hand falling to her sword. Merlin let out a laugh as he quickly cast a spell that turned him invisible and than dashed out the door.

Artoria stared after him for several long moments before her gaze slowly drifted towards where Hashirama and Tobirama were sitting, watching the exchange.

"Anything from either of you?" Artoria questioned with a hard look.

Both men held up their hands, signaling that they had no intention of prodding at the irate queen in regards to her newly developed love life.

Letting out another sigh, Artoria returned to her seat and continued to work, she retained her composure for the rest of the day, only allowing her stoic visage to fade and a pleasant smile to take up residence on her face when the day ended and Riley appeared to invite her to her bed once more.

-May 20th 2000-

It didn't take long for Artoria to become a common presence in Riley's bed.

Riley's return to form, when it came to her sexual appetite, maintained itself with addition of Artoria. Riley mated with her and Yugito every night it seemed, along with various combinations of her other mates depending on the day and who was interested.

Though it went unsaid, all of Riley's mates felt as if some sort of timer now sat over their heads, and it was counting down. They all knew Riley intended to make them her paths, though none of them really knew what that would entail.

None had yet to ask Riley for specifics, or even a specific time. The most they knew came from Artoria who mentioned that Riley had told her she intended to give it a few months for Artoria and Yugito to settle in before she was comfortable with going through that process.

Still though, none of them knew what to expect in regards to becoming a path. The best example they had to work with was second hand information from Riley about the Akatsuki faux leader Pain, and his paths. Though in his case, he used corpses instead of live people, so how it would work with living individuals was an unknown.

All that Riley was certain of, would be that it would make them essentially a physical extension of her, and they'd have access to a portion of her ocular powers. Beyond that, the only other info they had, was that they'd share their sense of sight, being able to see through each other's eyes.

From what little information they did have, the prospect of becoming Riley's paths was an uncertain one. They all agreed that it needed to be done and could only help them in the long run, but without concrete data, and with so much uncertainty, it was a bit nerve-wracking.

More and more these thoughts occupied them, Daphne spent some of her time going over ancient textbooks in the Hellsing Manor, trying to learn what she could about people who'd been deeply bonded with demons. Unfortunately there wasn't much to be learned beyond what she already knew and had experienced.

Artoria's chats with Merlin on that matter revealed little, as he was uncertain of the process of the Eight Paths Technique and how it would uniquely affect the situation.

The only source of information they had access to was Kaguya, and when asked, her only response was that she'd never done it before, and was thus uncertain. All she knew for sure, was that they'd be 'changed'.

Whether or not she was telling the truth, was unknown. The reincarnated Rabbit Goddess, was a quiet person, always trapped in her own thoughts. She rarely spoke with others, only really talking to Madara, and Riley about her personal life and her ancient past.

Though even Riley admitted that her grandmother was very aloof and didn't like to talk about her past. Riley even noted that she suspect there were things her grandmother intentionally kept from her in regards to her past. Things she didn't want Riley to know. For what reason, Riley wasn't sure, though she respected her grandmother enough to not pry. She was forthcoming enough with some information about her history and even a bit about the Ōtsutsuki and how they harvested and tended to the God Trees to use them as a source of power and medicine in order to grant them immortality and supreme dominance.

Kaguya betrayed her clan though, when she not only ate the fruit of the Shinju, but then absorbed it entirely, which was highly taboo for lower members of the clan. Had she only eaten the fruit of the God Tree, that would have still landed her in trouble due to other circumstances she had yet to reveal, but she went even further by absorbing the entire God Tree, creating the Ten-Tails demon known as the Juubi.

There was still much to the story that was left unsaid, and Kaguya was hesitant to expand on her past. Either due to shame, or perhaps even a desire to spare her loved ones from the horrible truth, she chose to keep it to herself. Riley and Madara didn't push her on it, though because of that, the one person who may have greater knowledge as to the Rinne Sharingan's abilities, wasn't being as helpful as she possibly could be.

Regardless, they were left with a mystery and an uncertain time frame. It was coming, that's all they knew for certain.

-May 29th 2000-

Albion's power continued to grow as their economy finally began to expand after months of uncertainty and confusion. As the integration of the magical and mundane societies progressed, the development of new businesses, and new technologies began to emerge. Immigration was starting to sprout up on the magical side, as magical entrepreneurs from various nations across the planet saw new and incredible opportunities in Albion and began to immigrate into the country.

No other country had yet to begin openly accepting their magical community's integration into their own. Some were putting forth an effort, though whether those efforts were genuine or just a political stunt, was yet to be seen. The US and Russia were both claiming to openly invite their magical communities onto the political stage and assuring them that it was alright to come out of hiding, but again, it was uncertain if their offers were truly on the up-and-up, or if it was just an attempt to exploit the climate.

While some countries tried to show inclusion, others were outright hostile to the presence of a magical community within their borders, especially as more information came to light about what dark witches and wizards could do.

The recent dragon attack had sparked a swath of negative sentiment towards magical communities especially in the area of the attack around eastern Europe. Though in many places around the world, magical communities were feeling the affects of their darkest secrets coming to light.

Some knowledge about Grindelwald had decently come to light, and certain states were digging deeply into magical history causing more and more to become known. The Muggle world learning about how Grindelwald had aided the Nazis during World War II was definitely an unpleasant experience for the magical world.

Secrets about dark magic, how they could reanimate corpses, summon monsters, mind control people, read their thoughts, it was all information that painted magicals as a dangerous and highly suspicious lot, and many people were uncomfortable with the idea of entire magical state existing in their home countries free of any government oversight or control.

This lead to building animosity which resulted in some wealthier magicals deciding to make a break for it, and immigrate to Albion where they could live without fear of potential persecution as things heated up.

This in turn, led to certain magical inventors taking their ideas to Albion, for example, a number of Technomancers from China, three to be exact had already begun the process of getting out of their home country and applying for citizenship in Albion.

Those with skills in manipulating muggle technology with magic were highly sought after by the Albions so getting them into the country was a process Artoria sought to fast track.

Once brought in, Artoria intended to find the geniuses amongst these masses and put them to work in Rapture. Already she was looking into some of the brightest minds the Albions already had access to and was going through the process of vetting them for the right skills. Those that were chosen would be sworn to magical secrecy, and put to work in Rapture, on various projects, the Legion's science division beginning to slowly grow in size.

Thankfully, even a muggle could swear an oath on magic, and it would still be valid, since it wasn't some sort of spell or magical ability to swear such oaths, but actually calling upon magic itself to hold you to a promise or an oath, so anyone who could speak, or even think, could make such an oath and see it be enforced by magic.

-June 16th 2000-

More news bubbled up in the ongoing saga of magical and muggle integration across the planet. A violent attack occurred out in Germany when a pack of Werewolves were forced to vacate what had been their homes for nearly ten years. When the local learned of the pack's presence, they began to voice their displeasure and fear, noting what had happened in Albion with Millennium.

So one day, en masse, a mod along with local police went to the home of the pack and tried to force them to leave the area. The werewolves refused at first, which triggered some violence when some within the mob began blaming the wolves for disappearances and unsolved murders in the area. Despite there being no proof either way, the mob was convinced that it was the wolves that were responsible, and so they treated them as such.

Fighting broke out when some of the mob, attempted to brandish silver weapons and trinkets, namely a silver letter opener someone had, as well as silver jewelry. No doubt the mob hoped or had heard that werewolves could be hurt or killed by silver so they grabbed what silver they had in their possession not realizing that you actually had to get that silver into the wolf's body for it to start to become fatal for them, simply brandishing it did nothing but show you had it.

The wolves though, were on edge, and didn't take kindly to the threats. It wasn't a full moon so none of them could transform, but most of them were trained witches and wizards on top of being werewolves, so wands were drawn, which led to firearms being drawn, which led to a clash that resulted in three police officers, and a half dozen members of the mob being hurt by various spells, one man even lost his life when his leg was taken off by a blasting spell.

The wolves then retreated into their den, and the locals surrounded it and basically held them inside for hours.

It quickly became national news, and almost immediately went international.

Not long after hearing about the incident, Artoria sent an ambassador to the German Ministry of Magic, offering the aid of Hellsing in 'dealing' with the werewolves.

Werewolves were seen as dark creatures all throughout Europe so when the offer was made to 'deal' with them, everyone knew what was really being said. The German Ministry was as first hesitant to allow the involvement of a foreign government, but when the German government heard about the offer, they saw it as an opportunity to further relations with Albion, as well as easily get rid of a problem, so they pushed the Ministry to send back a response of agreement.

Artoria than contacted Daphne with orders for Hellsing to travel to the area and help remove the werewolves, though her intention wasn't to kill them, but to offer them sanctuary in Albion. Artoria had no qualms about 'dark' creatures, she'd be a hypocrite if she did, considering her choice of bed partners. As far as Hellsing knew, and as far as the German Ministry was aware, this werewolf pack had done nothing to illicit this type of aggression. They had been under observation by the German Ministry for years, as most magical governments kept records of the locations and activities of the various magical peoples within their countries.

This pack had been turned into a scapegoat by the locals, and their actions would no doubt hurt magical and mundane relations throughout Europe, especially those from darker leaning families.

Riley herself didn't bother to hide her displeasure in regards to this event, and even took the opportunity to step in front of camera to voice her anger at what was happening. When asked by the reporters that she spoke to, her response made sure to include how she had basically been raised by a werewolf, and he'd been nothing but kind and caring to her.

Sirius wasn't far behind in voicing his support, and soon many of Riley's old gang, who now held their family seats in the Wizengamot were openly voicing their anger at the situation, many of them fondly remembering one of their favorite DADA teachers from school.

Remus kept his head down during all of this, despite his name never being revealed, it did make him feel a bit awkward and bashful to have Riley and so many of his old students speaking out on his behalf.

Hell a few of his students in Hogwarts caught wind of it, and those that knew he was a werewolf, openly showed their support

Needless to say, with the outpouring of support from her own magical community, Artoria saw an opportunity to seize on the situation, and set an example for the magical peoples of the world, and aid what appeared to be an innocent group that were only trying to defend themselves and their home.

-Germany, June 17th 2000-

Daphne and Walter approached the cave where the werewolves were holed up. Surrounding the cave were dozens of armed police officers and federal agents, some of them decked out for war.

Waiting at the scene was the mayor of the town, the local chief of police, as well as a representative sent from the German Ministry of Magic.

"The specialists are here." The representative noted as he saw Daphne and Walter approach.

"So these are your so called 'monster hunters'? They don't look like much." The police chief stated as he took note of the two, both dressed professionally, and not at all what one would picture when they were told about a crack team of monster slayers.

"There's only two of you?" The mayor asked.

"Two is more than needed." Daphne responded, her gaze icy, hardly sparing the man a glance as she stepped past him and gazed into the cave.

"There are about a dozen of them in there. They've already killed several people, and I want them dealt with. The police are ready to go in there and deal with them but the Ministry of Magic has been quite insistent that we take your help." The mayor began explaining.

"That's probably because they don't want you to be slaughtered. Unless you're armed with silver bullets or flamethrowers, it doesn't matter how much firepower you throw into that cave, it'll end the same way. Werewolves are immune to all forms of damage save those caused by silver, fire, or powerful magic. Their regenerative powers are such that they can even survive being set on fire for a short time. The German Ministry accepted our aid because they know you'll all end up getting killed and they don't want a bigger mess to clean up." Daphne responded, not looking at the man, her gaze still locked on the cave.

"What so the two of you got enough magic or whatever to take on twelve of these things?" The police chief asked.

"Were I so inclined, I could have Walter here handle them with ease. He's faced far worse odds than a dozen werewolves. Especially with how they are now, in their human form, they are far less dangerous." Daphne replied, earning a chuckle of amusement from Walter.

"Indeed. With that in mind though, we best deal with this tonight, ser Daphne. The full moon is tomorrow, and when they turn, they'll storm out of the cave and slaughter all of these people." Walter made note.

His words caused the mayor, police chief, and magical representative to turn their gazes up to the sky, where the moon sat nearly full. A cold shiver passed through the lot of them at the thought of a dozen monstrous creatures rushing out the cave to commence with a brutal attack.

"You mentioned multiple deaths they were responsible for? Aside from the man killed in the opening brawl, who else have they killed?" Daphne asked.

"Well all the people that've gone missing over the last few years. There's at least a half dozen of them. These monsters need to be dealt with before they kill more people!" The mayor replied.

"These missing people, did you ever locate their bodies? Are you so certain that they're dead?" Daphne inquired.

"No, the wolves must have eaten them. We'll probably find a trove of skeletons in that cave. The wolves have probably been hiding the bodies in there." The police chief chose to respond.

"I see." Daphne hummed.

She stared at the cave for several long moments before letting out a sigh.

She began to advance on the cave, Walter walking alongside her.

"Hey! Wait! What is she…?" The mayor called out, confused.

"Are we supposed to follow her, what is this?" The police chief asked the magical representative.

The man in question offered a shrug, which earned a growl from the police officer and he quickly ordered the surrounding officers and agents to begin advancing and follow the duo.

The two made it to the entrance of the cave where they felt a magical barrier set up to alert the wolves inside when someone tried to enter.

The two passed through heading into the interior of the cave.

It was a rather large cave, pressed in the side of a hill. It appeared to have been carved out over the years by water passing down through the hill and clearing out a decent sized space inside.

The two passed around a bend, followed by a horde of about two dozen cops and federal agents. There, waiting for them were the werewolves, wands already drawn and ready for a fight.

"Hold it right there!" The pack leader snarled. Upon seeing him, several of the trailing cops trained their guns on him, and began to shout, their orders were silenced immediately by Daphne casting a silencing spell over the cluster of police.

Their shouting soon turned to surprise and confusion as they realized they were no longer making sounds.

As the police dealt with that, the wolves shared glanced with one another, also confused.

"Greetings pack leader. I am Daphne Greengrass Slytherin Hellsing, head of the Hellsing Organization. I've been sent here on behalf of the Queen of Albion, Artoria Pendragon, to put an end to this dispute and prevent further bloodshed." Daphne declared, causing the wolves to share more glances with one another.

"Queen of Albion sent you? Why?" The pack leader asked.

"Your situation has made international news. She saw that you were in need, so she's offering to help. She is offering to allow you to come and live in Albion. There you wont have to hide what you are. You'll be free to live your lives as members of society once more. You won't have to live in fear." Daphne explained to them.

"Are you serious? Just like that?" One of the younger wolves asked.

"Just like that. These people seem convinced you're responsible for the disappearances around these parts, and the Ministry is offering little in the way of help in clearing your names. I know they've kept tabs on you, they'd know if you were the ones causing those disappearances. If they haven't sent aurors to deal with you yet, that tells me that they know you aren't responsible, and they either aren't telling the locals, or the locals aren't listening. Either or, these men want to kill you. They probably expect me to kill you, which is why they're so dumbstruck right now." Daphne continued, her words earning a smirk from the werewolf leader as he noted that the cops were indeed confused and dumbstruck by hearing Daphne's words. Without the ability to make any sounds of their own, all they could do was stand there, pointing their guns at the wolves and making threatening gestures.

"Take my offer. I have a port-key prepared to take you to Albion. Aurors are waiting there, you'll be questioned to confirm without a shadow of a doubt that you had no involvement in the disappearing locals, and once your innocence has been proven, you'll be placed somewhere safe until the full moon passes, then your pack is free to go about handling your transition into Albion citizens." Daphne explained to the wolves, being very clear and open about what they intended so that there would be no surprised waiting for the agitated wolf pack.

The wolves shared a glance with one another, having a non-verbal conversation before the leader turned his gaze back to her.

"You're the same woman who fought in the Battle of London right? I heard about your organization, you're supposed to be monster hunters." The pack leader questioned.

"You're right. Normally my job is to exterminate monsters. You're not monsters though, as far as I can tell. My wife was raised by a werewolf, and I was taught by one in school, I fought alongside werewolves during the Fourth Great Ninja War. I have no fear of your kind, and neither does my Queen. She makes you this offer because she believes you are innocent. She sent me to deal with this situation because at it's base, that is what the Hellsing Organization does. We deal with threats of a paranormal nature. Most of the time, that involves killing it, but not always. Make no mistake, were she and I wrong and you were the monsters these people believe you are, I'd have no problem or issue with killing you all right here. So, gather your things, and accept my offer, these people will never leave you alone otherwise." Daphne said to them.

The wolves shared glances once more before slowly lowering their wands. After a few moments, the pack leader made a motion and the others turned and began to gather their things.

"What are you doing?" Came the question from the magical representative who'd finally caught up with them.

"Taking these people away from here." Daphne responded coolly.

"What about the people they killed?" He asked.

"Person. They killed one person. Someone who came to their home and threatened them. Who participated in a fight that got him killed. I don't care what your laws say. If you go to someone's house and threaten them with a dangerous weapon, and they fight back and kill you, I'm not going to hold it against them. Your Ministry should have intervened the moment you heard about these people marching on the werewolves' den. Now a muggle is dead, and it's on you to deal with that. I'm preventing further casualties by removing the problem. Either stand aside, or I will move you aside." Daphne commanded him, her gaze intense and dangerous.

The man stared back at her for a moment, before slowly nodding. Regardless of his opinion, the Ministry had ordered that Hellsing be allowed to handle the situation, and handle it they were. If the wolves were leaving without a fight, than that meant twelve fewer werewolves for the German Ministry to have to deal with in their country. If Albion wanted them so badly, they could have the beasts.

After a moment or two, the wolves finished gathering their belongings, and approached Daphne. She offered the leader a port-key, along with the activation phrase. It would take them all directly to the Legion Headquarters, where they could be questioned and kept safe until the full moon passed.

The pack leader offered his thanks and than said the activation phrase, causing his entire pack to vanish into thin air.

Daphne stared in silence at the place they'd been for a second or two before turning and heading back towards the entrance. As she and Walter made it through the crowd of police, Daphne undid the silencing spell, allowing the cops to speak once more.

Confused yelling and questions filled the air as the duo exited the cave.

"Well, what happened?" The mayor asked as the two exited followed by the magical representative, and a horde of officers.

"Your wolf problem has been dealt with." Daphne responded simply.

"The wolves were sent away from here. They are no longer a problem." The magical representative offered.

"You helped them escape! Those monsters have killed innocent people, and you just let them get away!" The police chief shouted at her, the mayor mirroring his words.

"You have no proof that any of the missings were caused by this pack of wolves. Where they've gone, they'll be questioned and we'll learn the truth. If they are in-fact responsible for the disappearances, than they'll be taken into custody and transferred to the German Ministry for prosecution, if they aren't however, than the only death they had a hand in was the one cause by the angry mob that attacked their home, a mob you didn't stop." Daphne replied, her tone cool, and level.

"I can't believe this. I knew this was a bad idea. You and your merry band of freaks over there in Albion don't give a damn about the lives of us normal people. It doesn't matter if we're hurt by your monsters, it only matters that they're kept safe!" The chief snapped at her.

"I'm guessing you knew one of the missings? You want your pound of flesh, I understand. If the wolves are guilty they'll face justice for the disappearances, but if not, than we'll have save twelve people from an angry mob. If you're wrong and the wolves had nothing to do with it, than your people are the ones responsible for the death and injuries caused by your attack on the wolves' den. You chose to come up here, you chose the threaten them, you chose to pick and fight, and someone died because of you. If the wolves are guilty there will be justice, and if not, we'll have saved them from you. I care about all innocent lives, magical or muggle, it makes no difference to me. I will do what I can to help others, regardless of their heritage, do not assume to know me." Daphne responded, again remaining calm and cool.

The police chief scowled at her and let out a growl but said nothing more.

"We should go. If we learn anything incriminating, the Ministry will hear from us, if not, than our dealings in this regard, have ended. Good day, gentlemen." Daphne stated to the trio after a few quiet moments. She and Walter than began walking. They made it several yards before Daphne drew their own port-key and held it out for Walter. Once he was touching it, the two vanished from sight, both intent on returning home to relax and celebrate another job well done.

-June 18th 2000-

The wolves were found innocent, no surprise there really. Unless the wolves were intentionally kidnapping people to eat in their den, any attacks out in the area around there home would have been done in werewolf form, and werewolves don't clean up after themselves, so there would have been bodies found.

Thankfully, the wolves had an alibi for where they were on any given full moon. They hunted one hundred kilometers west of their den, in a deep forest, where magical creatures resided. So the chances of them running into humans while transformed was very low, and it meant they were unlikely to hurt anyone. The pack had a good mentality in keeping to themselves, and they'd definitely be sticking to it, with what had happened.

With their innocence proven, they'd be kept in the hidden village over night, put to sleep by genjutsu while in werewolf form, and in the morning they would be taken to the ministry where they could begin the process of becoming citizens of Albion. Afterwards, a place would be set for them, as well as getting them access to Wolfsbane potions, which Artoria had decided to regulate as it's use could allow a werewolf to retain their faculties after transformation, which would likely lower the casualties caused by werewolf attacks to almost zero.

So she put in place incentives to see the potion mass produced, and with Hashirama's help, special greenhouses were built where the land was infused with his nature energy. This ensured that plants placed there would grow rapidly, allowing for speedy production of what had once been rare elixirs.

With access to such greenhouses, the Ministry was able to sell the ingredients for various potions at a much cheaper price, which allowed the various potion brewers to make more of the potion and also sell it at a cheaper price. Thus production of things like Wolfsbane potions went up, while the prices went down.

So with that in mind, it wouldn't be difficult for these new werewolves to settle in, and begin looking for work. With the dark now having the strongest voice in government, the verbal attacks against various dark creatures had dropped to almost zero in Albion, so creatures like vampires and werewolves were much more likely to find work and build a stable life for themselves.

All in all, Albion's actions had granted them a certain reputation, a willingness to fight for magical rights, even if they weren't Albions. People were already talking about it. While Artoria forbade anyone from openly condemning the German Ministry for no helping, she made sure it was known that here in Albion, all peoples were equal, and held to the same laws and regulations. Special exceptions would be made due to the unique circumstances of a person's species, but beyond that, all people in Albion were her subjects, and she would protect them all.

-Riley's Home, London, Albion. June 24th 2000-

Riley awoke later in the day. She had been enjoying some good dreams and chose to remain asleep as her mates stirred and got ready for their days. Only two now remained with her in bed. Yugito, and Kaede. Yugito was awake, and quietly admired Riley's slumbering form, while Kaede was still knocked out, both ladies were tucked against her, on either side.

Riley turned her head and opened her eyes, meeting with Yugito's gaze.

"Morning." Riley quietly whispered.

"Morning." Yugito responded, leaning forward to plant a kiss on Riley's lips.

The two held the kiss for several long moments before separating. A smile adorned either of their faces as they locked eyes.

"Doing anything interesting today?" Riley asked.

"I've got reports to file, and the time is coming for me to transfer back to Kumo for a month or so." Yugito replied.

Riley stared at her for a moment, blinking several times. "Wait, that's coming up? It feels like you haven't been transferred back in a while?"

"I haven't. When the time came around I sent word to them letting them know you and I were getting closer, and that being the main reason I'm really here, they held off on me going back, but that extra time has also passed. They shortened the time I'll be in Kumo to only a month, but than I'll spend two months in Suna with lady Kazekage." Yugito offered in explanation.

"Oh, I see. Well I'll come visit you every day, have fun while you're there, I can see you getting homesick sometimes, so enjoy it while it lasts." Riley told her, earning a nod and a smile.

"Hey Yugito…?" Riley inquired after a moment of quiet.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"What do you think about getting married in the summer of next year?" Riley asked.

Yugito blinked several times and sat up, staring down at Riley with some surprise.

"N-next summer? I… I mean… sure. I'd like that." Yugito got out, her mind obviously in a whirl.

"Sorry to spring that on you. I just know when you go back, they're going to ask you about marriage. Since I'm now married to Gaia, they'll want you and I to get married soon, so they'll want to know. I figure we'll set it for around this time next year, if you're alright with that. Give us time to prepare, and spend more time getting to know each other." Riley offered as an explanation.

"Yes, you're right. Well I think I'd like a summer wedding. Never really given it much thought, but I'd like to have it in the Land of Lightning, if that's alright?" Yugito responded, earning a smile from Riley.

"Wherever you want babe. We can have it on the damn moon if that's what'll make you happy." Riley replied, causing Yugito to giggle and settle back in, snuggling up to Riley's side.

Riley kissed her forehead before turning to Kaede, who was no longer sleeping, but kept her eyes closed, pretending that she was.

"And what about you, my love?" Riley asked, causing Kaede's eyes to open.

"What about me?" Kaede asked, her ruby eyes meeting with Riley's.

"What are your thoughts on marriage. When do you wanna get married?" Riley inquired.

"It doesn't matter to me. I'm already yours, now and forever. If you wanna get married, I'm more than happy to, but I don't really care either way. If one day you wake up and decide that, that day is fine, than I'll happily become your wife. I don't need celebration, or other people even. I don't even care if it's officiated or not. You can just start calling me your wife and I'd be happy." Kaede answered honestly.

Riley smiled at her and kissed her head.

"That sounds spontaneous." Yugito noted, earning a chuckle from Riley.

"That it does. Say, Yugito, when do you go back?" Riley inquired.

"Tuesday of next week." Yugito answered.

"Today is Friday right?" Riley asked, sitting up.

"Yeah." Yugito answered.

"Okay." Riley said a smile touching at her face.

"Hey everybody, me and Kaede are getting married tomorrow, you wanna show up, it'll be at my house." Riley sent out over the Gravemind link, to all of her friends, family, comrades, and acquaintances.

Yugito let out a laugh as Kaede shot up, shock plastered on her face.

Riley glanced at her, and grinned. Kaede stared back for several long moments before a smile tore across her face and she started to shake.

"You said you didn't care when or how." Riley noted. "If you don't give a damn about ceremony or spectacle, I'll marry your ass now in my casual ware, if that's alright."

Kaede quickly threw herself at Riley, wrapping her in an embrace.

"Guess I know what I'm doing today." Yugito noted with a chuckle, earning a wink from Riley.

The rest of the day was filled with speedy preparations. On such short notice, not many people would be in attendance, but that ultimately didn't matter. Riley was fine with it just being her and Kaede, everyone else was simply a bonus.

Unlike with Riley's other weddings, there were no parties before hand, Riley slept with Kaede in her arms that night, and early the next morning, the two would get ready for their wedding.

The plan was to just go before a goblin, have him perform the ritual/ceremony, the two could say their vows and become wives.

Riley put in the order today for a ring to be made for Kaede, but it would still take a few days to complete it, so when it was done, she'd give it to her, but otherwise, the two were happy with just an in and out sort of thing. No big celebrations, or parties, just their friends, family, and loved ones, offering them their best wishes.

It was spontaneous, but it was something that made Kaede happy, and that's all that really mattered to Riley.

-Riley's Home, London, Albion. June 25th 2000-

It was a sunny day out, with dozens of people gathered to witness the wedding ceremony. Many of the silpelits had come up from Hashirama's orphanage, and Kaede's little brother was there too. Many of Riley's friends were there, as well as most of her family.

It was going to be a quick event, just the marriage ceremony, maybe some drinks, toasts, food, but neither Riley nor Kaede were interested in a long celebration. This was a cementing of their ties to each other. It was something Kaede wanted, but she was uninterested in the celebrations, or partying. She had, and probably always would be a shy young woman, so she didn't like being the spotlight, so as quickly as the two could say their vows, and be married, the happier she'd be.

Riley was more than happy to give her that. It's how she felt in regards to all of her mates, she'd do whatever they wanted, because being married to them, was all Riley wanted. What form that took, didn't matter. Something short and quick like this, that was fine, something long, extravagant, planned out and full of partying and celebrating, that was also fine.

Kaede stood waiting for everything to begin, her nerves starting to get the best of her.

"Relax, you look wonderful, and you know how Riley feels about you, everything's going to be great." Katie assured her.

"I should have just told her I wanted something in the winter. Or fall. Anything else… I didn't think I'd be this nervous, but I am." Kaede responded as she stared at herself in the mirror of their shared bedroom.

"Do not be. It is almost like you two are eloping. It is so very romantic. Ze moment Riley heard that you did not care, she immediately set your wedding for ze next day. Showing zat she was ready to marry you in a heartbeat. I zink it is so beautiful." Fleur offered to her, earning a look from Kaede.

"She's right, go out there, say your vows, allow the marriage bond to go through, then the two of you can just go somewhere and spend some time together, just the two of you. Ask Riley to take you into Kamui and the two of you can spend as much time together as you want. Don't worry yourself Kaede." Daphne assured her.

Kaede offered a slow nod as she took in a breath.

"You ready in here?" Came the question from Gaia as she stepped into the room.

"Yes… I'm ready." Kaede responded after taking another breath.

"Well than, let's get this show on the road." Katie stated cheerfully as everyone began filing out of the bedroom.

Just as had been planned, the ceremony was short and sweet. Riley and Kaede were both dressed in white robes and stood before one another. They exchanged simple wedding bands, which Riley would replace once the custom ring she wanted for Kaede was finished being made.

Much like her wedding with Daphne, a goblin officiated the joining. He spoke the words, and called upon the two to speak their vows to one another as they placed their rings.

"Kaede, from the day we first met, I knew there was something special about you. You reminded me a lot of myself, and because of that, I wanted to get to know you. You didn't make it easy, you pushed back, but never once did I ever consider walking away. The more time I spent with you, the more I came to admire you, desire you, love you. I could see the loneliness in your eyes, and I wanted with ever fiber of my being to make it go away. I wanted to be your friend, and… at some point, I started to want to be something more. I love the time we've gotten to spend with each other. Every day I spend with you is better than the last. I want to spend the rest of our live together, calling you my wife. I'm so happy to be standing here with you. You've filled my life with happiness, understanding, and love, and I know, you always will. I love you, Kaede, you're one of the most beautiful people I've ever known. I love you with all my heart, and I want to thank you for being my friend, my lover, and soon, my wife." Riley said her vows, earning a gentle blush from Kaede as she smiled. She reached out and pulled Riley into an embrace, earning awws from the ladies in the crowd.

The two held the embrace for a few long moments before separating, Kaede beaming with a happy smile.

"I love you so much Riley. I always will. Your my best friend, and every day you make me feel like it's the best day of my life. I don't know what else to say but thank you. Thank you for trying to be my friend, for being my friend, for always being there for me, and helping me through some truly difficult things. I love you, Riley. It's one of the only things I know with absolute certainty. I love you, and that'll never change." Kaede replied, still beaming with happiness.

Riley too smiled at her words and rested her forehead to Kaede's.

The two held one another as the goblin minister called upon magic to see the two united together in marriage.

Both of their magics poured out and mixed, uniting the two and bonding them as a married couple. The crowd rose in cheers, as Kaede and Riley shared a kiss with one another, remaining a hold of each other after they finished their kiss.

"Kaede… my beautiful wife, you ready to meet and greet and then get the hell outta here?" Riley whispered.

"Absolutely." Kaede replied.

And the two did just that. A very short reception was held, allowing everyone to eat and drink and just have a good time. It wasn't so much a wedding reception, as it was basically a community barbecue. The wedding itself was short, only about an hour long, and then everyone got to eat, so most people were able to fit it into there schedules.

Riley and Kaede made the rounds, thanking everyone for coming, accepting everyone's congratulations, and generally just saying hello to everyone.

About the longest conversation Riley and Kaede stopped for was between, Draco, Hermione, and several of Riley's mates.

"So when are you two tying the knot?" Katie inquired.

"Draco and I have talked about it, we're planning for sometime in the spring of next year. We'll settle on an official date here in the next few weeks." Hermione answered.

"That's awesome. So who are you gonna have as your best man Draco, considering your best friend is a girl?" Katie asked with a teasing grin.

"Eh, I think Riley could pull off a suit." Draco mused, earning chuckles from the surrounding ladies.

"Eh I'll manage it. What about the groomsmen? Gonna have me just fill all the roles?" Riley inquired.

"Maybe. Hey if we do it like that, you can have a clone be one of Hermione's bridesmaids." Draco suggested.

"Aww. Hey wait. You planning on it being the traditional game, where each the bridesmaids and the groomsmen walk down the isle? Because if so, I can just make clone for each of them, don't have to worry about any more groomsmen." Riley suggested, earning a snort of amusement from Hermione while Draco pictured the idea in his head.

"You're just vein enough, I can see you walking everyone down the isle, including yourself." Draco replied, earning laughs from the others, while Riley playfully swat at him.

"Prat." Riley mumbled, amongst the giggling of her friends and mates.

"So Katie, Luna, when are you two planning on getting married?" Hermione inquired, curious since those two had been with Riley quite a longtime, Katie especially as she was the second of Riley's mates.

"Eh, when the time is right and things settle down. I mean I wouldn't mind a big wedding, but nothing overly huge or extravagant. I'd want something more, typical you know. While some of us are happy to just go into Kamui and spend a month or so relaxing, I want to actually go somewhere in the world, spend a week or two exploring, having fun. With everything so hectic right now, what with the political world on fire, and with my work with the Legion, it's not the best time. Maybe sometime late next year, or the year afterwards, that way we can get everything all squared away and settled, so that when Riley and I go on our honeymoon, we can actually go somewhere in the world, and have a vacation." Katie replied, Riley nodding in understanding and agreement with her logic.

"Well if that's the case, than we'll start planning sometime around the start of next year, figure out what we wanna do, where we'll go, get everything set up and make sure our schedules are cleared up." Riley offered, earning a happy nod from Katie.

"What about you Luna? Anything you're waiting on?" Hermione turned the question to Luna.

"No. I'd like to get married in the winter, but I think I'd like to wait on it, just a bit. Never really thought I'd end up getting married, but I am happy that's a possibility. Sometime next year probably." Luna offered, Riley offering her a smile, which she returned.

"Well that's good to hear. Four down, four to go. Now you need to figure out dates for Yugito and Artoria and you'll finally have all eight of them nailed down." Draco noted, earning a smile from Riley.

"Yep, already talked with Yugito about it. We'll probably look at something in the summer of next year. Me and Artoria still gotta talk about it though. So I've got a summer wedding with Yugito, a winter wedding for Luna, possibly another winter wedding for Katie, either at the end of next year, or early the following year. Not much longer…" Riley noted, sharing a glance with Kaede who followed along with her.

"So Mrs Uzumaki, how does it feel to finally be married?" Katie inquired to Kaede, using the last name she had inherited through her marriage with Riley.

"That is something I'll have to get used to. I've never had a last name before, or belonged to a clan. Beyond that though, I'm happy. Happy to finally be Riley's wife, happy that she's finally my wife." Kaede replied.

"Happy you get to spend a few weeks alone with our favorite troublemaker?" Katie asked teasingly, earning a bashful blush from Kaede who nodded.

"I'm looking forward to it too. Speaking of which, we should probably finish making the rounds before people start leaving." Riley suggested, pulling Kaede along with her to speak with the others. They spent some time speaking with Kakashi, Naruko, and Hinata. Riley spent a moment speaking with Kaede's little brother, assuring the boy that they were family now, and if he ever needed anything, all he had to do was ask her, and Riley would help him out.

The boy was elated for his elder sister, and was already calling Riley, big sister, as well. Riley was more than happy to add the boy to the list of siblings she now had through marriage which included Gabrielle through Fleur, Astoria through Daphne, and Kankuro and Temari, through Gaia.

They spent a few minutes with Kushina, Sirius, Remus, and Severus, where Kushina spent the time welcoming Kaede to the Uzumaki clan, and playfully noting how she already looked the part.

Not long afterwards, Riley swung by to see her grandparents, and uncles, before finishing up by enjoying a toast with Shisui, Draco, and several of their friends from school, afterwards, Riley and Kaede vanished into Kamui.

Within the pocket dimension, Riley and Kaede spent every waking moment with each other. What was originally planned to be a two week getaway, quickly drew out to a month.

Unlike with Gaia, Kaede didn't have work to focus on in the outside world, as long as time wasn't flowing overly quickly, she was more than happy to extend their time within the pocket dimension.

Riley and her spent every day with one another, enjoyed post marital bliss. They chatted endlessly, talked about when they would start a family together, they of course spent a lot of time, connected at the hip.

More time began to pass and eventually the two had spent nearly a month within Kamui. While Riley was beginning to miss her mates, she'd spent far longer away from them than this, so she was happy to go as long as Kaede wanted too. After over four and a half weeks, the two finally left Kamui and returned back to their home, less than four hours having passed since their departure.

-June 29th 2000-

Several days after her marriage to Kaede, Riley took the opportunity to talk with Artoria about when she thought would be best for the two of them to be married.

While Artoria was naturally a bit bashful about the conversation, Riley was able to get a determined answer out of her when she made note of the political ramifications since Riley was now married to the Kazekage, and would be married to Yugito next year.

After hearing from Riley what Yugito, Luna, and Katie, had planned, Artoria decided that sometime in the late winter, early spring of next year would be fine. That way Riley's marriages for next year would likely be separated by about three or four months, depending on the exact date, which would allow them to be focused on for a bit longer.

Riley was more than happy to agree to that.

-July 15th 2000-

Time continued to pass, the days blurring together, as Riley began to mentally prepare herself for the day when she would ask her mates to finally become her paths. It hadn't yet come up in direct conversations, but they all knew it was coming closer. Riley had spent the last two weeks training with Sasuke and Naruko, having decided to go through with her idea of teaching the two.

Both had progressed incredibly far since Riley had seen them again for the first time at Hogwarts in fourth year.

With Naruko's Rinnegan and Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, the two were quickly blowing away their competition. Both came from incredible pedigrees, and had an insatiable drive to improve themselves.

Already Riley had taken them both into Kamui for a month long training trip on top of the two weeks, and she planned on doing it again.

Despite the hard work, both responded well to Riley's teachings. Sasuke showed his natural genius, and Naruko was always eager to impress her older sister, and so she was always giving one hundred and ten percent, soaking up everything Riley had to teach her.

It wouldn't surprise Riley if the two could soon be officially classed as S-Ranked shinobi. They had the natural powers for it, that was without question. With Naruko's command of the Rinnegan only growing with each passing day, and Sasuke's limitless access to Amaterasu and Susano'o, both already possessed the raw power to be classified as S-level threats. All that remained was the skill to apply.

-Riley's Home, London, Albion. August 7th 2000-

Riley stepped out of her house to find Luna standing before her, staring up at the sky. A heavy downpour was currently underway, and the season was starting to turn over into fall. There was a minor chill in the air, something that could be concerning for anyone caught out in this weather.

Luna seemed transfixed on the sky, and she was already soaked to the bone.

"Luna?" Riley asked as she stepped up behind her.

"Yes?" Luna asked, still staring up at the cloudy sky as it dumped rainwater down onto the earth.

"What are you doing out here? It's pouring, and you're soaked." Riley inquired.

"I'm watching the rain." Luna replied, dreamily.

"Why?" Riley asked, curiously.

"Everything is a blur, there are so many drops of water, and they're moving so fast I can barely follow any of them…" Luna responded, earning confusion from Riley.

"You can't see it can you?" Luna asked, a smile spreading across her face. Though Riley detected a hint of cheer in her tone, it wasn't a happy sort of cheer, more like a cheer born of some kind of validation, like she was happy she was right about something.

Behind that cheer, Riley sensed sadness.

Slowly, Riley raised her gaze towards the sky. Through her eyes, she could make out every water droplet in her field of vision. Countless thousands that fell before her, and she clearly make out each one and track any individual one down to the ground if she wanted. Everything was so very clear to her eyes, so Riley didn't quite understand what Luna was talking about.

Luna may be weird sometimes, but their was always sense behind her strangeness. Luna knew things, understood things, better than most, so despite her confusion, Riley knew this wasn't some sort of shenanigan, it was something deeper, more profound, she just didn't understand it.

Sensing her confusion, Luna spoke again. "There's a certain beauty to the unknown. A sense of discovery. I can see some of the rain drops, but not all of them, not even a meaningful percentage of them. Even with all my training, with how keen my eyes have become, there are so many of them, and they're all moving at once. I can't see them all. It's the same with a lot of things. I realized today that when I have your eyes, I'll be able to see these things that I couldn't before."

Riley stared at her beloved mate for several long seconds, finally understanding what she was saddened by.

Riley approached her and wrapped her arms around Luna, resting her chin on Luna's shoulder.

"There's a beauty in the unknown, in discovering things you didn't notice before. I wont be able to miss things like that anymore, once I have your eyes, and I see things like you do. I realized that today, and realized that I would miss it. So I came out here to watch the rain, and admire the things I can't really see. I think my heads been infested with wrackspurts as of late. I've noticed them around more." Luna noted poetically, yet with her same usual dreaminess.

Riley took in a breath as she considered Luna's words. She could understand what Luna meant, Riley did see everything. She saw it all with a clarity that couldn't be matched. She could understand why Luna would be dwelling on something like this, so she decided to cheer her up.

Riley held out one of her hands, and over her palm, a mirror made of ice formed from the rain that fell. It only held for a second, but it was long enough for Luna to look at it, and for her eyes to meet the reflection of Riley's own.

In an instant, Luna was placed under a genjutsu. The entire world seemed to slow down around her. The rain began to hold in the air, falling at only about a twentieth of it's normal speed.

"I understand what you mean. There is beauty in seeing things that you missed the first time. There's joy to be had in discovery. But… there's also something incredible about not missing these beautiful things. Sometime they're only there for an instant, and then they're gone. When you can see like I can, you notice these beautiful things." Riley offered as a rebuttal.

Luna's smile grew as she reached out, touching at a water droplet as it slowly descended towards the ground.

"You're right, of course. Thank you for showing me this." Luna stated, taking in the clarity of the world around her, even if it was an illusion.

"It's almost time, isn't it?" Riley asked after a moment.

"Whenever you're ready. It's on everyone's mind." Luna answered back.

Riley slowly nodded at that. "Should we go and get the others, or wait until tonight?"

"Tonight is fine. If you're alright with it, I'd like to stay like this for a bit longer." Luna asked her.

"Of course, whatever you want my love." Riley replied as she allowed herself to focus on holding her beloved Luna in her arms.

-That Night-

"Alright ladies, thank you all for coming." Riley addressed all of her mates, most of them were already in their pajamas, save for Gaia who was actually pulled away from work, and Yugito who was back in Kumo at the moment.

"What's going on Riley?" Artoria asked.

"Yeah, this seems kinda random." Katie noted.

"One month from now… I want to make you all my paths. I know you guys have been thinking about it, I know I've been kinda wishy-washy on the time, so there it is. Sometime around the beginning of September, we'll go into Kamui, and I'll make you my paths. I'll train you while we're in there. The whole process will take about a year or so to make sure you can handle and control my powers, and so I can train with the Sage of the Six Paths, I have to make it that long to ensure that you're fully trained, and that I learn everything the Sage needs to teach me, because once I call him, I don't think he can come back another time. So… one year in Kamui, it'll be about two or three days out here. So… any questions, complaints, concerns?" Riley laid it all out for them.

"One month aye?" Katie hummed to herself as she sat back thought to herself.

"What can we expect from this process?" Gaia asked.

"You know the basics. I'll make you into my Paths. That'll grant you all a portion of my ocular powers. You'll gain access to the Rinne Sharingan, and it's physical abilities most likely. Meaning that you'll become faster, stronger, tougher, smarter. The presence of these eyes enhances all base abilities to a substantial level and there's no reason why you wouldn't gain those benefits as well. They might be to a lesser degree than what I get from these eyes, but you'll still get a base power boost. Also, as all of you could probably guess, your eyes will become a mirror image of mine. Besides that, you'll also share a field of vision with one another, as well as me. Meaning each of us, will be seeing from nine points of view, simultaneously. I don't know if we can shut that power off, and I don't know if that is the only sense we'll share since the only other person this technique was used on, he used corpses." Riley answered, explaining things to best of her abilities.

"So when you say we'll gain access to a portion of your ocular abilities…?" Yugito began.

"I mean specifically the powers tied to the paths of the Rinne Sharingan. With the normal Six Paths Technique, you'd just gain access to one of the paths as well as the basic ocular powers of the Rinnegan. With the Rinne Sharingan, you may also gain access to the perceptive powers of the Sharingan to go along with one of the paths. In a sense, each one of you will have access to one of the paths of the Rinne Sharingan. So the Deva Path, Asura Path, Human Path, Animal Path, Preta Path, Naraka Path, Akasa Path, and the Dhyana Path. Each of you will gain the powers of one of these paths. I've already decided on who's getting what, based off of your skills, powers, what I believe would either best enhance your current abilities, or cover for your weaknesses." Riley explained to them, earning quiet contemplation from the ladies as they thought on that.

"Alright, who's getting what? Best we know ahead of time so we can mentally prepare." Daphne asked.

"Alright, who, what, and why, here we go." Riley began, clapping her hands together as she prepared to speed through this. "Fluer, as my first mate, and first love, is getting the Deva Path, that means control over attractive and repulsive forces. Gaia is getting the Asura Path, I don't use it very often due to my demonic adaptation, but due to your Magnet Release abilities, I figure this one would best suit you, it allows the user to augment their body with mechanized parts. I figure we can use it to allow you to use Magnet Release to shape and form various machine parts to enhance your body and fighting powers. For Kaede I chose the Human Path, it allows the user to remove the soul of a target through physical contact with them. I figure, with your vectors, you could learn to use it as a ranged attack, pulling free a target soul from a long distance, or even from multiple people at once, and of course, with the removal of their soul, you'll be able to read their minds, and possibly gain access to some of their powers, depending on the nature of their abilities, if they're physical, spiritual, or magical based."

The ladies listened closely as Riley went through the various paths, reminding them of each path's power, and her reason for choosing that one for them.

"For LunaI selected the Animal Path. It allows the user to summon various summon spirits tied to the Rinnegan's power. It'll also allow you to summon the rest of us to your location. I figured with your ties to animals, this one was the best for you. For Artoria, I chose the Preta Path, it'll allow you to absorb any form of magical attack. I figure that, coupled with your magic-resistant armor, would make you completely immune to attack from magic users, taking you current resistances and pushing them to the point of complete immunity. For Daphne, I chose to give you the Naraka Path. It grants you the power of interrogation and restoration. In essence you can use this path to summon the King of Hell, a statue that'll allow you to gather information from a target and determine with complete accuracy whether the information provided was true or false, and you can also use the King of Hell to fully heal any damage done to a person. It one of, if not the, most valuable of the paths as in combat, it can revive the others, even from fatal injuries." Riley continued onward, her mates following along with her, taking in their role in the new dynamic and what powers they would soon be in possession of.

"Finally, the last two will be gaining access to two of the three greater paths. Yugito will be getting access to the Dhyana Path, which will give you access to incredibly power fire, wind, and water techniques. This path is the power house of all the others, possessing the most potent and destructive powers. Through this path, you could unleash country destroying attacks, if needed, and I chose you for it, because I know you'll be able to handle the responsibility of that power, as the Two-Tails Jinchuriki. Out of all my mates, the three with access to such devastating powers are you, Gaia, and Artoria, I had to pick one of you for it, and at the end of the day, you have the most power already, and you're a perfect Jinchuriki, something Gaia hasn't attained, so I know you'll handle this power with care. Lastly, Katie is getting the Akasa Path, gaining access to advanced Space-Time ninjutsu. I chose you for this path because of one particular power it has, that I believe will aid you immensely, give your fighting style. I know you've been training in kenjutsu, and I know your taijutsu has improved vastly, with the Akasa Path, you'll be able to open portal to other dimensions, though most importantly, you'll be able to use Amenotejikara, my space-time teleportation technique that allows me to instantly switch places with anything in my sight line. I figure with your heavy focus on close range combat, this technique would allow you to get in and out of a fight in a hurry and it would greatly benefit you. That's it, that's how I plan to break it up. Any questions, comments, concerns?" Riley finished listing off the paths to them all.

For a few moments, her mates were quiet. They digested what they had learned and what they'd have to look forward to when the time came.

"Aside from that, I have no idea what else is gonna happen when I make you my paths. You'll become bound to me, almost on a physical level, and I haven't a clue what that'll do to you." Riley continued after a few seconds of nothing but silence.

"Well… alright then. Seems straight forward for me. I mean unless anyone else has any questions." Katie stated after a few more seconds of quiet passed by.

"No, I think everything was perfectly clear. Early September you said?" Gaia questioned, earning a nod from Riley, she continued, "Than I'll make sure everything is sorted so I can get away for the allotted time."

"Same here." Yugito agreed.

"I'll see to things as well." Artoria added, as the other began chiming in their agreements.

"Alright than. September second or third is my plan, I'll let you know for sure when we get a week or two out. Plan for two or three days away. Otherwise, that's all I needed from you. I can take you two back to your villages now, if you're done with questions." Riley offered, earning a nod from both Yugito and Gaia.

She took the two back to their villages while the rest of the ladies settled into bed for the night. It would take a while before any of them got any sleep, all of them to focused on absorbing all of the information they'd received.

One month left, and they'd undergo a transformation, never seen before.

-September 2nd 2000-

"So tomorrow's the day, huh?" Naruko asked.

"Yeah. We're going in tomorrow. It'll be a year for us, but about three days out here." Riley answered as she sat with Sasuke and Naruko, the trio had just finished their last training session before Riley made her mates into her paths.

The two had definitely come a long way after the last month of training, which was actually closer to three months, with the addition of time spent in Kamui. Sasuke and Naruko had both basically mastered their ocular powers at this point, pushing them to their literal limits. As well as the two having refined their fighting abilities to a razors edge.

"Good luck with that." Sasuke offered.

"Yeah, sounds like it'll be pretty interesting. Can't wait to see the results." Naruko added.

"I'm looking forward to it too." Riley agreed, smiling up at the sky.

-With Artoria-

"Keep your focus in there. Bonding so fully to a demon of her power could have drastic results. I don't know the full implications of the use of this technique, but be ready for the unexpected." Merlin cautioned as Artoria finished up her last bit of work for the day.

She had already gotten everything in place to keep the country running for a few days while she was away. Lucius would be handling things, with Merlin, Hashirama, and Madara there to advise him if he needed it.

"I'll be sure to prepare myself. Just make sure my country doesn't go up in flames while I'm gone." Artoria commanded as she rose to her feet.

"I'll guard it with my life, your majesty." Merlin offered with a smile and a bow.

"See to it. When I return, I will be stronger than I have ever been. Hopefully with these newfound powers, as well as the training to master them, I'll be able to further aid my kingdom in it's prosperity." Artoria wondered aloud.

"We shall see, my Queen, we shall see." Merlin responded.

-With Daphne-

"Everything is all set, Ser Daphne. We'll manage fine while you're away." Walter informed her.

"Thank you Walter. Enjoy the time off." Daphne responded, earning a coy chuckle from her butler.

"So the day has finally arrived. You go to fully bond yourself to the demoness." Alucard noted as he stepped through the wall and into the room, Seras following behind him, though she used the door.

"Indeed I do." Daphne affirmed.

Alucard was quiet for a moment as he gazed at her. After several moments the old count removed his signature glasses, and spoke.

"My master, are you certain of this? To bond yourself so fully to her, you have no idea what it could do to you. You may not even be human, when all is said and done." Alucard voiced his concern to her, his typical pride, and arrogance, fading away to what seemed like genuine concern.

Daphne offered the old count a smile.

"Are your worried that I'll become something abhorrent, or are you worried I'll end up like you?" Daphne asked in reply, her question drawing a look of contemplation from the vampire lord.

"Your fears are well founded, my count. I too have wondered just what I will be when this is finished. I have spent many long hours, days even contemplating what it'll mean for my future, if I do change." Daphne stated, earning a curious look from Alucard, as well as Seras and Walter.

"And, what have you come to decide from all that contemplation?" Alucard wondered.

"After thinking on it, long and hard… I've come to the realization, that I will never be like you." Daphne answered, earning surprise from the old vampire.

"My master…" He began, but Daphne continued.

"You chose to become what you are now because you hated your humanity. You cast your humanity aside for power, to spite your enemies, to spite god himself. You sold your soul to the devil, in the name of hate and anger. It was a decision you later came to regret. I see it in the way you raise Seras. Teaching her what it means to be a true vampire, but never pushing her to become a monster like you. I see the way you smile when her humanity shines through, and I know that of all the things about her that you admire, it's that her humanity has survived this transformation." Daphne explained. Alucard seemed genuinely surprised, but his surprise quickly turned to pride, and a smile split his face.

"Seras Victoria… when I looked into her eyes, I saw the will to live. Something I had given up long ago. Even now, despite what she's become, I still see that burning will. It's amazing to me, my master, that despite all you have drawing away your attention, that you can still see things like that. Your powers of perception are truly astounding." Alucard praised her, his words also earning a smile from Seras as well.

"Yes, it took me some time to understand, but eventually I did. I understand you, Alucard. Perhaps not entirely, there will always be something I will never truly comprehend, but I know enough to understand who you are. It's because of that, that I know where this concern comes from, and I can assure you, I have worried about it too. But, after careful consideration and self-reflection, I've come to an understanding about myself as well." Daphne continued, Alucard beginning to grin at her, enjoying the bold passion she was displaying.

"And what understanding would that be, my master?" He asked with a smirk.

"That I would never be like you. No matter what happens to my body, my heart will always be human. My soul with always be human. I don't care what becomes of the flesh, all that matters to me, is that I know who I am. My heart and soul will always be mine, and I'll always be human. Even if every trace of my body becomes something else, at my core, I will always be a human being. That is something that I'll never trade away, not to anyone. I am human, and I always will be. Always. I was born human, and when the time comes, I'll die human." Daphne stated with bold determination. Alucard beamed at her, proud of her resilience and to see that despite everything being offered to her, his young master was self-conscious enough to know that the threat to her very soul was a real possibility.

She recognized this threat, and was prepared to face it.

"Than I look forward to see you upon your return, my beloved master. Perhaps you'll end up an immortal like me, and you can go on showing me the strength of those convictions forever more." Alucard offered to her, earning a smirk from Daphne.

"My convictions will never falter. No matter what she turns me into, I will always be Daphne Greengrass Slytherin Hellsing." Daphne declared. She had made her declaration, and beginning tomorrow she would fight for it. She would never allow her human heart, or soul, to fade. She would always be the person she was now, no matter what her body became.

-With Fleur and Katie-

The two young women sat together, Fleur with Lucille sitting in her lap.

Fleur was trying desperately not to cry, as she tried to come to terms with the fact that she wouldn't see her daughter for over a year.

"I do not know how Riley does zis. I'm going to miss her so much!" Fleur cried, Katie had an arm draped over her, trying to comfort her lover, but Fleur just kept making herself cry again, or Lucille would when she'd look up at her mother and smile or giggle, or sputter out some inane baby babble.

"Hey Riley, I think Fleur is gonna need you, she's having a motherly breakdown and Lucille keeps making her cry." Katie called out to Riley, who instantly appeared beside the two.

"Aww, Fleur…" Riley cooed as she knelt in front of Fleur, who was still trying to compose herself, but she burst into tears as Lucille, upon seeing Riley let out a playful giggle and reached out for her.

"I am sorry… it is just… I am going to miss her so much. I do not know how you do zis." Fleur got out through her tears, Katie wrapped an arm around her and rested her head against Fleur's.

Fleur picked up Lucille and cradled the toddler to her, the baby beginning to babble and chew on her fist.

"It's never easy. I think about her all the time, and I miss her constantly. It flies by though, the time you're away. You can't count the days, you can't tell time. It's slow at first, but it gets faster, and faster, and before you know it, a year has gone by, and it's time to leave. It'll be alright… I'll make sure you're kept busy enough that you wont have time to dwell on how much you miss her. Besides, she needs sometime with her aunt and grandparents. Your parents and sister are coming to stay over the day after tomorrow still, right? She'll have plenty of people to keep her company while we're gone." Riley replied as she stared at Fleur and their child.

"Yes, you are right, of course. I just… it is hard. I know it will only be zree days for her, and I know she will hardly notice it, but I still cannot help myself." Fleur said, still cradling the baby to her.

Riley smiled at her mate, reaching out to place her hand on Fleur's.

Riley stayed there with her mates for the rest of the night, helping Fleur mentally prepare herself for the following day.

-With Gaia-

"You'll be in charge of things until I return." Gaia instructed, earning a nod of understanding from Baki.

"Everything will be kept running smoothly until you return from your training trip. I hope all goes well." Baki replied.

"I hope so as well. Keep an eye on things, hopefully it'll stay quiet these next few days. But keep in mind, I'm in a difficult position with this, I cannot return early unless things are truly dire. Unless the village itself falls under attack, or something of similar severity, allow me this time. When I return, I will be more powerful than ever before. My ability to serve and protect our people will be greater than ever before. The nature of this training, prevents us from trying again. If I leave early, that's it. No second chances, so be certain if you call for me. I will return without hesitation, but understand what that entails. I trust in your abilities, sensei. You have lady Chiyo, and lord Ebizō, to assist you, as well as Kankuro and Temair." Gaia ensured that her former teacher understood.

Part of their training would involve Riley calling forth the Sage of the Six Paths to assist them. While they learned how to wield Riley's power, Riley would be learning whatever lessons the Sage had to teach her. Riley had openly admitted that she didn't think this could happen twice. Once she called the Sage, that was it. He was there, until he was gone, and once he was gone, that was the last they'd see of him. So unless it was absolutely necessary, none of them were leaving Kamui until their training was done.

"All will be handled, my lady. We can manage for a few days. This training is important, once in a lifetime. This power you'll gain, it'll help protect our village, our people. You wont be disturbed unless absolutely necessary." Baki declared, affirming her command.

Gaia offered him a nod, and then glanced at her siblings, who stood off to the side, along with the elders, Chiyo and Ebizō.

The two siblings offered their agreements, acknowledging that this was important. From what Gaia had told them, this training would grant Gaia a portion of Riley's powers, powers of the Sage of the Six Paths. In whatever form that came in, that was incredible news for Suna. Gaia being away for three days was annoying, but she'd had to do it before, when traveling to meet the Daimyo, and other similar tasks. This would be no different.

"Alright, one last time before end this meeting, let's go over all the tasks I need worked on while I'm gone…" Gaia began, allowing her advisers to settle in and focus on the work she'd leave them to handle.

-With Yugito-

"Everything is set?" The Raikage inquired.

"Yes, my lord. I've finished with all my work, every task that's needed. I'm not sure if I'll return to Kumo or Suna after our training is complete or if I'll need to stay in Albion for a while. I'll be sure to send word though, the moment I return." Yugito offered.

"Good. You've done well Yugito. Through you, we foster greater ties to the Nine and Ten Tails Jinchuriki, and in no time at all, she'll be married to the Queen of Albion. This is turning out to be far better than I could have hoped for." A stated, praising her for her successful courtship, as well as the safety it provided Kumogakure.

"Thank you, my lord. After all this time, I can say with certainty, so long as Kumogakure never presents a danger to her loved ones, she'll have no reason to attack it, and with our growing bond, I'm certain she'd come to it's aid, if I asked her. In truth, I probably wouldn't even need to ask. She's a loving woman, and tries her best to look out for her friends and family." Yugito said to him.

"Aye, her existence bares a remarkable reflection to that of her Great Grandfather, Hashirama Senju. Someone so feared, and terrifying as a foe, yet beloved and respected by his people. I'm proud of you for going through with this, and I hope that your bond with her continues to grow. Despite all of the benefits that are brought to our village, with your union, with this training, despite it all, I hope she at least makes you happy." A offered to her, earning a soft smile from Yugito.

"She does, my lord. She makes me happy. I never thought she would, but she has a way about her. When this training is done, I will be stronger for it, and I'll use that power to protect those I love, to protect my village, and ensure my duty is done." Yugito swore to him.

"That is all that can be asked." A commented, closing his eyes and letting out a breath.

-With Kaede-

Kaede sat watching TV, her dog, wresting his head on her lap.

She was currently watching the news, listening as the anchor segued from a political talk, to mentioned something about a meteor show that had occurred the previous night.

He talked about how it had lit up the night sky over Europe and Asia, and that astronomers were unsure of where it had come from or why it had suddenly happened.

Kaede made a face, wondering if she should watch the sky tonight. She hadn't heard anything about a meteor shower, but she had always loved watching shooting stars.

"I'll ask Riley and the others if they wanna watch the stars with me." Kaede said aloud, glancing down at her dog, who looked up at her, and cocked his head.

"Would you like to watch the stars tonight too?" Kaede inquired.

Bark!

Kaede smiled as her dog wagged his tail and let out a bark in response.

-With Luna-

Luna sat beside Elizabeth, out in a cafe in London. The two were mostly silent as they sipped on tea, neither one willing to break the silence for nearly ten full minutes after receiving their drinks.

Finally, Elizabeth couldn't handle the awkwardness any longer and chose to speak on what she knew was the intention of this private meeting, that Luna had asked for.

"There's something you need to tell me?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes… Yes there is." Luna replied, setting her tea down, and meeting Elizabeth's gaze.

"What is it? Is there something wrong?" Elizabeth questioned.

"No. But… you know the things we've talked about… the things we're doing…" Luna responded, letting out a quiet sigh.

"Yeah…?" Elizabeth answered.

"Well… we wont be able to talk about them anymore. I… wont be able to help you… after tomorrow, Riley and I will be bound together on such a level that she'll always be with me. I wont be able to have a private conversation without her, ever again. At least, not without drawing suspicion. Riley may catch my surface thoughts, but she's not to the point yet where she goes digging around in my head, and I don't think she ever will be. Regardless though, after tomorrow I can't even think about this anymore, otherwise she'll catch on." Luna informed her.

Elizabeth was quiet for a moment as she turned thoughtful. After several long minutes she turned her attention back to Luna. "I'm not sure I can do this on my own." She admitted, allowing a bit of worry to creep into her tone.

"I know it'll be hard, but I believe in you, just like I believe in Riley. You'll find a way." Luna offered her words of encouragement.

"Thanks for saying that. So… how are you going to keep yourself from thinking about this?" Elizabeth asked.

"Fidelus. I'll make it a magical secret, with you as the secret keeper. That way I'll forget, and only you can tell me or anyone else. Something to be aware of though, such a measure wont prevent Riley from learning the truth. A magical secret can be learned by someone when they hold a massive power advantage over you, and Riley most certainly does. In fact, once I'm bound to her, I may be able to learn it again, but I'm hoping I wont, or if I do, hopefully my memories of why I needs to be a secret, will keep me from revealing it, but the best way to hide it, is to keep it entirely out of my head, so once we're done here, I'll need you to help me cast the Fidelus." Luna answered, Elizabeth slowly nodding in understanding as a few moments of silence descended upon them.

"I'm gonna miss these honest talks." Elizabeth stated, breaking the quiet.

"I will to. I hate having to keep secrets, especially from Riley, but we both know it has to be done, and I'm sorry I'm leaving you alone to handle this." Luna replied.

"It's alright… you shouldn't be responsible for keeping this from her. I know how much you care about her, and how it tears you up inside to let her go on believing a lie. I'll find a way to handle it… I just… I know it's going to be hard." Elizabeth offered as a bit of reassurance.

"It will be. But you'll always have me there to help, even if I don't remember why I'm helping, or what I'm doing, I'll always be there for you." Luna confirmed to her, earning a soft smile from Elizabeth.

"Thanks… Well… we shouldn't waste anymore time. Best to get this over with." Elizabeth stated as she rose from her seat, Luna joining her.

They paid for their drinks and the two set off. They needed to find a quiet place so they could cast the Fidelus and ensure that their secret was kept secured.

-Riley's Home, London, Albion. September 3rd 2000-

"Good luck with your training, be sure to take in as much information as you can." Hashirama offered to Riley.

"Yes, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, be sure not to squander it. Get the most out of it, while you can." Tobirama agreed.

"I will. I'll learn everything the old man can teach me, and I'll come back stronger than ever before." Riley replied to the two men, smiling as she did. She then turned her attention to Madara and Kaguya.

"Enjoy your training while it lasts. You know how fast a year can fly by." Madara said to her, earning a chuckle from Riley.

"I most certainly do. I'll see you in a few days." Riley said back to him before turning to Kaguya.

"Hagoromo's teachings will be invaluable to you. All that I remember about my son, all that I've learned about him, I know he'll show you things that'll expand your understanding of chakra and magic. There will be things he'll tell you, things that may point towards secrets about me, he'll be right to speculate, and I know that you'll have questions. I told you about the time I spent on earth, about how I betrayed my clan, but I didn't tell you all that, that entailed. There is much that I left out, much that I kept from you because I didn't want you to worry. When you return, I will tell you everything. The secrets of my clan, truths about us, that not even Hagoromo knows." Kaguya informed her.

"Alright grandmother. When I get back, we'll talk." Riley responded with a nod before turning to approach her mates, all of whom were clusters together out in front of her house. Fleur currently held Lucille and was saying her goodbyes, trying not to break into tears again.

Riley approached her, taking the child, and whispering her own goodbye to the baby before handing her off to Kushina.

"See you all soon." Kushina offered to them.

"Back in a flash." Riley responded before drawing her mates into Kamui.

-Kamui-

Riley and her mates appeared in the open fields of her pocket dimension. They quickly settled in, putting down whatever supplies they brought with them, while Riley stepped away and began drawing forth the chakra of Hagoromo she had acquired from one of his artifacts.

Once she located the power, she reached out with her mind, calling out to the Sage, hoping that she was taking the right steps to call him to her.

"Hello, my dear." Riley heard from within her mind.

"Great, I was worried for a moment that, this wasn't going to work." Riley responded, as the felt the presence of the Sage appear in her head.

"The time has come. You've gathered all of your paths, and your ready to receive my training." The Sage informed her.

"Alright, tell me what to do. How do we begin?" Riley inquired.

"We will start by creating your paths. The process wont be quick. It'll take several days before it reaches completion, so it's best to begin now." The Sage answered, as he began explained to Riley what she had to do.

"Alright ladies, gather around. It's time we begin." Riley called her mates over to her.

Once gathered she began instructing them.

"Alright, so here's how this is going to work. In order to make you my paths, I need to install an anchor into your body that'll act as a conduit of my power. This anchor will take the form of a Chakra Receiver." Riley began explained, drawing forth one to show to them all.

"Through these receivers my energy will constantly flow through. Only one is needed, but more than one will offer greater assurances to our connection. From the sounds of it, the connection can be broken if all of the receivers are broken or removed. So I'm going to use a permanent Shrinking Charm on a bunch of them, and place them all over your bodies, so there's basically no chance that they'll be removed or all of them being damaged." Riley continued.

"Is that gonna hurt?" Katie asked.

"Probably a little bit. Be like a bunch of pinpricks. Once I've installed them all, I'll channel the Eight Paths Technique through your bodies, and you'll become my paths. The process will take a few days, during which, you'll be knocked out, so I'd recommend you all find a comfortable place to lay down, while we begin." Riley answered, continuing to instruct them, as the Sage instructed her.

Everyone did as they were told, settling in by laying on the grass.

Riley than proceeded to spend the next hour creature the Black Chakra Receivers and implanting them into her mates. Each one was a rod about a foot long an inch across, which was then shrunken down to less than a millimeter in length, making them incredibly tiny. Riley planted fifty of these rods into the bodies of each of her mates, and she placed them all over, within their arms and legs, in their main bodies, she placed them deep in the muscle tissue, within bones and organs, anywhere she could that wouldn't cause physical harm, or impair them, but also ensured that they couldn't all be damaged or removed with ease. Thankfully, these receivers were already incredibly dense, and near impossible to break unless struck with a focused blast of raw magic, so it was unlikely they'd be damaged regardless.

The process wasn't overly comfortable for her mates as it did feel like repeated pinpricks and it was done basically everywhere and sometimes led into bones.

Once that was accomplished it was time to actually begin.

"You ladies ready?" Riley asked.

A chorus of positive responses followed, many of them edged with a bit of a nervous list. Riley took a deep breath and mentally reached out, focusing on her Chakra Receivers. Once she had acquired all of them, she began to activate the Eight Paths Technique. Almost simultaneously, all of her mates gasped, convulsed and promptly passed out.

The Sage continued to instruct Riley as she guided her magic into their bodies, forming the necessary connections, and channeling the powers of each individual path, into her mate of choice, for that path.

The whole process took about another hour to complete, and once it was done, Riley was ready to fully activate the technique.

Taking in a nervous breath, Riley carried through with the Sage's instructions. The moment the technique activated, Riley immediately felt a surge of her power, flowing through into her mates. Almost immediately afterward, she felt her connection to them, sore to heights, previously unimagined.

For a moment, she felt their combined thoughts, pass into her mind. Around her, their bodies began to be consumed by torrents of her magic as it roared through them. Black and red waves of energy rippled through the air, obscuring each of her mates within the maelstrom of power.

Power continued to pass into them, and than channel back, forging the full connection and shaping it. Riley could feel them so clearly now, not just mentally, but magically, spiritually, and most notably, physically.

She felt their bodies, through her own, she could feel their skin burning under the torrents of raw power passing through it. She felt their pain, as if it was her own, and for a moment she began to falter, worried that she may be hurting them.

The Sage was quick to call her back to focus, urging her to complete the process.

Despite her worry, she did as commanded, pushing forward to complete the technique.

By the time she was finished, the torrents of magic ripping through her mates, had formed a blackened dome of energy around each one of them, essentially erasing them from sight.

Riley could still feel them, however, feel them as clear as day.

Soon the process came to an end. Riley's part in it, completed. As she began to relax, she was left to take in her surroundings.

Around her were eight blackened domes, enclosing her mates within them.

Simultaneously, Riley could feel unspeakable pain, coming from many of the domes, which tore at her heartstrings. She hated causing them pain, and in some cases, the pain was unimaginable. She was only thankful that they were completely knocked-out for it, otherwise this would be so much worse for everyone involved.

"What happens now?" Riley asked aloud.

"We wait for the process to carry through. We know that it was a success, and they have been bonded to you, but now magic is taking over. Their bodies are adapting to your strength, empowering them. When they emerge, they will be stronger, now just do to the Rinnegan, but due to the natural enhancements, your powers provide them." The Sage explained to her.

"But will they still be the same, when they emerge? Will they be human?" Kurama asked.

"That I do not know." The Sage admitted, causing Riley to sigh and sit down amongst the domes. All she could do now was wait, and let magic take it's course. What would her mates be when they emerged? Would they change, would they remain the same? She didn't know. So all she could do was sick down, and wait.

-Outside of Kamui Later that night-

Itachi was pulled out of bed, by Shisui, having just retired from his work less than an hour before hand. Shisui led him to the headquarters, all the while explaining to him what had just happened.

Itachi entered to find scores of his men, all glued to a wall of TV monitors, playing various news channels. On many of the screens were scenes of destruction.

The biggest focus though, was centered on Poland. A massive meteor shower had just struck the capitol, wiping out countless city blocks, killing who knows how many people.

"Sir, we've got reports coming in from all over the country, meteorites are being tracked all the way down to the ground, all across the country, most are tiny, but we're hearing reports of some the size of cars." Came a report from one of his men.

"Send word to the Minister, let him know we're activating the barrier. We need to shield the country from these strikes, do we know where they're coming from?" Itachi instructed, and questioned his men.

"We think it's part of the meteor shower, the ones that landed on Poland were the size of buildings." Shikaku informed him.

"Sir, new reports just coming in, there's been impacts in France, strike all across the country side, a massive meteorite just struck Paris itself!" Came the shout from another of his soldiers.

"Get the barrier up. We need to ensure the protection of the county. See it done, now!" Itachi commanded.

He was about to issue another order when he stopped. The Wards alerting him to a dangerous presence entering the Hidden Village from all sides.

"Sound the alarm, the village is being infiltrated!" Itachi commanded before turning to Shikaku, "This isn't an act of nature. The planet is under attack!"

Shikaku's face hardened at that, and he nodded.

On the outskirts of the village, Legionaries were racing towards the battlements. Gunfire and spellfire could already be heard from the guards already there.

Suddenly, scores of figures began sailing over the walls, clearing them in a single bound.

Fighting quickly broke out as these figures that appeared human were engaged, though it quickly became apparent that these humanoid figures weren't in fact, people.

Rock Lee flew through the air, delivering a flying spin kick to the one the invaders. It shattered apart from his kick, splintering as it fell to the ground.

"Its… a puppet…" Lee noted, as Neji, and Guy ran up beside him.

"We need to report in, these invaders are puppets." Neji declared, Guy nodding in agreement with him.

Elsewhere in the village, Hinata and Naruko were awoken by the sounds of the alarm. No sooner did it go off and they awoke, did the window to their room explode open, two puppets shooting inside.

The two quickly responded, Naruko slamming one into the ceiling with a kick, while Hinata punched through the other with a solid taijutsu strike.

Both puppets collapsed to the ground broken.

"What the hell!?" Naruko cried out, racing to the window and glancing outside. "I think the village is under attack."

"Go, I'll go check on Boruto." Hinata instructed, earning a tentative nod from Naruko as she leapt from the window to join the fight.

Hinata raced towards her sons room, entering it and finding, to her horror, a collection of puppets, already there. Ten stood on the far side of the room, Boruto as well as Hanabi slung over the shoulders of two of the puppets.

Standing before them was a man. He had pure white hair, and pale skin. Despite his eyes remaining closed, he seemed to sense her arrival and turned towards her.

"Hello, my princess. Please, come with me." He said to her, extending his hand.

Hinata's eyes flickered to her sister and son, and she immediately took a defensive stance. The second she did, she heard movement on either side of her. Reacting quickly, she struck out at her attacker, knocking two puppets aside as they tried to grab her. Eight of ten waiting across the room quickly rushed at her, as the two she knocked aside regained their footing. Hinata tried to fight back, but she was unable to hold off the swarm as it barreled into her, and soon she was knocked unconscious.

-Elsewhere, in London-

"Minister… we're receiving reports coming in from out astronomers, they say they can't find the source of the meteorites, but they'll keep looking. Something they have noticed though, something terrifying, the moon." One of Lucius' assistants reported to him, Merlin was by his side, as was Tobirama.

"What about the moon?" Lucius asked.

"They say it appears to have gotten closer. They're not sure how, but the moon appear to be about one percent closer to the earth than it should be. They have no idea what could have caused this, but it's definitely closer, and the think maybe this has something to do with these meteorites and the meteor showers these last few days." The assistant informed him.

"The moon…" Merlin began, glancing at Tobirama.

"Luna's vision. She envisioned the moon crashing into the earth." Tobirama stated, Merlin offering a concerned nod of agreement.

"That means an Ōtsutsuki is behind this." Merlin stated, turning his gaze to Lucius who had heard the two of them.

"Contact Lord Itachi, inform him to raise the alert status of Legion. Mobilize all of our military forces, we need to be ready." Lucius began instructing.

"Minister!" Came a call from another assistant as she raced over to him.

"What?" He asked.

"Word from Pentref. They're raising the barrier to protect the country. And we receive another report almost immediately afterwards, the village is under attack!" She informed him.

"Lord Second…" Lucius began but Tobirama was already walking away.

"I'm on my way there. Lock down this building, make sure the Minister stays safe!" Tobirama instructed as he vanished in a flash.

"And so it begins…" Merlin said to himself, as dread began to well up within him.

The time of prophecy was at hand…

-To be continued-

Alright, there you go guys, hope you all enjoy, get ready for the next chapter, gonna be a huge one.