Lost One

by Hyperguy

I've walked this world for ages. Watching as history played itself out in front of my eyes. Sometimes, I would play role in its direction, but often I'd stay on the sidelines. Now, a more serious threat threatens to wipe out all of humanity, and I must now play a role in its survival... if there are any humans left to save.

5. Laced Court

XxXxX

Petra and Rico continued to chase after the Gray as she shot through the dark forest. The only light coming from the moon above as finally Petra managed to find an angle in which to strike.

"You're not getting away!" Petra shouted as she swung her swords at the mercenary. The Gray barely managed to dodge the attack, but the blades succeeded in slicing through one the cables that connected to the 3D maneuver gear.

"Shit!" The Gray exclaimed as she fell to the ground, tumbling on impact until finally coming to an abrupt end thanks to a rather thick bush. Rico was seen flying towards the female Gray, but stopped when her opponent brought up her swords in an attempt to spear her when she approached. Rico slid past the mercenary, coming to a stop just as Petra landed next to her.

"There's no use running now, criminal. Surrender and you won't be hurt." Rico stated with an air of authority. The women began to laugh at Rico's words as said Gray stood up from the bush she had fallen into. The hood that had adorned her head fell off on impact.

"Surrender? Don't make me laugh! You, of all people, should know that's impossible." The women said, brandishing her swords as the words left her mouth. Rico frowned at her words, but shook her head nonetheless.

"And you, of all people, should know that we are forced to ask." Rico responded.

"My name is Samantha Abt and I was second in command of this squad. I won't be so easy to take down." Samantha said with a grin. She had blonde hair with milk chocolate eyes and was about the same height as Petra. Her demeanor was that of complete confidence, or maybe cockiness?

"There's two of us and only one of you. Just surrender before you get hurt." Petra said, trying to reason with the mercenary.

"That only makes it more interesting!" Samantha exclaimed as she dashed towards the two soldiers. Rico jumped to the side while Petra engaged the Gray. Samantha brought down her sword onto her opponent, but this was blocked by a blade of Petra's. The scout had little time to counter as a knee was smashed into her stomach, making her stumble backwards in an attempt to catch her breath. Samantha renewed her charge, but caught something from the corner of her eye and reacted instinctively by rolling to the side. A cord shot straight over her just as she rolled away. Said cord embedded itself into a nearby tree with Rico flying towards Samantha. The Gray fell backwards onto her back, but while falling she had managed to block Rico's flying slash. Sparks lit up the dark forest as the two metal blades made contact with one another. Rico slid to a stop and Samantha fell onto her back with an audible THUMP.

Petra dashed towards the Gray, but was forced to slow her attack when Samantha tilted her body and fired her remaining cord at her face. The orange haired soldier ducked underneath the flying cable and sliced it in half, rendering the Gray's 3D maneuver gear useless. Grunting, Samantha removed the burden that was her useless 3D maneuver gear and ripped her swords from her old equipment. Just as she did this Samantha was forced to block a left slice from Rico. After being blocked the silver haired women went for a stabbing motion, but to her surprise the attack was parried, leaving her completely open.

"You lose four eyes!" Samantha shouted, but before she could bring her sword in to finish off Rico, the Gray saw a glint in the corner of her eye. A searing pain shot into her right shoulder as Samantha back stepped until she was a safe distance away from her enemies. Her right arm was now laying on the ground in front of Rico, who still held an expression on complete surprise.

"You okay there Rico?" Petra asked in concern as she eyed Samantha.

"Fine, thanks." Rico responded as they watched the blood spill out of Samantha's open wound.

"You little bitches! I'll kill you both!" Samantha shouted as she gripped onto her wound with her remaining hand. "How could you? Cut off my arm like that?!"

"You're going to die if you keep this up. If you let us tend to your wound, then maybe you can make it to a doctor and live." Rico stated, but then a loud CRACK could be heard from off in the distance. The sound made Samantha smile as she held up her sword towards the soldiers.

"Then I'll take one of you with me!" The Gray then charged towards them as fast as she could. Samantha brought down her sword onto Rico, but it was easily parried by the silver haired women and followed up by a deadly stab to the chest by Petra. The blonde looked down at her wound with wide eyes before grinning at her fatal wound. "Looks like that's it then…"

Petra removed her sword and let Samantha fall to the ground, blood coming out of her wounds and mouth. "It didn't have to end this way." Petra said as she sheathed her swords along with Rico.

"Ah, but it did." Samantha said as she coughed up some blood. "I played my role to the letter."

"What do you mean? What role did you play?" Rico asked, confusion evident on both of the soldiers faces.

"You two really have no idea, do you? I guess he really is good at hiding then he proclaimed himself to be." More blood coming out of her mouth as she spoke.

"Hiding? There was only two left when we left the…" Rico began to say, but her eyes widened as she began to think.

"What is it Rico? What's wrong?" Petra asked, panic starting to build up in her mind.

"Looks like your friend gets it." Samantha said with a smile. "Like I said before… I played my part perfectly…" And with that Samantha Abt died in a pool of her own blood.

"What was she talking about? Rico?!" Petra asked.

"We need to get back to the camp sight, now." Rico said with a grim expression as she shot her cords into the nearest tree limb.

"Wait! What about-?" Petra said, but Rico had already slung herself in the direction of their camp. Without another word Petra followed her comrade through the dark forest, panic and concern filling her mind.

XxXxX

I looked at the smoking barrel in front of me, then over my shoulder at where the bullet had traveled and saw a hole in the wagon behind me. He clearly missed on purpose, but was he aiming at something else?

"You know, I was thinkin' about what my boss had done told me and now I'm not so sure." The man scratched the back of his neck as he loaded another round into his rifle. "You see, the people that paid us to kill you weren't the nicest of folks, but they offered us seventy percent of the pay up front. And let me tell ya, it was a lot of money. Now, historically speakin', our little band of people never really got along them in the first place, so the boss gave me orders to have a chat with the 'Angel of Death'."

"And why would your boss want us to have a chat?" I asked as I watched the man reload his gun.

"Because he wants to see if you're the devil that our contractors made you out to be, but from what I can tell you're just another fella that wants to kill titans. Nobody can really knock you for that now can they?" He had finished reloading his weapon, but was holding in a more relaxed position. "Besides, it looks like you can still handle yourself just fine like you are now."

"Why would that change anything?" By now I was confused as to why he had fired his rifle in the first place if he was going to miss on purpose. Surely he knew that by firing his rifle, he would alert the others to what happened, unless he wanted them to return. The Gray in front of me wasn't stupid, that much was certain, so what was his game?

"Since we've already got the money from them, the boss figured by leaving you alive you would cause some problems for the fine gentlemen that hired us." The man then shrugged his shoulders as a thought ran through his head. "Although I've got no idea why they'd want you killed to begin with."

"And this all hinged on our little talk?"

"Yup! You seem like a nice enough fella. So maybe you could answer a few questions for me if ya wouldn't mind." He ended his comment with a smile. I frowned a bit, but nodded my hooded head to his words. "Great, now we don't got much time since I fired my first bullet." He then slung his rifle over his shoulder so he didn't need to hold it. "What were you planning on doing after the trial in the capital?"

"What could I do? I'm a cripple, so probably find a nice little place and live there for the remainder of my years." I replied as I motioned to my immobile limbs.

"Sounds boring, but coming from you I suppose it'd make sense." The man tapped his chin as he thought of something else, almost like he had a list in his mind of which questions to ask. "What's your thoughts on the policies here?"

"Don't really have any. The only thing I had time to think about was the attack on Trost, but…" I said, my expression becoming slightly more serious. "I've never been a huge fan of politics. No matter where they're from."

The man smiled as he nodded his head at my answer. "Good answer. Welp, I think that's all I'll need. Your guard should be here any minute now so I should scram before they do." He then stood and stretched.

"So, decided against killing me?" I asked, a small amount of confusion in my voice.

"Yeah, I think you'll be more of a headache for the fellas that hired us than the thirty percent that we were promised for killin' ya. Have a good evenin' and don't worry about the people you and your guard killed. Never really liked em' all that much anyway." The man said as he turned and began walking back towards the forest.

"If you don't mind, what's your name?" I asked, but the man just waved over his shoulder and chuckled.

"Maybe another time angel boy. See you around." But the man stopped just before passing over the crest between the darkness of the night and the soft glow of the fire. "Not all is as it appears. Don't let anyone fool you into thinkin' this place is perfect, cause it's not." And with that he disappeared into the darkness of the forest, his footsteps almost immediately becoming silent.

'What a strange group.' I looked down at the fire with the pot of food still hanging over the now small flame. 'But who would want to hire them to kill me? Obviously the Grays aren't on good terms with them, but to offer seventy percent of the pay upfront?'

Just as my thoughts began to move towards the strange gunman, a silver haired soldier burst out of the forest and landed onto the ground next to me. She was sweating and clearly panicking about something.

"Ri-?" My words were interrupted when Petra landed next to Rico, but she didn't stop there. Running up to me, the orange haired soldier checked my person for any signs of harm.

"Are you okay? Is there something wrong?" Petra asked quickly while Rico looked me in the eye.

"We heard a gunshot a while back and feared the worst. Is everything okay?" Rico looked around for any disturbances.

"When you three left, another Gray came out of the shadows and approached me." I started looking over to where he had used the bowl and spoon to eat.

"There was another Gray?!" Petra said, shocked that they had missed one.

"Yeah, and he was dressed differently than the others as well."

"Did he have a crimson strips running down his gray trench coat?" Rico asked.

"How did you know?" I questioned with a suspicious glance.

"We've been fighting the Grays for some time now. Between the Military Police and the Garrison, we've lost many troops to their activities within Wall Rose and they've only increased over the last couple of years." Rico said as she began dragging the bodies of those around me into field behind us.

"What exactly have they been doing that would cause so many casualties?" I asked as I kept looking at Petra, who continued to check me over for any injuries.

"They're one of the only groups that take jobs that would put them into direct conflict with the military. Assassination, abduction, stealing of military hardware, the list goes on." Rico stated.

"But they're only the middleman, right? Somebody has to recruit them if… Petra would you please stop." I said as she was mere inches away from my face.

"Are you sure that you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm sure. So could you-."

"Because we missed one and left you defenseless. You could have been captured, or worse!" Petra said, concern still covering her face. I sighed and smiled softly at Petra's concern. She really did take every mission seriously.

"Thank you Petra. You truly are a good person, but I'm okay. He didn't harm me in any way." I said as I placed a hand onto her shoulder. She smiled and nodded her head at my statement, seemingly satisfied with my answer.

"So then, he didn't harm you at all? What did you two talk about?" Rico asked, but her question was broken off when someone landed on the other side of the fire pit. Petra stood in between me and the new arrival, but relaxed when she saw who it was.

"Everything okay?" Rico asked as she took her hand off the hilt of her sword. Jayce nodded his head at the question and looked over at me, concern in his eyes.

"I'm fine. No harm done." I stated.

"Good. Let me help you." Jayce said as he went to help Rico remove the bodies from the clearing. "Was the other Gray troublesome?"

"Kind of, but we took care of it. From the sounds of it one of the higher ranked officers managed to slip past though." Rico said, pulling up another body. Jayce wasn't shocked to hear this, or at least he didn't show it.

"Not surprising. Those guys are some of the best in the Grays. Still…" Jayce bit his lower lip in frustration. "We're just lucky that whoever it was changed their mind."

"Yeah… lucky…" Petra replied solemnly before looking over to me. Everything got quiet once again between the four of us. Petra went about rekindling the fire and bring some light back to the campsite while Rico went to check on the pot of food. Jayce was setting his own fire to those that had fallen in the battle beforehand.

My thoughts continued to spin in my head like an ever turning wheel. What were these thoughts directed towards? The answer is obvious. This kingdom is not as peaceful as it would seem as there is a huge split between the nobles, common civilians, and the military. People are scared of the unknown, scared or Eren, of the titans, and of me. They may praise us for what we helped accomplish back in Trost, but they are terrified of something that may break their quiet balance within the kingdom.

"Naruto? Are you okay?" Petra asked, concern written all over her face. I still had my hood covering the upper portion of my face, my eyes lingering on the flames before me. Looking up at Petra, I nodded my head slowly to her question.

"Yeah, just thinking is all."

XxXxX

Sleep didn't go so well that night. Everyone had their own separate things to think about which kept us up late into the night. In the morning we quietly ate our breakfast of fruit before heading off onto the road again under the thick blanket of gray clouds. The reason for it being so quiet? Petra was the person who normally started the conversations, but she was abnormally silent. I know why. Everyone here knows why. The orange haired scout was in deep thought about what she saw last night and refuses to talk until she had set her mind straight. Petra may be nice and polite to me on the outside, but the look of fear could be seen in her eyes.

Luckily Rico was a little more talkative than normal and when the morning began to draw to noon, the two of us were making short conversation.

"It still baffles me how much you've traveled outside the walls. So you've been to the swamps to the south of Wall Maria?" Rico asked.

"I have. It was a good place to slow the titan's advance for a short time. I would use places like that to catch up on much needed sleep before leaving." I replied.

"How much did you see before ending up here?"

"I have a map of the world if you'd like to see it sometime."

"Y-You do?! Like where we are now in comparison to the entire planet?!" Rico exclaimed. I chuckled softly at Rico's excited behavior. This was one side of her that I thought I'd never see.

"I do. The world is larger than you think."

"We're coming up to Wall Sina now. Prepare to go through customs." Jayce said from the front of the wagon.

"Customs?" I asked.

"In order to get into the capital through one of the four gates, the Military Police set up a series of inspections that you have to go through. They're tiresome, but required without the appropriate signatures." Rico explained.

"And I assume you have these papers?"

"Well, I personally don't, but a certain someone I know that's part of the Honor Guard certainly should have them." Rico said as she glanced over at Jayce's back. He nodded his head in recognition, and held up a small booklet that, at the very least, looked official. "Great! Then this shouldn't take any time at all!"

"Halt! What business do you have within the confines of Wall Sina?" A man said, making our wagon grind to a halt. I couldn't see the man that was outside, but clearly he was speaking from a seat of authority.

"We are transporting a VIP to the Capital Courthouse." Jayce responded. Boots against the dirt path could be heard walking on the other side of the canvas cover. Glancing towards the opening in the back, I could see two young soldiers peering in. One with curly brown hair and the other with black hair. Their expressions was a mix of overconfidence and smug superiority.

"Who back here is the VIP?" One of the two soldiers asked. The three of us remained quiet after hearing his question, which clearly made him angry.

"I said-!" The young man with brown hair attempted to repeat.

"It says here that he should be wearing a black cloak and have blonde hair!" The man from the front said. Brownie looked to me and pointed his finger.

"You, take off your hood." Sighing, I lifted the hood from my head and looked back at the boy who ordered it. Said soldier grinned when I silently followed his orders.

"Is he back there?"

"Yes sir! He's here!"

"Good."

I went to go replace my hood over my head, but stopped when the brown haired soldier shouted. "Did I say you could put your hood back on?!" Frowning, the black haired boy shook his head.

"Leave the poor guy alone. Don't you know who he is?"

"No, and why should I care?"

"He's the Angel of Death. Show some respect."

"So he's the so called 'Angel of Death'." The brown haired boy said as he lifted himself up into the wagon. "The man who has 'slain hundreds of titans' on the fields outside of Trost." I watched him as he stopped in front of me with a grin that only meant trouble.

"Adam stop!" The black haired soldier exclaimed.

"And why should I? He's just a liar and fraud!" The one now none as Adam slammed his boot onto my recovering foot, making me cringe in pain. I could kill him, yes. Kill him as swiftly as I had those ten Grays last night, but then my image would be tarnished right before the council meeting. "Your arm and leg still work, don't they?! You're just using the lies and rumors surrounding you to get out of service!" Adam began grinding his boot into my foot even harder. For a split second the thought of killing him became easy and correct, but this thought was dashed from my mind as a sword was placed at his neck. Looking over I saw that Petra was the owner of said weapon. Her eyes dark and menacing. Ready to swiftly take the life of the one in her sights.

"I would recommend backing away from Naruto, now." Petra said with a dark tone. Rico had also stood up from her seated position, while Jayce was looking over his shoulder.

"And why should I? What do you owe him?" Adam asked in an arrogant tone.

"We have orders to protect him from anyone that may pose as a threat, and right now that's you." Petra stated. "Now back away before I make you."

Adam thought about retorting, but turned his head away from us. "Whatever. Protect the fraud for all I care." He walked out the back of wagon dropped to the ground. "Lets go Christian."

The black haired solider frowned as Adam left around the corner of the wagon. Once he was out of earshot, Christian turned to us with a sad smile adorning his features. "Sorry about that, but not all of us in the Military Police believe you're a fraud. Thank you for what you did in Trost Mr. Angel. Humanity owes you a huge debt."

With that the black haired soldier jogged around the corner of the wagon after his friend. Petra returned her sword to its sheath and sat back down next to Rico.

"Is that all?" Jayce asked, a certain edge to his voice after the little spectacle that had just occurred.

"Go on ahead. Everything seems to be in order. A personal escort will meet up with you once you enter the capital." Christian responded from outside the wagon. Without another word the wagon began moving through the dark tunnel inside Wall Sina.

"You could have defended yourself…" I looked up and saw Petra staring at me. "Compared to those Grays, that smug little brat was nothing."

"Yeah… I could have, but then what?" I asked as I wiggled my sore toes within the confines of my boot so nobody would notice. "The repercussions for me lashing out at him would have come back to bite me." Petra still looked annoyed, but it was probably directed more towards Adam then towards my answer.

"You handled the situation well. Good job." Rico said with a nod of approval.

"This doesn't mean I trust you yet. You're still a freak of nature that can do things that are physically impossible." Petra said, crossing her arms in annoyance. This made Rico chuckle at Petra's childish antics. "What?"

"Oh nothing." Rico said while patting her on the shoulder.

"You're mean." Petra said before standing up and sitting next to me.

"Petra, please, never change." Rico said with a smile as I placed my hood atop my head. Once we exited the tunnel Petra poked her head out the back of the wagon and looked around.

"So this is the Hermina District? It's certainly been a while since I've been here. Or anywhere inside of Wall Sina for that matter." Petra said.

"Being a part of the Survey Corps means you never get the chance to come to the capital at all, right?" Rico asked as she removed the book from her duffel bag.

"That's right, but I never really liked it here anyway. Too many rules and stuck up snobs for my taste." Petra commented as she sat back down.

"If earlier was any consultation…" Rico mumbled, opening her book and turning to the page she had originally left off on.

"We're going to eat lunch here before leaving." Jayce said from the front, making the silver haired soldier close it just as soon as she had opened it.

"Gotcha. Petra, could you get the wheelchair ready?" Rico asked as she walked to the front of the wagon and jumped up with Jayce. Probably to discuss where we were going to eat.

The orange haired scout opened the back of the wagon before readying the wheelchair on the ground after the wagon had stopped. I only stared at my wrapped and immobile arm sitting in its sling in annoyance. I could feel a searing pain running through every fiber underneath my skin. Signifying that my muscles and nerves were repairing themselves, and while I could move these limbs, it would only prove to be even more painful than it was now.

I could feel the heated gaze of someone at the back of the wagon and knew who it was. Glancing over, Petra was frowning as she looked at me. A look of pity covering her features. "We found a place. Lets get you up and moving." Rico said as she walked into the back of the wagon. Petra climbed into the wagon and with their support, placed me into the wheelchair.

This place was much nicer than Trost and the other villages that we had passed through on the way here. The architecture was the same, but the condition was so much better than that of their neighbors. Along with the general quality of life, the people wore clothes of a higher quality and walked around without a care in the world.

Petra began pushing my wheelchair while Rico and Jayce walked on either side of me. "Is that the place?" Petra asked as we approached a small café built into the corner of a four way intersection. The wagon was parked within sight of the tables while also being out of the way of any other horse traffic that may be coming by.

"This is the place. You've got a good eye for places to eat Jayce." Rico commented as we entered the small gated seating area. Petra parked me next to one of the small black tables before taking a seat of her own.

"How are we doing today?" A voice asked as the waiter approached the table, several menus in her arms and a liter of water.

"We're doing fine, thank you. Can we just get a pot of your house soup and four bowls?" Rico said, gaining a nod from the waiter, who placed the water onto the table.

"Coming right-!" The women began say.

"Mom! Tommy won't stop poking me!" A young black haired girl exclaimed through the window of restaurant.

"But Sarah won't give me my toy back!" Tommy shouted from within the building.

"I don't have your stupid toy dummy!" Sarah replied, disappearing from the window and back into the building. The mother sighed and shook her head.

"Sorry about that. My name is Clare if you need me." The light brown haired women said.

"Nice kids. How old?" Petra asked.

"Ten and eight. Sarah being the eldest." Clare responded before walking towards the door leading into the building. "I'll get your order in. Just sit tight!"

Once she was gone Petra and Rico could only chuckle at the situation that Clare was in. "Must be hard raising two children while working as a waitress. I wonder where the husband is at?" Petra asked.

"Probably in the military." Jayce responded.

"Yeah, probably…" Rico voiced. I looked at my empty cup and Jayce quickly picked up on my silent message. He poured me a glass of water and then poured the others theirs as well.

"Thank you." I quietly said, taking a sip of the cold liquid. Once done, I looked at the others sitting at the table. "Tell me, how renown are the Grays?"

"They aren't very well known amongst anybody besides the military and upper portion of society. This being the nobility and wealthy businessmen." Rico explained. "If you were to ask an average citizen, or even a soldier not attached to a special operations unit, then they would have no clue who you were talking about."

"The Grays don't tend to brag about their exploits against the nobles and the military." Jayce commented.

"Which makes them different from any other mercenary group out there. They keep to themselves unless a contract directly puts them into conflict with us, or another noble family. An interesting bunch that we've had a hard time tracking down." Rico went on to explain.

"The Scouting Legion rarely interacts with the Grays and even we've heard of them." Petra coined.

"Here we go! One pot of our renowned loaded potato soup!" Clare said as Tommy walked out with a small table to place it on. The young boy wore a white short sleeved shirt and brown shorts. "Sarah honey! Could you grab these fine soldiers some bowls please!" Seconds later the young girl known as Sarah walked out of the building with four bowls. She went about handing out the bowls to each of us until she got to me. Sarah looked at my bandaged arm and then to my leg.

"Are you hurt mister?" Sarah asked. She wore a one piece white dress that went down to her shins.

"I am."

"How come?" The curious girl asked. "You don't look like a soldier to me."

"Sarah, leave the poor man alone." Clare ordered, seeing the other soldiers get on edge when the young girl began asking questions. The mother also didn't like the ominous feeling she was getting when she looked at my hooded head. "I'm sure he has his reasons." Sarah didn't comply with her mother's wishes as she stared at me with eyes that wanted to know all. "Sarah-."

"Are you a criminal?" The girl asked. "Is that the reason these soldiers are here?"

"He is not a criminal." Rico said, a tick mark above her head from how Sarah so casually called me a criminal. "He's anything but that."

"Then why are you being followed around by these soldiers?" Sarah asked. I sighed and looked over to the others, who all looked nervous at the situation.

"Because it's their mission to follow me." I replied.

"What's the mission?" She pushed, but I softly smiled at the question. Lifting my free hand I moved said towards the girl's head.

"What are you-?!" The mother went to shout, but stopped when I simply poked the young child's forehead with my middle and index fingers. I don't know what pulled me to do this, I just felt like I should. Like it was the appropriate response to the innocent question at hand.

"What was that for?" Sarah asked. Letting a small smile play upon my lips, I grabbed the bowl in her hand and placed it onto the table.

"Because I'm not allowed to tell you. It's a secret." I replied, making the girl puff out her cheeks in annoyance.

"Fine, be that way!" Sarah said before walking back into the house, followed by the boy.

"Sorry about that, but my daughter has an endless curiosity about things that doesn't concern her." The mother said.

"And don't let her lose that. Just teach her that sometimes that curiosity can become troublesome." I replied, making the woman nod in appreciation and walk back into the store.

"You handled that well." Rico said as she began pouring the soup into everyone's bowls.

"At first I thought you were going to shock her." Petra said, taking the full bowl from Rico as she handed it to her.

"I was planning to." I responded with a flat expression, making the scout nearly drop her bowl. Shaking my head, Rico laughed at her fellow soldier.

"You actually thought he was serious?" Jayce asked, taking a bite from his food.

"No! Well…" Embarrassed, Petra took a bite of her food as well. "Kind of."

"Just because I can do strange things that can hurt others doesn't make me want to hurt people." I said, eating some of the soup as well. Staring at me for a moment, her intense gaze was beginning to bother me. "What?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Petra replied with a small smile, but her expression had changed. After she had seen my chakra abilities, Petra had become quiet and distant. Almost as if she had witnessed a secret that she didn't want to know, but now…

I took another bite of my food as I watched Petra and Rico converse with one another. 'Looks like I've put her mind at ease for the moment.'

The rest of the meal somewhat like this. Rico and Petra talking to one another while Jayce and I ate in a comfortable silence. Looking over at my fellow male, my thoughts began to drift to who he was and why he was always so quiet. As I went to ask this question, I stopped myself from doing so. Asking him why he was so quiet would be very annoying and bothersome, and I was the same way. Quiet and distant, I pulled away from general conversation as well, so… who was I to ask Jayce such a personal question like that?

"Here's your change. I hope you come back to see us soon." Clare said as she shook the honor guard's hand.

"Thank you, but you wouldn't happen to have a restroom?" Jayce asked.

"We do. Please follow me." Clare said as she walked towards the door to the restaurant.

"Oh, I've got to go too!" Petra said as she stood.

"I guess I'll go as well. Are you fine Naruto?" Rico asked.

"I'm fine. Go on ahead." I replied.

"If you say so. We'll be back in a hurry." Rico said as she ran in through the door that the other two had just entered. I sighed before looking up into the darkening sky above. A cold drop of rain fell onto my cheek, making me blink at the sudden feeling of brisk water on my face.

'How annoying…'

XxXxX

"Sarah! Could you go grab the pot of soup from the table outside? I think I might have left it when I was grabbing everything." Clare shouted from the kitchen.

"Okay mom!" Sarah shouted as she walked to the door, but as she was walking she caught a glimpse of the rain falling through the window. "Has to be raining…" Grabbing an umbrella from the hanger next to the door, Sarah opened the door only to see the man in the wheelchair staring up into the crying sky above.

Sarah stared at the man, as if transfixed on a picture that she desperately wanted to understand and make sense of. His hood had fallen off his head and his blonde hair was matted downwards due to the water. "Mister?" He didn't respond, or even move. Only looking up into the sky as it blanketed him in water. Not knowing what to do, Sarah opened her umbrella and slowly walked over to the table. The pot was still there, but her gaze was still fixated on the man. "Are you okay mister?" Sarah was standing on the other side of the table and simply looking at him with a mixture of awe and pity. Why would those soldiers leave him out in the rain like this?

Finally the man looked over to the girl and simply stared at her, making her take step back. It was like he was staring through her, as if he didn't even register that she was there at all.

Blood pooled at my feet as mountains of the dead lay strayed all around me. The thick stench of dead bodies and decaying corpses filled my nostrils as a heavy rain mixed with the mud and rivers of crimson blood beneath my feet.

Before me stood an endless sea of the enemies that I had so desperately fought against, but the winds of victory did not blow with me this day. I had bought as much time as I possibly could, but only succeeded in stemming the tide for a few short hours.

Looking up into the downpour, I smiled sadly as chakra began to form within me. I had one last card to play. One final tactic to hold the monsters that gathered around me at bay.

Lets just hope that it won't kill me…

"Mister! Are you okay?!" I was shaken from my thoughts as a girl looked up at me with tearing eyes. Looking down in shock, Sarah stared at me with concern written all over her face. She almost looked scared at what she had just witnessed.

Blinking away the water on my eyelashes, I nodded my head slowly. "Y-Yeah… I'm fine." Sarah stared at me for a while before gripping onto my cloak even tighter. It was now that I realized that an umbrella lay on the ground off to the side.

"Are you sure?" Sarah asked, concern still laced in her voice. It took me a second to respond, but I finally nodded my head. Her clothes were soaked and if she stayed out here any longer then she could catch a cold.

"Why are you out here?" I asked.

"You looked just like dad when he came home…" Sarah said, completely ignoring my question entirely.

"…" I only looked down at the girl with a sad frown adorning my lips.

"Whenever I talked to him he would always looked back at me with those eyes." Tears began to mix in with the water on her face as she lowered her head. "His hugs, his smiles, everything became so cold." Sarah finally looked up at me with red puffed eyes. "And when you looked at me the way you did… what happened to you that made you like that?" Her voice was becoming more serious and desperate as she spoke. "What could have happened that made you so BROKEN!"

My eyes widened in surprise. Broken…?

"Please Naruto, please don't become like him. No matter the hardships you'll face, the challenges you have to overcome, or the pain you endure, don't let it break you. No matter what…" The life in her eyes began to slowly dwindle away. "I love you, Naruto Uzumaki."

"Sarah, that's enough…" Standing behind her was Clare, on the verge of tears. "Please leave the poor man alone."

"No! He's just like dad was! I want to know-!" Sarah began to shout.

"Sarah!" The young girl quickly shut her mouth at the sudden outburst. Looking up at her mother, Sarah saw that her mother's hair had covered her eyes from view. Every now and again the older woman's body would tremble. "Go inside, now."

Sarah stood her ground for a moment until finally complying with her mother's orders. Once inside, I could only look to the ground in the same fashion as Clare. We stayed like this for a little while, content with letting the rain fall on us.

"My husband was one of the happiest men in the world when we married ten years ago. We opened this restaurant and I gave birth to two beautiful children. Our lives couldn't have been any better." Clare began to tremble a little more as the words left her mouth. "But when Wall Maria was breached, our lives drastically changed." Clare's hands balled up into fists as she remembered the day that it happened. "The royal government sent out a mandatory conscription that forced any and all able body men and women to participate in the military unless they were given a special reason otherwise. When the recruiters came to our doorstep they gave us a choice, either my husband or myself goes. Being the nice person that he was, my husband quickly accepted the position and found himself joining the Survey Corps." Looking up into the sky, the memories of that fateful day came to the forefront of her thoughts. "For years he served in the military. We would send letters back and forth to one another. He would ask about the kids, the business, everything that you'd expect from a man in the military, but when I asked about his work he would completely avoid the question. Then, three months ago, we received news that my husband had lost an arm in one of the various expeditions outside of the walls. I was sad when the news came of his missing arm, but relieved that he was finally coming home and was alive. It had been so long since the kids and I saw him, but when he returned…" She looked to me and flinched as Clare remember what her daughter had said. "He was different."

"By different, you mean…?"

"He was a lot like you. Quiet, distant, and cold, he would always have this faraway look in eyes. Even though he would smile and give us reassurance that he was okay, I could tell that it was all a front. A ploy to shield us from the pain he was truly enduring."

"What happened to your husband?"

"He committed suicide about two weeks ago."

"…I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I'm just…" She breathed in heavily, trying to push back the emotions that she held so tightly within. "I'm just worried for the kids is all. Sarah was the one that found him and she's been trying to figure out why he would do such a thing, and in a way, I guess I am too."

"A broken soul is not so easy to understand, no matter how close you are to them." I responded, looking up to see Jayce leaning against the door. Nodding my head, the soldier took my silent confirmation and walked over. "I hope one day you find the answers to your question." She squeezed her hands into a ball once more as Jayce began to push me away.

"Can you promise me one thing?" Clare asked, making Jayce stop. "Don't give up on life, no matter how bleak it gets."

"…" Lowering my head, Jayce frowned before continuing to push me along. I'm alive for a reason, but not because I want to be. It's because I'm meant to be.

XxXxX

"Man it's so dreary out today." Petra said as she looked out the back of the wagon. "Sorry for leaving you in the rain like that Naruto. I had no idea it was going to pour down like this."

"He's already said it was fine Petra." Rico responded as she looked over at me, but frowned when there wasn't a response, or even a movement to say that he was registering their words.

"But I feel really bad!" Petra said.

"Leave him be." Jayce said from the front of the wagon. He was currently wearing a poncho to help deflect the rain from his body. The two females looked at one another in surprise. Jayce rarely spoke when it came to the random bickering between the three of us, so to speak now meant that something was going on.

"If you say so…" Petra said as she looked over to the quiet blonde, but to her I was unreadable. My hood covered my facial features from sight, leaving no room for the orange haired scout to decipher what was going through my head.

I can't really tell how long the rest of the trip took. We left the city of Hermina and quickly found ourselves in the countryside of Wall Sina. The heavy rain had died down soon after we left the walled city, but picked back up once we reached the capital walls. The entire trip was made in silence with only the sporadic conversation being sparked between Rico and Petra.

The words of that girl, Sarah, continued to echo in my mind. Broken, broken, broken… I've endured so much in my lifetime, but to consider myself broken? Has life really taken that much of a toll on me that it has changed who I was and how I go about things? People change, even the most steadfast of souls will eventually be worn down by disasters or events that are out of their control. Then a question began to grow in the deep recesses of my mind. Something that I had very rarely asked myself in the past.

Who was I before I became so distant and cold? Was I always like this, or was I kind, open, and cheerful?

"We're coming up to the first checkpoint." Jayce said over his shoulder, but I was so lost in thought that I never heard him.

With this question now in my head, another question needed to be asked before exploring the concept of who I was in the past. Did it really matter? Maybe I was a person who always had a smile his face, or even a crazed hermit. Who knows? It certainly didn't affect the situation he was in now so why bother wondering? Still, the thought of being somebody that I wasn't haunted my thoughts even now.

"Naruto? You there?" Glancing up, I saw Rico staring at me with concern in her eyes.

"Yes?" I replied in a flat tone. I nearly recoiled myself at how dead my voice sounded, but at the moment I didn't care. I needed to sort out my thoughts before anything could be accomplished.

Frowning at the tone of my voice, Rico pointed to the back of the wagon. Following her finger I noticed that two older guards wearing wool trench coats to protect them from the rain stood waiting for me to do something. "They need to see your face so we can progress through the checkpoint." It took me second to comply with their request, and while I stared at the two soldiers their visage began to turn from men full of authority to nervous wrecks. Lifting my hood, the men nodded their heads and disappeared from opening in the wagon. "Naruto?"

"What?" I didn't want to talk, or converse at the moment, but that didn't excuse my tone of voice. It sounded dangerous, threatening even, and Rico's reaction proved that. Her eyes widened and she shuffled nervously in her seat.

"I-I just wanted to know if you were okay." I raised a brow at the question, but decided to let her continue. "You've been acting different since lunch. Did something happen?"

"…" Of course something happened. Wasn't it obvious? But then again these people have no idea what I've been through. What I've endured for who knows how long. But even still… "I'm fine." Rico was worried about me, and I, at the very least, need to show some signs of recognition on those feelings. "I just need some time to think is all."

"Think about what?" Petra asked. Unintentionally balling up my working hand into a fist, I must have scared her somewhat. It was an innocent question. Something that any caring or curious person would ask when someone was distressed, but this was something I couldn't talk about.

"There's a lot to sort out right now." I replied, replacing the hood on my head.

Rico nodded her head at my answer, but was still slightly taken aback from my tone of voice. 'I guess he hasn't had much time to sort out what has happened since coming here. Hell, the first thing he did when he arrived was battle against the titans so it makes sense.' Petra must have been thinking the same thing because she didn't press her question any further.

The wagon silently moved along the paved roads of the capital. The houses looked nice and extremely expensive. This must be where the nobles and high class businessmen reside. It was now that I realized that four soldiers followed along behind us on horseback. They all wore trench coats with the insignia for Military Police etched onto the front. 'Now they come…'

"Your trial will be held at the noble courthouse near the center of the city." Jayce said as a large golden dome shaped building came into view.

"Why did the nobles want a separate hearing? It still doesn't make any sense." Petra questioned, laying down onto the wooden bench.

"I don't know, but I'm sure we'll learn in the morning." Rico replied with a frown. She may not know much about their quiet companion, or even trust him, but she had grown to respect the quiet man to some degree. Grinding to a halt, the wagon came to a stop around the back of the massive courthouse after passing through a metal gate guarded by two guards.

"We'll take it from here. You three are to report to your quarters in Residence Hall B." A female solder said with authority as she stepped up into the wagon after Petra and Rico had helped me into my wheelchair. She wore a trench coat like the other soldiers still on horseback, but on their arms were a golden band.

"Our orders are to be his personal guard until the end of his trial." Petra replied, not liking the tone of voice the Military Police was using.

"Once you entered past the metal gate you, along with everyone in this wagon, must comply with Court Guard. Please, go to your rooms and await further orders. We'll take care of the Outsider until his court hearing." The women said as two other Court Guards lifted my wheelchair, with me still in it, out of the wagon. Before Petra could argue any further, Rico placed a hand on the scout's shoulder, making said orange haired soldier look to her companion. Rico simply shook her head, signifying it was worthless for them to argue.

"Since we are assigned to him then we must be allowed to check on him when we see it fit." Jayce said as he crawled in from the front of the wagon. "Just like any escort mission, the assigned guard should have access to their person any time they deem it necessary. As stated in manual section 4.90B."

"You are correct. You, along with Ms. Ral and Ms. Brzenska, will be allowed to visit the Outsider when so it fit to do so." The soldier was clearly agitated that there was someone within the group that knew their codes and regulations so thoroughly. "If there aren't any more questions than report to your assigned sleeping arrangements." With that she hopped out of the back of the wagon and into the rain.

"I hate those guys…" Rico said as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What about Naruto's backpack?" Petra asked as Jayce lifted it over his shoulder.

"I'll take it for now. Lets unload the wagon and report to the quartermaster." Jayce instructed, grabbing his own bag of belongings and his 3D maneuver gear.

"Good idea. This rain is beginning to become annoying…" Rico replied.

XxXxX

"You'll be staying here for the duration of the trial." The female soldier said as a tall dark skinned man stuck me next to a cot. Facing the entrance, I watched as the first soldier locked the barred door to the cell. "If you need anything then ring the bell by the door. Have a nice day." She then disappeared down the dark hallway with her fellow soldier, leaving me to my own devices.

I was sure that she knew that I wouldn't be able to actually reach the bell while I was in this crippled state. 'At least the cell is nice…' Lifting up my 'crippled' arm, the pain quickly radiated through said appendage, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it was yesterday. The fact that I could feel pain at all was a good sign, but the pain felt like millions of tiny needles pushing themselves into every muscle in my arm. Not unbearable at all. In fact, I had full range of motion with my arm and leg, but keeping my crippled visage intact was key to the trial. At least, I felt it was. I wouldn't actually know if this was a good idea until the day of.

Rolling over to the bed, I lifted myself onto the cushion and laid my head against the soft pillow. The MP certainly doesn't skip on comfort, that's for sure. Bored, I closed my eyes and decided to talk to the only being that was available.

XxXxX

"You lied." I sighed as I sat against one of the pillars. The tiny fox known as Kurama stared at me with such intensity that it nearly made me flinch. "You said that you would come back when everything was settled outside."

"I'm sorry, but there's a lot going on right now." I replied. "The problems are still pulling me away from visiting you." Kurama paced around me, staring at me with those orange eyes as if he was analyzing my every move. Finally stopping in front of me, he smiled brightly and jumped into my lap.

"That's okay! As long as you do the thing." I chuckled at his words before scratching behind his head. "Ah… that feels so good." Smiling, I continued to scratch his head in silence. Well, besides the moans of approval from the tiny fox. "What's the matter?" I stopped scratching his and looked down at the fox.

"Hmm…?"

"You feel… off. I don't know, but I can kind of feel your emotions. Are you sad about something?" Kurama asked.

"…" I guess this was to be expected, being a Bijuu inside of me and all. "I've just got a lot on my mind. Don't worry about it."

"But I am worrying about it!" The small kitsune said as he jumped from my lap and to the marble in front of me. "You're hurting and I can clearly feel it! What happened?! Did someone hurt you outside?!"

"Kurama, please. Nobody hurt me." I replied.

"Then what happened that would make you so sad?" Kurama asked. I wish I knew how to answer his question myself.

'That flashback… why is it still haunting me?' I thought, flinching at what had occurred.

"Naruto?" I looked down and saw a concerned fox staring back. I needed to keep these flashbacks hidden from everyone so my secrets wouldn't come out, but to Kurama… "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Can you keep a secret?" I asked.

"Of course! Anything to help!" Kurama replied with a bright smile.

"There are times when I have these… I guess flashbacks are the best way to describe them." I said.

"Flashbacks? You make it seem like you're very old!" Kurama responded with a laugh, but quickly became quiet when he saw no response. "… how old are you?"

"Kurama, what I'm about to tell is a secret that I've never told anybody before." I said, looking up at the white flame that sat at the center of the room. "It's the reason why you're here, along with your brother and sisters."

"Never told anybody before? What is it?" Kurama asked.

"This place is a seal that has made me something that is known as an Eternal." I said with a frown. "I've lived for longer than I can even remember. Memories have become all but a distant blur of emotions that sometimes resurface in the form of flashbacks. Sometimes these flashbacks are friendly and heartwarming, but other times…" I breathed in heavily and exhaled the air from my lungs. "They hurt a little."

"N-Naruto…" I looked down at the fox to see tears streaming down his face. "I-I'm sorry. I had no idea… but at least I'm here now. I can help you whenever you need it." He stepped into my lap and pressed the side of his head against my chest in the hopes of comforting me. I smiled sadly as I wrapped my arms around the kitsune.

It wasn't much, but it was enough…

XxXxX

"Outsider. We're here to escort you to your court hearing. Are you ready?" A Court Guard captain said as he, along with two other broad chested Court Guards, entered my cell. It's been four days since I was put into this cell and the Court Guard have been anything but hospitable. Every time they've come to give me my food it was either dumped onto the ground or placed onto the other side of the barred door. If it not for Petra, Jayce, and Rico I would have probably been extremely malnourished right now from lack of food. It took them two days to find me, because apparently my 'generous' hosts never gave them the exact location of my cell, but once they did the three elite soldiers were shocked.

Petra nearly attacked the Court Guard on duty for placing me in a cell, but was held back by a desperate Rico. While she didn't exactly like the idea of me being trapped within a cell, lashing out at the people that held ownership of the keys would not go well. Rico and Petra made it a point to start bringing me all three of my meals, which went unopposed by my guards. Probably because now they had one less job to do.

While not eating with my three bodyguards, I spent the majority of my time talking with Kurama. The conversations that we had were deep and meaningful, but more times than not the subject of said conversations would lead to my past. It was just unfortunate that I couldn't reveal much…

Roughly lifting me from the bed, the two large soldiers placed me into the wheelchair and pushed me out into the hallway. Why the Court Guard wasn't fond of me was something that eluded me since I came here. Verbal harassment and poor living conditions was their primary tool when trying to inflict pain onto me. Was it the Military Police as a whole that disliked me? Or was it just this group? The Garrison was a mix of both, and I haven't had enough contact with the Survey Corps to know what they thought. If I had to venture a guess it would be something similar to Petra's line of thought.

"All seven high noble houses will be presiding over the trial, including any who have paid the entrance fee." The captain said as we moved through the underbelly of the courthouse. The brown haired captain grinned at the thought. "You brought in a lot of money, you know that?"

"…" Was this the reason the nobles wanted to have a separate court hearing? So they could raise money? That may be part of the reason, but I doubt that making money was the primary purpose for pushing for a separate court case. I guess it didn't matter now because I would learn of their intentions soon enough. And I doubt it was because they needed to save me from the clutches of the military…

Finally stopping in front of a tall, but slender, set of gold and onyx black doors, the two large soldiers pushed them open to reveal one of the largest court rooms that I've ever seen. It reminded me of an opera house except with three separate sets of bleachers above the main floor. And what surprised me the most was that there wasn't a seat that wasn't filled. Hundreds had come out to see the spectacle that was the 'Angel of Death'. Jayce had warned me that this trial was on everyone's lips and that there had even been a few deaths when fights broke out over who owned a ticket for this 'historical' event.

As the captain rolled me into the center of the courtroom from out of the door that was off to the side, the entire room quieted down from a once bustling and talkative scene. Only the quiet mutters and whispers could be heard from the people in the stands before I was finally placed in front of a long golden desk that sat well above me. Looking up, I could see seven people wearing different color clothing staring back at me. To the left and right, there was five people on each flank sitting behind separate onyx tables, but strangely one was missing. Jayce and Rico had tried to explain to me who the high nobles were, but I only got the names as their activities are well kept from the peering gaze of the outside world. The nine others, however, remained a mystery to me.

The man at the center of the seven people behind the nicer looking table stood up. "Welcome all who have so graciously spent the time to come to this trial." The man said to the now completely quiet room. "Today we are here to discuss and determine the rightful fate of the person that has become known as the 'Angel of Death'." The room burst into mutters and private discussions on the matter. "To begin, I would like everyone from the seven noble houses, along with the ten representatives of the CCM, to introduce themselves to the 'Angel of Death'. My name is Albert Gradl, head of my house and leader for this trial." He was taller and extremely thin with blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes. His attire resembled that of Leonard's, green and silver, except with more… expensive additions. A snake emblem adorned his shirt just like Leonard.

"I come from the noble Fink House and my name is Abigail." A larger woman said on the far left of the table. She wore a maroon dress with a white blouse. Brown hair and eyes rounded out her visage along with a sheep symbol etched onto her dress.

"I'm Ben, head of House Kuefer. Pleased to meet the famed 'Angel of Death'." Ben was about my height with beautiful long light brown hair and emerald eyes. He wore a loose purple silk shirt with a horse patch on each of his long sleeves. Ben sat just to the right of Abigail, but he looked clearly annoyed by where he sat.

"Erik, head of House Pious." A large muscular man said with his arms crossed and leaning back in his chair on the far right of the golden table. He had emerald eyes and short silver hair, but one of his notable features was the scar running down his left eye. The clothes that he wore were all black and dark gray military attire, but much more casual. A wolf badge could be seen on his left shoulder. My eyes lingered on the massive man for a moment before my hooded eyes went to the next person that spoke.

"Always straight to the point Master Pious. My name is Ivo, head of the Oster family." An older man said with a smile from next to Erik. He had graying hair and mustache, but looked extremely friendly. He wore an orange and gold suit with a monocle that sat atop his right eye. A scorpion badge was sown onto his front pocket, just below a white handkerchief that stuck out of said pocket.

"It's in his nature. The brute rarely thinks before acting." Ben said as he brushed his hair to the side, gaining a snort from the muscular man while keeping his eyes closed.

"Now, now. Lets keep this civilized." A woman said with long jet black hair and purple eyes. She was tall with dark tan skin and a large protruding chest. She wore a form fitting white and silver dress with a hole showing a fit abdomen. A patch with an eagle was sown onto the arm of her dress. "My name is Isabella and I'm of House Oster."

"And I'm Nicholas of House Lobov." An older man said. He had a receding hairline with brown hair around the back of his head. He wore a dark brown suit with a white button up shirt and a patch with a bear on his suit.

"Thank you my friends. Now, would the CCM please introduce themselves?" Albert said, but the nine people in their chairs all looked at one another in apprehension. "Is there an issue?"

One of the businessmen stood up and cleared his throat. "The men and women of the Collected Company of Merchants would like to abstain from giving out our names until we decide on the course of the trial."

Albert hummed before nodding his head. "If that is what you wish then so be it." He then turned to the massive crowd that had surprisingly stayed quiet during the duration of the introductions. These men and women must hold immense power within the kingdom to keep such a massive crowd quiet. "Now that the pleasantries are out of the way let us begin."

"What's the purpose of this trial anyway? To me, it's just a waste of our precious time." Erik said as he looked over to Albert, an annoyed expression adorning his features.

"If we would not have intervened then the military would have had their way with him." Isabella said. "Surely you wouldn't like that now would you?" Erik scowled at the comment, but declined to reply.

"The purpose of this trial is to decide the fate of the Angel of Death." Albert said, slightly annoyed by Erik's tone of voice.

"Yes. Allowing the military to hold power over a civilian that has done nothing wrong is a crime in and of itself. Those power hungry heathens should know their place." Abigail noted.

"Indeed. They were out of line, which is why I sent one of my men to extract him from the situation." Albert said as he opened a folder that was on the desk. "I assume that everyone has read the notes from the illegal military trial for the Angel of Death? Good, so your real name is Naruto Uzumaki, correct?" The question was directed to me, but it took me a second to realize that they were finally speaking to me and not each other.

"Yes." Several mutters could be heard from the massive crowd behind me as this was the first time they've heard my voice.

"And I assume that what you said before during said trial is truth?" Albert went on to say, gaining a nod from my hooded head. "So you weren't actually born within this kingdoms walls?"

"No, I was not."

"So you were born outside? Amongst the titans?" Nicholas asked, a tinge of fear in his voice.

"If you are implying that Mr. Uzumaki is one of those human/titan hybrid then you're wrong. In the notes Pixis says that he was not one." Ivo stated.

"No! I'm not, it's just… don't you think it's strange? A human living out in the wilderness with those monsters?" Nicholas asked.

"It is amazing that a human could live out there for, what? Twenty some odd years?" Ben said. "You must have the endurance of an ox!"

"But this begs the question, what happened to the others in your group?" Nicholas asked. "Surely you had a mother and a father that conceived you."

"You're just like your mother." A man with blonde hair and clear blue eyes said. "You may look like me, but your personality reminds me of her… she would have loved to see you again." A red haired women then appeared next to him, like a ghost of who she was and what she looked like. "I'm sorry for doing this to you, but you're the only one that I could trust with this." He then placed a hand onto my shoulder and smiled sadly. "Because you're my son…"

"Of course he had a mother and father. Can't you read between the lines?" Isabella questioned.

"What do you mean?" Nicholas asked. "If you're insinuating-."

"He appeared before us alone. What do you think happened to his family?" Erik said.

"They died long before I came upon these walls." I stated.

"As most of us presumed." Albert said as he glanced over at Nicholas. "Another note that came up before was the teachings of your abnormal abilities. It is impossible, yes?"

"More or less." I replied.

"Hmm…" Albert stared down at me with questioning eyes.

"What exactly are we doing here Albert? You called for this trial for a reason and thus far we have only reviewed the notes from the previous one." A man from a CCM asked in annoyance.

"That is a possibility, but something must be brought forth before we can move forward." Albert said, making the man sit back down. "How can we be absolutely sure that teaching someone else your powers is impossible?"

"Are you suggesting that he's lying?" Ben asked.

"It would make sense for a blood thirsty savage to want to hide his powers from the rest of us." Abigail said with an audible 'humph'. "He's just trying to hold onto any possible power that he may have."

"I don't believe that he would withhold something this important from us." Ivo stated. "If he could teach others of his power that could kill so many titans then we could easily retake Wall Maria."

"Are you absolutely sure that your powers cannot be taught to someone else?" Isabella asked.

"Yes. Simply teaching someone is not enough." I said, trying not to reveal too much in the process. "If a person tried to use my techniques then they would die immediately."

"How would someone die so quickly? What could possibly cause them to die?" Albert asked.

"I'm not at liberty to say." I replied.

"Not at liberty? These are your abilities!" Abagail exclaimed. "How are you not allowed to talk about them?!"

"During the military trial Commander-in-Chief Darius Zachary said that the specifics of his abilities, along with the battle itself, are not to be discussed until he deems it worthy." Erik noted as he read a piece of paper in front of him before looking over at the larger woman. "You'd be wise to heed his commands."

"We aren't here to press against the military's position on the matter." Albert said, trying to reason with the other noble. "I was just bringing up a point that had yet to be explored."

"Still, watch your tongue. You wouldn't want the Military Police to arrest you for solicitation, would you?" Erik asked, making the blonde noble frown. Albert was trying to, in a sly way, extract the information about my chakra abilities from me, but luckily Erik caught onto his scheme and stopped it before it could progress any further. I wish I could thank him, but this was not the place.

Albert sighed and looked to the crowd, who had been obedient throughout the trial. It was clear that things were not going as he had planned them to. Albert was the one that called for this trial in the first place, so it would make sense for him to lead things along, but so far his attempts to progress his plans have been halted. "Everyone here has read the notes from the military trial, yes?" This gained many nods from the fifteen others that surrounded me. "Then I would like to gain some of your opinions on what should be done with the young man."

"I think he should be thrown into a cell and left to rot." Abagail said as she glared daggers down upon me. Why she hated me so much, I didn't have the slightest clue, but it was beginning to become annoying. "He's too dangerous to be left to his own devices." A large portion of the crowd exploded into a mixture of cheers and angry shouts. It would seem even here that the people were divided on how they viewed me.

"Surely you jest. He lost his arm and leg retaking Trost from the titan invasion." Ivo responded, making the people quiet down. "If anything he should rewarded for his sacrifice."

"I would like to agree with Ivo. Naruto has sacrificed too much to be condemned to a prison cell for the rest of his life." Erik said.

"He is dangerous though." Nicholas stated.

"Where do you stand on the matter Nicholas?" Albert asked.

"I agree that he's dangerous, but not in the sense that Abagail is referring to." This made the other nobles look at him questionably. "The 'Angel of Death' is not so much dangerous to us physically, but the political climate of the kingdom. So long as he exists then there will even more instability amongst us then there already is."

"A valid point." Albert noted before turning to Ben. "What do you think?"

"While I admire his endurance and integrity, to be perfectly honest, I don't very much care what is done about him. Putting him chains or setting him free, both options don't concern me." The young man said with a shrug.

"I see. Isabella?" Albert said, turning to the dark skinned woman.

"This has to be history in the making as Ben and I have never seen eye to eye on anything." The beautiful woman said with a grin. "I am of the same opinion as the Kuefer. The 'Angel of Death's' fate has no relevance to me."

"So, two people wish to be rid of him, two people wish to set him free, and two people that want to have nothing to do with him." Albert said as he chuckled at the numbers. "How unusual."

"It would appear that we are at an impasse." Nicholas said, looking over at Erik and Ivo.

"Does the CCM have any words to add on the matter?" Albert asked. The nine men and women all looked to one another in question. "Surely the Collected Company of Merchants have a voice on the situation. Your comments could very well sway our minds."

"While your words are kind, noble Albert of House Gradl, we find no need to comment on the situation." A woman said at the end of the table to my right. "We hold no actual weight in the decision making as this was changed from a Civilian Council meeting to a Noble Council meeting two days prior. As such we have agreed to stay silent on the matter." It was clear to me that the CCM hold some ill will towards the high nobles of society. To be able to change the very context of a trial, and one of this magnitude, must mean the nobles hold much more power than I originally thought.

"If that is what you wish then so be it." Albert replied, a small amount of venom in his voice.

"You have yet to give us your thoughts, Albert. What do you believe should be done with him?" Ivo asked.

"I hard question to answer. I've done a lot of thinking and can't really come up with a reasonable answer. Being chained to a cell for the rest of his days seems cruel and inhumane." He said as the blonde noble rubbed his chin in thought. "But leaving him be will surely cause problems as well." Albert sighed as the situation was beginning to strain his thoughts. I gripped the edge of my wheelchair as everyone stared at the green clad noble in anticipation. If they think they can lock me in a cell and throw away the key then these nobles better think twice. "There must be a compromise that can be found."

"A compromise? What kind of compromise?" Ivo asked.

"One party wishes to see him behind bars, while the other deems it worthy to give him freedom. The only compromise I can see is limited freedom within the realms of the High Nobles." Albert said. "This would allow us to keep a close eye on him while also allowing a certain amount of freedom within the kingdom."

"I don't want this thing anywhere close to my family, let alone the grounds of my house." Abagail said with disgust.

"Then he won't find sanctuary there." Albert stated. "But that doesn't mean you can't agree to the compromise."

"Like I'd ever agree to such a terrible compromise." Abagail responded, anger evident in her eyes.

"Now Lady Abagail." Nicholas said. "I know you feel that he's a dangerous man, but look at him. He's lost the ability to move an arm and a leg. Mister Uzumaki won't be hurting anybody any time soon."

"Oh? I thought you were trying to put him behind bars?" Isabella asked.

"I was, but this compromise quells my fears of political instability. I'm willing to uphold it if everyone else is." Nicholas said with a shrug.

"If this is what it takes then I will agree upon it." Ivo said with a sigh. "What do you think Erik?"

"I still think that he's a hero before all else, but I will agree with Ivo. If this is the only way then so be it." Erik said.

"Fine. If the others are agreeing to this terrible compromise then I guess I must as well." Abagail said in defeat.

"Are you two willing to agree upon it as well?" Albert asked, voicing this question to Isabella and Ben, who nodded in response.

"I see no reason to deny it." Isabella said.

"Nor do I." Ben also said.

"Then it's settled. Naruto Uzumaki, Angel of Death, or Outsider will live within the realms of the High Nobles until further notice. This Noble Council has been adjourned!" Albert exclaimed with a bright smile on his face. The room burst into activity as people looked to talk to me about the decision made by the nobles. Some even tried to run past the Court Guards to ask me questions, but these people were held back by said soldiers as another set of men pushed me away from the room. The High Nobles watched as I was rolled out of the room, each having a different expression on their faces.

I growled softly once I was completely out of the room. I knew what this little deal meant for me and I certainly didn't like it. "Quiet Outsider. You'll be placed into your cell until the finer details have all been hammered out. So keep quiet!" It didn't take them long to put me back into my cell, and lock the door soon afterwards.

'These nobles… they seem to think that I'm sort of political coin. Something that can be leveraged to gain them an advantage in the political arena because to them I'm just a crippled shell of my former self. Someone that once held immense power and lost it in an instant.' Looking up at the door to my cell, I growled even louder than before. To think they'd treat me like this. Like a pet that could be passed around between them as they saw fit.

"Naruto!" Perta exclaimed as she appeared in doorway, but the look of concern was soon replaced by fear. "N-Naruto?" I stared back at her with anger pouring out every one of my pours. My fingernails had elongated and the 'whiskers' on my cheeks had darkened slightly. Luckily my hood covered my eyes so she wasn't able to see the orange globes only found from a demon. "Are you… okay?"

Calming myself, the features of my anger began to dissipate from my body. I breathed in heavily and exhaled the air from my lungs even slower. "What do you need?" I was still angry, but I needed to hold back that anger. Petra was not at fault here, nor was the military, but even still…

"I-I…" Petra was still staring at me with those terrified eyes that could only serve to annoy me even further than I already was.

"If you just came down here to stare at me then leave." I said, a tint of venom in my voice. "I'm not a zoo animal."

"Now that wasn't very nice." Rico said as she appeared next to Petra, but she looked just as annoyed as I was. "We're not the ones that made that awful decision."

"Sorry Naruto. It's just-." Petra began.

"Forget what you saw Petra," I said, making the orange haired soldier's eyes widen, "and you're right Rico. It's not your fault." We remained silent for a while, as the two females just stood there, thinking of something to say.

"You know what they're planning, right?" Rico finally said.

"Yeah." I knew exactly what they were planning…

"What will you do now?" Petra asked, shuffling in her feet as she did so.

"…" For now there wasn't anything to be done. I would go along with whatever they wanted me to do for the time being. Hopefully I'll be able to learn a thing or two on the people that hired the Grays to kill me. "Where's Jayce?"

Petra frowned at me for not answering her question, but what was there to answer? She knew exactly what my response would have been even if I did. "He's speaking to the head of the Military Police about what we are to do now." Rico said as she leaned against the wall outside the door. "Our mission, as it stands, has been completed."

"Which means you can return to your separate units." I said with a sigh.

"So… that's it?" Petra asked to nobody in particular. "We're just going to leave?" Rico and I frowned, but said nothing. I liked the company of the three soldiers up until now. Petra may be slightly scared of me, but in the end they proved to be entertaining companions.

"If that's what Commander Dawk orders." Rico replied. "We are under his command so long as this mission presides within his realm of jurisdiction. Which happens to be anything within Wall Sina."

"But he's going to become a puppet of the High Nobles!" Petra exclaimed. "If we leave now then there's nothing that we can do."

"That's not for us to decide, Petra. If Dawk says that we stay by his side then so be it, but if he orders us to return to our regiments then we must follow his orders." Rico responded.

"And one of us will." Jayce said, approaching the two females.

"So did you talk to Dawk?" Rico asked. Dawk must have been in the crowd during the trial earlier just like themselves.

"Yes, and one of us have been ordered to stay with him as his personal bodyguard during the duration of his stay with the Head Families." Jayce said, leaning against the wall as he explained.

"That will be a long assignment for anyone who agrees." Rico said, pinching the bridge of her nose as she thought of the assignment.

"This mission will only last until the Commander-in-Chief can make an official decision on the matter." Jayce said.

"Why does he want one of us to go along with him? Why not someone from the Military Police?" Petra asked.

"I don't know why he didn't choose someone from the MP, but Dawk feels that something may be going on." Jayce replied.

"Oh? What's that?" Rico asked.

"I'm not sure, but just be careful." Jayce said as he looked to the other two soldiers. "As for the person that's going to be going with Naruto…"

"I vote for Petra." Rico said, gaining a look of astonishment from the orange haired girl.

"WHAT?!" Petra exclaimed.

"Think about it Petra. I've got to head back to Trost and help Pixis with the mess there and I'm sure Jayce is busy with his duties as an Honor Guard." Rico said, gaining a nod from the stoic man. "That only leaves you. Besides, the Scouting Legion is currently out on an exhibition outside the wall or soon to be on one. If you left then there wouldn't be anybody there anyways. I'm sorry Petra, but you're the best person for the job right now."

Frowning in defeat, Petra looked into the cell at me. The look of fear flashed in her eyes as she gazed down upon me. "You don't have to." I said, making her jump slightly. "If I scare you that much then you can leave. You've done enough."

"Huh? Oh! Uh…" Petra said, stumbling on her words as she thought of what to say.

"She doesn't really have a choice." Rico said. "It's an order from the commander of the Military Police. Somebody has to do it and Petra is the only one that can."

"Then leave as soon as we depart the city. I'm not going to force you stay as the High Nobles pass me along." I said as I lifted my hood from my head, showing her my blue eyes. "Go home, or return to wherever the Scouting Legion will come back to. I don't really care because if what I am truly frightens you then you won't be of any use if you stayed." I was not in the mood to soften the way I spoke, or try and hide the fact that I was annoyed at what she thought of me. I had thought that maybe her fears had been dealt with, but it would appear that it still hangs onto her like an anchor to a ship.

Jayce and Rico remained silent as they looked over to Petra with anticipation. Petra's eyes were hidden by her orange hair, but it was clear to everyone that she was fighting with something inside her own mind.

"Petra…" Rico began, but she then clenched her hands into fists and slammed them into the barred door. I tilted my head slightly at the act, but kept my stoic expression intact.

"You think that I'm a coward, don't you?" Petra asked in a hushed tone. "That I'd fear something as inhuman as you." Her body began to tremble as she processed what to say next. "At first I didn't believe the rumors of what you could do, but after that night in the forest… after I saw what you are truly capable of, I began to wonder if you were human at all." Rico looked away as the words left Petra's mouth, meaning that she had thought the same thing as Petra did at one point. "But then I watched the way you treated that little girl at the restaurant and I thought that maybe you were just like us, a human that happened to have abnormal abilities." She then looked up at me with determined eyes that reflected both fear and endurance. "I don't know what I saw earlier before the others arrived, but I won't let that deter me from my mission. I've been ordered to defend you until Commander Dawk sees it fit to return me to the Scouting Legion, and I'll do just that."

I stared back at her, searching for any signs of deception within her eyes, but only found myself sighing. Petra was serious, and I doubt there was any way for me to talk her out of it. "Are you sure? You still fear me, do you not?"

"Of course I do, but who wouldn't have witnessing what we saw?" Petra said, regaining some of her light hearted personality. "Just please don't turn out to be a demon or something. I don't think my heart can take it at this point."

Chuckling, I shook my head at her wayward thoughts. "Then so be it. Looks like we're going to be stuck with one another for a while longer."

"Looks like it." Petra replied with a smile.

XxXxX

"Your first host will be House Gradl." A Court Guard said as Petra rolled me out to the loading area behind the courthouse, my gray backpack sitting on my lap. "Albert will be here shortly to escort you to their estate." After he was finished reading the message, the man walked back into the massive building through a metal door.

"Hopefully they don't forget about us." Petra said as she balanced her 3D maneuver gear and her own pack on her back. Looking up into the clear blue sky, I could only agree silently with the scout, but I knew otherwise…

A few minutes later we heard the distinct sound of horse hooves against a paved street. "Ah! Master Uzumaki! We meet again!"

"Leonard?" I replied as a horse drawn caravan pulled into the loading area. There was three carts in total, with the one in the center being enclosed and much more fancy. The other two reminded me of the wagon we used to get here in the first place, but the tarp that covered up the top was dark green. Once the wagons stopped, twelve men wearing dark green uniforms jumped out of the first and third wagons in a defensive formation around the middle carriage. As they did this, the driver of said carriage jumped down to the ground and walked to me.

"A pleasure to see you again." Leonard said as he extended his hand to me. I accepted it and shook it firmly. His eyes turned to Petra and a look of confusion passed over him. "And who might this be?"

"My name is Petra Ral of the Scouting Legion." Petra replied with a salute, but this only made him frown.

"And why might a soldier from the Scouting Legion be here?" Leonard asked, suspicious of why Petra was with me.

"They are my orders, Mister Leonard." Petra replied with an official tone to her voice. Leonard was about to reply when the door to the carriage opened up, revealing the man that had composed of the compromise.

"Please stop harassing the poor girl, Leonard. Commander Dawk has commanded one of the original guards to become his personal escort for a time." Albert said as he poked his head out of the door. "Naruto, if you would please." Petra began pushing me towards the carriage when one of the soldiers point his sword at Petra. "Sorry, but you must ride in one of the other wagons. Leonard will take things from here."

As the blonde moved to replace Petra, I raised my hand and stopped him going any further. "Petra will ride with me in the carriage. She's my bodyguard and she will stay by my side."

"I'm sorry Master Uzumaki, but the Head as decreed that no soldier shall step foot inside his carriage." Leonard said, giving me an ugly look.

"Then I will ride in the wagon with her." I replied, before looking up at the blonde servant. "I don't like repeating myself, but Petra is my bodyguard and she will only leave my side when I deem it necessary. Do you understand?"

"Surely you-!" Leonard went to say.

"Leonard." Albert said, quieting his servant. "This issue is nothing to get upset about. Please, if you'd like to join us Miss Ral then I'd be happy to acquaint you."

"Thank you." Petra replied with a nod. After helping me into the carriage, she placed her combat equipment into the trunk of the carriage and climbed in next to me. Outside I could see the Gradl soldiers disappear back into their respective wagons through window that was etched into the side of the carriage. Inside said carriage, everything was a mixture of greens and golds with very comfortable seats.

After we were all situated, Petra lightly bumped me with her elbow, making me glance over at her from the veil of my hood. She smiled when I did and mouthed a 'thank you'. I could only return her smile and nod to the orange haired soldier.

"Are we all comfortable?" Albert asked, gaining nods from us. "Good! Leonard if you would please." As the words left his mouth the carriage began moving out of the loading area of the courthouse and onto the streets of the capital. "So, I suppose the liberty has fallen onto me to explain the specifics of the compromise. Would you like to hear it?"

"I would." I replied.

"Fantastic. To begin, your stay with each separate family will last for a minimum of three months." Albert said as he pulled out a packet of paper and placed a pair of wire glasses onto the bridge of his nose. "House Fink wishes to remove themselves from the ballet, so you won't have to visit with them in the near future." I was happy to hear that. If I'd have to go stay with them then they'd probably of tortured me… or worse. "After staying with us for a week, you'll be transferred to House Pious in the northern region of kingdom."

"I thought we were staying with each house for three months?" Petra asked, gaining a chuckle from the blonde noble.

"I did, but each family must have time to properly prepare for the 'Angel of Death's' visit." Albert explained. "And since we live so close to the capital it was decided that Master Uzumaki stay with us until our northern brothers and sisters are prepared for his arrival."

"Oh, I see." Petra replied.

"Now, if I may continue. While staying with each family you are to assist in any rudimentary task that you are physically capable of." Albert said before looking up at me. "I realize you're unable to do much, or anything at all, but this as added as a standard for any compromise. Don't worry about it too much." Flipping the paper over, Albert continued reading. "If there are any conflictions, or a noble feels they are abusing your presence to some degree, then the accusing family is allowed to investigate the situation if the grounds for such an investigation are solid." Once finished, Albert looked through the rest of the compromise and placed it onto the empty seat next to him. "The rest are small things that barely pertain to you at all. It's mostly just to keep the High Noble families from attacking each other. If you wish to read through it then you can when you have some free time at my abode." He then leaned in and stared at the veil of my hood. "But there are a couple of questions I would like to ask before we reach my estate."

"Depending on the question I may have an answer." I replied.

"Your powers, you said at the military trial that you can't teach another human your destructive abilities, correct?" I nodded my head at his question. "And while I believe you aren't lying, another question comes to mind. Can your abilities be passed on genetically?"

"…" The truth is, they could. If I had a child with another women then there was a strong possibility that he or she would have the ability to weave chakra, but knowing this I couldn't… not after… "No. My abilities cannot be passed on to my child. I'm sorry."

"A shame. Another question if I may." Albert went on to say.

"I think that's enough questions, Master Gradl. Naruto has had a long day and doesn't want to be constantly questioned." Petra said, giving the high noble a stern look. The man stared back at the scout for a moment before sighing.

"I suppose you're right. Mater Uzumaki has had long day, and wasn't treated with the most respect at the hands of the Court Guard." Albert said as he leaned back into his seat. "The trip to my estate is only an hour, possibly two depending on the weather and traffic leaving the capital. If there are any questions regarding the compromise or my family feel free to ask, but for now get some rest. I'm sure my family will all be excited to finally meet the Angel of Death." I'm glad that they're at least excited. A hand was placed onto my shoulder, making me look over to see a grinning Petra. I returned her gesture with a grin of my own. At the very least I'm not alone in this.

But for now, I can only hope that my stay with the High Nobles of this kingdom is not as bad as I'm making it out to be in my mind.

XxXxX

A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back with another chapter of Lost One and I hope you all like it! This chapter took a while to crank out because I've been working on a side project. I'm going to be honest, this 'side project' of mine is a long story (think around 100,000 words) and I'll probably publish it all in one sitting. Please note that I'm more than likely going to finish that story before making another chapter of Lost One. Sorry, but I promised that I would write this like a year ago and now I need to uphold that promise. :/

There is something else I would like to ask everyone that reads this story. Would anyone be interested in a bit of a bonus chapter? It doesn't pertain to the main story, but it may have a few glimpses into what Naruto did in the past. In a nut shell, it's just something fun to write before the next chapter is posted. Let me know if you guys are interested in seeing a bonus chapter in the near future!

I love you all and would like thank everyone for their continued patience!