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.

6. Noblesse Oblige

XxXxX

"Welcome home father!" A young blonde headed boy exclaimed as he tackled Albert as soon as he exited the carriage.

"William! How have you been my son?!" Albert replied as he twirled the boy around in the air, making the child laugh with glee. Petra helped me into my wheelchair as the father and son reveled in their reunion.

"Welcome back Albert." A more mature woman said as she approached the two.

"Good to be back Fiona." Albert replied, kissing the blonde woman on the lips passionately. She wore a lime green dress that hugged her skinny form.

"Their house is huge!" Petra whispered into my ear. I couldn't help but nod at her observation as I stared at the massive building. It was a two story white building with green shutters that extended back into the forest behind it. A massive garden protruded out all the way to the gate at the start of their property with a single paved road running down the center. Bushes carved into the shape of snakes in different postures riddled the edge of said road.

"Are you the Angel?" Looking over, I could see the boy looking up at me with curious green eyes. Nodding, the boy known as William placed his hands onto my knees to get a closer look at my face. "You have the same blonde hair as me!"

"William." Fiona said, making the boy become completely still. "What did I say about personal space?"

"R-Right. Sorry mister Angel." William said as he backed up slightly.

'Maybe I should have left my hood up…' I thought as I smiled softly at the young boy.

"Sorry about that Mister Uzumaki. My name is Fiona Gradl. A pleasure to meet you." Fiona said with a short curtsy.

"Nice to meet you as well." I replied with a nod.

"It's also nice to meet you as well Miss…?" Fiona asked, but we could tell she didn't really care about Petra's answer.

"Petra Ral. Nice to meet you Ma'am." Petra replied with a bow.

"And I'm William Gradl! Next head of House Gradl!" William exclaimed with a bright smile. Albert chuckled as he messed the young man's short blonde up with his hand.

"Right you are. Now, if you would please follow me. I'd like to introduce you to the maid that will be placed under your care." Albert said as Leonard and the soldiers began unpacking the wagons. Petra rolled me to the stairs, but frowned when she looked up them.

"How am I-?" Petra began to say, but then two men in black tuxedos appeared next to her. Both men were tall and very built.

"May we be of service?" The two butlers asked at the same time. Before she could even respond the two men picked up my wheelchair and began carrying me up the stairs. Looking over at the men carrying me, they held a straight face that revealed nothing. Petra watched from the bottom of stairs for a moment before grumbling about something and following us up.

Once at the top of the staircase, the men put me down and disappeared as quickly as they appeared. "Don't mind them, Naruto. They're the muscle that help whenever they're needed." Albert stated with a smile. Looking over my shoulder, I could see Petra climbing the last of the steps before a white and black dress covered my view.

"Allow me to be your guide, Master Uzumaki." A girl said with a bright smile. She was young, maybe fifteen years old if I had to guess, with jet black hair and green eyes. She wore a black and white maid outfit that went down to her ankles.

"This is Riza and she'll be the one who will be taking care of you during your stay here." Albert said. "Treat her well. Riza, if you would please show Mister Uzumaki and Miss Ral to their sleeping arrangements."

"As you wish Master Albert." Riza replied with a deep bow before pushing me into the massive mansion, my bodyguard falling into step alongside us. Once inside the mansion, Petra and I simply stared in awe at what we saw. How could one family have so much money that they could furnace their house with solid gold furniture?

"Quite the work of art, is it not?" Albert said as he stopped next to us. Several maids and butlers could be seen walking around the massive entrance, cleaning everything that could even have a morsel of dirt or dust on it. "We take great pride in this house. Even the paint is made from golden dust." The walls were painted a mix of gold and green that was made into fantastic works of art. "This is one of two main houses that the Gradl's call home."

"So is that the so called 'Outsider'?" A man shouted from the balcony on the middle floor. At the center of the room two separate staircases curved up to form a sort of middle balcony half way to the second floor, where the man was currently standing. A single, much larger staircase, then protruded up to the second story on the other side of the middle balcony. The man looked to be in his late teens, maybe seventeen, with blonde hair and dark green eyes like Albert and his family. He wore form fitting aristocrat clothing with the same colors as his family's crest.

"Ah, Robert, I would like to introduce you to Naruto Uzumaki and Petra Ral. They will be staying with us for a short time." Albert said. "This is Robert Gradl, my younger brother's son."

"So it is the Outsider." Robert said with a sly grin. "Heard those commoners cost you an arm and a leg to save them. Too bad considering how powerful those military meat heads made you out to be." The young man said as he walked down the stairs until he was standing in front of me.

"Come now young Robert. He was only doing what he thought was right." Albert said, making the young man audibly 'humph' at the notion.

"If you say so, but uncle, you didn't tell me the Angel of Death had such beautiful hair." Robert said as he gently grabbed a loose strand of my hair and twirled it around his finger. My eye visibly twitched at the action as I had to restrain myself from doing anything I may have regretted. Petra frowned deeply at the action, but was in a similar position as myself. Any wrong move and there would be hell to pay.

"He does have marvelous hair, doesn't he?" Fiona said in admiration.

"Although he could go for a bath." Robert said as he released my hair and backed away before extending his hand towards me. I shook his hand, but held an even face while doing so. "In any case it's a pleasure to meet you Naruto. If you need anything, anything at all, please do not hesitate to ask." And with that the man walked away, down a massive hallway to the left.

"If I may ask, how many family members live here?" Petra asked as another group of people could be seen in the hallway that Robert had walked down. They were wearing clothing similar to Roberts as well.

"Including my wife, son, two daughters, and myself, there are a total of twenty seven pure blooded Gradl's that live within these walls. If you wish to include the house staff and soldiers stationed here, then around one hundred people stay here on this campus." Albert explained. "But please save the questions for dinner, if you would. We'll have plenty of time to answer them then. Riza, if you would."

"As you wish, Master Albert." Riza said before pushing me down the hallway that sat opposite of the corridor that Robert exited. As we moved through the hallway, several portraits of important Gradl's lined the walls in between the windows. All of which wore royal garments and had blonde hair with green eyes.

"So, Riza. How long have been here with the Gradl family?" Petra asked, clearly not liking the silence.

"My entire life. I was born into the family by my father, who is of pure blood decent. My mother was not of the Gradl family, but was accepted into the house if she would be willing to become part of the 'branch' family." Riza explained, a sad smile playing upon her lips.

"Are you an only child?" Petra asked as we rounded the corner and continued down the hallway, the windows still to our right. This hallway, however, was much longer than the last one. The house must be rectangular shaped.

Riza nodded her head, confirming Petra's question. "My mother currently lives in the Capital's Branch house, while I was chosen to work here." The way she spoke of the branch family was that of disdain and sorrow. There was clearly something more going on here than a simple split between the pureblooded Main House and Branch House. "This is where you'll be staying during your time here Miss Ral." We had stopped in front of a single door made of dark oak about halfway down the hallway. Petra walked towards the door and placed a hand onto the handle of the doorway. "I will return when I've shown Master Uzumaki to his quarters. Please, become acquainted with your room until then."

Petra stiffened somewhat and looked over her shoulder at us. "How about I just set my stuff down and I come with you?" This made Riza raise a brow in question at this, but shook her head.

"That won't be necessary, Miss Ral. Please leave Master Uzumaki to me." Riza smiled at the scout, who simply stared back with the same passive face as before. As she went to speak, I picked up my 'working' hand and waved her off.

"It's fine Petra. I doubt they'll lock me in a cell like the Court Guard did. Right Riza?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder at the young maid. She smiled and shook her head. "See? We'll meet up later, okay?"

"They better not make me search for you this time around, or…" Petra mumbled as she opened the door to her room and walked inside. I chuckled along with Riza as she began pushing me in the same direction as we've been going.

"She's very protective of you." Riza commented with a bright smile on her face.

"Well, it is her job as my bodyguard after all." I replied.

"I suppose you're right. Here is your room." Riza said as we approached a set of double doors at the end of the hallway. Walking around me, the young maid opened said doors to show a massive room that could be the size of an entire apartment flat. A king size canopy bed sat at one end of the wall with a formal eating area in front of it. Large windows lined two of the walls, making it clear to me that I was at the far corner of the mansion. Several doors could be seen leading off to a couple of closets and a bathroom.

"Big…" I stated as I looked around the room in relative awe.

"It's one of the largest rooms we have in the guest wing." Riza explained as she pushed me into the room and closed the doors behind us. "And is only given to those that hold a high place in society."

"A high place in society, huh?" I said more to myself than to anybody else, but Riza must have heard what I muttered.

"You are the famous Angel of Death after all. Surely you-." Riza said, but stopped when I sighed deeply, making her stop mid-sentence.

"I'm not that special, Riza. I'm not some being that should be admired above everyone else." I said as I leaned back into my wheelchair and sat my gray backpack to the side. "I'm just a guy who was trying to help people. That's all." Behind me, a smiling Riza walked to the windows in front of me and stared out at the landscape beyond.

"And that's what makes you special." Riza softly said, but I wasn't able to hear it. Turning to me with an even brighter smile, the young woman then walked to me and bent down in front of me. She looked at my injured leg and frowned. "Is this what happened to you in Trost?" I continued watching as she massaged my 'disabled' leg carefully. "To sacrifice so much the moment you arrive for people you don't even know…" She stopped and placed her right hand onto my knee while the other hung onto my calf, Riza's hair covering her eyes from view.

"I did what anybody else would do in my position." I felt her left hand squeeze my leg lightly.

"No, you didn't. Any normal person would have ran away. Slipped into the shadows and disappeared, but you…" She then looked up to me, tears beading at the corner of her eyes. "Thank you." I remained silent as I watched the tears threaten to fall from her eyes, but my confused, and slightly shocked, expression pushed her to elaborate. "My entire family, besides my mom, lived in Trost. When news of the titan outbreak came to us the people at the branch family had to hold us back from leaving."

"Why would they stop you from leaving?" I asked, my eyes slightly narrowing a bit.

"Because if we left then we would no longer be a part of the Gradl family. We would lose our status and be banished." Riza said, looking down once more.

"Is being a part of the Gradl family that important?" The girl stiffened somewhat at the question, which answered more than she could ever say. "You're being forced to stay, aren't you?"

"N-No… we aren't b-being forced to stay. It's j-just…" Riza stammered out, trying to find the right words.

"It's unwise to leave." I stated. From what I could gather, the branch family are used as pseudo slaves more than anything else, and while anyone is allowed to leave, the fear of being hunted down and silenced probably kept them obedient. "I understand."

"I-It's not what you think! Really!" Riza exclaimed, looking up at me desperately, but my cold stare silenced her.

"I'm not unaccustomed to how nobles act, Riza." I said, softening my gaze as I poked her forehead with two fingers. "Please don't hide your emotions from me. I can see right through that mask you wear."

The maid could only stare at me in complete shock. Nobody, not even her mother, saw through her mask. So why…?

Seemingly lost in thought, I blinked a couple of times before snapping my fingers in front of her. "Riza?" Her name being called out broke her from the trance she seemed to be in. Her smile returned before she began work on my other leg, massaging that one as well. "You don't have to-."

"When we were told that the Angel of Death was coming to visit us for an entire week, everybody was scared. Most of the other maids and butlers were frightened of the prospect that someone with a reputation like yours would be staying with us. Even I was somewhat scared, but I volunteered anyway because of what you did in Trost." A sad smile played upon her lips as she remembered when she raised a shaky hand into the air when volunteers were asked to come forth to care for the rumored Outsider. "And now that I'm here, actually talking to the hero that helped retake Trost, my home, from the titans…" She looked up to me with a soft smile playing upon her lips. "I'm glad that I did."

A smile of my own crept onto my lips as well as she went back to work on massaging my legs. "You don't have to massage my legs, Riza. I don't want to be a bother."

"Then would you like me to massage something else?" She asked, looking up at me seductively as she moved her hands further up my leg. She continued massaging further up my leg until a hand was placed on to hers, making the maid look up to me in question.

"While I appreciate the offer, I must decline." I said.

"But wh-?" Her question was halted when a familiar two fingers poked her on the forehead.

"You are beautiful, and probably the envy of many men, but you're still so young. Before you offer yourself to someone you must be completely sure that he's the one. Do you understand?" I said, making the girl blink a few times in what I could assume was shock, or maybe awe. I couldn't really be sure. "Thanks for showing me to my room. I should be able to take it from here."

After a couple seconds of simple staring, the soft expression returned to her face. "Okay, but If you need anything, anything at all, please don't hesitate to ring this bell." Riza said, handing me a small silver bell. "I'll be at your service in an instant." But as she went to stand up, I placed a hand onto her shoulder, making the young maid stop and look at me with confusion.

"And if you need anything. Don't you dare hesitate to come to me." I said, not letting go of her shoulder until she nodded.

"I will. Thanks." Riza said as she walked to the door.

I could only smile at her words as I heard the door close behind me.

"That was nice of you." A voice said from behind me.

"Yeah. I hope I helped her in some way." I replied as the source of the voice appeared in front of me, a massive smile on her face.

"I can only imagine that you did." Petra said. She was wearing the same military uniform as before, except without the green short cloak.

"Decided to come see where I'm staying anyway?"

"I'm not going to be left in the dark again. Not after last time." The orange haired scout replied as she sat on my bed. "Your room is massive compared to mine! That's not fair at all!" I chuckled at her words as she bounced on my bed a couple of times.

"It is a nice room, isn't it?" I replied.

"But seriously…" Petra said, looking to me with an expression that mirrored her words. "What you did back there. Any normal man would have jumped at the opportunity to get into bed with someone as cute as Riza, but yet you didn't."

"I guess I'm not that normal then." I replied, making Petra laugh.

"You're far from normal if you hadn't noticed." Petra said in between laughs. I chuckled at the laughing soldier and waved my hand back and forth in front of me.

"Right, right." Our laughter slowed down after another couple moments. We sat in comfortable silence, simply enjoying each other's company in this house that was way too fancy for either of our tastes.

"You know… after watching what you just did. I think I can trust you a little more." Petra said, her gaze on the ceiling itself. "D-did I just say that out loud?!"

"Afraid you did." I responded, a sly grin appearing on my face.

"W-Well I take it back then!" Petra said, crossing her arms in front of her chest before looking away with a pout. I grinned at her playful attitude before going into deep thought. I wonder how much I could really trust her?

"Hey Petra…" This made the female soldier look over at me in question, but her playful attitude dissipated when she saw my thoughtful aura. "I wonder…"

"What is it, Naruto? What do you wonder?"

"I wonder… how much I can trust you." Her eyes widened at my open ended question. The very thought of the Angel of Death opening up just a little sent a wave of both excitement and fear coursing through her body. "If I told you one of my many secrets, could you withhold it? Could you never tell it to anyone, even your own commanders?" She looked conflicted when I said this to her. Petra had to make another difficult choice that could very well get her court marshalled depending on how sensitive the information was. "Petra." This made the orange haired woman look up to me. "Can I truly trust you?"

It took her another couple of moments to think it through, but then her determined eyes returned and she nodded her head. "You can trust me. You've done nothing but help us since arriving here. It's the least I can do." I smiled at her words before nodding my head. She is trust worthy with at least this secret.

"Then let me show you at least one thing that may be of use." I said, before standing from my wheel chair.

XxXxX-Few Hours Later

"It would seem you are ready for supper, Master Uzumaki." Riza said with a smile before turning to Petra. "Thank you for cleaning him up Miss Ral. It was very helpful of you." Petra blinked a couple of times before nodding her head.

"Of course. It's my job to take care of him. Even if it's something like cleaning him." Petra said.

"I would have gladly done it in your stead, Miss Ral." Riza replied as she pushed me down the hallway we came down earlier.

"Don't worry about it Riza. I can take care of it." Petra said as she walked beside us.

"If that's your wish." Riza said, but, unknown to me, the maid was giving Petra a sideways glance. One that could only reflect suspicion and curiosity.

"What?" Petra asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. We're nearly there." Riza said. We had passed through the main room that served as the entrance to the mansion and were now in front of a set of double doors. Two butlers stood at the front of each of the doors, as if waiting for us to arrive.

"The master of this house shall see you now." One of the butlers said before they both simultaneously opened the doors. Inside was a massive dining hall with a single wooden table that stretched the length of the long room. Paintings of angelic figures with blonde hair decorated the walls while green, and golden, furnishings sat at the center of the table at various spots. There was four doors that allowed entrance to the dining room. The one behind me, another set of double doors at the other end, and finally two single doors at the center on either side.

To my surprise there was only two people in the room. A girl with blonde hair that went down to her lower back and green eyes. She wore a dark green dress that went down to her ankles. The top hugged her body to show her rather slim physic. A book sat in her hands as she leaned back into the chair. A maid stood behind her wearing the same garments as Riza. The maid had chocolate brown hair and eyes. If I had to venture a guess the maid looked to be in her mid-thirties.

"Hmm… I thought we were supposed be here at six." Riza said aloud, making Petra sigh.

"So we're early?" Petra questioned.

Riza giggled and rubbed the back of her head with a sheepish expression on her face. "Oops."

"It's fine. I've always hated being the last one to an event." I said.

"Then I guess we can wait for the others to arrive." Riza said as she began pushing me down the right side of the table. "Your spot will be right next to Madam Racheal." We continued to move along until I was parked next to said girl. She continued reading her book, never looking in my direction. Petra and Riza stood a small distance behind me, at the appropriate distance if I needed anything.

"Good day Master Uzumaki." The older maid said with a bow. I nodded my head to the maid and returned my attention to the art that lined the room. To be able to afford all this… how wealthy was this family? The sound of a book closing grabbed my attention as I looked over to girl sitting next to me.

"What do you think of the art in this room?" Racheal asked as she looked up at the art on the ceiling. I followed her gaze and examined the angelic themed art on the ceiling as well. "The artist did a fantastic job painting the clouds, the sky, the sun." Her eyes moved along the painting, scanning every nook and cranny of it as she made her dissertation. "But the angels seem so off. So… ugly." Racheal's eyes then narrowed as she stared at one of the angels. They all had blonde hair with green eyes. "I wonder why the painter was ordered to create such a magnificent piece, only to put them on it?"

"Racheal." The maid behind her said in a hushed whisper.

"Right. I'm sorry. My name is Racheal Gradl. It's a pleasure to meet you 'Outsider', or Mister Uzumaki if you wish to be proper." Racheal said before standing and doing a small curtsy. "And hello to you as well Riza. It's rare to see you in such a bubbly mood." Riza's face turned red with embarrassment as Racheal sat down, chuckling as she did so. "And you must be the Outsider's military escort?"

"Yes ma'am. I'm Petra Ral of the Scouting Legion." Petra replied with a formal, but stern, tone to her voice.

"It's nice to meet you as well." Racheal said before picking up her book once more. "You must be a quiet one. That's fine. I'm not much of a social animal myself. Let me know if you need anything. If not, I'll be returning to my book."

"Madam Racheal, this is an honored guest of the Gradl family. Please try and be a little more open with our guest." The maid said.

"And he has yet to say anything since arriving, Hilda. It's clear that he doesn't wish to talk, and I won't pressure him into doing so. Naruto will talk when he feels it is necessary." Racheal said as her eyes returned to the book in her hands. Another couple of moments went with me simply staring up at the painting above, and Racheal reading her book in silence.

"Do you hate your family?" I asked, peering over to the noble daughter. Racheal's eyes widened and her body visibly stiffened.

"I-."

"Ah! If it isn't Mister Uzumaki!" A voice said as he entered through the double doors that was opposite of the ones we came through originally. Everyone looked over to see Albert walking through the doors, followed by Fiona. "Decided to come early and meet my eldest daughter I see."

"I did. She is very smart for her age." I replied.

"Racheal isn't much younger than you." Fiona stated as Albert sat down at the head of the table. She followed suit and sat down across from me. "You make it seem like you're an old man."

You have no idea… "Right. I've been through so much that I feel like an old man sometimes."

"Life must have been hard outside the walls. It's a miracle that you survived for as long as you did." Albert said.

"So it's true? You were really born outside of the walls?" Racheal asked. I gave her nod, making her gape in awe. "I thought they were just rumors made up by the commoners."

"It's because they are." Someone said as they entered through the same doors as Albert and Fiona. A girl, about the same age as Riza, with the same color hair and eyes as the rest of her family walked into the room and sat two seats away from Fiona. An older, bald headed, butler following her into the room. "There's no way someone could have lived outside of the walls for so long."

"Lora, now what did we discuss?" Albert asked.

"Right, sorry Mister Uzumaki. Pleased to meet you." The girl, now known as Lora, said before looking down at the table. My blue eyes stared deeply at the younger girl before a force nearly toppled me over to the ground.

"Hello mister Angel!" A young boy exclaimed in my left ear.

"William! Please don't tackle an injured guest! You could have hurt him!" Fiona shouted, making the boy jump off me as quickly as he jumped onto me.

"Oh! Right, sorry mister Angel. Did I hurt you?" William asked. I sighed before patting him on the head.

"It's fine. I'm happy to see you as well." I said, a small smile playing upon my lips when a bright smile of William's own spread across face.

"Now lets have a seat William." Fiona said, patting the seat next her as she did so.

"Yes mother." William said as he walked around the table and sat between Fiona and Lora.

"Now that everyone is here I would like my youngest daughter to formally introduce herself to our guest." Albert said.

"What about the others?" Lora asked. "Wasn't everyone going to join us?"

"Not this time. I didn't want to overwhelm Naruto here with the entire family." Albert said. The girl sighed and stood from her chair.

"My name is Lora Gradl. Very nice to meet you." Lora said quickly before taking her seat.

"And I believe you've already met Racheal?" Albert said more than asked.

"We've already done our pleasantries. Haven't we?" Racheal asked. I nodded my head, making her grin slightly.

"Great! Sebastian! Can you tell the cooks to bring the food when they are ready?" Albert said to one of the butlers that stood outside the doors he had come in from.

"As you wish." The man replied before disappearing from the door.

"Your staff is very prudent, Albert. They must have a lot of training to be so efficient." I said.

"We pride ourselves in having one of the best maid staffs in the kingdom. They have to go through vigorous training if they want to work at one the main houses." Albert replied.

"Mister Angel!" I looked over to the young William, who was holding his hand up in the air like he was in a classroom. I blinked a couple of times before nodding my head in acknowledgement. "Do you like music?"

The soft melody of a piano swam through the doorway as I walked into the room. A woman sat in front of the wooden instrument, her fingers gliding across the white ivory keys as if they were an extension of her body. An oil lantern hung from the wall, giving off a glow that painted the room in orange and black.

"Do you remember this song?" The woman asked, never stopping the slow melody that only seemed to darken the room further. I watched in silence. My throat numb and feet glued to wooden floor. "Of course you do. How could you forget?"

"Please…" My face twisted in sadness as the song began to fade to its finale. "Stop."

"But I can't." The woman replied. "Because you won't let me… you child of troubles."

The song ends and, within the blink of an eye, the woman was gone. Like she was never even there.

"Yeah… I guess I do." I replied, my voice even and distant. Racheal's brow furrowed somewhat at my response, but remained silent.

"You do?!" William exclaimed. "Because Lora is a great pianist. You should play him a song sometime Lora."

"I don't think so! I don't play for just anyone!" Lora replied with an angry tone. "And definitely for someone like him."

"Lora." Albert said, a flat, but deathly serious tone, accompanying her name. The girl simply glared at her father before looking away. "Sorry, but my daughter doesn't believe the actions that you took at Trost are true."

"They are hard to believe, and I'm sure that they've been blown up over the last couple of weeks." I replied.

"But to kill so many titans outside the walls? It has to be a lie!" Lora exclaimed.

"Does the word of Commander Pixis mean so little?" I asked, my question pointed towards Albert. Effectively ignoring Lora. "I sense that there is a rather large rift between the nobles and military."

Albert sighed while shaking his head. "Lora, could you refrain from degrading our guest any further? Even if some of the rumors aren't exactly true, he did play a major role in retaking Trost."

"You are being unusually mean today. Is something the matter?" Fiona asked.

"It's nothing. Just leave me alone." Lora said, looking away from her mother.

"Dinner is served." The butler from earlier said from outside the double doors. Just as his voice reached our ears maids swarmed into the room placing plates of food onto the table in front of us. Meats, pasta, soups, and vegetables of all variety were placed around the table. My eyes widened at the pure mass of high quality food that entered the room. There must be enough food here to feed at least fifteen people!

"Shocked?" Racheal asked. "Never had a good slice of pork before?"

"It has certainly been a while. When I lived outside the walls I would primarily hunt wild deer or boar, so the prospect of eating meat isn't new. I'm just amazed by how much…" I replied, regaining my composure as one of the butlers placed a plate and some silverware in front of me.

"Wine Mister Uzumaki?" One of the butlers asked as he placed a glass next to my plate. I didn't even have time to respond before the dark red liquid began to fill the clear crystal glass. "Enjoy."

"Nothing beats a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon." Albert said as he put his nose close to the glass and inhaled the fumes of the liquid. Looking around I noticed that nobody else was given a glass of the clearly extremely rare and expensive wine. "Wouldn't you agree, Mister Uzumaki?"

"I can't say I can relate. I've never had the pleasure." I replied as I too took a whiff of the wine as well. It smelled amazing, as it should for something so expensive.

"This wine is very rare to come by. This bottle of wine in particular has been in my family before the walls were erected around us." Albert said as he looked into the wine glass, swirling the wine in a circle as he did so. "We hold claim to five bottles of pre-wall Cabernet Sauvignon and only open one in times of good tiding. Cheers to you, Naruto Uzumaki, for retaking Trost from our sworn enemy and gaining humanity our first victory against the titans." He held up his glass towards me and smiled. I brought my glass to his, making an audible clink when the two glasses struck.

"To humanity." I replied as I took a sip along with him. Such a fake smile… Glancing around the table yielded similar expressions from Fiona and Lora. They looked disconnected from the thought of the part I played in retaking Trost. William looked just as bubbly as before while Racheal had a somewhat warm smile of her own.

"Now, shall we dig in?" Albert said as he began putting food onto his plate. The others began to do the same, placing the various foods onto their plates and eating as they did so. I looked down at my silverware and frowned.

"Need help?" Riza whispered into my ear.

"You don't have to." I replied.

"Nonsense. It will be my pleasure." She replied as she picked up my plate. "What would you like, Master Uzumaki?"

"Give me whatever you would choose." I said.

"What I would choose? You wouldn't like what I would-."

"Riza." She stopped and looked at me. "I'm sure whatever you pick will be amazing."

"But-."

"Come now little Riza. Your master has given you an order. Best not keep him waiting." Albert said, taking a bite of his food after saying these words.

"Y-Yes sir." Riza said as she went about putting a variety of food onto my plate. I watched her as she would reach for each item and glance at me to see if I made a reaction, but I only kept a soft smile on my lips as she did so. "For you, Master Uzumaki."

"Thank you Riza…" I said as I looked at the meat on my plate. How was I supposed to cut the meat?

"Don't worry. I'll cut your food as well." Riza said, cutting the meat into squares.

"Thanks again Riza." I said, making the maid smile brightly.

"Anything you need, Master Uzumaki." She said before returning to her position next to Petra.

"This is the first time I've had meat since arriving." I commented, putting a piece of pork into my mouth. It was certainly delicious. The Gradl family must hire some of the best chefs in the kingdom! "And this is certainly some of the best I've ever had."

"I'm sure it is! You must have cooked your food with no spices at all. You poor thing." Fiona said.

"Did you go hunting and stuff?" William asked. I nodded my head as I took another bite of my food. "What kind of animals did you hunt?"

"Depends on where I was. Sometimes it was deer and boar, and others it was alligator or goat. If I was close to a water source then fish." I replied.

"How did you manage to hunt and cook the food while running away from the titans? Without 3D maneuver gear they should have been able to run you down easily!" Racheal questioned.

"I'm sorry to say but that must stay a secret for now." Taking a bite of the vegetable mix, I glanced over at Racheal to see her frowning. "Tell me Albert. What makes the blood of the Gradl family so precious that it has to be protected?" The eldest daughter's frown deepened further.

"A very good question! You see, the Gradl's have a history that dates long before the three walls were created. Our blood holds the purity that came from the royal line of the kingdom before this one. Before the titans came forth and killed so many." Albert explained. "Ever since then we, the Gradl's, have taken it upon ourselves to keep the old royal bloodline pure."

"Does your blood hold something that's worth protecting then?"

"Of course! The old king was a powerful man. The old texts paints him as an extremely cunning, but still strong, man that was able to unify the surrounding kingdoms under one banner during a time of great strife and inner warfare." Albert then took another bite of his food before continuing. "It is because of this that we must protect his genes from being tainted by the commoners."

It was a rather silly reason to protect ones bloodline from being 'tainted' as he so kindly put it. Was this why everyone loved my hair so much? Because it resembled theirs so closely? "What about the Branch Family? What role do they serve?"

"The Branch Family serves the role of being maids, butlers, soldiers, or anything we find fitting for them. They are mostly compiled of the offspring between that of a pureblooded Gradl and a commoner. Riza, for instance, was born into the Branch Family." Albert explained.

"I see."

"Now would you mind if I ask you some questions?"

"Depends on the question."

"How old are you?"

"How old am I?"

"Yes, your age. What is your age?"

Much older than you think. "Twenty one."

"Where did your blonde hair come from?"

"It must have been hard on you. I am sorry… I suppose after putting my own son through this much I have no right to act like a father and apologize." A blonde haired man said with a white jacket over his shoulders.

"My father."

"He also had blonde hair?"

"And blue eyes, yes. What does that matter? There are plenty of blonde haired people within this kingdom I'm sure." My suspicious voice not going unnoticed by the head of the Gradl family.

"Of course there are plenty. I was simply curious was all." Albert said as he waved his hands defensively.

"The other nobles didn't frighten you, did they?" Fiona asked.

"No, of course not." I replied.

"Good, because the others can sometimes be… misunderstanding." Fiona said as she took a sip of the white wine in front of her.

'Really? I thought everyone conveyed their thoughts rather well… except for you.' I thought as my eyes glanced to Albert for a split second. 'What are you planning…?'

"How did the court hearing go anyway?" Fiona asked, her question pointed towards Albert. I continued eating my food in silence as Albert explained the trial to his family. He made it sound very dramatic and painted himself as a sort of hero that quelled two raging factions that were on the brink of war. Racheal and Lora looked unimpressed, as if used to this sort of thing from her father. Fiona and William, on the other hand, looked infatuated with his tale of court room heroics.

Dinner was beginning to wind down and everyone had their fill of the delicious food. "Well that was absolutely fabulous!" Albert exclaimed as he placed his fork onto his plate and wiped his face with the piece of cloth that was on his lap.

"I'm getting tired. You wouldn't mind if returned to my room, would you?" I asked.

"Of course not. It was pleasure speaking with you Naruto." Albert said with a smile.

"For me as well. It's always nice having a hero such as yourself staying with us." Fiona said.

"Nice to meet you Mister Angel of Death. I hope to see you around the campus." Racheal stated. I returned her smile as Riza pulled me back and away from the table.

"I hope so as well. Um, you wouldn't mind if I took a plate of food and the rest of my glass of wine with me, would you? I sometimes get hungry at night." I asked.

"Please, take as much as you'd like." Albert responded.

"Thank you. Petra, would you please fix a plate of food please? I'll hold the glass of wine." I said before picking up the half full glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. Petra gave me look that could only convey confusion and a hint of irritation.

"Of course Master Uzumaki. What would you like?" She asked as she was given a clean plate and silverware from one of the maids that stood nearby.

"Whatever you would pick." I responded. Petra groaned, she should have known that would have been my answer. After filling up the plate, the three of us began moving towards the exit.

"Have a pleasant sleep, Naruto." Albert said from the end of the table. I waved over my shoulder as we disappeared through the doorway.

"I think that went well." Riza said, a bright smile adorning her face as we moved down the hallway from which we came. "What do you think Miss Ral?"

"Great…" She mumbled, making me look over to her.

"Something bothering you?" I asked.

"No, I'm fine." Petra said curtly.

"Hm…" The rest of walk was done in tense silence.

"Well here's your room. Do you need any more help?" Riza asked, parking me in front of the small table that was at the center of my room.

"I should be able to cover things from here." Petra said. Riza blinked in confusion before looking to me. I sighed and nodded.

"We'll be fine. Have a good night's rest Riza. I'll see you in the morning." I said. She didn't move for a moment, but nodded her head soon afterwards.

"Good night then Master Uzumaki." Riza said before leaving the room.

"We need to talk." Petra said as she placed the plate of food in front of me.

"Clearly." I responded, putting the glass of wine onto the table as well. "What's bothering you?"

"Lets get one thing straight. I'm your bodyguard. I protect you from things that could cause you harm." Petra said as she placed her hands onto her hips. "I'm not your personal maid that you can boss around. Got that?"

"I know that."

"Then why did you make me grab you another plate of food? Riza was right there. If you wanted to boss someone-."

"Because this plate is for you." I then pushed the plate of food to the other side of the small table where a green winged back chair was. "I know that you haven't ate anything since coming here so I figured you were hungry." Her eyes widened at the gesture.

"U-Uh… I-."

"But that's not the only thing that's bothering you, is it?" Petra stood stock still as she looked at me. "What's really bothering you?"

"So you noticed…" Petra said, rubbing her arm nervously.

"Sit down and talk to me about it." She sighed and sat down in front of the warm plate of food.

"It's just… I don't know. Maybe I sound crazy, but everyone looks at me with disgust. I know you don't get these looks, but everyone besides Riza and Racheal have been giving me this feeling of being unwanted." Petra said. "I don't like it."

"Get away from me demon."

"Ew! What you doing here?! Get away!"

"Why does the Hokage even put up with this filth? It would be best if he just disappeared."

"Well, how do you feel right now?" I asked. She looked up at me then to the plate of food in front of her. A small smile spread across her face as she looked back up to me.

"Appreciated."

I grinned and slid the wine across the table. "And you always will be. Remember that you have comrades within the Scouting Legion that wouldn't trade you for anything in the world." Petra picked up the glass and looked up to me with a bright smile on her face. "And neither would I. I'm glad you decided to stay with me. It would have been pretty lonely if you left."

"Thanks. That means a lot." Petra said before taking a sip of the wine. "Wow! That really is good!"

I chuckled as I crossed my arms. "Enjoy it. You've certainly earned it."

"I've never had wine this good before."

"I suppose it comes with being a High Noble." I stood up and walked over to the window. The garden outside was large and had lamps illuminating several areas of the beautiful plants. "Couldn't see myself living in a place like this though."

"Me neither, but they do cook a mean roast." Petra said as she stuffed a large piece of meat into her mouth.

"Very attractive." I said with a chuckle.

"Shut your mouth! This stuff is good!" Petra responded, her mouth full of food as she spoke.

"Right, right." I responded. Moving to my backpack, I instinctively began rummaging through it. Weapons, check. Scrolls, check. Repair equipment, check. Why did I do this even though I probably didn't need to?

"Old habits die hard, don't they?" Petra said. She must have been watching me shift through what little belongings I own.

"They do. You have some of the same habits as well, don't you?"

"When I have my 3D Maneuver gear I would constantly check over everything. It gave me peace of mind knowing my equipment was in perfect condition whenever I needed it." Petra said as she pushed away the empty plate of food. "I hate not having it with me, or at least within reach."

"They aren't the most trusting bunch, are they?"

"Nobles generally aren't, but there has always been a lot of tension between the military and nobles. It would make sense for them to take away my weapons." Petra then drank the last of the wine and stood up from her chair. "Well, it's getting late and we should probably get some rest. See you bright and early."

"Have a good night's sleep Petra." I said as Petra closed the door behind her.

Looking back outside I saw several guards patrolling the garden. They truly aren't the most trusting bunch, are they?

XxXxX

"How is he holding up?" A voice asked as my mind began to wake. My body was on fire and several sharp pains prickled at my arms and legs. How did I get here? What was going on?

"The subject is doing fine." Another voice responded. Their voices sounded like they were underwater, making it hard for me to discern who they were. Just like their voices, my head felt like it was swimming in an ocean, confusing me even further.

"And the tests?"

"Inconclusive."

"Then take more blood. The key is hidden somewhere within it."

"Even so, it's going take more time to complete the task. What you're asking for is near impossible."

"Take all the time you need. It's not like he has any loved ones. They're all long dead." The sound of two men laughing rang into my ears as I felt my conscious begin to fade once more.

XxXxX

I shot up from my bed, panting heavily and dripping in sweat. I pressed one of my hands against my eye and cringed. Was that a nightmare? Or a…

Biting my lower lip, I fell back into my pillow and stared at the ceiling in thought. It felt so real! Could it really be a memory from my past? A sigh escaped my lips as I closed my eyes. I knew just who to talk to about something like this.

XxXxX

"Kurama?" I said aloud as my eyes glanced around the lit area. The tiny fox that I was expecting to see was gone. "Kurama?" Silence met my ears once again as I began to walk around the pillars. He wouldn't have…

Suddenly a tickle in my mind warned me of movement within the depths of the black fog. 'Stupid fox!' I dashed into the darkness, my feet taking me to the source of the disturbance. Finally arriving to where the disturbance was, I slid to a halt and looked down at the tiny fox. He was curled up in a ball and whimpering.

"You should take better care of your friends, Naruto-kun. He could have been hurt, or worse!" A female voice said to my left. My eyes widened as a shiver ran down my spine. Looking over to the source of the voice a black silhouette stood within the shadows. The only thing I could see was her two eyes staring back at me.

"Y-You… who are you?" I slowly bent down and picked up the fox from the ground.

"That hurts Naruto-kun. Certainly you can remember-." She said, but the words began to drown themselves out when she spoke her name.

"You shouldn't be here." I said as I took a step back. This person… I knew her, at least I think I did at one time.

"Why are you leaving? We have so much to talk about." The figure said as she took a step towards me. Another whimper escaped Kurama's mouth, reminding me why I was here in the first place.

"Sorry, but I've got to go." With that I ran. Ran away from the figure in the dark until my feet was once again bathed in light. I now stood surrounded by the pillars of fire, a source of unimaginable safety.

"N-Naruto?" I looked down at the tiny fox as he stirred in my arms.

"Are you okay Kurama?"

"Who… who was that?" The tiny fox asked.

"I don't know."

"Whoever it was, she said she knew more about you than anyone could ever know."

My eyes narrowed as I looked back into the darkness of the fog. I could almost see those two eyes staring back at me. One pupiless white, and the other crimson red with three black tomes.

XxXxX

I sat staring at the small table in front of me like it held the answers to the world. Every night was becoming a challenge for me to sleep. Ever since I released Kurama from the seal, more and more vivid visions have brought themselves to light. The sun was just beginning to creep over the tall pine trees, illuminating the earth with its orange glow.

At least Kurama was okay, but he was acting strange once I brought him back. Whatever that person did certainly scared the little guy.

Knock Knock

My eyes moved to the door as I waited for whoever was there to speak.

"Naruto? Are you awake?" It was only Petra.

"Yes. I'm awake." I replied. "You can come in." The door crept open to reveal the orange haired solider. "Came a little earlier than expected."

"I know, just had a hard time sleeping is all. Have you been up for a while?" Petra asked as she looked me over. I had already bathed and dressed for the day. The only article of clothing that was missing was my cloak, which hung from the coat hanger by the door, but she must have seen the bags under my eyes.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep either. Been up for a couple of hours." Petra closed the door behind her and sat on my wheelchair. "Bad dream?"

"No, just extremely uncomfortable being here. I feel like I've got to sleep with one eye open."

"It's hard to sleep around those you don't trust, or around nobody at all. This part of the house seems…"

"Empty?" Petra finished. I nodded my head at her response. The soldier sighed and rubbed her hands against her face. "Only six more days, right?"

"That's what Albert said, but who knows how much we can trust his words."

"And then it's on to another noble's house…" Petra said, pure distress laced into her words. I frowned as I stared at my bodyguard. She was still depressed, even after our little talk last night.

"Right. Then on to house Pious. Hopefully they'll be a little less 'noble' then the rest."

"At least house Pious has good relations with the military."

"I thought all the High Nobles didn't like the military."

"This is true except for the Pious family, and to some extent the Oster family. The Pious's have been closely aligned with the military since the erection of the walls. Many of its members serve, or still serve, by the men and woman that most high nobles view as underneath them."

'Was that why he were so vividly defending me back in the capital?' I thought as I made my way over to where my cloak was hanging.

"Getting used to you standing on your own will take a while." Petra said as she watched me put my cloak on.

"I don't really like sitting for very long, so I'm basking in every opportunity I can get to not sit in that damned wheelchair." I responded, lowing my hood to reveal the upper portion of my face.

"And always with that cloak."

"What? Don't like it?"

"Well… it does kind of make you more… intimidating?"

"You mean scary?"

"I'm not scared!"

"…" I blinked a couple of times in confusion until she finally realized what she said.

"Well I'm not."

"Of course not. I'll leave it off for today. How does that sound?"

"What did I just say?!"

"All the same." Taking off my cloak I sat it across the winged back chair.

"I hate you…"

"Uh huh."

Knock Knock

"Master Uzumaki? Would you like help getting ready for breakfast?" Riza asked from outside the door.

"Can I have breakfast in my room Riza?" I asked.

"Of course! I'll go tell the chefs to prepare the meal for your room." Riza responded.

"Can you make it three plates please?"

"Three plates?"

"Yes. For Petra, myself, and you."

"Are you sure? I can eat with the other maids while you two eat your meals here."

"I insist. You're more than welcome to join us."

"Well… if you're insisting… Okay! I'll be back soon with the food."

"You're way too nice to that girl." Petra said once the young maid was gone.

"You think so?" I asked as I pulled out one of the two hooks from my backpack.

"Take it from another woman. Riza has a thing for you even though you said she should wait for someone else." Petra watched as I twirled the hook around in my hand.

"I don't think that's what she's feeling."

"Oh? Then what do you think it is?"

"I think that she's never had this much attention from someone outside of her immediate family and is over valuing it." I walked over to Petra and poked her in her side as I said this.

"Hey!"

"And you need to get up before Riza gets back."

"Oh, right. Sorry." Petra stood and sat in the other chair, letting me take my place on my wheelchair.

"I hate this thing." Petra frowned at my words, but knew that I could do nothing about it for the time being. If the nobles learned of my ability to walk, or function normally, then I'm sure they would try and use me towards their own ends. Not that I would let them… "But at least I have someone to talk to." Her smile was all I needed to prove that I had lightened her mood, but the smile vanished when a thought came to her mind.

"Naruto… about that time in the cell-." Petra began, but was cut off when a knock interrupted her.

"The food is here, Master Uzumaki. May I come in?" Riza asked. I stared at Petra for a couple seconds more before answering.

"Please, come in Riza. We're famished."

XxXxX

"And finally this is the Gradl family's famous garden. They house the largest collection of flora in the kingdom. Every known flower within the walls can be found here." Riza explained as we hit the last stop of the tour. Riza took it upon herself to show us everything there was to be seen around the mansion that housed the 'pure bloods'. Everything was magnificent, and clearly made from the best materials that humanity had to offer within the confines of the walls.

I breathed in heavily, taking in the late summer air into my lungs. It was around… five in the afternoon if I had to take a guess, and so far we've seen nearly everything. From the kitchen to the housing quarters for the maids. The only places we weren't allowed to go to was the quarters for the 'pure bloods'. Why they called themselves that, even after Albert's explanation, is beyond me, but who was I to give criticism to them? The Gradl's could call themselves whatever they wanted, it had no effect on me, but it was rather annoying how they saw themselves better than everyone else.

"It feels nice out here. Glad we saved it for last." I remarked as Riza parked me underneath a gondola that sat at the center of the massive garden. We were surrounded by beautiful flowers that sprung up to us, as if to greet us as we passed by. The soft summer breeze passed over the garden, shaking the flowers and giving off that serine sound that comes from the shaking of their delicate pedals.

"Why hello there Naruto! How nice it is to see you!" I glanced to my right to see Robert walking towards us. "Enjoy your tour of the complex?"

"I did. Your abode is nice and spacious." I replied.

"Did you show him everything Riza?" Robert asked with a smile, but there was a subtle undertone that promised misery if he didn't hear what he wanted to hear.

"I did Master Robert." Riza responded with a deep bow.

"Glad to hear it!" The young adult said as he sat on one of the benches that lined the gondola. "This is one of my favorite places of this complex. It's so calm. I don't know why more people don't come here." He leaned over the railing and picked a bright yellow rose. He held it up to the sun. Letting its yellow pedals waive in the warm breeze. "Absolutely marvelous. I have been truly blessed to be born into this life. To live and see the beauty of this world."

"This world is a stunning sight. Flower gardens like this one are few and far between." I replied.

"How much did you travel while outside of the walls?" Robert asked, allowing the wind to take the flower from his hands and into the air above.

"Do you actually believe that rumor?" I asked.

"Maybe. If anything it's entertaining."

"Hmm…" I leaned back into my wheelchair in thought. "I've traveled all over the place, seen plenty of things."

"It's a wonder how you evaded the titans for so long." Robert said as he waved his hand towards Riza and Petra. Riza immediately bowed before leaving, but Petra blinked a couple of moments in confusion. "Does your servant not know the basic commands?" Petra was about to say something before she saw me glancing back at her. I tilted my head in the direction of where Riza waited. The orange haired soldier sighed before leaving the shade of the gondola.

"What is it you wanted to say in private?"

Robert leaned back into his seat as well and sighed. Whatever he was about to say struck him deeply. "I want your help." I raised a brow at this, clearly displaying my confusion at his request. "There's a rat within the walls of this compound."

"A rat? You mean a spy?"

"Yes. Someone has been leaking secrets to the other nobles and officials. Secrets that should not leave the confines of this complex."

"…" Was he expecting me of all people to find the spy within these walls? It could be anyone, and to them I'm just a crippled mess.

"I know what you're thinking, and I guarantee you that you're the only one that help me." Robert stood and began pacing around me.

"Is that so?"

"Indeed. You're the only one."

"And why's that?"

"Because you're from the outside."

"What makes that so special? Why not ask Petra?"

"She's from the military and cannot be trusted, but you…" Robert drew his hand along the back of my wheelchair. "You're the Angel of Death. The Outsider. To the others you're just a curious man wishing to learn of our family."

"Have you narrowed down the specifics of who this person could be? There are a lot of people that live here."

"Yes, but the secrets that are being passed along are only known to the pure blooded Gradl's that live here, which means…" I frowned at the applications that this could have.

"That there are twenty seven suspects."

"Nineteen." Robert corrected as he stood in front of me.

"Nineteen?"

"We are going to rule out Albert and myself, along with the six young ones that are under the age of twelve." I remained silent for a moment before looking up at the young man with a blank stare.

"One final question."

"Hmm?"

"Why should I help you? How does this involve me at all?"

"Very good question!" Robert said as he leaned in close to me and smiled. "Because if you don't help me then lets just say a certain soldier may be get lost on the way to back to her unit." My eyes narrowed at the young man, making him grin. "Fantastic! So here's a list of everyone that will need questioning. Ask about the 'Private Lamb' at some point during the conversation. If they start acting suspicious then tell me." Robert leaned back up and stretched. "That was a great conversation! Lets talk again real soon." He then walked past me whistling some song that I've never heard before.

As soon as he left Petra and Riza returned, curious expressions on their faces. "What did Master Robert want?" Riza asked, but my eyes remained narrowed as I thought over the applications of the request. I then looked to the young maid then to Petra, who looked equally concerned. "Master Naruto?"

"It's nothing…"

XxXxX

The next four days went by far to slow for my liking. I started having dinner with the entire family, this being the people known as 'purebloods', and these people were everything I thought they'd be. Stuck up jerks that viewed the entire human race beneath them. Well, this isn't to say everyone had this frame of mind. The young ones, those around the same age as William, are blissfully unaware of the arrogance that their parents held towards others, including me. It was only because of my blonde hair that they seemed to accept me… somewhat. I honestly felt really bad for Petra as she took the brunt of the discrimination. It was now that I saw the clear distaste the nobles had for the military, and when Petra and I were in my room, out of earshot of any lingering ears, I saw the other side of the coin. After the second day of being ridiculed while standing guard at the dinner table Petra left to 'turn in early' as she put it. Petra said that Riza could handle the last hour or so while I was in the dining room. It was only after I returned to my room that Petra reappeared. She wouldn't come to the dinner table after this.

As for my progress in ascertaining the spy, so far there hasn't been much progress. I've spoken to seventeen of the nineteen possible people that could be the rat Robert was looking for. So far the responses I've received were a mixture of slamming the door in my face, or patiently saying that I shouldn't know about such things. Whatever the Private Lamb was must have been a pretty big deal, if their reactions was anything to go by. Riza and Petra kept bothering me with questions themselves.

'Why are you going out of your way to talk to these nobles?' Petra asked after the fifth noble angrily asked me to leave their room. I responded with 'I'm only curious', but the soldier knew better. Something was going on and she didn't like being out of the loop. Riza was also concerned with my seemingly large eagerness to get to know the nobles of house Gradl, but I brushed off her concern as well. While I could have just ignored Robert's warning and let him go through with his threat, I knew I would have probably regretted the action later down the line.

"Why are you here?" A very annoyed looking Lora asked as she peered out of her door.

"I was just trying to get to know everyone here and thought I'd come by to say hello." I said.

"Did my father put you up to this?" I raised a curious brow at this. The girl sighed and opened the door further. "Fine, whatever. Come on in." Riza pushed me into the girls' room as she opened it further. Petra had decided to go to bed early, but I knew that she just didn't want to spend any more time near the pureblooded nobles. For obvious reasons. After sitting down onto the foot of her bed, the teenage Gradl girl narrowed her eyes at me while crossing her arms across her chest. "What do you want to know?"

"Why do you hate me?" Was it blunt? Yes. Was it straight forward? Also yes. But if anyone knew me then they would also know that I hated beating around the bush when it came to certain matters.

"Because you're a fraud."

"And what about me makes you think I'm a fraud?"

"How about the fact that you killed hundreds of titans?! How is that even possible?"

"You're angry at me because you don't believe some rumor?"

"…"

"Look. I don't care if you hate me for something I've done, or something I've said, but please don't hate me over something someone else has said." I stated as Riza moved me next to a side table where a pitcher of water and two glasses sat. "I don't think that's entirely fair, wouldn't you agree?"

After a moment of thought Lora looked back up at me with not a look of annoyance, but a face that only portrayed curiosity. "Then why are you being praised and feared by the commoners?"

"Because I did play a vital role in retaking Trost, that much is true. The numbers of killed titans are a bit off though." I said. It was probably more than the recorded number, but she didn't have to know that. Looking around I saw a piano sitting in the corner of her room. It was a massive black grand piano that had been polished to perfection. "I remember William saying you played the piano?"

She looked over at the piano and smiled sadly. "I do. It's one my great escapes from the world around me. Ever since my cousin introduced me to the instrument I've been hooked."

"You wouldn't mind playing a piece, would you? It's been a while since I've heard a piano in person." Lora stared me, almost apprehensive to play the piano in front someone else.

"I-I guess I could since you took the time to come here and talk to me." Lora said as she moved over to the piano.

"If you don't want to then you don't have to. Nobody is going to force you." I said, making Lora grin slightly before sitting down in front of the massive instrument.

"No, it's okay. I've been needing to get some practice in anyway." Lora said, but my eyes widened as I stared at her back. The last part of sentence was said in another person's voice. "What would you like to listen to?"

"I…" Why was I acting this way? Why did she sound different, but so familiar at the same time? She sounded almost like…

"How about something slow? I've always enjoyed playing the slow songs the most." Lora said as her fingers began to run over the keys. The melody was beautiful and she was playing as good as any elite pianist would, but as the song entered my ears my eyes stayed fixated on the girl playing the song. Her hair was beginning to change to that of a jet black with pink tips at the ends. The song continued to flow from the instrument, but I felt frozen in time. Unmoving as images flashed within my head.

"How did you like it?" Lora said as she looked over her shoulder to see a man simply staring at her with tears running down his cheeks.

I smiled softly and wiped away the tears from my eyes. "It was beautiful, Lora. You have a magnificent talent." Lora looked equally shocked by my words than by the tears that ran down my cheeks, as she could only stare back with widened eyes. "Thank you for the performance Lora, but I think I should leave." Riza seemed to snap out of her stupor and grabbed onto my wheelchair, but just as we were about to cross the crest of her room and the hallway I stopped Riza for a moment. "Before we leave, you wouldn't happen to know anything about the Private Lamb, would you?"

"The private what?" Lora looked honestly confused by my words, meaning she wasn't the one either.

"Nothing, don't worry about it. Have a pleasant night Lora, and keep up the fantastic work on the piano." And with that we left the girl to her own musings.

"Naruto?" Riza said as we walked down the hallway back towards my room. I simply shook my head, lost in my own thoughts at the moment.

"Not right now, Riza. Not now." I softly replied as the image of a black and pink haired Lora kept running through my head. Riza complied with my request as we slowly made our way back. Quickly we found ourselves inside of my room, one of the many windows was open. Letting in its delicate breeze and blowing the drapes to and fro.

Riza stayed standing behind me in tense silence. "Naruto?"

"…"

"These past couple of days you've been pretty distant." I looked at her in relative confusion. "Okay, more distant than usual. Ever since you talked to Robert…"

"I've just been helping him with something is all. Nothing to worry about." I responded, but I could hear her grip tighten around the handles of my wheelchair.

"Why not let me help you? If I can do anything then-."

"You've done so much for me since I came here Riza. Trust me with this." Riza remained silent for a few moments as she struggled to overcome her inner conflict.

"Okay. I'll trust you." Riza finally said as she gently placed a hand onto my shoulder. "But if you get into trouble for my sake then I wouldn't be able to forgive myself." I chuckled at her words while shaking my head. Riza also softly laughed as she moved to the door. "Have a good night Master Uzumaki."

"You too Riza." I replied as the door closed, leaving me to my lonesome. This past week has been an experience that I could have lived without, but there was some good that came of it. I got to meet Riza, and Petra has finally begun to open up to me. A smile graced my lips as I remembered all the talks Petra and I had over this past week. While I still don't know much about her personal life, this being family, friends, and childhood; Petra has told me about her time in the military. Petra's comrades in the Scouting Legion have become an extension of her family. People that she would quickly lay her life down for.

I looked to the empty plate of food that sat on the table. Every night I would request an extra plate of food so Petra could have something to eat, and once Riza and I excused ourselves from the dinner table Petra would meet us in my room. The three of us would talk about our pasts, well… they would. I would actively try and avoid any questions that could potentially reveal anything about my past, much to the ire of my two female friends.

Knock Knock

"May I come in?" Racheal? What did she want?

"Come in." The door creaked open to reveal the eldest daughter of Albert. Quickly she entered the room and closed the door behind her. Was she trying to hide from someone? "Did you need something?" Over the course of the week Racheal has only spoken to me once since we met, and even then it was only briefly.

"Are you alone?" Racheal asked as she looked to the bathroom door. It was open and the light was off.

"Um…?"

"Let me ask you again. Are you alone?" Her gaze hardened as she spoke. Whatever she wanted to talk about, it was serious.

"Yes I am. What is this about?" Racheal moved over to the table where I was sitting and sat in the winged back chair across from me.

"You know what this is about." Racheal replied with venom in her voice. "Why have you been asking everyone about the Private Lamb?" My eyes narrowed as I stared back at her.

"You seem very defensive Racheal. Is it a sensitive topic?" This wasn't unusual for someone to have this reaction when I asked about the Private Lamb, but something about this situation was off. Racheal was the last person that I needed to talk to before returning to Robert with whatever I found, which narrowed down the list a lot, but this still didn't mean much.

"Yes! It is! Do you even know what you're asking about?"

"Why else would I be asking?"

"How did you even hear about it in the first place?" I gave her look that clearly meant that I wasn't going to tell her. The girl breathed in heavily before exhaling the large intake of air. "Okay, please tell me what's going on." I simply stared back at her. Debating whether or not I should tell her what I'm doing, and for whom.

"Your family seems to think that there's a rat amongst the purebloods. I was asked to help root out this rat." I responded. At this point I knew that she was probably the one giving out information about the family to the outside world, but what I really wanted to know is why.

"I see…" Racheal leaned back into her chair and looked up to the ceiling. "And why would you help them? Are they promising you money? Power? Woman?"

"No. I'm doing this for the sake of someone else."

"So they threatened someone. I understand." Racheal was smart enough to know who I was referring to, that much was certain. "And I take it you already know?" I remained quiet, deciding it was best to let her explain herself. "At least you aren't running off and telling whoever asked you to do this."

"It's not like I could if I wanted to. Besides, contrary to what everyone seems to think, I'm not just a single minded killing machine." Racheal grinned at my words before nodding her head. "Now, tell me, what is the Private Lamb?" She remained quiet for a moment, as if still deciding is she should tell me. "If don't tell me then you will be revealed. Don't forget the position that you're in." I wanted to be nice and hear her side of the story, but in the end I was only doing this to protect Petra. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Right… I suppose since I've been leaking this information to the officials then I can tell you as well. The Private Lamb is a code name for a slave ring that the Gradl family uses to gain much of its wealth. Anything from prostitution to simply working the fields, the Gradl family has been in the market of human trafficking since the walls were constructed." Racheal explained. "Riza, even though she doesn't know it, is considered a slave as well."

"So the Branch Family…?"

"Just a front for the inner workings of the slave market, but the truly brilliant thing is the people that are a part of the Branch Family don't know they are slaves. At least, until they are forced to do something they don't want to do."

"So, you're leaking information to who again?"

"To the Military Police. Slavery is outlawed within the walls of this kingdom and should be punished for anyone who uses this practice, and while the others within this family sees it as a source of revenue, I believe it's a crime against humanity." Racheal explained with passion in her voice.

"While I agree with you that slavery should not be tolerated anywhere." Racheal's eyes widened in hope. "How does that help me protect Petra?" The blonde girl was slightly taken aback by my words. She must have thought I was talking about Riza. "Look, I'm only doing this is because Petra was threatened by your family. If you can somehow guarantee me her safety from your end then I will gladly keep my mouth shut."

"Who threatened Petra?"

"Robert." Racheal sighed once she heard the name.

"I figured he would be the one that caught wind of the leak. Even if Petra is a soldier finding a person professional enough to assassinate a soldier is pretty easy."

"He would probably just hire the Grays to do it."

"You know of the Grays?"

"They attacked us when we were on our way to my trial."

"Somebody must have hired them to do it. The Grays don't attack people unless they are paid. I'll see what I can do about protecting Petra. If Robert does actually intend to use the Grays then I can pay them even more to ignore the order and stay on the sidelines."

"They would actually do that?"

"The Grays will do what the highest bidder pays them to do. If someone pays them a thousand to kill a man, and then a third party pays them two thousand before they can start the mission then they would obviously take the two thousand. They're a mercenary organization above all else."

"You do realize, in a sense, that you're paying me to keep quiet, right?"

"No, I'm paying money to protect people. There's a difference."

"I guess you're right." I leaned back into my chair and thought over everything that had just transpired. So the Gradl's were a part of the slave market, and for some reason this didn't surprise me at all. "You really are a nice person. Putting your neck out for others like this."

"It's the right thing to do. Anyone with a clear sense of mind would do the same." Racheal replied, waving away my praise with her hand, but I could see a small blush of embarrassment on her cheeks.

"I'll have to repay you one of these days." I stated. Racheal shrugged her shoulders and stood up.

"If I ever need help then I'll know just who to call. Have a good night Naruto. I hope to see you before you leave."

"Have a good night."

XxXxX

"Your time is nearly up. Have you discerned the identity of the rat?" Robert asked, patting his foot on ground with impatience. I was leaving tomorrow morning and I could tell the young Gradl was becoming concerned that I wouldn't find the person he was searching for.

"When I tasked you with finding the spy, Robert, I did not intend you to gain the assistance of Mister Uzumaki." Albert said as he leaned back into his office chair. This was the first time I've been in his office, and compared to the rest of his home, this place was rather dormant. Not to say it didn't have its fair share of luxuries. The room had a fireplace fixed into the left side of the room with two golden wingback chairs in front of it. At the center of the room was a cherry oak desk that had a red leather chair behind it. Two wooden chairs sat in front of the desk, but one was removed so my wheelchair could fit. Besides these fixtures, and the paint on the wall, the room was barren of anything else. No paintings, sculptures, nothing.

"I know this uncle, but he was the only one that could have gained the information we seek." Robert replied. "Everyone knows of my loyalty to the family. If I were to go around asking then they would have been put onto alert."

"Is that so? Well I must thank you for your willingness to help us in this time of need, Mister Uzumaki. Tell me, did you find the person in question?" Albert asked.

"No, I did not. I'm sorry." I said, keeping my face and voice as emotionless as possible.

"What?! How could you not have found him? The pool of people that can know is so small!" Robert exclaimed.

"Calm yourself Robert. Surely Naruto has some idea as to who it could be." Albert said.

"Are you sure that nobody outside of the purebloods knows about the Private Lamb?" I asked, my question pointed towards Robert. Albert gave his nephew a very stern look before returning to normal, meaning that he wasn't aware Robert had told me to ask about the Private Lamb.

"I'm sure. There isn't anyone outside the purebloods that knows about it." Robert said confidently.

"That's troubling…" I stated, closing my eyes before sighing.

"What do you mean? What's troubling?" Robert asked.

"Because if none of the other purebloods are the rat then that only leaves…" My eyes then hovered over the young man who assigned me the job of finding the spy. Alberts eyes followed my own as he waited for Robert to respond to these accusations. Another moment passed before he realized what I was referring to.

"Wait, me? You think that I could be the rat?!" Robert said as he abruptly stood from his chair.

"Nobody is saying that yet. Calm yourself Robert." Albert said.

"No! I couldn't possibly be the rat! You have to have missed something!" Robert nearly shouted.

"I didn't miss anything. Everyone I talked to showed no signs of suspicion when it came to the topic of 'Private Lamb'. In fact, the only one that has acted out of line is you." I responded in a calm manner. Robert was beginning to break under the possible accusation of being a traitor to the family.

"How dare you accuse me, ME, of being a traitor to Gradl family! Uncle! I demand you-!" Robert shouted, but stopped when he saw the darkness in Albert's eyes.

"You will not demand a thing from me, do you understand?" Robert gulped when he heard his uncle's words, but, nevertheless, he remained quiet. "If you truly did nothing then you have nothing to worry about, but if I learn that you're the one behind these leaks, well…" A small smile tugged at the corner of Albert's lips. "Then you will be punished harshly. Is that understood?" Robert nodded his head frantically. "Good. You may leave us then. I wish to speak with the Outsider alone." The young man quickly bowed before leaving the room. Albert leaned back into his chair and sighed deeply. "I hate this position some times. Having to accuse one of my own…"

"Being the bad guy is never fun." I responded.

"No, no it's not." He then looked to me, a bit of curiousness in his eyes. "So, have you discerned what the Private Lamb is?"

"I can venture a guess."

"Oh?"

I waved my 'working' hand in front of me. "While I could guess, it's none of my business to know. I'll let your family keep its secrets." I don't really care about the slave circle that the Gradl's were running. It was a fight that must be fought by someone else, namely Racheal. Sure, I wished to see Riza freed from this life, but I had greater concerns than breaking a slave ring…

Albert chuckled at my words, shaking his head as he did so. "I suppose you're right. Our family affairs don't really concern you, do they?" He then picked up a stray pen that was laying on the desk. Fiddling with it, Albert began to think. "So you really couldn't find the person leaking our secrets?"

"Don't believe Robert is doing it?"

"It's possible, but I doubt it. He's one of the most loyal Gradl's in the family. That's why I asked him to look into the matter for me in the first place."

"I see."

"Did you really not find anything?"

"No." Albert stared at me for a while. I could see it in his eyes, he probably knew I was lying, but what could he do? He couldn't torture me, or harm me in any way, to get the information because of the contract that was signed at the end of the trial.

"I guess I probably wouldn't want know anyway." Albert then picked up a small bell and rang it three or four times. Soon after Riza opened the door behind me.

"Yes, Master Albert?" The maid asked with a deep bow.

"We are done." Albert said before leaning back into his chair and picking up a stack of papers that sat on the corner of his desk. "Before you leave, most of the family is leaving in thirty minutes to a ball in the capital. Would you like to join us?"

"I'll respectively decline. I'm leaving in the morning, yes? I would like to get some rest before we depart." I responded.

"I understand. We should be back by midnight at the latest. If you need anything I'm sure Riza would be happy to help."

"Thank you. Have a good time at the ball."

"Of course. I'll be sure to see you off in the morning."

Riza then took hold of my wheelchair and moved out of the room where an annoyed Petra stood. Two guards stood by the door, giving Petra some very nasty looks. "Ready?" She gave Riza a look that clearly questioned the maid's sanity.

"What did you do to that kid? He looked extremely angry." Petra asked as we moved down the hallways of the mansion.

"Just talked is all." I responded.

"Hmm…" Petra gave me a look that showed she wasn't convinced by my words.

"On the bright side the Gradl's are going to a party tonight. Meaning we have the mansion, somewhat, to ourselves." Riza said. "What would you two like to do?"

"What is there to do?" Petra asked. "We've already seen most of the house. What else is there?"

"Who is attending the party tonight?" I asked.

"All of the purebloods from my understanding. It's a meeting with some of the other family members and allied nobles, so it should last a long time." Riza said.

"It's about… seven, right?" Petra asked.

"It is. I'm not really sure what you two would enjoy doing, but the staff never really had much free time." Riza said.

"I'm sure this past week has been a blessing. Watching over this cripple is one of the easiest jobs ever." Petra said. I gave her a questionable look, but she giggled and softly punched my arm.

"I've loved this past week. I'm so happy that I was able to watch over Naruto." Riza said as she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me from the back.

"Glad I could make your week better." I responded as I placed a hand onto her arm. The door to my room sat right in front of us.

"Hey, hey, hey now. Lets not get all lovey dovey now." Petra said as she crossed her arms. Riza released me from her grasp and turned to the soldier with a giant smile.

"And thanks to you too." Riza said as she took a step towards her. Petra went to take a step backwards, but the young maid was too quick. Petra quickly found herself enveloped in a hug.

"C-Come on! There's no need for-!" Petra stammered out.

"Thanks for being so kind to me as well. It means a lot." Riza whispered. Petra looked surprised before looking over to me. I smiled softly and leaned back into my chair.

"Don't worry about it." Petra replied as she returned the girl's hug. They stayed like that for a couple of moments before Riza jumped back and took hold of my wheelchair.

"Lets get inside. I don't want to stay out here too long." Riza said before pushing me onwards, letting Petra open the door for us.

"Now what?" Petra asked.

"I was thinking… can either of you tell me some stories?" Riza asked.

"Stories? What kind of stories?" Petra responded.

"I don't know. Maybe some from your past? I haven't been out in the world at all because I was born into the branch family." Riza said as she sat on the edge of my bed while Petra assumed her normal spot on the winged back chair.

"My past isn't all that interesting. I was born in a small village to the east. There wasn't very many people that lived there, but nevertheless our village was one of the largest exporters of wheat in the kingdom." Petra explained.

"So you grew up on a farm?" Riza asked.

"Well, I grew up surrounded by farms. My family was in charge of maintaining the tools and equipment needed to harvest the crops. Wagons, scythes, you name it." Petra explained.

"Sounds like an important job." Riza remarked.

"It was. I learned a lot from my mother and father. I'm lucky that I still have them around." Petra said as she thought back on all the times she spent with her parents.

"You're parents sound like amazing people." Riza said.

"Eh, they're rough around the edges, but I love them all the same."

"What about you, Naruto? Have any exciting stories?"

"No, not really. All I did was run from the titans. I didn't really have time to learn anything else." I said.

"Hmm…" Riza stared intently at me before nodding. "Then tell me about the places you've been. You must have seen some pretty amazing places."

"Oh? That's true. I've been to many different places. What do you want to hear about?"

"How about the ocean?" Riza asked, making Petra smile.

"The ocean, huh?" I said as I leaned back into my chair. "Petra must have got into your head."

"I resent that statement!" Petra said.

"Right, right, well… the ocean." Something was wrong. I don't know what it was, but something, something, felt off. "Before I start how about grabbing some dinner? I'm getting hungry, how about you Petra?"

"Now that you say that I am getting pretty hungry." Petra said.

"I'll grab us some food from the kitchen, but after I get back you promise to tell me about the ocean?" Riza asked as she stood.

"I promise." Riza nodded her head at my answer before leaving the room.

"Good suggestion! I was getting hungry… Naruto?" Petra said as she watched me move to the window. "What's going on?" My eyes scanned over the garden outside. The guards were there, and all seemed normal… then what was this feeling?

"Something feels wrong. I don't know what it is, but…" A feint burning smell then flowed to my nose. My eyes widened as I turned to Petra. "How long has it been since I left the meeting?"

"With Albert? About an hour, why?" Petra seemed to have picked up on my serious tone and stood from her chair. The smell was getting stronger and stronger with each passing second, where they really planning to…? I dashed to Petra and grabbed her by the arms. She didn't have time to say anything as I threw her out the only open window.

As I looked at the window to make sure Petra made it out an explosion ripped through the ceiling, sending burning wood and fire throughout the room. I was sent colliding into the wall above my bed, making an indention that promised pain to my back. Falling onto said bed, I noticed a wooden support beam covered in fire crashing down towards me. The daze from being smashed into the wall quickly wore off as I rolled to the side just as the beam destroyed the bed. Smoke filled the room as two more explosions rocked the ground, this time it felt like it was on the other side of the building. Was this the Gradl's doing, or possibly an attack by someone else?

It didn't matter in the end. What was important was gathering my equipment and leaving safely. Luckily my backpack and cloak had been largely undamaged by the explosions, save for some burn marks here and there. Placing my cloak over my body and the pack onto my back, I moved to the only window that wasn't covered in flames, but stopped just as I could look outside.

There was still one last thing I needed to take care of before I left this crumbling building.

"Naruto!" It was Petra. I could see her yelling from outside the window. She sounded desperate as she pounded on the window. To her she could only see black smoke and the roaring red flames inside the room. I stared at her desperate form for a moment before moving to the window.

"Petra!" I replied as I placed a hand onto the window. It was warm from the flames around me, but not too hot. These windows are much thicker than normal windows, meaning she would have a tough time breaking them even with a weapon.

"Oh thank the heavens! Come on and smash the window so we can-!" Petra shouted, but I then backed away from the window slightly.

"There's one last thing I need to get before leaving! I'll meet you by the front gate!" I shouted back as a distinct cracking noise could be heard, meaning more of the house was succumbing to the flames.

"Wait! Naruto!" Petra shouted, but I turned and disappeared back into the black smoke. I knew she would hate me for this later, but I needed to do this. Finding the door, I quickly moved around the fire infested parts of the room. I lightly touched the door handle. It was lukewarm, meaning it was, somewhat, safe to open. I opened the door and the hallway was in the same condition as my room. Flames crept up the side of the walls and smoke hung above, but none of this mattered because I knew exactly where I needed to go.

"I hope you're there…" I said to myself, but coughed violently at the end. This smoke was beginning to become troublesome. Staying low, I dashed down the hallway while applying chakra to my legs, but I nearly fell over as another explosion ripped through the building. Whoever did this had obviously planned this long in advance if this many explosives were brought in.

I continued onwards, dodging the flames as I finally made it to the entrance of the mansion. Everything was in shambles. Paintings burned, sculptures lay in pieces, and the bodies of the dead strayed across the gold tinted marble ground. I slowly walked around each corpse, making sure none of them were the person I was looking for. As I neared the final body, I stopped. The maid's body was on its side and she was turned away from me. Slowly walking over I turned her over, only to grimace.

In front of me was the body Riza.

Her front half has been charred and mangled, showing her insides to the world, but what truly saddened me was the pure look of shock still showing on her face. I ran my hand over her eyes to close them.

"Looks like another one died because of your incompetence." A familiar voice said.

"…" I stared at Riza's body as the voice continued to speak.

"You're really bad at saving the ones that are close to you, you know that Naruto-kun?"

"And why am I responsible for her death?" I stood up and turned towards the source of the voice. It was the same thing that was in the darkness of my mind. Her crimson and white eyes staring at me from the darkness of the smoke.

"You're the one that sent her to get food when you knew something was amiss. You could have just as easily told her about the ocean, but no. You didn't." The shade said as I looked back down to the girl on the ground. "Now she'll never hear about the ocean."

"I guess you're right." I said, making the shade have a look of confusion in her eyes. "But I couldn't have known this was going to happen when she left. Otherwise…"

"'You'd have done everything in your power to save her.' Right?" The shade recited. It giggled and slowly began to disappear into the smoke. "Some things… never change, Naruto-kun." I stared at the spot the shade had been before kneeling down over the young maid that had been so faithful to me over this past week.

"Thank you, Riza. Thank you for everything you've done for me since coming here. I truly couldn't have asked for a better person to care for me." Even though these words left my mouth, the crushing truth was that I felt no remorse for the death of Riza. The young girl that gave her all to care for me… I felt absolutely nothing for her passing onto the next world. Did this make me a terrible person? For not crying over the death of someone that cared so much for me? Probably, but I've lived for such a long time. If I got hung up on the death of everyone that I met then I would have gone mad long before now. Pushing people away has become second nature to me. It was this tactic that let me feel even less pain than I normally would, but this also had the reverse effect as well. By pushing people away I also felt no love, no compassion, and I now dwell in this world as a simple empty husk of what I once was… whatever that was.

I stayed kneeled over Riza for a couple of moments before standing and turning towards the door. Walking towards the door, the roaring flames around me threatened to bite me, but I ignored their threats. Part of the flaming roof fell behind me, making me stop and turn. My frown deepened somewhat as I stared at the flames that have effectively cut me off from the girl that cared for me so much.

Shaking my head, I opened the door that was nearly covered in flames. The smoke followed me out of the door, but the cool night air was openly welcomed by my lungs. Walking down the steps of the mansion, I realized that nobody else was present. The guards, maids, butlers, everyone was either dead or gone. Leaving me to my own thoughts as I slowly walked through the front lawn of the Gradl estate. The distant sound of the burning mansion continued to tickle at my ear as I moved further and further away.

As I neared the front gate I saw a figure standing by said gate. I knew who it was before I could even make out her face. A brown horse stood next to her, ready to move when needed. "Is that you?" Petra asked as she pointed a sword towards me. She was wearing her 3D maneuver gear, which she probably regained after looking through the guard house that wasn't too far away. A single lamp hung from the wall of the guard house that was attached at the gate, giving off light that ended at my feet.

I slowly moved into the light, and once I was fully in the glow of the lamp, Petra immediately dropped her weapon and closed the distance between us. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. "Oh thank the heavens." I was slightly taken aback by the gesture, as I hesitantly brought my arms up, but just as I was about to return the hug my arms fell to my side. Images of people appeared in front of me. All of which have lived their lives and passed on to the next world.

Her grip on my cloak tightened. "Petra?" This was very strange, even for her. Was she really that worried? Or was she possibly recalling past memories of people that may have died in a similar fashion?

"Don't you dare make me worry like that again." The orange haired soldier said as she released me from her grip. "Understood?" That look of concern and fear…

"I understand." I replied as I lowered my hood. It was only now that I realized how lucky I was to have such a fantastic bodyguard.

"Good, now why did you go back in there?" Frowning, my eyes fell to the side.

"Just needed to check on something."

"Something? What could possibly be more important than… your…" Petra's eyes widened as she realized what I went to do. The coldness in my eyes told her everything that she needed to know. "I see. Lets get moving then." I didn't even nod as she climbed on top of the horse with me following soon afterwards.

With one last glance, we looked back at the burning mansion of the Gradl family before disappearing into the night.

XxXxX

"Do you honestly expect us to believe some Scouting Legion trash?" A Military Police soldier asked as he stared at Petra and I atop the horse we took from the Gradl compound. Petra was at the reigns while I kept the image of not having my appropriate limbs working, which was quite the challenge on the back of a horse. We were currently trying to enter the capital, but there was very strict regulations about entering the city after dark. Even fellow soldiers it would seem.

"You've got to believe me! We must report this incident to Commander Dawk immediately!" Petra exclaimed.

"And where are your papers? What can you do to make me believe that this is actually the Angel of Death?" The soldier asked. There were five other soldiers standing a little ways off. All of which looked to be standing near the closed gate leading into the capital.

"My papers burned in the house fire. I don't have anything that can prove-."

"Is that you Mr. Angel?" One of the younger soldiers asked as he made his way over to us. "It is! Do you remember me?"

"…" I simply looked back at the black haired soldier who was smiling so brightly. My hood was over my head, making it hard for the young soldier to see what I was thinking.

"A lot has happened tonight. Who are you?" Petra asked.

"Christian! I was one of the people that met you at the gate into leading into Hermina." Christian said.

"Oh, I remember you." Petra said with a nod.

"You know these people?" The other MP asked.

"I do! What's the problem?" Christian asked.

"Apparently this guy is saying that he's the Angel of Death, and this little scout said she's his bodyguard." The man said. "Wasn't he supposed to be at the Gradl's, or something?"

"Didn't I explain it already? The-." Petra went to say.

"Right, right. The house burnt down and the compound is destroyed, blah, blah, blah. That's still not going to help you get into the capital."

"Can I see your face?" Christian asked. I complied and lifted my hood for a moment, letting the light from his lantern shine onto my face before I dropped the veil over my head once more. "Well that's definitely him, and that's definitely the bodyguard that was with him at the gate last time."

"But she still doesn't have her papers. How are we supposed to let them through without the correct credentials?"

"We'll have to get in contact Commander Dawk then. It's the only way to sort this mess out." Christian said with a shrug.

"Are you insane?! He's probably fast asleep at this hour!"

"What other choice do we have then?"

The man sighed and looked back up at us with a mixture of defeat and frustration on his face. "If you want to wake up Commander Dawk at this hour then be my guest, but I'm certainly not getting on his bad side." Christian chuckled as his fellow soldier walked back to the others.

"Go on ahead. These guys won't give much trouble anymore." Christian said.

"Thank you." I said, making Christian glow in pride.

"Not a problem. Anything to help the Angel of Death. Have a good night you two, and be sure to report directly to Commander Dawk. He's going to want to hear what's going on."

"Will do. Good night."

With that Petra pushed the horse forward through the gate and into the finely cobbled streets of the capital.

"Do you think he'll believe us?" Petra asked as the horse navigated the dark streets, the only light coming from the various lamp posts on the side of the streets. "I mean, it is a farfetched story that is likely hard to believe."

"But it isn't a story. Those bombs were planted there far in advance." I replied. 'And to attack when all the purebloods were gone… and then all the guards suddenly disappearing. Something isn't right.'

"I know, but it still sounds like one."

"Well, if Dawk is half the commander that people make him out to be then he'll listen. Eventually the news of the destruction will spread, further proving us correct."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Still…" My brows furrowed, but remained silent at Petra's discomfort.

It took use five more minutes to reach the gate to the Military Polices' central headquarters. Two soldiers stood guard by the entrance and when they saw Petra's uniform they asked what we were doing here. Once told, one of the men escorted us to where Commander Dawk was. Luckily for us he was awake and in his office, even at twelve in the morning. Petra had to 'help' me throughout the compound, helping me keep the ruse that I was still injured. She had asked me at one time why I kept this false image up, and my simple response was 'I don't like being used'. Petra hasn't questioned why since.

Petra knocked on the wooden door in front of us. The Military Police's headquarters was a five story miniature fort. It reminded me of the fort that was in Trost that the Garrison was using for resupply runs during the invasion, except this one was much larger. Dawk's office was on the fifth floor, making it very difficult for us keep my crippled visage up.

"You may come in." Dawk beckoned. The soldier that had escorted us to the door nodded and left as we opened the door. As we entered the room Dawk could be seen looking out over the darkened city. Lights from the various homes resonated back to us, showing us that people were still awake and going about their business. Two chairs sat in front of his rather simple wooden desk. Various Military Police insignias strayed across the walls. As he turned, Petra did her best to salute the man in front of us while still holding onto me. He looked confused as his gaze fell onto me. "Outsider? What are you doing here?"

"There have been some… complications." Petra said as she moved forward and placed me onto one of the wooden chairs.

"Complications? Wasn't the Pious family supposed to retrieve him in the morning?" Dawk questioned as he too sat down, followed by Petra.

"They were, but the Gradl mansion was attacked. By who, we don't know, but they were attacked." Petra explained.

"Attacked?"

"Several bombs were placed inside the mansion at various locations. Their mansion is a burning husk of what it once was." Dawk leaned back into his chair in deep thought, silently contemplating Petra's words.

"I'm not going to hear the end of this in the morning…" Dawk said as he pinched the bridge of nose.

"You actually believe us?" Petra asked, slightly shocked.

"Why wouldn't I? The only way you could be here if something catastrophic happened." Dawk shook his head as he continued thinking over the options at hand.

"What do we do now?" Petra asked.

After another moment of thought, Dawk looked to us with hardened eyes. "You will stay here for the night, then join the Pious family in the morning." Dawk explained. "They are currently staying in their home here in the capital while they were on the way to pick you up. You will continue with your stay with the High Nobles until this shit storm passes. You, Petra, will continue to oversee Naruto's protection until further notice."

"Sir! Yes sir!" Petra said as she stood and saluted Dawk, who stood and did the same.

"Now go get some rest. I'll send a messenger to the Pious family letting them know of the situation. Good work in keeping the VIP safe. You are dismissed." Dawk said.

"Thank you sir." Petra said as she helped me up from my seat. The commander of the Military Police watched as we left and as soon as we were gone Dawk shook his head in irritation. Falling back into his seat he turned his chair to face the window behind him. His night just got a lot longer.

XxXxX

"I see… so you're the Angel of Death." A large man wearing a grey Pious uniform said as he stared down at us. It was Erik, head of the Pious family, that had answered the door. It was seven in the morning and the sun was just creeping over the massive wall that circled the capital. "And you are Petra Ral of the Scouting Legion."

"It's an honor to finally meet you." Petra said with a salute. I was sitting in a new wheelchair, courteous of Dawk's medical corps that was stationed at the Military Police's headquarters. The two soldiers that escorted us left as soon as we were off the wagon. Erik saluted back to Petra, making me frrow my eyebrows.

"Mine as well. The Scouting Legion is playing a key role for humanities' survival." Erik said before looking to me. "You also played a pivotal role as well, Naruto Uzumaki. When we heard that Trost had been retaken everyone was overjoyed." For being such an imposing figure Erik had a soft spot for the military.

"Only doing my part." I said. Erik grinned and nodded his head.

"Aren't we all. Come on in. There are too many eyes and ears here on the streets." Erik said before walking back into his home. Petra and I gave each other confused looks before the scout pushed me in after him. The building we were in was just like any other three story town house that lined the streets of the capital, except a small gate lined the miniature front yard. Once inside I took note that the decorations were very humble compared to the Gradl's. There wasn't a single indication that this place belonged to a very prestigious high noble of the kingdom. We moved further into the house and saw two people sitting in the living room, both wore grey military uniforms with the wolf symbol on their left shoulders.

"Maxwell, Thomas, come say hello to our guests." Erik said as he walked towards a worn yellow chair that sat next to the fireplace. The two men looked backwards, over the edge of the navy blue couch, and smiled once they saw us.

"If it isn't the Outsider himself." One of the men said before standing and bowing deeply. He had dark brown hair and tan skin that complemented his black eyes. If I had to guess, he would probably be in his mid-twenties. "I'm Thomas, nice to finally meet you in person."

"And I'm Maxwell. You did us a great service in Trost." Maxwell was an older gentlemen, with greying black hair and mustache, but this didn't make him any less intimidating. He was tall, with what looked to be powerful muscles under his uniform. "And you must be Petra Ral of the Survey Corps. We've heard of your exploits outside the walls. It's an honor to meet you as well." Petra blushed from embarrassment as she looked to the side.

"I-It's nothing." Petra stuttered out, making the other men in the room laugh.

"Is there anyone else here besides the three of you?" I asked, trying to elevate some of the embarrassment that Petra was having.

"Just the three of us. We were going to come pick you up this morning, but after the little incident last night you came to us." Thomas said as he fell back into the couch.

"Here, let me take Naruto. You go take a seat." Maxwell offered.

"No, I can take care of it." Petra said with a smile. She pushed me over next to the second winged back chair, and after she locked me into place, took a seat in the chair next to me. "I'm actually pretty surprised."

"Surprised by what?" Maxwell asked.

"The size of this house is so small compared to the Gradl's mansion. I just thought that all high nobles lived in massive homes is all."

Erik chuckled before taking a sip of his hot coffee. "Every high noble family has an estate here within the capital, and you would be correct to assume that the majority of their homes are rather large, even for being in the capital where real-estate is at a premium." Erik placed his cup of coffee onto the simple wooden side table that was next to his chair. "For me, this is enough to satisfy everything that I could ever want."

"You seem like a simple man." I said.

"Damn right. I've always hated how complex the other families try and make this kingdom. That's why I've tried to be straight to the point when it came to the various agreements we come to, much to the annoyance of many of my fellow high nobles."

"Sometimes I think you piss them off on purpose!" Thomas exclaimed before laughing.

"Eh, sometimes. They're just so easy to rile up." Erik said.

"That sounds like you. Getting into trouble when there is no need." Maxwell said as he shook his head. Erik laughed before taking another sip of his coffee.

"So I hear that the Survey Corps is going on their fifty-seventh expedition soon. Do you know when?" Erik asked.

"Levi said it was planned for about a month after the military court case, so… a week I think?" Petra said.

"Must be hard, being left behind and all." Thomas said, but was nudged by Maxwell. "Hey!"

"No, it's okay. I've been thinking about this for a while, and came to the conclusion that if my comrades really needed me then I would be sent back to them." Petra explained. "I trust that our commander-in-chief knows what he's doing."

"That's true. If you're still here then he must have his reasons." Erik said with a nod. "In any case we are going to be leaving here after breakfast and heading to my family's estate in the northern part of the kingdom."

"Where is it exactly?" Petra asked.

"Just south of the Utopia District. I hope you two are ready for a couple of days of traveling." Erik said as he stood and walked into the kitchen. "Care for some eggs?"

XxXxX

True to Erik's word, the trip took us about thirty hours in the back of a small grey carriage. We stopped at a small village to stay the night, and from there made the rest of the trip to his home. Maxwell, for the most part, took the reins of the two horses while most of the conversations that happened were between Petra, Thomas, and Erik. It truly did seem that the Pious family had close ties to the military because Petra was speaking to him like it he was a distant relative. Erik did seem like the fatherly man when not around someone he didn't like. When he was in the courtroom, the man looked cold, almost annoyed to be in the same room as his fellow high nobles, but here, when he could speak freely, Erik truly opened up.

"You live in a castle town?" Petra asked as we waited for the massive iron gate, along with the wooden doors behind it, to open. Four guards with 3D maneuver gear and rifles stood atop the gate and subsequent walls. "On top of a massive mountain, surrounded by sheer drops that could kill anyone that falls off it." She was currently looking out the small window in the side of the carriage as she spoke.

"You don't?" Thomas asked with a dead panned expression.

"Of course not! I didn't even know this place existed! Who even built this place? It's large enough to hold half a district!" Petra exclaimed.

"Who knows? My ancestors discovered this place when the titans pushed humanity within the walls." Erik said, but peered over to me when he finished talking. I simply stared at the gate as it slowly opened. This place felt… familiar, or at least I've felt like I've been to a castle very similar to this one. It was coming to me as a painful blur that refused to go away. "In any case this place has given my family power and protection from people that would mean us harm." Once the doors were finally opened, and we passed through the gate, several houses could be seen along with their tenants. The homes looked built to withstand the heavy snow of the north, and all the people looked grizzled and ready to take up arms at a moment's notice. Not to say they were unattractive, but the looks on their faces clearly signaled they were all serious people that did not like being trifled with.

But as we passed through the gates, everyone that saw us lit up at the prospect that their leader had returned.

"Welcome back, Erik!"

"Good to know you made it in one piece!"

"Picked up that hero you were talking about?"

"Hero?" I asked, overhearing one of the various shouts that the people boasted as we moved down the streets of the town that sat next to the Pious's abode.

"Unlike the other high nobles, my people actually believe that you're a hero. You did retake Trost alongside that titan hybrid, Eren was it?" Erik responded. "I don't know about all that magic mumbo jumbo, but I do believe you killed your fair share of titans while running around Trost."

"And a man that kills titans is a good man indeed." Thomas added.

"Can't argue that." Petra said.

"Although there are far less titans up here to deal with. The mountains and cold weather tend to push them to the south, but my men have killed a good many titans when scouting the northern parts outside the walls." Erik said.

"Wait, you send your men outside the walls?!" Petra exclaimed.

"Of course. How else are we going to get real combat experience against the titans if we don't go outside the walls?" Erik asked. "Although we don't advertise it as much as I'm sure others would." He then looked to me and grinned. "But I'm sure nothing my guys have experienced can compare to what you've seen outside the walls."

"There are less titans where it's colder, but even this doesn't stop them from trudging on through even the deepest snow. They will eventually get to you, no matter the obstacle… besides these walls it would seem. These are the only things that I've ever seen give the titans a hard time." I said before our carriage stopped at the entrance of another gate, but this gate, unlike the last one, was slightly smaller with no guards standing on top. A large castle sat within these inner walls, but while it was large, it was only two stories tall and made of large stones from the surrounding mountains.

"We are lucky to have been born within it, that's for sure. Come, let me introduce you to the men and woman that defend the castle town of Cainhurst." Erik said as he opened the door to the carriage. Cainhurst? Where have I heard that name before?

The door to the carriage opened to reveal two soldiers, a woman and a man, looking into the booth. They wore similar gray uniforms as Thomas and Maxwell, but with gray caps on their heads and a white feather poking out from said caps in a backwards fashion. "Welcome home Erik. Glad to have the commander back in his chair." The female soldier said as both soldiers bowed deeply.

"Right, right, now help Naruto down will you? The wheelchair is strapped to the back." Erik ordered as he exited the carriage.

"Yes sir." The two new soldiers quickly grabbed the wheelchair and placed me into it.

"Would you like to see the place? There are marvelous views of the surrounding countryside on one side, and the massive mountains on the other, since our castle town in conveniently located on the edge of a mountain." Erik said as he began walking towards the doors leading into his home. "Just don't expect much. Most of the castle is just a military base for the soldiers that volunteered to protect Cainhurst and Utopia District."

"Sounds good to me."

"Once we're done you wouldn't mind if we had a talk in private, would you?" Erik asked, his back still turned to me. I furrowed my brows at this. What could he want to talk about?

XxXxX-4 days later

I was right when I thought I've been here before. The low consistent thumping in my head flared back up again when Erik showed me specific rooms of the castle. All of which was magnificent in their own right, but one couldn't tell by the plain outside of the stone castle. Luckily my room was not one of these rooms. There was a window that looked out over the northern woods that led towards Wall Rose. My room was simple; a bed, fireplace, small table, and a closet.

Petra was also set up pretty well with a room similar to my own right across the hall, but this still didn't stop her from spending most of her spare time in mine. I could tell that she was no longer depressed as the people here have treated her with the utmost respect, which was a stark contrast to how the Gradl's treated her.

Speaking of the Gradl's… After returning home they announced whatever happened was an accident and shouldn't be seen as an attack. Apparently the kingdom, for a single day, thought I had died in the fire that ensued, but this was quickly corrected by Dawk himself. The entire fiasco brought chaos to the people that actually had the time to care for my wellbeing, and what it meant for them personally.

To sum up my last four days, it has been surprisingly nice. There wasn't very many Pious's, as Erik considered anybody who lived within the walls of the castle town a part of his family, but I learned that his wife was dead due to an illness and he had no more extended family besides maybe a distant cousin of some sort. Not wanting to press the matter any further I dropped the topic even though something had been bothering me since learning who he was. On another note, the people of Cainhurst, which also included the town built in front of the castle, have been extremely hospitable to both Petra and myself.

The Pious soldiers that took it upon themselves to go outside the walls would constantly ask Petra about the best techniques to stay alive and take down titans as a team, which the scout was all too eager to share. I was happy to see Petra actually enjoying herself here amongst fellow soldiers. She looked at home and much more comfortable than before.

"The breakfast here reminds me of the stuff they served back at the Survey Corps." Petra half complained as she fell back onto my bed, her 3D maneuver gear sitting neatly in the corner of my room. Since coming here, Erik said it was mandatory for her to have her equipment on while at my side, which Petra readily accepted.

"Missing them?" I replied, my eyes looking out over the massive forest beneath us. The window was open, letting a cool late summer breeze into the room.

"Just getting a little homesick is all. Going from spending all my time with my team to none of them at all gets to me." Petra said as she shifted onto her side to look at me. "And they also start the expedition tomorrow."

"You sound worried."

"I know my team can handle themselves just fine, it's just…" Petra closed her eyes and turned onto her back again. "Something just feels off is all."

"…" I simply looked over at her from the corner of my eyes. She was nervous about her comrades, her family, being taken from her. I wish there was something I could say, but I wouldn't lie to her. They were going outside the walls into an area that was infested with titans. Anything could happen.

Knock Knock

"May I come in?" Erik asked through the door.

"Come in." I replied as Petra stood up from the bed. Erik opened the door and closed it behind him. In his hand was a letter.

"I just received a letter from the Commander-in-Chief that's addressed to you, Petra." Erik said as he walked to Petra and gave her the letter. It was still sealed with wax and, true to his words, Petra's name was on the front of the letter.

"Commander Darius? He sent a letter just to me?" Petra asked as she began opening the letter.

"You are the one overseeing the Angel of Death's protection." Erik said with a shrug. "That's a pretty big responsibility." Petra grinned at his words as she removed the paper from the envelope. Her eyes scanned the parchment, and as she did so Petra's eyes grew wider.

"Is something the matter?" I asked. Petra didn't answer at first, just looking at the piece of paper in dumbfounded shock.

"It says…" Petra took one last looked at the paper before looking to me. "That I must return to the rendezvous point set up by the Scouting Corps effective immediately. From there I will return my command to Erwin Smith once the rest of my unit returns from the expedition." I frowned, and looked back outside to the expansive woods below. Looks like I'll be left alone once more. "This doesn't make any sense. Is he sending another soldier to take my place?"

"He is not. Darius must feel that my men can handle his protection for the next couple of months." Erik said, before sighing at the look she was giving him. "And no, I didn't suggest this to him. I'm just as surprised by this as you are." Petra turned her angry glare to me, but I was simply looking out the window just as I was before. Her expression softened somewhat as she gazed at me.

"What now?" Petra asked.

"You return to your unit and help them with whatever they need help with. I'm sure there's always work to be done when the Survey Corps returns from an expedition." I replied as I looked over to her, but her disgruntled expression did not fade.

"You know that's not what I meant."

"I know, but disobeying orders directly from the Commander-in-Chief isn't a good idea. If you want to continue being a soldier then you must follow them." I stated with a stern voice. Petra stared at me for a couple of seconds, as if having an internal fight over something. Her angry eyes never wavered. I softened my own, letting a rare smile spread across my lips. "Your unit will need you when they return Petra. Don't forget they were your friends long before you were mine."

This seemed to transform her angry expression into that of sadness. "But what about you?"

"I'll be fine. Just look after Eren for me, okay?" I replied as tears began to appear at the corners of her eyes. "We all have our purpose in life, and yours is to keep the Survey Corps in check." This made her smile, even though tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"Thanks for not being the crazy psycho killer that everyone makes you out to be." I chuckled at her comment as she walked to me and wrapped me in her arms.

"Thanks for being such an amazing bodyguard." I replied as I patted her back with my only 'working' arm. We stayed like this for a little while before Petra removed herself from me. Without another word Petra grabbed her equipment from the corner of the room and left. Silence flowed through the room as I simply stared at the door that she disappeared through. "Did you plan this?"

"No, this was actually pure luck that this happened when it did." Erik replied as I returned my gaze to the window. Said man walked next to me and looked out the window as well.

"Why are you really doing this? Certainly you know that the entire kingdom will turn on you if they ever found out what you did."

"I figured you wouldn't believe my first explanation."

"Money can't be the only reason, and if it was then I wouldn't have even considered your proposition."

"The Grays, in part, were created to accept some of the most brutal jobs imaginable. They've even taken jobs that led them outside the walls and into titan territory, grant it those are very rare. In time they have gained a reputation as being the most efficient mercenary group within the walls of the kingdom, and as their fame grew, so did their network of spies. Knowledge of the underworld began to flow into their ears." Erik sighed and looked over to me. "Remember what I said the other day? About how they were once doing the right thing?"

"Hard to argue on behalf of a group that fights the military. Especially coming from a high noble that supports said military and even sends his own men to fight by their side." I replied as I stood up and walked over to my bag that was sitting on the wooden table. "And you said you're the founder of the organization?"

"Co-founder. I, along with a few others, started the group in order to root out the evil here within the kingdom, but money was needed. And this sometimes brought them into direct conflict with the military, but even the military aren't as pure as you think they are." Erik stated as he watched me go through my bag. My cloak hung on the back of the chair near my bag. "Are you okay with this?" I had told Erik a few days ago about my healed body, and to my initial surprise, but not his apparently, Erik took it rather well… unlike Petra who nearly jumped so high her head could have hit the ceiling.

"I don't exactly enjoy the thought of coming into conflict with the people I worked with, but are you sure the Grays have found something on the titans?"

"I'm not completely sure. They are their own entity now and don't contact me very much, for obvious reasons, but from what I heard their spies within the military may have picked up something that may interest you." Erik said. I had thrown my cloak over my body after equipping my hook and chains to my arms.

"And you can get me in?"

"I'm not so sure you'd want to join, but I can guarantee you their cooperation. If anything the Grays are loyal to anyone that helps them, especially to someone who helped create them. There's a contractor by the name of Lucas in the Stohess District. I can send a message to him saying that the 'Angel of Death' wishes to work with them." Erik stated. "But I must warn you. If the military learns of your connections with the Grays then they will surely turn on you, and even I will be forced to lie about your alleged 'escape' from Cainhurst."

"I know the risks, but I can't accomplish anything if I have the military or the other high nobles breathing down my neck."

"You still have to keep me in the loop. That's the only condition I have for allowing you to leave freely." I stared at the man for a moment when a thought came to my mind.

"Why are you helping me?" Surely there had to be reason why the normally stern and outspoken man was risking so much for me.

"Hmm… I wonder. Maybe it's because I truly believe you can figure out what's really going on with the titans now that you have a lead. Or maybe it's because I think you're going to root out some of the corruption that blankets this kingdom." Erik then grinned widely as he looked to me. "But in reality I'm doing right by someone who has done right by me."

"…?"

"Do you remember someone by the name of Karen Pious?"

"So you're her father?"

"I am, and now I can proudly say that as well." Erik said. "She wasn't much of a fighter, but after a certain confrontation with the Outsider, she found her fighting spirit. I can't thank you enough for that."

"Just trying to help someone that looked lost."

"Right, well in any case what you did has helped her a lot. From what her commanders have said, Karen fought bravely and contributed a lot to the Trost cleanup." Erik then patted me on the shoulder and laughed. "If you need any help then don't be afraid to ask. Just make sure it's within reason."

I shook my head with a soft smile adoring my face. I knew that Karen belonged to the Pious family, but to be the daughter of Erik himself, who would have thought?

"Planning to leave now?" Erik asked.

"I am. Getting to Stohess as soon as possible would be great."

"Then take one of my horses and some provisions for the road. If you don't want to stay for a while longer then at least let me treat you to that."

"I would prefer to walk, but the provisions would nice. Thank you." Erik gave me a questionable look before shrugging.

"If you say so. I'll get everything you need prepared for you downstairs." Erik said as he moved to the door. "Thanks again for what you've done for my daughter." I simply glanced over to him as he closed the door behind himself, leaving me to myself. Looking around the room, the reality of no longer having a companion suddenly hit me. I've been set free from the chokehold of the high nobles thanks to Erik, and with Petra gone the military will no longer be looking over my shoulder as well.

I can only hope that whatever information the Grays had would be helpful to finally ending the plague that was the titans.

XxXxX

I set out from Cainhurst that afternoon with my destination being the district of Stohess. Erik had provided me with two days' worth of provisions, but gave me enough money to buy at least two weeks beyond what was given to me. I guess he thought since I was walking it was going to take me much longer. Funny thing about that…

Deciding to take my time, the trip took me about two days for me to make it to Stohess. I wanted to see the conditions that the average person lived in, and it was exactly what I expected. The common people lived a relative simple life with each individual village providing for themselves, or sometimes even each other if two or three communities decide to work together. Everyone was happy and felt grateful to just be alive within the walls of the kingdom, but even then I could sense a feint unease beneath their smiles. What it was, I did not know, but I could certainly guess as to where it was directed. Even though the common people provided for themselves the land was owned by a noble, which they had to provide for.

But even still, amongst these people that toiled in the dirt and rock, I felt a sense a comradery. I felt… at ease. Maybe I should disappear here, amongst the masses of the commoners and let someone else beat the titan threat, but I knew that wasn't an option. Why was life so… troublesome?

Walking down the dirt path that led to the town just outside the wall leading into Stohess, I shook off the cold morning air. The sun was just beginning to shine and people were opening their shops to the public. I carried myself through the streets, trying my best to not talk to anyone who would happen to look at me, but I think my cloaked visage was doing that job rather well. Everyone that looked at me either disregarded me, or quickly looked away. The buildings around me began to grow in size until I finally arrived at the gate leading into Stohess. Two soldiers stood at the gate, making casual conversation with one another when they looked to me as I approached.

"Papers?" One of the soldiers asked. They were Military Police and rather high ranking too. I presented the papers that were given to me by Erik and the man looked over the parchment before giving them back to me. "A merchant from Cainhurst? Don't see those every day. The going tax rate for nonlocals in Stohess is ten percent for all non-poultry and beef products. Use your weapons, if you have any, for defensive purposes only. Enjoy your stay in Stohess merchant."

I nodded my head and walked through the gate into the city of Stohess. The city reminded me somewhat of Ehrmich. The buildings, streets, and sometimes even the people felt the same. Continuing down the street towards the town center, I looked down at the piece of paper in my hand. An address was scribbled onto the paper.

Sighing, I continued onwards until I got a grasp of where I was. It took me three hours to finally find the street that Lucas was allegedly on, but when I turned onto it I found that it was an alley. Trash lined the corners of the wall and rats jumped and hoped from one pile to another. I was certainly in one of the poorer parts of town, that was for certain. Moving down its length, I stopped when a homeless man was to my left. His face was covered with dirt and grime while rats swarmed around him. I did not turn to him, but my eyes lingered on the man for some time.

"Are you?" The man finally asked. I didn't respond at first, simply content with waiting for him to make the first move. "Are you the one that Erik has spoken about?"

"Yes." My words stirred the man to stand up and bow. He wore beaten civilian clothes with a dark green robe over his body.

"Lucas. A pleasure to meet you." Lucas said.

"They must not provide you with much money if you're out here." I replied.

"Only an act. The Grays have been keeping an eye on you since our last… confrontation. So you want to join us, is it?"

"No. I want to work with you. Maybe we can work out a deal that can benefit both of us."

"Hmm… that seems risky, but who are we to turn down the Angel of Death? Fine, I'll trust you if you can prove your loyalty. The only way we've lasted this long is because we have choosen who we work with very carefully."

"And how would I do that?"

"A spy within the Scouting Corps has just sent us some extremely useful information regarding their expedition that took place yesterday."

"Did something happen?"

"Lives were lost, and they think it was caused by one of those hybrids." He said as he leaned against the wall behind him. "And they believe that very hybrid is here, within Stohess. It would seem that they're making a move today."

"…"

"Naturally they are coming here to try and capture it. That's where you come in." Lucas said. "We want you to swipe the hybrid out from under them and give the military something else to worry about other than us. After capturing it you can kill it if you'd like, but just don't allow it to fall into the military's hands."

"You want me to openly oppose the military to gain the Gray's trust?"

"That's one reason, yes, but we also don't want the military getting their hands on that hybrid. They've already got one, having a second would be… hindering for further operations."

"I thought your group avoided fighting the military."

"We do unless we have to. In fact we would rather support them, but we must work from the shadows in order to do that. Even still we're a mercenary organization at our core. Meaning we sometimes come into conflict with the military. In order to operate we need money, and dangerous missions brings in the most money."

"Which is why you want me to also become their 'enemy'."

"Exactly. If the military is focusing on this new hybrid threat and you then we can fade into the darkness. Helping you and rooting out the real reason why these new hybrids are trying to kill us."

"Did something happen that has been causing you trouble?"

"Garrison troops have begun aggressively clearing out our bases within Wall Rose. We're hoping that by you becoming a possible threat that their progress will slow down somewhat. Giving us time to breath." Lucas sighed, shaking his head in annoyance. "You can make amends with them later if you want, but we need time to regroup if we're going to work with you. If you can do this then we'll give you the information that we found."

I stared at the man for a while, contemplating my options, but in reality what other choice did I have? I could interrogate him and force out the information I want, but then I could lose a possible valuable alley in the future.

"Fine, give me a debrief."

XxXxX

I sat atop the wall that surrounded Stohess, looking out over the city with two knocked out soldiers not too far away. I kept repeating the information that Lucas had given me about an hour earlier in my head. So that's who they think this 'female titan' is? It would make sense simply based on that feeling I had when she was around me, but would that mean…? It didn't matter, at least not right now. I had to get into position and based on what that spy said they should be around…

An eruption of smoke burst in the distance, making me furrow my brows. So the information their spy had was good. Were they really trying to capture the female titan within the city? Continuing my observation another burst of smoke appeared next to the now fully formed female titan a few moments later. I frowned at the amount of fighting that was appearing before my eyes, but mentally shook it off. Death is a part of war, and this war was no different.

"So they're coming here, just as I predicted. She will try and move towards the nearest part of the wall in order to escape." I sighed and stood up. "I hope this is all worth it…" The wind atop the wall blew against my cloak, pushing it against my back as the female titan jumped up onto the wall beneath me. If she could make it out without my help then my job would be a lot easier. As the titan neared, her eyes set onto me, and for a split second I could see them widen in surprise. I held out my hand to her, and if on a subconscious level, the titan reached out to me in desperation. Just as she did this Mikasa bolted past her. Annie's eyes never left me as Mikasa sliced through her fingers, forcing her to fall backwards towards Eren and the other Scouting members.

"This is never easy…" I softly said as I looked up into the sky above. An eagle gracefully soared above, completely ignorant of what was happening below it. "Lets give them a show, shall we?" As if on que I jumped over the edge towards the ground below. I saw Mikasa still attached to the wall, and as I flew past her, her eyes widened to the point of saucers, but she was not a part of my objective.About halfway from the intended target, a blue ball began to spin in my hand. "Rasengan." The ball connected with Eren's right shoulder, sending a shock wave out that blew the soldiers prying Annie from her titan form back and making Eren tumble away with a missing arm.

Landing in front of the crevasse that the soldiers made in Annie's titan body, the girl's eyes lingered on me in surprise as I looked around at the slowly standing soldiers. Before they could get a grasp of what was happening I dashed towards the first soldier that had fully stood up. Punching him in the face and swiftly sending a kick towards his chest, the man was knocked out as he was flying backwards. As more people stood, the faster I became. To the disoriented soldiers, they must have only seen a black shade moving from person to person, attacking them relentlessly until it was their turn to receive their punishment.

As I made my way to my next target, I saw that it was Armin. I hardened myself and went in for the attack, but quickly slid to a stop when a massive arm slammed down in between us. Looking over, I saw Eren staring back at me. I hadn't given them much time to think of why I was doing this, which was part of my intended plan. "Naruto!" I quickly jumped backwards as two blades nearly sliced my arm off. Mikasa slid into view between Eren and I with a look of malice adorning her face. I was only able to knock out about three quarters of the soldiers before I was stopped by Eren, and who knows if there are more scouts lingering about. I needed to finish this before more efficient methods were needed.

As Eren lifted his arm from the ground, Armin was staring at me in complete surprise as well. "H-How are you standing?" Armin asked to nobody in particular.

"It doesn't matter. He's obviously working with Annie, meaning he's an enemy." Mikasa said as she pointed her swords towards me. Armin quickly looked to her in shock. "He's probably here to capture Eren as well!"

"That doesn't make any sense! Everything he's done up until this point has only helped us! He can't be…" Armin then looked to me desperate for an explanation, but I said nothing. Eren was also staring at me as well, not wanting to believe that I could be a possible threat to the Scouting Corps. I glanced around and began noticing that the remaining soldiers were beginning to stand up, including one with purple hair and glasses.

"Katon: Moeru Fenikkusu." A massive fire phoenix erupted from my mouth and towards the three childhood friends. Eren, sensing the danger, jumped in front of his friends and took the brunt of the attack with his back facing me.

"Eren!" Mikasa shouted in worry, but I wasn't done. Dashing towards Eren while unraveling my hooks, I jumped up into the air and spun around while channeling wind chakra into my blades. The two hooks dug deep into Eren's neck, slicing open the charred flesh to reveal his back. After landing next to the opening I had made, I yanked the boy out from the wound and onto the ground below. Eren slammed against the ground, his head making an audible crack, and effectively knocking him unconscious. His titan body began to burn away into the familiar steam, just like the time before, as I jumped over the body and ran towards the still stunned Mikasa.

"Not today Angel of Death!" A voice shouted as a pair of blades connected with my hooks just as they were about to connect with Mikasa's chest. Looking over, I saw the dark violet haired soldier from earlier protecting the still stunned Mikasa. "That was an impressive fire show. How'd you do it?" I only glared back at her before pushing my hooks off her swords and kicking Mikasa into Armin. Before I was able continue my assault, I was forced to dodge another set of swords, then parry another. The remaining soldiers were now completely awake. "Lets not make this anymore messy, shall we? My name is Hange Zoe, and I've got a few questions that I would appreciate answered." She said with a smile as the remaining soldiers surrounded me.

"Is that so?" I replied as I looked around at the soldiers. Every one of them knew who I was, and held a look of fear, but here they were, still holding their ground against someone who could kill them in a second. They saw what I was capable of, but even still…

"That fire that came out of your mouth, how in the world did you do that?!" Hange asked, curiosity getting the better of her. I grinned as I slowly began running through hand seals.

"Would you like a demonstration?" I asked as I purposely channeled some of Kurama's chakra into my eyes, making them glow a bright red beneath the veil of my hood. "Because if that's what you want then I'd be happy to oblige." Hange's eyes widened as electricity began arcing over my arms in a dazzling display of power and death.

"Everyone! Get back-!"

"Raiton: Eriapāji." I said as I slammed my arms into the ground, and as fast as lightning, the electricity connected with the surrounding soldiers. They shook from the connection and fell to the ground, all of which were knocked unconscious. My eyes continued to glow that feint red glow as I moved towards the fear stricken duo who were still on the ground from when I kicked Mikasa into Armin. I simply stared at them as Armin was visually trembling and Mikasa backed away somewhat. "Weak…" Mikasa stopped her movement when she heard my words. "How are you supposed to protect Eren…" I softly said as my hand wrapped around her throat. I lifted her up until she was level with my demonic looking eyes. "When you're so weak?" Her eyes were covered by her hair, so I was unable to tell what she was thinking, but I could make a guess. At any point I could have ended Eren's life during the duration of this fight, and all she did was watch and tremble. Making her… "Useless." I tossed her to the side and she just crumbled to the ground.

The normally strong willed and calm Mikasa was now a crumbled mess, but as I stared down at her something began to change. Her hair began to grow in length with blonde highlights showing themselves at its tips. I blinked a couple of times before the vision disappeared before my eyes.

"I thought… we were allies." I looked over at the startled Armin as he trembled beneath my gaze, my orange eyes slowly fading away as Kurama's chakra disappeared. "But are you really… human?" Was I human? I think I was, at least I know I was at one point in my life, but as time moved on I began to feel less of who I was. I began becoming something I was not, but even then I was still human, just a human that has demons living within. Moving towards the carcass of Annie's titan, I stopped once more at the sound of Armin's voice. He wasn't fighting me only because he was scared, but also because he knew that it was pointless. He's a smart boy, that much was clear. "Naruto… please tell me you're doing this for a good reason. That all of this is part of some big plan that will help humanity in the end."

I stood still for another moment, thinking over his plea, but shook my head at the notion. Moving forward, I twirled the chained hook next to me for the simple pleasure of feeling its weight spinning next to me. "You're a smart one, Armin. I'm sure you can figure it out." Leaving the young soldier on those words, I jumped onto the decaying body of Annie's titan and peeked into the crevasse that the scouts had made earlier. Annie stared back at me in complete shock at what she had seen. "Ready?"

She didn't answer, simply staring back at me in shock. Realizing that nothing was going to happen, I extended a hand out to her. "You're not going to turn into that thing again, are you?" Annie asked.

"As long as you don't turn into a titan." I replied. This seemed to be enough for the girl as she struggled to get free of the flesh that clung so tightly to her. Another few moments passed as she desperately tried to get herself free from the titan, it was as if she thought my invitation was going to disappear the longer I had to wait. Finally, Annie got an arm free from the flesh and extended it out to me. Grabbing onto her hand, I pulled her from the titan.

"Thank you." Annie whispered, but it was hardly noticeable and I probably wouldn't have been able to hear her if I didn't have a keen sense of hearing. Annie was a tough girl, but just like Eren, using her titan form consumes a lot of energy. She could barely stand, let alone walk, so I lifted her arm over my shoulder. "You don't have to…"

"Stubborn…" I replied, making Annie return to silence. There would be time to talk after I extract her from the Stohess. We began moving away from the carcass of Annie's titan when I felt something shift behind us.

"You think I'm weak? That I'd let someone like you trample over me and my friends?" I stopped and looked over my shoulder. Mikasa was now standing and holding her two blades at her sides. Her eyes reflected that of pure anger, but even through it all I could see the hint of betrayal. Did she trust me because of my actions in Trost? Because of what Eren and I accomplished together? "If you think that I'll let you leave without a fight, then you're sorely mistaken." Mikasa said as she pointed one of her swords at me.

"Can you stand on your own?" I whispered to Annie. The girl nodded her head, but frowned when I released her from my hold.

"I can, but there are reinforcements coming this way. Be careful." Annie whispered back. I felt the presence of others in the area as well, but I had time. I began walking towards her, and once again I felt something in my chest as I walked towards her. No, it wasn't the same feeling as when I'm near Eren or Annie. This was something different entirely.

Finally stopping, I began rolling up my hooks and securing them to my arms. "Then show me you have the strength to stop me." The glare Mikasa remained as she ran towards me, her swords at her side. I stood, ready for anything that could be thrown at me, but as I watched her come towards me something happened. Mikasa's hair began to grow longer with blonde highlights tainting the ends of her hair once again. Who was this person that was appearing before me?! It wasn't like the other dark figure…

Sidestepping a vertical slash, and then ducking underneath a jab at my side, I found a perfect opportunity to counter. With her arm outstretched I grabbed onto the handle of her sword and crashed my elbow into her chest, making her lose the grip on her sword and stagger backwards. As she went backwards I put some wind chakra into my hand and sliced off the tube that connected it to her 3D maneuver gear. Jumping backwards, I inspected my newly acquired sword with vague interest. It was light, and the blades were razor sharp, but flimsy. Thus making them easily broken in a prolonged fight.

Mikasa growled in anger and dashed towards me once more. I parried her first strike sent towards my right arm and countered with my own slash towards her stomach. Mikasa jumped to the side and kicked at my legs, but there was openings all over the place, one of which I exploited. Nimbly jumping over her entire body, I kicked her in the back, making her stumble forward and fall to the ground.

"You fight purely based on instinct. There's no refinement to your attacks or style. Yes, you're fast, and yes your instincts are good and could probably outpace a normal man, but as you know I'm far from normal." Mikasa stood up and pointed her sword towards me.

"If you think I'm giving up then you've got another thing coming." Mikasa said. I grinned and dashed towards her. Our swords clashed and sparks flew every which way. There was so many openings, but she was slowly learning her own weakness, further proving that the girl had amazing battle prowess. Mikasa was so used to being the best making her overflow with confidence, but now… our blades clashed once more, but this time my blade snapped in half. Sending the metal flying across courtyard. Mikasa grinned at this small victory as she was once again upon me, making me nimbly dodge her attacks.

I ducked under one of her horizontal attacks and sent a sweeping kick underneath her. My leg connected, making her fall to the ground, but as she was falling I disconnected my broken blade and reconnect a fresh one from her 3D maneuver gear. Mikasa hit the ground, but as she attempted to roll away my boot smashed into her back, pinning her against the ground.

"Damn it! Get off me!" Mikasa shouted, but my boot remained in place. For some reason I was expecting something more from Mikasa then what I experienced with my spar with Annie. Mikasa was the first in her class, and while her instincts and passion to protect Eren drove her to do nearly impossible deeds, her fighting style was sloppy when it came to fighting another swordsman. She was good, probably better than a lot of people, but I guess I was just expecting more. I wasn't using jutsu, or enhancing my attacks with chakra, I was just dodging and countering as any normal swordsman would. Was she desperate simply because the situation was getting out of hand?

"I expected more from you, Mikasa." This made the girl stop struggling beneath my boot. "You can't always rely on those instincts of yours, or whatever minimal training you've done up until this point. Your enemies are only going to grow in strength as you remain where you are." Removing my boot, I now stood to her side. The blonde hair that tickled the ends of her normal jet black hair continued to persist. 'I hope you've learned something from this. You're going to be needed if we're going to save humanity.' As Mikasa was getting up, I smashed my boot into Mikasa head, knocking her back to the ground. "Have a good night's rest." She was unconscious, that much was for certain, and to my endless curiosity her hair returned to normal. "Ready?" My question was directed to Annie, who had slowly made her way over to me. I dropped the sword onto the ground next to the unconscious girl.

Annie nodded her head, and before she knew it I picked her up and dashed towards the wall. "What are you-?!" But before she could finish her words I was already running up the side of said wall. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a group of soldiers just arriving via rooftop to the scene, and one of them stood out more so than the others… Sorry Petra…

Finally making it to the top, I looked around to see if any soldiers were in the vicinity. With not a soul in sight, I quickly made my way to the other side of the wall before jumping over the edge and running down the other side. As we made our way down, my eyes narrowed at what I saw in the hole that was made by Annie.

"What are you going to do with me?" Annie asked after finally making it to the bottom of the wall. I looked at her in confusion before I began moving away from the wall and towards the countryside. "While I'm grateful you saved me from the military, am I going to need saving from you?"

"Do you think I'm kidnapping you?" I asked, making her eyes narrow and turn away from me. "Lets just get away from the walls, then we can talk." Annie didn't respond, nor did I expect her to. A lot happened during the last couple hours, and a lot needed to be explained.

XxXxX

"Feeling better?" We were now deep in the woods, about an hour away from Stohess by horseback. Annie sat against the base of a tree, while I leaned against the side of another tree across from her.

"I think so." Annie responded, but she moved slightly against the metal chains that were connected to my arms. The hooks were dug into the tree behind her, pinning her against said tree. "But these chains are kind of tight."

"For obvious reasons."

"Did you save my life just to tie me up in a forest?" Annie asked as she looked at the veil that covered my face.

"Of course not."

"Do you think that these little chains can restrain me?"

"No, I don't."

"Then why tie me up at all?" I tilted my head to the side. "Right. You won't answer that."

"You're awfully talkative." Annie stared back at me in confusion. She never talked this much before, unless it was around the others she worked with, and even then it was rare. "So, why do you hate these people?" Annie stared at me with those cold eyes, conveying that she wasn't going to talk. "You do hate these people, don't you? Why else would you attack the Survey Corps to try and capture Eren?" The girl looked away as images of the people she made contact with during training appeared in her head. I read her stony face, reading into her emotions as best I could. "Complicated?"

She bit the inside of cheek in frustration. The person across from her was reading her like a book. Yes, she was raised to believe that everyone in this kingdom was corrupt and evil, but after spending time here she met people that proved her teacher back home wrong. The people in power were corrupt, that much was true, but the common people were just like them. Just trying to get by with what was available to them, and there was even some trying to change this kingdom.

"I learned some very valuable information from a friend of mine. He told me about Eren, what you did outside the walls, and…" I grinned, making Annie stare at me with those uncaring eyes. "That there was more of you hidden within these walls." Annie's eyes widened in surprise. Truth be told, the spy that was embedded within the Survey Corps didn't tell me that last part, but I wanted to see her reaction. To see if my theory was indeed correct. It seems that I wasn't too far off…

"..."

I sighed as I slid down to a sitting position in front of her. The sun was beginning to set, and the last bit of sunlight was beginning to fade. "I'm going to ask you a single question to start this all off." I said, a frown spreading across my mouth as I stared at the girl. "A question that I've been searching for a long time." My grip on my chains tightened as I looked over her facial features, but the tension was high as a bead of sweat dripped down her forehead. "Where did the titans come from?" Annie blinked a few times, as if confused by my question, but she was trying her best to give a passive expression. "So you don't know… I guess someone as young as you wouldn't know." I buried my face into my hands as my mind returned to its frustrated state. I was hoping Annie would know something about the titan's creation, but she was just a pawn.

"How old are you?" I looked over at the girl before shaking my head.

"Older than you." I responded dryly, making the young girl frown. "Why are you trying to capture Eren?"

"I'm tired of this." Annie said before biting her lip, making me furrow my brows.

"Not sure you want to-." I started to say before the small clearing we were in burst into steam. I remained seated, simply waiting for the steam to clear. Once it was clear, I could see the Annie in her titan form looming above me, but with my chains connected to her lower neck. The titan looked back down to me, dominance in her eyes as I sighed and stood up. "A quick lesson is needed I suppose." Pushing a high density of lightning chakra into my hands, I willed it to flow down the links of my chains until it connected with Annie's body. Sensing the danger, Annie formed her hardened armor around the connection, but the electricity moved through it with ease. A second passed with Annie simply staring at me before her titan body began shaking violently and falling to the ground in a loud crash.

I waited for a while as her titan body began to decay into steam until it was completely gone. Once gone, I walked over to the still tied up Annie and leaned here against the same tree as before. With my chains still connected to her I could simply shock her body from the inside out, making this an easy way to restrain the titan shifter. Waiting once more, the girl took her time coming back to the world of reality. She groaned as her eyes begrudgingly opened. "Want to try again?"

"No, I think I'll pass." Annie responded, leaning her head against the bark of the tree and looking up into the darkening sky. "But I won't tell you my reason for trying to capture Eren." She then lowered her head to me with a hardened glare. "I also don't know anything about the regular titans. I don't where they came from or whatever. Anything else?"

"Do you and your other hybrid friends also hate the regular titans like Eren?" Annie remained silent, simply staring back at me as I sighed. Using some… positive reinforcement, lightning began arcing off my arms.

"Fine… I don't know about the others, but I've always seen them as a force of nature. Something that has just always been here." Annie replied, the lightning covering my arms disappearing with each word that left her mouth. "Is that all, or are you going to kill me now?"

"That devoted to killing off everyone here, huh?"

"I'm devoted to my mission."

"Which is killing everyone within these walls."

"…"

"You're not making a very good case for yourself."

"I'm not trying to. I'm doing this because this was what I trained my entire life for, so if you're going to kill me then do it."

"You're entire life has been to train for this exact mission?" Annie sent a glare my way, but it washed right over me as a thought came to mind. "You're entire childhood, your mother and father was okay with this?" Annie's eyes widened as she remembered what her father said to her, but something else suddenly came to mind, or rather what didn't. She couldn't remember a thing about her life before all the training, but she had only began training at the age of seven. What happened before that? The thought that something was amiss within the confines of her mind began to eat away at her. Could the person that she called 'father' only be a trainer that made her sincere in her mission to kill off the rest of humanity? It pained her to think this, but could she have been brainwashed? That her childish mind was wiped and made anew for the use of someone else? Annie could only recall her training and her mission within the walls. The blonde girl was often the one that was left on the outside when it came to their mission parameters. Who gave them, why they were doing it, and how to do it was left a mystery. There was someone above the three known hybrids, at least the three she knew including herself, giving those orders, but these orders were given to her via one of her comrades.

The girls mind was in turmoil, I could clearly see that as I stared down at the young girl. Something I said must have triggered something in her mind that made her question her 'mission', so I simply waited as she thought over everything. "I-It can't be…" I tilted my head somewhat in confusion. What couldn't be? "Am I just a tool? Are these memories all the creation of someone else?" Annie was staring at the ground as she continued talking. "Who… who am I?" A breeze swept over the forest, shaking the trees and blowing the bushes about.

"Zabuza-san took me in knowing I was a person of an advanced bloodline. This blood that everyone hated… he desired it…" A black haired boy said as tears began to flow from his eyes. "I was so happy! I told him, 'Please don't worry. I am Zabuza-san's weapon. Please keep me by your side as your tool.'"

Annie was trembling as the realization hit her. Everything she thought she knew could very well be a lie. I sighed as I walked over to the girl. Annie didn't notice as I began undoing the hooks that bound the chains to her. Once the pressure was released from her arms, Annie finally looked up at me in confusion. Tears were freely streaming down her cheeks and her eyes could no longer hold that even cold stare she normally wore. Right now, she looked like a girl that had lost everything. "I know my words might not mean much to you, but to me you're just… Annie." I said as I began rolling up my hooks beneath my cloak and around my arms. "I don't know much about you, and from the sound of it, neither do you." Walking over to the other side of the clearing, I picked Annie's 3D maneuver gear and walked back over to the confused blonde. "So, if you'd like, you can come with me. I'd like to learn a little more about Annie Leonhart and whoever that could be." Dropping the gear in front of her, I turned away and moved towards the edge of the clearing. "That decision is yours. I'll leave you to your thoughts. Come get me when you've come to a decision."

With that I disappeared from view, leaving her alone in the clearing.

XxXxX

I now sat on a tree limb that overlooked a field just to the east of the forest we were in. A small village could be seen in the distance with all its people returning home from the hard work they did on their farms to spend time with family and friends. Hearing the soft piercing of wires entering a nearby tree, I waited patiently until I felt someone land next to me. Deciding to stay quiet, I waited until she fell into a similar sitting position as myself before talking. "You know, it's crazy how similar you and I are." Annie didn't respond as I continued. "From personality to how we look. I just find it uncanny, wouldn't you agree?"

"We look alike?" Annie asked. I chuckled as I lifted my hood back to reveal my head. I had forgotten that she has never seen my face before. She looked surprised by how I looked as well.

"Same blonde hair, blue eyes… if we were standing next to each other people would think we were related."

"Until they saw all the crazy things you can do."

"And all the crazy things you can do too." She thought on my words before chuckling softly, something she and I rarely did. Her laughter slowly faded as her mind returned to what was truly on her mind.

"It's just… so hard to think right now…" Annie said, but she then looked over to me. "But I feel like if I go with you I'll find my purpose. Maybe even find who I was before… this happened." Annie motioned to herself as she spoke. She then returned to her thoughts for a few moments before speaking again. "I think… I think I know what to do."

"…?"

"I'll come with you, but this doesn't mean I trust you."

"I don't expect you to, and I hope you don't expect me to trust you." I smiled softly as the moon came out and shined its marvelous glow onto the world. "But that doesn't mean we can't learn to."

Annie stared at me before looking out over the field as well, a small smile creeping onto her face as well. "Yeah… I guess you're right."

XxXxX

AN: Here it is. Finally another chapter of Lost One! I know, I know, it has certainly been a while since I've updated, but I did say last time I was going to finish another story before updating this one. The other story is coming along nicely, but I really wanted to make another chapter of Lost One before continuing on with the other story.

I also wanted to apologize for the people that only read this story for the action that takes place within it. I've never really been that great at writing the action sections, but this chapter in particular there wasn't that much fighting going on. I can guarantee you there will be more in the coming chapters, but I needed to convey Naruto's experience with the High Nobles first before moving on to meat and potatoes of this story.

Before the next chapter comes up, and maybe another chapter of the Attack on Titan manga gets posted, I wanted to say that I've made my own reasons behind why the titan outbreak occurred. What happened before it all hit the fan and why Naruto is a key part of it. What's happening with Annie and the relevance behind it. I've drawn inspiration from another series, and as this story progresses you'll be seeing more of it pop up here and there. Some of you keen folks may already know what it's from, and if you do that's great! But please don't spoil it for the others! I want it to come as a surprise to the people that don't know. ;)

As a final note this was an extra-long chapter because of how long I've made you all wait, and how long I'm going to make you wait again. I'm still working on my other story and I want to complete that before fully diving into this one, but who knows. Maybe I'll be able to squeeze out another chapter now and again. Just don't expect one this long next time.

I love every one of you, and thank you, thank you, for your patience with this story. Proof reading this thing takes forever and I'm still going to miss a lot.