A/N - Alrighty people, here's chapter 12 of Life of a Dragoon Ninja. This chapter took a little thinking, because I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do next in the story. Well, this chapter is what I came up with. I put a lot of work into it and I hope you all enjoy it!
Also, there is another lemon in this chapter. So hopefully you're looking forward to that.
Anyways, not sure what else to say, so I hope you enjoy the chapter!
WARNING! There is a lemon in this chapter!
Chapter 12 - A Familiar Face
As the group journeyed back to Konoha, they stopped in a small town and rented some rooms for the night. They still had some ways left to go, so they decided to continue their journey home tomorrow. After renting their rooms, Naruto decided to walk around town with Tsunade and Shizune to try and get to know them and their pet pig, Tonton, a bit better.
As they walked around, however, they were approached by a rather seedy-looking individual and what were clearly his bodyguards. "Ah, I've finally found you Tsunade. I'm here to collect the debt you owe me." he said with a greedy grin on his face.
Tsunade sighed and shook her head. "I don't have the money to pay you back just yet. Can this wait, please?"
"I'm afraid not. You see, you've been running from your debt to me for a long time now, Tsunade. It's time you pay up. And if you don't have the money, perhaps we can work out another arrangement to pay back what you owe?" he questioned as he eyed Tsunade up and down lecherously.
Naruto growled and stepped in front of Tsunade to block the creep's gaze. "I don't like what you're insinuating. Tsunade-chan's not going to sleep with you just to pay back her debt! If you don't leave and take a raincheck on getting your money, you're going to have to deal with me. And I'm afraid you won't like what happens to you for trying to blackmail her into having sex with you."
The debt collector chuckled at this threat. "And what are you? Her little pet? Get out of the way boy. This doesn't concern you."
Cracking his knuckles, Naruto smirked at the man. "Since you don't seem to get the picture, I'll make it clearer for you." the blonde said before slamming his fist into the man's face and sending him flying.
The man's bodyguards quickly went on the attack, but Naruto easily dealt with them, knocking the both of them out. Looking at the debt collector again, he grinned wickedly at him. "Get lost asshole. I'm not letting you lay a finger on my Tsunade-chan."
Shizune smirked up at her master. "Hear that Tsunade-sama? He called you his. What do you think about that?" she asked with a giggle.
Tsunade blushed a bit, but smiled all the same. "It's flattering, and it's very sweet of him to do this for me. I could have handled it myself, but this has turned out just fine. Besides, he's cute and ohhh so good in bed."
The black-haired woman blushed at that and looked away. "I...I see. That's a little more information than I needed, but so long as you're happy, then I'm happy for you. But...I know you want children Tsunade-sama. Do you think it's still possible for you?"
Tsunade shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I highly doubt it. Naruto made a promise to me. He promised that he'll find a way to reverse my age so we can have the children that I want so desperately. I truly believe that he'll find a way to restore my youth so we can start a family together."
"I'm glad to hear that." Naruto said as he approached them. The debt collector had run off, leaving his goons behind. "I'm glad you're placing your trust in me, Tsunade-chan. Because once I make a promise, I keep it."
Shizune smiled at Naruto and nodded her head in understanding. "I'm glad Tsunade-sama has someone like you in her life, Naruto-kun." she said honestly. "You two will be good for each other, I'm sure of it."
"Thanks Shizune. What do you say we go and get the others so we can go to dinner together?" Tsunade suggested. When they agreed, she smiled and took Naruto's hand in hers. He wasn't quite as tall as she is yet, but he would have time to grow as the years passed by. Still, she leaned in and placed a kiss on his cheek before whispering to him, "I'm looking forward to spending more 'quality time' with you Naru-kun."
Blushing deeply, Naruto nodded slowly before he turned and captured her lips with his in a loving kiss. "Same here Tsunade-chan." he agreed wholeheartedly.
Konoha - The Next Day
It was shortly after noon when the Dragoons and their newfound friends reached Konoha. As they walked past the guard station, they were a little shocked to see so many people there to greet them. Walking along, they weren't really sure what to think about this crowd of people.
From what she had heard from Naruto and the other Dragoons, the people of the village weren't exactly the friendliest bunch of people, what with how they treated Naruto like some kind of monster. And, of course, this was proven true when they acted as if Naruto didn't exist. They were simply cheering for Tsunade's return while sneering at her lover.
Frowning at their behavior, Tsunade decided to do something rather bold and stopped before turning to Naruto. Looking into his eyes deeply, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him the most passionate kiss they've ever shared. Intertwining their tongues and exploring each other's mouths, they found that they were losing themselves to the kiss.
Sadly, their moment was interrupted when the villagers began to shout in outrage at what they were witnessing. Separating from each other, Tsunade glared at the villagers and shouted out, "Shut up, all of you! I don't understand your problem with my Naruto-kun! Yes, I know his secret, but he is by no means a monster or a demon as you claim him to be. If he was, I wouldn't have claimed him as my lover, my destined one! So you can either accept Naruto for who he is and not what he is, or you can take up your complaints with me. And I can guarantee you that I won't be nice."
"The demon's enslaved her mind! She's become one of his whores!" a man shouted as he stepped forward. "We can't accept this woman as our Hokage!"
The crowd began to shout in agreement, but they immediately ceased when Rose's Dragon Buster protruded from his back through his chest. Staring at her in horror, Rose glared at all of them. "You've clearly forgotten the lessons I've tried to teach you all about how to treat Naruto. And how dare you call us whores?!" she shouted at them angrily. Then a smirk donned on her face as she said, "And I'm afraid you don't have a choice in who becomes your new Hokage. Tsunade's here to take that mantle and she's not going to tolerate your shit either. Now, are you all going to behave, or do I need to start dismembering you?"
Everyone immediately went quiet. However, one woman stepped forward and looked straight at Tsunade. "Please tell me you'll put a stop to this woman once you've been sworn in?"
Tsunade shook her head. "I won't. You people need to learn to accept Naruto-kun and his new family, and if her method of doing things is what it takes for you to stop being a bunch of bigots, then I'm willing to allow her to do what's necessary. Now, are you all going to apologize to Naruto-kun and the rest of us, or are you going to be a bunch of stubborn assholes?"
When the crowd chose to remain silent, Tsunade scoffed in disgust. "Bastards. Come on Naruto-kun, let's go." she said before grabbing her young lover's hand and walked off with him.
As they neared the Hokage Tower, Ino and Sakura came rushing at Naruto from out of nowhere and glomped onto him. "Naru-kun!" they both exclaimed at the same time. "We missed you!"
Naruto blinked in surprise before hugging them both back. "I missed you as well. But…" Looking at Sakura, he frowned sadly. "What about your parents? They won't like you being with me…"
Sakura scowled and said, "I moved out. They were being assholes, so I left. I'd ask if I could move in with you, but…"
"No but's, Sakura-chan. If that's what you want, then you're more than welcome to stay with us." Naruto said with a smile on his face. "I'm glad you're free of them now, but I can't help but worry still. They probably aren't taking this whole situation very well. I wouldn't be surprised if they attempt something soon."
Sakura sighed and nodded her head sadly. "I'm sure they're plotting how to get back at you. Don't be surprised if they rally a mob together and come after you Naru-kun."
"Heh, I wouldn't be surprised by that at all. In fact, I'm expecting it. But just know that I love you Sakura-chan and so long as we're together, I'll be happy." Naruto replied.
Sakura smiled and hugged him tight. Looking into his eyes, she smiled and leaned in, placing her lips on his in a chaste kiss. "I love you Naru-kun. You're my whole world. If anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do."
"Hey, no worries. I'll be fine Sakura-chan. I refuse to die and upset you wonderful ladies." he said, giving her a wink.
Giggling, Sakura nodded and just clutched onto him tighter. "I really do love you sweetheart."
"I know. And I feel the same way about you. Now, let's get going. Tsunade-chan needs to be sworn in and I need to talk with you two about something. Okay?" he asked before they all began walking towards the Hokage Tower again.
Hokage's Office
Tsunade sighed as she sat in her new office. The chair was comfortable, but she really didn't like being here. She was forced to listen to Shikaku and Inoichi as they prattled on about important matters that needed to be addressed. She was half listening to them and half daydreaming about a certain blonde teen.
"And we need to address the current curriculum at the academy. The civilians altered the classes taught at the academy when they got the opportunity to make it easier for their children to pass the academy's exams. I mean, flower arranging? That's not something a ninja should be worrying about unless it's their hobby or for a job." Inoichi griped.
Shikaku sighed. "Troublesome. There's also the possibility that certain students were being sabotaged while others were given special treatment. I think you know who I'm talking about Hokage-sama."
The busty blonde woman blinked and looked at them. Taking a moment to process what they had just said, she nodded slowly. "Yes. You're saying that you believe Naruto-kun was being sabotaged while Sasuke Uchiha was being given special treatment. I think I'll have that Iruka person dig into that for me. Might have to send a few people to 'visit' Ibiki as well depending on what we find out."
Inoichi nodded. "Precisely. We already know about one such teacher that was actively sabotaging Naruto Uzumaki. It was Mizuki, a Chunin turned traitor that tried to kill both Naruto and Iruka. We're quite certain that other teachers there actively sabotaged Naruto Uzumaki to ensure that he would fail each and every time. On top of that, there was another problem. Naruto has far too much chakra to perform the regular Clone Technique and should have been taught an alternate clone technique, or he should have been allowed to pass after getting the Replacement Technique and the Transformation Technique down. After all, a Genin by the name of Rock Lee, who cannot use ninjutsu or genjutsu, was allowed to pass on special circumstances just a year before Naruto. The fact that nobody realized the reason for Naruto's inability to perform the Clone Technique and that he was never permitted to graduate based on his other scores is highly suspicious to me. Even Iruka Umino didn't care enough to point out why, exactly, Naruto is unable to perform that technique. It raises questions about his ability to teach, as well as what else was going on to sabotage Naruto Uzumaki." Inoichi explained with a deep frown on his face.
Shikaku folded his arms across his chest and said, "Then there's Sasuke Uchiha. He was hailed as a prodigy and was at the top of his class. However, he was always being given special treatment by everyone in the village. It's troublesome, but we feel as if he was at the top of his class only because the teachers decided to give him special treatment."
"You both raise good points. I can't help but wonder about the other students. Who else was being sabotaged? Who else was receiving such special treatment? And the fact that Iruka, someone that Naruto-kun trusted to have his best interests in mind, failed to realize the problem...well, it's worrisome. It makes me wonder if he wanted Naruto-kun to fail. In which case, he'll have to be replaced as he can't be trusted to have the students' best interests at heart." Tsunade said with a scowl on her face. "I don't want Iruka performing this investigation. Inoichi, do you think you could take charge of the investigation and get to the bottom of this?"
The Yamanaka clan head nodded his head in affirmation. "Of course Hokage-sama. I'll look into it and report back to you when I'm done. If you'll permit it, I'd like to start right away."
Nodding her head, Tsunade waved her hand in a shooing motion. "Of course. I'd say I hope you don't find anything suspicious, but we all know that you're going to find some strong evidence suggesting that they were, indeed, going against their duties as teachers and doing such despicable things."
After Inoichi left, Shikaku sighed and rubbed at the back of his head. "Hokage-sama, there's something else that needs to be discussed."
Tsunade frowned as she looked at Shikaku. "What would that be?"
"Naruto and his family that he's created for himself." he began. He would have said more, but a wave of killing intent struck him and he began to sweat nervously.
"What about them? You'd better not imply something bad about them, especially Naruto-kun." Tsunade said as she glared at the Nara clan head.
Shikaku quickly shook his head before he began to explain. "I know you have entered a relationship with Naruto Uzumaki. That much was made obvious when you kissed him in front of everybody. However...there's a problem. After what the Sandaime and his advisors did, along with Jiraiya, Naruto's loyalty to the village may be wavering. We're concerned that he may attempt to leave the village and take his family with him. If he leaves, we lose our jinchuriki, and more importantly, our deterrent for war with the other villages. On top of that, Rose-sama and the others are valuable members of the village and possess a power unlike anything we have seen before. If we lost all of them, we'd be in trouble for sure."
"If they decide to leave, it will only be because the village pushed them to that point." Tsunade argued. "If anyone tries anything else, I plan to make the perpetrators suffer for attempting to bring harm to my Naruto-kun."
The Nara head sighed and nodded slowly in understanding. "I understand Hokage-sama. If that's the case, you might want to deal with the Haruno's. It's obvious that they blame Naruto for Sakura's attitude regarding them. When she moved out, it became quite apparent that the two of them were up to something. I'd advise you to inform Naruto and his family about the potential danger heading their way. Hopefully it isn't the last straw that will break the camel's back…" Shikaku said before excusing himself and leaving the office.
Scowling at this information, Tsunade clenched her fists angrily. They're going to suffer if they go after my Naru-kun. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, the Godaime got an idea and called out to her Anbu. When they appeared before her, she looked at Cat and said, "Cat, can you please go and fetch Naruto Uzumaki for me? I'd like to see him about something. The rest of you can return to your posts for now." Cat nodded before she vanished in a Body Flicker to go and fetch Naruto Uzumaki. The others did as instructed and returned to their positions.
A short while later, Cat reappeared with Naruto. "Is there anything else you need Hokage-sama?" she asked.
"Actually, I'd like it if you and the others could leave the room. I'm planning to discuss some personal business with Naruto-kun."
Nodding in understanding, Cat bowed to the Hokage before she and the other Anbu vanished from the room. Now that she was alone with Naruto, Tsunade activated the silencing seals and smirked at him. "Oh Naru-kun, what do you say we break in my new office? I'm craving you. I want you inside me!"
Blushing, Naruto slowly nodded before smirking at her. "Someone's feeling rather naughty aren't they?" he questioned as he approached her.
Stepping around her desk, Tsunade wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and leaned in, giving him a sweet kiss on the lips. "Can you blame me? Sex with you feels amazing. I could easily become addicted to it, Naru-kun. Now, take me." she said.
Lemon Begins (Don't like it? Don't read it!)
"Your wish is my command, my queen." Naruto said before kissing her passionately. Slowly sliding his hands up under her top, he began to fondle her large breasts.
Not being able to wait for long, Tsunade helped Naruto out of his clothes and began to gently stroke his cock. After a few moments of this, Tsunade let Naruto help her out of her clothes until she was in the nude as well. Smiling at her younger lover, she knelt down in front of him and began stroking his cock again. Breathing in and out slowly, she wrapped her lips around his dick and slowly took his entire length into her mouth.
Naruto groaned as Tsunade began to bob her head back and forth, engulfing his cock every time she moved forward. When she began to fondle his balls, he let out a deep moan before he began to gently thrust into her mouth. "Nnn, your mouth feels so good Tsunade-chan."
The Godaime hummed around his cock, sending a pleasant vibration through his cock. She allowed her lover to thrust into her mouth and glided her tongue along the length of his member. When he finally came in her mouth, she gladly swallowed his cum before giving the tip of his cock a lick.
Helping Tsunade to her feet, he guided her to sit on her desk with her legs spread. Grinning eagerly at her, he knelt down before her and inserted his tongue into her wet pussy. Flicking it around inside of her, he reached up with one of his hands and pinched her clitoris, causing what felt like a jolt of electricity to shoot through her body. "Oh Kami, yes! More Naru-kun! More!"
The young blonde used his free hand to began massaging one of her breasts. Removing his other hand from her clit, he reached around and gripped his lover's ass, massaging that as well. When Tsunade let out a loud moan as his tongue hit a certain spot inside of her vaginal walls, Naruto smirked to himself and continued to target that spot. As she writhed at his touch, moaning and panting, Naruto couldn't help but feel like a champion.
It didn't take much longer for Tsunade to cum. After she did, Naruto lapped at her pussy for a bit before he stood up and positioned his penis at her waiting and wet entrance. "Tsunade-chan, tell me what you want. Beg for it."
Blushing, Tsunade looked down at his dick and whimpered. "Naru-kun, please don't tease me like this."
Naruto just rubbed the tip of his cock up and down against her pussy lips without putting it in. "You know what to do if you want it. Tell me what you want sweetheart."
Breathing heavily, she continued to stare down at her lover's enlarged tool. "I want you to fuck me! I want to feel your cock inside me. Please Naru-kun, I'm begging you. Just put it in!"
Gently pushing his girlfriend down until she was laying back on her desk, he leaned down and kissed her lips passionately as he slowly guided his cock inside of her. When she moaned into the kiss, he nipped at her lip before smirking down at her. "Good girl." he said as he picked up the pace of his thrusting.
Tsunade wrapped her legs around her younger lover's waist and pulled him deeper inside of her. "Oh Kami yessss! Make love to me Naru-kun. Don't stop!" she exclaimed as she began to fondle her breasts, pinching her nipples and occasionally tweaking them to give herself more pleasure.
Pounding into her at a rapid pace, he leaned down and gave her a passionate kiss that was full of love. "Tsunade-chan, it feels amazing inside of you. I can't hold back any longer. I'm gonna cum!"
"I want it inside sweetheart. Pour all your cum into me!" she exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing him to lift her off the desk. Holding her up, he continued thrusting up inside of her until he eventually began to spurt rope and rope of cum inside of her and into her waiting womb. Tsunade began to scream out in pleasure as she came from the sensation.
Naruto smirked as he got an idea and carried his loving girlfriend over to the window. Lifting her up, he turned her around and pressed her against the glass before he thrusted up inside of her again. Grunting from the exertion as he thrusted into her, he continued to hold her in place with her breasts squished against the glass and her legs spread so anyone high enough could see their new Hokage being fucked by the jinchuriki.
Tsunade grew even wetter as her lover did this. The thrill of screwing each other's brains out where anyone could see them was a major turn on for her and she couldn't help but moan loudly as she reached behind her and wrapped her arms around her lover's neck. "Yes Naru-kun! Just like that! Oh Kami, keep doing that! Yessss!"
For a while, Naruto just continued to ram his cock up into his girlfriend's pussy, listening to her scream out in pleasure. After a moment, he set her back on her feet, but kept her pinned against the glass as he thrusted up into her from behind. "Oh Kami Tsu-chan, this feels incredible. I'd do this every day with you if I could. It feels that amazing!"
Tsunade turned her head and gave him a grin as she began thrusting back against him, matching his pace as they made love. "That sounds like an excellent idea Naru-kun. Maybe I should request your presence in my office more often, hm?" she teased.
"Oh Kami, if we actually made love every day, we'd both end up too damn sore to move. Not that it wouldn't be worth it, mind you, but we can't actually have sex every day." Naruto said. "Though Kami knows I want to."
The busty blonde Hokage smirked at him and said, "I wouldn't mind it. Sure, I don't want our relationship to be based purely on sex, but it's a definite plus. Wouldn't you agree?"
Naruto grunted as he began to cum inside of her once again. Panting a bit, he reached around her and began to fondle her breasts gently. "The sex is amazing. I don't want our relationship to be based purely on sex either, but if I got to do this with you every day, I'd be a happy man." he said honestly.
After her lover pulled out of her, she spun around and guided him to lay down on the floor. Once he had, she grabbed his cock and pumped it a few times to get him hard again before she took him inside of her once again. She started riding him at a slow, agonizing pace at first before she gradually picked up the speed.
As she bounced in his lap, his cock disappearing inside of her with every downwards motion, Naruto couldn't help but moan out in ecstasy. "Yesss. Just like that Tsu-chan. Kami you're so beautiful." he said as he matched her pace as he thrusted upwards inside of her. "Is it too early to say I love you? My mind's telling me it's too soon, but whenever I'm around you, my heart won't stop pounding. I need you Tsu-chan. I'd do anything for you."
Blushing deeply, Tsunade smiled happily down at her young lover before pressing herself against him and capturing his lips in a hungry, passionate kiss. When they separated, she kissed his nose before saying, "I know how you feel sweetheart. I think it's safe to say I love you too. It is early, but Kami it's true. I've never felt so strongly for anyone before, not even Dan. I've gone far too long without this, and without you. I never want to let you go Naru-kun. I want to be yours forever."
Naruto began to blush as well as he wrapped his arms around his lover and held her close. He continued to thrust up inside of her while she gyrated her hips, accepting all of him inside of her. "I'm...oh Kami that's good! I'm so happy you feel that way Tsunade-chan. I want to be number one in your life. I want to be together for the rest of our lives. And...oooh that's good...and I'm glad you feel so strongly for me. I n-never want to replace Dan, but I want to be yours forever."
After a few brief moments, they came together again, his cum painting her inner walls. Resting against him, Tsunade was amazed that he was still as hard as he was. "You haven't had enough yet, huh Naru-kun? That's fine, we can keep this up for quite a while if you want?"
Naruto grinned at her and kissed her passionately as he rolled them over so he was on top. Slowly thrusting into her again, he kissed her once again in a chaste kiss before he began to fondle her breasts. "Oh sweetheart, you are just amazing. Nngh…" Groaning from the pleasure again, he buried his face in her neck and began to place gentle kisses all along her neck and collarbone. "Are you sure you don't have some work you need to do?"
Tsunade scoffed. "It can wait. This is far more important to me right now. You are far too important for me to refuse this. To refuse you. I really do think I'll have to invite you every day from now on. If we can have this kind of pleasure every day, it would be completely worth it."
Smirking down at her, Naruto moved his head down to her breasts and began to suck on her nipples while continuing to fondle her breasts gently. After a while, he groaned as he unleashed another wave of cum into her hungry pussy. "Oh Kami...I don't know how much longer I can keep this up." he said.
Grinning at him, the new Hokage wrapped her legs around his waist again and said, "Well, I certainly hope you're ready for another few rounds. I'm not done with you yet."
Lemon Ends (Safe to read again!)
The Next Day
When Naruto had finally returned home late the previous night, it was easy to see that Rose had been waiting for him. She was seen sitting on one of the couches in the living room, just watching the door. Realizing that he had kept her waiting up for him, Naruto began apologizing to her, but Rose told him that she didn't want to hear any excuses. Instead, she dragged him upstairs to the master bedroom, shoved him onto the bed, and told him he was going to make love to her until they were both too exhausted to move. Naruto would have protested this, as he was already spent from his time with Tsunade, but the look in Rose's eyes warned him of the impending danger should he refuse her. So, somewhat reluctantly, he began making love to Rose.
It was morning now and he groaned as he sat up in bed. "Oh Kami I'm sore." he said aloud. "But I feel good regardless."
"I should hope so." Rose said as she walked into the room from the master room's bathroom. "If you didn't, I would have had to hurt you."
Naruto chuckled somewhat nervously before he climbed out of bed. Looking at his girlfriend's naked body, he could feel a certain part of his anatomy rising yet again. "I, uh...I think I'll get a shower now." he said before rushing past her into the bathroom.
The Darkness Dragoon giggled to herself and said, "I'll go get started on breakfast, sweetheart. Come on down when you're done."
"Right! Thanks Rose-chan."
Downstairs
When Naruto came downstairs, dressed for the day, he was a little surprised to see an Anbu sitting in the living room. Curious about this, he walked into the dining room where everyone else currently was, each of them eating breakfast. Taking a seat, he said his thanks for the food before he began to chow down.
After finishing his meal, he looked at Rose and asked, "So, why exactly is an Anbu sitting in the living room right now?"
"Apparently someone new to the village has asked to see us. Whoever this person is has knowledge of the Dragoons and is eager to meet us." Rose explained as she took the dishes to go and clean them. "Whoever it is, we'd best be on our guard. There's no telling what this person could want."
Nodding in understanding, Naruto helped her clean the dishes before he and the others washed their hands and moved into the living room where the Anbu was waiting. "Alright, we're ready to go whenever you are." he said to the boar-masked Anbu.
Standing up, the Anbu walked up to them and vanished with them in a Body Flicker, taking them to the Hokage's Office. Upon arriving, the Anbu bowed to the Hokage before disappearing.
Naruto looked to the couch positioned in Tsunade's office and frowned as he looked at the cloaked individual sitting there. Whoever it was, they didn't look taller than 5' 7". Their face was hidden in the darkness of their hood. However, it was quite apparent that this person was a female based on the large breasts she had. Whoever it was, she was wearing tan pants and a rather revealing top that barely covered the bottom half of her breasts, nipples included. It looked like a bra with metal lining it in a swirl pattern. Looking closer, he realized that it looked similar to the Uzumaki spiral. Hmm…
"You know, it's rude to stare at a woman's chest like that." the mystery woman teased. "Then again, I suppose my outfit does draw attention to that part of me."
Rose went wide-eyed in astonishment as she easily recognized the voice. Before she could say anything, however, Naruto spoke up. "Sorry miss! It's just...that spiral pattern reminds me of something. That's honestly all it was! I wasn't trying to stare at your chest on purpose!"
The woman giggled to herself and said, "Relax. I was only teasing you."
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and was about to say something more before Tsunade beat him to the punch. "Now that everyone's here, would you please reveal your face to us and tell us who you are? You're clearly not a regular traveler if you know about the Dragoons."
The woman smirked as she lowered her hood. Upon spotting the familiar platinum hair and the familiar mischievous smile on her face, Rose couldn't stop the smile that appeared on her face. "Meru?! Is that really you?"
"Wait, Meru...as in the Meru?! How? Why now? I'm so confused!" Naruto questioned as he tried to wrap his head around what was happening.
Meru giggled and nodded her head in confirmation. "Yep, I'm the Meru alright. Only one of me, after all." she teased. "I've been wandering around since those days over 100,000 years ago. I know, I'm old, big whoop." she said with a shrug. "The other Winglies are still around too, they're just hiding better than before. I never was allowed to return to my home, so I've just been making do."
Rose frowned and folded her arms across her chest. "Why did you give up the Dragoon Spirit if you knew you'd still be around like this?"
The perky dancer sighed and shook her head. "I had a feeling you'd ask me that. It's not that I gave it up. It's more like the Dragoon Spirits lost their 'shine' after we kicked Melbu's big bad butt. It's like the Dragoon Spirits realized that there was no more purpose in their existence and in the existence of the Dragoons themselves, so they just...stopped working. So I placed it with the others in your tomb and left my weapon for whoever might take up the mantle someday, if ever." she explained with a shrug of her shoulders.
"If that's the case, why have they suddenly activated again? Why has Rose risen from her sleep? Why is all of this happening?" Kurotsuchi asked.
"I would like to know as well." Rose said. "What exactly has been going on since I fell into that slumber?"
Meru frowned and shook her head. "It's a long story. Suffice it to say, things were peaceful for a while. At least they were until a woman named Kaguya Otsutsuki ate a forbidden fruit from the God Tree. It gave her amazing powers, and these powers passed down to her children as well. For some reason, she had the bright idea to merge with the God Tree and became a horrible beast known as the Juubi, or Ten Tails. Well, her sons used the power of their chakra, as this new, unique energy of theirs was called, to separate the Juubi's soul from its body. The soul was sealed into the person that these people know as the Sage of Six Paths. The body, however, was sealed away and became the new Moon."
Sighing softly, Meru closed her eyes and leaned back on the couch. "The Sage of Six Paths was inspired by one of his sons and split the Juubi's soul and chakra into nine separate parts before extracting them from his body. They became what is known today as the bijuu, or Tailed Beasts. Ichibi, Nibi, Sanbi, Yonbi, Gobi, Rokubi, Nanabi, Hachibi, and Kyuubi."
Taking a deep breath, Meru looked hard into Rose's eyes. "Skip ahead a few hundred years and you get to the point of what I've been up to. There's this thing called Black Zetsu that's working as Kaguya's will roaming this world now. He's trying to manipulate events so Kaguya can be revived. If they can reunite the bijuu, they can restore the Juubi. However, there's something that Black Zetsu and Kaguya didn't count on: the Moon Child. You see, the Winglies knew that Kaguya wouldn't just sit idly by and sit up there, trapped in the Moon. So they combined their magic together and added another lock, of sorts, to her cage. You should see where I'm going with this Rose."
Rose's eyes widened and she said, "The Moon Child! They began the blasted cycle of 100,000 years ago all over again!"
"Bingo. And it just so happens that the year a Moon Child was to be born occured fourteen years ago. I've been doing what you did for 11,000 years, Rose. I've been killing every Moon Child that was born to ensure that he or she could never be used to restore Kaguya's life. But this time? It seems I was wrong. Otherwise there'd be no reason for your awakening or for the Dragoon Spirits to start working again. So like you that one time, I made a mistake. All I know is that the Moon Child is someone in this village. Fourteen years ago, I took advantage of the day of the Kyuubi attack to kill the Moon Child. But, sadly, it does appear as if I struck the wrong target." Meru explained.
Frowning at this, Naruto took a moment to think on it before shaking his head. "Ugh. So this Moon Child is the 'key' to reawakening Kaguya? And the Moon Child this time is someone in the village, right? Any idea as to who it could be?"
Meru sighed and shook her head. "Not really. I've narrowed the possible suspects down to the ninja that graduated this year, but that still leaves, lemme think here…" The Wingly woman began ticking off her fingers one by one until she realized something. "Wait, there were nine of you that graduated, but you killed those two boys, Sasuke something-or-other and that dog boy, Kiba what's-it, right?"
Naruto blinked a couple of times before nodding his head slowly. "Yes, but how do you know about that?"
"I've been watching you new Dragoons for quite some time now. I followed you to Nami no Kuni and back again, I watched as you took that written test in the Chunin Exams, I've pretty much just been watching all of you for a while now." Meru explained in a casual/dismissive tone of voice. "Anyways, on to more important matters! Since you killed those two, and I'm damn sure neither of those two was the Moon Child, that leaves seven possible candidates. What're their names again?" Meru asked the Hokage as she turned to face her.
Steepling her fingers and resting her chin atop them, Tsunade said, "Naruto Uzumaki, Shikamaru Nara, Sakura Haruno, Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuga, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi."
"Ah, thanks Tsunade!" Meru exclaimed. "Yeah, one of those seven she just listed is definitely the Moon Child. I thought it might have been you at first," she said, pointing at Naruto, "but I'm not so sure. I don't think Shikamaru, Shino, Ino, or Choji are the Moon Child either. That leaves just two people: Sakura Haruno and you, Hinata Hyuga." she said, pointing at Hinata.
"M-me? But...wouldn't I know it if I was the Moon Child?" Hinata questioned a little unsurely.
"We didn't know Shana was the Moon Child until her powers awakened. If you are the Moon Child, then the Dragoon Spirit you possess is holding back your powers just like what happened with Shana waaaaaay back when. Good news though is that I don't have to kill ya if you are the Moon Child. Bad news? Well, we need to keep Black Zetsu and the rest of those Akatsuki fellas from capturing you if you do turn out to be the Moon Child. After all, the Moon Child is the key to freeing Kaguya Otsutsuki. Sooo...yeah." Meru explained casually.
"And what if it turns out to be Sakura-chan? She's not a Dragoon, and she hasn't shown any signs of awakening some special kind of powers. If she's the Moon Child, what do we do?" Naruto asked, hoping nothing bad would happen to her.
"Same deal. Just need to keep her safe from harm and hope her powers don't awaken anytime soon and alert Black Zetsu to her presence. He's been biding his time until now to really get active in his quest to revive Kaguya. The Akatsuki are just a means to an end here. Use them to gather the bijuu together to reform the Juubi's soul and chakra, then use the Moon Child, if he can find him/her, to bring Kaguya back to life. He's obviously feeling pretty confident in himself to pull it off at this point in time, so I'd say he's figured out what I have, that the Moon Child is in this village." Meru said.
Before anyone could say anything else, Haku piped up. "Um, Meru-san? If you've picked now to return, does that mean you were hoping to get your Dragoon Spirit back?"
Shrugging her shoulders, the platinum-haired dancer shook her head no. "Nah, the Blue-Sea Dragoon Spirit has chosen you. I highly doubt that it will recognize me as its true owner again. Besides, I'd say you're doing rather well as the Dragoon of Water. Would I like to be recognized by the Spirit again? Sure. But if it comes at the cost of you losing the Dragoon Spirit to me and taking away the link you have with your fellow Dragoons? No, I can do without."
Haku frowned and shook her head. She was about to say something before her Dragoon Spirit began to glow brightly from within her pocket. Taking hold of it, she saw that it was pulsing. Curious about this, she looked at Rose. "Any idea what's happening here?"
Rose frowned and took hold of her Dragoon Spirit. Its glow was normal, the same as it always was when she took hold of it. So, looking at the Blue-Sea Dragoon Spirit in Haku's hand, she could only fathom a guess. "It seems like the Dragoon Spirit recognizes its former master. It can't decide between the two of you. I've never seen anything like this before."
When cracks began to appear along the surface of the Dragoon Spirit, everyone's eyes widened in horror. Before anyone could say anything, however, the Dragoon Spirit split evenly in two and one half flew into Meru's hands. The remaining half of it stayed with Haku.
"Well that's a new one. I didn't think Dragoon Spirits could break like that?" Naruto questioned.
"They can't." Rose said. "Meru...try to transform. You too Haku."
"Roger!" Meru and Haku exclaimed at the same time. Brandishing the two halves of the Blue-Sea Dragoon Spirit, the both of them called upon their power and transformed. When they looked at one another, they were surprised to see that they had actually succeeded in transforming into Dragoons. "But...how? How can there be two of the same Dragoon?" Haku questioned in astonishment.
Rose sighed and shook her head. "I don't know. This is a completely new experience for me. Meru, it looks like the Blue-Sea Dragoon Spirit wants you to take up the call again. Will you stay here with us and help me train the new batch of Dragoons?"
Meru beamed at her and flapped her armor's wings. Giddily, she exclaimed, "Of course I will! And I have to say, I really missed this feeling. I hope you're all looking forward to fighting alongside me! I'm gonna show ya how it's done!"
Naruto blushed as he looked at Meru in her Dragoon Armor. "I swear, everyone else is covered just fine in their Dragoon Armor, but you two? It's really revealing."
Meru blinked in confusion at this before looking down at herself. "This is how I always looked in my Dragoon Armor. It covers everything above the waist just fine, but I see what you mean about them being revealing. I mean, it definitely shows if we're not wearing bras, and my crotch? Well, my private parts are covered, but it's definitely pretty breezy."
Haku was blushing again as she looked at Meru. "It's just not fair. Her armor covers her torso but mine looks like a strapless metal bra and some metal panties! I've got some leg guards and a circlet when I transform like this, but that's all there is to it! What the hell?!"
Looking at her counterpart, Meru looked her over before nodding once and cancelling her transformation. "Yours is pretty damn revealing, I must admit. Still, you look drop dead gorgeous in that armor of yours, so don't you go complaining Missy!"
Haku cancelled her transformation and sighed once she was back in her normal clothes. "Thank you Meru-san. I'm glad you think so. But...it's just so...embarrassing, don't you think?"
"Nope!" Meru exclaimed immediately. "Truth be told, I don't care if my transformation draws eyes my way. Just means I can put on one hell of a show for 'em! Besides, as my descendant, you really need to stop being so worried about your appearance. Unless of course you'd prefer that your boyfriend over there is the only one to see you in such an outfit? Of course, I can just imagine the sex you could have while transformed like that. Just imagine it!"
Haku and Naruto both went a deep shade of red at her comment before Rose walked up and smacked Meru atop the head. "Bad Meru. Behave."
"I'm not a dog Rose! Don't treat me like one, okay?" Meru complained. "Besides, you've had your turn with him, haven't you? Let Haku have a turn soon!"
"Wait wait wait, hold on." Naruto said. Looking between Meru and Haku, he asked a very important question. "What do you mean by 'descendant'? Haku's not a Wingly."
"She may not have the platinum hair, but she's definitely my descendant. I helped teach her mother how to use her Wingly magic and everything! I'm still pissed that her husband killed her simply for being different." Meru said.
Haku blinked in shock at this before speaking up. "You mean...my mom was a Wingly like you? How could I not have known that? And...does that mean I'm a Halfbreed?"
Meru frowned and shook her head. "Don't call yourself that. Yes, you're Half-Human, Half-Wingly, but you shouldn't use that term. It's demeaning and cruel. I prefer to think of you as a special being. You embody everything that makes both races unique. You're the best of both worlds!" she exclaimed. "And y'know what? I'm going to help bring your Wingly powers to the surface. Just imagine flying around using your own set of wings and not those of your Dragoon Armor. Trust me, it's one of the most amazing feelings in the world! Well, that and sex. Sex rocks! Especially if you do it with the right person. I remember the sex that led me to getting pregnant. Oh God that was a great night. Too bad the prick left after learning I was pregnant."
Everyone was blushing at this point. Naruto leaned in close to Rose and whispered to her, "I think I can see the resemblance now. The two of them can't seem to keep their minds off of that particular subject."
Rose nodded slowly and whispered back, "It's uncanny. They're so...similar. And yet there are key differences between them as well…"
Naruto nodded slowly before he turned to Meru. "Um...Meru-chan? I don't think anyone wants to hear about the night you got pregnant." Naruto pointed out nervously. "You're putting some...interesting images into our heads."
Meru smirked at the blonde and said, "Awww, is someone thinking about me naked and rocking somebody's world? That's so cuuuuute!" she exclaimed as she glomped onto him, smothering his face in her bountiful breasts.
Haku pouted and pulled Meru off of her boyfriend. "No fair! He's my boyfriend!"
Meru giggled and winked at her. "Awww, you mean you aren't imagining a grandmother/grandchild threesome? Too bad, and here I was going to help you live out that fantasy of yours." she teased.
The ice user blushed badly and shook her head. "No! I...I wasn't thinking about that at all!"
"You mean you weren't, but now you are. I know, I'm just awesome that way." Meru said before smirking at Naruto. "And you, cutie, are too damn popular with the ladies I say. They just keep falling for you. Hell, it was interesting watching you and Miss Tsunade here yesterday night. I mean, wow. That was quiiiite the show you put on for me. Have to admit, it's rather tempting to chase after you myself, now that I know how much of a superstar you are in bed."
Tsunade and Naruto both blushed deeply as they realized what she meant. Before either of them could say anything, Rose smacked Meru upside the head. "Not only will you not shut up about sex, but you're admitting to being a peeping tom and a voyeur as well? What the heck is wrong with you?"
"How did you even spy on us to begin with? We were alone in the office and nobody was outside either. It doesn't make any sense." Tsunade asked.
Meru rubbed at the back of her head and pouted at Rose. "Owwie. Did you really have to hit me so hard?"
"Yes." Rose replied simply. "Now answer the question."
The female Wingly sighed and nodded her head. "Yeah, yeah." Looking at Tsunade, Meru gave her a bright smile. "I trained hard in my Wingly magic for quite some time. A simple camouflage spell is nothing to me at this point. I just hid my presence and stood in the corner over there, watching the two of you have sex the entire time. That's also how I was able to watch the preliminary rounds and see what took place in the Forest of Death. I was also there when you guys went in search of Tsunade. Orochimaru as your godfather huh? That had to shock you, right?"
"Wait…" Kurotsuchi began, "if you've been watching all of us all this time, why haven't you revealed yourself to us before now?"
Meru shrugged. "I dunno. Just didn't feel like it at the time. Besides, you had other stuff going on at the time. Now that things have calmed down some, it just felt like the right time to meet all of you for real. I can actually sit down with you all now and speak with you like this without worrying that something crazy's going to happen. I mean, if it wasn't one thing, it was another. And you guys were always training too. First for the Chunin Exams, then during that one month reprieve? I didn't want to disturb you guys when you were so busy preparing for that stuff."
"Makes sense." Naruto said with a shrug.
"See? He gets it!" Meru exclaimed, pointing at Naruto. "Now no complaints. I want to take the time to get to know each of you in person. Especially you two." she said, pointing at Naruto and Haku.
"I'd like to get to know you as well. You could tell me so much about my history and the Winglies!" Haku exclaimed joyfully. After a moment, she walked closer to Meru and hugged her tight. "It's so great to meet you!" At this point, Haku leaned in close and whispered to her, "And that threesome idea? That sounds awesome."
Meru smirked at Haku and hugged her back. "I knew you'd agree with me." she whispered back. "Don't you worry, we're gonna rock his world. And oh yes, he's going to drive us wild." Blushing, Haku couldn't help but giggle with her ancestor, the two of them glancing at Naruto.
Naruto found himself blushing under their gaze. "I feel like I'm a piece of meat placed in front of a couple of wolves." he muttered.
His fellow Dragoons and Tsunade all nodded in agreement with that statement. "Can't say I blame them though. You are a genius with that wonderful 'tool' of yours." Tsunade teased.
Rose sighed and shook her head. "Unbelievable. Is that really all that anyone thinks about anymore?" Thinking on it for a time, Rose blushed and looked away from Naruto. "But she's right, you are good."
"That settles it. Naruto-kun, after Haku, please say it's my turn next?" Kurotsuchi pleaded.
Naruto began to cry crocodile tears. "I'll never get any rest at this rate. I just want to go a few days without having to do that. I'm sore damn it!"
Everyone began to giggle at his outburst. After a moment, Haku walked up to her boyfriend and kissed him sweetly on the lips. "If you need some time to recover, I'm sure we're all fine with that. There's no rush to be with any of us in that sense. We're just curious, that's all it is. But it's not important enough to completely disregard your feelings. Yes, I'm really looking forward to making love with each other, but I can wait for it. I'm sure everyone here feels the same way."
Hinata blushed prettily as she slowly nodded her head. "It's something I've been dreaming about for years now. But, like Haku-chan said, I can wait too."
When everyone voiced their agreement, the whiskered teenager breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you girls. I appreciate that. Umm, if that's all, can we go now Tsunade-chan?"
The Godaime Hokage frowned and shook her head. "Not just yet. The Yondaime Raikage, a man called A, has requested that I meet with him so we can form a peace treaty between our two villages. Considering the actions he and his village have taken in the past, you can likely understand why I'm hesitant to agree to this. However, the offer of a peace treaty is too much to pass up. Especially considering who our enemies are. So I'm requesting that the Dragoons, all of you, come with me as my bodyguards. I can count on all of you far more than anyone else in this village. Mostly because I'm not familiar with everyone just yet." she admitted somewhat awkwardly. "But I also trust you far more than anyone in the village. So please, come with me?"
Before Naruto could say anything, Rose offered Tsunade a smile and said, "We'll come. You're one of us now, even if you aren't a Dragoon yourself. We protect those dear to us, and you're important to Naruto. So I promise you that no harm will come to you should this turn out to be a trap."
"Thank you Rose-sama. That means a lot to me." Tsunade said sincerely. "I'll write him back and tell him to meet us in neutral territory. Oto no Kuni is where we'll meet. I need to write Orochimaru and ask him if he can arrange a place for us to meet with the Raikage and his entourage. Expect me to call for you in a few days when a date is determined to meet for this peace treaty. You're free to go now."
Everyone nodded in understanding before they wished her goodbye and left her office. Once outside, Naruto looked at Meru and decided to ask a question. "Meru-chan, have you ever had ramen?"
Meru nodded. "A few times, yes. I assume you're asking me this because you'd like to treat me to ramen?"
Naruto grinned at her and nodded once in the affirmative. "Yep! You're going to love the ramen they serve at Ramen Ichiraku! Come on, let's go!" he exclaimed before taking her hand and running off with her.
Rose sighed and shook her head in exasperation. "I guess we're having ramen for lunch. Come on everyone, let's go after them."
The Next Day
A pink-haired girl was currently standing at the large gate leading into the village of Konohagakure. Didn't think I'd be back here again. Orochimaru-sama, are you trying to get me killed? She wondered silently to herself.
Releasing a soft sigh, she turned to face the Eternal Chunin that were dicking around on the job. "Hey dumbshits! Do I need to sign in or something? Or can I just go on in?"
Izumo looked up from the shogi board he and his partner were playing on and locked eyes with her. "Huh, didn't see you there. Yeah, just sign in here and you're free to go." he said before producing a clipboard with a sign-in sheet on it.
Shrugging her shoulders, Tayuya walked over and signed her name and reason for visiting. Heh, migrating to Konoha. It's the only thing that makes sense about this. She thought before walking away. "Enjoy your game dumbshits."
"Heh, nice girl, isn't she?" Kotetsu asked as he made a move.
"I dunno, she seemed kind of crass to me. Ah well, she'll be someone else's problem now." Izumo replied as he made his next move.
Hokage's Office
"Y'know, I kind of expected this to happen." Tayuya said as she was held at swordpoint by the group of Anbu in the Hokage's office. "Mind calling them off for me ya old hag?"
Tsunade gained a tick mark at that, but relented with a sigh. "Anbu, leave us. She's not here to cause harm to anybody."
"Are you sure, Hokage-sama? She helped Orochimaru kill the Sandaime Hokage, your predecessor. Surely you must realize the danger?" Boar questioned anxiously.
"I said you can leave. If she wanted to cause anyone any harm, she would have done so by now." the Godaime said.
"Yeah. Like those two gate guards that weren't paying any damn attention. I could have easily killed the two of them if I wanted, but I didn't. And ya wanna know why? It's 'cause I'm seeking asylum in this village. Orochimaru gave me the boot and I had nowhere else to turn. So, here I am. Got a problem with that?" Tayuya questioned as she folded her arms across her chest.
The Anbu slowly nodded before they vanished. Once they were gone, Tayuya breathed a sigh of relief while Tsunade simply smirked at her. "Good excuse. Tell me, did Orochimaru tell you why he sent you here?"
The pink-haired girl shrugged her shoulders and said, "Said I'm supposed to look after his godson, that Naruto kid, and act as a relay of sorts so they can communicate with one another. That and I'm to act as his eyes and ears in the village. Should things get too bad for Naruto here, I plan to take him and the others with me back to Otogakure. I'm sure Orochimaru-sama would appreciate getting to see his godson more often."
"I'm sure. Well, welcome to Konoha. Here's your Konoha headband. Put it on, and if anyone asks, say you're on a probationary period until you've been deemed trustworthy enough to be allowed to advance in rank." Tsunade commanded as she handed Tayuya her Konoha headband. Afterwards, she called out, "Shizune! Go and fetch Naruto-kun and the others for me!"
Shizune could be heard saying, "Right away Tsunade-sama!" before she left. After she was gone, Tayuya looked Tsunade up and down slowly before frowning at her. "So, is it true you're screwing your godson?"
Gawking at this rather bold question, Tsunade was unable to say anything for a good while. The gall on this girl! Orochimaru really didn't teach his minions common decency, did he? She wondered. "Not that it's any of your business, but yes, I'm in a relationship with Naruto-kun. Let that be the end of our discussion on that matter."
Tayuya shrugged and was about to pull out her flute to play something to calm her nerves, but the door opened and in walked Naruto and the other Dragoons. "I brought them just like you asked Tsunade-sama." Shizune said as she followed them inside. "Do you need anything else?"
"That will be all Shizune-chan." Tsunade said before turning her attention onto Tayuya. "You'll be living with Naruto in his home. Try to behave yourself, please."
The pink-haired teen grinned as she turned to face Naruto. "Pleasure to meet ya Naruto-sama."
Naruto blinked at the rather strange suffix being attached to his name. "-sama? Why are you calling me that?"
"Would you rather I call you Shithead? You're Orochimaru-sama's godson, so I figure I'd best be respectful of you. But I don't mind calling you Shithead-kun if you'd prefer that."
Naruto sighed and shook his head. "I'd prefer you to just be yourself. Being so respectful of me when I haven't done anything to earn it just doesn't feel right. So if you must, call me Shithead or Shithead-kun, whatever you'd prefer."
"Heh, I didn't think I'd like you when I was given this assignment, but you're alright Shithead-kun." she said as she threw an arm around his shoulders and hugged him close. "It's nice to meet another Uzumaki besides that Karin bitch anyways. Actually, now that I think on it, I'm a little surprised he didn't send her here. She'd have been who I picked if I was in Orochimaru-sama's position. Ah well, whatever floats his boat I guess."
"You are going to take some serious getting used to, aren't you Tayuya-chan?" Naruto questioned with a smile.
"You better believe it!" Tayuya exclaimed. "But I promise you'll come to love me. I'm not that bad of a chick."
"I'm looking forward to it." Naruto replied, his smile growing slightly. "It's very nice meeting you Tayuya-chan."
"Same to you Shithead-kun. Now, can we head to your place? I'm in dire need of some grub."
Naruto chuckled and nodded his head. "Yeah, let's get you home. You'll love it there for sure." And with that being said, the group made their way out of Tsunade's office and towards home.
Heh, a home. I'm so used to being on the move with Orochimaru-sama, going from hideout to hideout, that I don't really remember what it was like to have an actual home to return to. This might be pretty nice after all. Tayuya thought to herself with a small grin on her face. I think I owe you my thanks after all, Orochimaru-sama. This should be a pretty interesting experience for me.
A/N - And that's the chapter! I sincerely hope you enjoyed it. I had fun writing this chapter, and I think it turned out pretty well, sooo...yay? lol
Yes, the lemon was with Tsunade again. I promise I'll get to Haku-chan soon, so just be patient for that, alright?
Also, look who's here! Meru's in the picture and she's here to stay! Tayuya showed up as well! Fun times, huh? As you saw, Meru's experienced and seen a lot since the events of The Legend of Dragoon. Now, thanks to her, they have a real chance at finding the Moon Child! Who will it be? Sakura or Hinata? Who do you want it to be? I'm curious to know what you all think of not only this chapter, but of that particular question as well.
Anyways, I'm rather tired, so I'm going to end this here. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you're looking forward to what comes next!