Flight of Bladed Wings

by BlackReaper20

The age of the ninja may be a relic of the past, but it is not forgotten. Namikaze Naruto spends his time fighting his age old nemesis; boredom. On a day as dull as any other, a single decision to investigate a strange occurrence will change his entire world. This is a fic with a unique twist; new characters, new story line, and all-around novelty. Naruto x Harem.

6. Chapter 6:Meetings, Greetings & Beatings

Flight of Bladed Wings

Chapter 8: Meetings, Greetings, and Beatings

AN: It's back! Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. Thank you all for coming back for another chapter, and thank you to all those sending me support and encouragement. It as always is much appreciated.

Before we begin, I have a couple details I wanted to clarify:

First, at this point it's MEANT to be slow. We're still in the beginnings, so the story won't pick up for a bit, as it's meant to be a slow burn. This fic is meant to be more of 'a day in the life' amidst the Plan rather than pure action. Mind you, I still very much intend to have action in this fic, but it is secondary to development. As a martial artist, I appreciate a good fight, but when reading, I like character development and interaction just as much if not more. A deep character type and action together are the best. I plan to have several fights in the next few chapters, but if what you're looking for is a fic full of nothing but fights and sex, you're in the wrong place, sadly. And that won't change.

Second, about Naruto himself. If you recall, Naruto is a pseudo-immortal who doesn't take anything truly seriously, including fights, and even his own life, really only alive via entertainment. Thus, he's fine with acting the fool because it's entertaining.Admittedly he's doing a good job of faking it, but he is still resistant to close connection. The material is already there to say so; you have to look underneath the underneath. Just because he says or thinks something doesn't mean it's true. I know usual anime logic is that everyone is 100% correct with whatever they say or think, but that isn't the case here. It's not inconsistency in my writing, it's purposeful misdirection. I've even said it once in character monologue.

Last bit, in case you've forgotten, this is my first time writing. The one thing I have to say about the fanfiction community is that for whatever reason some people expect an overbearingly high level of perfection and work, and that many feel the need to make that fact well known. Though I'm working to improve my writing all the time, please bear in mind that I'm discovering my writing capabilities and story details just as quickly as you are. As I write, for the most part I have as little knowledge as to what's to come as you do. This is meant to be a fun, relaxed, and all around enjoyable experience, not the playground to complain. For the high majority of you who are encouraging and are enjoying this journey with me, thank you, truly.

On a different note, onto my favorite part of the AN: the review responses!

Ashkan Dehno, I'm honored by your words. For this to be the first review I received on the chapter, I was incredibly happy. Thank you, and I'll be sure to continue doing my best.

demoncreater2002, as always great to hear from you. Miya is certainly going to be important as we go forward, so it's heartening to know that along with all of the other facets of the story you find them meaningful. Thank you very much!

NobodyOwens5, glad you liked it. As to that last scene, it was meant to be a touch much. Don't worry, I intend to keep this story deep but not too convoluted, and I think you'll probably like what'll play out with the new additions I add. At least, I hope so.

ThatIdioticMelody, thank you very much for your kind comment. Your words brought me no small amount of joy, I do say. As I always like to say, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the twists that will be put in. I don't want to spoil anything, but let's hypothetically say that you won't have to worry about anything being too out there. I am very, very grateful that you like this story. Reviews like yours make this so worthwhile.

thor94, as always glad you enjoyed. The event of Naruto's great reveal will come in time, but it is a ways out. I have the scene all pictured out, but I promise it's coming. And no need to worry about Kakaro being cliché. I'm not much of a fan of cheesy clichés anyways.

Chrono459, thank you! The characters so far have been a lot of fun to write. Thanks for the vote as well. Homura is one of my favorites too.

Acolyte of the Blood Moon, I appreciate your words. They helped in assuaging my apprehension about the quality of the chapter. I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much.

DarkShadowRaven, good to hear from you again, and thank you. Your reviews are as helpful and heartening as always. Thanks for sticking around since the beginning!

Garnetio Solozari, the return of my favorite judgmental sun glassed Santa! I swear, you make my day every time you comment. I can rest happily knowing that my work reaches as deeply as it does with you. As you say, it was a pleasure working on the chapter. To be honest, I'm kinda jealous of Naruto's coffee machines. I want one of those…

Akashima Uchiha, I agree that 5 is the magic number, but I just can't stop myself at five. I can't do it. So my promise is to put my all into making the interactions well done and balanced so that no one is left out. I have no idea how I'll do it, but I will!

My Anonymous Friend, I'm honored you liked it enough to binge this. Without spoiling, I think you'll like the Miya situation as we progress, hehe…

And of course thank you so much to the rest of you who reviewed, followed, and favorited. I see all of you, and I appreciate every one of you.

Now for those who still choose to continue reading, thank you, and on with the story.

XXXXXXXXXX

The void stretched as far as he could see, a never ending expanse of darkness that enveloped him. He couldn't breathe, no matter how hard his lungs struggled to pull in oxygen. He couldn't move his body, as if the nerves were no longer his to control. The softness enveloping his head restrained him, allowing movement no quarter. Wait…soft? Sluggishly he reached a hand up to inspect his pillow. Placing his palm on the mystery object, he traced it in circles, feeling the smooth curves of the object. Was this…? Giving an experimental squeeze, he felt it bounce slightly and give off a quiet moan as it shifted. Yep, it definitely was. Pulling his head down and out he successfully escaped his entrapment with a deep inhale of air. Sure enough, Yuegen had clung to him in the middle of the night and had managed to wrap his head between her glorious mounds while sleeping. A questionable grin sprung to his face. His awakening positions were just getting better and better.

Naruto watched her roll over towards him, still blissfully slumbering without a single sign of waking, proving just how deep a sleeper she was. He on the other hand was a very light sleeper. Every shinobi had to be, especially during the war. It was a habit he had never seen fit to remove. Until recent times, many of the same dangers as the shinobi era remained during the night hours. Without the chakra or hiding in trees, of course. And really only outside of the cities, but that was beside the point. What he and Yuegen did have in common was that they were both very much not morning people. Coffee good.

Unexpectedly the dreaming woman readjusted her arms to wrap around his torso and tugged him closer, which just so happened to have the added side effect of pulling him right on top of her. And of course she wouldn't be a proper clingy sleeper if she hadn't also entangled her legs with his, unknowingly blocking off his only method of escape. Her legs were parted a little widely since she had her legs inside of his, and her chest, which he was mashed flush up against, pushed his torso away at just the angle that had the effect of pressing his crotch right against her. Luckily his waist was a little higher than hers because he was taller or he would have been grinding right against her in some…sensitive areas. He would have had a reeaaaally hard time explaining that one. Oh shit, speaking of hard. Down, boy.

"Mm, Naruto…" she mumbled sensually, still completely unconscious. Yuegen tightened her hold around his legs doing some interesting things to some even more interesting places.

His eyes went wide as saucers as he felt a tingle of pleasure. Abort, abort! Gotta get out of there before he did something he really shouldn't to a sleeping person! Performing what was becoming his patented escape technique, Naruto kawarimi'd out of the deadly, sexy hold. Shaking his head vigorously he hobbled out of the room and towards the stairs. Well, both heads were awake now!

Making his way quietly down the hallway, Naruto peeked into the living room to see if anyone else was up. The room was gray with the early light of morn, as if the house itself was waking up with the coming day. Every room he passed by was empty, and he couldn't hear any signs of life. Looks like he was the only one up. Waltzing into the kitchen, Naruto realized why: it was only 6 a.m.

Making for his usual routine, Naruto prepped a cup of coffee, his mind absently wandering. He was beginning to warm up to these days, filled with Yuegen's constant presence and now Miya's inclusion. Kagari was a rare presence, so he didn't bother including him. He wondered if the man stayed out so much on purpose.

Though it had only been a few days since they had moved in, his life living in that mute apartment felt like a lifetime away. It was strange. His perception of time may not have been the best, but even he knew that was out of the ordinary. The fact that he and Yuegen were involved in a pseudo-civil war that was raging even as he spoke was rather apathetic. He was so far away from the front lines that it felt like someone else's problems.

He huffed heartily. But of course, that was going to be broken any day now. Minaka hadn't called back yet, though it was only a matter of time until he was forced into conflict with Karasuba. Judging by the little of her personality he had gleaned and the fact that she had gone out of her way to request a duel, he knew there would be no talking his way out of this one peacefully. He didn't enjoy battle. Not anymore. He had seen what conflict, war, and everything in between could cause, and it wasn't pretty. Naruto had chosen to live as a true sage after the end of the shinobi, hoping to carry on Jiraiya's legacy and his will for peace.

The world had broken that illusion. No matter where you went or during what time period, there was always bloodshed. Disagreements that led to abrasions of massive proportions, ultimately resulting in death and destruction of the masses. It was always over the most ridiculous things too. Our God has declared us the righteous, therefore we must slaughter all the infidels and take what is rightfully ours! Also known as the Holy Crusades. The divines are with us and China is weak, so why should we not take their territory and decimate their people? Who would care? Also known as the Rape of Nanking. The examples went on.

It had taken nearly half a millennia before Naruto gave up on insisting peace and realized that he simply did not have the power to sway the hearts of men. In fact, several sects had proclaimed him their religious figure and committed atrocities in his name. He had personally wiped out every one of them.

Naruto blinked confusedly. Where had he even started this train of thought? Oh, right. The Sekirei Plan. The Plan he still was at an absolute loss about what to do with. They weren't going to be able to hide forever, regardless of Miya's deterrence. The game wouldn't end if they hid, and whatever powers remained would converge upon them. Hell, if they were smart, the strongest players would band together to remove any competition before fighting each other. No matter how the pendulum swung, their tranquility would not last. So what would he do? Would he personally raise arms again? Take the city by storm? If he did, the sagely path would be his only result afterwards; chased into exile. At least, until the perpetrators of the witch hunt died down.

A loud growl interrupted his dilemma, alerting him to the small, or not so small depending on your view, fact that he was famished.

It was also at that moment he realized the coffee had overflowed and scorched his hand. He stared incredulously at his pinkened appendage, taking a moment to see if he was seeing things right.

"Well shit."

It was no worry. His hand would be healed without much delay.

Cleaning the mess up, Naruto scowled at his own lack of awareness. It was beginning to become a problem. Maybe a little bit of meditation and discreet senjutsu would help.

"Meh. No harm done. I'm hungry."

Scratching his stomach he fumbled to the refrigerator. Pulling it open, Naruto squinted as the light hit his eyes and the cold air caressed his face. Scanning through the items within, he pulled out several ingredients to make his intended dish. A weak, mischievous smile twisted his lips. He already had a great idea on how to start the day.

XXXXXXXXXX

Miya twitched in her sleep as an unfamiliar aroma hit her nose. It smelled like…smoke?!

Snapping awake Miya whipped around in her bed looking for any possible source of a fire. Then her eyes landed on it. She sighed.

Naruto was up to shenanigans already.

Sitting by the bedside was a tray. With a plate. That had a rice omelet. With 'Lovely Lovely Miya-chan!' written in a thickened soy sauce on its' surface. There were an unnecessary amount of hearts.

"I don't know whether I should be annoyed that he did this or pleased because he cooked."

Well, it smelled good at the very least. Miya had to wonder if Naruto knew how to cook. He struck her as a man of many talents, but cooking wasn't one of the ones that crossed her mind. Actually, scratch that. He had been married and in succession lived alone after their deaths, so that would explain it. One learned to cook when they were responsible for their own well-being.

Wait. For the food to be in the room, that meant he had entered to put it there. Unannounced, and in a room with a sleeping woman, all alone.

Groaning, Miya doggedly rose from bed and picked up the plate. She was going to need to have a talk with the blonde.

XXXXXXXXXX

He could have laughed if he didn't know Miya might cut him for it. Maybe if he played his cards right, she would summon those masks again.

"You still ate it, so I don't know what you're complaining about."

Miya looked at him incredulously, refusing to take the bait in his words. He was like the teasing version of a beast of prey; if you made any sign of an opening, he would take that as the opportunity to pounce. She wasn't about to fall for it. While she could very well flex her status as the owner of the house he resided in to make him stop, that was unnecessarily strong for such a thing. Secretly, she didn't mind per se, but only because she would likely be getting him back for this at some point. His little prank was harmless enough.

"Oh? And what might dear Yuegen-san think about you doing such things?"

Naruto cast a glance towards the door, "Wait about four seconds and you'll find out." He wordlessly retracted his fingers as he counted, and almost exactly on cue Yuegen looped around the corner. She was mildly annoyed if her appearance was anything to go by.

Thrusting the dish in her hands forward into view, she flatly said, "What is this?"

Miya took a second to appraise the object, before pinching the brow of her nose. He had made an identical rice omelet for the forest-haired woman, the only difference being that it said 'Naruto's Favorite Sekirei' rather than 'Lovely Lovely Miya-chan!'.

"Exactly what it looks like. I made you breakfast."

Yuegen deadpanned at him. "Well no kidding. I meant what's with the writing, Sherlock."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. He wasn't aware she knew that reference. She must have been watching a lot more TV than he thought. "Well it's true, isn't it?"

Rather than respond, Yuegen sent him a semi-paranoid look, eyes darting to the beautiful lavendrette beside him.

Proving that they were already coming to understand each other's quirks, Naruto interpreted the message and gave her a dismissive wave.

Yuegen's shoulders relaxed, not even aware she had been holding tension in them. Ah. So Miya already knew. Her natural curiosity reared its' head trying to come up with how she knew before Yuegen quashed it. How she was aware of the game was irrelevant.

With everything in the green, Yuegen proceeded on as if the mute exchange had never happened. "You don't know any other Sekirei."

"Guess it still holds true then, doesn't it?"

Her head drooped as she exhaled breathily. This man could be so irritating sometimes.

Naruto continued on with a grin, "Don't be like that! You got a free meal out of it. I even cleaned up the dishes, so there's no strings attached. Isn't a woman supposed to be happy when a man cooks for them?"

"Hmph. It was a little overcooked." That was a lie, but she couldn't afford to concede here.

Naruto cried salty waterfalls as he looked at Miya imploringly. "You liked it, right, Miya-chan?"

Miya cocked her head cutely to the side, seemingly confused. "Ara? Liked what?"

Naruto clutched his chest in faux pain, "You wound me. Here I spent the time to make breakfast out of the kindness of my heart, and all I get for it is insults. And you wonder why I don't do anything nice."

As Naruto and Miya quipped back and forth, Yuegen winced lightly and a small, cold pit settled in the bottom of her stomach. While he may have said that jokingly, it was no less true. So far their relationship had been…rocky, to say the least. At the heart of it all, she was having as much of a hard time sorting herself out as he was, but her outlet was different. Whereas Naruto resorted to humor and withdrawal – which irked her somewhat – her mechanism was aggression. Not because of him, but because this new emotional paradigm alarmed her. It was brand new, caring about someone else. Naruto was an old hand at it, just out of practice. Yuegen had literally no practice in having someone important to care for. Yuegen chuckled sardonically. Now that she got down to it, she realized that she was no different than he was, and yet she patronized him for it. She was a hypocrite. Telling Naruto to get his act together as an Ashikabi, but being just as scattered in her duty as his Sekirei. The only reason she had been so vulnerable before was because of the bond, not out of her own volition. That wasn't real. She had never wanted to find an Ashikabi, so she had never thought about what to do if she had one. It was a pointless idea. When she got right down to it, she was just as hesitant to love him as he was to her.

XXXXXXXXXX

The Ashikabi and Sekirei left the house shortly after the mini debacle. Today was a big day; the day Yuegen had her interview with the modeling agency. That was a rather fascinating thought. Were there any other Sekirei who worked? They had practically no real-life skills, seeing as they weren't released to be a part of society. It was a possibility that Yuegen may well be the only Sekirei attempting to join that aspect of the world.

The actual interview wasn't until 3 p.m., so they had a long day ahead of them. Naruto thought it was funny that they would choose a Saturday, considering it wasn't part of the average work week. Shrugging dismissively, Naruto figured there was little reason to ponder it. Not like he could talk, what with his free-flow schedule. Perks of being a self-made writer.

He had left the house without much foresight, reckoning he would come up with a plan as he went. That was usually how he rolled. Ironically, that was what he had done the day he met Yuegen. And here they were, not only living together, but living like a couple as he escorted her to a job application. Speaking of, she was going to be there for a while, meaning he was going to be left to his own devices…bored. Damn it.

He perked up as a proverbial bulb lit up in his head. He had just the place to go. With how often it came up in conversation lately, he was actually surprised he hadn't thought of it sooner. He glanced back to Yuegen, who was watching the buildings as they walked, completely unaware of his machinations.

Coughing to get her attention, he filled her in on his plans. "Hey, I have a place I'd like to drop by. You up for a side trip? I think you'll like it."

The Sekirei cocked her head slightly, wondering where he could be talking about. Naruto didn't often have the motivation to go out of his way for things, so this could be interesting. Shrugging nonchalantly, she replied, "Sure. Where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there."

Yuegen's face soured momentarily before she schooled it back into its' usual visage. He never could give a straight answer, could he? No matter, she'd find out when they got there. Picking up her pace slightly she laced her hand with his, as she had the first day they had gone out.

Naruto gave her a sideways glance to see what she was doing, but Yuegen had already begun scanning over the nearby surroundings, seemingly unaware of his gaze. He made no effort to remove her grasp and focused once more on their destination. Turning left at the corner of the street, Yuegen's eyes flickered to her Ashikabi before just as speedily returning to their wandering. Not a word was said throughout the exchange.

On a side note, the passers-by reacted accurately to the first outing, too.

The crosswalk light ahead flickered red, bringing them to a rest. Naruto idly leaned back on his hip, accidentally tugging Yuegen along with his shifted weight. The motion brought them shoulder to shoulder, a harmless enough occurrence. Yuegen let go of his hand and shuffled away just slightly. Once more, a harmless enough occurrence.

Cerulean eyes trailed her like a reptile, taking in every detail. The fact that she had moved wasn't the reason for his watchful eye, it was that she had no reason to move.

"Is everything alright?" came the detached drawl of the blonde.

Her amber orbs shot up to meet his, noting the azure inquiry.

"Yeah. Is there a reason I shouldn't be?"

He stared at her in a crocodilian manner for several seconds without reply. She fidgeted lightly under his gaze. It felt like his eyes were trying to penetrate to the depths of her soul.

"No, I suppose not," was his lethargic response.

The light turned green and they carried on, now walking separately.

They roamed the busy streets of Tokyo on the way to their secret rendezvous, occasionally turning a corner here or taking a crosswalk there, but otherwise remaining terse. Naruto seemed completely comfortable in the tension, as did Yuegen, if you missed the odd sporadic twitch.

The pair turned down a final alleyway and they were graced with a large, drab looking gray building at the end of the way. It wasn't anything special by any means, and in fact, it was a little too plain. Then again, this was a back alley.

Pinning a questioning gaze on the blonde's back, Yuegen was about to question him until he suddenly lurched forward, headed directly for the building.

Looking at this place, she got the feeling that she knew where they were. There weren't too many options when it came to Naruto, so she was probably spot on with her hypothesis. This was th-

"Are you coming?"

"…Yeah. I'll be right there."

Pacing the brusque blonde, they walked through the front door. On the inside the place was just as bleak as the outside. Dirty concrete walls scaled the place, and there were a collection of other doors and staircases within the large room they found themselves in.

Without missing a beat Naruto trudged toward a stairwell on the left side of the room. He took the flight downwards, once again not waiting to see if Yuegen was keeping up, just assuming. They took a harrowing journey down several floors of winding steps and through several quarters.

Yuegen almost ran into Naruto's back when he stopped suddenly in the door frame of another threshold, her nose rubbing fabric from the unexpected proximity. "Hey, watch where you're-"

On the other side of the room was a large, open door…guarded by bouncers. Two bulky men with combed back hair stood an intimidating sentinel, not even sparing a glance at the two visitors. Their black suits and sunglasses added to the image, though the glasses in the middle of an underground, unlit room was a bit ridiculous.

Naruto flipped the men a coin each as he strode by unimpeded. They gave him a simple nod in recognition, that being the only indication they were still breathing. They made no move to stop Yuegen as she walked through either.

The door fed into a dark hallway with a down-sloping ramp. It was sort of ominous; like a gateway to the underworld.

"Are you ready?"

Yuegen blinked in consternation, not sure what he meant. "Ready for what?"

"You'll see."

She scowled at his retreating back. Again with that response.

They trudged through the tunnel for a minute until a literal light at the end of the tunnel made itself apparent.

The light was emanating from a much, much larger space. She was actually hesitant to call it a room even; it was more like an underground bunker. The place was massive! Though it was obvious where they were. This… was the ring. The fighting society that Naruto took place as a member.

The chamber was circular in shape with a near-full circle of the expanse being sectioned off by an amphitheater of seats, ascending row by row in a pantheon of cheap tin. Below was a large plain of dirt marred by no other features. Clearly this was the actual field for combat. It was eerily quiet with only the dull raucous of white noise echoing off the empty walls. Also to note was the distinct lack of people on this side of the stadium. Maybe they weren't fighting today. The noise picked up sharply and then fell, prompting Yuegen to listen once again. No, those were definitely voices.

Turning towards the source of the cacophony, her sight was drawn to the other portion of the dilapidated arena. It was packed with a modest amount of people, somewhere around eighty to ninety she supposed. They were all crowded around a wooden bar that looked like it had been peeled away from a, well, bar. A bartender stood behind the counter serving drinks to the various people sitting at the tables or standing and chatting. A small, worn concrete barricade separated the arena from the bar, more likely as a boundary than for protection.

The Ashikabi and Sekirei drew nearer and nearer to the group until suddenly someone pointed at the new arrivals and a new wave of muttering broke out amongst the group. Eyes widened and grins split faces – Yuegen was able to make out some of the phrases being tossed around in the din.

"See, I told you he was still alive. You owe me 5,000 yen." "Gods be damned, he's back." "It's Mirai the Immortal!" and other such things.

A tall woman with close shorn hair on the right side of her head and long ginger locks tossed over the left, a crooked nose, and an equally crooked smirk stepped up to Naruto amidst the whispers. "Well, well. The wily son of a bitch is back. Good to see you, Goldie." She extended a fist out in front of her, waiting for some sort of response.

He returned the look with equal voracity and bumped his knuckles to hers. "Good to see you too Micky."

A loud grunt sounded from the bar as a giant of a man raised himself from the long table. He had a trimmed auburn-colored beard and matching tousled hair flipped back behind his head, exposing the beginnings of a receding hairline. He wasn't as tall as Zarov, or as big, but he was nothing to scoff at either. His figure loomed over Naruto as he approached, coming to rest right beside Micky and peering down at the blonde. "You wouldn't be forgetting about me now, would ya Naruto?"

"You know I wouldn't, Bard."

"Or any of you lot for that matter!" he tossed to the rest of the seated inhabitants, raising a round of whoops and hollers from the amassed men.

Chairs clattered to the floor loudly as a bunch of the men stood up, dark looks on their faces. Their eyes glowered as they looked at Naruto, something that didn't go unnoticed by anyone present.

Disconcertingly, no one was bothered. In fact, they seemed…amused?

The men charged as one like bulls towards Naruto, and Yuegen drew her steel just in case.

They stopped in front of Naruto, blaring frightening auras.

In unison they all crossed their arms, saluted with bowed heads, and shouted, "Welcome back, Boss Mirai! We missed you!"

Naruto only chuckled lightly, as if this was an everyday occurrence. "It's nice being back. Been keeping the place running properly?"

"Yes, Boss!" ten voices rang.

Taking a once over of the room Naruto searched the sea of faces, but ultimately not finding his quarry. "Where's old man Kairo and Zarov?"

Bard scratched his beard and shrugged his shoulders, denoting he was just as clueless. "No idea, lad. Haven't seen the pair of them since last week."

That was rather odd, at least for Zarov. Old man Kairo just came whenever he pleased, so that was no worry. The elderly man was an anomaly even to Naruto. Kairo had been the strongest here before Naruto arrived, but they had never seen him truly fight all out, even at the Determination Match. Naruto himself wasn't sure exactly how powerful the old fighter was, but he was positive it was more than he let on. There were all kinds of crazy stories about the man, like him hanging from the ceiling using only his toes as he ate a bowl of rice, or him drinking the entire bar's stock of alcohol without being the slightest bit drunk. Likely all rumors, but no one could be sure with the strange elder. And as for Zarov… Maybe he was staying on the down low to avoid Haruka's wrath.

"Neither our number 2 or our number 4 are here today, huh? That'll make for a change of pace."

The Swedish man brushed his hair back behind his head as he nodded. "Agreed. Wanna have a go? It's been ages since we last had a bout," he suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Naruto affirmed.

Micky, the woman, grinned lopsidedly and nudged her head towards the green-haired Sekirei, "Before that, who's the girl?"

All heads in the vicinity wheeled around to the Sekirei as if they had only just realized that she was present, scrutinizing and sizing up the newcomer. A wolf whistle came from someone in the back, prompting everyone to alight the air with their responses.

"The Boss finally got a girlfriend! Congratulations Boss! We're so happy for you!" The men cried manly tears as they celebrated the blonde warrior finally getting a girl.

Micky's eyes rose to her hairline and Bard guffawed loudly, "You got you a woman, Goldie? Well shit, never would have figured that one coming."

Bard rested a hand on his chin as he sized her up, nodding to himself in some unspoken affirmation. "Quite the catch too, lad. Where'd ya find a pretty woman like this one?"

Seeing a golden opportunity, Yuegen draped herself across Naruto's back with a feline grin, "Naruto-sama found me unconscious and brought me back to his house. He undressed me and patched me up, and has fed and housed me ever since. He even forced me to stay so he could take care of me when I tried to leave before recovering. I can't thank him enough for his kindness." She rubbed small circles over his chest for added effect. Naruto's eyes spelled death as she dug him further and further into a hole, but it was totally worth whatever retaliation he may come up with later.

Bard's mouth hung wide open and Micky froze stunned in recoil. "Wooow. No idea you had it in you Goldie. Turns out the Stone Prince was really just a big softie at heart."

A malicious aura surrounded Naruto as he glared soul-freezing ice at them. "You wanna find out the hard way Micky?"

Apparently someone had had enough. A nondescript young man no older than twenty with brown hair slammed his hands into one of the wooden tables, sending the dishes rattling as a loud bang cut through the air. He glared at the group venomously, "Will you shut up already? I can't enjoy my food with all this racket. For being the supposed best fighters around you act like a bunch of morons."

Every single person in the arena levelled a heated glare at the man, a few even cracking their knuckles in preparation. Micky growled and bit out, "Listen here you little punk, you don't get to walk into our territory and act like you're the shit when you just got here. Either sit the fuck down and shut the fuck up or leave."

The man smirked arrogantly, undeterred by her aggression. "Why don't you make me then, bitch?" he snarked.

Micky's grin turned outright murderous as she stalked towards him. "You asked for it you-"

A firm grip on her shoulder stopped her in her tracks.

"Goldie what are you doing?"

He shook his head, "I'll handle this one. You guys just sit back and watch."

A buzz of excitement steadily filled the room as Naruto took Micky's place. The man was glaring bullets through Naruto's skull, but the shinobi remained unperturbed by the intimidation. He squared with the younger man and eyed him up coolly.

"What might be the problem, my young friend?" he drawled uninterestedly.

The man snarled, "Don't act like you're tough shit. There isn't a single one of you here who could even scratch me, so you shouldn't be giving me all this lip. I was the number one in my province."

"I could care less if you were the number one in the country. We don't tolerate that sort of disrespect here. If you've got a problem, you settle it in the ring." Naruto jabbed a finger at the dirt field as he finished speaking.

The man snorted derisively. "No one speaks to Hoshi the Great like that. Once I'm finished wiping the floor with you, you'll regret ever taking such a tone."

Naruto was no longer paying attention as he hopped the small concrete barrier.

The now named Hoshi growled and mimicked the motion, following behind the blonde veteran. He ignored the whoops and shouts of "Kick his ass, Mirai!" and "Show him who's boss, Boss!" Or at least he tried, his teeth clenching tighter and tighter as every additional cheer incensed him further.

The two stopped near center field several paces from each other and turned about face.

Naruto rolled his neck and spoke simply, "There are only two rules in this arena: no weapons unless specified and have a good fight. Any questions?"

The man ground out a short response of, "None."

Nodding his head, Naruto stood lazily with his hands by his side. "Good. The fight starts now."

Hoshi immediately spread his legs and raised his guard in a shallow, three-quarter angled saddle leg stance. He waited for his opponent to charge at him and start the raging conflict; a charge that never came. In fact, his opponent didn't even bother to shift from his unflappable posture. The confusion showed on Hoshi's face over the hostility. "Aren't you going to take a stance? At least try to make this fun for me before I crush you."

Naruto shrugged through half-lidded eyes, making no effort to change. "No need. Give me your best shot to the face."

Blinking rapidly in befuddlement, the arrogance soon returned to his visage as he cocked a fist and sprinted forward. "You asked for it!"

Back at the bar, Yuegen was uneasy as she watched the scene. She had this strange nervous feeling and she couldn't figure out why.

"Why isn't he dodging?" she asked Micky.

Micky's eyes didn't leave the fledgling fight as she replied open-endedly from beside her, "Just watch." The look on her face was the cat that ate the canary, and now that Yuegen looked around, so too was everyone else's. She turned her gaze back to the fight as Micky had said.

Naruto still made absolutely no effort to dodge the oncoming Hoshi and his coiled fist. He looked like a Nara standing there with his arms limply by his side and the dull, bored look on his face. With a cry of "You're mine!" Hoshi plunged his fist towards Naruto's nose at full tilt. It looked like it was going to land until the very last second when Naruto slammed his forehead into the man's knuckles.

The two sat there in a stony deadlock, neither moving an inch after the collision.

A second passed – suddenly Hoshi let out a cry of pain and hopped back, shaking his quickly reddening fist rapidly. "W-what the hell did you do to me, bastard?!" he spat at the immobile blond.

"Me? That was all you, friend. You did it to yourself." Somewhat true, but that wasn't the whole of it. Naruto had applied a subtle layering of Doton chakra to his forehead, giving it an armor layer like solid rock. It was a surprisingly effective technique used by many of the better Iwagakure jōnin, and in fact the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, had been famous for it.

A hearty round of snickers and uproarious laughter broke out from the gathered fighters at the sight. "Har har har! Got him with the old Mirai Surprise!"

Yuegen was highly confused. "What are they talking about?"

"That's Goldie's signature introduction; he's gotten us all with that at one point in time. No idea how the bastard's head is so hard, but it hurts like a ton of bricks." Micky slipped out between snickers.

"Aye, he does. Always hilarious watching a poor, unsuspecting soul get hit by that. It's become a sort of welcoming party for the new blood over time," came the thick brogue of Bard. He let out another boisterous laugh, wiping away a tear from one eye as he bust his gut.

Yuegen supposed she would have found this just as whimsical were she in the know. As it was, there was a small, cold knot resting in the pit of her stomach, and she still had no idea why.

Naruto finally struck amidst Hoshi's pain, uppercutting the injured man savagely, forcing his teeth shut with a loud clack and knocking his head back almost 135 degrees. Wasting no time Naruto slipped behind Hoshi and grabbed the man by a handful of his hair, ripping it clean out of the roots as he smashed the man to the ground by his head. Hoshi's legs flailed in the air as he slammed headlong into the floor, a thick cloud of dust and a sizable dent in the earth forming from the impact.

Naruto latched onto the man's floating legs with both hands, and demonstrating his monstrous strength, he swung him overhead by the appendages. The battered newcomer was quickly reintroduced with the ground as he drove him into the dirt with the combined force of momentum and his muscles.

Hoshi spit up a glob of saliva as he was brutalized, his body going airborne from the sheer force of the blow; something Naruto capitalized on. As Hoshi's body recoiled from the trip through the air, Naruto drilled a solid fist right into the decimated man's face, spearing him into the ground and ending his agonizing journey.

The man grimaced in agony when Naruto pinned a foot onto his chest and leaned on it, putting his head closer to the barely conscious man's own. "If you want to be a regular here, you need to clean up your act. Everyone is an equal in this place, and we don't tolerate arrogance within our sanctity. Learn some respect before you try again." The poor fool's mind saved him the luxury of further suffering as it sent him into the depths of unconscious only seconds after Naruto's anecdote.

The fight had lasted all of fifteen seconds, if it could even be called that. That was more of a massacre, Yuegen thought.

The hall went silent for a brief interval before it echoed with roars of victory and triumphant cries of 'Mirai! Mirai! Mirai!'

When the man casually rejoined them, he was greeted by a crowd of muscly men and pats on the back and shoulders from all sides.

He snorted bemusedly at their enthusiasm, "You all act like this is something special."

Bard spoke up from amongst the crowd, "True, but that doesn't make it any less roiling!"

The victorious fighter sniffed unimpressed, "He may have been king of the milk-drinkers where he came from, but a pitiful display like that is worth nothing."

A round of hearty laughs rose at his words, and a few even said, "Cheers to that!" before necking a beer or two.

Naruto deftly caught a drink as it came sliding off the bar, eyes flicking to the source. "Quiet as always, eh, Poko?"

The lithe bartender nodded wordlessly with a small smile on his face as he cleaned a glass. The man may not look like much, but he had earned his place as the number 3 within the coliseum.

Sauntering over to Micky and Yuegen drink in hand, Naruto stretched widely and nonchalantly muttered, "Entertained?"

Yuegen grinned playfully, "It was like watching a star fall~," she waved a hand through the air and wiggled her fingers for added measure.

Naruto grimaced at the painful joke. "Ugh, that was shooting a bit far out there."

"Okay, now that one was rocky and you know it," Yuegen quipped.

Naruto shrugged. "I suppose it had some space to grow."

"Some space? It wasn't even in orbit," came the oh-so helpful reply of Micky.

"Keep talking and I'll send you to the moon," Naruto snapped.

"Hehe, alright, alright. No need to get your panties in a twist Goldie."

The blonde didn't deign them with a response, instead choosing to mutter under his breath about troublesome women causing problems before tossing back his liquor.

From within the rejoicing crowd of combatants came a recognizable Swedish accent, "Oi, let's get our match started!" Bard called as he pumped a fist in the air.

"Coming, coming," Naruto sighed.

The two women stood there quietly, unsure what to do. After several seconds of watching the crowd, Micky broke the ice cheerfully, "Feel like going a round yourself?"

Grateful to get around the awkward atmosphere developing, Yuegen was quick to reply. "I'd usually say yes, but I've got a modeling gig later."

"Well, wouldn't want to ruin that pretty face before the camera," the rough and tumble woman responded.

"I was thinking more that the blood on my knuckles wouldn't look too good."

"Hah! I think I like you." Micky's demeanor shifted on a dime, "Take good care of him. He likes to play everything off, but you can tell something's always bleeding him. He'll never show it though; just the way he is. Goldie's a good one at heart." Yuegen nodded at her words.

Micky continued slowly, "You know, I asked him out once: he turned me down. Said it was no fault of mine, just that he wasn't romantic material."

"Did he say why?"

"No. Goldie doesn't speak much about himself. Keeps that stuff closer to his heart than his guard arms."

"Naruto, what rank is he?"

"Do you really need to ask? He's our number 1: the Immortal Mirai; never once defeated since the day he walked into the ring. Moves so quickly people think he's seeing the future."

Yuegen was only somewhat surprised. This was Naruto they were talking about. She knew he could pack a punch after he whipped Number 61, but she hadn't expected him to be the literal king of the ring so to speak. He barely left his house and acted as if this was nothing more than flimsy pass time. Wait, that meant he was stronger than the bear man. How strong was Naruto?

Yuegen rubber her temples in exhaustion – she could already feel a headache coming on. The mysteries of her dear vexing Ashikabi continued to grow with every passing day. With a sigh Yuegen decided she needed to switch subjects to something less convoluted.

"Is your name actually Micky, or is that some alias you go by here?"

"Nah, real name's Mikihi. Never was the girly type, so I started going by Micky when I got into a motorcycle gang back in middle school. Been going by it ever since." Micky faltered for a moment as she realized something important.

"Ahem, this is sort of embarrassing, but I never actually asked for your name. Care to share?"

'Heh, this woman's almost as bad as Naruto at niceties.' Well, that wasn't entirely right. Naruto was bad sometimes, but other times he was incredibly thoughtful and perceptive. He was just strange like that.

"Name's Yuegen. Nice to meet you."

"Same here, Greenie."

"Greenie? Already giving me a nickname like Naruto?"

"Well, the two of you are an item after all. Might as well call you the same."

Yuegen's mouth flattened into a thin line. And there the topic was: what was their relationship? The one thing she knew about their odd partnership was that both she and Naruto were clueless on what to do.

"So you know, Naruto and I live together but that's about it. All that stuff earlier was just to mess with him."

Micky quirked an eyebrow in surprise. "Really? Could have had me fooled. Naruto wouldn't let most anyone get away with what you have." Micky didn't even catch that in her astonishment she had dropped his nickname.

Yuegen rubbed her temples once again in mild discomfort. There wasn't enough coffee in the world to figure this shit out. Yuegen sure could pick them, couldn't she?

XXXXXXXXXX

Naruto and Bard arrived in the familiar center field rather quickly. It was easy to tell where the actual combat happened within the stage; there was a small circle within the larger field that was kicked up and discolored by comparison to the rest. Whether by blood, sweat, or tears, it was a noticeable tint all the same.

"One second." Bard raised a hand and shouted, "Oi, one of you lot come pick up this floor-stain! He's in the way!"

A couple of the drunks at one of the tables threw a quick game of jan-ken-pon to decide who was on clean up duty. One of the drunkards cursed and stood as the rest laughed at him before making his way to pick up the fallen Hoshi like a sack of potatoes.

Once the premise was cleared, Bard grinned and rolled his shoulders. "So, are we doing our usual rules?"

Returned to standard Nara posture, Naruto shrugged indifferently. "Sure, mid-clean. Full K or first blood?"

Bard guffawed, "Do you have to ask?"

Sighing, Naruto shook his head. "No, I suppose I don't. I don't know why you're so eager to go under. Been awhile since you had a good ticking?"

"Aye. Most of the tops been gone for a wee few. Poko is always at that bar of his, so it's usually just the Bear or you. Can't get a good fight if there's no one here, you know?"

Bard was the number 7 in the arena, but with Naruto and Kairo being out so often, Poko not fighting, and the rest of their top ten only coming when work allowed, the Swede often didn't have a lot of competition.

"Un," was Naruto's characteristic reply.

"Alright, here I come Naruto!" Bard cocked a fist back and charged like a raging bull, bounding across the land in great strides. In mere seconds he closed a dozen meters and threw his entire body weight into a single devastating punch. For most of the men there, that solitary strike at the speed he was moving would have been enough to flatten them. Mirai on the other hand…

Rather than dodge, Naruto slid a hand up the man's muscular arm and redirected it outwards, leaving the man to look more akin to a cheerleader than a fighter. Naruto squared his chest with him and launched a solid reverse punch into the man's nose. A small crunch tore through the air and was garnished with several drops of blood flying. With his remaining hand Bard reaped the air with a desperate clothesline, taking full advantage of his inevitable inertia. Naruto deftly hopped out of the way as Bard's momentum continued carrying him forward.

The man spun on a dime to reengage; if not for the blood dribbling down his nose, no one would be the wiser that the man had been hit.

"Ah, that itches. Ya coulda hit somewhere less irritating!"

Naruto merely shrugged in response. Wasn't his fault he left his nose open. If you didn't want it to get hit, you guard it. Simple as that.

The tank of a man recklessly dashed back in with a fist drawn back, telegraphing his moves widely. No matter how many times he got his ass handed to him for it, Bard always threw large motioned techniques. Claimed it was just the way his ancestors did it. That was a tradition Naruto himself followed, so he couldn't give the man any flak for it. Of course, his people did their best to avoid getting hit instead of tanking every shot.

Bard shifted at the last second, throwing a palm heel aimed at Naruto's stomach. The blonde threw his arms up in a cross-block, the force of the strike pushing him back several feet in a cloud of dust. Bringing his guard down, Naruto could feel a pulsing tingle in his arms, a testament to Bard's strength. It may have been little more than a bothersome feeling for Naruto, but he could tell that would have decimated the average human. Heh, the Swede and Zarov were both beasts.

"That packed quite the punch. So you've finally decided to add onto your style. How refreshing."

The other man grinned, eyes full of mirth. "Aye, I've got a couple of tricks up my sleeve. Couldn't let things get boring, yeah? Been saving them just for you."

Naruto snorted humorously, "Alright, show me what else you've got." He beckoned the man on, interest piqued as to what else the ring's Number 7 had in store.

"Much obliged." The man once more flew in like a rabid animal, throwing punches and elbows and haymakers like a mad man. Naruto weaved between them all with little trouble. Bard may be fast for a normal person, but this was nothing for a trained shinobi, even for back in his day. No one could truly keep up with him, so he slowed himself to match. Had to keep things interesting after all. Unless he was fighting old man Kairo; then he had to stay on his toes. Never knew what the old codger would do.

Surprising the large man, Naruto caught a punch dead on and shoved it toward the ground, turning the man into a grounded tripod. Naruto lashed a kick right into the man's face, sending Bard's head whipping back like a rockstar. In a show of his taijutsu prowess, Naruto hooked a leg through the air and just as it reached its' apex dropped his heel straight down onto the man's sky-bound face in a picture perfect axe kick. His friend and foe folded like a table. As the battered combatant crumbled to the floor, Naruto leapt back several feet and awaited his opponent's recovery.

This wasn't all Bard had, Naruto knew better than that. If there was one thing about Bard that defined him more than anything else it was that he wouldn't go down until the last, and when he did go down, he went down swinging. True to his Norse nature to the very end.

"Come on, Bard. I want to see those secret techniques."

The downed giant lay still for a moment before swiftly kipping back to his feet. The man swayed lightly in place and cracked his neck to both sides in a series of audible pops. Bard's eyes swam lightly in their sockets and he shook his head to get rid of the fuzziness. Damn if Mirai didn't hit hard. The blonde was of equal strength to himself and Zarov, but only half their size. "Aye, if that's what you want, then you can have it!"

Bard closed the distance and hurled a hefty straight punch, aiming to return the favor for his prior punishment. When Naruto tilted out of the way of his attack, Bard continued on unperturbed. He twisted on his heels and threw a powerful spinning backfist at Naruto's temple. Once again it was unable to connect with its' target as Naruto blocked with a forearm to his bicep, shutting down all of Bard's forward motion. Reversing his momentum Bard quarter turned and jabbed a vertical elbow back at Naruto's abdomen. If that move had connected, it would have probably shattered ribs. Keyword being if. Naruto put his weight behind a brush block in a makeshift short range evasion, punching Bard in the kidney on the way out for good measure.

Grunting at the impact to his soft tissue, Bard swept an open backhand behind him, forcing Naruto to give up his position and allow the larger man some breathing space.

Ignoring the pang in his kidney the auburn-headed scrapper leapt forward and jutted out his knee, hoping to spear Naruto on the solid bone. Sadly it was much too linear for a target like the nimble blonde. Naruto placed a hand on the man's knee and flipped his body upside down in a bold display of shinobi talent. He drove a rising side kick into the bottom of Bard's jaw, rattling his teeth together so violently it hurt all the way down to the roots.

Using the fighter's muscular shoulder as a perch Naruto twisted on his palm and completed a round off, landing expertly beside the bruised brute.

It seemed the man still wasn't done when he recalibrated and squared up with Naruto, shaky but still very much lucid. Imagine Naruto's surprise when rather than charge back in, Bard remained in place and brought up his guard. That was new for sure. Bard always charged in with reckless abandon, allowing his body to absorb any impact dished towards it. Yet here he was, actually fighting defensive. Naruto had to say he liked this new turn of events.

"It's gonna take more than that to put me down."

A cloud of dust blasted through the air as the newly offensive Naruto flew at the En Garde Bard. The muscles in Bard's arms coiled in preparation, every single one well aware of the incoming danger.

Wanting to test the waters, Naruto switched to a more rugged brawler style to face the barbarian. The pair exchanged a series of blocks and strikes that ultimately mane no direct contact. Naruto grinned lightly as he let a punch sail by his head. He really liked this change. It was actually…sort of…fun.

The blonde threw a low kick that caught Bard in the thigh, interrupting his balance for a second. That second was all the time Naruto needed.

When the large man swung at Naruto, the blonde brush-trapped Bard's hand with his own left and spending little loading time buried a colossal punch into Bard's stomach, folding him around the fist. The large man choked on air as the wind gushed from his lungs and a sickening pain erupted in his stomach. Yet still he remained upright.

Naruto measuredly withdrew his fist and took a step back to assess his foe. Commendably Bard remained on his feet immobile. Shakily the Swede rose and drew his hands into full guard. He sighed, the man just didn't know when to quit. Just as Naruto was about to reengage, he froze. Bard's eyes had frosted over…he had passed out standing up. Naruto watched the man with an indiscernible look on his face. Then he smiled and patted Bard on the shoulder.

"You fought well. Rest, and regain your strength."

The Viking collapsed limply to the ground as if heeding the blonde's words.

Naruto bent down and slung the large man over his shoulder like it was nothing, making his way back to the bar. He walked with a hint of reservation, a mix of thoughts leaking slightly through to his demeanor. Bard had fought well, and he could feel the man's soul flow out during that match. So committed to the fight was he that the man had diverged into learning a new type of combat simply to better himself and provide a better challenge. It was something Naruto respected in all capacity. In fact, if Bard became adept with this new style, he could very well move up a couple of positions, and even force him to take the fights a bit more serious.

And yet at the same time he couldn't help but feel repressed. Matches like these were nothing new; he always won, simply because he had no equal. Bard had some new techniques to spice things up this time, but no matter what they did, he would always beat them. Not because of a lack of skill on their parts. No, they were top notch. However when compared to him, a nigh-eternal shinobi who had fought people that could destroy armies on equal grounding, they were dwarfed by his shadow. It was just so…empty.

There was almost no point to fighting here, but he couldn't seem to let it go. He would get an itch that he had to scratch every so often, and so he would return. And every time he left feeling hollow after coming. The people were good and he respected each as a fighter, but he couldn't be bothered to come as much as he used to. Naruto hadn't had a good fight in so long… but that was just it. He didn't want to wage a battle or a war, simply a good old fight. These Sekirei may be a bit more sturdy than a human, but he didn't want to have a deathmatch for it. Who knows, maybe this Karasuba woman would give him a decent brawl.

One of the men laughed and took the stone-cold Bard from Naruto, placing him in a chair at his table. "Har har har y-you really cleaned his cluh…clock M-mirai! We'll…uh, look after the princess here for ya," the man slurred. He was clearly drunk as a skunk.

"Thanks," he replied dismissively.

Naruto flopped into a seat at an unoccupied table, a bit off-kilter after his victory. The clinking of glasses drew him to the taciturn bartender. "Wanna spar, Poko?"

The brown-haired man looked up from his cleaning and stared at the blonde. He shook his head in the negative after a second and returned to his job. Naruto inhaled deeply; he had expected that response. It was a rare event when Poko stepped back from behind his bar. It was a shame too, the man was extremely quick on his feet. He could actually get into a bit of a speed match with Poko.

"I figured. Maybe I'll get lucky and the old man will walk in. Knowing my luck, just because I said that he won't come back for a month."

"Hey, Gramps is back!"

Naruto blinked, sure enough the man in question emerged from the corridor. "Well shit."

Here he was, the one man that could get Naruto's blood pumping in a fight.

He waved a hand in the air limply, calling out in his half-drawl half-monotone but with a slight twinge of excitement. "Hey, Ojii-san! Get over here! I'm bored!"

Kairo lifted his head towards the beacon-headed blonde. "Ah, so he's here."

"Yep, Goldie got here not too long ago. Put some upstart punk in the dirt and then knocked around the Viking for good measure," Micky replied from his side.

The elderly man nodded and muttered a quiet 'Excuse me', making his way over to Naruto's table.

Naruto studied him as he walked over. Was it just him, or did the old man look older? Hm, for the most part he looked the same as always. His gray hair was slicked back in its' usual style, presenting a sort of gentlemanly vibe, though his gi and hakama gave off a more traditional feel on his tall, thin figure. It made sense – he was the head monk of the local shrine. His demeanor was always polite and calm, a personality that certainly matched his 'wise elder' appearance. The wrinkles were what made Naruto think he was starting to show his age; they were seeming deeper and deeper by the day. It was quite deceiving, actually. The man was a lot stronger and definitely much more spry than he looked. It would certainly be a shame if the old monk kicked the bucket.

Light gray eyes that contrasted his near snow hair and warm face peered into Naruto's own cerulean.

"It is good to see you again, Naruto."

Naruto smiled lopsidedly, "Good to see you too, old man. I was a little worried you might have taken the boat when they told me you weren't here."

"As you can see I am still in good health," Kairo chuckled lightly. "Now what may I help you with?"

The corners of Naruto's mouth twinged upwards. Something about Kairo made everyone always feel at home. You couldn't help but be at least of a pleasant disposition in his presence.

"I was hoping you were feeling well enough to spar with me. Bard was fun with his new moves, but I can't pass up the chance to fight you."

Kairo hummed and nodded at the shinobi's words. "It certainly couldn't hurt to have a friendly spar. I have to keep from getting too rusty before these old bones can't handle it anymore."

"Hah! With how much you exercise, I doubt you'd give out until you're one hundred and fifty."

The monk smiled warmly, "Oh, the divines will come calling long before that."

"You need to stretch out at all, old man?"

"I'm quite alright, thank you. Wouldn't want to make things too hard on you." The elder gave him that same warm smile, but there was a decidedly self-pleased air to it.

The blonde deadpanned, "Hmph. You know that's what I want."

"Is that so?"

Naruto stood up from the table and the pair went on their way.

"Give me a serious fight, Ojii-san."

"As you wish."

Kairo flashed forward at an alarming rate, catching even Naruto a bit off guard as he dodged through the spontaneous flurry of strikes driven his direction. Old bastard moved like a Hyūga!

Naruto was immediately on the defensive, doing his utmost to avoid being hit by Kairo. He definitely fought like a Hyūga; Kairo's preferred style was to utilize pinpoint accuracy to shut down joints and muscles. It was deadly effective – strength and muscles meant nothing if you couldn't move them. Even Naruto was hesitant to leave a limb floating for too long.

Left, right, duck. Pivot, back step, left. There. Naruto struck like a coiled python, taking advantage of a split second gap in the elder's guard.

The old man blocked the fist reflexively fast, but it was all the time Naruto needed to switch roles and take the offensive.

In an instant the ring's second strongest was the one blocking a furious strain of techniques. A punch here, a wheel kick there, the result was the same. Every attack was deflected with peerless sufficiency.

Kairo winced as Naruto rather viciously slammed a forearm into his own and retracted his attack.

"You sure, ngh, you're gonna be able to keep up Kairo?"

"Don't worry, urgh, about me."

Were the two of equal age, this dance may well have extended for ages, but alas, the elder was getting old, and so too his stamina waned.

A lightning speed palm heel smashed through the elder's guard, sending him skidding several feet with a grunt of pain. Kairo hunched over and clutched his bruised ribs lightly – he was going to feel that one in the morning.

"I think that's enough for now, Naruto. My old bones just can't keep up like they used to."

"…"

XXXXXXXXXX

Naruto and Yuegen stood in front of the entrance to the modeling agency. It was a rather large building; much more so than they had been expecting. Fitted with large panels of glass and shining steel exteriors the establishment looked rather classy. The lady had said that this agency was one of the best around, but it hadn't really struck until they actually saw it for themselves.

"Well, here we are," Yuegen stated.

"Yeah. I'll come back to get you later. Good luck." Naruto turned and waved over his shoulder, walking to some apparent destination he had come up with.

The green-haired Sekirei frowned imperceptibly and walked through the sliding doors of the agency, disappearing behind the frosted glass within a second.

XXXXXXXXXX

Naruto strolled through the gray streets of the city, casually inspecting the buildings as he wormed through the throngs of people adorning the sidewalks. His gait was measured, no real urge behind the movements. There was one simple reason: he had no idea what to do now.

Yuegen would not be done for a few hours; just enough time that he would need to occupy himself, but not enough time to go home. Or at least not without having to immediately return. He had been to most of his usual haunts, so the only places he could think of were the bar and the bookstore. Ugh, the bar probably wasn't open, now that he thought about it.

Well, bookstore it was then. He quickly turned the next corner – right down a back road. Naruto had been put in this dilemma many times, so he had familiarized himself with all of the roads in the downtown areas through his wandering.

It certainly had its' benefits. He never would have found this bookstore or the arena if he hadn't decided to wander down all the back streets. Sometimes the brightest gems were hole in the wall places hidden beneath the municipal dirt.

Stepping out of the alley and out onto a well-lit semi-main street, Naruto caught sight of the familiar shop on the right side of the street. It was a relatively unassuming building, built out of wood in a traditional sort of way. The structure was single-story and could have been mistaken for any other type of store were it not for the sign above the door that read 'Daizoku Books and Literature'. It was a family owned and operated establishment that had been there for as long as Naruto had lived in the city, though he had not found the place until around a decade or so ago. The elderly woman who lived there had always treated him kindly, so he never saw a reason to go elsewhere for books. He was one of their most frequent customers – books were a good way to scare off Boredom-chan. She hated books. Actually, he used to hate books too when he was younger. Maybe Boredom-chan just needed to grow up. Maybe if he threw books at her, she would leave him alone. Hm…

Naruto reached the standard set of double doors, only to find a note on the front that read: 'Closed for today due to family matters. We will be open again shortly. Our apologies for the inconvenience. –Daizoku.' He read over the sign and sighed exasperatedly. Running a hand through his hair, Naruto found himself quickly returned to his prior venture.

'What a nuisance.'

The blonde retraced his way through the corridors, reentering the downtown after several minutes in the murky maze.

Or at least, he would have. He wasn't alone in the alley.

There, a dark cast in the milieu light of the day, was a woman. The sight alone wouldn't have been an oddity, were it not for her state of distress – the woman seemed like she was on her last legs. She was trembling with the simple strain of keeping herself upright and panting heavily through a lax jaw as she rested against the bricks, dark circles rimming the bottoms of her blue-gray eyes so deeply she reminded him of Gaara. Nostalgia. Her spiky, light brown hair was matted down with the grime and dirt of days, as were her clothes. The strip of white cloth tied around her forehead was eye-drawing, to say the least. What use was there in wearing such a thing? Unless you were a ninja. Nostalgia. Her clothes were nothing more than a simple set of plain white, though now they had taken on so much residue they seemed an offset shade instead. The clothing didn't even appear to be her own, judging by how tightly the clothes clung to her. Regardless of all else it was easy to tell she wasn't healthy.

He turned to leave, this wasn't his problem. There likely wasn't much he could do for her anyways, beyond taking her to a hospital. Someone else would find her, it was fine.

Thump.

He spun around slowly with dread, hoping he had misheard that noise, and at the same time knowing that he hadn't.

She had slumped to the ground against the wall, her eyes glazed over. Impressively she was still clinging to consciousness.

"Damn it."

Thoughts and decisions railed through his head, all clattering against each other in a vie for the surface. The devil on his shoulder told him to just leave her. The devil whispered in his ear…he didn't care about other people. They didn't matter to him in the least, and this was no different. Why should she get special treatment?

The noticeably smaller angel on his shoulder told him to help; that he had to help. That he already knew he would help, he just had to accept it. That despite everything he did and said, he could never shake his desire to do right by others and to support them in their time of need.

Naruto sighed once again, already knowing what he was going to do. He got the feeling this was going to come back to bite him, hard.

His footsteps rang against the dank, dirty walkway as he strolled to her downed form in no hurry. Shadows danced across the walls as people walked by, completely ignorant of what was going on only a few feet from them. An allegory if there ever was one.

"You're looking a little troubled there, miss. Would you like some help?"

Her hollow eyes slowly shifted to meet his face, seemingly unaware that he had been there. She whispered so quietly it could have been mistaken for her breath, "No. I am…fine."

"Mmhm. And I'm the Prime Minister. Are you absolutely sure? I won't ask again if your mind is made up. I will leave you here if that is what you wish."

Her slowly fading eyes widened imperceptibly. "I don't want…to be left behind."

"I see. Alright, up you go."

He hooked an arm underneath her legs and looped the other behind her back, hoisting her up bridal style. On apparent instinct the woman sluggishly wrapped her arms around his neck to keep herself in place.

Even as they exited the alley, not many people seemed to take notice. Those who did muttered in hushed whispers, but otherwise did not act.

The woman watched the blonde man with dimming eyes, searching for something even as she fell unconscious.

As her head lolled back limply, the headband slipped slightly, allowing the edges of a red tattoo to peak out.

Naruto's eyes narrowed, and he reached his left hand around to brush it aside.

There, upon her forehead and laid open to the afternoon air, was a Sekirei crest.

"I should have known. Every damn time I stick my damn nose into something, it's a Sekirei matter. Damn it boredom and damn it heroes!" he muttered harshly.

Making a complete one-eighty he turned and headed the opposite direction. Looks like he would be making a trip back to Maison Izumo after all.

XXXXXXXXXX

Viewpoint of Sekirei 07: Akitsu – several days prior

Akitsu trudged through the streets, no idea where her feet were taking her. The lab had gotten the orders from the CEO himself to grant Akitsu freedom to leave – without exam. It was unprecedented and shocked many of the researchers, but they all knew better than to question the CEO.

When she had been told she would truly be allowed to leave, she had been shocked and even a twinge joyful, though none of it ever showed on her face. Dare she say it, she had even felt…hopeful. Hopeful that she would get to find her Ashikabi. That was until reality came crashing back down on her. She was Akitsu the Unwingable – the Broken Sekirei. The one Sekirei who could not be winged, no matter what. The one who could not find her destined partner. When she remembered that, she became as despondent as she ever was.

Even as they released her into the city, she felt nothing when she walked through the sliding doors to freedom. Well, beside the slight pain in her eyes from the light. So shattered was she that she didn't even think about this being her first time to ever see real sunlight.

Several days passed, and she simply floated from place to place, never resting. Through the night she wandered the city, only stopping on occasion to rest before quickly venturing on once more. She didn't sleep, she didn't eat. Nor did she speak. Not one word.

She collapsed against the wall of the alleyway, her body no longer able to support itself. Several days without any sustenance was too much, even for a Sekirei body.

Her eyes were fuzzy and her lungs were on fire as they struggled to pull in oxygen through her aching throat. Her legs had gone numb; she wouldn't be walking anywhere. Her arms hung limply by her side, too weak to even fight gravity.

Step, step, step.

What was that noise?

Step, step, step.

It was coming closer.

Step, step.

The noise came to a halt suddenly, and she could vaguely make out a yellow blob far away. A low buzzing reached her ears. Was it a voice? She couldn't tell what it was saying.

Step, step, step, step.

As the noise got louder, she could start to make out the blob a little better. It was a person, a man.

"You're looking a little troubled there, miss. Would you like some help?"

The voice was so distant, she could barely hear him. Why would he bother asking her if she needed help? No one had paid her any mind since the moment she left the lab. They all knew she was broken, unwanted. Why didn't he?

"No. I am…fine."

"Mmhm. And I'm the Prime Minister. Are you absolutely sure? I won't ask again if your mind is made up. I will leave you here if that is what you wish."

Her eyes widened as one word rang in her head.

Leave.

It didn't matter who this man was. He was the only one who had even looked at her. Don't go. Please don't go. She would give anything to not be left alone.

"I don't want…to be left behind."

"I see. Alright, up you go."

She could barely feel the sensation of his arms scooping her up, and vaguely make out the ground moving away as he picked her up.

The light didn't even register to her foggy eyes as they reappeared under its' domain. She could see him though. She could see the golden hair, the azure eyes, the whisker marks. She could see…him.

Her head flopped back as she fell into blissful slumber.

XXXXXXXXXX

The freaked out looks Naruto received the entire way back to Maison Izumo didn't faze him in the least. He found them pretty humorous, actually. Watching their eyes pop out of their head or the slightly nervous looks some sent him, even the slight nosebleeds from a couple of the more enthusiastic individuals. He was pretty sure those ones were because of the woman's chest. Seriously, what was with him running into big-breasted women everywhere he turned?

"Can I help you all with something?" He asked with an edge of steel.

The entire train car suddenly decided they had more interesting things to do, like stare at the ceiling, talk to the unfamiliar passenger next to them, or fiddle with their phones.

Naruto snorted and watched the woman in his arms sleep. She was making things difficult for him, that was for sure. Though it wasn't really her fault. He was the one who had offered to help her and inevitably ended up doing so.

Funny, this woman reminded him a lot of someone, but the identity eluded him.

XXXXXXXXXX

The lavendrette landlady greeted Naruto at the door, but the sight that met her she certainly hadn't seen coming. Naruto had called and said he was bringing someone over, but this wasn't quite what she expected.

"What might you be doing with this unconscious woman, Naruto-san?" Miya caught sight of the woman's face and recoiled, "Wait, is that…?"

Naruto nodded, "She's a Sekirei."

"I never thought I would see her leave the labs, let alone here in my house. Her name is Akitsu; Sekirei 07. Also called the Scrapped Number." Miya bitterly spat out the last part.

Naruto frowned and quirked an eyebrow, the Scrapped Number? Was that why her crest was on her forehead? Had she escaped the labs? That would explain her appearance. He doubted Minaka would allow such a thing, though.

"And why is she called that?"

"Sekirei 07 was prematurely winged during testing, ending any chance she had of being winged to an Ashikabi. The energy flow of her entire body is so muddled that there is simply no fixing her. Not even Takehito was able to do anything for her."

That would explain why the crest was on her forehead instead of the nape of her neck. He certainly couldn't claim to know much about the Sekirei Plan, so he had assumed it was just another variety of mark or something.

Naruto hummed passively. A problem with her energy, huh? His disinterested eyes leisurely floated to Miya, "Hypothetically, if someone were able to do something about that, would you do them a favor?" He threw it out like it was any old statement.

He couldn't be serious. Miya covered her mouth with a sleeve, "This isn't a good time to make such absurd statements, you know." Her eyes widened in understanding and she hid her face even further. "Ara, ara. Naruto-san, might you be making a pass at my body? How bold of you. To try and claim me within the house of my deceased husband."

"…"

One look into his eyes and she could tell he didn't find it funny. Was he really serious about what he said?

Miya's face tightened and her eyes honed in on him. "Hypothetically, if someone was able to help this little bird, yes, I would."

"Nn. Please take care of her for a bit while I go to pick up Yuegen. I'll see if I can hypothetically find someone to do something for her."

He marched into the living room and dropped Akitsu on the couch unceremoniously.

"I'll see you later tonight Miya."

"Take care, Naruto-san."

XXXXXXXXXX

"You're late."

Naruto scratched the back of his head and did his best to look apologetic. It didn't look quite right on his face, but maybe that was because it came off more like a scowl. "Maa, maa, sorry I'm late. I was on my way here to get you, but then I found a collapsed woman in a back alley and had to help her all the way to the other side of the city and the traffic was awful so it took me ages to get there and back." Oh yeah, Kakashi would be proud.

Yuegen's eye twitched violently as she clenched her teeth lightly. "Do you really think I'm going to buy such a lame ass excuse? At least say you weren't paying attention to the time or something."

The blonde looked taken aback, "How cruel. I missed you so much I counted every second I waited for you to come back to me. Oh, how slow time passed as I held onto seeing you again, my dear." He threw a hand out for dramatic gesture.

"Really? What time did we get here?"

"Eh, a while ago."

"That doesn't sound like counting the seconds to me."

"What can I say? They were very long seconds. So many went by I lost track," he shrugged unabashed.

She rolled her eyes at his ludicrous statements, as usual. "Whatever. Let's just go. I'm tired and I really want a bath."

"Nn. How did it go?"

Some color brightened Yuegen's face at the prompting, giving away the answer even before her mouth moved. "You're looking at maybe one of the only working Sekirei. Out of the thirty two candidates they had for the opening, only myself and one other woman were hired. We start officially on Monday," she said with a smile. It was actually something she was incredibly stoked about. She had never thought of holding a job when she was in the labs, but now that she was out in the world and winged, it was actually a great opportunity. Yuegen also got the distinct impression that it was in a way sticking it to MBI and their 'low profile' policy for Sekirei.

"Congratulations. I'm happy you got the position."

"Thank you. I think it's going to be a nice experience. The managers and most of the people there were pleasant, so I believe it will be a good environment. What's even better is that I only have to work every other day, so I won't be gone all the time." A teasing grin split her face, "And I know you'd waste so much time counting the seconds that you wouldn't know what to do with yourself."

Naruto sniffed derisively, "You keep telling yourself that." He lifted his head to look at the clouds as they floated by on the breeze. "Though I suppose it will be a little quieter while you're gone."

A small smile crept back to her face. That was pretty much Naruto equivalent to saying that he would miss her because he would be bored while she was gone. Not quite the 'I'll miss you, my love!' trope, but she would take it. For Naruto, even admitting this much was a lot. She honestly had expected him to make a crack about it being the best thing ever that she was away. 'One less busty woman to give me a hard time!' he'd probably say. Or 'Now I can have Miya-chan all to myself, hehe!' possibly. Maybe they were both starting to change a little, for the better.

"I'll be home before you know it. You can pass the time by doing your own work. It's been a number of days since the last time you worked on your manuscript."

Now that she mentioned it, it had been a while since he had last written. He had done very little else since meeting Yuegen. There wasn't a point as far as he was concerned. He had all the entertainment he needed right at home.

XXXXXXXXXX

The door creaked open as Naruto and Yuegen walked in, successfully returned from their venture.

"Miya, we're back."

They could tell from the sounds in the kitchen where she was before she replied. "Welcome home."

Naruto folded his arms and leaned against the doorframe. "How's our guest doing?"

The landlady momentarily abandoned her task in favor of facing the blonde. "She's right where you left her. Did you happen to find a solution?"

Naruto nodded, "I believe I did. Give it a few hours and she should be right as rain."

"Good. You take care of your task and I'll take care of mine." Miya turned back to the cutting board and continued chopping vegetables.

"Sounds good." He delved through the house to check on his charge.

Yuegen followed him, wanting to see exactly what the two were talking about. Apparently Naruto had brought someone to the house. Wait…

Sure enough, Akitsu was still as the dead on the couch. She hadn't so much as twitched from the position he placed her in hours prior.

Naruto glanced over his shoulder at Yuegen, "I wasn't lying in what I said."

The Sekirei's head swiveled mechanically as she processed the situation. "I can see that. Why did you bring her here?"

Naruto swept a hand across Akitsu's forehead, knocking the headband loose. Her Sekirei crest peaked out from underneath like a critter beneath a rock. "That's why. This is Akitsu: Sekirei 07."

Yuegen's eyes widened, "She's a Sekirei." It was a statement made in confirmation rather than recognition.

"Yes. She needs a little help, so I'll be tending to her for a bit. It will be awhile until I'm done, so feel free to watch television or something in the meantime." Naruto scooped Akitsu up and retreated to the stairs.

The viridescent woman stopped him, "I'll come with you."

"I'm going to need peace and quiet to properly concentrate on this," Naruto disaffirmed. "I'll try not to be long."

His Sekirei watched as he disappeared up the steps with a frown. She sighed and sat on the recently occupied couch, too distracted with her thoughts to be distracted by the pixelated screen.

XXXXXXXXXX

Naruto entered his room and placed Akitsu down on the couch sitting up. It would be harder to work if she was laying down, since gravity would throw things slightly off in the wrong direction. He placed his fingertips on her crest and honed his chakra, focusing first on mapping Akitsu's muddled flow. As he closed his eyes and concentrated on the thrum of her energy, he winced at just how convoluted the energy was.

"This…is going to take a few hours."

Tracing the trail of her coils, he was utterly befuddled. The Sekirei energy – which was actually extremely similar to chakra – in her body was not following the natural path. In fact, somehow the chakra was leaking throughout her entire body and suffusing just enough into the coils at critical spots to keep her functional. He had never seen anything like this; the closest he could recall was Deidara and his explosions, which suffused his entire being and his creations. Unless she was trying to be a suicide bomber, this was hazardous to her health. Frankly Naruto was surprised she had survived this long.

It was something akin to a dam that had burst open, flooding the entirety of its' surroundings. The source of the chakra should have been from the Sekirei core at the nape of her neck, where the symbol originated. In Akitsu, that wasn't the case. It was likely that when she had been artificially winged, it had cracked open and oscillated outwards. The new focal point had become at the crest in her head, just in front of her brain. Damn, she was one lucky girl. It was common knowledge for shinobi that concentrating chakra in your head was a baaaaad idea. Except for dōjutsu users. Goddamn freaky eyed bastards.

Therein lied the problem; he couldn't untangle her flow and restore her body to order if he didn't have anywhere to put the extra energy. There was only so much he could divert to her coils, the rest had to be stored in her crest. But he couldn't store the energy in her head where her crest currently was located or it would end up going all Gallagher on her gray matter. Short term translation: he was going to have to quite literally rebuild a Sekirei. Fuck. He'd take Build-a-Bear over Build-a-Sekirei any day.

Sighing, he set about healing Akitsu.

XXXXXXXXXX

Naruto wiped his forehead and stood up shakily on stiff muscles. His entire body lurched and crackled as all of his bones settled back into place with loud pops and clicks. His back ached and he had a massive headache, but he was finished. He honestly hadn't expected to be able to do it, but he had managed to rebuild her Sekirei Crest. Er, Tama, as he believed they had called it. Had he solely relied on his chakra, he would have been unable to do so. What he had actually done was gather Akitsu's chakra and marched it toward her Tama, depositing quantities at all of the tenketsu along the trail. Since different individual's chakras mixed like oil and water, he had taken advantage of the repelling property to herd it as he pleased. Once he had gathered the excess chakra to the crest, he had used his own chakra to sort of 'puppet' hers to do the rebuilding. Her chakra was the only energy that could do it; the key to the lock, you could say.

All he knew was that it was damn tiring. Not once during the process had she stirred. She really must have been depleted when he found her; she had been asleep for nearly six hours already and showed absolutely no signs of having left REM-3 sleep. His stomach grumbled lowly, his body reminding him that he needed to replete himself too. He hadn't eaten since breakfast; dinner sounded great right about now.

XXXXXXXXXX

Akitsu's eyes fluttered open, blinking through bleary eyes as her brain rebooted. She didn't know this ceiling. She could only remember collapsing in the alley, and then… The blonde man flashed through her mind. This must be his room. She propped herself up on her elbows trying to get up. Akitsu struggled for a moment before flopping back down. She couldn't get up. Strange, her body felt…lighter, for some reason.

"I don't…why you're upset." Akitsu could barely make out a hushed voice outside the door.

"When I said… more would… didn't mean…up random women." There was another voice. It sounded like a woman.

Akitsu tossed herself to the side, managing to slide out of the bed. Stumbling to her feet, Akitsu sedately moved towards the voices.

"If I didn't do that, you wouldn't be standing here right now. She's no different than you were."

Was that the blonde man? His voice didn't sound as warbled as before. It was a monotone drawl. She liked that voice.

"I know that, I just…" The voice trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

The door suddenly slid open and Akitsu jumped lightly as the blonde man stared at her with his cerulean eyes.

"Ah, you're awake. I was just coming to check on you."

Akitsu nodded slowly. "I…just woke up."

"I can see that. Come, I need to check you out one more time. And shut the door for me please." He padded past her, beckoning over his shoulder for her to follow.

The recently revived woman watched the wavering green-haired Sekirei for a moment before closing the door and doing as he commanded.

Copying his actions, Akitsu sat on the couch beside Naruto, awaiting his next instructions.

"Put your back towards me. I want you to close your eyes and focus all of your thoughts and power on your crest, and imagine it being perfect."

When Akitsu looked somewhat doubtful, he pressed, "Just trust me."

Slothfully complying, she did just that.

Naruto smiled softly to himself. In all actuality her core was already healed, he was only performing a diagnostic to see if anything had changed since he had finished. He hoped by telling her to focus on her Tama that she wouldn't notice his actions, and that she would believe she had fixed it herself by pouring everything into the action. It was also true that she needed to test her chakra flow to see if there were any ruptures in the system, but the added side effect was that in tandem his chakra would go unnoticed. A somewhat half-assed deception, but he needed to take every precaution he could. He could have almost slapped himself for doing this to begin with. If he blew his cover over something so menial, he would never live it down.

Using the barest amount of chakra possible, Naruto hovered a palm an inch above her core, a pale green aura surrounding the appendage as he did so. Yep, yep, yep, and…yep. She was in the clear. Her chakra was flowing at the requisite speed without impediment and her core was retaining energy. There were no indications that its' integrity was weakening, so she was well and true stabilized.

"Alright. You can open your eyes. You should be all better now."

Akitsu's eyes widened astronomically for her usually stoic disposition. There was no way. She couldn't be…fixed, right?

As if he could read her thoughts, Naruto added, "If you don't believe me, try using your power."

Nodding, Akitsu drew from her reserves and a cold, thin mist surrounded them, chilling the air significantly. Her eyes were close to saucers. It…was so easy! She hadn't even struggled to use her energy! He...had actually…fixed her.

Bobbing his head in satisfaction, Naruto stood. "Good, everything seems in order. You did a good job of repairing your Tama. Now that you're better, you're free to leave and find your Ashikabi. I'm sure you don't want to waste any time. I'll show you out."

Snapping out of her wonder at her newfound control, Akitsu was stunned. She could find her Ashikabi. She, the Broken Sekirei, could find her very own destined one. The one dream she had always thought would remain just that was going to come to fruition. Then her heart missed a beat and she felt the dredges of anxiety rise within her chest. The blonde man was kicking her out? He didn't want her? Why did he help if he was going to make her leave? Her eyes became downcast and she abruptly stood up.

"Wait…please."

Naruto spoke as he wheeled around, "Yes? Can I-hmph!"

The Unbroken Sekirei grabbed him by his shirt and jerked him forward, her lips smashing into his with enough force it hurt. Ethereal wings like oceanic glass lethargically emerged from her back, casting a near electric blue tint in the wooden room. Her soft, slightly cold lips rubbed against his as she kissed him with a fervor opposite of her demeanor. In that moment, he could feel her joy, amazement, hope, gratitude, devotion, and many other things. The emotions flooded his mind as her chakra tangled with his, sending a dull vibration through their bodies. It was pleasant, for what it was worth. In that single moment, he could tell just how happy Akitsu was to be given this chance. After another long second they parted, Akitsu's cheeks lightly flushed as she panted slowly. "By the glacial eternity of my pledge, we will never melt. I will serve you forever, Ashikabi-sama." She spoke with a voice so thick with unbridled gratitude it made him uncomfortable. What had happened to the taciturn woman who had been there mere moments ago?

"R-right…Akitsu. My name is Naruto. Namikaze Naruto. It's…a pleasure to have you here." Kami above, she had winged herself to him and she hadn't even known his name!

"I feel the same, Ashikabi-sama."

She blinked for a moment in clarity before sticking a hand down her shirt and fishing for something.

Naruto sweatdropped and while slightly paranoid asked, "Akitsu, what are you doing?" He really hoped that she didn't start trying to strip under some misguided delusion. If he knew one thing about her type, it was that they were quick to misinterpret things, but have no understanding of the consequences.

Finding what she was looking for, her hand emerged with a thick envelope.

Naruto sweatdropped once more. Secrets of the female pocket dimension, I tell you.

She handed the letter to him and then latched onto his arm. Her face had returned to its' neutrality, though there was still a noticeable glow about it. "Adjustor gave me this letter. Said it was from CEO. Told me I would meet special person, and give this to that person."

He ignored the pleasurable warmth wrapped around his arm and trapped against her chilled body in favor of the envelope. Opening it, there was a small card that read: 'I hope you like your housewarming gift.'

Minaka, that devious son of a… Heh, this was one hell of a present. Things were going to become very different within Maison Izumo from here on out.

XXXXXXXXXX

A light brightened the screen of a phone in an otherwise dark room. Minaka grabbed the device and read the notification. A deep grin crawled onto his face as he read the message.

'Sekirei 07; Status: winged. Ashikabi: Namikaze Naruto.'

"Just like I knew you would. I wasn't wrong to believe it was a good idea to send her to you. I hope you like the present, Naruto-san."

A cackle of laughter echoed through the room, silenced by the soundproof walls of his office.

XXXXXXXXXX

AN: And that's a wrap! Took me a little longer to get this moving than usual, so I apologize. I've been kept quite busy with the rest of livelihood. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I look forward to posting again soon.

One important note: From here on out, I'll be slowing my posting speed down a bit. With us starting to leave the prologue, things will start picking up soon, I think. As such, I'm going to spend a little more time to make sure everything is in proper order. Shouldn't be much longer of a wait, maybe two weeks per at the most.

That's all folks! Take care!