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.

7. Chapter 7: Encounters of the 4th Kind

Flight of Bladed Wings

Chapter 9: Close Encounters with the Fourth Kind

AN: Hello again everyone! I hope you've been well. I'm sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. Between finishing up finals week and writer's block, I got stuck for a little while. Good news is I am now officially a university upperclassman and I got through the writer's block! I've had about self-limiting conversation in the book with myself about having this out on time, but I pushed through it. Hell, I stressed for two days before my scheduled posting date because I wasn't going to finish on time. Ultimately I decided to let go of my need to be right and look good in favor of having a well-done chapter that makes everyone happy. I'm trying to not make a habit out of posting behind schedule, but I'd rather have a good chapter behind schedule than a shoddy one on time. That said, I really hope this chapter lives up to standards, and thank you all for being patient with me.

Now, onto one of the most important parts of this story: the harem! Please keep the votes coming in! The current votes are truly neck and neck, so it's hard to pick decisive winners. As it stands, it won't be too critical just yet, but within the next couple of chapters I'm going to have to cut the polling since I'll have to start working said characters in. I would pull an executive override if absolutely necessary, but I myself don't know which ones I want in since I like them all. Though, cough, I wouldn't object, cough, if you all wanted to keep Homura, cough, or Uzume, cough. It's not like I'm playing favorites or anything. Nope, definitely not. Oh, another note! I think I'm going to change the total down to 8, seeing as I've had a couple of changes in ideas. I've substituted one member and cut one out, so I thought I would at least fill you in on the intended count.

And as always, the review responses! You all made me really happy with your reviews this last chapter. Every single one was encouraging and many were well detailed. You as readers and reviewers make this so very worthy it for me. I'm grateful to each of you. Heh, I kinda couldn't help myself in responding this time. There was no way I could convince myself to only pick a few. Sorry in advance for the extra scrolling time!

OrionSmithArchive, I'mma say something really Southern like, 'She's as happy as a bass at a fishing shop.' Yuegen is grumpy right now. Akitsu, ironically, represents the cracks beginning to form around Naruto's icy heart. And of course more interesting mornings! Who's to say when Naruto will change…

Garnetio Solozari, I got you some gold foil to upgrade your Santa hat. Take it, it's shiny. Akitsu really is one of those tropes that never gets old. She's like a prereq at this point I think. Kukuku, thanks to some awesome reviewers and a little practice, my shinobi writing jutsu are getting better. (Good work, shadow clones!)

Archilles, you're welcome! Let the drama ensue!

demoncreater2002, glad to hear from you again! The dynamics are making noticeable changes as things are progressing. With time comes even more. Thank you for being a steadfast reader thus far!

Aaron Leach, thank you for always leaving me encouraging reviews. They are always noticed and always appreciated.

NarutoMasterXt, your review made me truly, genuinely, happy to read. Thank you for that! It makes my heart swell with pride knowing that I have readers like you to keep me going.

G3neSyS, man, you keep leaving me gold with your reviews! Heh, though a bit used, I think the Akitsu trope never gets old. Not to me, at least. Heh, Yuegen's in for a ride what with the new competition. Or rather, if she doesn't want Akitsu to take over, she's gonna have to get it together, drama and all. We've seen how, Naruto, ahem, handles affection, and I can say it will be interesting to experience. I appreciate that you appreciate the world building and the additions. Some of those characters will have some prevalence going forward, but who, how much, and what are all for later, heheh. Thank you again for your wonderful review!

Acolyte of the Blood Moon, it certainly did. I'm really happy that you liked the chapter. Leaves me with a satisfied, complete sort of feeling. I'm gonna keep doing my best to round characters out while keeping things lively with a bit of action. Your reassurance on that means the world. Personally, I think this was the worst time for Akitsu to join the picture, for her sake at least. They're all in for a ride. Thanks again!

biob1, thanks! I hope it lives up to your expectations!

Fallen-Ryu, those two are certainly a quirky pair, huh? MBI kinda makes me think of someone poking a venomous snake with a stick. Probably not the best idea they ever had. I like this theory of yours on Kakaro, hehehe…cryptic outro… I'm glad you like how things are developing. It's such a huge part of this story that it would be disheartening if I couldn't keep it well-done.

NobodyOwens5, honestly, when I have as many amazing readers, including you, as I do, I can't help but do my best. Total anime (Ganbatte!) cliché, but it's true for me. Last chapter was certainly fun to write. And I maaay or may not have some plans possibly maybe for some club members, hypothetically. I appreciate your note about Yuegen. I meant to keep her a bit quiet, but I think you're right about her being a little too much on the side. Heheh…my man. Gotta have a level of appreciation for the bigger things in life. Or is it grander? Can't remember. As always, thank you.

thor94, glad you liked it! While I don't know about Yukari, I do have some plans for Minato further down the line. To keep things a little cryptic, let's just say Naruto and Miya will learn some dark secrets about each other with time.

R-king 93, realize I probably haven't mentioned it directly, but thank you as always for leaving positive reviews each chapter. I really appreciate it.

M2R, don't worry, he gon' get 'er alright.

9m4re, Trust me, the drama is gonna get good. Some types of drama I don't like, but this kind, I love. Give me the time to let my little dramatic mind come up with all the good stuff, and I promise you won't regret it. And thanks! Doing my best to keep things good!

Azaira, glad you're enjoying.Heh, I love all twitchy everyone is getting over Kakaro. Trust me, when his time comes, you'll at the very least enjoy his part in things. I promise the story will focus on Naruto's perspective only. I don't like the shifting mains style of writing. Canon pairings will be two at most, 1 at minimum. Hope that eases some worries!

Corpse Candle, first thing's first, I like the user handle. Second, oh yeah. The shifting dynamics are gonna be the gold going forward. Oh, just wait until Miya gets caught with her hand in the cookie jar when our favorite silver Sekirei sticks around.

As always, thank you to our guest reviewers and all of you who followed, favorited, or just read in general. You guys are the best!

And without further ado, on to the chapter.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Hm…"

Naruto stared through squinted eyes at the object in his hand. Quite honestly, he wasn't exactly sure how to work this thing.

"Hm…"

Why would Minaka bother to give him this? Was he up to something? Or maybe he should say up to something again.

"Hm… isn't this what they call a smartphone?"

Yes, in Naruto's hand was a state of the art smartphone, courtesy of Hiroto Minaka. It had been included in the envelope Akitsu had delivered, with the only mentions being, 'I think this will make talking easier. Enjoy.'

"Well, good thing I know someone who can help me figure out this contraption."

Naruto walked down the hallway of Maison Izumo's second floor, making his way to the end of the corridor. Doors passed him by as he walked deeper and deeper until the last bedroom had passed him. Yet he continued walking. When he reached the wall at the end, he paused. If you listened closely, you could almost hear the sound of giggling behind the wall. That was impossible though, right?

Raising a leg in the air he thrust kicked the wall, sending it spinning open in a rapid revolution. Yes, the wall spun. Who would have thought.

"Waaaaaah!" rang a distressed cry, startled by the sudden invasion to their hidden sanctum.

The room was small and dark, only illuminated by the numerous digital screens packed tightly against the far wall. The room had a bit of a whiffy odor, most likely emanating from the many wrappers, empty cans, and…questionable magazines scattered across the tatami mats on the floor. It also could have been from the large comforter covering the walk space. Who knew when the last time it had been washed was. Or the user of said comforter herself for that matter. And he didn't even want to start with the stain marks in scattered locations.

A red-headed woman with her hair tied into a long, side-plaited braid sat near the computer screens. She was wearing a plain white cheongsam with a diamond square cut out in the chest, exposing a teasing amount of cleavage. Naruto thought she was pretty in all honesty, but she wasn't really his type.

"Hey, I've got a job for you."

Her heart shaped face was morphed into a startled rictus as she breathed heavily and clutched a hand to her impressive chest, trying to slow the sudden shot of adrenaline in her system.

"Don't scare me like that Naru-tan! You'll give me a heart attack! Anyways, Matsu is very busy, so whatever you need will have to wait."

Matsu turned back to the book in her lap and started giggling perversely as she flipped another page.

An abyssal aura surrounded Naruto and his face took on the classic look of an angry yakuza as he stalked up to Matsu.

"Huh? What was that? I think I must have heard you wrong. I could swear I just heard you tell me no. You, want, to, repeat, what, you, just, said?"

Matsu started sweating bullets profusely in the face of, well, Naruto. The shut-in Sekirei tossed her book across the room and waved her hands frantically in a gesture of misunderstanding. "Eeeek! N-no, you must have heard misheard me, Naru-tan! Matsu said she has nothing going on right now, nope, nothing at all! Matsu would be absolutely happy to do you a favor!"

The aura faded away from Naruto as he stood back in his normal posture, nodding his head. "That's more like it. You owe me big time after the camera incident."

This was of course referring to all the cameras Naruto had found in his room upon moving into the house. Naruto had immediately confiscated them, obviously. Finding the hidden devices was a piece of cake for the former apprentice of Konoha's – and likely the entire Elemental Nation's – greatest spymaster. At first, he hadn't made a big show out of it, but he had come knocking a couple of days ago to give his peeping Tom a piece of his mind. Matsu was still scarred from that conversation.

"M-Matsu is still very, very sorry about that. I meant to take those down before you moved in, but I kinda forgot." She scratched her head sheepishly and chuckled nervously. A lie of course, but her head was in the proverbial lion's mouth by the by.

Naruto didn't look exactly convinced, but he would let it go for now. He had more important things to do at the moment.

"Mhm. I want you to check this phone for bugs of any kind. I'm not completely convinced it's clean." Just like something else I can think of.

He tossed the electronic device roughly at Matsu, as if it wasn't a semi-fragile object.

Matsu clumsily caught the phone and turned it over as she gave it her appraisal. "Isn't this the phone the CEO sent you?"

Naruto nodded, "One and the same. I don't completely trust that it isn't tapped, so I want you to check. Let me know when you're done." He turned and walked out of the room, shutting the wall-door on his way out.

Matsu let out a visible sigh and allowed her shoulders to droop upon his exit. She grumbled under her breath, "Naru-tan is a big meanie. Making poor Matsu do his dirty work. Slave driver."

"What was that?"

"Ulp! N-nothing Naru-tan, nothing at all! Heheh," Matsu stuttered.

Matsu wept salty waterfalls as the sound of Naruto's footsteps faded down the hall.

Seriously, the blonde was scary.

A rolled up ero-magazine came plowing through the door and beaned Matsu in the head with a sound like a wash-pan, sending the girl to the ground in a heap.

"Think quieter next time!" Naruto's agitated voice emanated down the hall.

Matsu sat up slowly with cracked glasses, a large red welt formed on the top of her head. "I-it seems Naru-tan still hasn't forgiven me for the cameras," she spoke woozily. Matsu crumbled to the ground as her soul floated out of her body and her eyes spun in whirls.

XXXXXXXXXX

Matsu was a real piece of work, Naruto thought. Upon entering the living room he was greeted by the sight of Yuegen, Akitsu, and Miya all sitting at the table eating the veritable feast the landlady had prepared for breakfast.

"Good morning, Naruto-san." Miya greeted pleasantly from the head of the table with a smile.

"Good morning to you too, Miya-san," Naruto returned, sliding into his seat at the table closest to the doorway.

"Good morning, Ashikabi-sama." Akitsu spoke in quiet monotone from her spot to his left. She scooted over a little closer in her seat to sit closer to Naruto, their shoulders almost touching from the action.

"I've told you not to call me that, Akitsu. Naruto is just fine. No need for all the formalities here."

"Sorry, Naruto-sama."

"Sigh, guess that's as good as I'll get for now," Naruto muttered to himself. Turning to look at his as of yet silent Sekirei, Naruto greeted her too. "Good morning, Yuegen."

"Morning." Yuegen uttered succinctly, only briefly turning from her food to acknowledge her Ashikabi's presence.

Cue another sigh. She wasn't exactly being subtle about her distaste for Akitsu's winging. He didn't get it. When he had winged her, she had mentioned that she was expecting he would attract more Sekirei to him, but here she was being all grumpy when it actually happened. Moody woman. It's not like he chose to wing Akitsu. She had got the drop on him when he hadn't expected it. Who would have thought the reticent Akitsu could be so bold?

"Ashikabi-sama, here." He snapped back to reality where a pair of chopsticks were hovering in front of his face carrying a small piece of fish.

"Akitsu, what did I just say about calling me that?"

"Ah, sorry."

She didn't retract her chopsticks in the least, still expecting him to eat the food presented. Did she not realize the implications of what she was doing? If he took it, there would be at least one annoyed person at the table.

Miya eyesmiled and brought a sleeve to cover her mouth in her signature move. "Ara, well aren't you two the cutest couple. I do think we need to talk about this situation though."

Naruto used the chance to turn away from the chopsticks, divulging his attention to Miya and the trending topic. If one would look closely they would see the barest pout on Akitsu's face.

"Oh? What might there be to talk about?"

"I believe it's rather obvious, Naruto-san. Getting yourself a second girlfriend is a very illicit activity, and I do believe I made the rule about illicit activities in Maison Izumo clear, didn't I?"

As she spoke the air around her body got darker and darker as the miasma built, until finally a mask with blood-red eyes and sharp, yellowed teeth emerged over her left shoulder.

The atmosphere grew tense as Naruto, the mask, and Miya stared each other down in an unspoken standoff. Yuegen and Akitsu had frozen wide-eyed in place, the piece of fish dropping from Akitsu's chopsticks and skittering across the floor. Neither side was backing down, the intensity of their glares and pressure only increasing. The air felt thick as pea soup.

All of a sudden the tension was broken when Naruto seemingly disappeared from his spot at the table and reappeared next to the Hanya mask. Naruto was chatting happily with the Hanya as it eye-smiled and grinned, bouncing happily to some conversation no one else could make out. Miya's eye twitched at the small pocket of golden atmosphere within the pitch-black realm of miasma, watching the comedy unfold. He wasn't supposed to make friends with her intimidation damn it!

Naruto paused and pulled two cups of tea out of who knows where before placing them down on a separate table that he had seen liberty to retrieve. Their enthusiasm was only sustained a brief moment longer before it was curbed by the shared realization that the Hanya did not in fact have hands with which to drink the tea he had provided. Another second passed and Naruto's mood revitalized from despondent to invigorated; a light bulb appearing above his head as he snapped his fingers in discovery. Rummaging inside his pocket he pulled out a straw and held it aloft, dramatically placing it into the tea cup. The Hanya bobbed happily and the pair sat there excitedly drinking their tea.

Miya's eye was spasming so violently it could have been mistaken for an unfortunate case of electrocution as she watched the ridiculous scene. "Naruto-san, what are you doing?" she bit out menacingly, and yet too sweetly.

Either unaffected or unaware of her mounting hostility, Naruto blinked childishly through round, innocent eyes. "I'm drinking tea Miya-tan. Right?" He turned to look at the mask, receiving a nod of confirmation from his demonic friend. Naruto tilted his head naïvely and asked, "Was there something you needed?"

Miya clenched her teeth so hard a vein throbbed in her forehead. Just as she looked ready to snap, she took a deep breath and exhaled calmly. "No, not at all. Would you return to the table and finish your breakfast please?"

Naruto and the mask exchanged a dramatic, tearful goodbye before it faded away and Naruto plopped down at the table once more.

The group remained quiet as all those present simply enjoyed the wonderful meal. Or more likely because Naruto and Akitsu weren't exactly the social sort, Yuegen was being a sourpuss, and Miya was trying to regain her composure and dignity in one.

"While we're on the subject of illicit activities, were you planning on talking about the cameras, hmm Miya?"

Said landlady screeched to a dead halt with her tea cup inches from her face. To her credit she recovered rather admirably, but the abrupt tension in her figure was incriminating enough to Naruto's keen eyes. He raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong, Miya? Cat got your tongue?"

Miya sent him a withering look in kind. "Hold yours." She sighed and stilled her nerves, preparing for the storm to come. "What cameras might you be talking about?"

"Don't feign. I knew about your camera in the kagizuru, did you think that I wouldn't notice the rest? They were well hidden, but not that well-hidden." he lilted in his usual visage of indifference and ennui.

"I am…sorry. I did not mean to offend you in any way." The words tasted almost bitter coming from her mouth. Fact of the matter was that she had simply forgotten about the devices' existence. In most rooms they had not been used since the day they were placed, but that fact was irrelevant to the man before her. What exactly about a simple apology to him felt so…wrong?

"Are you apologizing because you got caught, or because you're genuinely sorry?

Miya's mouth flattened into a thin line. She couldn't convey the real reason for their existence, and there was no other way to admit to having the cameras for any plausible cause. If he pressured her, she would have no answer. She honestly didn't know how to respond.

Nodding tightly to himself at her silence, he continued, "Property of your secret resident, right?"

Miya's heart stopped for a moment. A hint of anxiety began gnawing at her, worried for reasons unknown to her.

"Again, hidden, but not that well-hidden. I understand the need for secrecy, Miya. I have a few skeletons in my closet that I don't want discovered or I wouldn't have as much of an issue with the unbidden surveillance. As it stands, if this going to be the dynamic here, I think it might be best for us to part ways."

"There is no need for that. I truly am sorry, Naruto-san. I had her place them throughout the house some time ago and I had forgotten they were still in the room. I did not intend them for you, that I can promise you. I'll have a talk with Matsu about this."

The strained apologetic look on her face combined with the barest spasms of fidgeting showed how uncomfortable she was despite her best attempts to cover it. His lips folded into a light smile. Naruto could tell Miya really meant it. He hadn't really expected a malicious reason for the cameras, but it was much safer hearing the words come from her mouth. If she truly had been spying on them actively though…

"If you didn't know, I suppose it's alright. The perpetrator is quite contrite about her actions. Why, she verbally promised to never have cameras in our room again. Imagine that. Do you mind sharing why they were there?"

"I had Matsu install those cameras shortly after the death of my husband. At first they were simply there as a security precaution in case of a burglar, but eventually they simply became a way for Matsu to keep a monitor on the house from her room. No matter how many times I remove her 'eyes' from the bathhouse and such, she never learns."

Naruto ran a hand through his hair. Yes, that certainly did sound like the perverted redhead. A tug on his sleeve from Akitsu brought him from his mild annoyance. "Yes, Akitsu?"

The woman pointed a finger to his right wordlessly, focused on whatever had caught her attention.

To his right, Yuegen was silently shaking with her eyes shadowed. Naruto leaned away from the incensed Sekirei a little, pressing into Akitsu unknowingly, much to the deadpan Sekirei's secret joy.

"You good over there hun?"

Yuegen stopped trembling and looked up with a sharp glint in her eye, jabbing a finger straight at Miya. "I knew you were cheating when we played Go Fish!" she declared.

The other players of the game both sweatdropped. "Out of everything that was just said, that's what bothers you?" Naruto spoke flatly, neatly recovering from his near face-fault.

Yuegen turned to face her Ashikabi and crossed her arms beneath her bust. "Of course. I knew I couldn't have lost that badly. And I already plan on beating the tar out of this 'Matsu' when I find her, so there's no need to let my steam off before then."

An ominous force floated off of Miya, "What's this about beating my other residents?"

A bead of sweat trickled down Yuegen's cheek and she quickly amended her statement. "You misheard me. I said that 'Matsu' and I would be having a nice chat about her misdeeds."

Miya smiled and the energy immediately vanished as if it had never existed. "Well that's good. I encourage my residents to all get to know each other."

"Ne, ne, Yuegen. Why did you waste a perfectly good chance to bring out the nice Hanya? I wanted to play some more."

Akitsu molded deeper into Naruto's side at the mention of the terrifying masks, slipping her arms around his torso and resting her face on the side of his arm. Veins throbbing lightly in Yuegen's forehead, and she did an admirable job of seeming unbothered as she continued. "I think you're the only one who finds them nice, Naruto. Why don't you try making Miya mad yourself to get them to come out and play?"

Naruto nodded seriously and stood up, seemingly missing the sarcasm in her words. He placed a hand under each of Akitsu's armpits and hoisted her into the air like she weighed nothing. His eyes started glittering, "Can I keep her?"

Dangling in the air like a puppy dog being presented by a child to their parents in the pet store, Akitsu blushed lightly through her stoic demeanor and quietly mumbled, "I don't mind being Ashikabi-sama's pet." under her breath.

With the close proximity Naruto was able to hear her words. Nearly dropping her, he caught himself and whistled lowly. "Kinky."

Cue a deeper blush from Akitsu.

Miya was eating peacefully, not even paying attention to his antics. Or at least not looking like she was. She wasn't taking the bait this time, it seems. That or her capacity for his chaos had met its' peak for the day.

The blonde squinted at the lavendrette; he wasn't going to give up this easily. A hand slowly floated towards Akitsu's chest.

It wasn't Miya who stopped him. Before his hand could make contact with the promised land, he was yanked backwards violently shortly followed by his supply of air being cut off when Yuegen put him a tight stranglehold. The change in position forced him to drop Akitsu back to her feet – the woman looked much more disappointed than she should have.

Gritting her teeth Yuegen tightened her hold on his throat, "What exactly were you doing just now?"

Applying a thin layer of Doton chakra to his neck Naruto turned to rest his throat in the crook of her arm. "Whatever I may have possibly been doing, this is even better." He softened his muscles, allowing himself to sink deeper into Yuegen's ample bosom. This was the best chokehold he had ever been in. He almost wouldn't mind dying like this. Jiraiya would just about commit seppuku when he found out the circumstances of his apprentice's death. Wait, did that mean there was an afterlife to the afterlife? Was that a thing?

Sighing, Yuegen turned him loose. Oddly enough, Naruto didn't cough after she released him or gulp in deep breaths of air like most would. In fact he didn't even seem winded in the least. Chalking it up to another of his weird quirks, Yuegen huffed. "Don't go around groping women's chests. It's not an attractive quality for an Ashikabi." The implied message was rather my Ashikabi than an Ashikabi.

"I haven't grabbed anyone's chests, so I don't know what you mean. Or maybe you're just jealous?"

Or that.

The flat stare from the woman in question said it all.

He raised his hands in mock surrender, "Alright, alright, no need to get grumpy."

"If I'm grumpy it's only because my Ashikabi is being an idiot."

"Uhuhu…Akitsu she's being so mean to me," he cried.

"Ah. There, there." The ice Sekirei grabbed his head and buried it in her chest, idly running her fingers through his hair in consolation. Akitsu was definitely the type to miss a joke. Not that Naruto was complaining. Or trying to escape for that matter.

Wait, maybe she's actually a genius! She knew I was enjoying my pillow time, so she's playing off of her aloof, clueless trope to score some points! Devious, devious girl. You make me proud!

A tear gleamed in the corner of his eye as Naruto gave her a thumbs up. For her part, Akitsu tilted her head in confusion. Nope, Naruto was just overthinking things. She really was just clueless.

The vein in Yuegen's forehead returned with a vengeance as she stomped over to Naruto and pried him out of his self-indulged heaven. Holding the gratified blonde to her own chest she glared at Akitsu, "Don't cater to his whims like that. It will only give him more ideas."

Apparently Yuegen was unaware of the hypocrisy in that moment as she hugged Naruto from behind into her own natural consolation devices.

Miya cleared her throat from the table, garnering the attention of the two other women in the room. Naruto was too busy enjoying his position to give heed.

"I believe that's enough of that. If you don't finish eating the food will go cold," the beguiling lavendrette uttered with an edge of steel.

Naruto hit the ground with a thud as Yuegen dropped him like a sack of potatoes.

Rubbing his head with a hand Naruto, Naruto muttered some obscenities beneath his breath and rejoined the table. His focus wasn't on the meal, though. His eyes stayed glued to his first Sekirei as she ate, who was completely unaware of his tumultuous thoughts.

He knew Yuegen hadn't been a very big fan of him winging Akitsu. Yuegen was very much the type to make her thoughts and feelings clear, so when she didn't speak up it was almost as direct as when she did speak in his mind. With this issue, she had made it abundantly clear that she wasn't happy. For now, he didn't know what to do about that. There likely wasn't anything he could say or do to help settle things. The addition of a new Sekirei had only served to act as the baking soda to the vinegar of their relationship. Her attitude was already different now that Akitsu was a part of the picture. As much as she tried to be mad at him, whenever Akitsu did something like put his head in her chest, Yuegen would jump in. To put it bluntly, she was beginning to show a bit of a possessive side, not that she realized it. Heh, maybe this was exactly what Yuegen needed to help settle her convoluted emotions. The flames of rivalry may help her be honest with herself, or at least bring what she truly wanted to the surface. Ironic, considering Akitsu was an ice Sekirei.

XXXXXXXXXX

Nature: for most, it serves as an escape. In example, when people are stressed and trying to relax, they're likely to put on some calm, natural sounding music. It's a completely standard escape from the anxiety. Perhaps a more blatant example would be a vacation. On vacations, people visit the mountains, the beaches, or other lands – all of which are bound by nature. It's simply the human way to keep ourselves in some way connected with nature. Home gardens, parks, etc. No matter how much time passes, the true world will always serve as such a sanctity. Naruto was no exception.

The blonde sat peacefully beneath a large tree in the garden, eyes closed in relaxed meditation. If one were to look closely, that the grass was greener on the other side was not so much a proverb as an off reality in his enclosed setting. The grass in a radius around him was noticeably more verdant, as if for whatever reason may be the flora were healthier. The pacific serenity surrounding him only served to further that strange notion.

Not that anyone could possibly know it, Naruto was drawing upon nature chakra through his sage mode, creating the effect that the common observer would see. Being caught wasn't a particularly harrowing thought for him. Over the years he had refined his technique to the point that even someone who knew what to look for would only experience the euphoric, tranquil feeling he generated.

This effect applied to more than just humans. Several small birds were huddled together on his shoulders and a squirrel quietly slumbered curled up in his lap, tail occasionally twitching in time with its' dreams. Nearby insects marched a barrier around him, either protecting him like a hive or simply circling to feel his energy. He wasn't an Aburame so he couldn't be sure.

The light crunching of grass nearby told him that he had visitors, though in all reality he could sense them coming without the audible cue. Despite his closed eyes, he could use his nature chakra to create a sort of sonar effect using the presence of life itself as the identifier, giving him a sixth sense for indirect sight.

'People coming,' one of the birds chirped to him.

Naruto subtly thanked it with a pulse of his chakra, the little bird fluffling up contentedly on his shoulder in kind.

The pair who had been bickering lightly halted their march upon finding their quarry, though both of them were a little intrigued by the state in which they found him.

"Animals like Naruto-sama," Akitsu observed aloud.

Yuegen motioned for her to be quiet. "Hush, we don't want to disturb him while he's meditating."

Seemingly not even hearing Yuegen speak, Akitsu sidled up to Naruto's side, curiously watching one of the birds on his shoulder. "Ah, birdy." She hesitantly extended a finger towards the animal, but it shied away from her touch. Looking contrite, Akitsu settled for a consolation; sitting down to Naruto's right and leaning onto his shoulder comfortably.

Annoyed either by being ignored, Akitsu cuddling up to Naruto, or both, Yuegen flopped down to Naruto's left. She grabbed his arm and tugged the blonde away from Akitsu to rest against herself. "Don't bother him right now. He's trying to relax."

Naruto sweatdropped at the irony of her declaration. Yuegen really was starting to become a mother hen. A possessive mother hen. Who would have known that this would be what emerged once the dust began to settle?

Quite literally out of the blue a large hawk comically landed on top of Naruto's head. Thoroughly comfortable amidst his golden locks, the avian poofed his feathers, turning into a giant floof ball on its' self-made perch.

He was lucky he had seen the bird coming and coated his 'landing pad' with Doton chakra. Even unconsciously most hawks had grip strengths of around 400 pounds, and in combination with their dagger like claws, they could pierce through flesh like butter.

The Sekirei blinked with varying reactions to the spontaneous sight.

"Big bird on your head." Akitsu helpfully supplied.

"Use proper sentences!" Yuegen huffed. "And what did I say about talking while he's meditating?"

The man in question took the opportunity to speak and make his presence known, startling the pair. Neither had known he was conscious. "It's a hawk. You can tell by its' white belly." He reached up to scratch the raptor's belly, the hawk not even bothering to watch his hand in action.

"You might find this interesting: did you know that Harris' hawks are the only breed that hunt in a pack?"

Cracking a cerulean eye open he watched the pair shaking their heads in the negative. Naruto continued his trivia. "Harris' hawks are native to the Southwest area of the United States, mainly in the desert regions like the state of Arizona. They fly in packs of five or so in a linear formation to reduce the wind resistance for the others. Despite their bulky size, the males only weigh about a single pound, while the females weigh two pounds on average. On the hunt, the males will chase their prey until it gets tired and then switch with the next male while taking to the back of the pack. When the prey eventually expends itself, the larger females swoop in for the kill. It's an effective hunting tactic that only fails if their quarry can hide before being caught. Very few birds of the avian kingdom hunt in the way Harris' hawks do. In a way it reminds me of… never mind. That's Naruto's trivia lesson for the day."

Akitsu clapped lightly while Yuegen still hung off his arm. Her eyes at least gave off the impression that she had found his little anecdote interesting. Naruto would have taken a bow if he wasn't occupied by birds of all sorts, if you got what he meant.

Mirroring her metal-wielding counterpart, Akitsu re-hooked onto Naruto's other arm, the appendage sinking into the generous valley of her breasts. Apparently Yuegen wasn't the only one who didn't like the position. One of the birds perched on Naruto's shoulder chirped indignantly at the intruder and began nipping at her exposed skin. The blonde sage idly noted that it was the same bird who had given him a heads up before.

The ice Sekirei pulled away at the half-cute half-irritating attack, mumbling something about the birdies being mean. The green-haired Sekirei on Naruto's other arm chortled amusedly, "And it seems I've become the last Sekirei standing."

A bird on the corresponding shoulder turned and chirped at Naruto, speaking some covert message that only he would receive. His face twitched with a subtle turn of the lips and a tiny nod, prompting the bird to do whatever it pleased. It took off from his shoulder and hovered above Yuegen's head before, ahem, carpet bombing right down her shoulder. Most times, that would be no big deal; the dropping would be solid enough to just bounce right off. Not this bird. As it released its' payload of 'sunscreen' onto her shoulder, Yuegen froze in the middle of a laugh.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

"Ah you gotta be fucking kidding me!" she began looking around for something, anything, to clean herself off with.

Lo and behold Naruto sitting between a depressed Akitsu with a gloom cloud above her head still muttering about the 'angry birdies' and Yuegen frantically trying to wipe the bird shit off her shoulder amidst cries of 'Ugh, it's soaking through my shirt!' and 'Ah it's so liquidy!'. He couldn't stop himself. Bursting out into full laughter, his bemusement spooked all the birds and woke the poor squirrel in a frenzy.

Yuegen's head swiveled mechanically with murder in her eyes as Naruto wiped away a tear from the corner of his own, obviously struggling to catch his depleted breath. She robotically raised her arms in an obvious gesture for a hug, "Come here, Naruto. I want a hug." She looked like a disgruntled child with her arms raised like she wanted to be picked up.

The toad sage leaned back from the stained steel Sekirei, already seeing where this was going. "The fact that this is the first time you ask me for a hug is suspicious. I'll pass, thanks. I'm sure Akitsu would be happy to share the love with you."

"No, I want you to give me a hug. Just accept it already." She inched towards him like a pissed-off predator. The closer she got the farther way he moved, until he bumped into Akitsu's leg, shaking her out of her funk.

"Sorry dear," Naruto whispered.

Naruto did a back hand spring to avoid a giant bear hug from Yuegen, vaulting behind Akitsu. Why or how all the animals still clung to Naruto as he flipped through the air was a mystery.

Landing on his feet, Naruto appraised the situation with a connoisseurly eye. When he had dodged, Yuegen had ended up latching onto Akitsu as collateral. End effect: now there were two soiled Sekirei.

"Aww, it's so nice to see you two finally making up and accepting each other. Almost brings a tear to my eye." One of the birds stepped up onto his finger and he used the small animal as a faux handkerchief.

The unfortunate victim remained as aloof as ever despite the runny white trail marring her clothes. Contemplating something in her head for several seconds, Akitsu said only one word after all her time in thought: "Messy." Naruto had to quickly stop her when she tried to wipe it away with her bare hands.

Well, at least Akitsu didn't seem particularly bothered. Yuegen on the other hand…

"Alright, that's it. You're gonna get it now."

"Heavens to Murgatroyd! Exit stage left!" Naruto took off through the yard, dodging obscenities and lunges from his first Sekirei the entire way.

"You all should probably leave now," speaking to the birds clinging to his shoulders of course. With a flutter of wings his shoulders quickly became devoid of avian life.

"That includes you too." The hawk gave him something akin to a grunt and took off with a great beat of its' wings.

Spinning away from a mad grasp, Naruto brandished the final critter clinging to him like a kunai.

"Gitter squirrel! (no jutsu)" He tossed the rodent like a ninja implement, little arms extended and a gleam in its' eye as it approached Yuegen too fast for her to evade.

Yuegen's eyes widened right before a furry tree rat smacked into them, instantly latching on for dear life.

"Good job buddy! Keep 'er busy for me!"

The squirrel gave him a thumbs up with his tail – or maybe a tails' up? – as it chattered angrily at the Sekirei.

After several seconds of fighting with the animal she managed to peel it off and toss it away. A number of angry red scratches laid in its' wake. Bits of metal began to orbit the Sekirei, who was apparently so fed up she was resorting to her element for vengeance.

"…You're about to get a hug so tight your spine snaps. Face your retribution!"

Naruto skirted through a line of steel shards that buried themselves around him. "I think this might be a bit excessive, my dear."

"If you stop running, it won't be necessary!"

"My, I wasn't aware I had a yandere on my hands. And not even the cute kind either."

"Being a yandere would imply I had an obsession with you! At best I keep you around because you're useful!"

"…Ouch. See if I make you any more 'Favorite Sekirei' omelets. Akitsu is my new favorite!"

The variety and number of weapons attacking him suddenly tripled. Naruto sweat dropped, Someone didn't like that. She's actually trying to kill me now~ he sing-songed to himself.

Naruto slid through the open door to the living room, narrowly avoiding a veritable iron maiden made purely of Yuegen's shrapnel.

Dipping through the halls of Maison Izumo Naruto suddenly leapt like a tiger, dive-rolling to a stop right behind Miya's back.

"Safe!"

A second later Yuegen charged into the room, breathing ruggedly but decidedly lacking in weaponry. Seemed she at least had the foresight to not bring pointy objects into the house.

Naruto poked his head out from behind the confused Miya's back. The look in his eyes spelled smug victory, and the green-haired Sekirei had to say she wasn't a fan of it. He was taunting her wasn't he?

"Ara, safe from what, Naruto-san?" Miya spoke from her position above his head.

"Yuegen's been attacking me viciously, Miya. You were just in time to save me."

"That's-"

"Oh, is that true, Yuegen-san?" Her customary dangerous aura appeared in full.

"He made the first move." Impressively Yuegen didn't stutter or make much of a sign of affectation. Either she was doing a good job of hiding it or she was building up a resistance already. Miya had better step up her game if that was the case. Couldn't have a wild Yuegen running around. That would be trouble for all parties involved.

Now Naruto was on the hot seat, so to speak. "See, it's like this: I was out in the yard meditating with the animals, minding my own business, when these two," referring to Yuegen and Akitsu, who was stealthily peeking out from behind the doorframe, "came and bothered me. To truncate, one of the birds bit Akitsu and another bombed Yuegen, of course I couldn't help but laugh! She got mad and started chasing me around like a madwoman, so I instinctively threw the squirrel in my lap at her. It's not my fault she didn't dodge. Being as immature as she is, mean old Yuegen started attacking little old me with all her Sekirei voodoo and here we are," he finished cheerfully. He was totally playing the victim card, but he really wanted to see how this played out.

Yuegen crossed her arms under her bust, "See, he started it."

Naruto raised a finger in objection, "In my defense, I personally never did anything violent."

Miya hummed thoughtfully, "I suppose you didn't. Yuegen-san looks to be the guilty party in this case."

Said Sekirei looked taken aback. "What?" she tactfully replied. Naruto stuck his tongue out at her from behind Miya's back. Yuegen levelled a glare at her Ashikabi, "Why you-"

"Yuegen-san, you're not exactly helping your case glaring at Naruto-san like that. And Naruto-san stop antagonizing her."

"Hhn!"

Miya sighed and closed her eyes. "Alright, off to timeout with you. I believe that will be a suitable punishment."

"Wait what?"

"Would you rather skip lunch instead?" Miya replied with challenging implication.

"…"

Miya eyesmiled, "That's what I thought. Off to the living room with you until lunch is ready."

"Can I at least change my shirt first?" Yuegen motioned to the nice present that had been left for her.

"That's fine."

"Naruto, you'll be doing the dishes later for your hand in things."

Naruto stifled a smile. He was already going to do that anyways, and Miya knew that. Perhaps this was her apologizing in a way for the indirect spying.

"Yes dear."

Miya whirled around like an eddy. "What was that?"

"Yes Miya."

Thus the head of house hummed a noise of dismissal and made her graceful exit.

It appeared that Yuegen for her part was all out of steam as she grumbled her way all the way up the stairs. She returned several minutes later, still grumbling and with a fresh shirt, before making her way to the couch and flopping down.

Naruto ignored Yuegen's petulant glares peeking above the back of the couch with indifference.

"Ashikabi-sama?"

"What have I said about calling me that?"

"Ah, Naruto-sama?"

"Yes, Akitsu?"

The Sekirei in question blushed cutely, contrasting her pale skin wonderfully. "Am I…really your favorite?"

Pointedly ignoring Yuegen's growling in the background, Naruto pounded his chest lightly as he choked on air. Akitsu had been listening to his banter earlier? He had said it as a joke, but Akitsu wouldn't understand that. She was much too innocent to understand the widow's trap she had put him in. Actually it might be better to say she was the monotone equivalent of a child, simply repeating the words of adults and believing everything she heard.

"You're both my favorites." Nice one, Naruto. You went with the textbook nice guy route that keeps anyone from being hurt but ultimately means you don't win either girl.

Akitsu cocked her head to the side, "Is that…how it works?"

She had taken his words at face value, as predicted. That was a rather troublesome habit of hers. On one hand, it made it easy to communicate with her, and on the other hand that same flat interpretation of communication could come back to bite him in the ass when she didn't take certain social cues.

"It is indeed."

The pair settled into a stunted silence, neither feeling a need to speak unnecessarily.

"How noble of you. My heart is filled by the abundance of feelings on display." At least before the peanut gallery decided to heckle them. Yuegen placed her elbows on the ridge of the couch and leaned forward, her breasts spilling over the side of the couch rather enticingly. Not that he would say it. Her mean streak was already long enough without anyone providing ammunition.

"Aw, Yuegen-chan's a little grumpy because Miya sent her to timeout. Didn't you know throwing temper tantrums past age four is just distasteful?"

"You son of a…!"

"Ne, Akitsu-chan, as good boys and girls we should tease Yuegen for being sent to timeout. It makes perfect sense."

Akitsu nodded slowly at her Ashikabi's words. After several seconds of staring at Yuegen, she said, "Yuegen is mean like birds."

Naruto sweatdropped at her rather bland line. What had he been expecting? Akitsu may have only been with them for a single night, but her personality was laid bare in those interactions. He needed to get her a hobby.

At the time Naruto didn't realize how much of a hypocrite he was with that statement.

Yuegen snorted in amusement rather than indignation, "Careful Akitsu or the birds might come for you too."

"That's okay."

The fact that all threats and commonalities fell through in the face of Akitsu's indifference was rather bemusing, Naruto discovered.

"Excuse me Gilligan, I believe you need to go back to being quiet on your little island over there."

"Miya didn't say anything about me having to stay silent jackhole," his first Sekirei deadpanned.

"I suppose so. Hold up, I'll be right back." Naruto made to stand but quickly found Yuegen shifting to a placating stance.

"I got it, I got it! Damn," she grumbled as she disappeared behind the couch to brood.

Holding in his amusement Naruto found himself simply observing Akitsu beside him at the table. The gaze was mutual as she too studied him. She was looking much better than yesterday now that she had gotten food, sleep, a bath, and a proper change of clothes. Fortunately, Yuegen's clothing fit Akitsu pretty well in all the important areas, so that hadn't been a particularly trying ordeal. For his health either.

"Alright, now that the nuisance is gone, why don't we talk for a bit to pass the time?"

Akitsu blinked in consternation, whether that was over trying to figure out who the nuisance was or over being asked to talk, he didn't know.

"Talk about what, Naruto-sama?"

He hummed in thought. What did he want to talk about? He hadn't really though that far ahead. Social interaction was hard.

"Anything. Likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams. That sort of thing."

Naruto's second Sekirei placed a delicate hand to her face, "I like Naruto-sama. I don't dislike anything. No hobbies. I want… to stay with Naruto-sama forever."

Does this girl have absolutely no aspiration whatsoever?!

That was a little too daunting for him. This girl, who he had known less than twenty four hours, was talking about how the only thing she cared about in this world was him, and that her only goal was to stay with him forever. What made it worse was that it was a wish he could never grant. Not because of who, but what he was. The least he could do was keep her happy, for however long they were together. Maybe that way it would hurt less for her, for both of his Sekirei, when the game or his curse separated them.

"I-I see. Is there anything you want to do today?"

"Not really. Do you Naruto-sama?"

"Good question."

Naruto absently stroked his chin as he was put on the spot. There wasn't anything he particularly wanted to do either. He needed to take Akitsu clothes shopping at some point, but that probably would have to wait. With the delivery of Minaka's phone, it wouldn't be long until the call. In fact, it wouldn't surprise him in the least if it happened within the circadian.

"Well, I think we'll just hang around the house for now. I'm expecting a work call, so I need to be here until then. We'll go out another time."

Akitsu obediently nodded her head. She would do whatever her Ashikabi wanted, no matter what. She would be happy as long as he was happy. That was the only way she could thank him for giving her the chance to fulfill her most cherished wish.

"Okay."

The peanut gallery returned with a droll snort of derision at the scene unfolding in the other room.

"On second thought, let's go elsewhere to enjoy our time. A certain grumpy Sekirei is making it clear as crystal she doesn't want us around."

"I like that idea."

Naruto blinked in surprise. Did Akitsu…just make a jab at Yuegen? A wide grin split his face – he was impressed Akitsu knew how to do that. Something he made known.

"Hahaha even Akitsu is tired of Yuegen's shit and she just got here!"

Yuegen scowled lightly at his ever-annoying tendency to try and get beneath people's skin. "It's not my fault you make everyone want to take you down a peg. That's simply your abrasive personality at work."

"That's the pot calling the kettle black. I will concede you that point though," Naruto shrugged. One of the easiest ways to keep people away was to keep them on the defensive. Hard to make any forward progress when you're always off balance.

"Ta, ta, troublemaker," Naruto spoke dismissively as he and Akitsu left the room.

Yuegen sighed and flopped back down onto the couch. "…I get the feeling that I may kill him one day because of that attitude of his." Her lips turned downward into a deep frown as her thoughts did the same. "What are you doing Yuegen…? This disdain isn't helping you out at all. I think…if I don't get my act together, Akitsu will end up stealing him away. What a predicament," she muttered to the open air. Why did she feel like this situation was only going to get messier from here? And why for the life of her could she not manage to settle her own raging heart?

XXXXXXXXXX

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Alright, as interesting as sitting here in absolute silence is, this is starting to get awkward," Naruto said.

Akitsu had been staring directly at him for the last five minutes without breaking her vigilance. He wasn't even sure she had blinked the entire time. Maybe that's why she always had such a sleepy look on her face.

"Ah, I don't mind. I like watching you."

Naruto sweatdropped at her somewhat ominous statement. That sounded a lot creepier than she probably realized.

Please don't let Akitsu be some kind of yandere. I'm already having a hard enough time with Yuegen switching between tsundere and kuudere all the time. Wait, does she even identify as either of those? She hasn't shown a 'dere' side at all since that little incident in the apartment, and even then that wasn't really her speaking. This is totally unfair. Wait, no it's not. I haven't been all deredere either.

A figurative bolt of lightning flashed behind Naruto. Wait, does that mean I'm a kuudere? Or maybe a tsundere? Noooooooo I'm turning into a Yuegen!

In the living room Yuegen sneezed and rubbed her nose. She suddenly had the urge to smack Naruto upside the head. Again.

"Ashikabi-sama, are you alright?" Blue-grey eyes hovered only an inch from his, so close that their noses were nearly touching.

Naruto recoiled from the unexpected close proximity between himself and Akitsu. "Whoa, Akitsu! When did you get there? And what did I say about calling me Ashikabi-sama? It's annoying."

Akitsu looked like a puppy that had been kicked as her eyes became downcast and shadows cloaked the upper half of her face. "Sorry Naruto-sama," she croaked.

Naruto winced at the heart-wrenching combo put on by his newest Sekirei. He almost felt guilty amidst her quiet mutterings of 'Naruto-sama hates me,' over and over to herself. Okay, he did feel a bit guilty. She was taking this waaaay too personally.

"Akitsu, I didn't say you were annoying. I just don't like being called Ashikabi-sama. I have a name, you know. How would you like it if I called you 'Sekirei' instead of Akitsu?"

Her face cleared up at his attempt to soothe her. "If that's what you want, I would gladly." Naruto couldn't even laugh, the rigorous devotion plastered on her face made it all too clear that she was serious.

The blonde smacked a hand to his face in frustration. She had completely missed the point.

"Let me put it this way: there are a number of Ashikabi and Sekirei out there, so by calling me that how am I any different from them? Am I just any old Ashikabi to you?"

"O-of course not Naruto-sama! You're the best Ashikabi I could ever dream of and I could never love another Ashikabi like I do you!" Akitsu maniacally ranted through wide eyes. She spoke so fast she almost sounded like an auctioneer. How she managed to portray such panic through her monotone he had no idea. His plan was somehow a defeat and a victory at the same time. Who knew her insecurities ran so deep? Needless to say he was quite uncomfortable at the moment.

"R-right. Please try to remember what I said in the future."

She nodded rapidly in agreement, giving him a taste of just how screwy her sense of devotion was. Akitsu was going to need a lot of work on her mental state, he could tell. He supposed that she was going to fit in rather well with their current crowd. Not one of them was completely right in the head…he actually kinda liked it that way. Normal was much too droll. Being a part of the crowd had never been Naruto's thing. It was hard enough having one Sekirei, but two was pushing his limited capacity. He could only hope that there wouldn't be more Sekirei flocking to him, as Yuegen's weird prediction had decided.

XXXXXXXXXX

For the second time that day Naruto stared at a little black box in his hand.

"Hm…"

Matsu had given him the device back only an hour ago after confirming it had no bugs. Apparently either Minaka was keeping things civil or he knew Matsu was here and didn't even bother. Both were equally plausible in Naruto's mind.

"Hm…"

And yes, he was aware Matsu was a Sekirei. He had found out during their first little chat, something he was keeping in his pocket for the time being. Never knew when her Sekirei identity could be an important card.

"Hm…"

On a more important note, Minaka had seen fit to finally send him his ultimatum. In a grey bubble on the lock screen a message read, '6 p.m., Hōkai Street in the old industrial district. Have fun.'

A quick check of the time showed that it was only a matter of a few hours until the destined meeting. He would need to come up with a plausible reason for his absence to keep their suspicions waylaid. He could feel the slight tingle of nerves settling in his stomach, rippling small waves of anxiety in his system. Why was he nervous? It certainly wasn't over a potential threat to his life. He had lost any sense of self-preservation many years ago. Perhaps it was the ever-present possibility that Karasuba may be able to give him a challenge. He had felt it when they had first run into each other. The power tucked within her was incredible – it was the strongest he had felt in many, many years. She had to be a Sekirei. His mind flashed back to what Shosei had said about Number 47: the anomaly. Maybe Karasuba was this ominous figure.

An epiphany hit him like a lightning jutsu. He knew what this sense of intrepid anticipation was: he, the halcyon of the shinobi, was excited. Enthralled by the idea that this opportunity could present the fight he had been long since denied, and his eagerness could not be quelled.

A grin split his face. "I look forward to our duel, Karasuba."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Right, I'm just meeting my editor to discuss my latest work. I should be back in a few hours at most. No need to wait for me. I'll eat while I'm out."

"Alright, take care of yourself Naruto-san. I'll have the bath drawn for your return."

"Thanks Miya."

It was around 5; Naruto and Miya stood at the front door, exchanging a last parting of words before Naruto went to meet his fate. All Naruto needed was a hat to match his long coat and the scene would look like a wife seeing her husband off as he left for a day of 9 to 5.

"I'll come too."

Naruto shook his head. "I appreciate the thought, but I need you to stay here with Miya. Be sure to listen to what she tells you, and I'll be home before you know it."

The pale brunette looked like she wanted to blurt something out in protest, but the words died before they were born into the cool evening air. "Okay."

Naruto turned on his heels and exited the house. It would be far better for him to make a hasty departure before Akitsu's need for close contact drove her to make a scene. Yuegen was still grounded, but he got the feeling he would only receive a half-assed farewell from her at best. Her stubbornness was becoming harrowing to the point of draining. He could only hope her mood would shift soon. That repetitive strain was starting to become a pest with its' constant resurfacing. There were better things to tend to at present as he walked ever closer to his rendezvous.

The sensory event had refused to leave him since the moment it struck, even closer to his conscious than Akitsu, which was saying something. She had barely been more than three meters away from him at any given time, even when he used the bathroom. When he left she would be waiting silently outside the room for his return. It was really unnerving. This feeling, on the other hand, was not.

The tense anticipation had become a leading light to his day, and he had been all the more chipper for it in the hours that passed.

Naruto ran a quick inventory check, patting down his clothes and peeking into pockets. It was better that he made sure he had all he needed before the house was too far away. Mind you, most of his shinobi essentials never left his person. Or rather the scrolls and seals adorning his personage. It would be near sacrilege as a seal master to not make use of his art to its' full extent. Both of his wrists were inked with black lines in patterns that had no coherent reason to the modern age, as it should be. If anyone could understand the seals on his body, there would be a much more foreboding reason. Each seal was packed with a number of scrolls holding all of his weapons, rations, and every other shinobi aspect.

Even more sobering was the fact that every single thing in the seals had been with him since the end of the shinobi era, all of those years ago. He was sure they would have fallen to dust were it not for the fact that storage seals held their contents in stasis. In reality, they were all as new as the day they had been made because of this reality-warping effect. The world's threads were much stronger than people credited.

He was geared like he was going on a long-term mission for the village or something. Naruto balked at the idea; his eagerness was taking things way over the top. He shrugged to himself. He always carried these tools around, and it certainly couldn't hurt to be stocked, just in case. A shinobi's creed was to always be prepared, and that overstocking was far better than understocking, no matter the cost to efficiency. After all, your supplies were the difference between life and death in the field. That applied to chakra reserves as well.

Now that was a tool he wasn't expecting to be using this time around. If she could truly push him to use a jutsu, then she was powerful indeed. Secretly, he was hoping she could. In his cold heart, he wanted to feel the surge of his chakra as it molded into an offensive worthy of the old world. To experience the rush of power course through his veins as he fought for his life against a lethal rival.

His steps echoed against the hollow streets of the mostly abandoned industrial zone. Only a few streets away was the road in which he had become involved in this game. Where Yuegen and Homura had fought the twins, and he had picked up her damaged body and taken her home. It felt like a lifetime ago. He exhaled a chilled breath that visibly floated away on the evening breeze. It was way too damn cold for a day late in the spring. This was honey badger weather; it didn't give a fuck and did whatever it wanted.

He was almost there. He could see the dark green sign on the corner, reading the quest marker for his destination. She was here, he could feel it.

In the coming moments every step felt heavy like lead. The thumping of his weight into every step crashed like a hammer in his ears. His heart pulsed thickly in his chest, the energy and elation mixing into a jittering mess that made him want to outright dash just to get this started.

"We meet again, Karasuba."

The silver-haired woman was leaning against the wall of a nearby building in the mouth of an alley, a picture-perfect calm. She wore the same dark accoutrements as she had the day they met, the only difference being the addition of a keen, traditional looking katana hidden in a matching saya resting upon her left hip. She kicked off of the wall as he greeted her, a small grin adorning her pretty face.

"Oh? You don't look surprised in the least to see me."

Naruto chuckled lightly at the casual dismissal of his welcoming gesture. "It was pretty clear that it was you from the start. I'm not familiar with anyone else who would want a duel with little old me who couldn't already do so. Not quite how I expected to reunite, but I can't say I'm disappointed. Not exactly hard on the eyes you know."

She snorted in amusement. "My, flattery won't get you far with me. Though I suppose I could say the same to you."

Deciding to delve for a little information, Naruto feigned ignorance. "Why might you have asked me here, my dear?"

"Don't play dumb. You know exactly why I asked for this."

Naruto raised his hands in culpable acceptance, "Guilty as charged. I'm sure for the same reason I've been awaiting this so eagerly."

That got a rise out of Karasuba. She smirked sharply as a glint of something entered her eyes. "I was right to believe that there was something different about you. You – you're special. Now I want to see just what it is." She unsheathed her katana, "And I'll cut it out of you if I have to."

"Wait a second. Let's go somewhere less conspicuous. Preferably away from cameras."

Karasuba contemplated for several seconds, giving him a curt nod and withdrawing her blade. She expertly stowed her katana, the steel burying itself into the saya with a quiet hiss.

The two now in agreement, Naruto turned on heel and took back to the streets for a secluded destination.

As they walked, Naruto watched the silver-haired woman over his shoulder.

She intrigued him. Was it the way she held herself? That aloof, predatorial stance that told anyone to stay away lest their life be ended premature? Was it the cold, lifeless look on her face? Maybe the way she walked with such aggressive poise? Whatever it may be, there was just something that was subtly drawing him in like a current to the riptide.

"This silence is getting a little dull. Why don't we chat for a bit to liven things up?"

Karasuba's gaze was sharp as glass despite the disinterested groggy look to them. "There's no need."

"Now, now. It couldn't hurt, right? We have nothing better to do in the meantime."

"I came here to spill blood, not have a cup of tea. If you want to have a nice little playdate, you're in the wrong place."

Naruto sighed and shrugged in a 'what can you do?' manner. "The lady doth protest too much, methinks. And she's the one who asked me to come." His demeanor shifted from bemused to serious on a dime. "Tell me something; are you Number 47, by chance?"

She arched a delicate argent eyebrow. "And what might give you that impression?"

"An acquaintance of mine within MBI warned me to be cautious around a certain anomalous Sekirei. Also known as 47. Your chakra is the strongest I've felt in an epoch, so I thought it natural to assume that it might be you."

"Chakra?"

Naruto about smacked himself, but stayed his hand so as not to give himself away further. "Pardon, slip of the tongue. I meant your Sekirei energy."

Karasuba looked like she wanted to question further, but abstained. "I see. While it's a pleasant thought that you assumed me to be 47 simply because of my power, that's incorrect. I'm nothing like that perturbing woman." A terrifying grin snuck onto her face. "I am Sekirei 04: Karasuba, also known as the Black Sekirei."

…In this game, the strongest of the Sekirei are the single digits, numbers 01 through 09. They are significantly stronger than the average Sekirei…

Ah, so that's what it was. Everything made a lot more sense now. This was one of the most powerful and likely most lethal people in this entire game.

"I'm liking the sounds of this more and more. Here's far enough." The pair were in the middle of a small clearing amidst the skyscraping crags, likely an antiquated recreational area for blue collar workers on break. The district itself was still very much in use; the pseudo-park however hadn't seen use in many years by the state of disrepair. An attribute of the modern economy, he supposed. No one had time for that anymore.

The Sekirei rested a hand on the tsuba of her katana. "Good, I was starting to get impatient."

The blonde tsked at her attitude. "Now, now. There's more than enough of me to go around. Wanna see a magic trick?"

"Does it look like I'm in the mood for games?" Karasuba deadpanned.

Naruto grinned impishly, "I think you'll like this one." He turned his back to her, of course under the guise of hiding his 'magic'. His overcoat would help obscure the action to her potentially prying eyes. Placing a hand to the seal on his left wrist, he pulsed a thin line of chakra to the extremity. Within an instant his desired target appeared in a puff of smoke: a katana near matching to Karasuba's. Spinning around with a dramatic flourish, Naruto presented his 'trick'.

"And voila!"

That got a response out of Karasuba. It wasn't much – nothing more than an upwards twitch of her face. But for a woman who's resting place was half-displayed hostility and not much else, it was like a splash of color on a white canvas. "Well I certainly wasn't expecting that. How did you do that?"

His grin grew even wider. "A good magician never reveals his secrets." He tossed off his coat, revealing nothing more than his simple clothing.

Karasuba narrowed her eyes at his denial. "Fine. Prepare yourself."

She disappeared. It was if she had existed, and then in the next moment vanished off the face of the earth. Naruto raised his sword at a near reflexive speed, catching her katana on his with a loud clang only inches from his face. Flexing his muscles he pushed Karasuba back through the air. She landed on the ground gracefully but was upon him again in a flash.

She's fast.

And thus the fight began.

Karasuba immediately set a terrifying pace as she became a whirling dervish. There was barely more than a moment between her strokes. Deflecting her blade too close to his face for comfort, the blonde took a step back.

Hell of a way to start this off.

Naruto weaved through her quick onslaught with a modicum of difficulty. This might actually be a little bit of a challenge. He tilted his torso back to avoid being skewered through the chest and lashed back with an attack of his own. She was barely giving him any time to counter amidst her chain barrage.

Her sword was a near blur, a barely distinguishable streak of gray against the air as she struck endlessly. Naruto's eyes flicked around with a wild nystagmus; he wasn't able to do much more than block at the speeds she was moving. Already he could see she lived up to her supposed reputation.

They traded several blows, evenly matched for the moment. Stepping sideways, Naruto brought his blade across his body horizontally, targeting Karasuba's open kidney. Mirroring his motion, she stepped back. Naruto's blade passed by harmlessly – at least for her.

To his misfortune, the heavy-handed strike left him wide open, a position the silver-haired woman capitalized on. Karasuba slashed her sword down diagonally – right where his guard was weakest. Azure eyes widened in alarm at their encroaching demise.

The blonde smiled lopsidedly. That was if he kept being complacent.

Suddenly the blonde's moves became sharp, concise, swift. Compared to the sloppy, sluggish mess from mere seconds before, it was drastic.

Her lunge was peerlessly removed from its' course with a flourish.

So he's finally taking this serious.

In response to his spontaneous shift, Karasuba picked up the pace and power of her strikes even more. It wouldn't be any fun to kill him too quickly after all.

Ironic for the fact that her blade was nearly leaving afterimages at her insane velocity.

Strike after strike their blades met, an exchange between the two more meaningful than words could ever convey. The meetings of two souls – to varying degrees – who longed for combat and the thrill of a life or death situation.

Riposting a quick thrust from the silver-haired Sekirei, Naruto swayed his blade in a smooth swallow strike. Karasuba evaded with ease, simply flowing with the ripples his sword cut through the air.

A quick stroke of her sword missed Naruto by inches and gouged a slice of concrete from the ground in his stead. Eyes flicking back for a split second, Naruto was impressed by the prowess of her control. The strike hadn't created a single speck of debris. He was forced to raise his blade perpendicular to his body to prevent an overhead strike from splitting his skull.

"Don't look away from your opponent unless you want to die!"

The blonde threw her off with a grunt of exertion. "Duly noted." Advantaging the small window he had opened the shinobi took the offensive. Naruto brought his sword to bear and aimed his next swing at her ribs. It was no surprise to him when she fluidly parried away his sword with measured expertise.

There was the trick: he had quickly figured out that landing a hit wasn't the decisive factor in this battle. To be honest, she was a better wielder of the craft. Swordsmanship had never been his forte, and he was avoiding using chakra except for body enhancement. If he wasn't careful…she might actually beat him.

Steel rang through the abandoned courtyard in a unique song as the pair accosted with renewed fervor. Their swords met three times and latched on the fourth, blue orbs meeting ironically steel-grey.

Karasuba's arms strained lightly as their blades locked. She had held leverage initially, but slowly and surely he had leeched it away, leaving her leaning back precipitously. The blonde was a lot stronger than he looked. At first he had been falling under the weather of her assault, but now he was matching her every swing. She gritted her teeth as he began to overpower her. The amount of pressure he was exerting was incredible. She was a Sekirei, and a single digit to boot. Yet this human was able to pace her. It was nothing short of spectacular. A dark glee rose on her face. This is exactly what I wanted. A sharp cackle left her lips as the words ran through her head. She wasn't about to let him win though.

The crest at the back of her neck glowed black and the pressure between the two increased. Karasuba began to regain her lost ground, shakily forcing them back into a perfect stalemate.

"This is perfect! I'm actually having to work to take your head! If you keep impressing me I may not even kill you!"

Naruto grunted in displeasure. "Lucky me." Now was good a time as any. "If an impression is what you want, I can give you that."

Flooding his arms in chakra Naruto batted Karasuba backwards with raw strength alone. Saturating his feet with more chakra, he closed the gap at a breakneck clip. By the time Karasuba landed her flip, Naruto was already within range.

It was a speed that was impressive against even a top-notch athlete, but it was no trouble for the Black Sekirei to handle.

Their blades bayed for the other's blood, as if magnetized to the iron within. Of course, neither was willing to allow a hit, so steel clashed against steel instead of soft tissue and bone.

"You move fast for a human," she stated matter-of-factly.

Naruto grinned knowingly. "Sure, something like that." Naruto jabbed a horizontal elbow at her temple, the movement forcing her blade to the side in turn.

The argent woman didn't even bother to dodge. Angling her sword towards his chest, the blonde was compelled to call off his assault lest he impale himself.

Naruto leapt and backpedaled through the air. That had been too close – her sword had nicked his shirt infinitesimally, leaving a pinprick hole in the cloth. He brandished his katana in preparation.

His opponent charged with reckless abandon, throwing all caution to the wind.

Karasuba's black haori fluttered like darkened wings as she performed her bladed dance, bombarding him again and again and again. Naruto was suddenly reminded of his likening the silverette to a fallen angel. Damn, he was going to be in serious trouble with his own if they found out about any of this. Streaking silver snapped his hazy focus.

Spinning on her heels Karasuba attacked from the side in a vicious roundabout slash. Naruto placed his sword into an exigent vertical guard, catching the incoming implement not a moment too soon. The force from the blow alone actually threw Naruto a step to his side involuntarily.

Hello Kansai! She hits hard!

Using the inherent weakness of the position Naruto turned his blade to the side and slid in close, where her blade had no real power. Unless the battle-crazed Sekirei wanted to have a couple extra bones in her body she was going to have to back off.

Rather than move back, the woman actually took an aggressive – if not reckless – tactic, moving with a rising slash intended to disembowel him straight across. Or so he thought.

In a split second Karasuba's blade changed course, catching Naruto by surprise. He had been expecting her to continue her mid-trajectory. Proving he wasn't a former shinobi for nothing, Naruto leant his head back, the biting edge only grazing his cheek for its' efforts. A thin red rent opened up on his cheek, blood slowly oozing out like an autumn river. The scent of blood and sweat instantly coagulated into a heady aroma that made his nose twitch. It was no matter. The wound would heal within a matter of minutes thanks to his…status.

But the die was cast.

She had done it. Karasuba had drawn first blood. She had drawn actual blood from him.

"I'm impressed you dodged that. I thought you would have been a head shorter by now."

Naruto breathed heartily, displeased if his frown was any indication. "Hmph. I may not be in my prime anymore, but that certainly wasn't enough to put me out." He swiped a thumb over the bloody trail, smearing the red dye across his cheek. Already the edges of the cut were knitting themselves back together. "Nice shot. Now I've got seven whiskers."

"You're too kind." The bloodthirsty woman raised her katana to her face. Her moist, pink tongue emerged from between her soft lips, licking the blood off the edge of the blade. "Mm. Tastes good."

Naruto shuddered lightly. "Kinky."

"Oh? That too much for you to handle?" She grinned savagely, traces of his blood staining the corner of her mouth crimson.

"If that's all you've got, I'm sorely disappointed." He lowered his gaze in faux morose, head swaying side to side.

"Is that so?" She smirked, "I think I can change that statement." Her voice was crooning; seems despite the side-tracked banter, she had also realized that the first spilling was in her favor.

Naruto wasn't about to let that get to her head. He had just about seen what he wanted for the time being. He would play around awhile longer. And then he would end it.

Several minutes passed, and neither was able to pierce the other's guard. If the situation called for it, he knew they could continue to fight for hours. He didn't want to be here that long. A small opening. All he needed was a small gap in the mortar to shatter the entire fortress.

His opportunity made its' appearance yet several more minutes on. It came in the form of a rowing swing from below that was just a touch too low. Enough for a certain shinobi to exploit.

There! Now it was time! Hijutsu…!

Naruto's hand shot through the opening, sneaking straight through her guard. Time seemed to leaden as his open hand grew closer and closer to her body. Karasuba's eyes widened laggardly. There was no way she could evade. Time unfroze and his palm hit flesh.

*Squeezy*

"Did you…just…?"

Naruto inspected his hand, flexing his appendages in phantom remembrance. "Nice feel. Soft, supple, good bounce. Big enough that my hand sunk in but firm enough that my hand recoiled on impact. I give it an 11 out of 10." He caught her vexed grimace. "Maa, maa, no need to scowl like that. You'll ruin your beauty."

If anything she scowled deeper. He got the feeling it was less because he had squeezed her chest and more because he had squandered an opportunity to score blood.

My Jiraiya technique failed! She's a tough one.

Her sword glinted as the light reflected off of it, burning a small, concentrated beam into his retina. It was distracting to say the least. More so than the sensation still on his palm. Funny, the burning glare matched the savage one of the weapon's owner.

"Scary~" Naruto chimed as he ducked beneath a swipe meant to bisect him on the spot.

"I'm not that bad, am I?" she smiled like the cat that ate the canary.

It was almost like they weren't trying to kill each other. (Well, at least she wasn't bothered by the Jiraiya interjection. Would have been nice if that ended things. So much for peace, right?)

"While I may have messed with it a little, read the atmosphere, dear. I do believe this foray, ungh, could be construed as an edgy situation." He parried a blow on reflex and stabbed outwards with one of his own in a single fluid motion.

Karasuba blocked with a sweeping grace.

"Really? I think we're just having a bit of dangerous fun. Everyone likes a thrill. Some more than others." Naruto tilted sideways as she aimed a thrust kick at his chest in the hopes of unbalancing him. A shot equilibrium would spell death in this scenario.

"Mm, not quite like this. Ignoring the fact that you're trying to kill me, I do admit I'm having fun."

As Karasuba hammered another strike down on him, Naruto did the unthinkable for any swordsman: he caught her blade in his hand. Small sparks shot off in the clash, much the same way Karasuba's delicate eyebrows shot to her silvery hairline.

A touch of Doton chakra was all it took. Damn he loved this jutsu.

His grin turned Cheshire. This was the move that would end it all.

"Dismayingly, I have somewhere to be, so we'll be cutting this short."

Tightening his grip into a vice Naruto shattered the metal into a rain of shards that pelted the pair abusively. Before Karasuba had time to counter, he channeled chakra to his other fist, the skin turning a subtle grayish-brown. In a blindingly fast motion he barreled her over with a hastened but immensely powerful reverse punch.

The blow knocked the wind from her lungs and sent her tumbling across the courtyard, concrete tearing viciously into her skin as she rolled.

After several dozen meters her body came to a halt in an unceremonious heap.

"That was fun Suba-chan, but dinner is waiting for me. We'll play again soon. Ja ne!"

And like that he was gone; presence, body, all. If she hadn't been fighting him for however long it was she would have thought he was a phantom.

Doggedly pushing herself back to her feet, Karasuba growled in frustration with bloodlust in her eyes.

We hadn't even reached the good part.

Patting the dirt off of her clothes, she sighed, the tension leaving her body and her dark aura subsiding.

"I lost. I actually lost, and to a human at that… No, he's no human. I don't know what he is, but that man is not human in the least." She shifted to her back hip, "He was toying with me. He could have done that," referring to his 'stone hand', "at any point, and yet he didn't. He really must have just wanted a fight."

She chuckled hollowly to herself.

"He's an interesting one. I think I'll have to keep an eye on him. He might just be…"

Her words trailed off as her implausible thoughts absorbed her. Suddenly breaking from her trance she shook her head. "That's not possible."

Karasuba stared in the direction he had retreated, the sharp gleam returning to her eyes. "Next time, I'll kill you, Namikaze. Count on it."

With that Karasuba took her leave, not bothering to pick up the remnants of her katana as she returned to MBI Headquarters. She would have a new one made on the company's dime. Sometimes being their hound had its' perks.

It would be a long time before Karasuba became aware of the slight traces of blue trickling into her eyes.

XXXXXXXXXX

Naruto walked without a care in the world, despite the fact he had just exited a potentially lethal battle. That had been…fun. Genuine, honest to God fun. Even nearly half an hour later his blood was still pumping like fire in his veins. And he loved it. It was intoxicating; an exultant experience.

At that moment, whether he realized it or not, his face was deathly, his mouth set in a deadly poise.

The next time they met, he wouldn't withhold his chakra. No jutsu still – too much of a risk – but he wouldn't hold back on his physical strength or power. She would have to give him everything she had if she wanted to survive. She could handle it, and eh respected her enough to give her a proper duel.

XXXXXXXXXX

When Naruto reached the familiar wooden fence of Maison Izumo, he found himself in for a rather chilling greeting. He blinked nonplussed. Waiting, just within the bounds of the inn, was Akitsu. The laconic Sekirei was standing as she always did, staring towards the entranceway with a sleepy expression. How long has she been waiting? Don't tell me…

Catching sight of him, her eyes lit up from dull to shiny dull and as if drawn by a magnet wrapped herself around his arm and muttered a quiet "Welcome home, Naruto-sama."

"Akitsu, how long have you been waiting here?"

Her head shifted so her eyes met his. "Since you left."

Naruto pinched the brow of his nose and sighed. That's what I thought.

He smiled softly and ruffled her light brown hair with his free hand. Poor girl was shaking like a leaf. In that moment Akitsu looked so very vulnerable. Like a kitten in the rain as she clung desperately to his side for dear life. It stung like a hornet bite.

She must have been really worried…

"I'm not going to leave you. You don't need to stress about that, I promise."

It was a lie of course, but he couldn't exactly tell her that. If it would calm her troubled heart he would tell white lies all day.

Her trembling eased, becoming only occasional twitches. "Okay. You promised."

He nodded. "Let's go inside and say hello to everyone." He chuckled wryly, I guess I don't need to ask whether or not she was cold.

After greeting Miya, Naruto and Akitsu ventured into the living room in search of the problem chil- ahem, more verbal Sekirei. Peeking into the room, they found it empty of personage.

"Suppose she's out of quarantine, huh?"

Akitsu bobbed her head in agreement.

The pair made to go search their room for Yuegen, but found the Sekirei in question as they passed through the next room over.

The forest-haired bombshell had her back towards them, and for a moment Naruto debated sneak attacking her. It took only a second before his rational side quashed the idea. She was already mad enough at him as it was – no need to add fuel to the fire.

"I'm back. Didja miss me?" He couldn't quite help mixing a little humor in. That was just his way. That and he doubted Yuegen had missed him nearly as much as his ice Sekirei.

Yuegen paused, but didn't turn around in response to his voice. She huffed and tossed back "I was hoping you had gotten lost somewhere." as she walked off.

Naruto responded in synthetic sarcasm, "Translation received: Yuegen missed me, but won't just admit it because she's doing her best to stay mad at me for winging Akitsu."

Yuegen whirled around and decked him in the face, hard. "Jerk." Uttering that single word she stomped off.

The instant Yuegen's fist made contact with Naruto's flesh, the room was flooded with Akitsu's element. The walls frosted over with an icy sheen in the face of her frozen fury, the temperature dropping tens of degrees in a matter of seconds. If looks could kill, Akitsu's could have murdered an entire village.

Naruto waved a hand, and the devout Sekirei faltered.

"Naruto-sama…"

"…Ow." Naruto wiped away a thin trickle of blood from his nose with the back of his hand. "Calm down Akitsu. There's no need to get worked up."

"But, hit you."

"Not without provocation. Though that's the first real time she's hit me because of something I said."

Akitsu looked at him worriedly, "Are you, alright?"

The blonde sighed and nodded defeatedly. "I'm fine. I just wish Yuegen would relax already. I know she's mad at me, even though I don't know why. Hell, I'd rather deal with hangry than this. At least with that I know for sure what someone's thinking about. It's not like she's being replaced by you. Sigh, all in good time, I suppose." A low rumble from his stomach brought the somber conversation to an end. "Speaking of hungry. Let's go eat. I'm starving."

Apparently Naruto had forgotten he said he would eat while he was out.

The pair walked off to the kitchen to find Miya.

Yuegen stood quietly in the darkness, shadows cast over her visage.

"You don't understand a thing, Naruto." Pushing off of the wall she retreated to the isolated solace of their room.

Naruto peered back through the corner of his vision, looking at the door Yuegen had exited from.

I understand more than you think, Yuegen.

XXXXXXXXXX

AN: And that's all folks!

The fight scene was where the real hang up was while writing this chapter. I wrote and edited and rewrote parts of the fight numerous times. Well, Karasuba is here! And just so you know, this is just the first battle, so don't get the idea that they were both fighting all out. This is far from done, kukuku… Ain't even got into all the voodoo mumbo jumbo of shinobi and Sekirei. All in good time.

Until next time, and stay healthy!