Leah likes the world of the living. It's not tailored perfectly to her the way Hel is, but the people are interesting and the culture is… fun. She makes a habit of visiting when she has the free time. Mikoto keeps trying to figure her out, and so do all the other shinobi she inevitably starts running into.
She visits the orphanage one day, and sees the growing infant, crib set aside from the rest and being tended to well enough to keep alive, if not cared for the way the other children are.
She enters the room, empty save for the children, and drops her illusion. She approaches the crib, and carefully picks the child up.
"Uzumaki Naruto…" She says quietly, watching as he plays with her hair, seemingly fascinated. "What is it that makes you so special?"
She can feel the twisted pulsing of the demon sealed into him, the whispered handprint of the Shinigami in the build of his seal, and while it's a hint, it's not enough. There are other demon hosts in this world. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, back in the universe she came from. The touch of a god is interesting, but this wasn't Shinigami taking interest of his own accord, but making a deal.
And yet.
"Looks like you haven't had much human contact." Leah smiles down at him, knowing that a child that young couldn't see how empty of emotion it was. She walks over to a window seat and settles down, holding the child in her arms. She's been in this world for eight years. She existed in her prior for six months. In all that time, she has not once wanted children.
She has the memories of the Leah before her, though. The Leah built of Story. Thousands of years of memories had been subconsciously imprinted onto her very being by Loki's whim, and that Leah… she had certainly considered it. Not often, but she had.
(She'd never followed through, of course.)
Leah doesn't think she wants a child. She's sure that Kushina would resent her anyway. There's something to be said for the appeal of a younger sibling, though.
Her thinking is broken off by the sudden presence of a sword in her throat, pushing through and breaking the window behind her. The masked person grabs Naruto out of her arms and flickers to the other end of the room, watching her warily.
When her thoughts finally catch up to what just happened, Leah calmly reaches up, grabs the sword by the blade, and slides it out. Her throat closes up around the wound, and within seconds, she can speak again.
"Well, that was rather rude." She tries to look reproachful, but she's actually a little impressed. "Did you sharpen the blade somehow?"
The masked person says nothing, adjusting Naruto in their arms as the boy starts crying.
"I'm not going to hurt him, if that happens to be your worry. Nor am I planning to steal him away." Leah glances dispassionately down at her dress and makes a small motion with her hand, banishing the blood.
"How did you get in here?"
"I walked." Leah tilts her head, wearing that small, smug smile that always makes people suspicious.
"How did you get in here without being noticed?" The masked figure clarifies, now rocking Naruto in an attempt to calm him down.
"Magic." Leah says, and drops her gaze down to Naruto. "You're not very good at that."
"Why are you here?"
"I was worried about the child." Leah stands, and starts walking over to the somehow-tenser figure. "You're holding him wrong. Let me help."
"No." The masked figure held up a knife (a kunai, Mikoto had called it), holding in a way that betrayed both expert competence and a need to protect the child.
Leah raises an eyebrow, but shrugs and brings her hands to fold in front of her. "Make sure the child is cared for, then. I'd hate to be upset when I come back."
She takes a look around the room and decides that a portal may not be the best idea near quite so many children. With a sigh, she steps between panels once more.
o.o.o.o.o
Next Time: In which someone unexpected comes a'knocking.