Maiden From The Futuristic Space Race

Happy new year to all! Yay! A new year's worth of awesomeness awaits us. Lets gooooooo!

After the events of last night, this morning was a lot calmer and less eventful. The day passed by with Naruto and Hinata talking about their various experiences over the few years they were apart. As evening came upon them, the time for their arrival drew near. Thus Naruto got out of the shower a little while ago, dressed up and was now looking at himself very closely through the mirror in the bedroom. He made sure to keep his blonde spiky hair in the most pristine condition for whoever Hinata wanted him to meet. His cerulean blue eyes gave a glint as he finally felt he was ready for the new world that awaited him.

Naruto went to the control room of the spaceship where Hinata was already fully dressed in her usual bulky jacket and pants. She was always very modest in both her attitude and get up, giving her a traditional feminine vide even though she was from an advanced space race, something that Naruto appreciated greatly.

"Are we close?" Naruto initiated the conversation with a quick question.

"Ah Naruto-kun, you're out of the shower already." Hinata spun around in her rotating seat to face Naruto, pointing him to the seat next to her at the control panel. "Yes we've just entered the Milky Way-Andromeda junction, which means we're about ten minutes away from our destination."

"Milky Way-Andromeda junction?" Naruto had an inquisitive expression as he sat down beside Hinata.

"I told you a little bit about it before but this is the first time for you to be experiencing it. If you remember, the way we travel such vast distances in space in a matter of hours to days that would normally take millions of years is my using "warp gates". Basically, space is not as it appears. There are many hidden dimensions within it that cannot be seen by the eye, and these hidden areas, known as "pathways" can be used as shortcuts that link together extremely vast distances in space. Under normal circumstances it is not possible to access these hidden dimensions, however by manipulating a special type of matter, which the people of Earth call "dark matter", we're able to open up entrances that we call "warp gates" to gain access and travel through these pathways. Our spaceships therefore contain two types of fuel. One is basic hydrogen fuel to create energy through nuclear fusion similarly as the sun for movement. The other is the dark matter necessary to open up warp gates as required for long distance travel." Hinata explained. "Going back to your question though, the Milky Way-Andromeda junction is the shortest pathway between our galaxies. You can almost think of it like space highway that everyone takes when they want to travel between the two galaxies. In fact, take a look at the screen right now."

Naruto did as she asked, looking at several large panoramic screens in front of them that showed the scenery outside. What he saw however took him by complete surprise.

"Wow…" That was the only word that escaped Naruto's lips as hundreds of other spaceships were travelling all around them, new ones entering the pathway every so often. It was very much like a highway as Hinata described earlier. "Are they all traveling to your planet?"

"A lot of them are, but many will probably exit out into another pathway to get to a different destination."

Naruto was still mesmerised by the sight of so many spaceships in motion. He knew this before, but it was truly starting to dawn on him that the universe really was far more vast and unknown than he ever imagined.

"Princess, we're about to exit the junction." Himawari informed, to which Hinata nodded. "Opening exit warp gate."

As soon as she said so the spaceship exited out of the tunnel like area they were in and once again entered normal space. The light of an intensely bright sun-like star nearby suddenly lit up a part of the screen. More importantly however, it was the planet in the foreground and the centre of the screen that caught Naruto's attention. As they get closer, its features became clearly visible.

It was a planet similar in size to Earth and a moon orbiting it. White clouds covered a lot of the view of the blue surface. In fact much of the planet seemed to be covered in water from what could be seen from up here. However what was unbelievable to Naruto was not so much the planet's natural features, but rather something artificial around it. A dark black donut shaped ring surrounded the entire planet, similar to Saturn's ring. The only difference was that this structure was completely man-made and served some very specific purposes.

Seeing Naruto's look of awe Hinata couldn't help but interject. "I imagine you are wondering about the dark ring around the planet?"

He could only nod in response, not able to take his eyes away from the screen.

"That ring is what we like to call the "Halo". It is where all the spaceships arrive and depart from, similar to how an airport functions on Earth. Also, the halo contains a planetary defence system used to protect our planet in the case of an emergency. In fact you should soon start to see the halo's purpose with you own eyes."

As their spaceship got closer to the ring-like structure, thousands upon thousands of other spaceships started to become visible in orbit around it. It would appear that all these spaceships were in queue to make a landing.

"Contacting Halo A.I. Arrivals terminal determined to be 141098." Himawari's voice took a more mechanical and computer-like tone. "Now entering Halo orbit."

Just like the rest of the spaceships, their one now entered into one of the many rows of spaceships hovering a distance above the Halo.

As Naruto watched closely he could see that one after another the spaceships started to descend down towards the halo below and disappeared within it, which made him curious as to what was inside. Soon enough it was their turn.

"Approaching terminal number 141098. Landing sequence initiated. Disengaging fusion drive." As Himawari said so, the spaceships engines stopped and they broke away from the rest of the queue, slowly descending down towards the Halo below until they were flying just a little distance above its surface. There were many other spaceships also flying at this height in the distance, also getting ready to make their landing.

"Terminal doors opening." Himawari confirmed and just on time a massive rectangular panel opened up on the surface in front of them, allowing the ship to quickly manoeuvre inside the halo as the panel closed above them as soon as they entered.

"Initiating magnetic confinement." Once inside, an intense magnetic field brought the spaceship to a quick halt on a landing panel. "Arrival at halo terminal 141098 confirmed. Exit route has been linked. Welcome to Hyuya!"

It was only when Himawari said so did Naruto finally snap out of his little daze. They had arrived. They had finally arrived. Naruto was the first, okay maybe not first but still one of the only Earthlings who had made it to another planet. Right now his heart was beating fast in anticipation of what was to come.

"Naruto-kun, welcome to my planet." Hinata said happily. "I'm glad that you decided to come with me. I hope your time here will be nothing short of amazing."

"I should be the one thanking you Hinata. If not for you I would have never even have known about your race, let alone come here. So thank you for everything."

"Himawari, can you please get clearance for Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked kindly to her partner.

"It's already done. I've uploaded his data and linked it to yours. He should be clear for entry." Himawari's voice returned to her usual peppy tone.

"You're as efficient as always." Hinata complimented. "In that case, let's not waste any time. We should get going."

They got hold of their belongings and exited the spaceship, walking down a long corridor until they reached a small room. Here they dropped off Naruto's luggage which would be sent directly to their home later. He only kept the messenger bag he always carried around with him. This room also acted as an immigration service, scanning all newcomers to make sure they were properly registered in the planet's central database. In that regard Naruto's case was already clear.

It was only when they exited that final room did they arrive at the massive communal area of the halo, which seemed to go on forever. All the people who had also arrived just now funnelled through to this hub and from here they could head out to any destination on the planet below. This place was bustling with all forms of life, not only just Hyuyan but also from various other races. It was an amazing sight to behold for Naruto to see so many people of so many different alien races, each of them having their own distinct features. It made him feel less alienated somehow.

"This is so troublesome." Naruto heard a man about his own age complain. His pineapple shaped hairstyle was unique to say the least. "Why do we have to do this job? I just want to go back home and sleep."

"Come now, don't be like that. Let's get this work done quickly. I'd love to do some sightseeing. Maybe I'll come across some unique flowers that only grow on this planet." A girl with a slim figure next to him replied enthusiastically.

"I can't wait to try out the food here. It's sooo good." A big chubby guy walking with the rest added his own cause for excitement as he took a massive bite out of the food he was holding.

As they started walking Naruto saw a guy ran past at an incredible speed with a big white dog. He didn't know dogs could even grow that big. Another hooded man with black shades seemed to be trying to keep up with those two. Naruto wondered why someone would want to wear shades indoors. Perhaps it was an alien thing.

"Master, I've heard that the Hyuyans are experts at hand to hand combat. I am looking forward to testing my skills against a worthy opponent." Another young man also the age of Naruto shouted in joy. His excitement was through the roof.

"That's the spirit. Only by fighting ever stronger adversaries will you be able to hone your skills to the utmost level. LET THE POWER OF YOUTH BECOME YOUR ULTIMATE STRENGTH!" An older man, who almost seemed like a clone of the younger one shouted with even greater excitement.

Naruto wondered why the two of them were wearing what appeared to be full body green spandex. Perhaps it was an alien thing.

As they walked through the crowds, they heard someone's voice call out, "Princess Hinata!"

Turning around, a middle aged Hyuyan man ran to them followed by several dozen security personnel dressed in properly vested attire.

"Ko, I'm surprised to see you here." Hinata was genuinely taken aback by the man. Little did she know that he and his squad had followed her the entire journey by her father's order.

"I'm glad to see you've arrived safely." Ko now moved his gaze over to the man next to Hinata. "This man, you must be Naruto, the person princess spoke so fondly of. I'm glad to make your acquaintance."

"No the pleasure is all mine." Naruto answered courteously. "Ummm, how do you know each other?"

"I work for the princess' father. I'm one of the people in charge of the planet's defence system. I've known the princess since she was a little kid."

"He isn't just my father's subordinate Naruto-kun. He has taken care of me and my siblings when we were children. Ko is like family to us." Hinata added.

"Princess, you flatter me too much."

Something about their conversation caught Naruto's attention. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you refer to Hinata as princess? I thought that was just something Himawari did because she was programmed that way."

"I call her princess because she is the princess." Ko answered casually.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, not sure what to make out of the situation.

Hinata had a little worried look on her face.

"Did the princess not tell you? Her father is the leader of our entire race. That is why she automatically gets the honorary title of "princess" from everyone."

Naruto took a few seconds to absorb the information. "WAIT WHAT?! YOUR FATHER IS THE LEADER OF THE ENTIRE HYUYAN RACE?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS HINATA?!"

Naruto's sudden scream of disbelief caught the attention of everyone around them, something that caused Hinata to coil up in embarrassment.

"I d-d-didn't want y-you to think of m-me any differently b-because of m-my heritage. I wanted you to a-accept me for w-who I am, not m-my status." Hinata barely managed to stutter out. "I'm sorry!"

Naruto finally calmed down when he realised he had put Hinata in a tough spot. "I'm sorry for overreacting. I just thought you could have told me about your father's position at some point. In any case, it's fine. I did marry you for who you are, not because of your status."

"I'm glad that was solved quickly. It's good to see the understanding between you two. However, talking about the man himself, your father has been expecting to meet the two of you as soon as you arrived. Please do not keep him waiting."

"Yes, we're heading there now. So I'll see you around Ko." Hinata waved goodbye to her acquaintance and started to walk in their previous direction, leading Naruto along.

It was at this point Naruto realised who the "special" person was that Hinata wanted him to meet. It was her father! And now that he knew his status, he was shaking in his boots.

This was the dreaded meeting the father of your wife scenario where the father gets angry that some man stole his precious daughter from him and goes on a wild manhunt with a sword at hand. Yes, Naruto had been reading too much manga in his spare time. But it still didn't make things easier knowing that Hinata's father was the leader of one of the strongest races in the universe. Who knew what he would do upon meeting Naruto.

While he thought about the possibilities they soon arrived at an area where people were waiting in line in front of the hundreds of elevators that led to the planet below. The two of them had to wait a few minutes before they could finally get into one and the door closed shut in front of them.

"Take us to father's office." Hinata requested Himawari and the elevator moved for a few seconds before coming to a halt.

"How did we get here so quick?" Naruto asked out of curiosity.

"We used warp gates just like we did for space travel. This is the way in which we travel around our entire planet within an instant."

The doors to the elevator opened up to a large foyer outside. They didn't have to walk long however as Hinata led him to another elevator just a few steps away. This one was an internal elevator that led to the higher floors of the building.

When they got on again, Hinata pressed some of the buttons inside indicating that they were headed for the thousandth floor of this building.

"Is this building really one thousand floors high?" Naruto asked Hinata.

"Indeed, that is the final floor and it is where my father's office is."

Before long they arrived at the highest floor. Naruto would have said something but he was feeling incredibly nervous now as he followed Hinata's trail until they finally reached two large doors. When they both stood in front of it, the two doors slid open allowing them entry into a room with a massive conference table.

On the other side of the table a man was looking outside through the glass walls of this room with his back turned to them.

"I'm back father." Hinata said to her father. "And I've brought him with me."

"I've been expecting you Hinata." Her father replied back in a stoic tone while still gazing outside. "I've also been anticipating your arrival…Namikaze Naruto."

Her father's voice sent shivers down Naruto's spine, not in a good way either. Even if he hadn't been told so beforehand, Naruto could have guessed that this person was no ordinary man just from his presence. He gulped hard to keep his composure.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Hiashi, the leader of the Hyuyan race and Hinata's father. That would make me your father-in-law." Hiashi finally turned around and gazed unflinchingly at Naruto, his vision almost freezing Naruto in place.

"I am N-Namikaze Naruto. I-I-It's nice to m-meet you too sir." Naruto never stuttered but this was one occasion where he couldn't help himself. He knew this was an important first meeting with Hinata's father. He couldn't screw this one up.

Hiashi was about to continue talking but something brought him to a stop. "I wish to converse with you further, however it would appear that you are about to become acquainted with an even more important person than myself."

Naruto heard the doors slide open behind them and he turned around to see a woman slightly younger than Hinata walk in.

"I've brought her along as you wanted sister." Hanabi said as she stepped aside and led the guest of honour inside.

The sight of this newcomer, a three year old child, brought Naruto's world to an absolute halt. There was something…no…so many things about her that left him in awe. As he looked at her Naruto felt as though he had known her all along. It didn't take him long to pinpoint why that was the case either because this little girl just from her looks reminded him of the woman standing next to her. All of her attributes, from her facial features to her eyes and even her long flowing hair was directly reminiscent of Hinata. It was only the colour of her hair that was very different, being a bright blonde. This left Naruto somewhat confused since Hinata had told him before that all Hyuyans had the same midnight blue hair. In fact her blonde hair almost reminded Naruto of…himself. That was weird.

Perhaps ever weirder however was the fact that the little girl unlike anyone he had ever seen before was floating in mid-air casually as if it were the norm. It didn't even appear she was using any kind of tech do so either, not that any Hyuyan he came across so far demonstrated such an ability. She was hovering around in the air naturally.

But none of this shocked him as much as what the girl said in the following moments.

"MOMMY!" She screamed as she dashed through the air and grasped on to Hinata in a massive hug.

Hinata gently hugged her back and kissed her on the forehead. "You haven't given your aunt any troubles while I was gone now have you?"

"I've been a good girl like I promised." She replied with a child-like innocence. "Did you bring me my gift?"

Hinata was waiting for this moment. "I have indeed. I have brought you the best gift you could ask for. I have brought you your father."

Hinata walked a few steps with her child until the two of them were right next to Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, this is the special person I wanted you to meet - our daughter, Yuhi. And Yuhi, this man is your father, the one I've been telling you about for so long."

"DADDY!" Yuhi shouted in joy as she jumped on to her father and wrapped her hands around his neck.

Many emotions were flowing through Naruto's mind right now, so much so that he couldn't even pinpoint his own emotional state. However, his body reacted on its own, out of instinct as he embraced his child with his own hands.

Thus for the very first time Naruto discovered that he was a father, and it was a feeling unlike anything he had ever felt before.

The throwbacks are real.

I hope you liked the chapter. I know from the comments that quite a few of you were waiting for this meeting to happen. Next time we will focus on the "special circumstances" surrounding their child. It may surprise you.

So until next time let me know your thoughts and take care. Later Feraligatr!