Pre-Chapter A/N: This is your only warning! If you read this chapter then you are confirming that you have reached the age of Legal Adulthood in whatever area you may live in. There is a sex scene in this chapter! I will not post a warning in the middle of the chapter because I believe that it interferes with the reading experience. If you can't figure out where it starts...then you really need some reading comprehension lessons to be honest. I will say this: Once the scene begins, it goes through to nearly the end of the chapter. If you are going to skip it, then I should go ahead and inform you that the final ten paragraphs are after the sex scene has ended, so you can still see how the chapter ends.

Chapter 7

Naruto looked at the pair under his command for this operation. Lubbock had an eager gait while he accompanied a slightly smiling Tatsumi.

"Alright," the master assassin halted them. He then turned around and asked coarsely, "Are you two boys ready for the last mission I'll give you for the week?"

Lubbock grinned loudly, "You betcha'! Been waitin' for this!"

"I'm eager also, Naruto-sensei," Tatsumi agreed somewhat less enthusiastically than his friend.

The blond nodded twice and then turned to one of his clones. "Lay out the brief for 'em."

His 'sassy' clone – as he'd dubbed this one – rolled his eyes and said, "Fine. All four targets are currently entering the 'Hot Zone' now. You two nitwits' job is twofold: observation and thievery without being caught. Any questions?"

Tatsumi's hand shot up and he queried, "Just what exactly are we stealing?"

"Their clothes, you dummy!" Lubbock berated him. He scoffed, "Frickin' amateurs, man."

"I know that," the boy countered with a slight twitch of the eye, "but what about their Teigu?"

Naruto then informed him, "You shouldn't try and take those, kid. I don't want you taking the risk of dealing with Murasame's dangerous master-link."

Tatsumi nodded in understanding. "Understood."

Lubbock then stated with a grave seriousness, "We need to get moving soon, Tatsumi, or else they'll be out before we can even attempt this unprecedented venture. I shouldn't need to tell you that this is a matter of life or death."

"You're never as alive as when death awaits you to slip up and fail!" Naruto proclaimed boisterously. "All of my disciples have taken this test, but not all passed! Become the next generation, my students! Prove your skills to everyone! Show your growth during this trip!"

Both teens snapped to attention and sounded off, "Yes, Naruto-sensei! We won't let you down!"

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Now go out there and make me a proud sensei!"

Both young men saluted him once and then left the area in order to enact their plan. Tatsumi summoned Incursio and quickly activated its invisibility.

When we started, he could only hold it for a few minutes at best, Naruto thought proudly. Two months with me later and he can stay invisible for close to an hour; that's wonderful growth. If he keeps growing at this pace then he might just be the first I know of to ever reach a full day. I can see why Najenda seems to like his potential.

He grinned when he realized that he now had to focus in order to feel Tatsumi's hidden presence. Naruto then leapt into a tree and began moving toward the area's hot spring.

Oh, this is gonna' be good, he silently snickered to himself once he'd arrived at his destination. Before anyone could detect him, he smothered his spirit's presence and then started watching the scene below.

Mine, Chelsea, Akame, and Leone were all gathered together in the spring below his roost. The blond sent out a silent thanks to his old student for agreeing to get Chelsea and Mine to try and work past their…rocky working relationship, and Leone had been the surprise addition; she'd decided that it was 'girls' bonding time' and decided to join on her own. Najenda, unfortunately, turned down the invitation.

"I thought I'd find you here," she suddenly piped up from behind him, nearly making his heart stop. "I figured you'd try something like this when I found out it was originally Akame's idea."

Shit, he harshly criticized himself for not paying attention. How did she… He smacked his forehead once he guessed it. "I trained the kid too damn well," he grumbled. "Focused so hard on keeping track of him that I forgot to check for anyone else."

Najenda jumped over to a tree limb adjoining his and noted, "Then that means Tatsumi's progressing fine, I take it?"

Naruto's eyes never left the scene below him while he nodded to her. "Yes. Still nowhere near where I think he can be though, but damn it all if he hasn't shown me some amazing growth."

The woman nodded with a pleased grin at that. "Good. Bulat thought the world of him; I'm glad his faith wasn't misplaced."

He didn't say anything after that and instead resumed observing everything below, but now he focused on locating his agents and checking on their progress."Let's see…" he mused aloud in order to clue Najenda in on what was going on in the mist. "It looks like Lubbock is staying about fifty meters away, and he's letting his wires travel through the mist."

"Not bad," Najenda stated with a calculating gaze aimed towards her longest-tenured follower's hiding place. "His Teigu's wires have no spirit, no killing intent, and no presence that can be detected without first knowing they were there. Lubbock's using the brain above to please the one below," she joked.

"Not a bad one-liner there, Najenda," he replied with a light tone and looked at her. "Now try and find the kid and tell me what he's doing."

She looked back down again and started scanning for Tatsumi. After a minute passed, she grew a concentrated frown and told him, "I can feel his presence very faintly, but I can't quite pin him down from this distance. Best I can tell is that he's about ten yards from them now."

"Close," Naruto grinned, pleased. "He's actually only five yards from them now. Poor kid's trying his damndest not to lose his composure."

"It must be difficult," she remarked, sounding unimpressed. "Speaking of, I have to ask: why? Why this?"

Naruto waved her off, "I could give you five legitimate-sounding reasons that'd probably leave you in awe of my genius, but I'm not even gonna' bother. I wanted to see, and watching them all squirm amuses me; that's really all there is to it."

Najenda shook her head and rolled her eye. She said to him, exasperated, "I thought as much. But why are you staring at Akame as well? Leone is obvious: even Esdeath would be jealous; Chelsea has the looks of a Noblewoman; and I could even let Mine pass since I know that everyone has their own tastes. But Akame too? Seriously?"

"What?" he shrugged uncaringly. "I'm her sensei not her father. She's grown into a pretty darn effective looker, and a pretty lady's a pretty lady to me so long as we're not related."

The woman next to him eyed him dully. "That is the lowest excuse I have ever heard from you."

"No it isn't," he denied immediately. "What about when you walked in on me and Budo?"

Najenda's cheeks flushed red and she quickly averted her eye. She huffed indignantly, "All you were being then was perverse, and please do not bring up that incident again. I would rather not have to gouge out my other eye thank you."

Hearing her say that crushed his jovial mood and replaced it with regret. "Najenda –"

"OI!" a shout from below stole their attention. Leone had gotten out of the water and found that her clothes were now gone save her Teigu. "Lubbock, you've got ten seconds to give 'em back 'fore I crush you good! Don't bother denying it! I know it was you!"

Mine was now cowering behind Pumpkin in an attempt to hide herself from any prying eyes; Chelsea had just activated Gaia Foundation and simply created herself some new clothing; and Akame was simply standing there while looking confusedly in all directions, making no effort to conceal herself at all.

Akame's head tilted to the side and she wondered aloud, "I never felt anyone's presence approach mine nor Mine's clothing. I did sense something small moving around yours and Chelsea's, Leone, but I had believed it to be a snake."

"Lubbock's wires, I'd bet," Mine grumbled with a red face. "Clever bastard, using his Teigu like that."

Chelsea nodded in agreement, "My thoughts exactly, Flatty-chan." She ignored the annoyed retort and asked Akame, "But then who could've stolen your clothes then?"

Akame rested her chin atop her fist to help her think. She sat there, still, for a moment before saying, "We can immediately rule out Boss and Susanoo, as it's not like either of them. Naruto-sensei seems to be the best choice, since he has always enjoyed peeping on hot springs and pranking those inside."

"Damn it, Root!" Leone screamed angrily while shaking her fist and making no attempts to cover any part of herself. "You've gotten your eyeful by now! Give 'em back!"

Naruto beamed bright and shouted back, "It wasn't me this time!" Mine jumped in surprise from hearing how close he was and immediately went back in the water to try and hide herself from him. "Akame-chan, remember the test I gave you and Kurome-chan when you were eleven?"

"Oh," Akame realized. She hit her fist in her palm and put together, "Then it had to be Tatsumi."

"WHAT!?" every other girl down there shrieked.

Mine glowered, "I'm gonna' kill him," over and over while her whole body turned so red it seemed to engulf her hair.

"This…was Tatsumi's work?" Leone blinked dumbly. "I knew he was gettin' better…but that much? I'm actually a little impressed now."

Chelsea popped a popsicle in her mouth and mumbled, "Interesting. It appears that Naruto-san's training has been paying off for him. I wish he'd show it off in some less crude manner however."

"That is just how good of a teacher sensei is," Akame nodded with a slight preen. She then stopped, looked to her left, pointed towards a particularly large rock, and stated, "Now that I'm focusing, I can feel a presence over there that I hadn't noticed before. Do you think it may be Tatsumi?"

That's my girl, Naruto smiled. He then put his hands to his mouth and shouted down, "You'd best get running, Tatsumi! You've been found out!"

A surprised yelp preceded Tatsumi screaming, "Why, Naruto-sensei!? Why!?"

"GET HIM!" Mine and Leone shouted simultaneously. Akame and Chelsea trailed after in the chase for Tatsumi.

Both Naruto and Najenda chuckled at the sight unfolding below them. After a few seconds passed, they heard Lubbock's cries of pain join Tatsumi's, and Lubbock was also shouting loud curses at his friend for leading the girls to him.

"I have to ask," Najenda turned to him. "Just what did you have those sisters do that gave Tatsumi away?"

He grinned large and answered, "Remember around three months 'fore I got framed? You and Esdeath in the hot tub?"

Her eye briefly widened in realization before she burst into laughter. "That was them? Are you serious here or just pulling my leg?"

"Serious as a heart attack."

She stymied her giggles and told him, "You realize that was what kicked our feud into full gear, right? We wouldn't speak to each other for months because we blamed each other. I didn't figure out you were involved until I saw you after I too left."

"Yeah," he said with a dreamy look and a few drops of blood falling from his nose. "That was a catfight I still see in my dreams. The two of you. Naked. In the water. Going through walls." He wiped the blood from his nose and finished, "Good times. Good times."

"For you maybe," she grumbled semi-playfully. "It took me two years to regain the other Generals' respect after that. Do you have any idea how many skulls I had to crack before they stopped calling me 'Silver Carpet'? At least fifty!"

"I admit I was surprised," Naruto told her. "I had always thought you both used dye."

"Not likely," she huffed with a faint blush. "The only people I've ever known to do that were whores. 'It pleases them better,' they'd say. Bull shit."

"Well…" Naruto looked away with an innocent whistle. "As someone whom grew up around whores, I'd have to say they were right in some cases."

"Speaking of," she changed the subject with a serious intone, "my spies are reporting that Honest is obsessing over the death of one of his own. Dani, I think her name was – stabbed straight through the heart."

When she didn't continue, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "And?"

Najenda crossed her arms over her chest and added, "That was your calling card, Mister Heartpiercer. Are you trying to tell Honest you're still alive? I agree with your thoughts on Esdeath even though I still don't like how you showed yourself, but I'd thought you wanted to remain unknown to him for a little while longer."

"I do," he countered. He looked up, plucked a flower from the branch, and explained, "What your spies apparently neglected to mention was that there were three other casualties there as well; each killed in a rather gruesome manner too. That'll keep Honest from convincing himself that it was me."

She listed tonelessly, "Not a single guard was killed; they spotted someone that matched your description; and the victims were all murdered in the panic room without any signs of entry. Not many people other than you could accomplish all of that."

"I can think of a few," Naruto replied flippantly. "The Four Demons for one."

"While I won't deny that they are capable," the woman allowed, "each of them are firmly entrenched in Honest's camp. Most of them also would've had no issue with killing every single person in that compound just to show off."

"It'll drive him nuts," he grinned. "My play, Najenda, was to terrify him, and I'm thinking it worked from how you're talking. I left enough for him to think it's me without leaving enough for him to know I did it. I want him even more paranoid than ever, Najé, because he makes mistakes when he obsesses over something."

Najenda reminded him with a stern gaze, "The Minister is rarely sloppy, Naruto; you know this better than anyone."

"Yet here I stand," he countered with confidence. "I am living proof, in many ways, of Honest's fallibility. Three times he's tried, and three times he's failed to kill me. I just let him think he'd finally won for a bit. It was best for everyone if I disappeared for a few years – let the resentment grow even more."

A small silence showered over the two in the tree after that. Naruto could tell that Najenda had many things she wanted to talk about, but he wouldn't be the one to bring those matters up first. It pained him enough just seeing the look that he knew was on her face now.

"Now," he concluded and jumped down from the branch, "if that'll be all, Najenda, I'm beginning to get a little hungry."

He then turned and started walking towards the house that Susanoo had built for Night Raid, but he halted when he heard her call out, "Wait!"

He looked over his shoulder and asked, "Yes?"

She fell to her feet at his side and said, "Everyone else will likely be held up for quite a while now, and the two of us still have a lot to discuss, Naruto. Meet me in my office?"

He looked at her with a blank face, making her shoulders tense in expectation. Eventually he nodded and told her, "Sure."

Najenda exhaled in relief. She then instructed him, "Go ahead. I'll have Susanoo prepare us a meal, as I'm fairly certain that this will take some time to go over all of it."

"I told you that all you had to do was ask," he shrugged. He held out his hand and asked, "Wanna' ride? I'm pretty fast after all."

She smiled, "Not this time."

"Oh well." Naruto then jumped into the trees once more and flew through them towards the Night Raid temporary base.

"Naruto-san," Susanoo greeted once he arrived. "Welcome back. How long until everyone else returns?"

"Najenda should be hot on my heels, Suu-san," he answered. "Everyone else? Not really sure. Depends on how sadistic the girls get and how much the boys can take."

Susanoo nodded once and informed him, "I will begin preparing dinner then." The living Teigu pulled its apron over its head and asked, "Would you prefer the usual then?"

"Sure, but make it a small serving for me this time."

"Of course." Susanoo then went back into the house it had built and walked towards the kitchen.

Naruto watched the weapon's back as it walked away. He thought sadly, Kid, I admire that you want to humanize it, but no matter how hard you try, it will always be a Teigu. When you've seen what it's truly capable of, it's hard to see it as a human. Then again, he added with a wry smile as he walked towards Najenda's room, I suppose you could say the same about me.

Naruto closed the door into Najenda's private quarters behind him and looked around. Just like her, the room was spartan. There was a single Queen-sized goose-down mattress with purple sheets; her room's lone window was left partially open, letting a small breeze in that helped to cool the area; and a few letters and books lay open on the desk in the corner.

Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he walked to the desk and picked up one of the letters. Troop movements, he quickly realized. Esdeath's army is on the move apparently. "Where to though?"

"That's the question, isn't it?" He turned to see Najenda in the doorway. She was leaning against the frame with her arms crossed.

He set the paper down and asked, "Any ideas?"

"A few, and none of them good," she answered. Najenda left the door parted and walked over to her desk. "With the North completely subjugated, it looks like Honest is recalling his best force to the Capital. General Jeremiah's forces are taking over the occupation apparently."

Naruto looked at her in confusion. "Jerry made general?" he asked skeptically.

"Most of the competent ones," she told him with a small grin tugging, "left for the Revolution by now. The only real threats left are Esdeath and Budo, granted those two are monumental obstacles on their own, and neither of them can be swayed."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed and walked over to the window. He closed it with one hand and said, "Budo's family has served the Main Line every generation going back to the Teigu's creation, and now that we're both working together, there's no chance Esdeath passes up that fight."

"It seems we are of one mind," Najenda nodded.

He grinned back at her. "It's not the first time we are, Najé, but don't write Budo off completely just yet," he cautioned her.

She then asked, confused, "How do you mean?"

He turned back and told her, "Budo's loyal only to the Emperor – not Honest. Budo's also no fool, so I'd bet he knows that Honest is the heart of the reason for the Empire's recent decline but he can't pin anything on the slippery fat bastard. If we don't attempt to move on the boy then Budo may not impede Night Raid's mission, Najenda."

"Hmm." She silently contemplated his new potential angle.

He could see the gears turning in her head, considering the pros and cons of his proposition. He added, "You can't deny it'd remove one serious roadblock to taking down Honest, Najé. The Royal Guard only answer to Budo as well, so they'd likely…forget to guard Honest whenever we make our move."

"Very good points, Naruto, and they are ones I admit that I hadn't considered prior, but," she cautioned, "I can't make that call yet. Night Raid is still a part of the Revolution, and right now the Emperor is considered a target as well. He's too close to the Minister; most-likely, he's been indoctrinated into only trusting Honest and his policies. I'll convey your points to H.Q., but I can't say if it'll change their minds or not."

That bastard can hold a grudge too, Naruto thought sourly.

Najenda chuckled to herself, "Who would've thought it? You actually do care about family."

"First off," he was quick to point out, "I don't consider a single one of those bastards family. And don't you try to give me that 'Blood is thicker' nonsense that your boss tried, Najenda, because that's not even the original purpose of that saying."

Najenda dismissed his worries, "I had no intention of even mentioning it. I just thought it funny that you seem to be concerned over the boy's life."

"Not in the slightest," he rebuffed curtly. "The little shit can choke on his own spit for all I care; I won't lose a wink of sleep. All I'm saying is that another, perhaps easier, path to get Honest is out there."

Najenda eyed him carefully, but the conversation halted when Susanoo entered the room. The Teigu walked in with two plates, one for each of them, in either hand. It walked over, gave both people their respective dishes, and asked, "Would either of you require anything else?"

Naruto shook his head and Najenda said, "No. That will be all, Susanoo. Have the others returned yet?"

Susanoo shook its head and replied, "They have not, Master. Should I search for them?"

She smiled mischievously and told her Teigu, "Nah. Let 'em enjoy the rest of the day. You're dismissed, Susanoo, and close the door when you leave."

"Of course." The weapon bowed subserviently and then took its leave.

Naruto and Najenda then ate in relative silence, the only sound being either his noodle slurping or the sound of clattering silverware. Both soon finished and set their spent dishes on the room's desk.

The woman sat down on the edge of her bed; Naruto took the desk chair. They looked directly at each other's faces, both gauging the other's growth over the past few years at long last.

"You've changed you know," she finally broke the silence. "You never used to keep away from me as much as you have these past months."

"I didn't wanna' hear the lectures I was certain you had practiced for me," he shrugged. Well, that and one other reason.

"You're a big boy, or, rather, you're supposed to be," she slightly teased. "You don't need my nagging for you to know that you screwed up."

Naruto winced at the concealed bite behind her words. "Look, Najenda, four years ago –"

"Where have you been the past few years anyway?" she cut him off. "You kept us waiting, you know?"

You mean me, he thought. He admitted, "I…I do." He let out a deep sigh and revealed, "Traveling mainly. I spent the past two years in the Eastern lands in order to avoid detection."

Her lone eye widened and she noted, "There's a reason that place is considered 'Wild', Naruto. I can't imagine how hard it must've been to live out there."

"It was pretty lonely – mostly," he gave her. She noticed his addition and her eye bored a hole into his head, silently ordering him to continue his explanation. He exhaled once more and then continued by asking, "You've read the reports on my abilities, I take it?"

She nodded once, "I have. From what I can tell, you have two main abilities: cloning yourself and that strange power you used on Stylish. Did you gain your abilities out there?"

"I did," he nodded, "but these come with a pretty big catch. You know how Esdeath gained her control over ice?"

"Demon's Extract," she named immediately, her blind eye twitching. "In my opinion, it's the strongest Teigu-User combination there is."

He nodded in agreement, "You may not be wrong by thinking that. Being so close to Honest during his rise to power got me access to a lot of information about the Teigu, and I've got it all up here," he tapped his temple. "Every Teigu's design was based on something the First's people found in the Eastern Society's ruins. The enchantments used to seal the Ice Demon's Essence in its blood came from a temple about fifty miles from the border.

"My abilities essentially came from those same designs," he unveiled. Najenda merely nodded for him to keep going and he did so. "About two-and-a-half years ago now, I stumbled across the sister temple to the one Demon's Extract came from. Inside I found a treasure trove of information on binding a spirit or demon to a human."

Najenda's eye widened in realization and she gaped in shock, "You didn't… Tell me you didn't, Naruto. Possession Magic is expressly outlawed for a reason!"

"I didn't do it intentionally," he defended. "I was tricked, believe it or not!"

"Na-ru-to…" she shook – whether from rage or not he couldn't tell. She suddenly stood and shouted, "You absolute DUMBASS!" She stormed across and stood over him, the very image of a furious angel, and berated him, "How could you do such a thing!? You have no idea how dangerous demons can be!"

"Like I said," he protested irritably, "I was tricked. I had no idea what I was doing until the damn thing tried to take me over."

And I still will one day, the demon taunted from his mind, making him grimace in discomfort.

Not while I still breathe you won't, he sent back and forced the demon out of his mind.

If Najenda had noticed his discomfort she didn't comment. She threw her hands in the air and said sarcastically, "Sure! Why the hell don't I forgive you for allowing a Gods' damned, full-fledged demon to nearly take you over! Oh, you were tricked!? Well doesn't that just make it all better!? Did it ever enter that empty head of yours that that's what Demons do!?"

"Look," he stood up and looked her dead in the eye, "I know I fucked up, Najenda; you don't need to remind me of that! Do you have a single clue how hard it is to actually live with this thing!?"

"You 'fucked up'?" she mimicked him. She laughed at him and said, "That's putting it lightly, Naruto. I expected that kind of insanity from Esdeath, but you too?"

Naruto was about to shout another retort in his defense, but he choked on his words when he heard Najenda's small voice.

"Just one more thing you two have in common I guess."

All the fire left him then. She turned away from him, and he reached out for her but stopped before he touched her. "Na…Najenda… Please."

"You could have died, Naruto," she reminded him, "or even worse in this case."

"You thought I was dead for two years already, Najenda," he reminded her.

"Funny thing that," she responded with a small hitch. She turned her head to him, now only showing him her blinded half, and said, "I believed you were dead, Naruto; with every fiber of my being I wanted to believe you were gone. But no matter how hard I tried, I kept on hoping you were still alive.

"'If anyone could survive it, it's him'. Thoughts like that refused to leave me be, Naruto. No matter how hard I believed, I couldn't rid myself of hope – that faint, feeble hope that you were still alive out there. And now," he voice faintly hitched, "my hope turned out to be true.

"You have no idea," she at last turned to face him fully, "how much that hope has hurt me, Naruto. Every night, for two years, I saw you escape Esdeath's avalanche in my dreams. For two long, long years I've fought against hope, and I'd finally felt that hope dying." Water welled in her eyes and she continued, "And then I saw you with everyone.

"Naruto, had Stylish not been attacking, I would have leapt from that Manta that night. It was so difficult to fight back that urge, and it still is. Right now it's taking every ounce of my will to not throw myself at you and pray you feel even an ounce of what I've felt for you, but I know that it is a fool's prayer." Her head drooped towards the floor. "Your heart is only for Esdeath anyway."

A rueful chuckle came from her throat and she told him, "That prayer – that hope – is tearing me up inside, Naruto." A single tear began to trail down her cheek. "It's killing me. Naruto, hope is killing me." The drop of water fell onto the floor.

Naruto moved before his mind reacted. Immediately after the tear met the ground he took Najenda in his arms. He held her tight with her head in the crook of his neck.

"Najenda…" he whispered consolingly. "I…"

She put her flesh hand on his chest and gently pushed him away. "Don't," she warned with a stern gaze. "I already know it would be false. I just…needed to get that off my chest is all," she finished while wiping her eye with her wrist.

"Damn it, Najenda!" Naruto shouted in frustration. "Just because I don't love you like Esdeath doesn't mean I don't fucking care! You're one of the most important people in the world to me!"

She murmured bitterly, "But not the most important."

He looked dead at her and answered, "I won't apologize for how I feel for Esdeath, but that doesn't mean I don't value or respect you."

"And I won't apologize for my feelings either," she countered and stood taller.

Naruto let out a frustrated howl and said, "God damn it! Najenda, how can you say you love me!? I am quite possibly – no, definitely – the most fucked up person in the entire world!"

"I love you because of that!" she shouted right back at him. "I love how you are both the most generous and, at the same time, selfish person I have ever met! I love how you're always able to make everyone laugh with your mischief! I love how you have the courage to do what's necessary! And I love how bull-headed you always get about everything! The only thing I can't stand is your refusal to acknowledge just what you really are!"

"I know what I am," he told her gravely.

"No. You think you do," Najenda corrected him. She then wondered aloud, "Why am I even bothering with this? We both know how stubborn you are, and fuck it, but that's one of your best qualities, Naruto!

"And don't you ever call my feelings into question again," she hissed angrily while poking him in the chest with her mechanical hand. "I know how I have felt about you for nearly a decade, Naruto. And you wanna' know when I finally figured it out?" She grabbed his head and pulled him to where their eyes were now at equal height. "It was when I saw your smile.

"Not that fake one you always put on for the show, as I could always tell it was false too. No. It was the smile you've only ever given her, Naruto." Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at the revelation, and he also knew exactly what moment she was referring to. "I finally – truly – fell for you when I saw it at last: your true smile."

The room was silent after that, and the two of them remained that way for a few minutes. Naruto's eyes had softened in a mixture of affection, understanding, and pity, and Najenda's had water that again threatened to spill out.

Naruto slowly brought his hands up and grabbed Najenda's. He pulled them off of his cheeks gently and let her mechanical one retreat back to her side. He kept her normal hand in his and rested his other atop hers.

He slowly drew circles on the back of her hand and whispered, "I know exactly when you're talking about, Najenda, and I also still remember that moment to this very day." Though not for the same reason you do, he silently added.

Najenda was visibly taken aback by his statement. She looked at him in confusion and asked, "You… You do?"

He nodded and confirmed, "I do." He brought her hand up to his cheeks and rubbed it with the side of his face. "It was the first one I'd smiled since my mother's death, and I am grateful that you were there to see it, Najenda."

She quickly pulled her hand from his grasp and rubbed it with her mechanical one. "…I see…" she realized with a sulk. Her lone eye then came up to meet his again, and the look behind it nearly broke his heart. Najenda pieced together, "So that's why you love her."

Naruto nodded again. "It is."

Najenda bitterly chuckled once and mumbled, "So I never even had a chance, did I?"

His silence was even louder than the words his eyes offered.

Najenda turned away from him and walked to her room's lone window. Even with the curtains pulled shut, she continued to just stare at them instead of turn and face him again. She eventually rested her face in her hand and stayed like that for some time. The lone sniff and sob that came from her felt worse to Naruto than even Esdeath's blade had.

"Fuck me," she said aloud.

Naruto took a step towards her. "Look, Najenda…"

She turned back to face him and the serious look on her face nearly made him step back. "It's not just an expression, Naruto."

It took him a few moments of processing her words to piece together just what she wanted. When he did, he started with a flabbergasted look. "You can't be –"

"Dead serious," she cut him off.

"Wha–" he stuttered in confusion. "What are you saying!?"

"I'm asking you to have sex with me."

"I understand that!" Naruto shouted. "What I can't understand is why!"

"Is it really that big of a problem?" she asked him with her face an expressionless mask.

"Yes! You bet your ass it is!" he shrieked.

"What does it matter?" Najenda countered with her usual cunning. "She and I both know you've slept with many other women, Naruto."

"That's not the damn point!" he insisted. I don't want you to think you mean so little to me, Naruto silently pleaded for her to understand.

She then said something that felt like a verbal punch straight to his gut: "Am I not that attractive then?"

Naruto shook his hands in front of him and immediately denied, "No! Gods no!" He then added to himself, I've always thought you were one of the most beautiful women I've ever met.

She pounced on his brief moment of internal conflict. "Then why not?"

"It's…not so simple," he lamely offered her.

"No," she didn't allow him that excuse. "Because it really is, Naruto. You love her, and I now comprehend the 'why' behind it." She brought her lone original hand up and gently cupped his cheek. "All this time, Naruto, I've thought that I at least had a chance, but now I know that I never really did.

"I have to accept that I can't steal you from her no matter how hard I may try; I'll never be able to melt her from your heart. I realize that now, and I need to move on at last. However, I know that it won't be that simple, Naruto." She shook her head. "For just one night, let me have you. Let me give my heart peace, Naruto; that is all I ask."

But it would just further burden mine, he held back from telling her. There were so many reasons he had that convinced him this was not something that he should do. Naruto voiced his thoughts, "This is insane, Najenda. Not fifteen minutes ago, you pushed me away because you were scared I wouldn't be genuine if I tried to return your affections. You're contradicting yourself here, and it's not like you to be this irrational."

Najenda gave a few self-depreciative chuckles and informed him, "Don't you know? We women aren't the most rational creatures, and when you add love to the equation it magnifies one-hundred-fold."

"Be that as it may," he countered and gently removed her hand. "I don't think…"

"I have," she told him, "and, irrational it may seem, it is the best way I could come up with. Naruto, the two of us will be working very closely for the foreseeable future, so that means we'll always be near one another. I don't want there to be this…awkwardness between us anymore. I'm tired of blowing up on you and trying to rein myself in. Give me just a fraction of your heart tonight, and I just know that it will give us – me – closure at last."

Naruto took a step away from her and racked his brains to find some – any – way to solve this. Unfortunately, no matter how hard the wheels in his head turned, he couldn't come up with one that could give Najenda the closure she was convinced this would give her. Even knowing what would wind up happening, he gave in.

He nodded once and left his gaze at the ground, as he couldn't bear to look at Najenda's face. He absently heard Najenda offer him her gratitude for agreeing, yet he still refused to look up.

He lifted his gaze once he felt Najenda turn away from him and begin to walk to her bed. I suppose it will only be one more cross to bear, Naruto thought as he watched Najenda begin to remove her shirt from behind. One more amongst many.

The blond man hurriedly worked his way across the floor and stopped her hands from unbuttoning her blouse. Without saying a word, he slowly pulled her arms to the side, and Najenda asked with a slight jump in her voice, "N-Naruto?"

"Shh," he hissed into her ear, feeling her shiver. He then added roguishly, "Allow me, my Lady."

She chided him, "I'm no Lady."

He chuckled and lightly kissed the top of her ear, eliciting a small squeak. "I suppose so," he agreed. Naruto then began rolling the first button on her shirt between his thumb and forefinger. He told her, "You asked me to love you, Najenda. I won't lie and claim that I will, but I can say that I will try."

Najenda slightly leaned back into him. "That's all I want for now," she whispered.

He took in the slight smell of the day's labor as he began to loosen her blouse. With each button removed he gave the back of her jaw a peck with his lips. When he at last undid the final one, she raised her arms, and he pulled the cloth up and over her shoulders.

Naruto grabbed her arms and did not allow her to turn towards him. He instead rested his right hand on her toned stomach while his left began untying her breast straps. He softly traced circles around her bellybutton and finished with the bindings.

Najenda shrugged the undergarment off and shuddered beneath his touch. His left hand slithered across her skin and cupped her same breast. Not bad, he absently noted. He could feel every beat of her heart heating her skin while he labored.

Naruto pulled her closer to him with his right hand and started nibbling at the base of her neck. He traced his right hand up her body and it too found its accompanying mound. His fingers massaged her, making her moan and her feet shuffle over the floor.

I never thought I'd hear you moan like that, Naruto kept to himself. His right hand danced up to her nipple and began to ghost over it. His fingers traced the area with a lavender-soft touch, continuously brushing against the risen teat. Naruto gently pinched her, stimulating her pleasure, and this process repeated itself many times with the other breast as well.

Najenda had a sharp intake of breath after a few minutes, and then Naruto stopped focusing on her breasts. His hands trailed their way down her sides and both thumbs gripped the hem of her pants. She hastily undid the front button and he slid them down to her knees, where he then let them fall to the ground on their own.

She stepped out of her clothing and began reaching for her underwear, but Naruto again stopped her. Instead, he patted the edge of her bed and ordered, allowing no protest, "Sit." She did so and Naruto took the opportunity to take off his shirt; he tossed it to the side.

Naruto, on his knees, held one of Najenda's slender legs and lifted it. He slowly slid her sock off and let his right hand slide up to her inner thigh. Naruto lifted her leg higher and began to kiss his way up from the ankle, sending shivers up her body.

He halted his journey onwards when he reached her knee. Naruto blew a little air on the back of it, making her shiver again, and left a kiss directly in the center.

Najenda let out a few giggles. "Naruto, that tickled."

"Good to know," he told her before his hands began massaging her thigh, making her purr. He felt the smooth skin near her inner hip and he realized that it was time to quit stalling.

Najenda seemed to inherently know what was to happen next without him needing to raise his head. She lifted her hips from the bed, letting him remove her final barrier, and he finally saw all of her.

Because she wore long pants every day, she had no tan or tan lines on her lower body. Her breathing had gone deep, ringing in his ears, with her body slightly flushed and showing her arousal. A few trails of salty sweat and other fluids streamed down her inner thighs.

"Beautiful," he thought aloud without looking up.

"Flatterer," she playfully scolded. "I bet that's what you tell all the girls you've screwed."

I do, he bit his tongue from revealing, but I honestly mean it this time.

He pushed her down flat on the bed and began kissing her stomach. Naruto used his left hand to hold her leg still and his right came to her most intimate area. His ring finger slip up the length of her parting, making her let out a small gasp.

Naruto felt her leg tense beneath his hand, and he continued to kiss her stomach to help her relax. To help, his other hand prickled at the skin surrounding the center of her hips. The tension eventually bled out of her thighs, and Naruto resumed his duties.

Naruto's fingers pressed against the outer skin over her clitoris, making Najenda hiss in pleasure. He continued to tease her that way, stimulating without direct contact, until she bucked her hips at him. Seeing that the next stage had been reached, he kissed his way down.

He brought his left hand up and pushed the hood of skin off of her clitoris. The small, pink knob stood erect and eager for him to play with.

Rather than overflow her senses, he first began to lick the sensitive skin surrounding the dot. He extended his tongue and encircled the woman's throbbing knob. Najenda moaned piteously and, taking it as a desire for more, flicked her with his fingers.

While maintaining his tongues ministrations slightly above, he at last lubricated his fingers with the river of nectar flowing down her legs. He tested her with only one finger at first, and he added a second after confirming it could be easily done. "Na– ah!" Najenda moaned once his fingers were swallowed in her warmth.

He slowly began to move his fingers while inside her, seeking both to pleasure and find the hidden nerve cluster. He quickly found the rough patch within and began to focus his fingers on that. Najenda's breathing grew shallow and her body's flush began to spread further.

Naruto felt her begin to twitch and spasm under his touch, and he knew that Najenda was beginning to rapidly approach orgasm. He gave her one last, long lick that made her bite her lip to keep from crying out, and he then pulled away from her.

Najenda growled at him in mock-anger, "That's cruel of you, Naruto, to leave me on the edge like this." She focused then on regaining her breath as Naruto finally removed his pants.

He stepped out of his boxers, revealing himself to her just as she had to him earlier. His body throbbed in expectation from seeing Najenda's beauty laid bare before him.

Naruto lined himself up at her entrance, but he hesitated. Najenda then reached for him, grabbed his hand, and pulled him closer. Taking her actions as her permission to enter, he pushed her open and began to cross through her entrance.

Najenda hissed once more when their hips met, and Naruto bit his lip to overcome the sensations she was injecting into him. He stayed in that position, still, for a few minutes in order for both of them to grow accustomed to one another.

Najenda pushed herself up, sending another shockwave through their connection, and gripped his chin. "Naruto," she called. "The least you can do is look at me. Even if it isn't real, at least let me see you."

Naruto closed his eyes tight in frustration. She's right, he chided himself for his cowardice. Just get it over with already. He raised his head at last, and when he opened his eyes to look upon her face, he let out a shocked gasp. W-What? he wondered, surprised at what he saw.

Najenda offered him a loving smile. She draped one arm around his neck and told him, "Those eyes still cut into me every time I see them."

"N-Najenda," he sputtered. "I-It's really you."

She let out a small, amused chortle and replied, "Of course it's still me. Who were you expecting to see? Esdeath?"

That's exactly who I thought I'd see, he answered silently. It's happened with every other woman so far after all. Yet, he reminded himself, I only see you now. Naruto then repeated it aloud, "I only see you."

She gave him a crooked smile and told him, "And I have only ever seen you."

Those words lit a spark inside his chest, and it quickly grew as hot and fierce as a raging inferno. He then felt the weight that had been upon him this entire time lift itself from his shoulders, and a vigor he hadn't felt in a long time possessed him.

"Najenda!" he cried out and hugged her close.

"Wha–" she voiced in confusion before moaning.

She looked into his eyes again. Naruto suddenly had a burning desire to do something he had only given to one woman before.

He kissed Najenda.

Naruto's mouth covered hers, and he delivered a kiss so searing that it made her melt into his hands. Her body turned limp while he tried to suck her very soul from her, and Naruto then began moving his hips at last.

They stayed locked together in two places for what felt like a hot eternity. Najenda also began grinding her hips to match his own stride, with every strike sending jolts of euphoria into each of them.

Their mouths parted, both of them gasping for air to feed their chests' burning need. Najenda set her face atop his chest and mewled in pleasure while their bodies danced closely together. She managed to say between shocks, "I don't – ah – know wh– mmn – what's gotten into you, but – oh – I'm glad it did!"

You did, Naruto heard a tiny voice whisper in the back of his head. He then leaned forward, making them both fall onto the bed once more, his body pumping almost on its own now. He grunted, feeling his senses begin to mount. "N-Najenda." His hips started to speed up.

She panted, "I… I know. Me too." Najenda's body matched his pace once again. "Almost…"

Naruto bit the inside of his cheek – hard – to try and stymie the overflow on his senses, but his mind didn't even acknowledge the wound. Something inside of him drowned out the pain with thoughts of the woman in his arms.

Najenda bit down and a muffled scream echoed from her; she spasmed for him; her back arched; and her warmth shook him near his finishing point.

Naruto grunted in effort and pulled himself out of her. He quickly turned and shot his seed away from the bed and onto the floor. When he was at last spent, he fell onto his side next to his new partner.

Both of them were breathing heavily, their scents mixing together in the air surrounding them. Naruto managed to collect enough breath to turn over and look at Najenda, and he felt his heart skip when he saw her.

Najenda's hair was a complete mess, shining with the recent efforts they shared. Her lone eye showed so much affection that he almost saw his mother behind it instead, and her smile seemed so bright and content that not even the stars in the night sky could compare.

He felt himself smile. He had no conscious idea why, but the smile seemed to grow on its own. Naruto felt something stir within him once he'd finished bringing out his smile.

Najenda said no words; she kissed him full on the mouth. Naruto was initially surprised by her action, but he soon returned her kiss with more vigor than he thought he could.

They separated after some time with neither saying a word. Instead, they shuffled up the bed and rested their heads on some of the pillows. Once they had, Naruto pulled the covers over their bodies. He then reached out and turned off the beside lamp, ending the room's light.

Naruto laid back and pushed aside the fighting army of thoughts in his head. His hand came up and touched his heart, feeling its beat begin to slow down.

He heard the bed's springs squeak along with the rustle of the sheets. Naruto then felt Najenda's head rest on his chest, directly covering his heart. Her body was flush against his, and he felt her warmth still between her legs.

Najenda purred, "So strong." Naruto's left arm wound around her bare, warm hip and pulled her closer to him. She then finished, sounding exceptionally proud, "Eat your heart out, Esdeath. I can make him smile like that too."

The pair remained rooted together that way. Eventually, Naruto felt her breathing slow to a deep, steady rhythm, her chest rising and falling. Najenda's arms wrapped around him and tightened almost jealously, as though she feared he'd leave her alone again.

Naruto suppressed a chuckle at the idle thoughts and laid back, his head resting on the comfortable pillows. He had one last thought before sleep finally stole him: This… This isn't so bad.

A/N: And another chapter is out at long, long last! No, readers, your eyes do not deceive you! I have risen from the ashes and written one more!

I decided in honor of a few occasions lining up, I should finish this chapter and get it posted. I finished my summer semester and expect a 4.0; another chapter of the Akame ga Kill manga was finally translated; and I finally managed to score an interview at a law firm! Huzzah! So many things going right for me nearly all at once! Now I'm sitting here waiting for shit to hit the fan for some reason or another. (Yes, I know how much of a pessimist I really am)

Now to hopefully predict incoming concerns. Number one is probably: 'WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU INCLUDE AN ACTUAL LEMON!?' Well, if you read the scene, I'd hope you'd be able to guess why. Part of the reason why this chapter took so long to actually write is because of how much I debated with myself on whether I should include that sex scene or not. I went back and forth with myself. 'Would it have enough impact if I had it happen after? Or would it only have enough if I showed it happen in real time?' Trust me, folks, I didn't want to open this possible can of worms. However, the story determined it for me. I discussed this possibility at length with the characters (yes, I create them in my head and have full conversations at times; it helps me stay in character), and Naruto, Najenda, and even Esdeath agreed that the sex scene was the way to go. (Lubbock of course screamed from the sidelines about how it wasn't fair to him, and I have to agree, but there's other plans in the works for him.)

Now, please let me know your thoughts about what all happened, and not just about the sex scene please. I just know that's what people are going to focus on though, so I will say this: If you were reading it while another of your hands were...preoccupied I guess I did a good job. There's a whole lot of backstory revealed here, so I would like to hear your thoughts on everyone's past together.

Chapter Seven is down, and my next few will be completely Chaos and Death original content. That's right, folks; we're going on another trip with Tatsumi! I honestly can't wait to write them up either (got some good characters waiting back at Tatsumi's village).

See you guys (hopefully) soon again!