Chapter 18
The Heart of the Matter II
Aayla was in a daze.
That was the best way to describe it, almost like she had so much joy in her life in the span of a day that it threatened to overload her system. It was strange that she felt this way, considering the day had started so horribly wrong. First there was her reunion with her Masters, people that if she were to categorize them as a family would be her father, grandfather and mother.
Quinlan Vos, her first master, who had nurtured her and taken care of her during her early years, definitely fit the title of a father figure. He taught her, was there for her and in some instances could be overprotective of her. He saved her from the clutches of a Dark Jedi when she was still in her teens, before deciding that he had become too emotionally attached to her and too emotional himself. So he passed her on to his own master to complete her training.
Magus Tholme, her second master, was every bit the paternal grandfather figure. He was the eldest male, wiser, calmer, and full of such wisdom and knowledge that he seemed to radiate experience. When people were around the man, they couldn't help but feel that if he spoke, it would greatly behoove them to listen. He was stricter on her than Vos, but he cared about her just as deeply, and he soon became just as protective of her as Vos had been. He had taught her so much, had played the role of the caring sage so well that she would always see him as her grandfather.
T'ra Saa, while never officially her master, had taught her almost as much as Tholme and Vos put together. She and Tholme were always together, whether they were at the temple or on missions, and she became a staple presence in her life: a badly-needed maternal figure to the then young and impressionable Twi'lek. T'ra Saa taught her how to cook, how to look after herself, how to conduct herself as a lady, and taught her more about politics and negotiations than either Vos or Tholme would ever be capable of teaching her.
The woman was the oldest of the trio, perhaps in the top five of the eldest in the order. Not surprising with a little research. Her people, the plant-like Neti were known to be notoriously long lived, some living well into a millennia. In that respect she would probably be considered quite young, three maybe four hundred years old.
She had met them again, touched them to be sure that they were actually there, and had wept in pure joy at seeing them alive and well. That was the first good thing that had happened to her this day, and she would have been content with it.
The second thing to come her way was considerably more personal, and it happened largely as an after-effect to meeting her former teachers again. They had forced her past her fears and boundaries, had seen through her hastily-raised defences that she tried to use to shield herself from her burgeoning feelings for a certain blond human man. They helped her see what she was really feeling, though she felt that it was a little unfair that Quin had made her shout out her feelings like that, but the end result was... acceptable.
She smiled ever so slightly. Who was she kidding? The result was more than acceptable. It was bloody brilliant. It was wonderful! Never in her wildest dreams could she imagine experiencing what she was right now!
Her lips still tingled from the kiss, and her mind was just regaining its primary motor functions after nearly half an hour of the most tender and peaceful moment of her life. They did not make love, for she was still far too scared to even think of going that far. The two of them simply lay on a worn sofa, her weight being propped on Naruto as she lay on him, listening to his steady heartbeat and sighing in elation as he traced paper light circles on her arm.
She felt her lekku curl in contentment as Naruto placed a light kiss onto her cheek, and then caught her lips in his when she turned her head up to look at him. His eyes were completely on her, almost as if he were trying to immortalise this moment in his memory. That gaze made her feel so secure, and safe.
He placed his hands under her armpits, and pulled her up gently until they were laying face to face, her still on top of him as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close. She sighed, closing her eyes and settling her chin onto the crook of his neck, taking in the smell of his lightly scented skin as well as his locks of sunshine hair. He kissed her on her neck, tracing them from her shoulder all the way up to her chin, up her cheek and then next to her ear.
He whispered into the cone shaped ear, husky yet with a slight tinge of teasing, "We're going to have to go out some time."
"Mm," she hummed softly, more than happy to allow these precious moments to continue on forevermore, "Just a few more minutes."
She didn't care that her voice came out as a half whine, half plead. He kissed her again, right on the lips before sitting up and smiling sheepishly. "How protective is this Master Vos to you?"
"Like a father, why?" she asked lazily.
"Because I have the feeling that I'm being glared at," Naruto replied, scratching the back of his head.
Aayla, rolling to his side as he sat up and now on her back, smiled and laughed lightly before mirroring her loves motion, sitting up straight and leaning against his shoulder, enjoying the feeling as he placed an arm around her and held her close, his head on top of hers.
"Sage help me, I've dreamed about this moment," He whispered softly.
"So I wasn't the only one?" she raised her brow at that, smiling up at him cheekily before nuzzling into his side, "I'm glad."
He kissed the top of her head, a hand running along her left lekku which sent a shiver through her, unconsciously making her head-tail gently curl around his hand. He raised his hand, and kissed her flesh, making her shiver happily at the contact, "Always wanted to do that too."
"Mm," she managed before looking up at him, ocean blue locking and holding chocolate brown. "Most humans feel a little uneasy when they see how much our lekku move."
Naruto smiled as he traced another few kisses up and down the tail, "I'm not most humans."
Aayla shivered again. The Lekku were definitely one of the most sensitive spots on a Twi'lek woman's body. Those organs which extend her brain had no bone, they were just flesh, and extremely sensitive. It was one of the reasons why her people always wore head clasps, to protect them from the elements.
"We should go," Naruto said again, looking a little unsure of the decision himself, "I think Tholme and Vos still have a lot of questions for me."
Aayla sighed deeply, before nodding her head. Naruto stood up first, before turning around and pulling her up abruptly by her wrist. She collided with him in an embrace, pressed flush against him and shivering as his warm breathe washed over her neck, followed by a butterfly light kiss. Then they were moving towards the door, her hand held in his, fingers intertwined as they walked to the door and opened it.
Vos and Tholme were waiting outside, the younger leaning against the far wall while the elder sat on a box. The elder Jedi looked up as they exited the small room, and smiled, "Young people these days. Always like to keep their elders waiting."
Naruto blushed slightly, Aayla mirroring her loves as her lekku curled up in slight embarrassment. They both apologised at the same time, before looking at each other in surprise, bursting into nervous laughter a few moments later.
Quinlan tried to look intimidating in front of Naruto, as a father probably would when his daughter brought her boyfriend over to dinner, before he broke the mask with an exhale of breathe. He couldn't keep that emotion going, not by the way Aayla was glowing at the moment, almost like she had temporarily reverted back a decade to a sixteen year old.
"I still want some answers from you, son," Tholme said as he stood up, dusting off his pants, "and no circling the issue this time."
Naruto nodded his head, now completely serious, "I understand."
He allowed the elder Jedi Master to lead him down the corridor, and Aayla seemed ready to follow him but a hand was placed on her shoulder, stopping the young woman. She looked around to see Quinlan smiling a little at her, "Leave them be, we already know that he's harmless. Besides, there's someone I want you to meet."
"But I-"
"Don't worry too much," Naruto spoke up from behind her, giving Aayla a smile, "I'll be fine."
Aayla looked at Naruto with a frown, then back at Vos for a long moment. Finally she sighed and nodded, allowing her first Master to lead her away in the opposite direction. They moved down the corridor and around the corner, coming to a stop on the third door on the left. Quinlan looked around and rapped on the worn wood.
The door opened a crack, showing the lithe figure of Khaleen Hentz. She looked almost exactly as Aayla remembered her, seven months ago during the Battle of Saleucami. Her body was still lithe with piercing green eyes and long luxurious hair that was no longer magenta but seemed to revert to her natural hair colour of dark brown. The former Confederate spy turned Republic double agent starred directly at her for a moment, studying her with an intensity that only a former espionage agent could have.
Aayla could only look back. The two of them never really got along, keeping their relationship strictly professional. She had actually protested their union, because of her adherence to the Jedi code and her belief in it, though eventually she did come around and accepted her first master's decision.
Khaleen sighed, almost huffed before moving with speed which showed her peak of physical fitness. Her forehead was pressed against Aayla's, piercing green eyes the only thing the young woman could see. "It's not a hallucination then."
Aayla managed a half smile, "Sorry to disappoint."
She was pulled into an embrace, eyes widening in sudden shock as the spy hugged her before letting her go and holding her at arm's length. She looked Aayla over, and shook her head in bemusement, "You look a little thin there, Jedi girl."
Aayla raised her brow at that, before shaking her head, smiling a little to herself, "So everyone keeps telling me."
Khaleen finally smiled in slight amusement, "I'm glad to see that you're safe."
"You too," Aayla replied, putting her arms on Khaleen's shoulders and nodding her head.
"I suppose you want to see him?" Khaleen asked as she let the three Jedi into the room, giving Vos a quick kiss on the cheek before moving past them to a small crib positioned at the corner. She reached down, lifting out the small form of a baby boy with the utmost maternal care. The former spy turned and walked back over, whispering softly into the awakened child's ear. "Korto, there's someone I want you to meet."
Aayla watched the baby with rapt attention, half-excited and half-terrified when Khaleen and her baby were just a few steps away from her. The former spy saw the young woman's worry, and smiled. The baby's attention went from his mother to Aayla, and the young woman gasped at the tuft of black hair and piercing eyes which were definitely inherited from Quin. The infant saw her, and instead of crying like she had expected he smiled and reached over to her.
"May I?" Aayla asked, seeing this baby and trying not to turn into a pile of jelly. He was so beautiful, as he grinned and babbled excitedly, not afraid at all by the new presence in the room. Khaleen walked over to her, and slowly, and with great care handed him to her, standing by her side and showing her how to hold him before taking a step back. Aayla could only nod her head at the former spy's instruction, her senses completely transfixed by the little bundle of joy in her arms.
Little chubby hands reached out and touched her face, surprising the young Twi'lek for a moment. The baby was laughing happily as he took in the facial features of the new person holding him. Aayla couldn't hope but break out into a tender smile, gently rocking the baby back and forth in her arms.
"Master," she said at last, smiling as she freed a hand to caress the little boy's cheek, making him look up at her with wide eyed focus, taking in her features and committing them to memory. She had read that a baby did this to remember the most important people in its little life.
"Yes, Aayla?" Vos asked, happiness tingeing his voice as he watched a woman he considered his daughter together with his own son.
He stopped babbling, and for a moment a little sliver of fear crossed her mind, was he going to cry? Her worries were cast aside when she glanced at his face and saw that he was completely focused on her right lekku, which was wrapped around her neck. A little chubby hand reached out in an attempt to grab it.
"Oh, no you don't." She chided softly, taking his attention away from her appendage by nuzzling her nose against his forehead. The response was a shout of laughter and the baby wriggling around in delight. "That's not for pulling, little one."
Vos laughed, and the smiles on all in the room only seemed to add to the mood. "So what's on your mind, Aayla?"
"I think I've made up my mind," she said, poking the child's nose lightly and watching as he scrunched up his little face, babbling happily at her attention.
"About being his godmother?"
"Mm," she nodded her head, allowing the child to enclose his little hand around her finger. The woman in her wanted to scream about how cute he was, and it took the Jedi in her to stop her from making such an embarrassing mistake.
"So?" he asked with a smile.
"I think I will be his godmother," Aayla said, holding this baby and feeling something she had thought she would never feel again, not in seven months, but suddenly found an abundance of it today. For the first time since Order 66 Aayla Secura, Jedi Knight, was at peace.
At least it didn't look like an interrogation room. It wasn't a dark chamber with only one very bright light overhead, a wooden table and two chairs. Instead it turned out to be a room exactly like the one Naruto had been in with Aayla, after her confession. The memory of her even now sent an abundance of warmth and joy to his heart he had not felt in a long time, and never to the degree he felt it now. She loved him. She actually loved him!
He shook his head discretely, dispelling the memories. He had more pressing matters at the moment, mainly gaining the trust of his... what should he call her now, girlfriend seemed too trivial a title when it came to her, lover, no he was getting a little ahead of himself there. Love, perhaps? Yes that would do nicely, his love. Naruto sighed, just noticing that his mind had strayed from reality again. He attempted to take his mind off of Aayla, and took in the room around him.
There was a window, looking out over the cityscape of Nar Shaddaa, at least fifty storeys up by the look of it, and by the abundance of light and traffic the young Shinobi guessed they were back in one of the safer districts. The room itself was a simple affair, with two sofas and a small glass table in the middle, a holo-screen was in the corner and a few cupboards full of items were scattered about on the walls.
"Have a seat," Tholme motioned as the older man took one of the sofas in the room.
"Thank you," Naruto replied as he walked to the other sofa and sat down, looking across the room right at the Jedi master who was Aayla's second teacher. Tholme came off as an old soldier to Naruto, someone who had seen many things and done many things in his life. The scar running diagonally along his left eye showed that he had been in battle. His features were strong and stoic with the first signs of wrinkles appearing on his skin and hair which was also beginning to show signs of age and stress, half way between black and dark gray.
"Sorry for disappearing on you back there," Naruto began, feeling the need to break the ice and get this conversation rolling.
"Just try not to make it a habit," the older man replied as he sat back in his chair and folded his arms, studying Naruto, "Although I suppose I could forgive you, and Aayla's trust in you does relieve many of our worries from us. My former apprentice is not the type to just blindly trust someone."
"That's good to hear," Naruto replied with a nod.
"However," Magus continued. "We cannot overlook the fact that you are an unknown to us…of a race of people we've never heard of…from a place we've never heard of. Surely, you can understand that we might have some concerns?"
"Yes, I can, and I would have a few of my own if I was in your shoes," Naruto agreed, leaning forward in his chair, clasping his hands together and looking over at Tholme with a look of pure seriousness. "Ask any questions you wish and I will answer them to the very best of my ability. Aayla trusts you three with her life, and I would like nothing more than to gain your trust as well."
Tholme nodded his head, "Okay Naruto, we will begin. Who are you? What planet are you from? What are your loyalties?"
"My name is Naruto, full name Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, born of the Uzumaki clan, son of the Yondaime Hokage Minato Namikaze and his wife Kushina Uzumaki. I hail from Konohagakure no Sato, translated as Village Hidden in the Leaves; Shinobi village situated in the country of Hi no Kuni, translates as the Land of Fire. My rank is Jōnin, which is considered the elite of any stable Shinobi force." He answered the question calmly, noticing with a little chagrin the frown on Tholme's face. "The leader of my village was called the Hokage, translated as Fire Shadow, and my village would be the home base for Hi no Kuni's Shinobi forces, who compose a substantial component of Hi no Kuni's military, the other substantial component being Samurai, or armored swordsmen, who answer directly to Hi no Kuni's Feudal Lord, or Daimyo. These Samurai make up the rank-and-file of Hi no Kuni's military, whereas Shinobi are considered more specialized forces and are assigned more specialized tasks and functions."
"Shinobi are a Force-sensitive force?" Tholme asked.
"That depends on your point of view," Naruto replied, "From what I can tell when Aayla and I talk about it, you Jedi gain your power from an external psychic source known as the Force; sometimes she calls it "the Living Force", while we Shinobi gain our abilities internally from what we call a chakra circulatory system, which is similar in many ways to the capillaries that carry blood."
"And what were your duties as a Shinobi? How are they defined?"
"A Shinobi can be many things, although we first arose as assassins and mercenary clans for hire."
"You started off as assassins and mercenaries?" Tholme asked, eyes narrowing.
"At the beginning, yes," Naruto nodded his head, "It was the Shinobi clans who first learned how to channel and use chakra, and many of them were already warrior clans. At the beginning they fought for the highest bidder, using their abilities and powers to aide their benefactor in a time of war. Out of these wars two clans emerged, the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan. The two of them struck up a rivalry because at the time they were the strongest, when one side would hire the Uchiha the other side would hire the Senju and vice versa."
Tholme didn't interrupt; he just listened, choosing to withhold judgment until the young man finished his story.
"However times began to change: the continent was beginning to unify into a handful of countries, and work for mercenaries began to decline. So the heads of both the Uchiha and Senju met, and decided to form an alliance. They built Konoha, the first Shinobi village in history and pledged their support to the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire. Over time, other clans joined including the Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, Hyuga, Inuzuka and Aburame. Other clans saw this grand alliance and hastily started forming alliances and villages of their own, so ended the era of clans and began the era of villages. Well that's the simplified version."
"I see," Tholme muttered, frowning in thought, "So your people were mercenaries turned soldiers."
"We were, but we were not a united order like the Jedi. I know what you are thinking, Master Tholme, but the Shinobi cannot be so easily categorised into good or evil, light or dark. There were evil Shinobi who did nothing but slaughter and kill, and then there were others who fought for their country and their leader with the utmost devotion, still there were more who fought for an ideal or for someone they loved and more who thought of it as just a job. Shinobi came from many backgrounds and walks of life: some were good; some were evil; most, however, fell into more of a grey area."
"Hmm," Tholme hummed in thought. "I sense you are telling me the truth boy, but I will be straight with you. The Jedi in me doesn't like what I hear about the Shinobi; not one bit."
"I know. Aayla was of the same opinion when I told her," Naruto replied.
"So what would you categorize yourself as?"
"Me?" Naruto asked, thinking for a moment before answering with the honest truth, "I was an orphan, and alone, so when I became a Shinobi it was so I could be recognised as something more than an unwanted child. Over time that outlook changed. I met people, made friends who became like family to me, and I changed my idea. I became a Shinobi and continued on because I wanted to protect those people I considered my family."
Naruto chuckled lightly, "The thoughts of a kid, huh?"
"You didn't keep this new focus?" Magus asked.
"I tried, until the very end. But I failed," Naruto replied regretfully, leaning back into his chair and blowing out a sigh as he looked up at the ceiling, "after that, well, it's not something I like to talk about, probably the darkest time of my life."
"What happened?" Tholme pressed.
"War happened…" Naruto replied with a melancholy smile on his face as he looked back at Tholme, "…and this was not a war of village against village. In fact, all of the villages had united into one huge force for the first time in our world's history. It was a war between the Shinobi Alliance and a renegade army known as the Akatsuki. We won the war, but I lost my village," He sighed and looked right at the older Jedi, "We were not perfect Tholme, many Shinobi fought with a set of principles or a code of honour, but just as many didn't."
"Then what was your people's view on good and evil, light and dark?" the Jedi Master asked.
"That depended on the village, and the individual," Naruto replied. "Each village had a set of guidelines and rules, techniques which were considered forbidden and ways of treating each other in peacetime. Our people generally weren't driven by religion, race or creed. In times of war, we simply saw our opponents as the enemy, and it was kill or be killed. We didn't believe in light or dark, or some omnipotent Force guiding us down a path. It was up to the individual and his choices."
"What are your opinions on war?"
"I hate war," Naruto answered honestly, "War takes things from you and gives nothing back. Your friends go to the battlefield and sometimes they don't return. Mothers and fathers lose sons and daughters and vice versa, good men die and those left are nothing more than hollow shells of what they once were. But there are some wars that have to be fought, and that war was one of them."
"I can see it," Tholme sighed as he whispered.
"See what?"
"That you are a good man, Naruto Uzumaki." The old Jedi smiled.
"A good man, huh?" Naruto asked as he leaned back and looked up, "I have killed Tholme, and when I lost everything I became what I hated, I became bent on revenge and it left me feeling hollow and cursed. I walked what you Jedi call a dark path and I was almost consumed by it."
"But you are still a good man," the Jedi continued wistfully, "Many others would have never been able to come back from the places you have been. Pain and anger lead to darkness and hatred."
"Is that why the Jedi frown on emotion?" Naruto asked.
"I thought I was interrogating you?"
"Interrogation," Naruto countered with a smirk. "I thought I was just being questioned."
Tholme smiled a little, but became serious again, "The Jedi aren't perfect either, my boy, but we thought that by becoming detached from the galaxy we would be able to see it from an unbiased view."
"I understand where you're coming from," Naruto conceded, "letting your emotions control you never really ends well. However there's just something about your code that really rubs me the wrong way."
"How so?"
"In Konoha, there was a man named Danzo Shimura, an old man who had witnessed the worst of war. He created a specialised division within the ANBU, the most elite level of Shinobi. He called this force ROOT. This force was completely loyal to him. He undermined the Hokage and created an army made of orphans, trained since they were young to remove all emotion and become complete killing machines," Naruto saw the look on Tholme's face, one of revulsion. He smiled a little at him, "It was a good thing he didn't become Hokage huh? He died and ROOT was disbanded."
"Why are you telling me this?" Tholme asked.
"Because when I hear a Jedi talk about their code, about how emotion was a great weakness that needed to be removed, I am reminded of ROOT and the lack of emotion or mercy in their members' eyes when they killed," Naruto replied, keeping the eyes of the Jedi Master across from him, "I'm sorry to say this. The Jedi are a world away from ROOT, but when I hear of purging emotion, that is the first thing that comes to mind."
Tholme looked at him for a long moment before leaning back into the sofa and chuckling lightly, "You are an interesting man, Naruto."
"I do try," he replied with a broad grin.
"Humor me one more question?"
"Hit me."
"If you had a chance to rebuild the Shinobi, would you rebuild it like it was?"
"No," Naruto replied with conviction. "I would build it very differently. If anything, I would use a template similar to what you Jedi have as the foundation, except for the false ideology that emotion should be purged from one's being. No one should have to live that way. Emotions are a crucial part of life and an integral part of how to grow and learn. A code of honour and ethics was what my people sorely lacked, though."
"Then again, you Shinobi were created as assassins and mercenaries," Tholme countered lightly. "If assassins wanted to survive then I wouldn't recommend that they follow guidelines or rules."
Naruto laughed, "True enough, I suppose."
"Now then on to more personal questions," Tholme said after a moment, standing up and walking around the table. He put his foot onto the sofa and peered down at Naruto with a questioning gaze, one of a seasoned interrogator who wanted this information and was almost willing to do anything to get it. "What are your intentions towards Aayla?"
The question surprised Naruto, but just for a moment. He shrugged as he answered straightforwardly, "I haven't thought that far ahead yet, to be honest. All I know is that I'm in love with her, and I have been for a while. Based on what I had been told about the Jedi Order, I was scared she couldn't return it, so I've simply…loved her from afar, for lack of a better expression…by keeping her alive, protecting her, and taking the best care of her that I can."
"And now that you know she feels the same way you do?"
Naruto smiled. He didn't grin; he smiled in true joy, a tender loving smile. He spoke in a small, wistful whisper, looking at the surface of the glass table, "I feel like I'm walking on air. I thought I could never love again, but when I look at her I become willing to take one last chance."
Tholme exhaled breathe as he crossed his arms, looking down at Naruto with a smile. "If you ever hurt her-"
"I'll bite the blaster bolt, as you well travelled people say." Naruto replied as he looked to Tholme. "I would die a thousand times."
"Very well," Tholme nodded as he leaned down and whispered words into Naruto's ear, words said in a way that only a grandparent would say. "Look after her and protect her."
"Until my dying breath, I swear." He took out a knife, ignoring his questioners stiffening as he slid the blade across his palm, blood dripped from the wound as he turned his hand into a fist and squeezed. "I swear on my own blood that I will protect her until my dying breath. This is the ultimate oath of a Shinobi."
Tholme led Naruto back down the corridor, taking him right back to where the other Jedi were. The young Shinobi was unsure about just what was in store for him concerning Aayla's former masters, but he had answered his questions as well as he could so he could only hope that things would turn out well.
They turned a corner, seeing one of the doors opened. It was almost nervously quiet though, and for a fleeting moment something in the back of the young Shinobi's mind made him worry. What if they were attacked by bounty hunters or Imperial agents while they were away? It was a stupid worry, he knew this, but it was a worry none the less.
Tholme led him into the room. Quinlan Vos, T'ra Saa and a beautiful young woman were the first people he had seen. He guessed the woman by the younger man's side was Khaleen, the former spy that Aayla had told him about. He was about to speak, but Quinlan stopped him with a shake of his head, smiling at Naruto's frown before pointing to the centre of the room.
He looked.
Aayla stood in the middle of the room, attention completely on the small bundle of white sheets in her arms. Her face mere millimetres away as a small pair of chubby hands reached out and touched her cheeks and nose. Her smile was soft and tender, as radiant as any sun he had ever seen, and her posture was steady as she nurtured the baby in her arms.
Naruto looked at her for a long moment. He did not speak, he did not move. He just watched as Aayla continued to coo and speak softly to the babbling child in her arms. After a while a single thought pierced his mind.
By the sage above, she looked so beautiful.
She looked so right, so perfectly right holding a child in her arms.
His mind and body were both on autopilot. Naruto walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, planting his chin on the crook of her neck and kissing her softly on the cheek. She didn't go rigid, nor did she seem at all surprised by his presence, instead she leaned into him, completely trusting that he would never let her fall and allowed him a look at the baby boy in her arms.
Naruto looked down at the baby just as he was looking right up at him, his wide eyes and slightly gapping mouth exactly how Sakura and Tsunade had told him a baby would look like when they saw a person for the first time. They would study you, learn how you looked and committed it to memory. A baby soaked up more information than any other age range, at that age they could learn almost anything.
He looked at the child, and then at Aayla, and he wondered if they would ever have a moment like this. Was it even possible for a Human and a Twi'lek to make a baby together? Was she ever going to be able to hold her own child in her arms, cooing and shushing and speaking so he or she memorised her angelic voice?
Naruto smiled in chagrin as he shook his head.
He was really getting ahead of himself.
"So, what did you find?" Vos asked as he closed the door, leaving the two alone.
"Your instincts were right, my young friend," Tholme replied as he crossed his arms, hiding them in the sleeves of his robe as he spoke, "He is not a Sith spy, nor does he mean us any harm. All he has told me I believe, for I felt no deceit from him."
"What about his plans with Aayla?" T'ra Saa asked.
"He told me he doesn't know, but he swore on his own blood that he would protect her until his dying breath," Tholme walked a few steps down the corridor, turning around to face Quinlan, T'ra Saa and Khaleen, "If Aayla trusts him, then I will put my faith in him."
"But can we trust him?" the Neti Jedi Master asked, "I feel nothing but happiness for Aayla like all of you do, but still I worry."
"There is no need to worry," Khaleen spoke up for the first time, leaning against the wall with her arms folded and her eyes closed. "He swore on his own blood, did he?"
"He did. Sliced his own hand open to do it, too," Tholme nodded.
"Then we have nothing to fear as far as Aayla is concerned," she replied as she pushed herself off the wall.
"What do you mean?" T'ra Saa asked.
"Naruto is a soldier," she answered as she walked over to Vos and leaned on his shoulder, smiling serenely as he put an arm around her waist. "He is a soldier with a sense of honour and a moral code which he would not break easily. When someone like him makes a blood oath, he will keep it, until his dying breath. What did he say when he made the oath?"
"Until my dying breath, I swear," Tholme began with a frown. "I swear on my own blood that I will protect her until my dying breath. It sounds an awful lot like the blood oath of the Anzati."
"It also sounds like the bond of friendship of the Kiffu clans," Vos frowned.
Tholme nodded his head, eyes widening slightly in remembrance of his time as a Watcher of the twin worlds. "It is one of their vows."
"It is also one of the pinnacle marital vows of the Mandalorian clans," Khaleen added.
"How is that possible," Tholme murmured. "According to him that vow is one of the most important vows a Shinobi can make. If the Anzati assassins, the Guardians of Kiffu and the Mandalorian clans have similar vows... it can either be coincidence or not."
"Why must it be coincidence?" Quinlan asked.
"Because from what he tells me, he comes from a people that were technologically primitive. They still used knives and swords as weapons, and if they weren't Shinobi the people either travelled on foot or by horse-drawn cart. His people have never met anyone not of their world."
T'ra Saa frowned at this, "Then why did one of his people's main vows coincide with that of at least three other warrior bound peoples?"
"I have no idea."
"We need you to tell us everything he told you." Vos said thoughtfully.
Tholme nodded in agreement, "I still believe he is not a threat though, to either us or Aayla. I got the impression that he would rather die than hurt her."
"So he is not dangerous?"
"Not to us," Magus shook his head, "I don't believe so. Put Aayla in harm's way, though, and I pity the poor fool on the receiving end of his fury."
"Good," T'ra Saa stated as she turned to them from the door of the room with a knowing smile.
Khaleen joined her, looking over the older woman's shoulder to see the scene in the room. The former thief turned spy smiled softly, "They kind of look right like that, you know what I mean?"
"I do," T'ra Saa nodded her head in agreement, smiling knowingly as she turned around. Tholme was the first to catch on. He knew her better than most. Quinlan was next to see it, by just a few seconds later than his former teacher.
"Alright spill," Vos said at last, "What did you see?"
"You knew he wasn't dangerous since you looked into Aayla's future," Tholme added as he folded his arms and shook his head, bemused. "I spent the last half an hour giving that boy the 'Fatherly dress-down' for nothing."
"I saw a little more than that," T'ra Saa allowed as she continued to smile, "In half of their futures, and if they overcome their obstacles…I see life."
"Life," Tholme intoned, before his eyes went wide. He said a total of two words, but managed to control his voice, "A baby?"
T'ra Saa could only smile.
Author Note 1: We've done it. We're over the threshold of a thousand reviews. Thank you to everyone who helped me and this story reach this far and thank you for your continued support in my endeavour. This chapter, posted two days earlier than usual is a thank you from me, so enjoy it. We are now on 1,058 for the story, considerably more than I thought, so thank you everybody.
Author's Note 2: What did you guys think of my little tender moments between Naruto and Aayla. I ask because it was my first time writing something so... fluffy I believe is the term. I actually liked writing it, I guess I'm a hopeless romantic at heart... oh god.
Author's Note 3: Also thanks to ncpfan for getting the beta-reading done and sent back so quickly. He himself is writing a Naruto story called 'To Really Know Someone' and I would recommend any Naruto fan to give it a read.
Author's Note 4: This is the important part of these Author's Notes to me. At the beginning I made it clear that as Naruto and Aayla's relationship deepens there may be lemons (translated from Fanfiction jargon as sex scenes). I had actually written a scene prior, but my computer crashed on me and the scene was lost to cyberspace.
What I want to know is do you guys want to see lemons, or would you be more comfortable with just limes. I personally don't mind either way, but for those who disagree I have a compromise. The chapters containing lemons would be reposted on my home page as individual one-shots, basically exactly the same as the chapter on the main story except they will have the sex scene added in, an uncut version of the chapter if you will.
What do you think?
Review or PM me on your opinions, and a poll should be set up regarding the issue. Iit will be up for a few days starting tonight. Just go to my main page and vote. If the vote is for the majority then I will make an attempt at it, but if I am not happy with it then I will not upload it.