Here's the next chapter for you guys. I hope you all enjoy. Sorry it took so long, the air went out in my room and it's been like a hundred degrees in there for the last few weeks. I can't get any writing done, it's so hot. So again, I'm sorry this took so long, hopefully it'll be fixed within another week or two.
Broken Angel
Chapter 88
"Riley." Someone called out to her.
She glanced over towards the sound of the voice to find Katie. She nodded in another direction. Riley quickly sent a glance there and spotted the small group of onlookers they had gathered.
The Raikage and his advisers, along with Yugito and Killer Bee, stood silently, watching as Riley, Arturia, and Kushina dueled.
The three shared a look and drew to a stop with Riley turning her attention to the new arrivals. She made a steady march over towards them, her eyes falling onto Yugito as she did.
Riley recognized the woman from her time at the Tri-wizard tournament and Chuunin Exams. She hadn't changed much in the time since then.
Almost immediately, Riley picked something up with her empathic abilities. She could feel the Two-Tails presence, almost like it was pushing itself to the forefront. It was enough that it completely enveloped Yugito, preventing Riley from reading her emotions at all. It was an odd thing and it almost showed on Riley's face. She wondered if that was something the Cat did naturally or if it was intentionally pushing itself forward in order to cover Yugito. It wasn't a stretch to believe that the Cat knew of Kurama's negative emotion sensing, but that still left the question as to why.
Riley drew to as stop about a meter in front of them and offered the Raikage a nod.
"Morning." Riley offered.
"Good morning." The Raikage responded.
"Wonderful weather in Kumo, this time of year." Riley noted as a breeze began to pick up.
"Yes quite. I see you and yours are making good use of Kumogakure's facilities." A noted as his eyes drifted over the small collection of young woman that were slowly rising from their morning workout routine.
"Gotta keep fit. Never know when someone is going to try and cut your life short." Riley responded as she glanced over her shoulder at her mates.
A watched her closely but offered a nod of agreement. His eyes slowly drifted over to Yugito to find her staring intently at Riley. Her face was slightly scrunched up, as if she was trying to figure something out. It was probably how calm and serene Riley appeared that was throwing Yugito off. She had anticipated seeing the monster that he murdered Karui.
"Well, best get the weird parts out of the way first. Hi." Riley offered her hand to Yugito.
"Hello." Yugito offered a polite bow but didn't take Riley's hand.
Even without being able to sense her emotions, Riley could detect the tension.
"Well… I seem to remember you offering a tour of the city." Riley stated after a few moments of silence.
"Yes. Once you and yours are ready, we can commence with the tour." A stated earning a nod from Riley and her mates.
From there Riley's group quickly returned to their hotel, got changed and joined the Raikage for a tour of Kumo. It was a pleasant morning, nothing overly extravagant happened. Riley tried on more then one occasion to start a conversation with Yugito, but her answers were always short and overly direct.
Riley and her mates picked up on it. The Raikage was showing great restraint in not throttling Yugito where she stood. Despite not getting anything from Yugito, Riley could clearly sense the Raikage's agitation. Though she was unsure of it's meaning. Was he upset that the two weren't hitting it off? Or perhaps Yugito was acting out, and was intentionally being short with Riley to try and piss her off? Riley didn't know, but her patience was very slowly starting to wear out.
She had promised her mates a week and she would give it a week, but that didn't mean she was going to bust her ass to make this work, especially if Yugito didn't want it. Riley wasn't about to force someone to fall in love with her, and she wasn't going to force herself either. Riley would try to be nice and see if she could push through Yugito's icy exterior, but if she was dead set on seeing this end before it even began then Riley was just going to let her burn it all down.
No point in trying to stop her.
About halfway through the tour Riley just stopped paying any attention to Yugito and refocused on her mates. Right now obviously wasn't the time to try and make nice. It was pretty clear to those around them that some sort of unspoken feud was beginning to form between the two women.
"What's up with her?" Katie whispered as Riley linked arms with her.
"No clue. Either she's being forced into this, and really doesn't want it, or I did something to piss her off." Riley whispered back as she made a face.
Katie could only shake her head, and refocus on the tour. No point in worrying too much about it.
A short while later they broke for lunch. When they did, the Raikage pulled Yugito aside to have a chat with her.
"What?" Yugito hissed as the two separated from the rest.
"Could you make it a little less obvious that you want to strangle her?" A demanded, folding his arms across his chest and leveling a powerful glare at her.
"I'm being civil." Yugito snapped, louder then she probably anticipated.
"You're being a brat. Big difference." A fired back, his eyes growing darker.
"What do you want from me? She killed my friend an I have to pretend that doesn't bother me. You on the other hand seem to not give a shit." Yugito growled out, her eyes changing color momentarily as her anger started to reach it's peak.
"You have no idea how I feel. Every single one of those people she killed… they were my men. All of them. It wasn't just Karui that lost her life, fighting the Angel Slayer. You think I've forgotten that? I haven't. If I had any other option I'd be trying to kill her myself for that. But I don't. We don't. She's more powerful then anyone I've ever met. She's stronger then you, she's stronger then Bee, she's stronger then me. Hell she's probably stronger then all three of us together. I'm not doing this because I want to make nice with her. I'm doing this to save all of our lives. She's a monster. A monster we can't beat. So grow up. It's more then just you who's having to put up with this. Yours isn't the only life that is being put on the line here. If this alliance fails, every man, every woman, every innocent child in the village… all of them could be put at risk. Do you want that on your conscience?" A stated in a low and cold tone, fixing her with a skin peeling glare.
"No… I don't want that. I don't want her to kill more of our people." Yugito replied after a moment, guilt taking up residence on her face.
"Then stop fighting her. She's being civil. She seems like she's actually trying to open a dialogue with you. So take it. Speak with her. Pretend. Do what you have to. Don't allow your petty need for revenge to cloud the real issue here. Every person in this village is in danger, until you can put yourself in between her and us. You've seen how she dotes on those women of hers. Become one of them, get her wrapped around your finger and keep her from ever harming another of your comrades ever again. Do that… and maybe Karui's death wont have been in vain." A commanded earning a slow nod from Yugito as her eyes fell to the ground.
A few tears fell from her eyes, which she quickly wiped away. Once she recomposed herself, the two moved to rejoin the others. Most of them offered the two curious glances as they approached the large table where lunch was being prepared. Riley herself barely offered that much. Her gaze was soft and quick. Barely lingering for more then a half second before returning to the small blonde haired girl with the wavy hair and the dreamy eyes.
Yugito eyed the two as she sat down. The way Riley reacted with them, her 'mates', it was so gentle. So, unlike, everything Yugito had heard about her. In all the stories, and in every previous interaction, Riley had shown to be an immovable object, unlike anything the world had ever seen. Yet when it came to those women that she held so dear, she was soft, and gentle. Delicate even. It was such a strange sight.
The blonde haired girl whispered something to Riley which earned a smile from her. Riley then leaned close and whispered something into the girl's ear, earning a small blush and a smile from the dreamy eyed young woman. Riley then pulled back, leaving a kiss on Luna's cheek as she did.
"So… what's on the agenda for the rest of the day?" Katie inquired.
"We have a bit more to see, then we can return to discussions on our future alliance. There are still some details I would like to get ironed out." A responded, earning a nod from Katie, as well as the Suna representatives and Tom. Hashirama seemed to be just enjoying the food, while Madara was acting his normal aloof self.
Riley offered a halfhearted nod to show that she at least heard him but it was obvious that she found whatever she was discussing with Luna to be far more interesting.
Yugito watched Riley the entirety of their lunch brake. She spent most of her time whispering and giggling to the wavy haired girl that Yugito didn't remember the name of though occasionally she would lean over and say something to the woman who sat on her other side, which was the red headed half-demon.
The in and of itself unnerved Yugito, and she was definitely going to inform the Raikage the second she was able too. She didn't know if he knew yet or not, or if Bee had told him, but she had to make sure. Something like a half-demon could be quite the threat to deal with.
"Yes?" Riley stated in a questioning manner, when conversation in the room had quieted. Yugito made a face not knowing why she had said that, when suddenly Riley turned her gaze to meet Yugito's.
Before she could react she found herself pulled into her mindscape, Riley standing in front of her.
"What?" Riley asked as she folded her arms across her chest and let out an annoyed huff.
"You… How? Stop doing this!" Yugito snapped after a moment of confusion.
"You're the one who's been staring at me like I'm a fucking art attraction. You seemed generally uninterested before and now you wont stop staring at me so what the fuck do you want?" Riley demanded as she focused a glare at the woman.
Out the darkness behind Yugito the two tailed cat stalked out and stood behind Yugito. It stood as a safeguard to Yugito's thoughts and feelings, not allowing Riley to press any further then she already had. While neither of them remembered the reason why, they both recalled Riley's previous entrance into Yugito's mindscape and her threat to keep something quiet if they valued their lives. Neither knew what that something was, but the image of Riley's eye's boring into them, kept with them even to this day.
"What do I want? You're the one who came her looking for another trophy to add to your collection." Yugito bit out with an enraged glare. She desperately wanted to jump forward and tear Riley limb from limb but she knew something like that would end in her death.
"Your Raikage came to me. I never even considered you a possibility until he offered you up as a candidate. If you were so against this then why not say so from the start? Surely your boss isn't so naive to think that I'd willingly accept a woman who was being forced into this against her will? So there has to be some part of you that agreed to this so what the fuck is the issue?" Riley countered, her glare growing just a bit colder.
"I didn't want this! I don't want this! You're a monster. I know it! You know it! Everyone in the world knows it! I'm only here because everyone is terrified that you'll do to Kumo what you've done to so many others. The Raikage thinks I may be able to act as a shield to stop you from hurting more of my comrades. I'm here because of that. Not because I like you. Not because I want anything to do with you. I can't even fathom how much blood is on your hands." Yugito snapped, earning a confused look from Riley.
"I see. Well then… let's just make it through this week." Riley stated coldly as her eyes drifted off to something in the distance.
"What's the point? You and I will never get along, but it looks like I'll just have to deal with it." Yugito muttered as her eyes fell to the ground.
"No. You wont. You don't want this. And I would never force someone to care about me. When this week is over I'll tell your Raikage he can ram his offer, and I'll leave. I have no interest in Kumo. If you want to insure peace then make sure your council, your Raikage, and every fucking shinobi in this village knows that. Iwa tried to attack my home, Orochimaru tried to assassinate my wife. These are things I do care about. You keep Kumo out of my fucking way, and I wont annihilate it. Simple as that. I'm only staying here because I promised my mates I'd try to make this work with you. It's obvious such a thing is impossible, so let's be civil with each other for the rest of the week and then I can leave and you can go back to doing whatever the fuck you do." Riley stated earning a confused look from Yugito.
"Why would your girlfriends ask for this? Why would they even want another woman in your harem?" Yugito questioned.
"Peace. What your Raikage sought to gain from this alliance. Some of my mates, including the Kazekage, asked me to actually put some effort into this. To try and make it work. Solely because an alliance between Kumo, Suna, and Britain would ensure peace on the continent for the first time in the Elemental Nations' history. They wanted me to secure that for them. So I agreed. Honestly, I'd rather be working on my other relationships, but now I have to spend a week dealing with you. So do me a favor, pretend like I don't exist. Be a bitch. Scowl at me. Glare at me. Do whatever the fuck you want to me. That way when I leave, my mates don't even have to ask why I left your ass here." Riley explained, earning just a bit of surprise from Yugito.
The idea that Riley was actually after peace, herself, hadn't even entered into Yugito's mind. She was so caught up in her own anger at the woman, that she had simply assigned a reason to Riley's actions and didn't bother to examine at all. In her mind, Riley was just a monster who wanted more women to hold on her arms. More trophies to show off. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Oh, and before I go. One last thing..." Riley stated earning Yugito's attention.
"You ever degrade my mates by calling them 'trophies' again, and I'll kill you." Riley delivered her threat with a dark glare as she faded from Yugito's mindscape.
"Such power." Matatabi muttered as her eyes drifted down to Yugito.
Yugito was quiet for a second. She barely even registered that her body was shaking from Riley's KI. After several tense moments she was able to clam down and withdraw from her mindscape to find that Lunch was still ongoing and no one had noticed their interaction. Riley had gone back to ignoring her and was instead focused on the half-demon this time.
Yugito sat quietly for the rest of her meal. It was obvious to anyone who looked at her, that she was in a sour mood.
After the meal had finished she followed quietly as they finished the tour. She then made a quick getaway once the representatives settled in for more negotiations.
Yugito quickly found herself on the roof of her apartment, staring out over Kumo. Her gaze was distant and she was fully in her own world. Thus she didn't even notice when someone appeared by her side.
"Your thoughts are loud, ya know." Came the voice of Killer Bee.
Yugito blinked a few times before glancing over at him. She let out a sigh and returned her gaze to the city around her.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I can't seem to stop myself from hating her. Yet in the same breath… I know I'm putting so many people at risk and… I don't want that. I don't want to be the reason she hurts more of our people. I don't want to be the reason that we can't have peace. It isn't fair. Why do I have to put aside my feelings just to make her happy? What about my happiness?" Yugito stated. Vocalizing her internal thoughts.
"You wanna be free. I've always known that. I was there when she spoke about the girl that Karui's squad was going after, the zero-tails jinchuriki." Bee stated earning a surprised look from Yugito.
"They were going after a Jinchuriki?" Yugito asked.
"Yeah. Just like us. A young girl. Probably not even old enough to know the taste of alcohol, yo. She killed them to protect this girl. The way she spoke about her, addressing her by name. Amaru. It's obvious that the Uchiwa clan leader cares for the Zero's vessel. I'm not excusing what happened. Just giving context. We're not always heroes in what we do for the village. Sometimes we save people. Other times we hurt them. We try to rationalize it, but we're all villains in someone else's story. It's sad but true, this time Karui was the villain in Riley's story, and she met an end, just like all the rest. It hurts, I know. But I know you well enough to know that you're strong, Yugito. You know what's right. I'm not saying to forgive her. All I'm saying is we have a chance to secure something that most people only hope to achieve. I think if we were to ask her, Karui would have accepted death if it meant we'd all get to live in peace for the rest of our days. Don't you think?" Bee replied, his wisdom shining through.
A few tears fell from Yugito's eyes as she stared out across the city.
"I know. I do know that. It just… it hurts. It hurts because I know what's right, and I know I need to be strong enough to let go. I know she would have wanted me to do this. That woman… she's a monster. She could kill us all if she wanted to." Yugito responded as she wiped at her eyes.
"Have you ever asked yourself why she doesn't just off us and be done with it?" Bee inquired.
"I don't need to ask myself. She gave me the answer earlier and she showed it to me all day. It's those women. Her 'mates'. She refrains from evil because of them. She's only here because of them." Yugito muttered, earning a nod of agreement from Bee.
"I'm not gonna tell you what to do Yugito. You know in your heart what's right. This is your chance to be free. To go out and see the world, and do whatever you want. Circumstance brought you two together, now it's up to you to decide what to do with it. You can either take a chance on her and try to forgive, or you can throw it away, and never know what would have happened. Either way, it's your choice. Don't do it for the village or for Karui. Do what you want to do, and do it for you." Bee told her, earning a small nod from Yugito.
-The following day-
Yugito followed from the shadows as Riley and her mates wandered through the city. They were naturally followed by an unseen troop of Anbu guards but otherwise they had the run of the place.
Riley's mates were taking in the sights, generally just enjoying themselves. Despite their training they hadn't been trained since birth to feel unease in a hidden village that wasn't their own. Where Riley was watchful and only gave off the appearance of being calm and cool, Riley's mates were, for the most part, actually enjoying their time in Kumo.
Not to say that they weren't on alert, but there was a difference between the caution of a trained warrior and the paranoia of a shinobi.
Yugito watched them as they enjoyed some of Kumo's tourist traps. She made sure to keep herself hidden, though she knew that Riley could probably sense her. She just needed to get a moment alone with Riley.
Her opportunity presented itself when Riley's mates entered a shop, but Riley hung back. She stood outside, leaning against a side post along the roadway.
Quickly hopping down next to her, Yugito landed a few feet in front of Riley.
"Hey..." Yugito offered.
Riley's eyes were shut though she did raise an eyebrow, signifying that she was listening and could probably tell who it was.
"Can we talk?" Yugito asked.
Several seconds of silence passed. It was just long enough for Yugito to begin to worry that Riley would refuse when she let out a sigh and opened her eyes.
"Fine." Riley replied as she locked eyes with Yugito.
Once again, Yugito found herself standing in her mindscape. She very nearly let out a curse, as she had spent all morning thinking of a way to approach Riley and get her to follow her somewhere private. The thought of just speaking in her mindscape again, didn't present itself until just now.
"Alright, we're alone. What?" Riley asked. It was obvious to anyone listening, that her patience was pretty much non existent. She was about five minutes away from starting to cuss Yugito out for annoying her.
"Look… there's some things I need to say. Things I need you to know." Yugito stated earning a look from Riley, that told her to go on.
"I don't want to be the reason this doesn't work. I don't want to be the one that's responsible for leaving our two sides in a state of uncertainty. Your mates were right to ask you to do this. I'm sure you didn't want too, but you're here anyway to try and make something with someone you know nothing about. You were willing to give me a chance and I squandered it. So… I'm sorry." Yugito explained earning a nod from Riley.
"We'll both pretend I believe that was heartfelt. You want to try again? You want to try and salvage this alliance? Then you need to do something for me." Riley responded, coldly. Her response earned a hard look from Yugito but she nodded to show that she was willing to hear what Riley wanted.
"Why do you hate me? What did I do to you? This hatred… it isn't patriotically motivated or a cultural thing. This is personal. So what is it?" Riley demanded earning distant look from Yugito.
The two were quiet for several second before finally Yugito let out a huff. Riley could see tears building in her eyes but she quickly wiped them away and focused on Riley.
"You murdered my best friend." Yugito stated.
Riley stared at her for several long seconds before letting out a sigh.
"One of the twenty that tried to capture Amaru?" Riley guessed.
"Her name was Karui..." Yugito began to say, but when she got to the name, Riley's jaw fell open. While Yugito kept going on, describing her friend, trying to hammer home how much the young woman had meant to Yugito, Riley was busy wondering if the gods really were looking out for her. Out of the twenty that attacked her, what were the chances that the one that Riley spared because of her Uzumaki blood, was also a possible future mate's best friend?
Riley didn't know but she quickly retreated from Yugito's mindscape.
Yugito followed her out, giving Riley a confused look as Riley quickly disappeared in a blackish-red flash.
"What do you suppose that was about?" Matatabi hummed earning a shake of the head from Yugito.
A few seconds later, Riley reappeared. This time using Kamui. She stood in front of Yugito giving her a strange look.
"Amaru is my family. I protect my family. Anyone that tries to hurt my family, will meet the same fate as those that tried to attack her. Blood isn't all that important to me, but I do recognize it's value. Karui. She's descended from the Uzumaki Clan. Just like I am through my mother, my grandmother, and even my great-grandmother. I could detect her Uzumaki blood, so I didn't kill her. She's been in my care since then. I've had my mother Kushina, and my great-grandfather Hashirama, looking after her. Both have powerful ties to the Uzumaki and they've been taking good care of her. I spared her for them. Because I know what the Uzumaki meant to the two of them. She's quite the loud mouth. Unafraid of making threats, even to someone as powerful as Hashirama Senju. She's a good person though. Hard headed, and ferocious, but with a very good heart. I had planned on returning her during these negotiations, if things went well." Riley explained to a gobsmacked Yugito.
Yugito could hardly believe her ears, as Riley explained that Karui was still alive and safe. Yugito struggled to find her voice, to ask for proof when out of the same space time technique she had used to return, Karui appeared by Riley's side.
"Stop doing that, it's crazy!" Karui snapped, taking a step away from Riley whom offered her a smirk.
Karui glared back for several moments before taking note of the world around her. After several seconds she recognized her surroundings and realized that she was home.
"Wha-" Karui began to say when she was hit by a blonde missile.
It took her several seconds to realize who it was but when she did, the red head offered a smile and returned the hug.
"Hey Yugito… long time no see. You miss me?" Karui inquired.
"You're such a brat." Yugito muttered through her tears. She managed to pull away, and when she did she quickly gave Karui a once over to make sure she was alright. She sported a few new scars, obvious gifts from her encounter with Riley, but for all intents and purposes, Karui looked to be alright.
"Hey you don't have to cry Yugito. What'll master Bee think if he sees you like this?" Karui stated when she noticed the tears streaming down Yugito's face.
"I thought you were dead." Yugito stated.
"Damn. I'm sorry. If I could have made it back I would have, but they kept me under house arrest the entire time, and these guys are good. They've got a wood style user with them. He claims to be Hashirama Senju but I don't buy it." Karui explained. Her words earned her a small smile from Yugito and a chuckle from Riley.
"You're gonna break his heart, he hears you say that." Riley stated with a shake of her head.
Karui offered her a side glance before turning to her. "Does this mean you're letting me go?"
"Yep. Kumo wants to form an alliance with the Legion to avoid a war. Giving you back would just be par for the course as the saying goes. Welcome home." Riley replied before turning and joining her mates who had finally stepped out of the store and were watching the exchange curiously.
Yugito watched after Riley, she looked like she wanted to say something, but in the end felt it was best to wait. Instead she focused her attention back onto Karui.
Several hours later and Riley found her way to the village hot baths along with her mates. They had even invited Arturia who had never been to a bath house before. It was quite humorous to the rest of the ladies to see Arturia hiding in the water, trying not to stare at Riley who made a point to sit directly in her field of vision.
Riley and her mates were generally enjoying themselves, though occasionally they did draw darker looks from other kunuoichi who recognized Riley.
Riley spent most of her time drifting from mate to mate, offering them back massages and maybe a bit of playful underwater petting to go along with it. Luna spent the entire time, playfully stalking Kaede, sneaking up behind her and tickling her whenever she got the chance. At first Kaede seemed annoyed but she finally decided to join in after the third time, pinned Luna with her vectors and tickling her rib-cage.
It was nice seeing Kaede more playful and relaxed around her fellow mates. It showed that she was more comfortable with them and more open to being playful.
Eventually Riley made it to Arturia, offering her a massage.
"I've never had one." Arturia responded, her eyes averted from Riley, whom stood in front of her, fully nude.
Riley stared down at her for a few seconds when a smirk crossed her lips. She slowly circled around Arturia sliding in behind her. Arturia's already red face grew even redder as she felt Riley's body come into contact with hers.
"Just relax. I'm slowly becoming a pro at this." Riley sensually whispered into Arturia's ear, earning a a small squeak from the woman as Riley began to work her shoulders.
Eventually Arturia loosened up a bit and began to enjoy her massage. Riley's soft hands did wonderful things to her shoulders and back.
Riley kept at it until she was confident she had worked the tension out of Arturia's back. She finished the massage by lightly kissing at Arturia's neck, filling her body with pleasurable Youki and earning a light moan from the ancient king, which caused her to blush and even deeper shade of crimson.
Later that night Riley found herself in bed with her mates, she slept calmly that night, or at least as calmly as she could with her hotel being surrounded by a platoon of Anbu.
The next day Riley was again out and about with her mates. Once again Yugito was stalking them from a distance, along with the team of Anbu. This time though, the group ran into a spot of trouble.
"Hey!" Riley and her mates heard as they walked down the street. The group collectively turned to see a small group of Kumo ninja approaching them.
The group consisted of four men and two women, all of them reeking of alcohol.
Riley was quickly between them and her mates.
"How can I help you?" Riley inquired with an evil smirk.
"You're the one that destroyed Konoha." One of them half shouted half slurred.
"Technically." Riley responded with a raised eyebrow.
"Konoha was ours to destroy. What right did you have to take it out!?" One of the women barked out.
Riley shared a look with her mates, humor evident on her face. It was obvious these guys were so drunk they couldn't even comprehend how stupid they sounded. Riley was half tempted to just laugh at them and keep walking. Half tempted, only because her mates were so close by.
"Alright, why don't you all go home now." Came Yugito's voice as she hopped down between the two groups.
"Who are you to tell us what to do?" One of the men shot out.
"I'm telling you this for your own good. Go home." Yugito responded as she folded her arms across her chest.
"Aw look at that, the little kitty cat thinks she can boss us around." One of the women offered up, earning a chorus of laughter from those around her.
Yugito merely let out a sigh, having heard these insults a thousand times before, they had long since lost their affect on her.
"Alright, I think I've heard enough. Despite being a bit frosty, Yugito ain't half bad. She certainly doesn't deserve your name calling so if you would all kindly fuck off, I may let you keep your genitals." Riley stated as she stepped up next to Yugito and hit the squad of Kumo nin with a bit of her KI.
The results were as expected. The troop of Kumo ninja let out terrified screams and bolted for the nearest bit of cover.
Riley merely let out a bark of laughter as she watched them scramble. It was obvious that they were little better then genin in their current state. So drunk they probably wouldn't even remember this in the morning.
As soon as they were out of sight, Riley turned to Yugito and offered her a curious look.
"What are you doing here?" Riley inquired.
"Making sure you stay out of trouble." Yugito replied, giving her a look as she did. Her reply earned her even more curiosity from Riley.
"I returned your friend to you. You got what you wanted, why bother following me around any longer? One would think correcting the incident that had incited your anger to begin with, would abate your desire to see me dead." Riley noted.
"I don't want you dead. Not anymore. You gave me back my friend, and for that I am thankful, but that doesn't mean I trust you. You're still an unknown, and a threat. I have to keep an eye on you, make sure you don't cause trouble, or in this case, take part in it when someone too drunk or stupid comes looking." Yugito explained earning a few chuckles from Riley's mates.
"She enjoys keeping Riley out of trouble. I zink she will make and excellent addition to our sisterhood." Fleur noted, just loud enough for Yugito to hear.
"She's pretty hot too." Katie whispered back, earning a giggle from Fleur, and a blush from Yugito who could still hear them.
"Well… if you intend to act as babysitter for the rest of the week, the least you can do is just hang out with us." Riley stated. Her offer earned her a look from Yugito but after a few moments she nodded.
"Well then Yugito, where would you suggest we go to find a decent shop to purchase some new outfits? I've been looking to buy something pretty to take back home once all the fighting is over." Daphne inquired.
Yugito adopted a thoughtful look as she ran a few ideas through her head. Finally she smiled and told them all to follow her.
She eventually lead them to a store near the outskirts of the village that made handcrafted outfits that were a little on the expensive side, but very beautiful.
While Riley's mates shopped around, Riley took the first opportunity she could to lock eyes with Yugito and enter into her mindscape for another conversation.
"Really?" Yugito whined when she felt herself pulled into her mindscape again.
"What gives? I understand you're probably feeling better now that your friend is back, but why are you really doing this? I told you we could just pretend for the next few days and then go our separate ways so why are you acting so nice all of a sudden?" Riley demanded, focusing a questioning stare onto Yugito.
"It's like I told you yesterday. I don't wanna be the reason this fails, and you were kind enough to return Karui to us, even though you could have just held onto her and we would have gone on thinking she was dead. I don't trust you, but… I don't wanna look back on this and wonder what could have been, if I'd just given you a chance. At the very least I want to try and spend what's left of this week getting to know you, and maybe something will come of it. Maybe we wont end up head over heels in love, but maybe we could end up friends instead. I don't know. But I owe it to the Raikage to at least try. So… here I am… trying to be cordial and kind." Yugito explained earning a slow nod from Riley.
"Well… I guess that's all we can do. Just try and be ourselves and see what happens. A question though… do you even like women? I mean because if you're not attracted to girls, then maybe we should just stick to trying to be friends." Riley inquired as the Two-Tails stalked out of the shadows behind Yugito and sat down.
Yugito instantly blushed at that and the Two-Tails let out a haughty laugh.
"Kitten here is about as straight as a dog's hind leg. She hides it well but she's as gay as they come." The Cat answered with a giggle, earning one from Riley too as Yugito let out a gasp and turned an angry glare onto the Bijuu.
"Cat!" Yugito hissed, earning more laughter from Riley.
"I don't know why you're so embarrassed. It should be obvious from the six women I'm currently bedding and the one I'm working on, that I have a preference for beautiful women, and a libido that is quite difficult to satisfy." Riley inquired. Her statement causing Yugito to blush brightly and the Cat to laugh.
"Well that sounds enticing. You should take her up on her offer kitten. Some casual sex will do you some good. Work out the last few months of tension and pent up emotions. A good shag is always helpful." The Cat offered up.
"Casual sex huh? I don't think I've ever played the casual sex game. Every time I've been with my mates, it's been quite serious and passionate." Riley noted.
"We are not talking about this right now." Yugito hissed.
"Why not? She's obviously your type kitten. Beautiful. Bit tits. Shapely curves. A great ass. And best of all, she has to have incredible stamina if she can satisfy all of those women. When was the last time you were taken on a pleasure trip that didn't end until you lost consciousness?" The Two-Tails inquired.
"Shut up! Right now!" Yugito threatened, her gaze focused solely on the cat while Riley simply smirked.
"Oh come now kitten, should I tell her a bit about some of your more perverse fantasies?
"STOP TALKING!" Yugito shouted.
"Oh wow." Riley muttered with a shake of her head.
"Get out." Yugito snapped at Riley.
"You remind me of Daphne." Riley noted with a chuckle as she withdrew from Yugito's mindscape.
The two were left standing in front of each other, Yugito blushing with this angry glare on her face, while Riley was left smirking from ear to ear.
"You will forget you heard any of that!" Yugito hissed, pointing a finger at Riley.
"I don't think so. I've got a good memory. Besides… information like that will come in handy when the sun goes down." Riley responded with a sassy smirk, earning a huff from Yugito whom turned and stormed off to get some air.
"What was that about?" Came the question from Katie, who wandered over next to Riley.
"Just some bonding and teasing. Find something you like?" Riley replied, earning a nod from Katie as she showed Riley the pretty outfit she had found.
The rest of the day was quiet and peaceful. Yugito escorted them around and would occasionally converse with one of Riley's mates. Despite her frosty exterior, Yugito was a pleasant conversationalist and seemed to enjoy the time she spent discussing this or that with the group. If Riley had to guess this probably stemmed from the fact that Yugito was a Jinchuriki, and thus she had most likely spent a lot of time alone.
Being able to talk to someone, even woman upwards to ten years her junior, must have been a great experience for the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki.
The following day, Gaia arrived with a small party of followers. She was welcomed into Kumo by the Raikage and brought up to speed on the current state of negotiations. It brought a smile to Riley's face when she saw how thankful Gaia was for Riley giving this alliance a chance. Her response was a passionate kiss and a smile, while also whispering that it was all for Gaia.
Later that day, during a dinner held for the Legion and Suna, Gaia and Riley were presented with a gift. The item was called the Golden Canopy Rope. A tool that was said to be wielded by the Sage of Six Paths himself. It was recovered from one of the many hideouts of the Gold and Silver brothers, after their demise.
Later that night, Riley sat with Gaia and her mates, staring at the object. Riley's gaze was almost unbreakable as she stared at it, reaching out with her senses. While Riley obsessed over it, searching it for any hint of Ootsutsuki Chakra, Daphne explained to Gaia that Riley was directly descended from the Sage's Mother. Kaguya Ootsutsuki, and she could gain access to the ancient goddess's powers by absorbing the bloodlines of her descended family members. She already had Senju, Uchiha, Uzumaki, Kaguya, and Hyuuga DNA, all she needed now was the power of the Ootsutsuki clan itself, which would complete the list.
Gaia asked what would happen to Riley if she absorbed said powers and acquired all of them. None of Riley's other mates knew for sure, but Daphne suspected she would gain access to all of Kaguya's Ootsutsuki's powers.
After a few more minutes of searching, Riley was able to find the original chakra, used in the items creation. She found that it was very similar to the energy one with the Rinnegan possessed. Once she found it, she turned her attention to Gaia.
"I think Kumo was right. This item was made by the Sage of Six Paths." Riley informed her.
"You recognize the chakra?" Gaia inquired.
"Yes. The energy within it, is similar to Nagato's. I do believe that the Sage had a hand in making this relic." Riley answered.
"And you believe that by absorbing that energy you can gain access to the remainder of his powers?" Gaia inquired, earning a nod from Riley.
"Well then, I wont be the one to stop you. Go ahead." Gaia told her.
"Are you certain? This was a gift to both of us and I don't know what'll happen if I absorb some of the chakra that makes up it's base." Riley responded.
"Riley… if it makes you feel better, just consider this my way of repaying you for saving my life. I know you want this, so go ahead and do it." Gaia answered with a smile, earning one from Riley as well.
"Alright then. Here goes nothing." Riley stated as she placed her hand on the rope and sent her chakra deep within it, to grab hold of the sage's power at it's core.
Once she reached the energy and felt it connect to her own chakra she pulled it into herself. Riley felt the ancient energy of her ancestor intermix with her own chakra and flow into her core. Just like with the Hyuuga/Uchiha hybrids that Danzo had made, and Kimimaro, Riley felt the energy rapidly bond with her and form with her own chakra.
That's when she felt an unfamiliar tug. It felt as if it was at once, very far away, and at the same time, felt like it was coming from within her.
Without even realizing it, Riley found herself standing in her mindscape. Before her was an old man in long white robes. He was floating in the air, sitting in the lotus position. His eyes shone with the brilliance of the Rinnegan, and on his forehead was a marking that looked almost like it was meant to represent a third Rinnegan eye. From the top of the man's head were two horns, that matched his aging white hair in color.
"What in the fresh hell…?" Riley muttered with a dumbstruck look.
"Father." Kurama muttered in surprise as he approached the two.
"Hello Kurama." The old man replied.
"Father? You're the Sage of Six Paths." Riley stated with just a bit of surprise and awe.
"That is what humanity called me, yes. My name is Hagoromo Ootsutsuki. It is nice to finally meet you, young one." Hagoromo responded.
"Holy fuck..." Riley muttered.
The Sage sat, hovering above the ground, watching her passively. His eyes shown with great power and wisdom within them enough that even Riley herself took pause.
"How? ...Why are you here?" Riley asked with confusion.
"When you absorbed part of my chakra, it allowed me to reach out and speak to you. Your sibling, Naruko, carries the soul of my son Asura, within her. Just as Sasuke Uchiha carries the soul of my other son Indra. Through them I have been watching you, but I was unable to speak with you until now." Hagoromo explained, earning surprise from Riley and Kurama.
"Father, why are you here? What reason could you possibly have to want to communicate with Riley?" Kurama asked.
"She is my mother's heir. The one chosen by the primordial goddess of our world to reclaim the throne. In order to ensure humanity's survival through such a drastic change, I must speak with her." Hagoromo replied, his eyes never leaving Riley.
"What the hell..." Kurama murmured as his eyes passed from Riley to the sage then back again.
"I don't understand… How are you here? How did you get into my mind, you're supposed to be dead?" Riley asked with great confusion.
"Death is merely a state of being. I did die, but I allowed my chakra to carry on. So long as my chakra exists in this world, I am able to reach out and contact those who have powerful ties to it." The Sage answered. "I chose this moment to speak with you because you have finished collecting the parts of your ancestry. The final seal has been broken and you will very soon be ready to take your place as my mother's heir. Darkness is gathering. Soon it will sweep across the Earth. You must be ready for it, when it does."
"I'm your mother's heir? What about you, or your brother? Why me?" Riley asked.
"You know why. She was reborn into this world in an attempt to return to power, but her attempt failed, and instead she was born as a mortal woman with no memory of who she once was. My mother never intended for an heir. She never wanted someone to take her place. You were the first to gain access to her powers and the first that she, at least subconsciously, believed could take her place." The Sage answered, but this only earned more confusion from Riley.
"I'm not sure I follow." Riley stated as she folded her arms across her chest and fixed him with a curious look.
"My mother's actions are not conscious. Her power, what remains of it, acts according to her subconscious will. Her rebirth, her anointing of you as her heir, all of it was done without her knowledge. All done as she continues to slumber in eternal hibernation." Hagoromo offered earning a slow nod of understanding from Riley.
"So what does that mean exactly? I've always been this way, ever since I could remember. What does your mother making me her heir, mean exactly?" Riley asked.
"Quite a lot, and yet at the same time, very little. You are the one she fundamentally believes can do what she could not." The Sage answered.
"Okay… and what was it that the Rabbit Goddess could not do?" Riley asked, slowly growing impatient with the old geezer. The awe of meeting the Sage of Six Paths was quickly wearing off as he slowly crept towards the point.
"There was a reason for my mother's actions so long ago. Everything she did, had a purpose. She was a fearful thing, despite her power. She constantly lived in fear, always looking over her shoulder for the day when her kinsmen would arrive to this world and take it from her. My mother feared her family. Feared them so much that she tried to ensnare this entire planet in her grasp in order to use it's power to fend them off. She failed however, and her actions led to me sealing her away. My mother had me and my brother out of love for another, but she never intended for either of us to be her successor. She never intended to lose her power or be brought down by any subsequent generations. She intended to live forever. Seeing you, and your power, your ability to surpass her and do what she could not, has convinced her, at least subconsciously, that someone can take up her mantle, and truly protect this world. Protect it from the Ootsutsuki, from demonic invaders, from angelic zealots. That was my mother's role as goddess, despite her cruel actions. She was the defender of this planet, and she has finally relinquished her title and given it to you. With your acquisition of Ootsutsuki chakra, you are now ready to complete your training." The Sage explained to her, earning a thoughtful look from Riley and Kurama.
"You intend to train me?" Riley summarized, with a curious look.
"Yes. When the time is right, I will return to you and finish your training. For now though, you have a bit more work to do. You must acquire your remaining paths. Once they are all gathered, we can begin. I must warn you though, when we start your training, it cannot be stopped for any reason. I will not be able to make a second trip. Once we begin, you must see it through to the end, no matter what goes on in the world around you." The Sage answered.
"I understand, but couldn't we use Kamui to accelerate the training so that it wouldn't take as long in the actual world?" Riley inquired.
"Yes. In fact I intended to have the training done there. Even still, the training itself will take years. You and your mates will learn of the full power of the Rinne Sharingan. What will be years for us, will still be days on the outside, even with time dilation. You must be prepared for when that moment comes." Hagoromo warned her, earning another nod of understanding from both Riley and Kurama.
"Father..." Kurama began to say, but the sage held up a hand to silence him.
"I know Kurama. We will have plenty of time to converse later. For now, our time has come to an end. When you are ready, I will be waiting." Hagoromo stated to Riley.
"Alright old man. I'll try not to take to long. I still have plenty of questions that I need answered. And I'm sure Kurama does too." Riley informed the Sage earning a nod and a smirk from the old man.
"I'm know you do. You are a lot alike, the two of you. Curiosity of a fox, through and through. Until next time." The sage responded before fading away leaving Riley and Kurama alone in her mindscape.
"I can't believe it was actually him. He's been watching us this whole time. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Despite choosing a mortal life, he is still far more powerful then any mortal being could ever possibly be. It makes sense that not even death itself can deter him from snooping around." Kurama muttered as he stared at where the Sage had been.
"That was probably the single most sudden and surprising thing to ever happen to me." Riley noted as she sat down.
"Well shit… what now? The old man is watching us, and he's waiting until you shack up with those remaining mates of yours. He must know something. He might be aware of the true threat we face, this day of wrath and the demon responsible. Father might know something about it, and that's why he intends to teach you." Kurama theorized, earning a nod of agreement from Riley.
"Well… we'll just have to see. If your old man wants to help me finish my training, that's fine by me. We've still got some time though, I still have no idea if this thing with Yugito is going to go anywhere." Riley responded, still deep in thought. The last thing she had expected when taking in the ancient chakra of the Sage himself was a meeting with the man in question. The suddenness of his appearance, and then immediate disappearance, threw her for a loop.
She was so out of it, that she didn't even realize that people were calling her name. On the outside her mates were busy trying to shake her awake, as to them it appeared like she was catatonic, just staring out into nothingness, not moving at all. Nothing they did, shaking her, yelling at her, even calling out to her over the bond could break her from her stupor
Finally they'd had enough and Katie just decided to try slapping her.
A loud resounding smack filled the air and Riley blinked a few times before focusing on Katie who was standing right in front of her.
"What was that?" Riley asked, earning a sigh of relief from her mates.
"You were spacing out, and you weren't responding to us. I had to do something." Katie responded as she pulled Riley into a hug.
"Oh… sorry. I just had a really crazy experience. I'm fine though. I'm alright." Riley responded as she glanced around at her mates.
"Did the power help?" Gaia inquired.
"I'll tell you when I have an answer. I don't look any different do I?" Riley asked in reply.
"No. You look the same to me my love." Fleur answered earning a nod of agreement from the others.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Daphne asked, giving Riley a slightly worried look.
"Yeah… I'm alright. I need to go talk to my grandfathers though. I'll be back in a few hours." Riley answered as she peeled Katie off of her, and kissed her forehead before vanishing in a flash.
Riley was quick to track down Hashirama and Madara and told the two what happened. Now they both sat in Riley's mindscape, discussing the sudden occurrence with Riley and Kurama.
"I still can hardly believe it. The sage himself. It must have been quite awe inspiring to see the God of Chakra, in the flesh." Hashirama stated.
"I mean yeah… kinda. He just suddenly appeared in my head-space it was whiplash inducing. I never thought something like that would happen but yeah. There he was. Told me I was his mother's heir and that it was my job to protect the planet. He said he would train me when I finished gathering my paths, and then he fucked off. It was really sudden. I'm guessing whatever ability he was using to contact me, can't be used for very long, or at least it must take a lot out of him. Because he didn't seem keen on sticking around too long." Riley replied with a sigh.
"Hmm… well… this confirms a few things. We now know that my Kaguya is actually the reincarnation of the Rabbit Goddess. And we know that what Black Zetsu said was true. You are her heir, the one she intends to hold the mantle of goddess of this world. It's chief protector and guardian." Madara stated earning nods from Riley and Hashirama.
"If the Sage of Six Paths himself is getting involved then this situation is perhaps more dire then we anticipated." Hashirama noted.
"I agree. I understand the demonic threat, though he mentioned members of the Ootsutsuki, as well as Angelic Zealots, as possible foes as well. I can't wait any longer. I need to hunt down and destroy Orochimaru, and then deliver the killing blow to the Akatsuki. I can't sit around waiting any longer." Riley stated, earning nods from her grandfathers.
"You're right. We need to get to work." Madara agreed.
-Meanwhile-
Zetsu was racing across the mountains of the Land of Lightning. His target was Kumogakure. He knew he had to be speedy, Obito could be initiating his plan at any moment. He needed to get to Riley and warn her about what was coming.
An army of dead men were marching on Kirigakure even as he was racing towards Kumo. Their target was the Six Tails. If they captured the six tails and took out Kiri, that would leave only Kumo and Suna remaining. He had to hurry. Things were about get very bad in the Land of Water.
-At the same time, in the Land of Water-
Loki moved about in the form of a medium sized dog. He was watching as several Kiri ninja worked on repairing a damaged building. While he watched them, his ears were trained on a conversation happening nearby. The Mizukage, was marching through the village, by her side was the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, Utakata. The two seemed to be discussing Utakata's return to the village. He didn't sound as enthused by the prospect as the Mizukage seemed to hope, but he hadn't outright refuted her offer either.
An eerie feeling suddenly washed over Loki's body. His eyes turned skyward, right as a barrier shot up around Kirikagure.
"What the hell?" The Fifth Mizukage muttered as she turned her eyes skyward.
"The village is under attack." Utakata warned, earning a nod from the Kage. Both started racing towards the exterior of town, right as explosions ripped through the outskirts.
Taking an opportunity provided by the sudden chaos and confusion, Loki shape-shifted into his phoenix form and took flight. He quickly flew in the direction of the explosions, closing in on their position quite rapidly.
He arrived to find a sea of corpses surrounding eight individuals. The one leading the pack was the Tailless Tailed beast himself, Kisame Hoshigaki. At his back were the Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist.
"Ah… it's good to be home." Kisame stated with a content sigh. He earned varying levels of agreement or disagreement from his fellows. Most were either happy to enjoy the slaughter or they were enraged at being alive.
Loki circled from high up as the swordsmen dispersed into the city, causing more chaos and destruction. Kisame held back as more figures appeared from the smoke behind him. Loki watched from on high, as dozens of formely dead Leaf shinobi marched out of the smoke and began to charge forward into the fray.
Right about then, a figure appeared next to Kisame. This figure wore purple Uchiha battle robes. He carried a large Gunbai fan on his back, and wore a mask that bore the Incomplete Rinne-Sharingan on it with two of the tomoe, acting as eye holes.
The man unsealed a large scroll and opened it up. He then flashed through several handsigns and slammed his palm into the ground. From the ground behind him, two large twisted obelisks rose up from the ground. These obelisks were black with blood red glowing runes, carved into them. Both spikes rose to about fifty feet in the air, and were about a hundred feet apart.
The masked man then made another set of handsigns and out of the scroll burst hundreds of bluish lights, that Loki recognized as human souls. The lights seemed to let out a horrific scream of agony as they rushed together between the two pillars and pooled into a mass that slowly bled red.
The mass grew in intensity until it finally exploded in a blast of reddish light. When it did, a tear had formed in the space between the two pillars, it was massive and wide, taking up almost the entirety of the area in between the pillars. Yellow lightning arced around the edges of the tear connecting it to the pillars which were now glowing, and seemingly stabilizing the portal.
-At the same time in Kumo-
"Riley?" Hashirama inquired when he noticed her go rigid.
"Demons… a lot of them. Something is diluting their presence, but I can feel it. They're coming." Kurama hissed out with an enraged snarl.
"Shit!" Riley snapped as she jumped to her feet and began moving towards the direction of where Gaia was staying.
"Mother..." Riley heard Loki's whispers through the Gravemind Link.
"Loki?" Riley thought back.
"Kirigakure. A barrier has been thrown up. Demons… summoned by the Akatsuki. The barrier is blocking my connection to you, and I can't reverse summon myself out of it. There are dead men here as well. Men and women that died at Konoha when you destroyed it. I think they're reanimations." Loki sent back, earning a loud curse from Riley.
"Kiri's under attack, the Akatsuki are making a grab for the Six Tails, and I think they plan on taking out Kiri as well." Riley told her grandfathers as they raced towards Gaia's office.
"Shit!" Both men said at once.
-Elsewhere-
"What is this?" Yugito muttered as she stared out over the village.
"Demon's kitten. A large number of demons are being summoned somewhere not far from here. We have to do something!" The Cat responded.
Yugito grit her teeth and was about to race towards the Raikage's office when she spotted movement in the streets below. She saw Riley racing through the streets, obvious anger, marring her face. It was obvious that she was well aware of the situation as well.
"Follow them, Kitten. We need a plan, and her power will definitely come in handy." Matatabi commanded, earning a nod from Yugito as she raced down to catch up with Riley's group.
-At the Same time in Kiri-
Loki soared high above the portal, watching with concern in his eyes. Out of the portal, armored devils marched out. Dozens of them at first, but then it became an unbroken line of them. With a portal of that size, nearly a thousand demons and other monstrosities would be able to march through to there world, unhindered.
These devils were dressed in molten black and red armor. Their skin was dark and twisted, making them look like typical devils from movies and TV. They were beastly men, armed with weapons that looked to be forged from blackened steel, mixed with volcanic rock. Their armor was red and black, similar in nature to their weapons. Each one was about the height of a human. Tall and broad, with glowing red eyes.
A large troop of them collected behind the masked man as he unfastened his fan and raised it into the air.
"Kill them all!" He bellowed, earning a demonic howl of agreement from the devilish host. Many drew their weapons and charged into the city.
Loki could only watch with a calculating gaze, as the demonic host swept into Kiri. Each devil fought with the skill and strength of a Jonin, they moved hard and attacked even harder.
Loki knew that Kirigakure would not last long, if something wasn't done to stop this. With a sigh, he began his decent into the city, knowing that it wouldn't be long before Riley headed in this direction. He simply needed to buy her the time she needed in order to stop this.
-In the Land of Rain, at the same time-
Mito Uzumaki stood atop the tallest tower of Ame, staring out over the land. By her side was Hashirama Senju, and Madara Uchiha.
"You don't honestly think this will work, do you Mito?" Hashirama demanded with a cold glare.
"I do, actually. But that's neither here nor there. I have a task for the two of you. Obito is launching the attack in Kiri as we speak. I require a few thousand souls to open another portal here in Ame. You two will gather them for me." Mito replied earning a glare from Hashirama and a sneer from Madara. Both found their bodies reacting on their own. Despite their minds being their own, neither had any control over their bodies. Mito's use of the Reanimation Jutsu was on a whole other level to Tobirama's. She had full control over them, to the point where all of their movement were hers to control. Whatever she had done to improve the technique, it had worked spectacularly.
Both men raced off in opposite directions. Mito herself merely let a small smile touch at her lips. It was all starting to fall into place. The final battle, had begun.
-To be Continued-
Alright, there's the next chapter, hope you all enjoyed. Sorry again that it took so long. Hopefully I'll get my air conditioning fixed soon so I can spend more time in my room. Ja Ne!
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