Alright here's the next chapter for you guys. Hope you enjoy yourselves and have fun while reading.

Broken Angel: Rising Demon

Chapter 11: The Powers that be

-Riley's House, London. November 24th 1998-

Riley stood with Darren and Paxton, before Kushina and Hashirama. Standing not far off, was Madara and Kaede.

"Boys. This is your great-grandmother, Kushina Uzumaki. Back there is your great-great-grandfather, Madara Uchiwa. And this man is your great-great-great-grandfather, Hashirama Senju. Everyone, these are Darren and Paxton Fettel." Riley introduced her grandsons to some of their family members.

It had taken some time, but Riley was finally able to keep Alma calm enough to allow the boys to exit Kamui and meet with their grandparents and siblings.

"Hello boys. It's very nice to meet you." Kushina greeted them, kneeling down so that she was eye level, and offering the two one of her typical Uzumaki grins.

While Paxton offered her a pleasant nod, Darren eyed her curiously and reached out touching at the long strands of red hair that fell over her shoulders.

"It must remind him of Kaede's hair." Kushina noted, still smiling.

Riley chuckled at that, sending a glance over to her mate. Kaede didn't say anything, she merely stared, her curious gaze, locked onto the boys, watching them.

"Well… why don't I treat the boys to a wonderful home cooked meal. I'm sure they're quite hungry. And after all, growing boys need to eat." Kushina stated, causing both boys to smile, eager at the prospect of food.

Riley smiled as Kushina led the group into the kitchen, and as per her desire to actually become proficient at cooking, Riley was the first to offer her assistance in making food.

From there, the family was able to sit down and enjoy a decent evening together. Riley had high hopes that it would be the first of many.

-Kamui. November 28th 1998-

Riley and her mates, including Gaia, lay upon a field, overlooking a vast ocean. Each one basking in post coital bliss. Despite the heavy cloud cover, and ominous sun set that blanketed the land in an eerie orange, none of the women felt cold, or uncomfortable, laying in the nude.

"Hey Riley?" Katie inquired.

"Hmm?" Riley turned her gaze over to Katie.

"Why were you named Riley?" Katie inquired, earning the attention of Daphne and Kaede, whom both shared a curious look with one another before listening in on the conversation.

"I'm sorry?" Riley responded.

"I mean, your family all have more foreign names. All except for Lily. I was curious why you were named Riley, did the Fourth and Lily do a sort of thing like one Elemental Nations name, and one not?" Katie elaborated, causing Riley to sit up, while Fleur let out a chuckle at her question.

Riley stared down at Katie whom stared back with honest curiosity. Riley was trying to determine if Katie was playing a trick on her or something, or if this was a genuine question. It took a few moments, but it suddenly started to dawn on her that perhaps her mates didn't actually know what her birth name was. No one in England called her Narumi, and Naruko had stopped calling her that after Riley had rescued her from the Hidden Leaf. Maybe they actually didn't know that Riley wasn't her birth name.

"What's so funny?" Katie asked, noticing Fleur's giggling.

"Her parent's did not name her Riley. Zey named her Narumi. She changed it after she left." Fleur explained, earning surprise from most of the others, sans Luna.

"How do you know that? I'm just now realizing I never told you guys that I got my name changed." Riley inquired.

"I remember Naruko calling you Narumi during ze Triwizard Tournament. I figured, given how much you disliked zem, zat you got it changed." Fleur responded.

"Well… she's right. Minato and Lily named me Narumi, but when I left the Elemental Nations, I got it changed to Riley, and I moved my old first name to my middle name." Riley offered.

"Wow. You learn something new everyday." Katie noted, earning a nod of agreement from Daphne, and Gaia.

Kaede turned her gaze over to Luna, whom was staring at the sky, seemingly oblivious to the conversation.

"Did you know this?" Kaede inquired.

"Yes." Luna answered.

"Okay." Kaede said accepting the response with little additional explanation.

Of course Luna would know. She was a seer, she tended to just know things like this. Slowly, the ladies started to rise, stretching, and fetching their clothes to get dressed.

While Riley's mates busied themselves with putting on their clothes, Riley's manifested around her body. This action earned a curious look from Katie.

"What?" Riley inquired, noticing her look.

"What's it like to do that?" Katie inquired.

"Do what?" Riley asked back.

"That. Like making clothes with just a thought, or summoning them without having to actually dress. What's it like being so strong?" Katie clarified.

"I don't really know how to answer that." Riley admitted. "I mean it almost feels like being unbound. It's kinda difficult to describe. It feels like if I just think it, I can make it happen. Like the only limitation is my ability to imagine things. I don't know, maybe it just feels like freedom. Absolute, unabashed freedom. Like nothing in the world can hold me down, or stop me if I put my mind towards it. It's honestly incredible."

Katie nodded at that, looking contemplative. Riley could sense that there was definitely something more on her lover's mind.

"Do you think we'll feel that same when you make us your paths?" Katie inquired after a few quiet thoughtful moments. This question earned the attention of all the surrounding ladies. Each one listening in, curious to hear the answer.

"Hmm… maybe. I don't really know. I don't know what will all change when I make you my paths. I know you'll gain access to one of the paths of the Rinnegan, and I also know we'll share our sight, and I can channel my power through you. But beyond that, I'm not entirely sure what it'll feel like, or what all will happen. The only information on the Six Paths Technique that I have is from what I learned from Madara, and what I saw from Nagato. With the former, he never actually used it, and with the latter, he only used it on dead bodies, which acted more like puppets then people. Plus this is the Rinne Sharingan we're talking about. Despite the similarities, it's an entirely different beast than the Rinnegan. Who knows what'll happen or what it'll feel like." Riley answered, offering up her honest opinion, since she couldn't accurately answer the question.

"Well… on that note, how are things going with Artoria? I've noticed the two of you spending a lot more time together, and not just for sword training." Daphne asked, earning a smile from Riley.

"Thing are going pretty good. We're still going slow, I know she's nervous and all. It's good though. Everything's going good." Riley responded.

"And what about with Yugito?" Gaia asked the follow-up.

"Eh, not much headway. She's scared shitless of me, and I kinda think it makes her nervous to be alone with only me around. She's not necessarily cold or distant, she's just guarded. I expected something like this from an older Kunuoichi." Riley answered.

"How old is Yugito, now that you mention it?" Katie asked.

"Thirty." Riley answered.

"Wow. Sans Riley, she'd be the oldest of us." Katie hummed as she finished getting dressed.

"Yeah though Artoria is a close second. I think she's twenty-six now." Riley offered up as a counter, earning a bit of surprise from Katie, whom shared a glance with Fleur, whom while less surprised, was equally curious to hear just how old the ancient king was.

"I didn't know that. She looks so young. I guess it's just because of how small she is." Gaia noted.

"Yeah. She was like fourteen or so when she was blessed with immortality, so that's why she's so short, and why she looks so young." Riley explained to them.

"Huh. So how does it feel trying to woo an older lady, Riley?" Katie asked with a giggle.

"She seems to have better luck with us younger gals." Daphne added.

"You guys do remember that I'm like a hundred-and-sixty years older then you, right?" Riley deadpanned in response.

Her reply earned her some chuckles from her mates.

"So when is your next date with Yugito?" Gaia inquired after the giggling had subsided.

"Two days from now. I'm hoping all goes well." Riley answered, earning a nod of understanding from Gaia.

"So beyond the dating and the learning to cook, have you looked into something more to fill your time with?" Gaia asked, earning a nod from Riley in response.

"Yeah, I've been busying myself looking for Kane. Guys a damn enigma, but I've seen his face. I'll find him eventually." Riley stated, knowing full well that half the world was busy looking for the guy who hacked into satellite communications and broadcast his declaration to the entire planet. Most government agencies, that the various nations had access to, were trying to find the guy. As far as they were concerned he had answers for what happened in Fairport. If they ever wanted to learn the truth, then they needed to locate him.

As far as Riley had heard though, none had been successful, though Loki did pick up an interesting tidbit from the Americans, while he was eavesdropping on a meeting with the president. Kane matched the physical features to a Soviet Era Colonel that advised the regime leaders during the cold war.

They didn't know for certain if it was him or not, and he was last seen during the mid 80s, but the face and voice did match, so they were pursuing that angle, and due to that particular tip, Riley had dispatched Loki to Russia, to see what he could dig up.

She was now playing the waiting game, to see if he would find anything or not.

"Well… I wish you luck in that endeavor." Gaia offered.

"How goes hunting down the terrorists in the Elemental Nations? Any luck there?" Katie asked Gaia.

"A bit. We're hearing whispers of unknown individuals trying to recruit new members to a fledgling organization. Right now they seem to be highly unorganized, nothing more then several violent cells. However, I have heard a few rumors that point towards verifying that these are in fact Iwa rebels, left over from the war, the ones that slipped away from the village before we captured it, and forced them to swear magical oaths of servitude." Gaia answered.

"Well, if you ever need me to clean up the place, you only ever have to ask." Riley offered, earning a grateful smile from Gaia.

"I appreciate that Riley. I hope it doesn't come to that though. Despite your hero status, the Elemental Nations is a lot less tense when you're not there." Gaia responded, earning a chuckle from Riley and her mates.

"Don't blame me for them being a bunch of chicken shits. All I ever do is offer to help and people always cower in fear. Am I really that intimidating?" Riley demanded, turning her gaze to her nearest mate, which just so happened to be Luna.

"I think you're downright lovable." Luna responded.

"Thank you. See Gaia. I don't make Luna nervous." Riley stated, causing Gaia to start smiling.

"Luna spends her time hunting for magical creatures. She's not afraid of anything." Gaia stated.

"I'm afraid of plenty. Just not Riley. Never Riley." Luna responded, as Riley pulled her into a hug and kissed the side of her head.

"Never Riley? Have you seen plenty of other Rileys from other times? Are they as intimidating as this Riley, are they as heroic?" Daphne inquired, sending a smirk towards Riley, whom chuckled at the thought.

"I've seen a lot of Rileys. They run the gambit from those that followed the Leaf's doctrine, to those who fully embraced their demonic side, and destroyed the world. Out of all of them, I like this one the best though." Luna answered, still held in Riley's arms. Her answer earned a thoughtful look from the surrounding women, many of them wondering about different Rileys and what they'd be like. Though they did all agree with Luna's sentiment, no matter what the others were like, this one was their favorite.

"Hey Luna… I've got a question. Your 'Seeing' powers activate when you dream, right? That's when you actually see other timelines?" Katie began her question, earning a nod from Luna, whom was still huddled next to Riley. "I was wondering, what kind of other times have you seen? Is it all cause and effect kinda stuff, or are a lot of them the exact same, but things just end up differently? Like did you know you were gonna end up with Riley a long time ago, or is this a rare occurrence?"

Luna looked thoughtful for a moment, almost like she was collecting her thoughts. After several quiet seconds she locked eyes with Katie. "No. I didn't think I would end up with Riley, like this. Most of the time I don't. Most of the time, I don't end up with anyone."

Luna's response caused the mood to immediately shift. Silence descended upon the open field as Riley turned her gaze down to Luna, staring at her with questioning eyes. Katie herself looked taken aback by that proclamation, and immediately regretted asking it.

"What do you mean you don't end up with anyone? Luna you're so damned lovable, anyone would be glad to have you as a girlfriend." Riley said, staring down at Luna with a piercing and troubled gaze.

Luna smiled at that, and pulled herself closer to Riley, as her eyes fell to the ground.

"The rare times I end up with someone, it's usually one of our friends, not to say that's bad or anything, that's just usually how it goes. But those are only the times when Riley either doesn't exist, or she never leaves the Elemental Nations. Even during the times she does leave, most Rileys aren't as promiscuous as ours. So I'm rarely, if ever, one of her mates. I am her friend in a lot of them, but rarely her lover. But even ending up with someone is a minority occasion. Being a seeress, and a weak person on top of that, makes me a target a lot of the time. The reason I don't ever end up with anyone, is because I'm usually dead by now." Riley's whole body tensed as those final words left Luna's mouth.

She wanted desperately to once again, lash out at the source of Luna's pain. Having to see that, and know that your chances of ending up happy are slim, at such a young age too. Riley hated the fact that Luna was a seer. She absolutely hated it.

"I'm so sorry Luna. I should never have asked." Katie stated, feeling awful for bringing this up.

"Luna, you're not a weak person. You're… well you." Daphne offered up, earning a nod of agreement from Riley and the others, all of whom looked troubled by this information.

"I'm not a weak person, because I had Riley there to help me grow strong. And I had her strength to rely on when I didn't have any to speak of. Other mes don't have that luxury. They are almost always meek, quiet, distant, troubled, and unable to fight for themselves. More often than not, I end up being used and then killed by either faction during the war between the Light and Dark, here in Britain. Most of the time, the conflict is far more brutal, and because I'm a seer, I always end up captured, and then disposed of when I'm no longer of use, or I tell them something they don't like. It's not your fault. It is what it is." Luna responded to that, turning to face Riley, her eyes meeting with Riley's as her Rinne Sharingan bled red.

"I hate knowing that you saw all of that growing up. I hate that I wasn't there to stop those visions. It's not right, you not ending up happy. Fate curses you to see other worlds, other yous. And if that wasn't bad enough, you have to watch most of them die at a young age. I hate that you're a seer. I know it's beneficial to us now, but I hate it. I hate that it causes you pain, and I hate that there's nothing I can do about it." Riley said to Luna, staring deep into her eyes.

Despite the anger that shined through those crimson eyes, Luna could also see the sadness that swelled within.

"Even with all that power, sometimes there's nothing you can do. But this isn't one of those times. You do more for me than you could ever imagine. I'm strong enough to fight for myself, because of you. I'm strong enough to live with the things I see, because I know you'll always be there for me." Luna offered, hugging Riley again, as Riley's gaze softened.

Ever so gently, Riley pulled Luna into a deeper embrace, kissing the top of her head, as she did. Riley was soon joined by Katie, and then Fleur, whom all enclosed the young seeress in a full hug.

From the background, Daphne and Gaia, remained thoughtful while Kaede watched the embrace play out with a curious look. She had to admire how gentle Riley could be, despite all the power she held. Kaede herself was terrified of her own abilities and worried about her strength and what could happen to her loved ones, if she accidentally unleashed her vectors on them. Riley didn't seem to have that fear, at least not enough to stop herself from holding her lovers in a tight embrace.

Kaede could only hope that one day she trusted herself to do that. The only person she felt safe enough to interact with like that was Riley, only due to the fact that Riley had shown the ability to physically restrain her vectors, if she ever needed to.

So despite her desire to engage in physical affection, Kaede held back and simply enjoyed that she was with people that seemingly cared so deeply for one another.

"I don't know if I've ever thanked you for loving me. But I want you to know how grateful I am for it. And I know you can hear me." Luna thought to herself, directing her message at Riley, with a happy smile spread across her face.

She felt Riley tense for a moment, before letting out a quiet sound and holding her just a bit tighter.

-Later-

*Clank*

Riley smirked as the weight of Kubikiribocho descended upon her blade. She was surrounded on all sides by a thick mist, and the chakra it was infused with helped to obscure Zabuza from her sight. Despite that, the beating of his heart, gave away his location. No matter how quietly he moved, or how stealthily he conducted his movements, the drum on ones heart was near impossible to suppress during battle.

With a shove, Riley sent him back into the mist, the deadly assassin quickly using the opportunity to relocate and prepare for his next strike.

Riley was using the training to work on her defensive skills with a blade. Limiting herself to just the sword, in order to protect herself from injury. The test was simple, if she took a hit to her body, she lost. Right now, Zabuza, and Haku were moving through the mist, setting up their attacks, and waiting for the opportunity to strike out at her.

Riley held her smirk as she swiftly leaned sideways, avoiding a trio of needles that were aimed at her neck.

In retaliation Riley spun around channeling magic through her sword and slashing it upward, across the ground, in the direction the needles came from. The result was a shockwave of earth that tore in that direction.

Riley waited to either catch the sound of injury or the smell of blood, she caught neither, assuring her that she hadn't hit her target.

Riley smirked again as she felt Zabuza approach. The nearly inaudible noise of his blade, slicing through air, caught her ear, again she lifted her sword and parried the strike, holding her ground against the much larger blade.

She felt Zabuza lean into the strike, locking swords with her.

"You're getting better at this. With each passing day your skill with a sword becomes more and more like my former comrades from the Mist. Yet I'm noticing you still haven't settled on a preferred style of fighting. You exchange blade hands, slip in and out of postures on a whim, you have skill in them, but none seem to fit, right?" Zabuza questioned her.

"Working on my own actually. Have to see what fits me best, after all, I do have twelve limbs, I can hold a sword in, so discerning a way to best utilize my body's abilities is taking some time." Riley responded, earning a nod from her son.

Right then, Riley heard needles rushing towards her again, she quickly shoved off of Zabuza and spun around, deflecting the needles with her sword, and then spun around once more to meet Zabuza's second strike.

"Close." Riley noted with a smirk, earning an irritated look from the swordsman in response.

as this really emphasized the fact that she was a god now.

"Even using only a sword, she's still so powerful." Zabuza thought to himself. While being relatively skilled with a blade at first, Riley's additional abilities such as her speed, reflexes, strength and extrasensory perceptions made her seem like a much more skilled swordsman than she really was.

Riley could sense Zabuza's frustrations, she herself felt a bit of it, she was so powerful that even with a handicap she towered above most people, even those with exceptional skills like Zabuza. Granted both Zabuza and Haku were only half-demons and hadn't yet fully achieved what they were capable of, as her children, but still.

Riley once more shoved Zabuza back and this time, she went on the offensive, charging forward and delivering a flurry of strikes with her own sword, keeping him on the defensive and pushing him back.

"Don't hold back just because I'm in the middle of training. The two of you need to come at me with the intent to kill, otherwise you aren't going to be teaching me anything." Riley stated, earning a focused look from Zabuza, who immediately jumped away from her into the mist.

"Alright then… Haku, let's step this up a bit." Zabuza growled from within the mist. Riley smirked as a hail of needles came rushing out from the fog, from every direction.

Riley was quick to rush forward, deflecting the needles that came from the front, and avoiding the ones that came from behind.

Out of the fog, Zabuza appeared, delivering a lightning fast slash to her midsection.

Riley blocked the strike, and held her ground, her smirk never leaving as the two began to trade blows.

With every strike, and every block, Riley slowly grew her ability with a blade, and the more she passed her power through it, the more alive it became. It was only a matter of time until the blade itself, gained a soul of it's own and became a true Zanpakutō.

-London, November 30th 1998-

"So how's Karui doing?" Riley inquired, sipping from from a glass of wine while she eyed her date.

Yugito blinked at the question and looked thoughtful as she chewed on her food. Using the opportunity of a full mouth gave Yugito a moment to ponder the question and formulate a response.

"She's doing fine. As fine as she can be. She had to go through a few months of evaluations to ensure she was physically and mentally fit to return to duty. She still has the occasional nightmare about your battle." Yugito responded, trying not to make it sound like an accusation, more so simply answering truthfully.

"Well I can be quite intimidating, or so I've been told. I don't blame her for still being a bit shaken. Still though, I am happy to hear that she's doing better. I'm assuming she passed all of her tests and has returned to active duty?" Riley asked.

"Yes. She has." Yugito affirmed, earning a nod from Riley.

The two went quiet for a few long moments, as Yugito turned her eyes down towards the plate of food in front of her, while Riley turned her gaze out towards the dining room they had found themselves in.

It was a rather luxurious place, definitely on the higher end of the dining experience. A muggle restaurant, that was, while not necessarily five stars, was definitely up there when it came to cuisine. While both women were dressed rather splendidly for the night out, Riley of course was under a henge to hide her eyes and demonic features.

Riley again drank from her glass of wine, taking in the flavor and measuring how it compared with the meal she had ordered. Being on a cooking binge, Riley had taken the opportunity to read up on everything on the menu and memorize the basic parts for all the items. She intended to try and replicate some of them on her own, just to see if she could, and if she were successful then she may finally start making some progress in being a reasonably decent cook.

Yugito had returned to her meal, mentally kicking herself, as she settled on the idea that she had sounded accusatory when she had answered Riley's question.

"You are quite awful at this, I hope you know." The Cat hummed with amusement.

"I know. I cannot for the life of me, hold a conversation with this woman. It's those damned eyes of hers, they make me feel like any second she'll jump over this table and eat me." Yugito responded, earning a chuckle from the Two-Tailed Cat.

"You can't converse with someone when you're so guarded around them. I know it's in the nature of shinobi to always question the motive behind everything and you can't easily shake that habit but come on Kitten, it's getting a bit ridiculous. She's so powerful she doesn't need to sleuth for information on Kumo to take it down. If she wanted to, she could attack it right now, and probably win. I know that thought terrifies you, so maybe you should look at it from a different perspective. She's so powerful, she doesn't need to weasel any info out of you. So that probably means she's actually genuinely interested in whatever she's asking." The Cat offered up.

"What should I say now though? Everything's gone quiet and I know I'm ruining this. We need to talk about something, anything. We need to get out of this slump. It's like she said, if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, but neither of us is gonna know that, if all our conversations are so clipped. So what the hell do I do to get her talking?" Yugito asked in response.

"Well you know about some of her interests, she obviously loves her family and her mates, maybe ask about them, that'll probably get her talking. Otherwise, maybe ask her about training, maybe she'll want to talk about some of her recent endeavors with a fellow kunuoichi." The Cat suggested.

"Hmm… that just might work." Yugito responded.

"So… have you been doing a lot of training recently? Being the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki must be quite taxing to get used to, despite your history as one?" Yugito inquired, drawing Riley's attention back to her.

"Yeah, I've been doing a lot of training. In truth I've been really focused on increasing my sword skills. As for the Ten-Tails, I'm getting used to it." Riley responded.

"A sword? If you don't mind my asking, why focus on a sword? Isn't simple blade work below your profile as a warrior? The reports I've seen paint you more as a ninjutsu powerhouse." Yugito asked in response.

"Well I've taken an interest in it lately. Most of my magical training is focused on improving my control over the powers of the Ten-Tails. Sword training is something more physical and tactile that I can focus on while my control improves." Riley offered as an explanation, which just so happened to be partially accurate.

"I see. Any luck?" Yugito asked, intent on keeping the conversation going.

"Yeah, I'd say so. I'm mostly focused on developing a style the fits me, you know. I learned how to fight with a sword, when I was a kid but I never took as much of an interest in it, as I did to things like more offensive magic and ninjutsu. I'd definitely say I'm making some progress though." Riley responded.

"Hmm… you know, lord Killer Bee is quite the skilled swordsman. He taught Karui how to fight with a sword." Yugito noted, earning a thoughtful nod from Riley.

"I'd heard about that. Something about him being the practitioner of his own unique style, a seven sword style. I hear he's pretty skilled with a blade, though I admit I've never seen him fight before, so what I know is mostly second and third hand knowledge." Riley stated.

"He is quite skilled. One of the very best that Kumo has to offer." Yugito offered as praise for her friend and mentor.

"So… what would you say is your favorite area of ability to study in?" Riley inquired after a moment of pause.

"Ninjutsu and Taijutsu mostly." Yugito replied.

"Yeah, Ninjutsu and offensive magic is where I spend most of my time studying and developing new abilities." Riley offered a nod of agreement.

"Hmm… maybe we should train sometime. Test each other out." Riley offered, earning a snort of amusement from Yugito.

"We both know who would win, there is no point in a contest." She responded.

"Hey I said train. There is no winning or losing in training, you only get better the more you do it. Besides, I think it could be fun to let loose and throw down. After all, being a Jinchuriki, how often do you get to let loose and flex your muscles a bit?" Riley responded with a smirk.

Yugito looked to ponder the idea for a few moments before letting out a sigh and offering a nod.

"Nice! It's a date then." Riley offered with a smile, earning one from Yugito in response.

"Well since we're on the topic of the Ten-Tails and training, I had a question. That move you used against it, that space-time ninjutsu that you held in your hand, that made most of it's body vanish, what was that?" Yugito inquired, with genuine curiosity. Internally she wondered if Riley would answer or not, her inner shinobi, told her that she wouldn't no ninja would ever reveal information like that to someone who wasn't a close ally. Then again, Riley had proven to be different from most ninja, and in the same breath, she was prideful enough that maybe she'd reveal something about it.

Yugito had been curious about a great many things she had seen during that battle. Riley's ability to cut through and devour most of the Ten-Tails' massive form with that attack, Arturia's golden sword that managed to heavily wound the Ten-Tails, and caused the Cat to go blind momentarily from the brilliance, and even Riley's ability to seal away the Ten-Tails, where she had learned the seals necessary for such a thing. These were all things that Yugito was genuinely curious about, though given their nature, she wasn't too keen on just asking, but with this, maybe testing the waters couldn't hurt.

"That technique wasn't really a space-time ninjutsu, though I guess it could be given that it affects space-time. What I did was use my magic to generate a small Black-Hole and I simply allowed the black hole to do it's thing. I then used space-time ninjutsu to send the Black Hole to another dimension before it could adversely affect our world. As you saw, it's a technique that could be classified under the category of 'absolute offense'." Riley answered, enthralling Yugito almost immediately, as Riley began to explain what she'd actually done.

"You created a black hole? As in a literal, black hole?" Yugito asked, her eyes wide in shock.

"Yes. It was a literal black hole, a small one, but a black hole nonetheless." Riley responded with a smirk, sensing that she'd definitely hooked the Kumo Kunuoichi's interest.

"How did you ever manage to learn such an ability?" Yugito inquired, dumbfounded.

"Kumo may have Intel already on my ability to disappear utilizing a space-time ninjutsu from my eyes. The ability is called Kamui. It allows me to enter my own personal pocket dimension, where I control space and time, as if I were god. This dimension exists alongside the one you and I are in right now, and because of that, I can use Kamui to exit anywhere I've been before. It's basically a two step teleportation jutsu, where first I go to my pocket dimension and then I exit wherever I want. Obito Uchiha had the ability as well, but his Kamui and mine were separate from one another. I do a lot of my training in this pocket dimension as it's separate from our world, and thus no one can enter or exit without my assistance, and because of that, no one can spy on me. So to answer your question, I simply have plenty of time on my hands, and the ability to let loose without fear of hurting anyone, or being spied on by others. And before you ask, I'm willing to tell you this because I intended for us to go there to train, so we can let loose without worrying about damaging things. You can go all out, Bijuu and all, and no one gets hurt." Riley offered as an explanation. During the course of Riley's exposition, Yugito cycled through several different faces, going from curiosity, to confusion, then amazement, then back to curiosity again.

"Wow. So that's where you train? In this pocket dimension, where no one can interrupt you?" Yugito inquired.

"Yep. As I said, I control everything within. From it's shape, to how fast time flows, relative to the outside world. If I want to speed things along I could slow down time in Kamui, step inside, while within it would feel like a moment or two went by, while on the outside, hours or even days were passing. And on the flip side, I can do the opposite, speeding up time in Kamui, so that I can spend days or even weeks within, in only a few hours, or minutes on the outside." Riley explained, finishing with a shrug.

"Wait so how old are you, if you've sped up time within this pocket-dimension?" Yugito asked.

"I stopped counting a long time ago, but one-hundred and fifty, maybe one-sixty? I'm not sure, exactly." Riley answered, causing Yugito's jaw to drop.

"Well that would explain why she's so powerful. She nearing two centuries old." The Cat hummed, while Yugito gawked in disbelief.

"How have you survived so long?" Yugito asked, eyeing Riley in a new light.

"The Rinnegan isn't called the 'Eyes of God' just for their powers. The Sage of Six Paths had them, and if he wanted to, he could still be alive today. He chose mortality, despite having the ability to remain alive indefinitely. I chose differently. I no longer age. I wont grow old and die, and thus I can utilize the full extent of Kamui's abilities without worry. The only drawback of Kamui is that it takes magic to remain inside of it, and the greater the time dilation, the more energy it draws from me. I naturally regenerate my powers fast enough to offset even the most extreme time dilation's, but it's still something I have to take into account." Riley explained, earning a slow nod from Yugito.

"She's right Kitten. I knew the Sage personally. He chose to live a mortal life because he loved humans and wanted to be one of them, but he could have been immortal, those with the Rinnegan, have that option. And her eyes are on a level above the Rinnegan. She will never grow old, so long as she chooses to remain young, meaning she can train for as long as she wants and grow as strong as she wants, and not even time can stop her." The Cat offered an affirmation of Riley's explanation.

"Wow. That's amazing. In all honesty, I didn't think you'd actually answer when I asked about one of your powers." Yugito admitted, earning a chuckle from Riley.

"Gaia already knows these things. If you're gonna be my wife one day, honesty has to start somewhere. Not to say I'll spill my guts just yet, but everything I've told you so far is stuff I've shared with my friends. I hope one day we can get past this uneasiness and I hope you'll understand that my disdain for Kumo has little more to do than them simply being outside of my realm of friends and acquaintances. I don't know them, they don't know me, but they're shinobi, that makes them paranoid, and dangerous to the people I love. So long as they never do anything to hurt those that I love, I have no reason to go after Kumo, or any Kumo ninja. I know the Raikage isn't willing to trust that, that's the truth, which is why he pushed so hard for this marriage alliance, but I hope one day you'll see that I'm telling the truth. I'm not that complex. I don't like bullies, I love my family. I love to train, and I love to fight. I love seeing those that I love, smile, and be happy. I like making them happy and doing things for them. Despite my powers, I'm not as complex as my mystique makes me out to be. I'm just a person, looking to fulfill her dreams in the world." Riley responded, smiling gently as she did so and surprisingly earning one in return from Yugito.

"And what are those dreams, if you don't mind my asking?" Yugito inquired.

"I guess, at it's core my dream is to make my loved ones happy. It's what I live for. Making them happy makes me happy. Expanding upon that though, I dream of building a place for them, a place that's free of all the bullshit of this world. All the stupid bickering and age old disputes over the dumbest shit. I want to build a world where they can forge their lives, and be happy, without this world shitting all over them. A place that isn't perfect, but… good. Great even. I know It'll be hard, and for the life of me, I don't even really know where to start, but that's what I wanna do. Like I said, I know it'll be tough, which is why I need to secure things on the home front before I start building my so called paradise. But yeah… that's my dream." Riley offered, her gaze turning pensive as she explained what she wanted to do in the world.

Yugito listened intently as Riley explained what she wanted to do in the world. More and more, Yugito found herself agreeing with the Cat. Riley showed herself as someone who lived for those she loved. Her dream revolved around their happiness. Despite her ferocity, despite her power, despite her 'take no prisoners' and 'take no shit' attitude, Yugito was starting to see that their truly was a kind heart within her. Something that reminded the Kumo ninja of the few times she'd interacted with the legendary First Hokage. Despite the man's aura, and his sheer power, he was unbelievably kind, and empathetic to the plight of others. Riley seemed a lot like that. She was aloof like Madara, but despite the appearance of not caring, Riley wanted the best for those she held closest to heart, and she seemed to care deeply for how they felt.

"What about you?" Riley inquired, slightly surprising Yugito whom had been in deep in thought.

"Oh, me? Well, my dream isn't really all that different from most peoples. I just want to do what I can for my village. I want people to see me for me, and not the Two-Tails Jinchuriki. I guess my dream is to just be happy, like everyone else." Yugito responded with a shrug. Riley offered a nod, though internally, Riley detected the underlying response that was left unspoken.

"No matter the village, all Jinchuriki dream of being more than just Jinchuriki. They dream of being happy and more importantly, free." Riley thought to herself, taking a sip from her wine glass, and offering Yugito a smile.

"So… let's move this conversation in a different direction. You know a bit about my love life, so have you ever dated anyone else?" Riley inquired, causing Yugito to blush, and let out a noise of frustration that she quickly tried to hide as she picked up her fork and poked at her plate.

"No. Actually. I haven't dated anyone else." Yugito stated, very quietly, a blush tinging her cheeks a lovely pink.

"I'm surprised. A beautiful woman such as yourself. Powerful too. I'd figured you'd be beating them off with a stick." Riley responded, though internally she suspected that this would be the case. It was obvious from their previous dates that Yugito didn't have the typical kunuoichi seduction training. Even though most of the time is was geared towards men, a kunuoichi was often trained in seduction so as to assist with infiltration, sabotage, and assassination. In essence though, Yugito couldn't flirt worth a damn, which was honestly nice for Riley, as it meant she didn't have to put up with false pleasantries, and thus everything was the genuine article when it came to Yugito.

"I spent most of my teenage years, training to master the powers of the Two-Tails. By the time I'd reached adulthood, my reputation as a Jinchuriki got around, and no one was really interested in something so personal with me. And well… being a Jinchuriki, I never got sent on many missions far from the village so any opportunity to meet someone who didn't know what I was, wasn't a common occurrence." Yugito explained, trying her hardest not to sound contrite as she did so.

Riley offered a nod at that. "I understand. People fear things they cannot control. You have more power than most others. That leaves them terrified of you. It sucks having to deal with that."

Yugito simply nodded in agreement, remaining quiet as she did so.

The two were relatively quiet as they finished dinner and left the restaurant. They spent some time wandering the streets of London, enjoying the gentle snowfall, but engaging in relatively little conversation.

Closing in on 10 pm, Riley Apparated the two back to the hidden village, appearing outside of Yugito's chosen apartment.

"Well… I'd say I had fun, wouldn't you?" Riley inquired.

"I did. We should do this again sometime soon." Yugito offered earning a nod of agreement.

Riley stared at her for a moment, before her expression changed slightly, a smirk tugged at her lips, and Riley smoothly closed the distance between her and Yugito, catching the Kumo ninja with a quick kiss on the lips.

Yugito blushed brightly as Riley pulled away, still smirking. "Not so bad is it? I know it'll take work, but I really appreciate your willingness to open up to me today. We do need to get together and do some training too. I think it'll really help us unwind. But I agree we should try dinner again. I'll see you soon."

Yugito stared after her, eyes wide as Riley turned and headed off, making it a few feet before she vanished in a reddish-black flash.

"Wow..." Yugito thought to herself as she reached up and gently touched her lips.

"Wow is right kitten. That was almost electrifying. That woman sure can kiss. I guess it's to be expected, she has six other women to practice on." The Cat hummed with a purr of delight.

Yugito silently nodded at that, still staring at where Riley had been.

"So… How was your first kiss Kitten? Twenty years of imagining what it would be like if someone kissed you, and now you've finally felt it. Was it as good as you fantasized it would be?" Matatabi inquired, earning silence from her host.

"Wow." Was the only reply she got, causing the cat to burst out laughing.

-Rapture. December 20th 1998-

"Our forces are being prepared as we speak, reconnaissance has already begun." Kabuto explained to Daphne.

"Rockfort Island, huh?" Daphne responded, turning her gaze over towards Wesker, whom stood with his his back to them, gazing at a wall covered in maps of the targeted destination.

"An Umbrella research facility, headed by Alfred Ashford, one of the heads of Umbrella. Striking at the facility will weaken Umbrella's ability to manufacture new weapons, and conduct further research, and dealing with Alexander will be a severe blow to the corporations leadership." Wesker responded, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"I see. And you want my help, for what purpose exactly?" Daphne inquired.

"Your unique bloodline ability. You can freeze any B.O.W. we come across, and then we can capture them for study. Even if they are killed in the process, we'll have access to their genetic structure without fear of the creature retaliating. As for other Bio-weapons, the support of your vampiric pet, will be invaluable." Kabuto answered.

"I understand. Hellsing doesn't usually get involved in such operations, however, as a personal favor to the Legion, and in the spirit of cooperation, I'd be more then happy to offer my assistance." Daphne responded, earning a smirk from both men.

"Gather what you require for the operation. If everything goes as planned, we will commence with our assault on the twenty-seventh. One week from today." Wesker stated, earning a nod from Daphne.

"Just so you're both aware, asking me to participate in this operation, will as the very least, earn 'her' attention. Bringing her along is overkill, even for something like this, but you do recognize that due to our connection, asking me is the equivalent of asking her?" Daphne pointed out.

"We suspected as much, but at some point we need to be able to conduct operations without Lady Riley there to hold our hand. Rockfort island will be a good test for the Legion, even if she's there simply to observe." Kabuto offered as a response.

"Well, just so long as you're aware. I will gather what I need and prepare Alucard. We'll be ready for operation. If there are any new developments, please let me know, otherwise, I'll see you both in a weeks time." Daphne offered to the two of them, earning nods as she turned and departed the room.

-Antarctica, December 30th 1998-

Explosions rocked the facility as Albert Wesker approached his comrades. His clothes were heavily torn, and blood stained his body. His signature sunglasses had been lost during the fighting, but despite his appearance, he wore a smirk upon his face.

"You let him go?" Daphne noted as he approached them.

"Yes, an idea struck me. I believe Chris has use to us. He's more valuable alive at this venture. Regardless, Alfred and Alexia are both dead, and we've recovered a sample of the T-Veronica Virus. Our work here is done." Wesker responded as one of the Legionnaires passed him a coat to cover himself.

Wesker received the item and slid the jacket on, as many of the Legionnaires began to Apparate away from the exploding facility.

"Are we finished playing with the dead, master?" Alucard inquired as he rose up from the ground next to Daphne.

"That we are. Let's get the hell out of here." Daphne responded, offering her hand to both Alucard and Wesker, taking both with her as she Apparated away, moments before the facility erupted into flames.

High in the skies above Umbrella's Antarctic facility, Riley hovered, her Byakugan active, as she observed all of the events play out. Her eyes never leaving Daphne or her son. Always offering the illusion of freedom, but never far from the demoness's grasp. As soon as they were safely away, Riley disappeared, returning to England to wait for her wife's return.

-Pentref Cysgodian Hud, England, an hour later-

"Both the Rockfort Island facility, and the Antarctic facility have been destroyed." Wesker explained to Itachi.

"Yes, I gathered the first part from some of our scouts overseeing the operation. They were however unable to inform me as to why the strike team traveled from the Rockfort Island Facility, all the way to the Antarctic. I'm hoping you all can enlighten me as to what transpired there?" Itachi responded.

"Everything went to hell, from the very start. The moment our presence was detected, Alfred Ashford released B.O.W.'s upon the facility and the nearby village in an attempt to halt our advance. We gathered samples over the following days and attempted to relocate survivors, their memories being wiped to remove our presence from their recollection. Eventually we were able to push past the infected and overtake the facility without any loss of life on our side. Before he could be captured, Alfred fled the facility to the Antarctic base. Given that our primary mission involved eliminating him, and with the Rockfort facility set to self-destruct, I gave order for all onsite personnel to either pursue or retreat, based off of their location. We succeeded in following Alfred to Antarctica, where he was in the midst of awakening his twin sister, Alexia Ashford. She was in the process of perfecting a new form of the T-Virus and was heavily involved in a secret Umbrella project known as Code Veronica. We were able to ensure both of their deaths, as well as recovering several B.O.W.'s and the new T-Veronica Virus as well." Wesker explained to Itachi whom listened patiently to the report.

"I see." Itachi stated, looking thoughtful.

"We were also able to acquire technology and equipment from both facilities, doubling our gains from the mission and wiping out two of Umbrella's top facilities. We also got our hands on the schematics for an experimental mass driver weapon, similar in function to the Sword of Paracelsus, that Riley recovered from Raccoon City." Daphne offered up as well.

"While we were there though, Wesker ran into a few old acquaintances of his. Friends from his time as a STARS member back in Raccoon City." Kabuto added as well, fixing his glasses as he did.

"I see. Did they recognize you?" Itachi inquired.

"Yes. I recognized an opportunity for us, and I seized upon it, in the moment." Wesker responded.

"And what opportunity is that? You went through great trouble to fake your death, this could spread word of your survival." Itachi noted.

"Indeed. The man in question whom I met was an old subordinate of mine. Chris Redfield. He was there looking for his sister, whom had been kidnapped by Umbrella for unknown reasons. Chris was always driven, and tenacious, I've been keeping an ear out for him while we prepared for our attack on Rockfort Island. He's been looking into Umbrella, working to strike out against it. I believe we can use him. A useful pawn, to strike at Umbrella from the light, while we operate in the shadows." Wesker began his explanation, as Itachi began to look thoughtful.

"You believe this old subordinate has the skills to take on Umbrella?" Itachi inquired.

"I trained him. And he was STARS. The best. If nothing else, he will stop at nothing to claim his so-called justice, against the corporation. We can use his crusader-like mentality to our advantage. Moving him and his allies into a position to topple Umbrella while we plunder it's corpse." Wesker answered with a smirk.

"Manipulating him into being our attack dog? You think you can pull it off?" Itachi asked.

"A few bits of information here or there. A tip, on Umbrella's movements, and actions. We have plans in place to establish control over the B.O.W. black market, and keep it under control. Using Chris and his allies, we can also manipulate the agencies that'll begin moving to fight Bio-Organic threats, and we have the perfect vehicle to mask our movements." Wesker responded, glancing towards Daphne, who was listening in.

"Hellsing? As a governmental organization that has strong ties to dealing with monsters, Hellsing could be useful in helping us control this situation from both sides. The Legion strikes out from the shadows, while the Hellsing Organization guides from the light. Both Organizations grow stronger and work off of each other to control this growing situation. We have no proof that Wesker's and Kabuto's fears are founded just yet. We have no proof that these weapons will find their way onto the Black Market, but, in the event that they do, and they're right, perhaps it is in our best interest to ensure we have some measure of control over this from all angles." Itachi noted thoughtfully, sharing a glance with Daphne who also looked pensive.

"I see no problem working together to deal with the threat of B. I am curious to hear how the Legion intends to seize control of the B.O.W black market, if it does arise? This is the first I'm hearing about it." Daphne inquired, acting in full capacity as the head of Hellsing.

"It's just preliminary ideas right now, as such a thing hasn't fully formed to our knowledge, but both Wesker and Kabuto fear that the collapse of an organization as large as Umbrella will see their Bio-weapons end up in the hands of various paramilitaries, rebels, terrorists, and other corporations. Naturally such weapons will surge through the black market. In their spare time, the two of them have been working along with William Birkin, to establish contingency plans so that we may seize some measure of control over the black market itself, using it to locate our enemies and striking out at them from the shadows." Itachi explained, earning a slow nod of understanding from Daphne.

"I see. Acting the part of buyers and or sellers from the shadows, and when those we deal with cause problems, the Legion can strike out at them, using the information gathered through business dealings. Black ops operations, I get it." Daphne surmised.

"As of right now, any and all Bio-weapons on the black market, aren't really free reign. They may be on the list of products but Umbrella is keeping a close eye on them, using various buyers to test their weapons for them. However, when Umbrella collapses, there is a strong possibility that those within the corporation will try to make as much money as possible by liquidating Umbrella's weapons on the Black Market. Once those weapons see use, they'll spread, creating a bio-weapons arms race between various groups. The Legion will be called upon to deal with these various groups when they start causing trouble. We have some ideas in mind to try and create a method of controlling the B. , in essence, if we can fine tune these creatures to send some sort of signal to us whenever they're being used for terrorist purposes, then the Legion can react, dealing with these individuals." Kabuto offered as additional explanation.

"I see. So we make or buy these creatures. Modify them so that they can tell when they're being used to say, attack innocent civilians, an inherently evil act, one the Legion would seek to stop. Because it's our weapons that they're using, we know who's doing the killing, and more importantly, we know what they have at their disposal. So while one side of the Legion operates anonymously, the other takes the information provided and deals with any and all groups that are using these weapons for nefarious purposes. Meanwhile, anyone buying them for legitimate warfare, fighting governments, or other groups, they simply act as regular weapons. We still know about it, but since they aren't doing anything nefarious, so long as we're not hired by the other side, we simply take payment for the weapons and the Legion walks away a bit richer. So, basically the idea is to sell weapons to various groups and use said weapons to determine the Legion's targets. It's interesting. While I don't know how I feel about providing the tools for such groups to carry out their agendas, I do understand that if they aren't buying from us, they'll buy from someone else. At least this way, we can target them, and destroy them quickly." Daphne summarized what she had learned.

"Add onto it, that our ties to the black market will allow us to keep Hellsing fully appraised on any new Bio-Weapons that hit the market, allowing you to better advise various groups on how to deal with them. In the end, whether it's for noble purposes or not, we have the advantage." Kabuto offered up, a devious glint in his eyes.

From the shadows nearby, glowing purple eyes watched as the conversation played out. What the Legion did, and how it conducted itself was of little concern to Riley. She only cared that it prospered, and that her friends and family did as well.

No matter what they decided to do, Riley would be there to aid in their endeavors. Their happiness made her happy, so she'd help them in whatever way she could, all the while she was constantly learning, constantly growing her power. Every lesson, every new scrap of technology, every new ideology encountered, led Riley to further develop her idea for paradise. It was nothing more than a hazy image at this point, but with each passing day, it grew more clear, Riley need only continue to grow, and soon, her paradise would take shape, and she would set forth to construct it.

A pure world, built for those the mighty demoness held closest to heart.

-To Be Continued-

Alright, here's the next chapter for everyone, hope you all like it, lots of setup and various events occurring. I skipped over many of the events of Code Veronica, while trying to summarize what the Legion did, while involved in it. I never played the game, and spending hours reading up on it, on a wiki, and then trying to write how Riley travels through it, seemed like it'd be boring for you guys, so I just noted that they went there, thing basically went the same as they did in the game, and Wesker, despite being stronger than his canon counterpart, chose to let Chris Redfield live, in order to use him as a pawn, having Chris take down Umbrella, and any other enemies they may have, while Wesker leads him on, from the shadows.