Broken Angel: Rising Demon

by I LIKE FEAR 1-2

The Age of Man, is over. The Age of Magic, is about to begin. A Demon stands upon the Earth. A beast, named goddess by right of passing. Darkness settles upon the Earth, will this goddess usher in a golden age for humanity? Or will she cast them aside to drown in their own sins? Behold the rise of the demon, and the Kingdom of Albion. (Sequel to Broken Angel)

29. 29: Prelude to Ascension

Alright here's the next chapter for you guys.

I want to offer my apologies for taking so long on this chapter. I had a death in the family come up and it kinda put me off writing for a while. I took a small hiatus, and focused on work and gaming, but now that Hiatus is over and I'm back to writing. This chapter gets a lot prepped for the next chapter, which will be a big one, you'll know what by the end of this one.

Broken Angel: Rising Demon

Chapter 29: Prelude to Ascension

-London, Albion, January 20th 2000-

Cheers rose up from the crowd as Artoria finished delivering her speech. Before her, a crowd of thousands had gathered to hear her. Surrounding, and within the crowd, news organizations, both muggle and magical alike, broadcast her words across the country. With the aid of such technologies, Artoria was able to spread her message, and cast her voice out over the entire country in a way she never could during her previous reign.

Today she had delivered a rousing speech to her people, in the hopes of encouraging them in the face of further uncertainty as the country continued to advance, and the magical and muggle communities continued to blend in unique and interesting ways.

It had almost been two whole months since the country had isolated itself from the rest of the world, and the time taken to focus internally and handle the matters of restructuring were doing wonders, but they wouldn't be able to remain isolated for much longer. Perhaps another month at most before Artoria would begin reopening the country and reconnecting with their neighbors.

Long ago, it would have been an easy thing to just close your borders and operate as your own isolated community, but as the world grew and developed that became harder and harder to do. Nowadays, true isolation was nearly impossible for a large country. You just couldn't do it, and while the excitement of magic's reveal and the turbulence of the rapidly changing world was enough to distract people, Artoria knew that it wouldn't last for long. People would want to reconnect, and despite the country taking a more nationalistic and patriotic view, the need for international cooperation was a given in this modern age, at least for where they were currently.

Would it be possible for Albion to one day become entirely self-reliant, and able to carry on without needing to worry about anyone else? Sure, such a thing was surely possible, but it would take generations to begin enacting such changes. The mindset of self reliance would need to be ingrained in people, taught to the masses. Many things in the modern world were confusing to Artoria, but she learned to deal with them. She learned to take the strange ways that things worked in today's age, and use them to her benefit.

People would want to connect with those beyond their borders, that had become a common place, and a natural way of life in this day and age, and so, Artoria would use that, to help further her nation, by encouraging such bonds in the hopes of forging strong alliances and ties with other nations. Just because Artoria was more focused on Albion than the goings-ons of the rest of the world, didn't mean that she was wholly against working with others, she just wouldn't be beholden to others, and she wouldn't allow her country to be either. Albion was a sovereign nation, and Artoria intended for it to stay that way.

None of their neighbors had the right to decide what happened within Albion's borders, and the UN had no say in how Albion handled it's business. If other countries had their qualms about how Albion conducted itself, they were free to express their views, but Artoria had no desire to be subjected to their complaints on a constant basis.

When the country reopened, Albion's sovereignty, would be declared, and any who wished to challenge that sovereignty would reveal themselves as no friend of hers.

With all of the chaos the world would face, Artoria had to ensure Albion's prosperity and strength. If that meant that she'd have to add, 'resisting the machinations of foreign nations', to her list of duties, than so-be-it. So long as Albion was secure, and prosperous, Artoria would shoulder whatever burden.

-Later that day-

"And now we've got people wondering where you'll establish yourself. Whether or not you'll take up full time residence in Buckingham Palace, or set-up elsewhere." Merlin hummed as he leisurely paced back and forth before Artoria's desk, in what she'd taken as her office within the Ministry of Magic.

Artoria glanced up from the documents set before her, and eyed her longtime advisor for several seconds before returning her gaze to the papers.

"Why would the people be so concerned about that?" Tobirama Senju inquired from where he sat nearby, next to his elder brother.

"The English are a particular lot. They enjoy their customs, as well as traditions. Places of importance, such as landmarks hold great significance to them culturally. They're a lot like us, in that way." Hashirama offered in response, earning a thoughtful look from Tobirama.

Artoria once more raised her gaze, this time to the brothers as they spoke. She then turned her gaze to Merlin who had stopped his pacing and was staring down at her with a curious look. Sensing that his musings wasn't just words to fill the empty air, Artoria answered the unasked question.

"I have no intentions of establishing myself within Buckingham Palace. The location is meaningful to my people, but it is a monument to a government that no longer exists. To take it as my own, is to continue and override it's history. Once the palace is fully restored, it will serve as a symbol of our history, and to the people who brought us to this point. I would have it stand as a monument to the past, so that we may always remember it, and cherish those who gave their lives to carry us to this day. Beyond that though, I will not take it as my own, or use it in any great capacity, at least I have no intentions of doing so at the moment. As for where I had planned to establish roots, I had not considered it. As of this moment, only two options really occupy my mind." Artoria offered to the three men.

"And what options would those be, my queen?" Merlin inquired.

"I will either locate a position of strategic value, militarily, politically, and culturally to build my new headquarters, or I could draw upon my own legend and return to the grounds where Camelot once stood and rebuild there. The former has the advantages of everything being geared towards this modern era, and my needs for today. Camelot though, holds historical significance and it's presence would stand as an addition to my own legend. Muggle historians today, have no knowledge of where Camelot truly resides, only the magical community knows where the castle once stood, though it's long since been destroyed. Returning there and rebuilding, would serve as a powerful symbol." Artoria answered, earning a thoughtful look from the old magus, while Hashirama and Tobirama shared a glance with each other.

"Why not both?" Tobirama asked, earning Artoria's gaze.

"Both?" She parroted back, curiously.

"Rebuilding a fortification at Camelot, would serve as a powerful symbol, due to it's ties to your legend, but as you said, a more modern headquarters would be the practical choice, as today's day and age, has it's own set of problems and issues, that may be better suited with a different location. Even if you chose not to actually work out of the castle at Camelot, rebuilding it or building a new fortification there anyway, could still provide those same cultural boons." Tobirama offered.

"That is a possibility. I can offer my held in whatever wood work you'd need, but I'm sure the goblins would love to have a hand in rebuilding the legendary castle. Just the thought of having their name tied to such a project would no doubt lead them to offering quite the discount for their services." Hashirama added, earning a nod of agreement from his younger brother.

"Your logic is sound. Perhaps I will do just that, in regards to Camelot at least, but that still leaves the question of where I will establish myself." Artoria responded.

"You are a Queen, wherever you choose to go, it will be the center of political power for the country. It must be a location that projects your power and majesty. A symbol of not only your leadership, but your people's prosperity." Merlin expressed to her, earning a thoughtful nod from Artoria as she brought her hands together, intertwining the fingers.

"The location you choose to build such a palace will need to be able to operate as a center of governance, while also serving as a defensible position from which to command Albion's armies. A palace, and a fortress." Tobirama noted.

"Indeed, first though, is where to put it. Once you decide where you'll build it, than you can decide what kind of structure you'll want." Merlin agreed.

"The sky…" Artoria stated, after a few quiet moments.

"The sky?" Hashirama replied curiously, while a smile spread across Merlin's face.

"We possess the technology to create flying structures. In this modern age, ruling the skies has become as important, if not more so, than ruling the ground. A flying structure could also traverse the country, ensuring that all peoples feel my presence. They need only look to the sky, and they'll find me there." Artoria responded.

"The sky would serve as a powerful position to command from. The structure being able to move about the country would also ensure that it wouldn't be easy to coordinate an attack on it, or gather surveillance." Tobirama mused.

"Using the Floo Network, you could tie it to the ground, allowing for fast and easy transit from your floating capitol to wherever people are coming from, ensuring that those working in your palace can reach it swiftly and easily. Keeping your capitol mobile, but also remaining where it can almost always be found, it could prove to be a powerful symbol." Hashirama noted as well.

"It's idea I wish to pursue when we have the time available. For now, working from the Ministry or Hellsing Manor will suffice, but when the time is right, I will construct a proper palace to operate from." Artoria stated, earning nods of understanding from her advisers.

While the two Senju brothers pondered the idea of a floating capitol, Artoria returned her gaze to the paperwork that sat before her, Merlin watching her with an analytical gaze as she did.

A few quiet moments passed as Artoria reached out for a paper, only to stop as she felt a presence appear by her side.

She turned her gaze to find Riley, by her side, no doubt having emerged from Kamui, suddenly.

"Riley, yes? Is there something you need?" Artoria inquired.

"Nope, just came to see you. Wonderful speech earlier, rousing as always. The passion in your voice whenever you give those speeches, it's really invigorating, makes me feel like taking on the world." Riley responded, earning a cool smile from Artoria.

"Well thank you. I appreciate your praise." Artoria responded.

Riley stared down at her for a long moment before glancing around catching sight of Merlin and then her grandfather and great-uncle. She offered all three a smile and a nod, before returning her gaze to Artoria.

"Was there anything else you needed?" Artoria asked.

"Busy? You seem eager to get rid of me." Riley noted, her eyes passing over the papers on Artoria's desk, before returning to the Queen.

"I have work to do, but I'm not overly busy. I'd rather finish up with the day's work before I turn my focus to more leisurely activities, if you don't mind." Artoria responded, earning a soft chuckle from Riley.

"Need any help?" Riley asked.

"Not really, it's office work. Paperwork mostly. Documents need reviewing and signing. Tasks such as that. I doubt it would hold your attention for long." Artoria replied, her words earning a chuckle from Hashirama who was well aware of Riley's disdain for paperwork.

"Yeah, I think I'd rather take a sharp stick in the eye. I don't know how you do it, I mean, this must be boring as fuck compared to how things worked during your last rule." Riley responded.

"It is a bit less mentally riveting, yet I feel as if I can accomplish so much more in a given day, now, than I could in the past. In those days, when I held court, people had to bring me their grievances personally or through a messenger. These days, all of the day's problems are stacked together neatly, and I have only to read over them, and make my decision, it allows me to handle more problems in a given day than I ever could in the past, and I needn't spend more time than I'm used to, in the daily running of my country." Artoria responded with a smile, her response garnering a nod of agreement from Hashirama and Tobirama, while Merlin smirked and let out a chuckle.

"Workaholic." Riley teased, poking Artoria in the forehead.

"You're one to talk. You just hate paperwork." Artoria countered with a smirk.

"Damn right, and if you think those beautiful emerald eyes of yours will be enough to convince me to ever subject myself to it, than you're… well… …" Riley began to rant, her compliment though, earning a genuine smile from Artoria, and her smile caused Riley to falter.

Riley stared down at her beloved future-mate, who just stared back with a lovely and genuine smile, which Riley couldn't help but adore. No matter what Artoria felt about her physical appearance, Riley had always thought she was incredibly beautiful. Artoria possessed an elegance to her, that made her seem radiant, even when she was covered in mud and blood, and surrounded by the chaos of war. It was hard enough for Riley to not falter in the face of such beauty, but than Artoria also had moments like right now, where she was just cute as a button.

It was so weird. Artoria had such a lovely beauty to her, and yet, she could look so innocent and naive at times, and that, coupled with her height at only five foot, one inch, allowed her to alternate between beautiful and adorable in an almost seamless fashion.

Riley took in a breath, and turned Artoria in her swivel chair. She than leaned down, placing her hands on Artoria's knees to steady herself as she moved her face mere inches from Artoria's.

The Queen's smile grew, as Riley stared at her, half-pouting, half-admiring Artoria.

"I'm not doing paperwork." Riley declared after several moments.

"You're not doing paperwork." Artoria parroted back.

"It's not happening." Riley continued.

"It's not happening." Artoria agreed with a nod.

"I don't care how much you beg." Riley muttered, narrowing her eyes and making a face.

"I don't beg." Artoria declared, smirking.

"Now 'that' is something I look forward to testing." Riley responded, smirking as well.

Artoria blinked at her for a moment, before realizing what Riley was insinuating. She blushed, and turned her gaze away from Riley. Unfortunately, it fell onto Merlin who was grinning at her.

Riley let out a laugh as Artoria's face soured at the sight of the grinning mage. She than leaned in and kissed Artoria's cheek before rising back up.

"I'll leave you to your work, alright. I'll come see you later on." Riley offered, earning a nod from Artoria as her hand reached up to brush her cheek.

"You two gonna be here all night?" Riley inquired to her family members.

"As long as we're needed." Hashirama replied with a shrug, Tobirama nodding in agreement.

"Alright than. When you've both got time, I'd like to have a chat about a new Water Style Technique I've been working on developing, being that you're both incredibly skilled with that element, I'd love to run some ideas past you." Riley asked of them.

"When we have time, we'll get together and work on some ideas." Tobirama responded.

"Indeed, always fun to develop new Ninjutsu. Especially in collaboration with others." Hashirama agreed.

"Alright than. Later." Riley said her goodbyes, offering Merlin another nod before departing back into Kamui.

"Always a playful one that Riley." Hashirama hummed with amusement.

"Indeed. Her timing though, could do with a bit of work. She seems to have distracted the queen." Tobirama pointed out, taking note of how Artoria was still stroking her cheek where Riley had kissed her, staring off with a smile as she did.

"Oh to be young and in love." Hashirama let out a happy sigh, Merlin chucking and nodding at his assessment.

"He's right, my queen. Love truly has a way of occupying one's thoughts, and it's definitely got a hold over you." Merlin agreed. Artoria let out a sigh at that and turned her gaze to Merlin, her smile leaving her as she did.

"I know I shouldn't let her distract me as she does. I simply cannot help it." Artoria said to him.

"Were you attempting to be the same person you were before, I would have no choice but to advise that you not allow your feelings for her to influence your decisions, or your ability to work. With that in mind, you're not trying to be that person. You wish to be more human. You were once a perfect King, someone who was too perfect to truly be human. Now you seek to be a human Queen. Someone your people not only need, but desire as well. Someone they can believe in, and see themselves in. If you truly wish to allow more humanity into your decisions, than you cannot purge yourself of all flaws. Do your feelings for her influence you? Yes. Is she a distraction? Yes. Will the personal issues of a relationship hamper your duties as Queen? Yes. But in the end, loving her, having someone like that in your life, it allows you to feel and experience things you wouldn't in a loveless marriage. It makes you more human. More like the people you rule." Merlin offered his wisdom to her, earning a small, thoughtful nod from Artoria.

"He is right. Bonds are a powerful distraction, and they can influence your decisions, but that's not always a bad thing. Sometimes bonds can be a person's greatest source of strength, allowing you to accomplish things you wouldn't normally be able to." Tobirama added.

"I agree. Love is a powerful thing, and it can be tumultuous at times, but, in my honest opinion, there's no greater thing in the world. To love, to be loved. To feel such a connection, and a desire to be connected to another. It allows us to live on through others, and it allows us to feel and understand the world so much better, by bonding with others. Love is simply one of the strongest forms of bond. When you were a king, you were perfect, beyond human, almost like a machine, every choice was 'right', 'fair', 'just'. But it all lacked humanity. There were no flaws in you, none that your people could see, and because of that, you became flawed in their eyes. I believe, the greatest failing you experienced in your prior stint as monarch was a lack of empathy. Empathy is what helps you look into the eyes of the guilty man and see repentance within them. It's what allows you to shed tears for other's losses. It allows you to feel the pain of those around you. You may not be perfect, like you were last time, but I think you'll be an even better ruler this time around, not in spite of your flaws, but because of them." Hashirama said to her, Artoria taking in his words, and mulling over what all three of them had to say.

The wisdom of these men, had been a godsend to her during her time as Queen. Without Merlin's guidance, without Hashirama's and Madara's wisdom, without Tobirama's and Kaguya's advice, she would have fallen into the same patterns of her previous rule, and eventually, she'd have become that same person, a king who couldn't understand her people.

"Thank you for your wisdom. I agree, that allowing myself to feel empathy as I make my decisions is key to allowing myself to experience what my people must go through. I'm happy to make these changes and grow from them. And I hope you are right Lord Hashirama. I intend for my rule as Queen to be greater than my last, and I hope for all my people, a prosperous and glorious future." Artoria responded.

"Good, so long as you remain focused on such a goal, you'll find that there is little you cannot accomplish. The few things that you cannot manage personally, I'm sure your future wife will be able to handle. Speaking of which, is there any reason why you're stalling in furthering your relationship with her?" Merlin offered to her, finishing with a question.

"I'm not sure what you're referring to." Artoria responded.

"You're obviously in love with her. She's obviously in love with you. She fawns over you, and I can clearly see the way she watches you, the way her eyes trace across your face, or pass over your body, her desires are not a mystery. I've known you long enough to know that no one has ever gotten this close to you before, never held your heart in their hands. So I'm curious as to why you're choosing to wait, you already intend to marry her, and without the risk of a pregnancy, there's no real reason why you shouldn't stake your claim on her." Merlin continued, earning a minor blush from Artoria as she averted her gaze and took in a breath.

"I'm aware of my feelings towards her, and Riley has made no attempts to hide how she feels for me." Artoria stated.

"Than why wait?" Merlin inquired.

"I… I am worried. I hesitate to pursue something further because by doing so, I realize that I'll have fulfilled some of the criteria of Luna's prophetic vision of the coming Day of Wrath. She saw eight of us. Eight of Riley's mates, eight paths. From the sounds of things, Riley doesn't intend to wait overly long after making me her mate, to make all of us her paths. I know it is something that must be done, the power it would provide to us, may be crucial to our survival, but I am concerned that by giving into my desires, I'll be triggering these events in some way. So long as we are not her paths, that criteria of Luna's vision remains untrue, and thus her vision itself is untrue. I know that doesn't mean it'll stop what's coming. And in fact, it would leave us more vulnerable to future threat were we not to become her paths. I know that it needs to happen, I just find myself hesitating." Artoria offered in explanation.

"I see. It is an interesting thing to be worried about. I understand why it causes you to pause, and wisely, you understand that becoming Lady Riley's path, is not what triggers young Luna's vision, it is merely a facet of it. You are right, the longer you wait, the more likely the chance we suffer for you hesitance. We have no way of knowing what threats are coming, and with such an obvious power boost sitting before us, sitting unclaimed, well we'd be fools to just ignore it." Merlin said to her.

"Yes, and I do intend to go through with becoming her mate. She is to be my wife, and by becoming her path, I can better protect my people from those threats that come for us. I'm merely cautious is all. I think I'll give her a few more weeks. Just some time to settle in with her newest mate, Yugito. Once that time has passed though, I'll take that next step." Artoria declared.

"It's not my intention to rush you, or force you into something you're not ready for. If you believe the time is right, than so be it, but if not, you needn't rush. Yes such threats could arise tomorrow, or they could occur a hundred years from now. There is no way of knowing. Many a prophet die long before their prophecy has a chance to be decided. Luna could have seen something that happens a thousand years in the future. We wont know until the day arrives. Do what you feel is best, even when it comes to love." Merlin added for her, earning a slow nod from Artoria.

She took in a deep breath, and turned her attention back to the paperwork that sat before her. It wouldn't be long now, not long at all.

-January 30th 2000-

Days began to bleed together as more and more progress was made. Government programs were established to get people working, helping them to find new jobs, or get into new careers as the magical and muggle societies bled together.

London was rapidly closing in on being fully repaired, with barely a single pot-mark left behind to indicate that the city had been attacked at all.

With each passing day, people began to wonder where everything was leading too, the media began asking questions like where the country was headed, why that direction, and why would that ultimate benefit the people the fledgling nation?

Artoria was always there to answer those questions, always willing to speak with her people. She gave regular speeches and worked with the Ministry of Magic to set up liaisons to go on the news and deliver the answers to these questions.

Artoria had nothing to hide, and wanted to ensure that the people of her nation knew what she wanted, and what she was after. She had no reason to keep such things from them. She'd learned long ago that people are more willing to follow you, if they know where you're going.

-February 6th 2000-

A surprise made itself known as the second month of the year began. Word had reached those within Albion that Riley would soon be taking a trip to the Elemental Nations to marry Gaia. News came as a surprise to many, including friends and family as very few had even remembered that the two had actually set up a general time for their marriage, which was originally going to be in December of last year, but it had been postponed due to the collapse of the Statute of Secrecy.

Now that several months had passed and things had started to settle down, Riley didn't intend to wait any longer.

The whole dynamic of the wedding had shifted, it had originally been intended to be a grand affair, so as to cater to the whims and wishes of the local lords and the Daimyo, but with the reveal of magic to the world, and now the entirety of magical society put under the microscope, people were far more concerned with getting a handle on their respective situations.

Riley and Gaia had talked, discussing whether to push their wedding further back, so as to allow for the intended spectacle and extravagance, or to simply go ahead with something more simple. It was Gaia who pointed out that the political stability gained by her marriage to Riley, and than Riley's marriage to Artoria and then Yugito, would help greatly in stabilizing the situation, at least from the magicals' side. Gaia had no real interest in major extravagance, and only allowed for it, due to political reasons, but since politics was beginning to play less of a role in that decision, she frankly didn't care much if they had a smaller marriage, something quick, quiet, and personal.

So that's what they did. Set for February 20th, Riley and Gaia would have their wedding in Sunagakure, and then go on a short honeymoon into Kamui so that Gaia wouldn't be away from Suna for overly long.

Invites were quickly sent out, if people could make it, than that would be nice, but if not, than neither were really bothered by it.

-February 11th 2000-

Headlines on almost every new network on the planet. 'Dragon attack!'

In central Austria, a dragon had burned down a decent sized town. The beast was a Hungarian Horntail, one of the most dangerous and vicious dragon breeds in the world. Where it had come from, no one yet knew, but it had appeared early in the morning, and set fire to a town. It strafed several city streets, setting fire to business's and homes. Over three hundred were dead, with countless more left wounded.

The attack was sudden and was met by shock and astonishment by the entirety of Europe, both magical and muggle.

The dragon's attack was such a violent and sudden thing, and at the moment, no one knew why it had attacked with such viciousness.

The beast reportedly flew over the city for nearly an hour after it began it's original attack. Just long enough for Austrian military forces to arrive. Two fighter jets arrived and shot the dragon out of the sky, hitting it with missiles, killing the creature when it feel nearly a thousand feet and landed on it's head, breaking the beasts neck.

As of right now, the Austrian magical community hadn't yet released an official statement on what they believed had caused this, but right now, the rest of the magical community was busy speculating on why this had happened, and more importantly, they were trying to calm things down within their own respective nations, as more and more people realized that dragons were everywhere, and different breeds lived in almost every nation in Europe, Asia, and parts of northern Africa.

Suddenly people were terrified of roaming dragons, not that they didn't have a reason to be. This was quite possibly the worst dragon-caused disaster, the had occurred in centuries.

Already rumors were circulating, some people claimed that the dragon must have come from a reserve, and that the dragon-keepers had gotten careless due to the fall of the Statute of Secrecy.

Others were saying that the dragon may have been forced out of it's territory by another dragon, and that was why it was so irritable and aggressive. No one knew for certain, but speculation was already running rampant.

To assure her people, and for her own peace of mind, Artoria dispatched dragon-keepers and hunters who worked for the Ministry to local dragon roosts, just to check on some of the local known dragons in Albion to see if they were acting strangely, or aggressive. They had no reason to believe that this was a widespread occurrence, and Hungarian Horntails were far more aggressive than the average dragon, but Artoria knew it would settle the minds of her people, if they knew that the local dragons were being monitored.

-Albion, February 16th 2000-

Everyday, Riley filled her time with activities, doing what she could to make life more enjoyable, for herself, for her family.

Starting the day she woke up and fed baby Lucille, the small child was growing quickly, already she was showing developmental levels, similar to a baby around two months older, she was also getting bigger by the day.

In the morning, Riley would feed the babe, before passing her off to her grandmother Kushina, who volunteered to watch the little tyke while Fleur was at work, and Riley was handling daily business.

From there, Riley's day basically opened up. If she had any obligations with the Legion, the Ministry, or with Artoria, she'd go and handle those first, but aside from that, she basically filled her day with various activities, often ones spent with her family members.

Thankfully, by having so many, it wasn't hard to find one willing to spend some time with her. With Elizabeth, Riley learned more about musical instruments, primarily learning from her daughter how to play the violin, which she was becoming proficient in, as she started developing and ear for music. Riley eventually hoped to start learning the piano, as it was Fleur's and Daphne's favorite musical instrument.

With Schrödinger, Riley and the mischievous cat-boy would go out and playfully spy on others, or pull pranks on stuffy businessmen. They'd basically just go have some fun, messing with people.

When spending time with Haku or Zabuza, Riley would typically train with them, learning and teaching various techniques to each other, Riley was definitely closer to Haku, than she was with Zabuza, but at the very least, she was on friendly terms with the swordsman, and they could bond over their sword training.

Occasionally, she'd be able to spend some time Elsa, helping to teach her more about magic and how to use certain abilities, she'd also do a subtle check-up on Anna to make sure the girl was mentally all there. She seemed to be getting better from how she was when using Reedman to strike out at those that did harm to Elsa, though seeming to get better and actually getting better were two different things, and Riley wasn't entirely certain that the bubbly, joyful, Anna wouldn't immediately return to her old ways, if Elsa was being threatened.

On the occasions when Amaru was back in Albion after a trip to Suna, Riley would go over all of the things she'd learned recently and help her to refine her healing abilities, helping the young woman become a better doctor, someone more capable of helping to save lives.

At times, Riley would venture down into rapture to see what Wesker or Eleanor were up to. She'd speak with them, answer whatever new questions they may have about their demonic nature, or about magic in general, and she would inquire to whatever projects they were working on. At the moment, Eleanor was continuing to refine the Vita-Chambers, doing tests to ensure that everything worked as intended, so that the technology could be used by the Legion. Wesker meanwhile continued to work with his team, consisting of Kabuto, and the Birkins, to develop new bio-organic weapons.

Currently, they were working on a new form B.O.W. Something based off of research in the Nemesis-Tyrant, and it's demonic enhancements.

When she got to spend time with Toph, it was usually the two of them training, Toph generally had some idea for a new technique she was looking to try out, and so she often conscripted Riley into her endeavors to learn it.

Learning and developing new techniques was right up Riley's alley so she was always on board to help create new and potent abilities.

On that note, she was even able to convince Azula to partake in learning a bit about controlling magic outside of just Firebending. Riley was very happy the first time Azula accepted a lesson, and was eager for the next time they could spend some time together, Azula was aloof and distant, but she had every reason to be, Riley was patient and as understanding as she could be.

Alma still remained hidden in Riley's mind, only ever projecting herself to appear before her children, though recently Riley had noticed her appearing around baby Lucille. Alma would appear in her child-like form, and hover over the baby, unseen to all but Riley. Occasionally she'd also stand beside Lucille's crib and stare in at the baby through the bars, no doubt longing for the days when her own children had been babies, and the time with them, that had been stolen from her.

And finally, Riley would often spend time with her grandsons in Paxton and Darren, the two boys were curious and eager to learn. Paxton was still the most vocal of the two, often being the one to speak on his brother's behalf.

Darren still barely spoke at all. You often couldn't get a single word out of him, and many of the family were starting to suspect he may be mute. He wasn't, the boy was fully capable of speaking, he just didn't like to.

That was how Riley normally filled her day, sprinkle in a bit of training, here and there, and the occasional conversations with her grandparents, or spending time with her friends and mates, but yeah, most often that was how Riley spent her days. If she wasn't needed for any particular task, and she wasn't interested in training, than she'd just drift around her family unit, or among her friendship circle and spend time with the people she loved. Quite literally living the life.

Today Riley chose to spend her morning teaching her grandsons a new set of moves, teaching Darren a new taijutsu form, while teaching Paxton a new way to use Legilimency to gather information from the minds of others.

She spent much of the morning training with the boys before stopping to have lunch. Riley made it, and much to her pleasure, the boys actually seemed to enjoy the food she made. After months of trial and error, she was starting to get to the point where she had more successes than failures, which definitely boosted her confidence.

Later in the day she headed to the Hidden Village where she spent the rest of the afternoon, training some of the new recruits alongside Shisui and Kakashi.

A typical day in the life of the demoness. That night when she returned home, the first thing she did was say hello to her children, she than headed for her room to take a bath.

Inside the bath she found Katie, Daphne, and Yugito, all soaking in the waters.

Riley took the opportunity to quickly strip and pounce on her newest mate, wrapping her in an embrace.

"Well hello there." Yugito offered with a chuckle as she was glomped by Riley.

"Hello beautiful ladies, what are you up too?" Riley inquired as she rested her chin on Yugito's shoulder.

"Not much, you seem playful today." Daphne answered, eyeing Riley with a raised eyebrow.

"She's just giddy because she has a wedding coming up. She always gets like this." Katie noted.

"Very true." Daphne offered in agreement.

"You'd rather I not be excited, I didn't see any complaining when it was our marriage love." Riley responded, giving Daphne a pouting look.

"I'm not complaining, just like with you and Fleur I hope everything goes perfectly, and you two can start your lives together without any difficulties." Daphne stated.

"Oh I plan on it, speaking of which, I need to have a chat with both of you, figure out what we're gonna do about marriage." Riley replied, glancing at Katie, towards the end of her response.

Katie smiled and blushed at the thought, offering a nod, while Yugito hummed in thought.

"Ready to talk about marriage so soon?" Yugito inquired.

"Well I've made you mine, so there's no reason why we should wait, I know there's politics behind it, and I'd rather not have Kumo breathing down your neck, trying to figure out when we'll tie the knot. I'd rather just us decide on something and go from there." Riley replied to her.

"Well you wont hear any complaints from me. I wouldn't mind getting that all fleshed out, and settled. I enjoy knowing what the future will hold, helps make it easier to get through the day." Yugito agreed with her, earning a smile from Riley as she hugged her tighter.

"What about you Katie, you ready to have that conversation?" Riley asked, turning her gaze back to Katie.

"Yeah, I think I'm ready." Katie responded with a smile.

Riley grinned at her, and settled into the bath, eager to enjoy the peaceful time she had with her mates for as long as it lasted.

-February 19th 2000-

While the world continued to reel over the dragon attack that had now officially claimed over four hundred lives, Riley prepared for her wedding with Gaia.

She spent the days leading up to the wedding, mostly in Sunagakure, spending time with her beloved Gaia as their chosen day approached.

As had become tradition, Riley's mates threw a bachelorette party for Gaia, spending the day leading up to her wedding relaxing, and enjoying herself. Gaia's former sensei, Baki would handle running the village for the two days it would take for the wedding and then their honeymoon within Kamui.

As she'd done before, Riley spent the day before her wedding enjoying some good, old fashioned duels with her family members and friends. Basically just an endless stream of one on one fights where everyone could let loose and have some fun.

-Sunagakure-

"So, are you nervous?" Katie inquired.

"A bit. I've never been married before so I'm a bit at a loss at how to feel. I think I'm more excited than anything." Gaia answered.

"Well that's good. I hope you guys have a lot of fun on your honeymoon, and I hope your marriage is full of joy and happiness." Katie offered as a toast, her fellow mates, as well as Gaia's sister Temari and daughters in Amaru and Toph, all offered their agreements.

"Thank you all for taking the time to spend with me today. I appreciate it." Gaia responded to their toast with a smile.

"We're all happy to be here Gaia, and we're all very happy for you." Temari offered.

"Yep, all very happy. Now, hows about we kick up the excitement here and get the blood flowing?" Toph suggested.

"Oh? And what would you suggest?" Daphne asked, as Toph rose out of her seat and cracked her neck.

"Something a bit more… active." Toph answered with a smirk.

"I think I know a place." Gaia replied.

From there, the ladies ventured to a local training ground and spent the remainder of the day drinking, laughing, and showing off their magical abilities, each one having some fun in letting loose, which helped in making the day go by much faster.

Before long, night had fallen and the ladies retired, come dawn, they'd need to be up again, to help Gaia get ready for her wedding.

-Sunagakure, Elemental Nations. February 20th 2000-

Gaia stood waiting as the ceremony began, externally, she had maintained her composure and hid just how excited she was. Internally, she was positively giddy. Marriage had never been something she'd considered when she was younger. For most of her early life, just having a friend, seemed about the extent to which she could achieve an emotional bond with another. Not that she didn't want to get married or have a lover, but when she had been alone for so long, some things just seemed completely out of reach, having a friend seemed like it was something manageable, something she should be able to obtain, but it never happened. She spent so much time alone, and than lost the only person who wasn't afraid of her.

When her uncle died, by her own hand, she was left alone, wandering in a darkness so black, she thought there was no escape, that she was a monster, and it was her purpose to be alone.

After all that time, she felt there was no chance for her ever to be happy. And then one day she met someone. Someone who wasn't afraid of her. At first, Riley was just an oddity, something to study, and try to kill. She was boisterous, confidant, always seemed to be smiling, always hanging off of people, surrounded by friends. She was strange to Gaia, because people loved her, despite the fact that people were also afraid of her.

That was something that didn't make much sense to the young One-Tails' Jinchuriki. Riley was loved and feared, people wanted to be around her, while others wanted nothing to do with her. That was something that Gaia couldn't quite comprehend. How could people like Riley, while others were so scared of her?

This question led her to following Riley, stalking her to try and understand her. And than Riley caught her, started interacting with her. Riley showed no fear around Gaia, seemed to understand her from the very start. It took a while for Gaia to really understand, but Riley no doubt saw the very same eyes that she herself once held, reflected in Gaia. As Riley had once said, she could see in Gaia, the person she could be, and for some reason, Riley chose to remain instead of abandoning Gaia, leaving and getting away from this depressing reflection of the person she could have been. She chose to remain and befriended Gaia, offered her comforting words, offered her physical contact that she'd longed for.

Riley became her friend, someone Gaia looked up to, and admired, and slowly, over time, Riley started to show that her feelings ran deeper than that.

She took Gaia to a dance, and than stood up for her when her father confronted her. She showed no fear, and didn't hesitate for even a moment to protect someone she cared for. Their friendship only grew from there, with Gaia beginning to develop feelings of her own for Riley. The way she'd smile, the way she'd stand up for people she cared for. Despite what she was, Riley tried to be a decent person. She was flawed, aggressive, headstrong, confrontational. She didn't have the patience for things that didn't demand it. If Riley could accomplish her task now, than she wasn't going to wait, there was basically no reason for it, in the demoness's mind. It made her seem impulsive at times, even if she really wasn't.

She had her flaws, like everyone did, but she still tried to be a good person, despite it being in her very nature, to be cruel, to be evil, to manipulate, and hurt others. Riley truly was, what Gaia had always believed she was, a monster. And yet, Riley didn't let what she was constrain her. She was a demon, but she showed kindness to people. She was a shinobi, but she showed that she was willing to trust strangers, and put faith in them. She'd endured a rough childhood, and yet she'd grown past it, and learned how to smile.

All of those things Gaia greatly admired about the woman, and strived to replicate in herself, to be more than what she was born as, more than what she was.

Now she stood ready to marry this person she looked up to. It was surreal in a way, that now, she had all of the things she had never thought she could. She had the love of her siblings, her village looked up to her, and respected her, she had friends, and she had a woman who loved her, and who'd do anything for her. Hell she had two daughters who were such dynamic and lively characters, and Gaia cared for them both.

Her life had most definitely improved since the day she willingly took a risk on befriending Riley. Since then, she had gotten everything she had ever wanted, and now she was about to receive more than she could have ever hoped for.

"You ready?" Came the voice of her brother, Kankuro.

"Yes." Gaia replied.

"Well you look beautiful sis, knock 'em dead." He offered with a smile, which Gaia returned.

"Alright, everything is about to start." Temari informed her, earning a nod from the Kazekage.

A few moments later and Gaia and Riley were standing before one another in front of a large crowd of onlookers, many of them either Riley's friends and family, or shinobi of Sunagakure. Despite the whole affair being downsized due to world events, there was still a lot of people in attendance. It wasn't every day that the Kazekage got married, so many of Gaia's shinobi came to observe, many from a distance.

The two stood before the official, and he quickly began the ceremony.

"We are gathered here today to bear witness to the joining of these two women, in joyous matrimony…" He began. The two stood, smiling at one another, holding each other's hands as the official red the passages and called upon magic to join the two as wife and wife.

Eventually the time came for their vows, Gaia went first.

"Riley, I want to thank you for being my friend. For always being there for me. When we first met, we got off to a rocky start, but eventually we formed a bond. You understood me, in a way no one else could. You were willing to approach me, even when I tried to chase you off. You didn't allow a little resistance to stop you from making friends with me. You saw something in me, something that tied the two of us together, long before we ever met. You and I, we shared in the same pain, the same hardships in our lives, we knew what it meant to be lonely, to be lost. You offered me your hand, and I've never regretted taking it. You're my best friend Riley, and I love you with all of my heart. I swear upon my life that I will always be there for you, as you've been there for me. You gave me the courage to embrace love and friendship, and I've always loved you for that. You were my friend when I needed one, and since the day you offered me you hand in friendship, I have never felt freer or happier. Thank you for saving me from loneliness. Thank you for being my light in the darkness." Gaia said to her, her words earning a tearful smile from Riley.

"When we first met, I did see something in you, something that was so familiar to me. I saw a lot of myself in you. I saw the person I could have been, had I been left alone, had I chosen to close myself off and chase away everyone. From the moment I recognized what I was seeing, I wanted to be your friend, wanted to pull you out of that loneliness and give you a reason to smile. I had people there for me, people who saved me from my loneliness from my own darkness, and as soon as I saw that same pain in you, I knew I had to to be there for you. You've been a good friend to me, and I've never regretted reaching out to you that day. You are one of my most precious people, and I know I don't say it nearly enough, but I love you. I love you will all that I am, with all of my heart and soul. When I think of you, I can't help but smile. You aren't just my friend, or my lover Gaia, you're a light in my life. A reason for me to smile, a reason for me to feel joy. I cannot thank you enough for bringing me such happiness. I promise you, I will spend the rest of my life, repaying you for the happiness you've brought me, and you will bring me. I hope that as we face what challenges the future has in store, that you and I will overcome them, and continue fill each others lives with happiness and joy. You are my love, Gaia, my heart. I will always be there for you, always protect you, and cherish you. Thank you for bringing me such joy. Thank you for being my friend." Riley said her vows, her words very nearly causing tears to fall from Gaia's eyes.

The two exchanged rings, both their rings taking the form of silver bands with teal colored emeralds as the center stone, and again the stone work had a drop of blood infused into it.

"Now that the vows have been spoken, let us commence with the joining ritual." The official stated as he began to call upon magic to form the marriage contract.

Much like with her prior two marriages, Riley's magic began to flow out of her, as did Gaia's and the two began to mix.

Colors flowed together for several long moments before settling into a single dark hue of blue, signifying that the ritual had been a success.

"Magic has accepted your union, seal the ritual with a kiss and complete the sealing with an act of true love." The official declared.

Riley and Gaia shared a smile with one another before embracing and kissing one another. Cheers rose up from the surrounding crowd as family and friends voiced their joy at the sight of the successful union.

The reception went by rather quickly. Gaia and Riley made the rounds, speaking to all of the gathered guests, thanking them for coming. The two enjoyed a meal, and a dance or two before departing to Kamui for their honeymoon.

-Kamui-

Riley prepared a nice locale for the two to enjoy themselves. A desert oasis that would remind Gaia of her homeland. A nice hut was built on the edges of a small pond. It was warm and cozy, bright and inviting.

"Ready to settle in and relax?" Riley inquired with a grin.

"Yes. I'm definitely ready for some relaxation." Gaia answered, taking Riley's hand as the newly weds strode into their cozy little hut, eager to enjoy the peace and quiet for as long as it lasted.

The intention was to stay for two weeks in Kamui, but that very well could be stretched to longer, if the newlyweds felt like it.

Two weeks to themselves, to enjoy each other's company. At it's end, only a single day will have passed back in the outside world, so the two could take their time.

-Albion, February 21st 2000-

Riley returned home around noon the following day. She was immediately questioned by her mates about how her honeymoon was. She told them how the two had spent nearly three weeks within Kamui, just relaxing, and occasionally engaging in typical couple shenanigans. They'd ended up staying for an extra week, but eventually Gaia began to get a bit anxious, despite knowing that time was passing very slowly on the outside, she couldn't help feeling off the longer she was away from Suna, so eventually they had to call an end to their honeymoon.

Riley expressed that she had enjoyed herself, and was excited to go out and see her new wife again in the not to distant future. She happily spent the day with her children, all the while basking in the afterglow of her most recent marriage.

-February 28th 2000-

Riley's marriage was thankfully only a footnote in current media cycles. Most people were currently focused on a growing news story of an event that was believed to have triggered the attack by the Hungarian Horntail in Austria.

Reports were coming in that a magical was responsible for disrupting the dragon's movements. Some sort of alchemist was attempting to harvest dragon dung for some kind of potion and had accidentally crushed the dragon's eggs, resulting in the dragon slipping into a rage. The woman escaped on a broomstick and fled away from the dragon nest. The dragon pursued her, eventually ending up in the center of Austria where it proceeded to lay waste to the town that the witch had tried to hide in, and it kept up it's attack until the Austrian military arrived to slay the beast.

People were absolutely furious.

The witch had been taken into custody by the Austria Ministry of Magic, where she was currently being detained as charges were being brought against her, but already the muggle government was calling for her to be tried in their courts. Already people were calling for the witch to be charged with manslaughter for the hundreds who died in the dragon attack.

It was a major public fiasco that drew the attention of the world, and while tragic in nature, it did take eyes off of Albion and allow the nation some breathing room to handle it's own problems while the world reeled in response to that mess.

Though as a side note, and to show solidarity with their muggle counterparts, Artoria did release a statement that a new law would be enacted in the coming days, that any and all damages that occurred as a result of interference with peaceful magical creatures would be the fault of the perpetrator of the disturbance, and they could be held liable both criminally and financially. Basically, if a bunch of hunters wanted to a hunt a magical beast, or harvest magical resources from a magical beast, they had to ensure that no one's property was damaged in their hunt, nor was anyone harmed or killed as a result of their interference with the beast, lest they be held accountable for it.

Artoria didn't discourage such hunts, and sometimes they were necessary and could be quite bountiful in certain circumstances, but she wanted to ensure that all people understood the ramifications of their actions, should they cause an incident.

Her swift response was applauded by the media, as well as people who lived near to magical reserves, or areas where magical animals gathered, as they now had at least some protection in case some numskulls came prodding the acromantula nest and accidentally released a cluster of the spiders onto someone's herd of animals, or in situations of that nature.

It was swift actions like this that increased Artoria's popularity among the denizens of Albion. Quick responses that were thought-out and that made sense, that's what people wanted to see from their leaders.

One of the best things about Artoria's rule, people were coming to learn, was how straight forward she was. The Queen of Albion did not play games, she told it how it was, and did what she thought was best, no playing at political theater or making big speeches promising things, only to deliver on a few tidbits of what was offered. Artoria didn't say anything she didn't mean to carry through with. Keeping her word was important to her, and she wouldn't lie unless it was for the greater good. Unless it was absolutely necessary to withhold the truth or to speak a falsehood, Artoria always tried to be truthful. Honesty and chivalry were part of the Knight's code, and Artoria's word mattered to her.

People admired that about their new queen, and it showed in her approval ratings, which was something that Artoria found odd, and a bit distracting. While it was important for a ruler to be popular among their people, actually putting a number to it was something that really helped to show how people felt with each decision she made and it helped her to understand her people more and more by watching how they reacted to her choices, how they approved or disapproved of the actions she took.

Definitely a major distraction though, as she'd sometime spend her free time just going over the numbers and seeing what people were thinking.

Thankfully she was often quick to be pulled back into actual work, which was where her heart truly lay.

Regardless, the world had it's own tragedy to focus on at the moment, and that allowed for Albion to continue advancing without being over-analyzed by everyone else.

-Riley's Home, Albion. March 15th 2000-

Riley sat with Lucille in her lap. The baby was almost six months old, and was already showing signs of possessing heightened development. She was small for her age, yet her mental developments were closer to that of a baby four months older than she was.

Next to Riley sat Boruto, the boy was grinning at his cousin, playfully poking at her cheek.

"She's so little." Boruto said, his eyes dancing between Riley and the baby.

"Yeah, you were this little once, you know." Riley replied, reaching out to ruffle the boy's hair, earning a playful chuckle from the boy.

"He really likes spending time with his cousin." Naruko noted to Hinata, Fleur, and Luna as the foursome sat at a nearby table, watching as Riley spent time with the children.

"Indeed he does. Has he been to see his brozer lately?" Fleur inquired.

"Yeah, I take him to see Kenzō at least once a week. He's growing fast. He's got them Inuzuka genes. He's gonna end up big, I'm sure of it." Naruko replied.

"I think Boruto will end up being pretty tall as well. Like your sister, or your father." Hinata added, Naruko nodding in agreement.

"So, have you two zought about having anozer? I know your wedding is scheduled for next year, but any plans for more children?" Fleur inquired.

"Yeah, uh… we've uh… actually been planning for it… trying… I guess…" Naruko replied with a blush as she scratched the back of her head.

"Trying? Taking the uncertain route? More fun that way, I guess." Fleur responded with a chuckle, as Hinata joined her partner in blushing.

"I think you wont have to wait long for your next one." Luna hummed, still eyeing Riley as she sat Lucille on Boruto's lap, the boy holding his cousin up with both hands so that she wouldn't fall over.

The baby let out a playful giggle, which made Boruto smile.

Hearing what Luna had said, Naruko and Hinata shared a glance with one another, a blush touching at their cheeks as the two smiled at each other.

The two were definitely ready for another, so whenever it happened, it happened.

"So how goes your training wiz ze Rinnegan?" Fleur asked.

"Good. I think I've mastered most of the abilities. With all the training I've gotten from grandfather Madara, and Lord Hashirama, and all that I've been doing on my own, I feel stronger now than I ever have. Sasuke and I have really been putting our skills to the test, he and Itachi traded eyes a few weeks ago, both of them awakened the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, and I've recently been training with Sasuke, pitting our ocular abilities against one another. I think I'm doing great…" Naruko answered.

Riley who was listening nearby, allowed a smirk to touch at her lips. Naruko was right, she was doing great. She'd grown incredibly powerful in these last few years. Her and Sasuke both. The two were still rivals and were constantly chasing one another, and because of that, it allowed the two to push one another to incredible heights. With help from Kakashi, Itachi, and even Lord Izuna, Sasuke had managed to learn and master his Sharingan's abilities, to the point where Izuna had openly expressed that Sasuke's eyes may surpass Madara's one day in terms of their potency. A sentiment that Madara tacitly agreed with.

Riley also agreed with them. There was something about Sasuke's eyes, something that reminded her a lot of Madara. There was an intensity there, something rivaled only by herself and her grandfather. Itachi noticed it too, especially in their recent training endeavors.

A few weeks back, Itachi had approached Riley, telling her that he and Sasuke planned on trading eyes to awaken the EMS, and gain access to it's heightened abilities, and remove the downfalls of the standard Mangekyou. He'd asked if Riley could allow them access to Kamui so that the two could rapidly recover and train with their new eyes for a few weeks, and if he could have Riley's aid in overseeing their training, as she was one of the few people to ever gain access to the EMS other than Madara.

Riley agreed, and the trio spent four weeks in Kamui over the span of a single day. It took five days for the two men to recover from the eye transplant and when they did, they were able to utilize the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.

With those eyes now in their possession, both brothers could now utilize their ocular powers without fear of going blind. Because of that, the two became infinitely more dangerous. Sasuke's Mangekyou granted him the ability to cast Amaterasu and also the ability to shape and control the flames, even extinguish them. Itachi's Mangekyou granted him the ability to only cast Amaterasu but he couldn't control it. Instead in his other eye, he possessed Tsukuyomi.

Both brothers were also able to show immense skill in the use of Susano'o. With Sasuke able to manifest a lower half, and by the end of their training, he could even generate a full body Susano'o similar to Madara's.

Itachi had possessed access to the ethereal being already, but could only hold it as a trump card, due to how taxing it was. Now that he had the Eternal Mangekyou, he could use the technique without sacrificing his sight. It was still incredibly taxing, but without the fear of blindness, it became more acceptable to use it in battle. Itachi couldn't or at least hadn't yet shown the ability to manifest a lower half for his Susano'o but that wasn't necessarily a detriment to him, as his Susano'o still possessed two chakra tools of incredible potency. The Totsuka Blade which could seal away anything it pierced, and the Yata Mirror, a shield that was imbued with all five base elements allowing it to alter it's elemental properties to nullify incoming attacks. Because of these unique tools at Itachi's disposal, his Susano'o was arguably more dangerous than Sasuke's even if it lacked the raw power and mobility of the full body Susano'o.

Riley had spent some time helping the brother's to hone their ocular abilities now that they could more freely use them, and to their credit, both had shown incredible skill in furthering their understanding of these techniques while also devising ways to actually incorporate them into their fighting styles.

So when Naruko expressed how she had grown through her training, she was only really touching the surface of just strong she'd gotten. She was actively competing with Sasuke, just as they had when they were younger, and the two were growing powerful. Already the two were becoming some of the top soldiers in the Legion, surpassed by only a handful, such as those like Tobirama, or Itachi.

Riley was truly considering taking the two on as apprentices, teaching Sasuke and Naruko, the two were proving to be invaluable assets to the Legion and to Albion, and having such power at their disposal could end up saving them in the future.

-March 24th 2000-

Word had gone out, Albion was reopening it's borders and was putting an end to it's stint of isolation. The barrier would remain up, but travel was allowed to resume freely.

The motion was met with cheers and a collective sigh of relief from the corporate world, now that the nation was open once more, they could resume business.

The rest of the world watched closely as the Albion's slowly returned to the spotlight, with many surrounding nations, along with NATO allies calling to establish meetings with Artoria to discuss matters, and reestablish alliances.

With word still going around that the Russians were open to meetings with the Albions, many western nations were eager to reaffirm their alliances and ensure that despite the recent events and changes, that the magical kingdom was still on board with the UN and it's collective agenda.

Artoria was willing to hear out any and all, though she would keep in mind each nations past history with the newly founded nation, as well as history from before then. Artoria wouldn't hold to alliances that she didn't agree with, nor would she name any nation her enemy, simply because they'd been foes in the past. Now was the opportunity for all of their fellow nations to reestablish themselves in the eyes of the Albions. If the past was what mattered to them, than that's all that Artoria would consider when dealing with them, but if they were eager to actually move forward and build relationships, than Artoria was willing to hear them out.

Artoria had a few lines that she would not cross when it came to dealing with other countries. She wouldn't compromise her own nation or it's people, and she wouldn't work with those who'd proven to be more of a harm to their populace than they've helped them. No ruler was perfect, and as a king, she had personally taken the lives of many enemies and criminals, life was brutal in those days, and by comparison, there were very few places in the world right now, that could compare to how difficult life was fifteen hundred years ago.

Another fundamental truth that Artoria had to keep in mind, was the possible end of the world, that could wait on the horizon. Smart choices had to be made, and powerful allies had to be gathered, so that when the time came, Albion wasn't facing the threat entirely alone.

So Artoria would hear the other nations out. She'd let them speak their peace to her, and she'd listen to what they had to say. She'd decide whether she was willing to work with them or not, based on their current, and past history, as well as what they had to offer to an alliance with the magical nation.

Meetings began to be established as the country began to reconnect with it's neighbors.

-April 25th 2000-

More time passed as Albion opened up, and reconnected with the outside world. Representatives from surrounding countries as well as the UN to try and get a bead on how they were going to handle Albion and it's recent rise in power.

Artoria had many meetings, many often taking up the whole day, she worked tirelessly to reestablish a proper foreign policy that she believed would aid the nation in building itself stronger.

Many foreign dignitaries and representatives came and met with her over the course of the month since reopening, and Artoria met each one with stoicism, and formality. She showed none particular favor and treated them all as equals before her. Those that had called for action against Albion during the early days of it's formation were met with indifference. Artoria did not greet them as old friends, but she did not chase them away either. They were allowed to make their case, and further meetings between state leaders, were set up.

All in all, things were progressing smoothly.

-April 27th 2000-

Eleanor had finished running her tests, and could now say with accuracy that her Vita-Chamber project was ready to begin rolling out in full. She'd run tests on a handful of criminals who'd been sentenced to life in prison, on the offer that upon completion of their volunteer work as test subjects, they'd be granted a reduced sentence for their crimes.

Eleanor was able to kill the men in different ways, seeing how well the Vita-Chambers responded to their deaths and how quickly they were revived. She then ran tests alongside Annette Birkin to study the effects on the human body that occurred from the revival process, and then repeated revivals.

Aside from the associated mental trauma of having been killed, as well as the sensation of phantom pain that lasted for a day or two after revival, the side effects appeared to be minimal. The technology worked, and it worked very well. Because of that, a place was built beneath Pentref Cysgodian Hud, to house the Vita-Chambers. For now, there would need to be one chamber per person, so eventually they'd need enough chambers for every member of the Legion, or Eleanor would have to design a new Vita-Chamber to be able to pick up multiple bio-signatures, rather than being honed in on just one.

After a bit of testing, it was discovered that the technology of the Vita-Chamber acted very much like the Yamanaka Mind Transfer Jutsu. In that it projected you soul from your dead body, into a new cloned body, and essentially allowed you to return from death at the moment of your death.

Due to the nature of bodily secrets, new methods were going to be developed to allow for the original body to be destroyed out on the battlefield, so that the enemy couldn't claim it to learn whatever secrets it may hold. Something like a biological self-destruct measure.

Something akin to the Hyuuga Caged-Bird Seal, that would seal away the Byakugan when the one wearing the seal died. Something of that nature, something not controlled by anyone, so it couldn't be used by another person, but if the person with the seal were to die, their body would rapidly break down, or something of the like, preventing their enemies from capturing their corpses.

There was also the idea of perhaps creating some sort of floating fortress or airship, or putting the Vita-Chambers in airplanes, and having them fly near to the deployment zone of Legion forces, and if they die, they just revive at the Vita-Chamber and go jump out of the back of the plane, and return to the battlefield. It was essentially the idea that if a man went down, he could just return to life and resume fighting.

The only issue with that right now, was that the revival did not restore a person's magical reserves. If you were nearly out of magic when you died, than when you were revived, you'd probably immediately pass out from magical exhaustion. Which, as a side note, was also a way for a person to still die, even with the Vita-Chambers. If you used up all of your magic, and died, and than were revived, you would simply die again, since you had no magic. It was a strange idea, one that Eleanor had yet to test, in regards to what would happen to the person.

A workaround for the lack of one's magical reserves being rejuvenated was the use of EVE. They could use the substance to restore a portion of a person's magic, allowing them to recover much quicker.

There were solutions to what issues the project did have, but it worked well enough that there was no reason not to begin using it in the field.

With the success of that project, discussions began on whether or not to begin testing Vigors, Gene Tonics, and Plasmids on Albion's muggle military.

The idea presented them with the opportunity to enhance their military power to incredible heights, and with such enhancements under strict military control, the chances for addiction to form was less likely, than say placing such tools on the open market.

That though, was also an area of worry that came up, the chances for the magical weaponization of modern tools of war. A 9mm bullet infused with wind magic could punch clean through body armor and embed itself a foot into dirt. What would happen with a tank shell, an artillery round, a jet fired missile? Such projects would need to be started, and studies would have to take place. Albion had joined it's magical and muggle communities together, that left them an opening in exploring new possible technologies. They were the only ones with such an advantage at the moment, but that could change one day. Albion had to begin exploring all sorts of possibilities, lest the begin to fall behind other nations with strong magical communities willing to cooperate with their muggle counterparts.

-Riley's Home, Albion. May 12th 2000-

Riley stood watching over Paxton as the boy practiced Telekinesis, moving things with just his mind.

Nearby Toph was busy teaching Darren how to Earthbend.

The boys were improving quickly, that was obvious, Paxton showed a greater proclivity towards mental magic, while Darren was more skilled at physical magic, but both boy were equally skilled, showing signs of genius level learning ability.

Riley was happy to see them responding well, and recovering from their time as test subjects for Armacham.

"You boys are improving quickly." Riley noted just loud enough for both the hear.

"Damn right they are, Darren here might be second only to Twinkle-Toe, when it comes to how quickly he's picking this stuff up." Toph agreed.

"Helluva compliment." Riley noted, earning a smile from Darren and Paxton.

"Hey, dinners ready!" Kushina called out to them from the house, she was waving for them, by her side, Dobby was eagerly hopping about as well.

"That's what I like to hear." Toph said as she gestured for Darren to start heading towards the house.

The boy did so, followed closely by Paxton.

Riley trailed behind them, a pleasant smirk on her face. She enjoyed dinner with her family, each gathering a large and extravagant affair. She often considered getting more house elves to help Dobby, but the little elf never seemed tired and he never seemed to be running behind on keeping the place tidy. Riley had taught him how to create Shadow Clones, so it was possible and very likely that due to that, and his magical tie to Riley making him stronger, than he was able to keep up with the demands of the house, even with all these people present. Still though, she thought it was about time to get another, at least giving Dobby a friend to talk to when he wasn't with one of her family members.

Night eventually fell, and Riley went to bed, she didn't go to sleep immediately, instead taking the time to enjoy the company of her mates. She spent around two hours playfully chatting and having sex with them, mating with each one of them in turn, sans Gaia who wasn't present.

If Riley had one complaint it would be that. Gaia being on the opposite side of the planet meant that when night fell on Albion, it was morning in the Elemental Nations. The middle of the night, was often mid afternoon, meaning Gaia was no doubt working, so it was hard for her to have enough free time to come and join with Riley and the rest of her mates. It did happen on occasion, and Riley found it heavenly to have all of her mates together in one room, in one bed, and sex with all of them at once was the best, the most passionate, and pleasurable, at least in her opinion. But that often required the use of Kamui so it didn't happen often.

It was around midnight when the group finally fell asleep. On one side of Riley was Kaede, and on the other side, Yugito. The Two-Tails Jinchuriki was quickly establishing her place in the harem. Once she moved past her shyness, and anxiety, she proved to be very confident and playful in the bedroom. It took a while to learn how to separate emotion from sex, which was her biggest issue at first. She had difficulties sleeping with any of Riley's mates, because of the intimacy of the act, but over time, she learned from those like Daphne, and Fleur, how to just have fun and enjoy herself, and keep the intimacy for the ones she wanted to be intimate with. All of them showed intimacy towards Riley, but beyond that, most of the time, it was just sex, something pleasurable and fun, shared between close friends.

She learned that she didn't need to fall in love with her fellow mates, she only had to care about them, as they cared for her. So long as they kept it as friends-with-benefits, most of them were more than happy to sleep with one another and have sex. In truth, the only two with a deeper romantic bond, were Fleur and Katie.

Riley continued to stare down at Yugito for several long minutes, here gaze passing over the kunuoichi's naked figure. It was warm outside, and the window was open. A soft breeze passed into the room, but it was still too warm for some of them, so Yugito and Luna, were both laying above the blankets, as was Riley, while everyone else was snuggled beneath them.

Riley smiled at her lover, and reached her hand out, the back of her fingers gently gliding a mere millimeter from Yugito's cheek. Riley wanted to gently caress her, but she knew that her fellow shinobi, would awaken from the contact, even if it was only a gentle brush. So she mimicked the movement, but kept from actually making contact. Yugito was sleeping peacefully, and Riley didn't want to ruin that.

"So beautiful…" Riley thought to herself with a smile, the urge to lean down and kiss her newest mate, beginning to form in her mind.

"Riley, do you have some time to talk?" Riley heard Artoria inquire over the Gravemind link. Her voice came suddenly and surprisingly, causing Riley to pause and think for a second, before floating up off of the bed, careful not to disturb her mates. She then quickly threw on something to wear, in this case, just a pair of sweatpants, and a tank top. Once she was at least modest, she used the Hiraishin to teleport to Artoria's location.

-London-

Riley arrived in Artoria's office in the Ministry. She was sitting in her chair, in the dark, nothing but the moonlight coming in. Artoria seemed to be relaxing, leaning back in her seat, staring out the window.

"What's up?" Riley inquired, drawing her attention.

Artoria turned to her, a smile crossing her face, though her eyes did widen a bit, and she blushed when she noticed Riley's state of dress. While the sweatpants fit, the tank-top she was wearing was not hers, it was just one she fished out of a pile of clothes that belonged to her mates, having been cast aside earlier during their coital interactions.

It didn't fit all that well, really accentuating Riley's chest, and showing off some of her belly.

"Riley, hello. Thank you for coming." Artoria was able to finally speak, after a moment.

"You said you needed to talk? What's up?" Riley asked again as she stepped forward and leaned on the desk, eyeing the queen curiously.

"I think it's time we talked about our marriage." Artoria said.

"Oh? Well, I'm game. You sure you wanna talk about it tonight though? I mean, it's past midnight." Riley replied.

"It's fine, it wont take overly long. We'll set it for the end of the year, that'll give us plenty to time to invite quests, and get everything set up. I don't need for it to be overly extravagant, marriages can sometimes be useful distractions, but the country has no need for that now. Just something formal, to secure our unity, as well as establishing a formal link between Albion and Suna, and later Albion and Kumo." Artoria expressed to her.

"If that's what you want, I'm all for it. Seven months, that's fine by me." Riley responded with a shrug and a smile.

"Was there anything in particular you wanted to see happen for our wedding?" Artoria inquired.

"Not really. So long as our family and friends are there, the event itself doesn't really matter to me. I'm happy just to be marrying you. Do whatever you want." Riley answered honestly.

"Alright than." Artoria took in a breath and nodded.

"Was that all?" Riley asked after a long moment of quiet passed. Artoria seemed nervous, and Riley didn't exactly know why. Talking about marriage wasn't exactly something that would make the ancient King anxious or concerned, so what was it that was really bothering her?

"No, there was something else…" Artoria began.

"Yeah? You sure you wanna get into it tonight? We don't have to if you're tired or you're not ready." Riley asked her when she paused again.

"I… If… What I'm trying to say is that I… I think the time has come for us to stop playing around with the courting and officially take our relationship to the next level." Artoria said to her as she finished formulating her thoughts.

"You wanna have sex?" Riley asked, plain and simple.

Artoria blushed deeply, and grimaced, Riley's bold and upfront attitude was both a godsend and so very nerve-wracking.

"How do I say this in a way that doesn't paint me in a negative light? … … … Yes?" Artoria replied to her question, earning a wide grin from Riley.

"I wanna have sex with you too, Artoria. I think I've made that plain and clear." Riley said to her, as she began to circle the desk, Artoria turning in her chair to follow Riley as she made her over to her.

"You have been very clear about that." Artoria affirmed.

"So what's wrong?" Riley asked, as she sat on the edge of the desk, right next to Artoria.

"You're married. We're not. I just…. I know I shouldn't worry about it, because you've made it very clear that you desire me, and I most certainly desire you too, but… as a knight, I am not supposed to vie for the affections of a married woman. Nor am I to covet, that which does not belong to me." Artoria offered to her as an explanation.

Riley let out a chuckle at that, her gaze lifting to the ceiling.

"I can't tell, are you just trying to convince yourself, or is that actually one of the reasons?" Riley asked, turning her gaze back to Artoria.

"I'm sorry?" Artoria replied, confused.

"You're full of shit, my Queen. We've been engaged since you pulled the sword from the stone, a second time. I'm not just some woman, I'm your fiancee, you airhead." Riley replied, teasingly.

Artoria let out a sigh, and smiled at that, blinking several times.

"I know it is foolish, and I'm not lying. It is a legitimate reason that I've stayed my hand, when it comes to pursuing you. You are right though, you are my fiancee. And now we've actually set a time for our marriage. It's something I've though of though… pursuing you, even though you're married. Were it not for the unique circumstance of the situation…" Artoria continued on.

"Yeah, I understand where you're going. But still, the situation is unique. And you still my fiancee, so if you want it, and I want it, than why shouldn't we go for it?" Riley asked her.

"My true reason for hesitating is because I know what comes afterwards." Artoria said to her.

Riley let out a chuckle at that, smirking as she did. "Artoria, I'm not gonna get you pregnant until you're ready for it, if you're ready for it. I don't know, is that something you want?"

"That's not what I meant…" Artoria responded, her face reddening at the thought.

"Oh? Really? Cuz I'm telling the truth. I can't get you pregnant accidentally. I have to use magic to do it, doesn't matter how we have sex." Riley offered to her, Artoria quietly shaking her head in response.

"Okay, than what did you mean when you said, 'what comes afterwards'?" Riley asked.

"I'll be your mate then. You'll have the eight you need to create your paths. The vision Luna saw, involved us as your paths. A part of me, a rather troublesome part, worries that by pursuing this relationship, by accepting our feelings for one another and becoming your mate, I'll be playing my part in triggering these events." Artoria explained to her.

"Oh… yeah… I guess you're right about that. I hadn't thought about it like that." Riley noted, turning her gaze away from Artoria as she became pensive.

"I know it's not a prerequisite. I know that the Day of Wrath may very well happen regardless of us being your paths or not. All I do know is that becoming your paths fulfills a factor of Luna's vision, increasing it's validity. Us being your paths makes us more powerful, makes you more powerful. But it also adds that bit of truth to what she saw. It makes it more real." Artoria furthered her explanation, Riley nodding in agreement.

"Yeah… I get that. It's actually kinda bothersome to think about it like that." Riley agreed.

"That's why I've been holding back. I want to take the next step, and I think we should, it's why I asked you here. But… I wanted you to know my thoughts on it, I wanted to hear yours." Artoria expressed to her.

"I understand where you're coming from. It is a bothersome point. But it's like you said, you being my paths doesn't alter whether the Day of Wrath happens or not. We know for a fact that the Archdevil responsible for it, is out there. He's coming for us. It could be in ten years, it could be in ten thousand year. We don't know. The only thing I do know is that making you my paths will make me stronger, and it'll make you stronger. Just like you said." Riley offered after a few more seconds of thought.

"Alright than. So long as we're clear on that. So… how long will you wait, afterwords I mean? How long before you make us your paths?" Artoria asked.

"A few months. I'll give us time to get comfortable with one another, I want you and Yugito to be comfortable with the others. Remember, not only will this further bind you guys to me, but it'll bind you together as well, hell you'll share a sense, you'll be able to see through each other's eyes. That's a very personal bond, and I want to give you some time at least, to grow a deeper more intimate connection with my other mates before I begin the process. Once I'm ready though, I'll take you all into Kamui… and then I'll use the Ōtsutsuki chakra I got from Hagoromo's ancient tool, and I'll summon him. He promised to train me when the time is right. I'll call to him then. And while I train you as my paths, he'll teach me. This'll be a once in a lifetime chance. I don't think it'll be possible to call him again, so when we do it, we have to commit. We'll probably be in Kamui for a year, possibly a few months longer. I plan on stretching it out over a few days out here so I can commit my focus to whatever teachings he has for me, and whatever I can teach to you guys. That's my plan, that's how I intend to do it." Riley answered.

Artoria was pensive for a moment as she absorbed Riley's answer.

"Alright then. A few months to get ready. Than I see no reason to wait any longer." Artoria said as she rose to her feet, earning a curious look from Riley.

"What do you mean?" Riley asked.

"Let's go somewhere private." Artoria commanded, a demure smile touching at her lips.

Riley stared for a second, than another. She then reached out and draped an arm around Artoria drawing the two of them into Kamui.

-Kamui-

They arrived in an open field and Artoria immediately turned to Riley and pulled her into a kiss.

Riley returned the gesture, kissing her back allowing her love and lust for the Queen pass through her magic and into Artoria.

"Be patient with me, I've never done this before." Artoria whispered to her.

"Never?" Riley asked back.

"No. Merlin tried his hand at coercing me into sleeping with my first wife, but she and I never did anything. She was my friend, and she was in love with someone else. She'd already sacrificed so much in keeping my secret, and not only that, but I wasn't attracted to her in that way. I didn't love her, like I do you." Artoria replied with a gentle smile.

"Okay. That's alright. I'm used to it. Just let me know if things are getting a little heated, and I'll ease off. But you have to let me know, alright. If you don't say anything, I may not pick up on it." Riley replied.

"I'm sure I'll manage." Artoria responded, leaning in to kiss Riley again.

The soft fluttering of falling cloth, touched at Artoria's ears. She felt Riley's hands wrap around her, touching at her back, which she quickly realized was bare.

Riley pulled Artoria into her as the two remained lip-locked. Due to the height difference, Artoria was almost looking straight up as she kissed Riley.

Artoria's cheeks immediately flushed with color as she felt Riley's breasts, again due to the height difference, with Artoria at five foot, one inch, and Riley at six foot even, Riley's breasts were almost level with Artoria's shoulders.

With great effort, the ancient king managed to pull herself free from the kiss. Taking a breath, her eyes settled on Riley's naked chest. Slowly she reached up, her hands taking hold of the soft mounds of flesh. She felt Riley's nipples harden at the contact as Artoria tentatively explored her lover's chest.

Slowly, almost cautiously, Artoria leaned forward and placed a kiss atop one of Riley's breasts. Her fondling grew more purposeful as she began to squeeze them and grope at them.

Riley couldn't help but smile as one of her hands began to lovingly caress Artoria's hair.

The breast play continued for several long moments that went by far too quickly for Riley. Slowly, Artoria began to further explore, one of her hands began trailing away from Riley's breasts. It began to move down her chest and across her belly until finally passing between Riley's legs.

Riley let out a sigh of pleasure as she felt Artoria's fingers drift across her opening.

Riley didn't know at the time if Artoria was intentionally teasing her, or if she truly was exploring, getting a feel for Riley's body, but either way, Riley was starting to get really worked up. Already wetness was spreading at her center, as Artoria traced her pussy lips, and than brushed at her clit before running her fingers along Riley's opening.

Riley made certain to let her lover know exactly how she was feeling. She bit her lip, and let out a noise whenever Artoria touched at her most sensitive parts, either at her opening or at her clit.

Slowly, deliberately, Artoria pushed her middle finger into Riley's pussy.

Artoria was staring up at her now, watching her reaction as her finger probed her lover's depths.

It was soon joined by another, earning a purr of delight from Riley.

"Push up, and curl your fingers a bit…" Riley instructed. Artoria did just that, her fingers brushing against Riley's G-spot, earning a whimper of pleasure from the demoness.

"You like that?" Artoria asked.

"Very sensitive… that and the clit. I'll show you when I do you…" Riley replied breathily.

Artoria allowed a small smirk to touch at her lips, happy to know she was getting a reaction from her lover.

Artoria continued to explore Riley's depths for about another minute, paying close attention to touching the parts that Riley had suggested, before removing her fingers.

Riley groaned wantonly, taking Artoria's hand and bringing it up to her lips. Artoria watched with curiosity as Riley took her middle and ring fingers into her mouth, sucking the juices off of them, and purring in delight as she pulled them free.

"Alright, you've teased me enough. Now I wanna hear you…" Riley growled at her, a flash of excitement passing across her face as she dropped to her knees.

Artoria watched, surprised and uncertain as Riley kissed at her belly, and than began to move lower. Artoria's face turned red as Riley passed over the small mop of pubic hair and kissed her clit.

Artoria gasped at that, the sudden contact, as well as the magic that jumped directly into the sensitive area caused her to jolt.

Riley grinned as she got into position, taking of Artoria's legs and lifting it over her shoulder. Artoria felt one of Riley's tails press against her back, helping her stand on one leg. Riley's mouth quickly came into contact with her pussy. A kiss at first, and than her tongue ran over her opening.

Artoria groaned, and than immediately let out a moan. Riley's hands found their resting place as her tongue invaded Artoria's depths. One hand groped Artoria butt, while the other held the thigh of the leg she'd placed over her shoulder.

Artoria couldn't help the sounds that began escaping from her lips as Riley ate her out. She bit her lip to try and keep from moaning but eventually she just couldn't help it and eventually she was crying out and humping against Riley's face. One of her hands found it's way to Riley's hair, pulling her deeper into her sex, while the other kneaded at her own breasts.

It took only about two full minutes before she was let out a cry, and came.

Riley pulled back from Artoria's sex, eager to get an eye full of her lover as she reached her climax.

Two of her fingers swiftly invaded Artoria's depths, fingering her quickly, striking at her g-spot while Riley kissed at her clit.

Artoria's moans silenced after several moments, the throws of orgasm subsiding. She felt her legs shake, following her release, and slowly, Riley helped her lower so that she could sit on Riley's lap.

As she helped Artoria lower down, a mischievous grin spread across Riley's face.

Artoria was still recovering from the throws of orgasm when she felt something press against her entrance and than pierce her folds.

Her eyes went wide, as she braced herself grabbing Riley's but, Riley caught her gaze, grinning at her, her own hands on Artoria's hips, gently pressing her down.

"Riley… what is…? Is that…?" Artoria asked, glancing down, trying to see what was pressing into her.

"Yeah… you want I should stop?" Riley inquired in response.

"N-No… No… I just… I wasn't prepared. Are you sure that'll fit?" Artoria asked. There was still some distance she had to go before her butt met Riley's lap, and already she could feel the head of Riley's cock fully engulfed in her sex.

"It'll fit. I used a spell on you that makes it so I can't accidentally hurt you. Believe me, I could go a lot bigger than this, and still not cause any damage. It's how human woman can successfully breed with giants, and not die." Riley answered.

Artoria made a face at that, but stopped holding herself up, and instead allowed Riley to slowly pull her down until she had the full length of Riley's member inside of her.

"Wow…" Artoria gasped, earning a grin from Riley.

Riley held her beloved mate still for a moment, and gave her a once over. Artoria's hair was still up, so Riley quickly reached up and undid it, allowing it to fall freely. Once that was done, Riley gave her another look.

Artoria noticed Riley's eyes scanning her and felt her face flush. Here she was, with Riley's cock buried in her, such a lewd sight, and yet the demoness was staring at her with such love and affection.

Riley reached up, taking Artoria's face in her hands, and guiding her to look up at Riley. The two locked eyes for a moment, and Riley smiled at her.

"I love you, Artoria Pendragon." Riley said to her.

"And I love you, Riley Uchiwa." Artoria replied with a smile.

The two kissed at that, as Riley's hands began to trail down Artoria's body. They passed down her shoulders, and paused at her breaths, taking both of the small mounds in her hands and giving them a squeeze before continuing lower. Down across her sides, to her hips and back to take hold of her ass.

Slowly, Riley raised Artoria up off of her lap, she raised her up to about two thirds of the way up her cock before pushing her back down. Artoria moaned into the kiss as she began riding Riley's cock.

It took several more passes, before Artoria took over and began moving on her own.

Soon they were having sex in earnest, Artoria bouncing up and down on Riley's cock. Eventually Riley laid back in the grass and allowed Artoria to ride her. Riley all the while got and eye full of her beautiful lover.

The kept at it for nearly ten minutes, Artoria reaching orgasm three more times, before Riley finally came, spilling her cum into Artoria's depths.

Only a few moments of relaxation followed as Artoria sat on Riley's lap, staring down at her, while Riley stared back, the two making lovey eyes at one another, until they were finally ready to go again.

Next up, Riley laid Artoria on her back and ate her out again. Artoria than offered to do Riley, which Riley was more than happy to accept.

Artoria lacked in skill, but she made up for it in gusto, eager to please her lover, and prove herself a capable bed partner.

She wasn't able to get Riley off from just eating her out, but she did finally get her to come when she switched over to a blowjob, and fingered her pussy at the same time. It was slow, focused, and directed, but damn was it hot to watch.

Artoria was surprisingly good at blowjobs, able to take over half of Riley's cock on her first try. Than again, Artoria at like a truck, so it probably shouldn't have been a surprise she was so good at this.

Riley warned her before she came and Artoria pulled back, returning her attention to Riley's pussy while stroking her cock. Riley came quickly shooting into the air with much of it landing on her chest and stomach.

Artoria glanced up at Riley who let out a laugh and motioned for her to crawl up to her. Artoria did just that and the two locked lips.

They continued to make love out in the open field for another forty minutes or so before taking a breather.

The two laid out under the darkened sky, cuddled up to one another, basking in each others presence.

"Riley… can we go to your room?" Artoria asked.

"Sure. My mates are there though. You wanna get dressed first?" Riley inquired in response.

"No." Artoria replied, a smile touching at her lips. Riley glanced over and raised an eyebrow at her.

"I've gotta get comfortable around them. No point in waiting." Artoria said to her with a charming smile.

"Are you just horny for an orgy? Cuz if you are, just say it." Riley asked, grinning.

"N-No… I mean, I'm still up for more if you want to keep going. But I figure… I'll have plenty of time in the rest of our lives to spend alone with you. I only have a few months until we become your paths, so I'd like to spend as much of that time as I can, forming a bond with them. That starts with being comfortable around them." Artoria explained, earning a nod of understanding from Riley.

Riley sat up, Artoria sitting up with her. She then pulled Artoria onto her lap, lining her up with her cock and pressing it into the ancient knight.

Artoria moaned loudly, as Riley withdrew them from Kamui depositing them on Riley's bed.

-Riley's House-

The sudden shift of the bed caused Yugito to open her eyes. She sat up and glanced around, spotting Riley, and Artoria. She blinked several times, not quite realizing what she was seeing.

Katie sat up next and looked around, spotting the two as well. A smile spread across her face as Artoria bit her lip to try to stifle another loud moan. Riley was currently grinning like a Cheshire cat, bouncing her up and down on her cock.

"Riley! You didn't tell me they were sleeping!" Artoria hissed through her teeth as she struggled to keep from moaning.

"It's past midnight, don't you remember? What else would they be doing?" Riley responded with a laugh.

"This a new development or…?" Katie asked.

"Yep… just tonight actually." Riley replied with a smirk.

"Oh, well welcome." Katie said in response.

"Yeah uh… should we look away?" Yugito asked, glancing over at Katie who shrugged in response, not looking away.

"Oh no, you don't need to look away. Artoria here wants you all to be comfortable with her presence, and she wants to be comfortable around you, so feel free to look all you want, get rid of the awkwardness right quick." Riley replied cheerfully.

"You're horrible." Artoria muttered, burying her head in Riley's shoulder to hide her embarrassment and help muffle the sounds she was making.

"Compliments ladies?" Riley inquired, gazing over at Katie who let out a laugh.

"She's got a helluva an ass." Katie offered in praise.

Artoria pulled her face from Riley's neck and gazed over at Katie who grinned at her. Artoria took in a breath, trying to compose herself and come up with a dignified response.

"Thank you." Artoria offered curtly, as she focused her attention back on Riley.

"See… awkwardness is fading already." Riley said to her.

"You're lucky I'm so worked up right now. Otherwise I'd punish you embarrassing me." Artoria pouted.

"You know, you said to me not that long ago that you don't beg…" Riley responded with an evil gleam in her eye. Artoria stared at her for a moment, slowly paling.

"I… I uh… What's that look for?" Artoria said back.

"I'm gonna put that to the test." Riley challenged, lifting Artoria up, and pushing down onto her back.

As Riley continued to fuck Artoria she made two clones to go and focus on Yugito and Katie who were still watching the scene, almost mesmerized by it. The demoness and the queen would remain locked together at the hip for another hour before finally retiring for the night. Come morning Riley would take her again, this time with a full audience. She had acquired her eighth mate. The clock had now begun ticking. Very soon, Riley would make the choice to finally make her mates into her paths. When that happened, she was certain that things would change between her and her mates. All she could do was hope it was for the better.

-Elsewhere on the moon-

"Your little village has quite formidable defenses." Came the voice of a lone Ōtsutsuki.

"I'm going to have to be clever about how I handle this. Clever, and vicious." The man said, his hands flexing and unflexing as a plan began to form in his mind.

"Soon you'll be mine, my princess. Soon this world will meet it's end, but we'll remain safe. We will rebuild once all has been lost. It wont be long my beloved. Just you wait, only a little longer…" He spoke, madness or desperation coloring his tone.

"Everything is almost set. I'm so close now. Only a few more weeks, and I'll be ready to begin. It is time for humanity to be judged. Hamura's decree, demands it." The man thought to himself as he continued to formulate his plan of action. Now that he knew where his target was exactly, he could now formulate a plan of attack. It wouldn't be long now. Now long at all.

-To Be Continued-

Alright guys, there you go, the Tonari arc, begins next. It'll be rather short, only a chapter or two, but it'll lead into big changes. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, next one will be out in the not to distant future. Next chapter, Riley's mates become her paths.