Accidental Multiverse Planeswalker

“...and that's why everypony needs a friend like me!” Twilight Sparkle said while striking a victory pose and she held her hoof up to make the 'V' sign.

None of the other ponies questioned how she could do that successfully while also stomping and balancing on Nightmare Moon's face. They had just finished defeating the recently unleashed evil mastermind that came from Princess Luna's previously peaceful personality. She would be fine and back to her old calm self in the morning.

Gloria stood off to the side and barely stopped herself from bashing her own face in with a hoof when she tried to facepalm at the sight. She had somehow made the insanely convoluted plan that the group of ponies had come up with to defeat the main evil pony... no, alicorn... without anypony getting hurt.

Oh, god! I'm starting to think like them! Gloria thought in a panic. I need to get out of here!

Before any of the ponies could stop her, especially the magically overpowered Queen Celestina that had just appeared to check on her little sister that was currently being stomped by a happy Twilight, she surrounded herself in Chi and Magic that had taken years to gather and popped out of there.

* Winx Club (Animated)

Bloom Peters was sad and running away, because she had just arrived on Magix to go to the Alfea College of Magic and had lied to her new friends about who she really was. Everything would have been fine if she hadn't had to fight with three magic girls called the Trix and had to be saved by the very same girls she had lied to. Now they knew she was a fake and not a real princess like she claimed.

The crying girl stumbled and almost fell, caught herself just in time on the corner of a building, and entered an alleyway. There was a bright flash of light and the prettiest little pony appeared right in front of her. The gleaming white body and the golden mane were pretty eye catching, as were the wings on the small horse's back. It was the highly expressive blue eyes that drew the most attention, however.

Bloom wiped at her own eyes as she dropped to her knees in front of the waist-high horse and peered deep into those understanding eyes. “You screwed up, too?” She asked the pony and leaned forward to hug it around the neck. “What are we going to do now? How do we fix things?”

The pony made a whinny sound, almost in resignation, and the wings reached around and hugged the girl. Bloom had never felt more reassured in her life that everything was going to work out.

*

“She is definitely a Pegasus pony, Bloom.” Miss Faragonda, the Headmistress of Alfea College said. “She's also more than that, according to the diagnostic spells. It can't tell what else she could be, though.”

“Could she be an unbonded familiar?” Bloom asked, her voice hopeful. “Everyone knows I'm not really a princess, so if I can prove I actually do have real magic with a familiar...”

“What are you talking about?” Miss Faragonda asked. “You are a princess.”

“Wh-what?” Bloom asked, surprised. “I... I'm not from... I...” She blushed and took a deep breath and let it out. “Headmistress, I'm not really a fairy. I'm just a girl from Earth and...”

Miss Faragonda raised a hand to stop her. “You couldn't have come here if you weren't a princess. The inherent magic of this world would have repelled you. Quite forcefully, as the reports of various attempts to come here can attest.”

Both Bloom and the pony looked startled.

Miss Faragonda smiled at their reactions. “If you like, I can show you your birth history and...”

“YES!” Bloom yelled and the headmistress winced. “I'm sorry for the outburst, headmistress. I would like to hear anything you have to say about where I came from and why I suddenly have powers.”

Miss Faragonda nodded and waved at her desk. They both sat down and both Bloom and her new pony listened as the headmistress gave them the history of Second Princess Bloom's original planet Domino that had been attacked and destroyed by Ancestral Witches to become a frozen and abandoned wasteland.

Bloom broke down and cried at hearing that she actually was a princess and that her world and people were lost. Her pony cuddled her and held her as her wings hugged and patted the girl's back. This action surprised the headmistress and she cast another diagnostic spell at the animal, only for the same result to appear.

When Bloom recovered from the shock, she was enrolled in the school and shown the subjects that would be taught. When they reached the transformation and transmutation subject in the descriptions, the pony whinnied and used a wingtip to point to the floating words.

This shocked both Bloom and Miss Faragonda and they stared at the pony as if it was going to explode. The pony neighed like it was laughing and moved the wing to use a front hoof to insistently tap the transformation word, looked at them, and looked back at the word.

“I believe we should have you concentrate on creating your fairy transformation before trying to have you cast any other spells.” Miss Faragonda said and both Bloom and the pony nodded.

*

It took two weeks before both Bloom and her pony had enough experience studying the spell, the magic of the transformation, and the changes they would experience when the transformation finished and unlocked their secondary forms. It was an ability called Metamorphosymbiosis.

Luckily, school didn't officially start for another week or so and they had enough time to work on casting the simple spell that shouldn't be so complicated. While Bloom was growing frustrated with all the difficult studying, her pony kept urging her to work harder and to concentrate.

It was quite endearing, especially for their teacher Professor Wizgiz. The little leprechaun was eccentric and he thought the pony having a better work ethic than his normal students was enlightening. He fully intended to use her as a prime example that he could teach anyone how to perform his branch of magic.

“All right, you two. I believe you both have had enough preliminary practice to perform the real spell on yourselves.” Professor Wizgiz said.

“Oh, thank heavens.” Bloom sighed with relief.

What was funny was that no one had questioned why or how a pony was going to perform the magic.

“Take your positions and brace yourselves as you gather up your magical power.” The professor ordered and both Bloom and her pony stood ten feet apart and took the proper stance for the transformation. “Begin!”

Bloom was first and she dug deep inside of herself for the power that the professor said she could intentionally call up instead of pulling on it in emergency situations. She felt the power start inside her chest and it flowed out from there to cover her as a magical song stared playing. She performed the needed moves flawlessly and her clothing transformed as large fairy wings grew out of her back.

Professor Wizgiz clapped as Bloom floated up into the air, her transformation complete. “Well done, Bloom! Good work!”

Bloom blushed at the praise. “Th-thank you, professor.”

The professor turned and looked at the winged pony. “All right, now it's your turn.”

The pony nodded and did almost the same moves, modified for the quadruped form, and the wings flared out as the entire pony glowed brightly. Both Bloom and the professor had to cover their eyes to ease the glare and didn't see the actual transformation.

“Hey, it actually worked! Ha ha!” A female voice laughed.

Bloom gasped and Professor Wizgiz dropped his hands to look at the pony... only to see an 18 year old gorgeous girl standing there. She had long wavy black hair down to her waist, tanned skin, and an athletic body that anyone with half a brain would envy.

“Who... who are you?” Bloom asked as she gently landed near the new girl.

“We spent the last two weeks together studying this transformation, Bloom. Who else could I be?”

Bloom opened and closed her mouth a few times and nothing came out.

The tanned girl laughed. “At least I can tell you my codename now. It's Glamazon.”

“Code name?” The professor asked.

“I've learned to keep my real name to myself over the years. There are a lot of nasty things out there that can use your true name against you.” Glamazon said and didn't add her thought about interfering queen alicorns that forcefully transformed you instead of letting you use illusions to fit in.

“That is quite true.” Professor Wizgiz said with a nod.

“But... but you... you were so cute!” Bloom finally managed to say.

Glamazon laughed. “I still can be, Bloom. This is only the first temporary transformation, remember? There are a few more spells I need to learn before I can stay this way.” There were also a few specialty lands I gained from that last universe that I need to recreate to have the magical requirements I need to undo the physical transformation permanently.

Bloom smiled and nodded.

“I won't be teaching you those right away.” Professor Wizgiz warned her.

“I know, sir. I can't rush things like that. Once I'm used to changing like this, then I'll advance to studying the next spell in the transformation series.” Glamazon said.

The professor smiled. “I'm glad you have the patience needed, Glamazon. It's going to take a lot of hard work to achieve such a lofty goal as leaving your Pegasus form behind.”

Bloom walked over to her and took her hand. “How long is this form going to last?”

“Several hours at least.” Glamazon said and both Bloom and the professor stared at her. “I have really high magical reserves.”

“I'll be the judge of that.” Miss Faragonda said as she stepped into the room.

“Ah, headmistress. I suspected you would be monitoring things.” Professor Wizgiz said, as if revealing a huge secret.

“Of course I am. I needed to see if that cute Pegasus could actually do what she thought she could.” Miss Faragonda said. “Bloom, a little room, please.”

Bloom let Glamazon's hand go and stepped back out of the way as her own transformation ended. “Whew, that was hard!”

“You need to practice to stay in the form and not exhaust yourself.” The professor advised her.

“Yes, sir.” Bloom promised. “I'll get to a good length of time in no time!”

The professor nodded and turned to watch the headmistress work.

Miss Faragonda performed several diagnostic spells on the transformed pony and nodded her head. “Yes, these results are more in line with what I detected before. Your potential is quite astounding, young lady.”

Glamazon softly laughed. “You have no idea.”

All three of the others raised their eyebrows at her.

“I was locked into that form and cut off from most of my powers for six years before I came here.” Glamazon said and laughed at their shocked faces. “Believe me, it was just as much of a surprise to me to figure that out.”

“You must have been really angry.” Bloom said and walked back over to take her hand again.

“I really was.” Glamazon said and gave her comforting hand a squeeze. “What are you supposed to do against an all powerful being that ruled their realm with an iron hoof?”

That made the three others give her that same shocked look again.

“That's exactly the look I gave her when she changed me for trespassing without her permission.” Glamazon admitted. “As soon as I had the opportunity and gathered enough magical power to escape, I did.”

“Why didn't you ask for her to change you back?” Professor Wizgiz asked.

“Because she was never going to let me go.” Glamazon told them with a sigh. “They don't have new ponies show up very often and things are fairly stagnant.” She turned to give Bloom a crooked smile. “Plus, there's only so much horsefeed and apples a person can eat before they get sick of it.”

Bloom blushed to a bright red from embarrassment as she remembered how she had forced the pony to eat. “I'm sorry! I thought you were just reluctant about the taste.”

“That's because I was.” Glamazon said and hugged her to ease the embarrassment the girl felt. “Have you ever eaten dried oats and grains? They suck up all the extra moisture in your mouth and stick everywhere!”

Bloom laughed and ducked her head to rest it on Glamazon's shoulder as she hugged her back. She couldn't help but feel happy at being hugged like this. She couldn't decide if she preferred this or the wings, though. Both had their pluses and minuses.

“Why don't you go and introduce your new friend to your other friends?” Miss Faragonda suggested.

“Oh! You can help me explain everything to the others! LET'S GO!” Bloom exclaimed and jumped back from Glamazon, grabbed her hand, and ran from the room.

Professor Wizgiz chuckled. “And they say I'm eccentric.”

Miss Faragonda laughed and nodded.

*

Glamazon fit right in with the Winx Club and went on many of their adventures, usually in her pony form. It wasn't that she didn't want to interfere, it was that she didn't want the bad guys to focus on her. She wasn't anywhere near her normal magic levels, even after learning the transformation spell, and she had to let her powers charge up without exhausting herself.

It took almost a year before she had converted enough lands in secret to gain enough magical reserves to unlock the things she needed to undo the pony transformation. She had debated keeping the thing, just because it let her roam around pretty much everywhere without being accosted or gaining attention. But, no. She didn't want to stay being a pony and having a humanoid form as a transformation, instead of the other way around.

It was almost a relief to enter Celestina's recreated castle once more and go into the magical conversion chamber. She had tapped into three different sub-dimensions in order to power the damn thing, one of which was the dark dimension. The last was intentional, because it was also the source of the frozen wasteland spell that the Ancestral Witches had used to destroy Domino, Bloom's home planet.

With everything prepared, Glamazon activated the procedure in her pony form and laid down in the middle of the room.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?” Bloom's voice yelled as the doors burst open and her voice echoed off of the room's walls. All of the Winx Club rushed in and bounced off of the previously invisible protective shield that now glowed slightly blue.

Glamazon didn't say anything, mostly because they wouldn't understand ponyspeak. Plus, it was already started and couldn't be stopped. The room started to glow with three different magical energies and the Winx Club girls all screamed at seeing the dark energy swirling around. They fled from the room and turned to watch just before all of that energy, the good, the neutral, and the bad, slammed through the protective shield and into Glamazon.

The pony screamed in excruciating pain as her nerves all over were fried and all of her bones shattered. Blood splattered everywhere when her body exploded from magical overload and covered the inside of the protective shield with gore.

“NOOOO!” Bloom yelled in horror at seeing her best friend die in such a painful way. “No, Glam... Glam... why... why did you...”

“FUUUUCK! That fucking hurt!” Glamazon's human voice said from inside the gore and shocked them all. The protective shield disappeared and everything fell to the floor to reveal a twenty-five year old woman standing there. She was even more muscular than before and she looked very powerful. She was also completely naked.

“Damn, girl! You need to put on some clothes!” Flora said and covered a giggling Musa's eyes.

Glamazon shook herself and stepped out of what used to be her previous body. “I knew that damn alicorn screwed me over. I thought she had only transformed me; but, she built a goddamn pony body over my real essence instead.” She snapped her fingers and two wood elves appeared and removed their tunics to dry off her feet and any specks of blood she had on her, bowed, and disappeared.

“Who were they?” Bloom asked and tried to not say how handsome they were.

“Low level wood elves from my hidden army. They can travel to and from any forests I control.” Glamazon said and the Winx Club stiffened from surprise. “Don't look at me like that. I haven't used them before, have I?”

That made the girls relax.

“Besides, as much as I want to, I can't get back at that queen pony bitch. As soon as I try to go back there to deal with her, she would just change me back and probably kill me for trespassing again.” Glamazon spat and then sighed. “It feels good to be back in my real body again.”

“Wait, that transformation wasn't your real body?” Stella asked, a little miffed.

“It was a magical recreation of what my body would be like when I used magic to transform.” Glamazon explained and stepped close to look into Stella's eyes. “It still felt real for the both of us and it meant a lot to me.”

Stella blushed and nodded while the other girls gave them strange looks.

“I wouldn't mind a repeat, now that I'm fully me again.” Glamazon said with a warm smile and Stella blushed harder.

“What are you two talking about?” Bloom asked.

“It's nothing you need to worry about, Bloom. Stella and I had a private matter to discuss at one point and she helped me deal with a lot of the frustration I felt being stuck as a pony.” Glamazon said.

“Oh, that's good. I'm glad you had someone else you could talk to.” Bloom said, happily.

“Wait, someone else?” Stella asked and gave Glamazon a squinted-eye look.

Glamazon took her hand and held it tenderly. “I did talk to Bloom about a few things. However, I've never gone as... in depth... as I have with you.”

“That's true. We spent more time studying than anything else.” Bloom admitted.

Stella relaxed and flicked her blonde hair ponytail over her shoulder as she raised a fist into the air. “I knew you would recognize how much more awesome I am than everyone else!”

“Stella!” The Winx Club girls all admonished her as one.

“Sorry!” Stella said bashfully and they all laughed.

Glamazon let her hand go and turned to look at Bloom. “Now that I'm back to being me and I've charged myself up with magic once more, let's go destroy that dark dimension that's keeping your world in its unnatural ice age.”

“Wh-what?” Bloom asked, surprised.

“I've done a lot of research this last year as I worked on my problem and discovered that ice age is charged with dark dimension energy. Since I've sucked out most of it to power myself up, the Obsidian Dimension's defences should be pretty much non-existent. Once we defeat the Ancestral Witches and the dimension is destroyed, your planet should be restored.”

All of the Winx Club stared at her as if she was crazy.

Glamazon was used to those kinds of looks. “It's all right if you don't believe me. I have just the things to convince you that you have what it takes to be the powerful fairies you've always wanted to be.”

Bloom caught her breath as Glamazon's hands glowed and a silver tray appeared. On the tray were the most beautiful things she had ever seen. Bracelets and anklets that almost glowed with magic.

“You each get a set.” Glamazon said as she generated the same enchanted things that John had enchanted for his girls in the Shield Hero universe. She nodded at Bloom. “As the first person to accept me and help me, you get the first choice.”

Bloom felt a little nervous as she reached out.

“Bloom, trust in yourself and in your power.” Glamazon encouraged her.

Bloom took a deep breath and let a bit of her power out from her hand. She passed it over the tray and two of the golden bracelets lit up with blue fire. “Ohhhh.” She moaned as she felt their intense heat that felt really good and comforting. She picked them up and slipped them onto her wrists. “OHHHH!”

The other girls stared as Bloom moaned loudly as the enchantments engaged. The blue fire flowed over her body and was sucked inside her chest by her own magic called the Dragon Flame. Its bright reddish-orange glow changed and grew brighter and had licks of blue inside of it now.

“Stella.” Glamazon said and the blonde girl did the same thing.

Stella called upon her power and ran her hand over the jewellery tray. No one was surprised when the two most elaborate and beautiful anklets glowed for her and she squealed happily as she took both and put them on. Her own power was boosted as she floated slightly in the air without having to transform.

This sight encouraged the other girls to use their powers and they picked their own accessories. They didn't question why there were exactly the right amount for them all to have a set of their very own. Even when there was only one left for Tecna to choose, she still used her power and the bracelets glowed for her. She put them on and joined her friends in making appreciative sounds.

“Let's go.” Glamazon said and the Winx Club followed her out of the magic conversion chamber to the dimensional portal room. It was filled with mirrors and she chose the right one to take them to the evil energy realm and activated it.

As soon as it opened, Glamazon put on her own accessories and a bright beam of magical energy burned through the portal and slammed into the invisible magical construct that would have trapped the Winx Club if they had travelled through.

“How did you know it was a trap?” Bloom asked.

“It's always a trap.” Glamazon said with a smirk.

“That's so true.” Stella said and held out her hands. “Girls! Let's do this and save Bloom's world!”

“YEAH!” The girls yelled, held hands, and they all jumped through the portal.

Glamazon softly laughed and walked through it with them. She knew from experience that she didn't need to help much more than she already had, because that was almost always how things worked. Only a tweak here and there was needed to make sure that the good guys won.

*

Not surprisingly, the Winx Club managed to save King Oritel and Queen Marion, revealed their trapped daughter that her own power had backfired from a curse, reversed it with Glamazon's help, and they defeated the Ancestral Witches and imprisoned them in their own ice prison with their son that had tried to steal Bloom's Dragon Fire powers.

The Obsidian Dimension was destroyed with the power source gone and the planet Domino slowly unfroze and all of the people that had been trapped in the dark dimension were freed. All of Magix celebrated the return of the Royal Family and Bloom was fully accepted by her peers.

*

“You're really leaving?” Bloom asked, her eyes full of tears. It had been a month since they had returned from the dark dimension.

“Right after the party.” Glamazon said and hugged the girl. “I learned from a friend of mine a long time ago that if I stick around without a good reason, something is going to happen that will force me to move on.”

“But... but... I want you to stay.” Bloom pleaded and hugged her back.

“That would be a good enough reason... if you didn't have so many things to do as a Second Princess to a restored world that needs you.” Glamazon said and eased her hold to look into Bloom's eyes. “You shouldn't worry, though. You're going to meet someone important soon and they are going to fill your life with happiness and joy.”

“How do you know that?” Bloom asked.

“Because someone as special as you always meets someone else that's special. You met me after all, right?” Glamazon asked and wiped at the girl's face to dry her tears. “Since your pedigree has been reestablished and proven for everyone to see, you are a highly sought after commodity even more than you were before.”

Bloom beamed a smile at her. “I do have such great friends among the most important princesses.”

“You will always have the Winx Club as your closest ones.” Glamazon said and Bloom nodded. “Do you want a hand getting changed for the celebration?”

Bloom nodded again and the two of them had a good time getting ready for another celebration of the restoration of Domino. The people had all been treated for dark magic exposure and the last of them had been released just that morning.

“Damn, we're sexy bitches, aren't we?” Glamazon said as she stood beside Bloom and they stared into the full length mirror that showed their reflections.

Bloom blushed. “I don't think I'll ever get used to you talking like that.”

Glamazon laughed and put an arm over her shoulders. “It highlights how stuffy the other royals are, doesn't it?”

“That's not what I meant.” Bloom said with a smile.

“I know.” Glamazon said and let her go. “This is it, our last grand entrance together. Are you ready?”

“No.” Bloom said and took her hand. “I really do want you to stay, Glam. I really do.”

Glamazon had a serious look on her face as she stepped close. “Bloom, I could stay and hold your hand for as long as you want me to.” She whispered. “Do you want me to stay here and do everything for you?”

Bloom knew what she meant and sighed. “You're afraid that you'll coddle me.”

Glamazon nodded. “Your sister Daphne is doing a good enough job of that, I think.”

Bloom scoffed. “You could swear I was still in diapers with how she acts. I'm not some delicate flower that's going to wilt at the first sign of trouble!”

Glamazon smiled. “No you aren't, and we both know that.”

Bloom looked deep into her eyes. “I... I think I...”

“Shh.” Glamazon said and leaned in to place a very gentle kiss on Bloom's lips, which caused the young woman to blush to a bright red. “I will always remember such a bright and fiery spirit, no matter where I go.”

Bloom reached up and lightly touched her own lips. “M-me, too.”

Glamazon stepped back and gave her an encouraging smile. “Now let's go out there and show those prim and proper girls with sticks up their asses what a real princess is supposed to act like.”

Bloom lost the blush and stood straighter. There was a slight glow from the center of her chest and she smiled. She nodded at her friend and led the way out of the prep room and into the hallway, her poise on display for all to see. The protection guards there escorted them to the ballroom and everyone clapped when they appeared.

As the night wore on and Bloom and her friends had a wonderful time, they didn't notice when Glamazon slipped away and went to Celestina's Castle. She used the dimension doorway room one last time to make sure the dark dimension really had been drained and destroyed, dissolved the castle and converted the land into one of her favorite forests, then she covered herself in Chi and Magic before she popped away.

*Twilight

Gloria appeared in the middle of a forest and looked completely out of place wearing a ball gown. It was a bit shortsighted of her to not change first, mainly because if she had appeared near a populated area dressed like a princess, she would have gotten a lot of attention and wouldn't have had any kind of an explanation as to why she was dressed that way.

“What do we have here?” A man's rough voice asked as a stone cold hand grabbed Gloria by the neck. “A tasty snack for me to...” His words cut off and he never saw the bright energy beam that disintegrated his head.

“Fucking vampires!” Gloria spat and another energy beam from her palm burned through the thing's chest to destroy the heart. She quickly cast a detect spell and she held her hands out towards the woods and two more beams disintegrated two more of the creatures. “Why did I not hear them?”

The question was rhetorical because no one else was around to answer her. Gloria checked the remains near her and she nodded at the different physiology. It let them go out into the sunlight without burning up like a traditional vampire and the thing didn't have muscles and yet was extremely strong. She guessed that the stone-like flesh was super-dense and that would explain both the speed and the strength.

“I need to be careful from now on. If they can sneak up on someone with enhanced hearing, they can do a lot of damage before I can detect them.” Gloria said out loud and stripped off her gown. “I'm glad he assumed I was human or he could have seriously hurt me.”

She deeply regretted losing John's enchanted bag that was expanded on the inside and all of the things he had gifted to her. That impenetrable energy shield would have come in handy several times in her travels.

After a quick look around, Gloria knelt and touched the ground. The forest she had gained by standing here was unsuited for what she wanted and she converted the area around her into a much more luscious forest. She walked over to the edge of the land and touched the next one and created another forest.

“My lady.” A female elf said and stepped out of the trees.

“I'm sorry about this.” Gloria said and motioned to the elf's clothing.

“You should gain control of a clothing store as soon as possible, my lady.” The female elf said and stripped off her clothing to hand them over.

“My ball gown is over there if you want to wear it.” Gloria said and quickly dressed. “I'll give these back as soon as I can.”

“These are my forests. I can survive without protective clothing.” The female elf said. “I am in no danger and nothing will find me here.”

Gloria put a hand on the elf's shoulder. “You can't blame me for worrying.”

The elf smiled. “That is why you are my lady. You know what we are and you care about us anyway.”

Gloria smiled back and let her shoulder go. “I'll convert the surrounding lands and get you a companion or two before I head towards the closest town.”

“Thank you, my lady.” The female elf said and stepped back to fade into the forest.

“Any wild animals are fair game.” Gloria said into the air and started to walk.

“None shall trespass, My Lady.” The female elf's voice said back.

*

It took almost two hours of walking through rough woods to reach the nearly deserted road that lead into the small town. Gloria had decided she would be Ria Hansen this time and she would need access to a computer for a few minutes to create her details and papers. At least, she hoped to have computers.

By the looks of the town, the tech level seemed fairly low and she really regretted not having access to all of John's accessories. They were essential things to have on most worlds and... that thought gave Ria pause.

John had made hundreds of specialty lands for her to claim to unlock different spells and abilities. She just had to think about what she would need and figure out which of the lands she had that would let her generate what she wanted. The problem was finding somewhere around here to recreate them, to search through, and hopefully get what she needed.

Ria mentally kicked herself for not using her time before reaching the main road before coming up with that idea. She could have converted a lot of lands in the last couple of hours and she would have been in a much better situation than just having twenty forests, eight elves, and two dog-sized squirrels under her control.

That reminded her of the scout spell for a viewing sparrow and she cast the spell to create one. It had been several decades since she had used the thing and had relied on her own abilities. Being converted into a goddamn pony and losing all of her stored up energy had ruined her Kryptonian physiology and she would need quite a long time to rebuild her solar energy reserves to boost her powers.

On the plus side, Ria still had her Chi and Magic abilities and could rely on them for now. She was just out of practice using them exclusively and would get back into the groove eventually. Some time meditating and practising would let her bring her Chi reserves up as well. Now she understood why John became upset when his powers and abilities were altered, cut off, or removed on some worlds. It sucked.

As Ria walked along the road and kept converting forests, she passed a sign that declared the town was named Forks and the population was 3246. The first thing she thought was wondering if they come all the way out here and made a new sign every time someone was born or died. The morbid thought made her chuckle and think that they should have an adjustable scorecard to save themselves the trouble.

When she reached the town, her worry about not fitting in with her odd outfit was obliterated, because everyone around wore rough clothing and every store had a wood carving of some kind in front of it. The police station was a log cabin and they had a goddamn Timber Museum, for heaven's sake!

Ria held in her sigh at the thought of doing any kind of research around this place. The library was a single story building and only had one main room and one back room. The only clothing store she could see on the main street was not one that she wanted to copy, which meant a trip to the next biggest town as soon as she was settled in. She was going to have a difficult time around here if she couldn't generate the lands she needed.

After another hour of wandering around, there were no real estate agencies that she could see and the town itself was ridiculously small in comparison to the normal places she was used to being around. However, she knew there was a reason she had appeared where she had and this was the closest town that those vampires were heading towards. That meant she needed to see if any more were here.

Before Ria did anything else, she ducked into an alleyway and waited until no one was around and used one of her gold mines to generate some local currency. To her shock, a massive amount of money appeared in front of her and dropped to the ground. It took her several minutes to gather it all up and she absently counted it as she did.

Unfortunately, she didn't have a briefcase or anything that she could put it inside, so she had to stuff $126,460 into her pockets and tunic. She looked a little ridiculous with money almost falling out and she had to adjust it several times before she gave up and went to the only hardware store and bought a dufflebag. The clerk gave her a really odd look as she transferred all of that money into the bag.

Ria didn't bother trying to lie or anything. “I just arrived in the area and I'm looking to buy a house.”

“Then you should head on over to The Lodge and grab a newsletter. We're all out.” The young woman said and rang up the purchase. “It's down the second street on the right and you can't miss it. It has the best food in town, too.”

“Thanks.” Ria said and paid for the bag before she slipped her a ten dollar note.

“What's this for?” The clerk asked.

“I've been wandering around for an hour and completely missed anything that resembled a restaurant.” Ria said just as her stomach rumbled.

The clerk laughed. “It sounds like it was just in time, too.”

Ria laughed as well and left to go get something to eat. The Lodge was more modern looking inside and she sat down with relief and a waitress came right over to her table with a menu. A quick perusal had two orders of steak and fries smothered in gravy with several glasses of soda to start. The waitress left and Ria picked up the newsletter that was several pages in length.

It was almost funny that the town wasn't big enough for a normal newspaper and it only had a weekly newsletter that told the locals about anything they needed to know. Thankfully, it actually did list several properties for sale and who to contact. Ria would have to find out if cell phones existed here and if she could get one somehow.

“Here you go.” The waitress said and delivered one plate of food in front of her and put the other on the other side of the table. “When's your date going to show up?”

“Hmm?” Ria lifted her head from the newsletter. “What date?”

The waitress waved at the other plate of food.

“Oh!” Ria laughed. “No, there's no one else showing up. They're both for me.” She said and pulled the other plate over and transferred the steak to her main plate and dumped the fries and gravy onto the second one into a big pile. “Thanks! This looks delicious.”

The waitress stared as Ria pretty much devoured the first steak and all of the french fries.

“Cora!” A man's voice said and the waitress shook herself slightly and walked away without saying anything.

Ria internally laughed as she chewed on the second steak. Having a high metabolism let her prank people like that a lot and it was just as funny as it was the first time she ordered for two. She leaned back in her seat and looked back at the newsletter. She used a bit of gravy on a fingertip to tap the two properties that she was interested in and called the waitress over for the check.

The still shocked woman came back and gave her the check, then she really stared when Ria overtipped and thanked her again for the great food and promised to come back. Ria laughed at her gobsmacked expression and kissed her cheek, whispered that she looked really cute, and left the restaurant with a hop in her step and the newsletter in her hand.

It didn't take long to get to the phone booth outside the gas station and Ria used it to call the number for the first property for sale. It rang six times and there didn't seem to be an answer, so she hung up and dialed the second one. It was picked up after half a ring.

“Yellow.” A gruff voice greeted.

“Pink!” Ria said back and held in her giggle at the silence that answered her. “Sorry, I thought we were stating our hated colors.”

The man's voice laughed. “Ha, you got me. Bessy's been after me to stop answering the phone like that.”

“How many years ago did that start?” Ria asked.

“More than either of us can count.” The gruff voice answered with another laugh. “What can I do you for?”

“I'm calling about the property for sale.”

“Yer kiddin.” The man answered.

“Nope! I just arrived in town and saw the ad.”

“Well, ain't that a damn thing. We were just talking about pulling it.” The man said.

“Then I guess I arrived just in time.” Ria said with a smile, even if the man couldn't see it. “Are you still interested in selling?”

“Hell yeah we are.” The man said. “We're heading off in the RV in a few days after we officially retire and thought the old place would have to sit and rot. Would have been a real shame.”

“I agree.” Ria said. “When can I come see it?”

The man laughed. “Yer pretty eager.”

“I'm not one to wait around for life to pass me by. If I don't jump on something when I see it, I know I'll regret it later. Why waste my time, right?”

“Damn straight. Bessy would tan my hide if I did that.” The man said. “Do you know where the address is?”

“Not a flipping clue.” Ria said and the man laughed.

“Where you at?” The man asked and she told him she was at the phone booth in front of the gas station. “You stay right there and I'll be by to pick you up.”

“Really? That's awful nice of you.” Ria said.

“It ain't no trouble.” The man replied. “You may want to look into getting a vehicle of some kind, though. There's a lot of distance between things around here.”

“Oh, I know. I walked into town after I was dropped off near the sign.” Ria said.

“It still say there's 3246 for the pop?”

“Yep! I think it hasn't been changed in years.”

The man laughed. “It hasn't. See you in a bit.”

“Okay, thanks. See you.” Ria said and hung up. She thought about asking how much they wanted for it and decided she would look at the place first and then ask how many times they dropped the price. She sincerely doubted they were asking for a fair price if they were about to pull the listing.

Ten minutes later, a fairly nice pickup truck pulled into the gas station lot and over to the phone booth. A man in his sixties that looked a little haggard, gave her a wave.

Ria stepped to the passenger side and opened the door to lean in. She did this on purpose, because it showed off her cleavage and she wanted to thank the man for coming to get her. His eyes dipped down briefly to give her a discreet look and he smiled warmly at her, because he knew she did it on purpose.

“Thanks a lot for the ride.” Ria said and climbed in.

“Believe me, it ain't no trouble.” The man said and held out a hand. “Name's Frank.”

“Ria Hansen.” Ria said and shook his hand. Her powers told her everything that was wrong with him and she knew why he was retiring early. He had stage three cancer and only one working kidney.

“Nice to meet you.” Frank said and let her hand go. “Bessy's gonna flip when she sees you wearing that.”

“What, pants?” Ria asked with a teasing smile.

“Yup! Only skirts and dresses for my Bessy.” Frank said and turned the truck around and drove out of the lot and into the sparse traffic. “She might have just turned 60; but, she's still got great legs and knows she does.”

“I'm definitely going to like her if she's confident like that.” Ria admitted.

“Don't forget opinionated.” Frank reminded her and Ria let out a girlish giggle. “You're a little young to be looking for a house on your own.”

“Nah, I've been on my own for years. I've owned a few homes, too.” Ria said and Frank glanced at her. “Mostly in the mid-west. This is my first time way out here on the west coast near the water.”

Frank nodded in understanding.

“I think I have to check out Port Angeles or Seattle if I want anything like actual clothing stores. The local store is mostly for lumberjacks and they barely had anything I like.” Ria said and chuckled. “It's like a giant flannel monster threw up in there and then died.”

“HA!” Frank barked and they both laughed.

The truck pulled off the main road onto a dirt driveway and it was only a hundred feet long. The house was fairly nice with two stories and a massive RV sat beside the driveway on what looked like a freshly dug out patch of lawn.

“I'm sorry about that.” Frank said when he saw where Ria was looking. “I'll get one of the guys over to replace the sod after we're gone.”

“Don't worry about it. I was just wondering why that giant thing wasn't sinking into the ground.”

Frank laughed a little and parked the truck. “We're intending on living the rest of our lives in the thing, so we didn't scrimp on the luxuries.”

“Full shower and bathroom?” Ria asked.

“Damn right. These old bones don't like cramped spaces no more.” Frank told her.

“I hear that.” Ria said and hopped out of the truck as she slipped the dufflebag's straps over her shoulders like a backpack. She glanced around at the land and saw that it was mostly trees and the house couldn't be seen from the road, because it was off to the side and nestled into the trees. “I like it so far.”

Frank climbed out of the truck with a groan. “Bessy's gonna enjoy hearing that.” He said and walked around the truck. “Now pretend you're wearing a skirt and follow me.”

Ria softly laughed and did as he asked. The porch was huge and had a nice overhang. It also had a well-used porch swing and a welcome mat that looked older than the house. Frank opened the door and gave Ria a glance to see if she really was letting him take the lead. Ria smiled and waved him forward. He chuckled and went in first.

“Bessy! We're back!” Frank shouted and his gruff voice was full of affection.

“Stop yelling, you old fool. I'm right here.” Bessy said and stepped out of the living room. She looked barely out of her fifties.

Ria couldn't stop herself as she took in the woman's outfit and discovered exactly how much Frank's claim about his wife's legs was the truth. “Good lord, Bessy! Were you a dancer or something?”

Bessy blushed and her hand reached out and smacked her husband's shoulder. “What stories have you been telling this poor girl?”

“Nothin'! Nothin'!” Frank said and rubbed his shoulder playfully, because the hit hadn't hurt.

“He said you had gams that any woman would kill for and I have to agree.” Ria said with a grin and her shoulder was smacked next.

“Stop that, you.” Bessy said and her blush wasn't going away anytime soon.

Ria laughed and playfully rubbed her shoulder to match Frank's reaction. “Is that chocolate chip cookies I can smell?”

Bessy smiled. “You've got a good nose on you. They'll be ready in a few minutes.”

“I'll be in the den while you give her the two bit tour!” Frank said and pretty much ran away.

Bessy shook her head at the man. “He avoids anything that would make him go up the stairs.”

“Even you?” Ria asked with a teasing tone.

Bessy softly laughed and motioned to the stairs before going up them herself. “You're too young to be making those kinds of insinuations.”

“Says the woman that wears dresses all the time to show off those calves to her very appreciative husband.” Ria said and shamelessly stared at them as she followed the older woman up the stairs.

“He told you I hate seeing pants on a woman, didn't he?”

“It was the first thing he told me about you.” Ria admitted and Bessy laughed.

“He always misquotes what I say.” Bessy said and showed off the large upstairs bedrooms and the second bathroom that was also attached to the main bedroom.

“That's a nice way to save space.” Ria told her.

“We renovated about four years ago when my son stopped bringing the grandkids over.” Bessy said.

Ria saw the shadow of pain on the woman's face and reached out to take her hand. Her power told her that the woman was only old and was still fairly healthy, despite the years old cigarette residue still in her lungs. It didn't take a detective to realize Frank was diagnosed with inoperable cancer four years ago and she quit smoking for him.

“I don't think I need to see any more than this.” Ria said.

Bessy let out a sigh. “I'm sorry it's not to your liking.”

“What are you talking about?” Ria asked.

“We've been trying to sell this place for a couple of years and...”

“I'll take it.” Ria interrupted her and Bessy's mouth dropped open. “That's what I meant when I said I didn't need to see more. This place is perfect for my needs and the location is great. It's close enough to town to not be a huge drive and it's far enough into the trees to keep away any noise from passing traffic.”

“You... are you really...”

“Of course! I just have to get on the internet and...”

Bessy laughed. “Dear, there's barely a phone line out this way. The only internet connections you can get are near the town. The only people that I know of that have connections at home are the mayor and the chief of police.”

“What about cell phones?” Ria asked.

“There's a few towers scattered around. We've got good coverage for that.”

Ria nodded. “I wonder if the phone company will run a connection out here to the house?”

“Only if you're rich or important.” Bessy said.

“The chief of police is rich?” Ria asked.

Bessy chuckled and shook her head at Ria dismissing the important part. “His daughter came back here after years of being away. Even if the alimony to his bimbo ex-wife was cancelled because of her new marriage, having to pay for her to move home and having another mouth to feed and live with him, he's probably still living paycheck to paycheck.”

Ria could understand that. It wasn't cheap to suddenly have someone else in your life suddenly show up and need everything to take care of them. “Then I better head back into town to get a few things settled, maybe open a bank account and transfer in some money, and then I'll come back in a couple of days and we can handle signing everything over.”

Bessy smiled. “That sounds good. It will give Frank and I enough time to get the last of our things packed up.”

“Are you taking everything with you?” Ria asked her.

“We're storing most of everything at my son's place. He has a huge basement that he never uses and agreed to take everything.” Bessy said. “He'll store what he doesn't want to use.”

Ria knew that she was essentially giving him his inheritance. It was both sad and practical, especially since they thought this trip was pretty much the last hurrah of their life. She couldn't do what she wanted until they signed over the property, though. Just because she planned to heal them, that shouldn't stop their plans to have some fun for the next few years.

“Do you want me to hire some men to help with that?” Ria asked her.

Bessy shook her head. “It's just little things and what we didn't want to bother to store away.”

“If you're sure.” Ria said and Bessy nodded. “I'll get going and let you both get to it.”

Bessy reached out and rested a hand on her arm. “Aren't you going to ask how much we want for this old place?”

“It doesn't matter.” Ria said, to Bessy's surprise. “Whatever you think is a reasonable price, I'll pay it.”

The older lady gave her a searching look for several seconds. “What if I said we want a hundred thousand dollars for it?”

Ria slipped off the dufflebag and opened it up to show off the money. “I can give you a hundred grand right now and still have over twenty grand left.”

Bessy felt faint as she looked into the bag and saw the massive pile of money. “Sweet lord, almighty.”

Ria chuckled and braced Bessy's arm and helped her walk down the stairs. She led her into the kitchen and sat the woman down and put the dufflebag on the chair beside her. She kept chuckling as Bessy's hand went right into the bag and she played with the crisp bills.

“Before you get any weird ideas, it's completely legitimate and not stolen or counterfeit.” Ria said and turned off the oven and took out the tray of cookies. “You also don't have to worry that you're going to leave me destitute if you accept. There is a lot more where that came from.”

Bessy didn't quite hear her as she let her hand shuffle through all the different denominations of money. She wasn't any kind of expert about it or anything, and yet, she didn't doubt that there really was over a hundred thousand dollars in the stuffed bag.

Ria finished transferring the cookies to a cooling rack and left the cookie sheet on top of the oven. She ate a cookie right away and set the cooling rack in the middle of the table. Bessy reached over with her free hand and took one of the cookies and started to nibble on it absently as she continued to play with the money.

“I heard the oven door.” Frank said and shuffled into the kitchen.

Ria pointed to the stacked cookies and the older man smiled happily and took two of them, one in each hand. Frank apparently didn't care if it was too much sugar for his old body to handle in a single shot as he started munching at the both of them, like a greedy squirrel with crunchy peanuts. He even had the puffed out cheeks as proof.

“Our home is yours.” Bessy said, out of the blue.

“Wh-what?” Frank asked as several pieces of cookie fell from his open mouth.

Bessy didn't respond as she started counting out the money. Frank seemed frozen as more and more money appeared on the tabletop and stayed that way until Bessy finished with a hundred stacks with a thousand dollars in each.

“This is how much Ria said she is willing to part with for this place.” Bessy finally said.

“Sweet baby Jesus wrapped in his swaddling blanket.” Frank whispered.

“I won't have the paperwork for it until I get back to town for a couple days to work on it and open a bank account.” Ria said.

“I don't think the hospital will care how we pay off the outstanding bills.” Bessy said with a huge smile on her face.

Ria reached over and put a hand on the woman's shoulder. “Don't worry about that, Bessy. I'll clear that out while I'm in town.”

“Wh-wh-what?” Bessy and Frank stuttered at the same time.

“You can't expect me to let you two head off on your new lives without a nice little nest egg, do you? I'll handle any bills you have...” Ria paused and motioned to the money. “...and all of that is yours, free and clear.”

Frank dropped the two halves of cookie he still held and Bessy seemed to have stopped breathing. Ria chuckled and decided she couldn't let them die of shock and reached over to put a hand on Frank as well.

Full Heal. Ria thought and both of them glowed brightly.

That made both older people blink from the light after it faded and they both sucked in huge breaths. Their shock disappeared and they both let huge smiles grow on their faces.

“I think we need to rush packing the last of our things.” Bessy said and stood, her body filled with a strength she didn't remember having in a long time.

“You don't have to hurry on my behalf. I really do need to spend a couple days in town and possibly one in Seattle before coming back here.” Ria told them and they nodded. “I'll grab a couple cell phones and you can stay in contact during your trip and let me know how much fun you're having.”

Bessy turned to her and put her arms around her. “Thank you, Ria.”

Ria hugged the woman back. “It's the least I can do for you leaving your home in my care.”

“You're a nice girl, despite how you dress.” Bessy joked as she let her go and Ria laughed.

“I'll see you both in three days.” Ria said and grabbed another cookie and the mostly empty dufflebag that had just over 26,000 dollars in it and left. She walked down the driveway and made sure she was out of sight of the house when she cast apparition on herself and appeared back in the first alleyway.

It didn't take her long to read through the newsletter to find a vehicle to buy. She checked the number and went back to the gas station to the phone booth and called the first number. A quick question about the car being reliable enough to get to Seattle had her hang up and she tried three more numbers before an offhanded comment about wishing she could find a damn motorcycle had the guy laugh and agree to sell her his old one.

Thankfully, he lived in town and it was easy to find his address. He only had a small garage, despite his house being three stories, and it had a paved driveway. His explanation that he only collected classic cars to fix them up one at a time to sell was easily accepted, since he did it as a hobby.

“Here's my old baby.” Chuck said and pulled the dusty cover off of the motorcycle called Triumph TT600. It was a custom street bike that was mostly red with silver accents. “She's only five years old and she works fine.”

That meant it was made in 2000. Ria thought and reached out to touch it. She ran her fingers over the fiberglass side panel and along the seat. She didn't regret not getting a few thousand images for touching something like this for all the changes the thing went through. Unlike John, she couldn't recreate everything she touched. That wasn't how her power worked.

“How much?” Ria asked as she admired the design. It was what she liked in style where the rider had to almost bend in half to ride the thing. It was what sparked the terms 'bullet bike' and 'crotch rocket' to be a part of normal culture.

“I can't let it go for less than five grand.” Chuck said and Ria gave him raised eyebrows. “I practically rebuilt the engine from scratch and had to convert a fuel pump from a Harley.”

“And you didn't buy replacement parts because...” Ria prompted.

“Why buy when you can rebuild it and know it's done right?” Chuck asked.

Ria chuckled. “Fair enough.” She said and reached for the key that was still in the ignition. Her hand paused and she gave Chuck another look.

“Go ahead. You're not even going to consider buying it until you hear it purr.”

Ria nodded and turned the key and gave the gas a quick pump and hit the starter.

*VRRROOOOM!*

“Nice.” Ria complimented and crouched down to listen to the engine idling. “600 CC engine... liquid cooled... is that an inline four?”

Chuck grinned at her and nodded. “I had a ball cleaning that baby out and redoing the pistons.”

Ria chucked and stood to rev the engine a couple times, then she let it idle for a few more seconds before she turned it off. “Is cash okay?”

“Sure. I'll grab the title and the bill of sale while you head to the bank and...” Chuck stopped talking when she reached into her dufflebag and quickly counted out five grand. “Damn, girl. You shouldn't be walking around with that much cash on you.”

Ria handed him the money. “This piddly amount? I just paid a hundred grand for the old Johnson place that's ten minutes out of town.”

Chuck's mouth dropped open and he almost dropped the small pile of money he had in his hands. Ria laughed and patted the man on the shoulder, which knocked him out of his shock. He led her inside the house and signed over the title and wrote out the bill of sale.

“I'll head to the bank later to pay the taxes for the sale, so don't worry about that part.” Ria said and Chuck stared at her like she was crazy. It's no wonder why John always gets a kick out of seeing people's faces like that. It's pretty damn funny to shock them with such simple things. “Thanks for making this as painless as possible.”

Chuck didn't say anything, so she gave him a little wave and went back into the garage. She put the title and the bill of sale in the dufflebag, put it back on like a backpack, and mounted the motorcycle. It started with a purr and Ria grinned as she leaned to the side slightly to kick up the kickstand.

“Hey!” Chuck's voice exclaimed from behind her and she turned her head to look. “You might as well take this, too.”

Ria accepted the helmet with a smile and put it on, secured it, and tore out of the garage as if she had ridden the motorcycle her whole life. A quick glance back showed the shock on Chuck's face and she laughed as she poured on the speed.

Port Angeles was only about 45 miles away from Forks and that only took about 30 minutes to travel with a fast motorcycle. Takoma was about 70 miles away from Port Angeles and Seattle was only 25 miles from Takoma.

Just under two hours later, Ria was in the middle of Seattle and easily found the computer resources she needed. It was surprisingly easy for her to enter her information into the system, backdated it, and gave herself the documents and information anyone checking up on her identity to believe it had always been there.

A quick stop at one of the major national banks let her set up an account. The liberal use of several gold mines let her fill that account with over half a million dollars and she produced the inheritance documents needed to prove the money wasn't stolen or counterfeit. It didn't stop the bank from checking it all with their experts, though.

With the important things done, Ria went to several of the high-end clothing stores and electronics stores and used her abilities to copy the lands. It was funny that sometimes she couldn't recreate those lands in the different worlds she ended up in, as if the unwritten rules wouldn't let her contaminate the world with things that didn't belong.

Ria also went inside and splurged, which made the sales girls quite happy, and she left the businesses with several stuffed bags of expensive clothing. It was then she realized the problem she had. No trunk space. She laughed and took out her brand new flip phone and called information to ask about car dealerships.

Half an hour later, a fairly pretty woman in her thirties pulled up in a brand new fire engine red King Cab pickup truck. An improvised ramp later, the motorcycle was secured in the back and the bags of expensive clothing were stored in the backseat.

“The paperwork check at the bank went through without a problem.” The woman said and handed over the keys. “We just need to head back to the dealership to sign the paperwork and approve the transfer of funds.”

Ria looked at the woman's hands and didn't see either a gold ring or a lighter spot where a ring used to be. “I'm planning on buying a car for the summer months, so the sooner we get back there, the sooner your commission goes through the roof.”

“In that case, you better call me Susan.” Susan said and climbed into the passenger side. “You're going to make my experience so much better at the dealership after this.”

Ria climbed into the driver's side and gave her a crooked smile. “Do they dislike that you get more attention because you're prettier than the gruff salesmen or that you can do their job better than them?”

“Yes!” Susan said and laughed.

“That figures.” Ria said and started the truck up. “The thing is, if you suddenly grew a penis, they would still get angry because you would know how to use it better than them.”

“HAHAHA!” Susan laughed and laughed.

Ria smiled the whole way back to the car dealership and she slowed down to look at all of the different cars. She was tempted to get a practical one and chuckled. She had a practical one with the truck, so she was going to splurge again and chose a very nice sporty BMW.

“I think I want to have your babies.” Susan said when Ria parked and told her what car she wanted.

Ria laughed for a moment before she leaned over and gave Susan a particularly pointed look. “I doubt you actually want to have my babies; but, I wouldn't mind giving it the old college try.”

“College.” Susan whispered and then blushed. “R-r-really?”

Ria wiggled her finger in a come here gesture and Susan leaned in and closed her eyes as she puckered her lips. Ria wasn't going to deny the curious woman a good first impression, so she kissed her with a passion that the other woman probably thought only existed in fairy tales.

“Mmmmmm!” Susan moaned into Ria's mouth as the two of them kissed like there was no tomorrow.

It took nearly ten minutes for the kiss to end and Susan's face was bright red and she looked both turned on and embarrassed.

“Um... I'm... I'm not gay.” Susan admitted.

“Neither am I.” Ria said and Susan looked surprised. “I'm bi-sexual. I can fall for either men or women, since it's the person and not their skin that I enjoy spending time with.”

“R-r-really?” Susan asked.

Ria gave her a crooked smile. “Hey, I enjoy a good dicking like any rational and sane woman.”

Susan barked a laugh and shook her head. “I just met you and I know that was a terrible thing to say!”

“What? You don't see lesbians giving up using dildos, do you? Didn't they make their choice?” Ria asked and Susan kept laughing.

“Now... I know... you're screwing with me.” Susan said between laughs.

“Not yet, baby. We can get to that later.” Ria said and gave her a quick kiss. “Right now we have to finish this paperwork up and then you're driving my new car to my home in Forks.”

“WHAT?” Susan loudly gasped.

“I can handle the truck with the heavy load in the back and you can follow me in my car. Easy peasy.” Ria said and hopped out and walked around the truck to open the passenger door. “It's only about a two hour drive, so it's not too bad.”

“But... I have... um...”

“I'll get you back here for work in the morning, I promise.” Ria said and helped her down out of the slightly high truck. “I'll buy the accessory package for the truck, too. I want the bigger runners on the sides to ease stepping up.”

Susan could only nod as Ria led her into her workplace holding her hand and everyone stared at them.

“Which one's your office?” Ria asked her.

“Um... I have a desk... over there in the corner.”

“Not after today.” Ria chuckled. “If you don't get an office of your own after these two huge commissions, you can come work for me.”

“I can?” Susan asked as she was expertly sat at her own desk.

“I have got a few ideas like a fancy and cheap coffee shop, a fancy and cheap clothing store, and a fancy and cheap electronics store. I doubt I can believably pull off a fancy and cheap car dealership, though.”

Susan stared at her and didn't say anything.

Ria chuckled and tapped the desk and the papers on it. “Let's get this done and secure your cut, then we can keep talking as you help me get my purchases home.”

“O-okay.” Susan said and took a deep breath, then she seemed to gain confidence from somewhere and quickly burned through filling out the right forms and agreements for the final sale for both the brand new heavy-duty truck and expensive BMW. It wasn't until she handed both sets of keys and contracts to Ria that she realized that they would be in different vehicles and couldn't talk while on the way to Forks.

“Cell phones!” Ria said and handed her one out of her expensive handbag.

“I have one already.” Susan said and showed her.

“These work like walkie-talkies. Hit zero and as long as we're within the basic range, it doesn't even use the phone's network.” Ria explained.

“Oh! That's cool.” Susan said and held it up as if she didn't know what to do with it.

Ria chuckled. “Hit the speaker after the zero and it's hands-free.”

Susan blushed a little and nodded. “I need to tell Phil that I'm delivering a vehicle for a client.”

“I'll come with you.” Ria said and they both went to deliver the paperwork to her boss.

The man's face was full of disbelief at the commissions his only female employee had earned that day, which was exactly why Ria wanted to see the man. He didn't react when Susan said she was leaving for the rest of the day to deliver the BMW and she shrugged and closed the door to the man's office.

“That reaction never gets old.” Ria said and took Susan's hand and led her out of the building and over to the BMW. “We'll stop at a gas station to top off and then we'll head out.”

Susan nodded and didn't move.

Ria gave her a smirk and then made sure no one from the building could see them before she gave Susan another passionate kiss. “Remember, zero and speaker.”

Susan nodded several times and unlocked the car and climbed in.

Ria had just shut the truck's door when her phone rang. She flipped it open and hit the zero and speaker buttons. “Hello? Who's this? No one has this number!”

There was an odd startled sound from the phone.

“I'm just kidding, Susan. I know this the only person I gave a phone to.”

“Do you always joke with people like that?” Susan asked.

“No.” Ria said and started the truck up. “You're nervous and I'm trying to show you that being around me shouldn't make you that way. I just wanted you to know that I can be fun and playful while also being firm and reliable.”

“That... is an odd combination.” Susan replied.

“I'm not going to scare you by saying I can become anything you want. Not this soon, anyway.” Ria said and Susan lightly laughed. “Now make sure you stay on my ass as I lead you back to my lair to have my wicked way with you.”

There was another odd startled sound from the phone.

“F-firmly playful.” Susan whispered.

“Only if you want me to be.” Ria said and drove out of the car dealership's lot. She kept an eye on her mirrors and saw the BMW following her.

“I... well, I... maybe a little is okay.” Susan said, her voice unsure.

“That means I reached the limit already. No problem.” Ria said and heard a relieved sigh from the phone. “So, tell me about yourself. How old is your favorite bra and do your high school jeans still fit?”

Susan couldn't stop her laugh at the questions. “You're really going that personal right off the bat?”

“It breaks the ice pretty quick.” Ria said.

“Okay, that's true.” Susan said. “My favorite bra is about a month old and I'll be damned if I can find another one. They stopped making the brand six months ago when the company went bankrupt and pulled them from the shelves.”

“You didn't buy them out?” Ria asked and Susan laughed.

“I wish! I had six of them and I'm down to my last one.”

“That sounds suspiciously like they weren't made to last.” Ria said.

“That was the problem that brought the company down. Inferior production and materials. They practically dissolve after a short time of constant wear and washing.” Susan said.

“Of course it does. It ensures a rapidly repeating customer base.” Ria said and pulled into a gas station. She drove up to the right lane for diesel and Susan went into the line for the premium brand of regular gas. She parked and climbed out with the phone when she reached the pump. “Top it off.” She told the attendant and the man nodded.

“Do we hang up?” Susan asked from her phone.

“For now.” Ria said and went to the BMW. “Top it off.” She told the attendant of that line and the man nodded.

Susan climbed out and closed the flip phone. “I'm going to grab a snack. Do you want something?”

“Are you hungry? We could stop for supper before we head out or we could wait until we hit Tacoma or Port Angeles.” Ria suggested.

Susan smiled a shy smile. “That's what I was thinking. I just wanted something to tide me over for the next hour or so.”

“Good thinking. I'll definitely come with you.” Ria said and didn't miss the slight blush on Susan's face at the innuendo. She smiled back at the woman and led her into the store. “Get whatever you want. It's on me.”

Susan gave her a questioning look.

“You're technically still on company time during a delivery. I've got you covered.” Ria explained.

Susan's questioning look changed to teasing and she started loading up her arms with everything within reach. Ria laughed and started to add her own things to the pile. The clerk had a big smile on her face when they approached with all the things.

Surprisingly, Susan did not have a blush on her face when the total came out to be almost a hundred dollars and she laughed at the clerk's face when Ria pulled out another stack of various denominations of bills from her handbag and tipped the clerk half the amount.

“I think I'm starting to see what you meant about having people make that kind of face for you.” Susan said when they left the store.

“It's hilarious, I tell you.” Ria said and they went to her truck. She took a few choice things out and two of the bottles of pop. “I try to not do it too many times in the same area, just because no one talks about it and it saves me a few opportunities to do it later.”

Susan understood that because sometimes overdoing something can be just as bad as not doing it at all. She went back to the BMW and watched as Ria paid the attendants for the gas and gave them a twenty dollar bill each for a tip. Both of them thanked her profusely and told her to come back whenever she wanted and she would be given priority.

When they were on the road again, Susan opened the flip phone and hit the zero and speaker. “Hey, Ria. Did you know the blonde guy was checking out your ass?”

“Yeah, a lot of people do. It's a great ass and I work hard to keep it that way.” Ria said without being smug about it. “As long as they don't touch me without my permission, they can look all they want.”

“That's a pretty open view to have about that.” Susan said.

Ria softly laughed. “Susan, we're great looking women. If we didn't want people looking at us, we would wear head and body coverings to hide ourselves.”

“I guess that's true.” Susan said, a bit doubtful.

“Oh, don't get me wrong. I didn't dress up like this for them to look at. I did this for me.” Ria said with confidence. “I'm a sexy bitch and I like seeing myself all done up and gorgeous. They just benefit from it, to their utter joy.”

Susan had to laugh at that. “Narcissistic much?”

“Not really. I can clean up even better than this if I want to. I used to have this little red spaghetti strap dress that drove my partner wild every single time I wore it.” Ria said with fondness. “That was years ago, though. Starting over in a new place means I have to replace everything.”

Susan was quiet for several moments. “I'm sorry, Ria. Do you mind if I ask what happened?”

“Not at all. Circumstances worked against us and I had to leave them behind when we both had to move on. I was really sad about us not being able to do it together; but, I knew their reasoning was right. Things were just...” Ria sighed. “I know I'll eventually meet them again someday and until then, we're both going to live our lives to the best of our abilities.”

“That's a surprisingly mature outlook to have.” Susan said, softly.

“I threw a hissy fit and hit them a bunch of times when they told me we couldn't stay together. I'm not a complete saint!” Ria said and Susan couldn't help but laugh. “Did you laugh at the fit part or the saint part?”

“Definitely the saint part.” Susan joked and they both laughed.

The drive to Pot Angeles was filled with bits of munching, small talk, and a few inappropriate jokes that they both would never admit were even funnier when you had someone with a like mind to share them with.

*

“This lobster is divine!” Susan almost shouted as melted butter dripped down her chin and then she sucked in another piece of lobster tail meat to happily chew on it.

“Your blouse is pretty lucky the bibs here are soak-proof.” Ria said with a laugh.

Susan's mouth was full, so she didn't speak and only nodded.

“I wonder if it'll be as good later if we got some takeaway?” Ria asked and picked up a giant crab leg and bit into the shell and made it crack.

Susan laughed and almost choked at the same time. “R-R-Ria!” *cough!* “Ha ha ha!” *cough!* “Use the nut cracker!”

Ria grinned at her and stuck out her tongue and pretended the shell pieces were hot and spicy as she desperately tried to wipe her tongue off with her fingers. Susan's loud laughter echoed throughout the restaurant and a few people joined in when they saw what Ria was doing.

The two of them had a great time with their meal and Ria tipped for the extra mess they made and also tipped for the great service and complimented the food. They left the restaurant with full bellies and a happy staff behind them.

Half an hour later, it was dark and they reached Forks. Frank didn't mind them dropping off both vehicles on the property, considering Ria actually owned it, and he helped them get the sporty motorcycle out of the truck and she dug through several of her clothing bags for appropriate clothing for a couple of days.

Ria made Susan wear the helmet and she drove them into town to the only place that had rooms for rent. A bed and breakfast. It was quaint in Susan's opinion and Ria just accepted the accommodations as necessary. She would have much better as soon as the Johnsons left on their trip.

“Are you sure you want to stay the night?” Ria asked as they put her things into the room.

Susan looked unsure. “Don't... don't you want me to stay?”

Ria pulled her close and looked deep into her eyes. “Of course I do. I only wanted to make sure that you wanted to stay, too.”

Susan nodded and Ria took that as an invitation and leaned forward to kiss her. Susan's arms went around her neck and she closed her eyes. They both let their lips and their bodies tell the other woman that was kissing them, exactly what they had a hard time saying with just words.

It didn't take long before they were naked on the bed and making each other moan indecently. Fingers, tongues, and hands were everywhere as they explored and played with each other. Susan had never met anyone that made doing this so enjoyable and she pretty much lost herself in the sensations that Ria made her feel.

By the time the morning rolled around and both women woke up, Susan was pretty sure that she would abandon her old life in an instant to stay near Ria. As if she knew what Susan was thinking, Ria told her to get things in her life settled over the next few weeks and she would be ready and waiting for her when she came back.

Susan agreed and the ride back to Seattle cuddled up to Ria's back on her bullet bike went by faster than she realized. The warmth on her front seemed to linger after Ria dropped her off at her tiny apartment. The thought that the woman she had met by chance would sweep her off her feet, made Susan laugh, and she entered her apartment to get ready for work.

She had a two week notice to hand in, an apartment rental to cancel, and a lot of things to pack up.

*

Ria drove back to Forks and didn't question why she had pretty much latched onto the first single woman she had come across in this world. It was something that John had warned her about and she hadn't really believed him until the last two worlds had happened.

Whatever circumstances were involved with their travelling powers, it seemed to always situate them wherever they were needed, either for the world itself or for whomever it was they would be meeting. This one was slightly different, unless her meeting those three vampires had changed the circumstances for whatever should have happened later.

That thought made Ria sow down her driving and she passed by the Forks sign. She somehow knew she had changed things and would need to investigate how exactly she had. Because she was driving a lot slower than the posted speed limit, she saw the old beat up pickup truck that pulled out of a short driveway and there was a teenage girl driving it with the window down.

Ria took in a breath through her nose and almost froze at the stink of vampire on the girl. She clearly wasn't one, since the healthy blood flow and strong heartbeat easily gave away that she was still human. But, it was clear that she had very close contact with one or more vampires recently. It was then that she realized her encounter in the woods wasn't that far away from here.

Dammit, girl! Can't you see what they are? Ria thought at the back of the truck as she followed it. Wherever the girl was going, she would have to investigate it and... dammit, it was a high school. Of course it was. What better way to find impressionable young bodies to suck dry?

Ria slowed down a bit more to watch the girl park and she hopped out to walk over to several rich kids. It was then that Ria saw them for what they were. Vampires. They were out in the open and not hiding at all. In fact, they were blatantly checking out the feast of young people in front of them and not one of the potential meals noticed.

Stupid, stupid kids. Ria thought with a sigh and drove on. She couldn't do anything in front of everyone or she would be branded a murderer before she could explain herself. She slowed down near the police station because of the flashing lights as a patrol car pulled in and turned the lights off. The deputy jumped out of the car and ran inside the station.

That gained her attention, so she pulled off to pretend to check her motorcycle over and concentrated on her hearing to see what was going on.

“Chief! Chief Swan!” The deputy exclaimed to get the chief's attention and then delved into a quick overview of the mangled body of Waylon Forge that had been found out in the woods.

Fuck! Ria thought and continued to curse herself for not arriving sooner, even though she had no idea when those vampires had murdered the man. With a frustrated sigh, she climbed back onto her motorcycle and drove back through town to the bank. She had a few things to handle, like the taxes on the bike she was riding and for the purchase of the house that would happen in a couple of days.

After she handled that, Ria drove back to the B&B and parked. She went up to her rented room and put her helmet away, concentrated on her closest forest, and apparated out of town. She would have to make her way all the way around the town as fast as possible to seed her forests around the place to give her an early warning system that her elves and creatures would give her. If anyone or anything crossed her lands, she would know about it.

It took her half the day to get all the way around the town and gave herself a two forest buffer and used up a bunch of magic creating scouts and forest elves to make a large enough force to handle everything. If she was lucky, she would find a mountain lion or something to bring to the police station to cover up the fact that she had already dealt with the vampires.

Ria apparated back to her room and closed her eyes to check on her scouts. She had sent them out into the surrounding lands to check for any evidence that the police might have missed about the vampires. After an hour of meditation, she sighed and went to her clothing bags. She changed into a really nice pants suit that highlighted her figure and went out to The Lodge to eat.

She doubted that she could get a job as a teacher or a substitute at the school, considering it was March and there was barely three months left to the school year. She also couldn't transfer in as a new student because of the short time left. Both plans to check the school out legitimately would have to wait until the summer was over.

That was assuming the vampires casing the place would still be there and hadn't moved on by then. Ria would have to think about how she was going to proceed. Should she stake out the school and see how many vampires there were? Are they students there or just visiting? Would the ones she saw be all of them? How many people have they killed already and could she stop them before they killed again?

The thought made her shake her head, mostly because the worst thing about this place was the nearly constant cloud cover. It was the oceanic climate that caused it. After a quick search at the tiny library, Ria discovered the state of Washington had an average of 212 days a year of precipitation that was mostly rain.

The local weather was not helping her regain any of her lost abilities, even if she was technically under a yellow sun once more. She touched herself on the forehead and closed her eyes to diagnose herself and she could tell that her solar energy absorption and conversion was down to only 20% of its normal capacity.

Ria sighed at her pathetic state and was glad that she was at least moderately strong and could jump fairly far, not that she was going to openly use any of her abilities. This world didn't have anything like super powers, so she was at a distinct disadvantage. She couldn't even recreate the hero costume that John had once given her.

“Thank you, Cora. The food here is the best, like always.” Ria said when the waitress came over with the check and she tipped her lavishly.

“Th-thanks, Ria. You're the best, too.” Cora said.

“I bet you say that to all the sexy women with big... wallets.” Ria joked and made a bunch of the burly men at the other tables laugh, which caused Cora to blush. “I'm just kidding. Everyone knows you're waiting for Jack to get off his ass and tell you how much he likes you.”

“Damn right!” A few of the guys said and they all laughed again when Jack complained.

Cora kept the blush on her face and also looked happy. “Are you heading out already?” She asked when Ria stood up to stretch and gave the guys a good view of her tight top under her pants suit.

“Only temporarily. I'm heading down the coast to see if the sun actually exists and then I'll be back.” Ria told her.

Cora chuckled. “You'll need to at least leave the state. Trust me.”

Ria nodded. “I've got a pretty fast motorcycle, so I should be back for a late supper.”

“How long are you staying here in Forks?” Someone asked.

Ria looked over and saw an older gentleman with darker skin and long dark hair in a ponytail. “I'm buying the old Johnson place.”

The man looked surprised. “They actually found a buyer?”

“I pretty much dropped into their lap. Frank was nice enough to give me a ride yesterday and explained that they were leaving on a road trip, so we negotiated by me throwing a bunch of money at Bessy and she told him they accepted.”

“HAAA HAAA!” Nearly everyone in the place loudly laughed.

“That's Bessy, all right.” One of the older women said.

“That reminds me, I need to head over to the hospital to settle their bills. I meant to do it yesterday and got caught up buying a new king cab truck and my motorcycle.”

One of the burly men whistled. “A little thing like you rides a motorcycle?”

Ria chuckled and took off her fashionable suit coat to shew off the sleeveless top and flexed her biceps. “Don't worry, I can handle a few hundred pounds of metal.”

More whistles and two offers to examine more of her muscles were made, all jokingly.

Ria laughed and put her coat back on. “Sorry, fellas. I'm almost spoken for.”

“What does that mean?” Cora asked her.

Ria gave her a knowing smile. “I'm like one step past where you and Jack are.”

Cora looked thoughtful. “So, you've admitted it to each other and are starting to date?”

“You got it.” Ria said and looked over to Jack. “She's a smart one. Don't waste your chance and let her get away, because others might be waiting for their chance, too.” She leaned in and placed a quick kiss on Cora's cheek.

“R-Ria!” Cora gasped and blushed again.

The cat calls and whistles filled the whole restaurant.

Ria laughed, because teasing a room full of men about two women potentially getting together was the best. Nothing sparked their imagination faster than every man's fantasy of being with two women.

“Later, guys!” Ria said and waved to everyone as she left. She also thought there was some applause, too. She laughed under her breath at someone appreciating the show.

A quick stop at the hospital and a funds transfer later, Frank's and Bessy's bills had been taken care of. The receptionist at the hospital had been pretty happy with having such a huge influx of cash in a single deposit and not the usual nickle and dime payment plans.

Ria thanked her for her help and went back to the B&B to change. Her magical power was still high up there, thanks to the last world, so she had no problems being able to get as far down the coast as she could before she would have to apparate back to the outskirts of the town. She changed into nicely fitted jeans, another sleeveless top, and leather jacket.

The motorcycle made the trip out of town pass quickly and she pulled off into one of her forests.

“Report.” Ria ordered.

One of the male elves faded out of the trees. “We found a mountain lion near the edge of the forest on the far east side. It is the only incursion so far.”

“What's the condition?” Ria asked.

“Immobilized and stunned.” The elf said and another elf nearly identical to him came out and showed off the huge mountain lion.

“Excellent work.” Ria said and both elves smiled. “I need you to plant it near one of the normal trails. Make sure a hiker sees it. When they return with either the police or someone with a rifle, wake it up and give it a good poke. Discreetly, of course.”

Both elves chuckled.

“The distraction will be believable, my lady.” The elf on the right said, both bowed, and faded back into the trees.

Ria appreciated their ability. “I can't wait to discover a spell for skill sharing like John has.”

A soft chuckle came from the trees. “Even if you have the ability, you also need a nature affinity.”

“Oh, right.” Ria said. “Dammit, stop ruining my fantasy with reality!”

The chuckle was pretty loud and was joined by a lot of others. The fantasy joke was pretty funny, considering they were forest elves in the real world.

Ria hopped off her motorcycle and used one of the spells that John didn't have. He didn't unlock it when Ria had shown him the combination of lands she had used to get the spell, which made him frustrated and her a bit proud, because he had felt what she did because of all the things he could do and she couldn't.

“Upgrade.” Ria whispered and magical energy engulfed the motorcycle and all the little scrapes and damage from years of use disappeared. The engine evolved and changed to be twice as powerful while the tires and drive train adjusted to the new power output.

The motorcycle lengthened slightly and the fiberglass panels changed to include airfoils to push the vehicle downwards the faster it went. There would be no chance for the motorcycle to slide out from under her on tight corners with the design like that.

“Now that's a proper motorcycle.” Ria said and climbed back onto the vehicle to head out again and paused. She had an odd idea just pop into her head and took off the helmet and one of the many flip phones she had bought. She put the phone inside the helmet and cast the upgrade spell on them.

The phone melted into the helmet and it changed from the normal shape to become almost like a fighter pilot's helmet and grew two antennas out of the sides that stuck backwards and up into the air. They were a foot long and the visor changed from clear to become pitch black.

Ria put the thing on and was shocked when the phone's functions were displayed on the inside of the visor and she could look at each one and blink to activate them. She just knew John would go crazy about what she had just discovered and would want to copy the thing for his own use.

The motorcycle wasn't any louder or used more fuel, despite being a more powerful engine, which meant the fuel efficiency had also upgraded. She would definitely cast the same spell on her truck and car and probably on the RV Frank and Bessy would be leaving in. It would be the least she could do for them for selling her their family home.

Ria drove that motorcycle at its top speed and it earned its nickname of crotch rocket. Surprisingly, she didn't get the attention of the highway patrol as she zoomed around the other traffic. Either they thought she was entertaining to watch or they didn't want to risk chasing her at such ridiculous speeds. Her guesses were spot on when she eventually slowed down an hour into California and stopped to pretty much strip off and bask in the sun.

“I thought the Wash guys were pulling our legs.” One of the cops said as they walked over to where Ria was sprawled out on a towel wearing only a string bikini.

“Hello, officers.” Ria said and tilted her head back from her prone position to look at them. “Or is it troopers? Deputies?”

The second cop chuckled. “We're State Troopers.”

Ria smiled at him. “You make it sound so ominous with a voice like that!”

The first cop chuckled, too. “We do get more in-person requests for Harry here.”

“They even made me take a public speaking class.” Harry said.

“Ha! Of course they did.” Ria said and slowly rolled over. She didn't miss both of them checking her out as she did so, which was why she did it, and she slowly stood up and then stretched. “What can I do for you gentlemen?” She asked, quite suggestively.

The two men exchanged looks and smiled.

“You're distracting us.” The first cop said.

“Yes, and it worked. You didn't draw on me or order me to put my hands up.” Ria said with a grin on her face.

The second cop barked a laugh. “We technically didn't catch you committing a crime.”

“Video evidence?” Ria asked and they shook their heads. “How much is a speeding ticket?”

“You crossed four counties in California so far and at least two in Washington.” The first cop said.

“Three, actually. I'm from Forks.” Ria admitted and both cops raised their eyebrows. “How many consecutive tickets will cause a license suspension and can I take a driving course to get my license back?”

“You're being entirely too reasonable about all of this.” The second cop said.

Ria shrugged and gave them a bit of a show as her breasts jiggled. “I was completely bummed out under the cloud cover the last two days and I already bought a house there. I needed sun as soon as possible and I fully expected to get at least one ticket on my urgent quest for some essential Vitamin D.”

That statement made both of them chuckle.

“I saw a few highway patrol cars and they didn't chase me, so I kept going to see if anyone would notice me.”

“Oh, they noticed and sent word up the line. It was too dangerous to start a high speed chase with other traffic on the road and they wanted to see if you would keep the consistent speed.” The second cop said.

“I didn't see a helicopter.” Ria said and that earned another laugh.

“The State Patrol's not made of money. Putting that request through would cut into the entire state's budget this close to tax time.” The first cop said.

“That's a good point.” Ria said and waved at her motorcycle. “I've got my handbag stored under the seat. If you want to write up a ticket or two, I can pay off the tickets right now.”

The cops exchanged looks once more.

“Are you trying to buy your way out of being arrested?” The first cop asked.

Ria shook her head and started to walk over to the motorcycle. “If I was going to do that, I would offer to donate a hundred grand to the State Trooper Helicopter Relief Fund.”

Both men froze at her words.

“I would also need an account to transfer the funds to or a bank that can give out that much in cash.” Ria said and popped up the seat on the bullet bike to take out her handbag. She didn't really, since she could make as much money as she wanted with her hundreds of gold and silver mines. She said it like that to both make the offer and make it difficult for the offer to be taken.

The two cops stared as she pulled out a handful of cash and counted out several hundred dollars. They also saw that there was a lot more than what she had in her hands inside the bag.

“How much is a ticket again?” Ria asked and smiled at them.

“It's $135 for the first offence.” The first officer said.

Ria nodded and counted out 945 dollars, then added the last 55 to make it an even thousand. “Since I crossed 7 counties and no one tried to give me a ticket, it's fair to count them all as a first offence, right? One ticket?”

Neither of the cops moved or nodded in agreement.

“The rest is for the Lost Donut Fund.” Ria said and handed the money to the second officer. “And coffee. You can't have enough of that.”

The cop looked down at the pile of money in his hand and back at her.

“It's all right, trooper. I took that out of petty cash that's used for incidentals.” Ria explained and both cops raised their eyebrows again. “I'll have a fancy and cheap clothing store opened by next week. The budget I have for purchases is enormous.”

The first cop took out a pad and wrote out a speeding ticket and tore it off to hand to her. It already had 'paid' written on it. It was also only for 135 dollars.

Ria smiled as she took the ticket and folded it to tuck into her bikini top. Both men watched as she did so. “Thank you for being so understanding, gentlemen.”

Both cops exchanged another look, then looked back at her.

“Make sure when you drive home, you keep it at a reasonable highway speed.” The second cop said.

“I promise that if I drive back, I will stay below the posted speed limit.” Ria said and both men nodded. She put her bag back under the seat and closed it, locked it, and smiled at them. “If you will excuse me, I have more sunbathing I need to get to.”

“Help yourself.” The first cop said and motioned towards where her towel was.

Ria gave them another smile and walked back over to her spot and made sure to sway her hips a little. She didn't do it too extravagantly, because she didn't want them to think she was doing it intentionally. Giving them a show and inviting them to play were two very different things.

By the time Ria had adjusted the towel and wiped off the sand to lay down, both officers had returned to their vehicle and were observing her. She didn't wave or let them know that she knew they were staying to observe her, and laid down on her back with a relieved sigh and closed her eyes. She had really missed feeling the sun's rays like this.

Three hours later and several rotations to give her back an even coating of the sun's rays, the sun was starting to set and it was time for Ria to return to Forks. Nighttime was the usual time for vampires and their hunting games, so she needed to get back and check a few things out.

The funny thing was, the State Troopers were still there and she couldn't ignore them when she went back to her motorcycle to get dressed. She gave them a wave and dressed right there in her jeans and snug top again. She put on the short leather jacket and checked the motorcycle over, just in case, and put on the helmet.

The cops followed her at just under highway speeds right to the edge of their county. Another car picked her up there and she had to chuckle at their persistence. She was sure that if they did catch her speeding, she would have to repeat what she did with the first two troopers. The problem was, she couldn't apparate back without ditching them, and she couldn't do that without speeding.

So, it was another long drive to get her all the way back to Forks and she had been trailed the entire way. That also meant she had to wait until she parked and went into her room at the B&B before her tail drove off and left her alone. An apparition out to the town sign and a jog into the trees there, let Ria talk to her scouts to find out what had been going on while she was gone.

The trick with the mountain lion worked perfectly and it let the police and the local population accept Waylon's death as a tragic accident and put their minds at ease. There wasn't some sadistic person out there murdering people. It was a wild animal and it could have been anyone that had been killed and it wasn't a targeted death.

Ria thanked her elves and scouts for doing such a great job and apparated back to her room. She changed her clothes to more fit into the woods, since she was going to do a bit of hunting herself tonight. Hunters rarely expected to be hunted themselves and she planned to catch them before they found another victim.

*

Edward just couldn't stop his cravings for his Blood Singer. She was just so delicious and he needed to keep an eye on her. Carlisle had told him about the murder and that he had examined the body that day. The very convenient mountain lion encounter had saved their people from any investigation, which meant Carlisle had an easy excuse to corroborate and claim Waylon had died from an animal attack.

The loud snap of a branch nearby startled Edward, because he hadn't heard anything approaching him and he hadn't heard anything with his psychic powers. He jumped back from... something... that moved in front of him and even his perfect vampire eyes hadn't seen what it was, just that it was fast. Faster than him.

Edward never felt the blade that cut his head off and his brain still worked as he saw a hundred tall beings that looked like elves as they faded into sight. They parted to show a young woman that looked like a native from the Quileute tribe.

“I thought vamps were supposed to die immediately when decapitated.” The woman said, a bit disappointed.

Edward didn't have lungs to force air through his vocal chords, so he didn't respond.

“I think that means if I reattached your head, you would still live.” She said and nodded to the elves around her. “You need to change the hunting rules if dismemberment only works for capture.”

“It will be done, my lady.” One of the elves said and flicked its sword and sheathed it.

“As for you.” The young woman said and her hand glowed with bright yellow energy. “Praying on an impressionable and underage girl? Shame on you.”

Edward couldn't shout that he loved the girl and then his head disintegrated under a Ki Blast.

“Erase any vampire scents from all of the woods that you can. I don't want any of his kind to see that this house holds any interest for them.” Ria ordered.

“Yes, my lady.” The elves responded and faded back into the trees.

A second later, Edward's body was disintegrated with another blast and the forest was repaired to hide that anything had happened there.

Ria gave the house a particular look and cast a sparrow and shared its view. She stood there as the bird watched through the mostly closed curtains of the bedroom window as the girl looked on her computer and researched the 'Cold Ones'. The realization on her face told Ria that she knew the vampire personally and probably knew about the others.

*

Bella couldn't believe it and had a restless night as she went over everything she had experienced since coming to Forks. All the little things that had been going on, the inconsistencies, the conflicting lies, it all made sense now.

Edward and his family were vampires.

Bella drove her truck to school through a thick fog and she was sure that was more ominous than it should have been. It was like she was driving through her own dream world to confront legendary monsters that her own mind almost refused to believe existed.

She parked and stepped out of her truck, her resolve to confront Edward filling her, and she walked across the school's lawn towards where the popular kids usually stood... only to see no one there. A quick glance at the parking lot showed her that the Cullens hadn't arrived yet, even though they were usually the first ones at school.

Bella felt conflicted that she couldn't confront Edward right away and she tamped that down and went into school. She spent the entire morning distracted and only really paid attention to the clock. Lunchtime always had the Cullens at their table, so she would approach them there and they would tell her the truth. They had to. She knew their secret and they couldn't ignore her anymore.

She arrived in the cafeteria with her friends from class and stopped at the doorway. It wasn't because she was nervous about confronting the Cullens, it was because there was an absolutely gorgeous native girl sitting at their table. She also dressed in expensive clothes and looked completely relaxed as she ate.

“Bella, do you know who that is?” Jessica asked her.

“N-no, I... I thought... Edward usually sits there.” Bella said, sheepishly.

“She's not another Cullen.” Lauren said and sat down at their regular table. “In fact, shouldn't she be on the reserve? They have their own school, don't they?”

“They do.” Eric said and sat beside her. “I wonder if they kicked her out or something?”

Jessica gained a determined look on her face and stood. “I'm going to grab some food and find out.”

“You go girl.” Lauren encouraged her.

Mike sat down on her other side with his tray of food. “Hey, guys.”

“Miiiike!” Eric and Angela said at the same time, as if cheering, then they laughed.

“I never get tired of hearing my name like that.” Mike said, smugly.

Bella watched as Jessica approached the new girl and put her tray down to whisper to her. The new girl happily talked to her and then lifted the collar of her top to show Jessica the tag. After a startled squeal, Jessica sat down beside her and the pair started talking animatedly.

“That's never happened before.” Lauren said. She was Jessica's best friend and she would know.

“I wonder what brand that was.” Angela asked, curious.

They all looked back over and saw Jessica motioning towards them. To everyone's surprise, the gorgeous new girl stood and picked up her tray and led Jessica across the cafeteria to their table. Everyone's eyes were on her stylish skirt, her expensive shoes, and her walk that was almost a strut. The movement of her hips was almost hypnotizing.

“Hi, there! My name's Gloria Hansen and I just moved to Forks.” Gloria said and nodded to Jessica to let her sit beside Mike and she sat down beside Bella. “I can't enroll until September, since it's too late in the year. I'm here today to audit some of the classes and to bribe the school... I mean, pay some fees for being here when I'm not enrolled.”

Both Jessica and Lauren giggled, Mike barked a laugh, Eric grinned, and Angela blushed for some reason. Bella was the only one to not react and just stared at Gloria.

“My older sister is buying the Johnson's place either today or tomorrow and she's opening a clothing shop in town.” Gloria said.

“That's what made me scream.” Jessica said with a huge smile. “She's going to sell high-end clothing for low-end prices and they aren't knock-offs! It's going to be amazing!”

“Oh, my god! When is it opening? When? WHEN?!?” Lauren exclaimed.

The other girls laughed and Bella kept staring.

“I told you Lauren would be happy.” Jessica said to her new friend.

“You totally undersold it on purpose!” Gloria said in mock surprise and Jessica giggled.

“I totally did.” Jessica admitted. “The look on her face was worth it, wasn't it?”

Gloria giggled, too. “Yes, thanks for that.”

Lauren laughed. “All right, you got me. That was a good joke.”

“It's true, though.” Jessica said, to their surprise. “They're looking at the building near Newton's Olympic Outfitters.”

“If it's close to the right size, it should be ready in a few weeks, assuming the owners want to sell instead of rent. It's not worth the cost of renovating if we can't keep the place after putting in all the work.” Gloria said and the guys nodded. “We're not limited by only having it directly in town, though. That just makes it easier for everyone to get to, you know? A central location.”

“We get that. Jessica and I live way out on the west side and have to cross most of the county to come to school.” Lauren said.

“My sis bought me a car for that. The Johnson place is ten minutes out of town and she didn't want me walking everywhere.” Gloria told them.

“Oh? What kind of car?” Eric asked, fully expecting a beater car for putting around.

“It's a brand new silver BMW.” Gloria said and several people at her table and nearby made choking sounds. “We had it delivered yesterday. The sales agent was really nice to drive it all the way here from Seattle.”

“You're kidding.” Jessica said and stared at her like Bella was, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

“My family has always wanted the best for me and I won't disappoint them by not being grateful about that.” Gloria said. “I work hard and I do everything I can to help those that need it. I'll be volunteering at the hospital for a few hours this weekend, too.”

“Wow.” Jessica whispered.

“It's not that surprising, just time consuming.” Gloria said. “The looks on some people's faces when you give them expensive chocolates behind the nurse's back are priceless.”

Lauren laughed. “Are you trying to kill them?”

“Nah, chocolate is actually good for you, even if you're a diabetic. Moderation is the key.” Gloria said. “Plus, it's only a small amount and I check their charts and conditions to make sure they can eat it safely without an allergic reaction.”

The teenagers around her gave her surprised looks.

“Hey, just because I'm rich and beautiful, that doesn't mean I can't be smart, too.” Gloria said with a teasing smile.

Jessica made a snort sound and laughed. The others soon joined in.

“So, what's up with everyone staring at me when I sat at that table?” Gloria asked and waved at the still empty popular table.

“That's the table the Cullens usually sit at.” Angela said. “They aren't here today, I guess.”

“Ah, the popular kids?” Gloria asked and they all nodded. “Gorgeous and unapproachable?”

“Almost completely.” Jessica said and glanced at Bella.

“Ooo, I see an inside source of info.” Gloria said and Bella blushed. “Don't worry, Bella. I won't pump you too hard... for information.”

Mike made a choking sound and turned away from the table to cough and to recover. The girls blushed and the other guy looked too stunned to react.

Gloria laughed and finished her meal. “That was barely any innuendo.” She said and sat back on her chair to relax. “Your food's getting cold.”

That spurred them to get to their food and Bella opened up her bagged lunch. She did her best to not stare at the new girl as she ate her modest lunch.

“Since you're all eating, I'll keep talking.” Gloria said and they nodded. “My original last name wasn't Hansen. It's Colorado.”

“I knew you were a Native American!” Jessica exclaimed.

“I am. I can't tell you my native tribe or anything, though. I was only young when my mother sent me away to protect me.”

“Aww.” Angela said in sympathy before she could stop herself.

“Thank you.” Gloria said and reached over the table to take her hand.

“Y-you're w-welcome.” Angela said and blushed.

Bella didn't want to be left out of the conversation anymore and spoke without realizing what she was saying. “My parents divorced when I was five and my mother took me to Phoenix to get me away from my dad and her boring life.”

Everyone near her stopped eating and they all looked at her with wide eyes.

Gloria walked around the table and stood behind her for a second before she bent down to wrap her arms around Bella's shoulders and hugged her. “Bella, that wasn't your fault and it wasn't your dad's fault, either. People sometimes fall out of love and they ignore the consequences of their actions.”

Bella used one arm to hug the strong arms that held her.

“On the plus side, you have a chance to build a new relationship with your father. Forget trying to recapture what you had as a kid, because neither of you are the same people you used to be and it will just be awkward if you can't accept that.”

Bella internally admitted that it really was awkward at the house.

Gloria eased her hold and stood up to look down at Bella, whom looked up. “The weekend is coming up, so why don't we all go out and have some fun?”

“What do you mean?” Bella asked.

“A quick trip to Port Angeles with a bit of shopping, maybe a meal and a movie?” Gloria asked and a couple of the people at the table had slightly sad faces. “It's my treat.” She said and then smirked. “Well, my sister's treat. I won't have any money of my own until I start working at the shop this summer.”

“You're working there?” Jessica asked, surprised.

“I can't sit on my butt all summer and let all those new clothes just sit there without being inspected, tried on, and made sure they're presentable.” Gloria said and Jessica and Lauren's eyes practically lit up. “Not to mention the shipments of new things every two weeks that have to be checked, sorted, and put out.”

“WE NEED SUMMER JOBS!” Jessica and Lauren yelled at the same time, which made everyone around them laugh.

Gloria laughed, too. “I'll talk to my sister. I'm sure there's going to be a few openings for knowledgeable people, even if the store is only going to be about five thousand square feet of fashionable goodness.”

Both girls had their mouths drop open and they looked like they stopped breathing, then they both squealed loudly and lunged from their chairs to hug Gloria tightly as they thanked her over and over again. Their friends were surprised at first and then laughed at their reactions.

Gloria looked just as happy as them. “We need stockhands and someone to run the cash register, too.”

“I've already got a summer job lined up.” Mike said.

“Same here.” Eric said, a bit sadly.

Angela and Bella exchanged looks as if weighing if they want to speak up.

“It's flexible hours that can fit into your schedule, full time pay, and you can all work at the same time or take turns. Believe me, there's lots of work to do.” Gloria said and neither of the other two girls looked convinced. “We're also thinking of opening an electronics store because there are none anywhere around here.”

“I'm in!” Angela gasped.

Bella took in a breath and let it out. “I suppose I could use some spending money.”

“That's one of the best reasons to get a job. You can buy the things you want for yourself.” Gloria said and they all nodded.

Jesica and Lauren were a little reluctant to let her go, probably because they thought if they did, she would disappear and their summer plans would evaporate into smoke.

Gloria gave them each a tender squeeze and walked around the table to sit back down. “Now that I've sufficiently bribed most of you, what's the sitch with the clicks around here? I want to know what I'm diving into next year for my final year of high school.”

This was the perfect thing to say, because it gave her four perspectives on everyone at the school. The only one that didn't really say anything was Bella, even when the subject of the Cullens came back up. Gloria didn't mind, since she knew Bella was like her when she was younger. She was reluctant to interact with anyone she didn't have to and only did so grudgingly.

The rest of the school day passed by with Gloria being shown around by Jessica and Lauren, both of whom were taking the hard sciences courses and passing them easily. That meant the two girls had brains in their heads and their passion for fashion was only a characteristic of their personalities and didn't define them. Most people wouldn't look past that facade, however.

When the school day ended, Gloria walked over to the parking lot where she had parked her BMW and saw Bella standing there beside her beat-up truck. She had parked there on purpose and walked over to the spot and leaned against her own car right in front of the other girl.

“Why are you trying to buy our friendships?” Bella asked, quite bluntly.

Gloria actually appreciated it and smiled warmly. “Because just handing over a pile of money would look suspicious.” She said and Bella looked surprised. “This is a really small town and even the rich kids don't have a lot of money. I don't mind spreading the wealth.”

“Why?” Bella asked.

Gloria glanced down at Bella's jeans and looked back at her face. “I've been to lots of places and I've lived like a pauper and I've lived like a king. Both suck for different reasons and it took me a long time to realize that a nice middle ground was the best compromise. Enough money that you don't have to worry about things but not enough to make you not appreciate it for what it is. A means to an end.”

Bella gave her a calculating look. “Living well.”

Gloria beamed a smile at her. “That's exactly right, Bella. It's so you can live your life and not worry about the little things like food, rent, and bills. You start to enjoy living and you can be proud that you are the one in control of your life and not anyone else.”

Bella couldn't deny that sounded really good.

“I know you're not as much of a social butterfly as Jessica and Lauren...” Gloria said and Bella huffed. “...or as much of an introvert as Angela.”

“I do get along better with her than the others.” Bella admitted.

“I mentioned flexible hours, remember?” Gloria asked her and she nodded. “That means you can work as much as you want and earn as much as you want. If you want more responsibility, I can get my sis to teach you how to manage things, like an assistant manager.”

Bella shivered a little at that and didn't otherwise react.

“Ria will be hands-on for the first while, just to make sure we're capable of running things while she's busy. If you show her how responsible you are, I'm sure the extra work will be more rewarding than you think it will be.”

Bella stood there and thought about it. “You would have enrolled here with only three months left to school if you were allowed?”

“Totally.” Gloria said. “Ria always says that the best way to get to know the people of a town is through how they raise their kids.”

Bella almost blushed at that.

Gloria saw her face and stepped close to look down into Bella's eyes. “That's not an insult to anyone, Bella. People are people and no one is the same. Some can be great parents and some just aren't suited for it. Whatever you went through, you don't have to be embarrassed about it.”

Bella sighed and closed her eyes, then she started to talk. She told this girl, a girl she just met, everything about how she grew up and how she was more of a parent to her flighty mother than her mother had ever been a parent for her.

By the time Bella was done, her face was snuggled into Gloria's neck and she had cried quite a bit. Gloria had held her and rubbed her back and whispered sweet nothings to her. She told her that everything was going to be okay and now that she was there, she would never have to worry about anything ever again.

“You promise?” Bella asked and lifted her head to look into Gloria's eyes.

“I'll do better than that.” Gloria said and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Follow me out to the Johnson's place and we'll drop your truck off. I'll have the work crew check it over and you can borrow my car until it's done.”

Bella blinked her eyes a couple of times. “Wh-what?”

“That truck is strong and reliable, just like you. It just needs some TLC.” Gloria said and used a hand to comb Bella's hair. “I'm sure it's going to look brand new by the time it's fixed.”

“But... I... um...” Bella stammered as Gloria pet her like a cat. She wasn't sure why she wasn't protesting or told her to stop.

“I can borrow Ria's motorcycle, so I won't be left stranded.” Gloria whispered and then smiled. “Then again, maybe you'd like to have a sleepover or two before the weekend trip with our friends?”

“You mean with your freshly bribed friends?” Bella teased and smiled back.

“Exactly!” Gloria said and gave her a bit of a squeeze and let her go. “We can stop at The Lodge first and grab something to eat for ourselves and then something to go for Charlie and Ria.”

Bella was quite happy to agree to that and followed the new girl in her expensive car. She felt inordinately happy for some reason and like a giant weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Two hours later, Bella had enjoyed a great time with her new friend and went home with a huge container of lasagne and drove a car worth more than her house.

*

“Here's the keys.” Frank said and handed Ria a huge key ring that was filled with different keys.

Bessy smacked him on the arm and snatched the keys and chucked them onto the table. “Don't tease the rich girl that just bought our house for a ton of money and fixed up the RV and truck!”

Frank laughed and took out a much smaller key ring with only five keys on it. “I've always wanted to prank someone with my key collection.” He said and showed Ria the two keys for the front door, the two keys for the back door, and the single key for the barn.

“We hope you can get as much enjoyment out of this place as we did.” Bessy said and gave Ria a hug.

“I'm sure there's going to be a lot going on around here, so you don't have to worry about that.” Ria said and Bessy looked pleased. “I hope you both enjoy your trip across the country.”

“Oh, we will.” Bessy said and let her go. “We've never been outside Washington and we're going to visit each and every state on our way to say hello to the Statue of Liberty.”

“I've done that.” Ria told them and they looked surprised. “I was much younger and the man that raised me made sure I had seen everything this country had to offer.”

“He took you to Fort Knox, didn't he?” Frank asked.

“It was practically our first stop.” Ria said.

“Everyone needs to see the biggest collection of gold in the world.” Frank said and gave her a quick hug and let her go.

“Don't try to rob it, no matter how fun you think it'll be.” Ria warned him and he laughed.

“Can you imagine that?” Frank asked Bessy.

“That's about all I'll do, since we couldn't take much, even if we did somehow actually steal some.” Bessy said. “They're like 20 to 30 pounds each!”

“We'd be exhausted after only a couple.” Frank agreed and took her hand. “Well, this is it. The last time we'll see this place.”

“Only if you never come back to visit.” Ria said.

Bessy and Frank exchanged looks. “Ria...”

“I won't expect to see you for a few years at least, so there's no rush. Have fun and don't scrimp on the food or the gas.” Ria said and gave each of them another hug and her power said they were in excellent shape. “Don't pick up any hitchhikers, unless they're pretty girls that need a helping hand.”

Frank laughed and Bessy shook her head.

“I'll smack you good if you even think about picking up some young hussy.” Bessy warned him.

“Ha ha!” Frank barked. “I can barely handle you, you minx!”

Bessy blushed and play smacked him, then she hugged him and gave him a kiss. Frank reacted like a man in love would and kissed her back passionately. The two of them seemed to realize that they had a few different urges that they had kind of pushed aside the last few years.

Ria easily noticed this and carefully guided them into the living room and onto the couch. Bessy made a noise that she hadn't for years when Frank's hands roamed and Ria quickly retreated and left the house. As she mounted her motorcycle, she laughed at the thought that Frank was mounting Bessy on the couch at the same time.

They're starting their trip with a bang. Ria thought and drove away to give them some privacy.

*

“Oh, no! WE HAVE TO LEAVE!” Alice yelled when her latest vision faded from her perception.

“What is it, Alice?” Her adoptive mother Esme asked. “What's coming?”

“I don't know! I just know that all of our futures end in less than ten minutes!”

“What about Edward?” Emmit asked and put down the game controller.

“I haven't seen his future since he disappeared.” Alice said and picked up the phone. “Please pick up, Carlisle! Please!”

The phone clicked and there was no voice saying hello.

“Carlisle?” Alice asked, nervously.

“I'm sorry. The vampire previously known as Carlisle is no more.” A female voice said and the phone went dead.

Alice tried to cry and her vampire nature stopped her.

“Alice?” Esme asked and touched her arm.

“He's dead.” Alice said and let the phone's receiver go without hanging it up.

“Let's get out of here.” Rosalie said as she sped-ran into the living room.

Alice caught her breath, even though she didn't really need to breathe, and her eyes went blank.

“Pick her up and let's run.” Rosalie commanded Emmit and he grabbed his adoptive sister to put her over his shoulder.

“It's too late. We're already dead.” Alice's soft voice whispered just as the entire house disappeared in a huge explosion.

A half-charred muscular vampire landed fifty feet away from the wreckage and he carried a pair of slim legs. His one working eye stared at the house and everything he had lost.

“Did you know vampires have souls?” A female voice asked him and he turned his head to look, only to see a stylishly dressed young woman standing there. “It's just too bad your unnatural states unlocks all your petty cruelty and sadistic tendencies.”

“We... were a... family.” Emmit said through a partially ruined throat. “Good people. Vegetarians.”

“I know.” The woman said and his eye widened. “It's why I gave Alice a chance to warn you. It's too bad she wasted it.”

“You knew... she could see...”

“Possible futures, yes. Touching Edward gave me what I needed to know about special abilities in this world. Carlisle informed me all about you and the Volturi as well. You vampire bastards prey on people that could have helped so many others and made them into killers instead.”

“No... Carlisle...”

“I wouldn't fault him if he had been successful with more than a handful of you. Instead, he chose to not get involved. He also forced Edward to not use his gift to help people, like the police to solve crimes. Alice could have helped families to find their lost loved ones, too.” The woman said and her hand glowed.

“W-wait... I...”

“Say hello to the people you killed. They are waiting for you.” She said and a small energy blast ended the last Cullen.

The same hand stopped glowing and was placed on the ground. Ten seconds later, the destroyed house regrew out of the ground and all of the destruction on that plot of land was undone. It didn't take long to search the place for the deeds to the house and land.

A quick upgrade to the computer there let her transfer everything to her name, including the registries of the vehicles. A few faked notes, travel plans, purchased ticket stubs, and packing everything up, the house looked like it hadn't been lived in. No one would ever know that the Cullen's hadn't moved away.

*

On Saturday morning, Gloria drove the restored truck to Bella's place to meet up for their trip to Port Angeles. A couple of upgrades had made the pickup pristine and given it the same updates that she had given her own vehicles. It might still look like an older vehicle; but, it was a high performance machine like her BMW and she was sure Bella would enjoy it.

Gloria honked the horn as she pulled into the driveway and laughed when Bella ran out of the house and comically skidded to a stop to stare at Gloria and the old truck that had been completely restored. Gloria parked and hopped out to walk around the truck and leaned against the bumper.

“I hope you don't mind trading vehicles back.” Gloria said, smugly.

“Oh, my GOD!” Bella gasped and jumped off of her porch to jump on Gloria and hugged her tightly. “Is it really the same old truck? It looks brand new!”

“Many hands make light work.” Gloria said and handed her the keys. “Before you keep freaking out about it, Frank's old RV and pickup truck got the same treatment before he left with Bessy on their cross-country tour.”

Bella could only nod as she held the keys in her hand and stared at the beautiful truck.

“Is there any chance the town can hire you to fix up the patrol cars?” Charlie's voice asked from the still open front door. “That thing's a real beauty.”

“I'll let Ria know she has more customers if she's interested.” Gloria said and Charlie nodded.

“You're all heading to Port Angeles?” Charlie asked and took a sip of the coffee in his hand.

“We're making a day of it. Shopping, eating, and a movie. All on me.” Gloria said. “I know it's usually others that give housewarming gifts...”

Bella barked a laugh. “Bribes, Gloria. Bold and blatant bribes.”

“That's what I said! Gifts.” Gloria said with a grin.

Bella laughed. “At least you're dressed sensible.”

“That's because I am completely prepared to buy a better outfit later to wear for the movie.” Gloria admitted and gave her a look. “And you are going to join me.”

“What? No, I'm not. What I'm wearing is comfortable and...”

“After a few hours of wearing the same clothes, you're going to feel relief to change and put on something that lets you relax.” Gloria said and put an arm over Bella's shoulders. “Besides, you're pretty and you need to let people see that you take pride in yourself.”

“But...”

“Confidence starts by looking good. When you look good, you feel good. When you feel good, there's nothing you can't do.” Gloria said with a crooked smile. “I also want to see Jessica's and Lauren's faces when they see you dressed up to the nines.”

Bella opened her mouth to refuse.

“As long as you stay safe and don't split up.” Charlie said.

“Don't worry, sir!” Gloria said and stepped back from Bella and took an outrageous fighting pose. “I know... Kuuuung Fuuu!”

Bella burst out laughing and Charlie huffed, which was almost him losing control. With the proverbial ice broken, Gloria changed her stance to show a real pose and then did several punches and kicks with perfection, which surprised both Bella and Charlie. She went through a single Kata form and ended her demonstration.

“I won't let anything hurt my friends.” Gloria said with conviction.

Charlie gave her a searching look for several seconds and then nodded.

Gloria opened the truck's passenger door and picked up a large brown bag. “I brought breakfast, too.”

Charlie was off the porch, grabbed the bag, and was back in the house almost instantly. “Make yourself at home.” His voice said as it drifted back to them.

“I think you've just been unofficially adopted.” Bella said with surprise on her face.

Gloria chuckled and took her hand and they went inside to eat whatever Charlie decided he wasn't going to eat himself. She was glad she had bought several more than was really needed, because Charlie was already halfway through one of the meals already.

Bella and Gloria exchanged smirks and sat down to eat their own breakfasts.

Their friends showed up half an hour later and they piled into several vehicles to head off. They had a day of fun to get to and they all looked forward to it.

*

Bella woke up snuggled to something warm and soft. She had that dream a few times recently and didn't fight her urge to nuzzle it. A soft giggle from nearby gave her a happy feeling inside, because she hadn't heard such a pleasant sound before. She felt arms wrap around her and what she was nuzzling moved away from her mouth and her lips were occupied with soft lips.

“Mmmm.” Bella softly moaned. Whomever she was kissing moved her back and then fingers were inside of her and all thoughts disappeared in a flood of pleasure.

“You really needed this to relax, didn't you?” Gloria asked and all Bella could do was nod.

“I can help again.” Angela said and Bella moaned loudly as the fingers were removed and a delicate tongue lapped at her between her legs.

“I can't believe how fun this is.” Jessica said and Bella nodded again as another pair of hands caressed her breasts. “Look at those nips pop.”

“Mmmm!” Bella moaned into the mouth that was still kissing her when two more mouths latched onto her nipples. She tried to hug them and several giggles came from them, then her world seemed to explode and she came and came.

“Wow.” Angela whispered and Bella felt several loving kisses down below. “How can she come so easily?”

Bella felt the kiss on her mouth end and kept her eyes closed, because she didn't want this dream to end. It was too wonderful to give up on.

“Some people are really responsive.” Gloria said. “Do you want another turn, too?”

“Yes, please!” Angela said, eagerly.

Bella felt a little lonely when all sensations stopped.

“Angela needs you to kiss her and keep her mouth occupied, Bella.” Gloria said.

“Okay.” Bella said and reluctantly opened her eyes. She saw Jessica bent over with her head between Angela's legs and Lauren suckled Angela's left breast. She didn't question it and rolled over to press her lips to Angela's and kissed her to the best of her ability. Angela moaned into her mouth and she really liked that she made her friend make that sound.

“You're doing great, Jessica.” Gloria said and she moved behind her to lightly rub her pert ass, then she ducked down and started licking her.

“OHHH!” Jessica moaned and Angela cried out as well. “AHH!”

“My turn.” Lauren said and climbed up to the headboard and straddled Bella's head. Bella broke the kiss with Angela and looked up to see a very nice sight above her. It dripped onto her face and the liquid was so hot that it almost burned her skin. She lifted her head and started licking and kissing that tasty slit and Lauren's indecent moan urged Bella on because she wanted to hear it more.

“Yes! That's it, Bella! Dig in there! OHHHH!” Lauren gasped and came. Bella didn't stop, though.

“I never thought... I would have... such great friends.” Angela said and then moaned as she came.

Jessica looked pleased as she moved up to lay on top of her. “I think we can thank Gloria for showing us that it's okay to have a bit of fun with friends and that it doesn't have to be awkward.”

“Thank you!” Lauren and Angela said at the same time. Bella mumbled into Lauren's soaked opening and made the girl giggle and moan.

The five of them made each other feel really good for another half an hour before they ended up back into the cuddle pile they had been in after the last session of mutual satisfaction. Bella was once again snuggled up to Gloria's breasts and felt happy that someone would want to cuddle with her.

“Did all of that really happen?” Bella asked in a whisper.

“Yes, it did.” Gloria said and pet her hair. “It was also great, and wonderful, and I think all of our newfound friendships are going to be much stronger because of it.”

“I still want Mike's penis.” Jessica said and the other girls laughed.

“I hear you.” Gloria said and the others gave her questioning looks. “There's almost nothing better than having the man you love show you how much he does. That full feeling is difficult to get from anything else, even from toys. It's just not the same than having that hard warmth nestled inside of you.”

“You've already done it?” Angela asked, clearly surprised.

“I have.” Gloria admitted. “It's been a while since then and I know I'm not going to find another man to replace him. He was one of a kind.”

“That's kind of sad.” Jessica said. “I'm not going to let Mike go if he asks me out.”

“Maybe you could give him a few hints... like smacking him in the back of the head and telling him that you're going out from now on because you're tired of waiting.” Gloria said and the girls laughed. “Hey, that's pretty subtle to use on a guy.”

The girls kept laughing and a couple of them nodded.

Gloria checked the time and laid back down. “We have a few hours before morning, so we should go back to sleep.”

“It's the weekend, we don't have to get up at all.” Lauren said.

“That's a good point. I declare Sunday will be a lazy day and we're all staying in our pyjamas and relaxing all day.” Gloria said in a snooty voice that made them all giggle.

“Does that mean we have to get up and get dressed to put on pyjamas?” Angela asked as she snuggled into Gloria's back.

Gloria reached behind herself and gave Angela's ass a gentle grab. “There's no rush to get up and watch movies and pig-out on ice cream. We can stay like this for as long as you want.”

“Ugh, you're not supposed to give us reasons to get up.” Bella groused and Gloria chuckled.

“The ice cream isn't going anywhere.” Gloria said and kissed her forehead. “We can worry about what we can do after we all have another nap.”

Sounds of agreement responded to her statement and the other girls all seemed to drift off to sleep within moments of realizing they should be asleep. Gloria gave each of them a pleased look because she hadn't planned on things going this far when she had play kissed Bella on a dare. Things went a bit off the rails when Angela said she wanted to learn how to kiss like that and then Jessica and Lauren wanted to learn, too.

Gloria held in her laugh because the kissing lesson had quickly devolved into a sex education class and quickly led into a huge pile of nakedness and making sure everyone knew their bodies inside and out. They had really enjoyed learning how to make themselves feel good and how to make others feel good as well.

All in all, it was a great first time of exploration for them all and Gloria drifted off to sleep with the reassurance that things really wouldn't be awkward in the morning when they woke up. None of them would regret learning so much or getting off so much, especially Bella. She would make sure of it.

*

The Denali Coven of Vampires never knew what hit it. One moment had them enjoying their weekend feast and the next moment had their entire settlement completely destroyed. None of them survived. When the light faded from the energy explosion, parts of the settlement started to fill back in. Half an hour later, it was like nothing had happened, except that there were no inhabitants left.

Over the next week, the Seattle infestation of vampires were hunted down and exterminated. None of the vampires knew what was going on and none of them lived to report it. As far as the normal world and the vampire world were concerned, nothing had happened.

*

The new clothing store was a huge success when it opened and everyone in town loved it, even the burly men that enjoyed rough denim and flannel shirts. The clothing and selection was so different from the other clothing store in town that no one complained or worried about putting the other one out of business.

In fact, they advertised each other in their store windows, just so people would know where to shop for what they needed. That made the people accept the new store owner very quickly and everyone had a favorable opinion of the Hansen Family that had bought the old Johnson's place.

The Lodge also liked having the occasional huge gathering of teenagers that bought out a quarter of their restaurant area every weekend for their unofficial get-togethers. A few of them paired off quickly, Jessica and Mike, Angela and Eric, and Lauren and Tommy. They looked like they would be long lasting, too. Those girls knew what they wanted and had the confidence to take it.

Bella had been disappointed and depressed after hearing about the Cullens moving away and Gloria had done her best to help her get over it. She even told her that her sister bought the place, just so some developer wouldn't snatch it up because it was such a nice house. That decision had made Bella really appreciate that her friend cared so much.

When Gloria gave the girls a tour of the magnificent house that looked like an ultra-modern designer's wet dream, the girls fell in love with the place. They would never know that it had been recently renovated to fit actual beds in the rooms, since this world's vampires never slept.

Jessica joked about it being declared their new clubhouse and it was met with laughs and giggles. Her words would end up being prophetic, because over the summer, it ended up becoming just that.

*

None of the vampires in the rest of the state would ever warn their compatriots that they were being systematically hunted down and exterminated. By the time they knew there was a problem, no one was left to warn the next group. Since they were nomadic by nature, contact between groups was sparse at best, so word of the vampires disappearing was never spread.

No one noticed how all of the forests flourished, even in harsh weather, or that there were hundreds of forest elves and creatures taking care of them. The phenomenon slowly spread to the nearby states and kept spreading, like a virus, and more vampires died and more forests were left in the wake of expansion.

*

The summer passed quickly for the girls with their part-time jobs, fun with friends, beach visits, boyfriends, and fashionable clothes taking up all of their time. None of them regretted it, though. They had a blast and it was the best summer that any of them had ever had so far.

The new school year started and the girls had an easy time of it. They would never discover that the jewellery Gloria had gifted them for their birthdays did a lot more for them than look pretty. Gloria was there taking a few classes after testing out of most of the other subjects and she tended to the clothing shop when she wasn't at school.

College for them all was an enticing prospect, mainly because Ria had offered to pay their way if they wanted to go. She didn't want her little sister Gloria to go all by herself. No one ever questioned why neither of them were ever seen together at the same time.

At night, Ria continued her vampire hunt as her army of elves and creatures grew at a constant rate. There really was an inordinate amount of forests everywhere, so her movements were never discovered. The perpetual trees would eventually become a topic of curiosity after the first few winters when they never went into hibernation, despite all tests showing they were normal trees.

*

Bella's life had improved beyond anything she could have ever imagined. Moving to Forks from Phoenix had seemed like a severe downgrade at first. Now, she had four great friends and she couldn't imagine her life without them. They did everything together, and she meant everything, and she had no intention to ever change that. All she needed was a boyfriend of her own.

Prom was coming up and she didn't really have anyone she was interested in, even if a few of the boys had asked her if she wanted to go with them. When she said she only wanted to go as friends, they were quick to decline, so it left her without many prospects.

Ria came to her rescue and said she would arrange for an appropriate escort for both her and Gloria, since she was in the same situation. It was a bit of a scandal when it came out who they were taking, despite the fact they were going as friends. Both girls said they would have gone together if the school would have allowed it and that caused another scandal.

The clothing store brought in hundreds of prom dresses, suits, and tuxedos for the event and they were all high quality and cheap in price. No one could understand how she was making any money with how inexpensive everything was, since they didn't know she was getting everything for free. A few apparitions to the better stores in New York and Los Angeles gave Ria lots of clothes to copy.

The night of the prom, two very well dressed handsome men that looked like twins showed up at Ria's house and they used Gloria's BMW to take her and Bella to the prom. Everyone stared at the two men, probably because they looked identical and were clearly older than their two dates.

By the end of the night, everyone except their friends were completely jealous of the two girls for having perfect dates. The searing kisses they shared brought the evening to an end and both men left a breathless Bella and a giggling Gloria on the porch of Charlie's house. The police chief was quite happy that they were home at a reasonable hour and their dates hadn't tried anything.

Gloria spent the night and had a great sleepover with Bella, like they always did, and they talked until late into the night about the best prom they had ever had.

*

Another summer arrived and the shop closed for two weeks. Ria had bought Gloria and her friends a European Vacation as a graduation present and she didn't want them to miss out on their jobs. Jessica, Lauren, Angela, Bella, and Gloria had an absolute blast touring London, Paris, and Rome.

At night, Ria hunted and cleared out the vampire nests. The last to be hit was the main compound of the Volturi. Unlike the other all-vampire settlements she had come across, it was completely underground and was filled with indentured slaves, willing blood donors, and petitioners to become vampires. She killed them all.

Now that she had the coordinates for her apparition spell, she could easily come back to Europe at night to continue her extermination of the bloodsuckers. It would take months for her to clear them all out, even with her converting forests and sending out scouts. More trips to other continents would be needed each summer so that she could hunt them all down.

*

Not surprisingly, the five female best friends all chose to go to college. It was fully paid, even for their boyfriends if they wanted to go, and the course material was just as easy as it was in high school. They excelled at their chosen specialties and time seemed to pass like water in a stream. Summer trips, working in the clothing shop that always had the latest fashions, and being deeply in love with their men.

Bella finally found someone she liked that reminded her of Edward, which didn't surprise any of her friends. He was fully vetted by them, too. It made them all laugh as he happily went along with the interrogation and he seemed to fit in with their group well.

Their college years came to an end and their lives took different directions. Surprisingly, Ria chose to retire from the store and sold it to Jessica and Lauren. Both girls were staying in Forks because their men had jobs there as well, which meant when they got married, their lives would be perfect. Ria continued to give them inexpensive clothing shipments, too.

Bella and her beau moved into the clubhouse officially, which made her father Charlie extremely happy, because his daughter chose to apply for a teaching position at the high school and her husband applied as a deputy. Forks was their home now and they wanted to make it better and keep it safe.

Angela moved to Los Angeles with Tommy and lived the high and fast paced life they always dreamed about, thanks to a secret loan of ten million dollars from Ria, and they had a wonderful time having a wonderful time. That much money in the bank ensured that they and their children could live off the interest for the rest of their lives.

Ria moved away from Forks and continued her mission to remove the vampires from the world and it took her almost a decade to get to the point that she thought she was done. When she finally gained that last land at the North Pole and unlocked the entire planet with her powers, it gave her a spell that she had never seen before. World Map.

It was expensive to cast and had quite a few options she could access, like the current tech level, infestations, and level of evil. Some were locked, like repressed powers, magic levels or types, and benign or extinct animals. She would need to check the next few worlds to see if anything else would unlock aspects of such a useful spell.

Ria cast it for fun and a quarter of her mana was sucked into the spell. It almost staggered her, considering how much mana she usually had access to. A beach ball sized projection appeared in front of her and her eyes widened as it slowly rotated and little red dots appeared on it. She poked one and it said it was a rogue vampire. Another dot appeared next to it and she growled.

She memorized the coordinates of each red dot and ended the spell, then apparated right on top of those two dots. She killed both vampires and disposed of their remains and the other bodies in the abandoned house. Another apparition had another vampire disposed of and she kept working until she felt a shiver.

Another cast of the spell that took another quarter of her mana, let Ria know that her extermination mission really was finally over. There were no vampires, active or otherwise, and she felt it was time to leave.

Ria was tempted to stay, just so she could watch the children of her friends grow up, and decided that she had done enough for them. A few final gifts and filled bank accounts as bequeathments to let them know she would no longer be around, and she used her Magic and Chi to cover herself before she moved on to the next world.

* Naruto

Gloria appeared in an alleyway again, only this time it seemed like she was a little too late. She gasped at the sight of a crowd of drunken people that were beating on a bleeding five year old child. Punches and kicks were liberally applied to the crying child that had been stabbed in the side with a kunai.

“What the HELL are you doing?!?” Gloria shouted.

Only a couple of people in the crowd turned to look at her.

“Get lost, bitch!” A woman angrily spat at her. “They decided to let this monster into the ninja academy to learn how to kill us more efficiently!”

“That's right! We're going to kill this demon for all the evil it brought to this village!” A man shouted.

“Kill it before it can kill us all!” One of the other men exclaimed.

That was all Gloria needed to hear. These scum didn't deserve to live after saying that about a child. Her hands glowed and she aimed her palms at their heads. Several bright flash later, the headless and armless bodies of everyone in the crowd dropped to the ground. A blast used to kill stone-like vampires on the last world was more than enough to make quick work of the twelve criminals.

There was movement on the roof above her and Gloria didn't hesitate to blast them, too. A headless body dropped down to the ground and she saw that it was dressed all in black and held a sword. She knew right away that whomever it had been had let the crowd beat on a child and she didn't feel guilty about ending him. Why she felt so ruthless when she didn't know all the facts, would bother her later.

Gloria walked over to the crying child that was still begging the dead bodies to stop beating him. She kicked the dead bodies aside and knelt by the boy. “It's all right. You're going to be fine.”

The blond haired boy with whiskers on his face looked up at her and had tears in his eyes.

“Full heal.” Gloria said with a hand on his clearly broken arm and a bright light covered the boy.

The boy stared at her as all of his wounds, new and old, were healed. His tears slowed down and then stopped. “Wha... how... why...”

“No child should be treated like that.” Gloria said and carefully picked him up in her arms. “Where are your parents?”

The boy ducked his head. “They... they're dead. I'm an orphan.”

Gloria felt her heart go out to the kid. “What's your name?”

The boy lifted his head to stare at her. “You don't know it?”

“I just arrived here and saw these criminals trying to kill you.” Gloria said.

“Criminals? They're just villagers. They do this every year on my birthday.” The boy said and mistook the shocked look on her face as a questioning one. “My name's Naruto! Believe it!”

Gloria held onto the boy that had just arbitrarily dismissed being beaten to death as a normal occurrence. It took her several seconds before she realized he was waiting for her to introduce herself. She decided to go with Ria again, since no one questioned it on the last world.

“You can call me Ria.” She told him.

“That's a pretty name! Believe it!” Naruto said and made some kind of sign with his hands.

Gloria didn't bother asking him what it meant because she knew she would find out eventually. She looked down at the bodies and she knew there would be trouble for her if anyone found them, so she gave them the same treatment as the vampires and disintegrated their remains. She probably should have looted them to see who they were; but, she honestly didn't care about that.

The sword looked nice, so she easily held Naruto with one arm and picked the sword up with her free hand. It had a convenient clasp that attached to her belt and she hung it there on her hip.

“Now, what am I going to do with you?” Ria asked him.

“You can take me home! Believe it!” Naruto said, happily.

Ria softly laughed. “I would take you home, except I don't have a home here to take you to.”

Naturo's happy smile froze on his face. “You'd really take me to your home?”

“Of course I would. I just saved you from being killed and I'm not letting you out of my sight until I know you're safe.” Ria said in as reassuring of a voice as she could.

Naruto felt more tears come to his eyes. “You really... you really...”

“Shh.” Ria whispered and used both arms to hug the boy. She felt his small arms go around her neck and he held on and cried hard wracking sobs. She did her best to rub his back through his damaged jumpsuit and let him get it all out of his system.

Naruto eventually calmed down and looked really embarrassed.

“It's okay, Naruto. Everyone needs to have a good cry at some point.” Ria said and smiled crookedly. “Just last week I stubbed my toe on a coffee table and bawled my eyes out!”

Naruto looked surprised for a moment, then slapped a hand over his mouth and giggled.

“I hopped around like a bunny rabbit, too. My poor little toe hurt soooo much! I even cursed out loud! Can you believe it?” Ria asked with a grin.

Naruto snorted and laughed pretty loudly, even with his mouth covered. She used his catch phrase!

“Where do you live?” Ria asked him.

“Near the red district.” Naruto said and pointed as he started giving her directions.

Ria started walking and she didn't miss the angry looks she was getting, or the looks Naruto was getting for being in her arms. At one point, another group of people approached them with anger on their faces and she held Naruto with one arm and aimed a palm at the crowd and let her hand glow with Chi.

“If you say one mean thing about this child, you will all be dead a second later.” Ria warned them.

“You can't threaten us! That's against the rules! As a Shinobi of the village, you work for us and...” A man started to say.

Ria dropped her hand to his feet and let a single short blast go. The ground exploded and people started screaming. The dust was quickly taken away by the wind and everyone saw that the small crowd had been pushed back and had fallen onto their backsides. There was also a five foot wide crater where the blast had hit.

“As if I would ever work for a village that treats their orphaned children like you do.” Ria almost growled and most of them pissed themselves when her hand glowed again, men and women alike.

Several figures appeared around her, also dressed completely in black, except for their masks. One was a dog, one was a bear, and the third was a cat.

“It is against the law to attack civilians.” The dog said.

“Is it against the law for civilians to attack a child?” Ria asked and the three figures exchanged looks. “Besides, I attacked the ground.” She let the glow fade and pointed at the crater. “It's not my fault that people trying to make trouble stumbled and fell afterwards.”

“That's not what happened! She shot at my feet!” The man exclaimed as he scrambled to his feet and pointed at her. “She's a foreign ninja and I want her charged and put in prison!”

To everyone's surprise, Ria and Naruto disappeared from where they stood and reappeared behind the man. Her free hand grabbed the man by the neck and she lifted him up a foot from the ground without straining.

“Excuse me, what was that you said?” Ria asked in a sweet voice.

“Put the civilian down.” The cat said and took out long metal claws from a pouch and put them on.

“I will as soon as this idiot tells you all the truth. He and his friends were going to assault both myself and the child I carried in my arms until I threatened them. When they didn't back off, I attacked the ground.” Ria said and made her hand glow.

The man peed himself, because the glow was around his neck.

“Well? Go ahead and tell them.” Ria said and shook the man.

“IT'S TRUE! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!” The man yelled.

“You attack this boy every year, don't you?”

“YES!” He yelled. “LET ME GO! LET ME GO!”

“Coerced confessions are not really admissible.” The bear said.

“Who cares about that? I just wanted the truth out there that you morons let it go on for years and never do anything about it, when you all very easily could.” Ria said and tossed the civilian to him. She wasn't surprised that the bear caught him and then pushed him behind himself without getting any urine on his hands.

“You have to come with us.” The dog said and slowly drew his weapons from his belt.

“No, I don't. No crime was committed, according to your own laws. I also have a child to take care of and get to his home.” Ria said and motioned to the civilians. “Or do you only care about perpetuating their despicable behavior?”

“It's not our job to...”

“YES, IT IS!” Ria yelled and everyone within earshot winced at the strength of it. “Are you going to stand there and tell me that each and every one of you will stand by and watch fully grown mature adults as they beat on a bleeding and crying child because it's NOT YOUR JOB to help him? Are you?”

The dog didn't respond and Ria didn't expect him to.

“You go back to whomever your boss is and you tell them that I won't stand for it! Naruto is under MY PROTECTION from now on and NO ONE WILL EVER HURT HIM EVER AGAIN!”

Everyone leaned away from her yells and Naruto could only stare at her, because he hadn't been affected by the sound and he was right there by her mouth.

“Go on! Put your tails back between your legs and go back to not doing your jobs.” Ria ordered.

“You can't expect to get away from us. We are ANBU and...” The dog started to say.

Ria and Naruto disappeared from where they were and reappeared behind the dog. The man whipped around with his weapons poised to attack, only for the blade of a sword to slice the bottom of his dog mask off and then his two weapons broke apart.

“If I wanted to get away, you would never find me, moron.” Ria said and hung the sword back on her belt. “Now get lost before you make me angry.” She said and leaned forward. “You won't like it when I'm angry.”

The cat ninja appeared in a swirl of leaves and took the dog ninja's arm. “We need to report in.”

The dog gave her a pointed look through his mask and looked back at Ria... and she wasn't there.

“I can't detect her anywhere.” Bear said.

The dog whispered a curse and then sighed at his broken weapons. “We need to report this to the Hokage.” He said and bent down to pick up the bottom half of his mask.

“She could have taken your head before you turned around.” Cat warned him and he didn't acknoledge it. The three of them disappeared in three swirls of leaves.

*

“You actually live here?” Ria asked and looked at the rundown building.

“All by myself, too! Believe it!” Naruto said, happily. He had enjoyed seeing the stupid animal ninjas being shown what real strength meant. He had seen them following him a bunch of times and they never helped him until the civilians had tired themselves out after beating him up. They didn't even take him to the hospital and dropped him off in his bed.

“Why?” Ria asked and entered the building.

“I was kicked out of the orphanage last year and Jiji let me live on my own! It's great! I don't have to do chores or get picked on by the other kids! Believe it!” Naruto said, excitedly.

Ria walked to the landlord's door and knocked.

The door opened and the scruffy man squinted his eyes at Naruto. “Whatever the hell you want me to fix this time, forget it! I've been nice enough to rent to you and I only charge you double for all the trouble you bring me and the other tenants!”

Ria's backhand slap spun the man around and he collapsed to the floor, his face bright red. “You pathetic scum! He's a goddamn child! Do you really think treating him like this is going to make him like you or want to stay here when he's old enough to leave? DO YOU?”

The man looked angry. “If he doesn't want to stay here, then get the hell out and take the brat with you!”

“Sure, as soon as you hand over all the money you've stolen from him for the entire time he's stayed here.” Ria said and the man scoffed at her. “That wasn't a request.” She said and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and easily picked him up. “You've robbed him, just like all the other assholes in this stupid village and you WILL pay him back.”

“No, I won't.” The man denied, even as his legs swung in the air.

Ria shook him. “You will.” Shake. “Do.” Shake. “You.” Shake. “Understand?” Shake. Shake.

The man was pretty rattled by this point and could only nod. As soon as she let him go, he ran inside his apartment and slammed the door shut.

Ria sighed and kicked the door in. It blasted off the hinges and hit the man as it flew by and embedded into the wall across the living room. She walked over to the man and picked him up. Three more shakes made the man compliant and he led them to his stash. He really had been skimming the rent for a long time and hadn't reported it, which meant he couldn't tell anyone he was doing it and hid it.

“How very generous of you.” Ria said and smacked the man to knock him out. She only lightly healed him to remove the evidence of the light beating he had taken and gathered up the cash box filled with Ryo, the local currency.

“Let's go pack up your stuff.” Ria said and gave the box to Naruto, whom looked shocked. “Yes, that's your money. Your life is going to be different from now on. I guarantee it.”

Naruto nodded and told her what apartment was his and they entered it, only to see that it was completely trashed. His school books were ruined, his training weapons broken, and all of his food had been torn open and several bugs were feasting on it. They even painted 'demon' and 'devil child' on the walls.

“He knew.” Ria said and shook her head. “I'd kill him if we didn't need him as a witness.”

“What do you mean?” Naruto asked.

“He obviously knows them and let them in. The door lock wasn't broken.” Ria said and Naruto's eyes widened. “I doubt anything will be done to them. They do this all the time, don't they?”

Naruto nodded and didn't say how often. “I have to pay for repairs myself.”

“Not any more.” Ria said and held him with one arm and helped him search for anything salvageable. They even ruined his spare orange jumpsuits. “Why are they all orange?”

“It's all the man at the store will sell me. They cost a lot.” Naruto said, sadly. Luckily, his wallet was still inside his hidden stash and the money was still there. He hugged the toad wallet and looked on the verge of crying.

“Go ahead, Naruto. It's okay to be angry and sad about this.” Ria prompted him.

Naruto let the tears flow and hugged the wallet with one hand and her neck with the other. “Why? Why is it always me?”

“I don't know.” Ria said and rubbed his back. “If I find out, I'll tell you.”

“You... you will?” Naruto asked, clearly surprised.

“I think you have had enough of adults lying to you.” Ria said and Naruto nodded. “We have to sit down and make a list of everything you've lost. Either the civilians will be made to replace it or the village elders will. It's their fault this happens.”

“Why?” Naruto asked as Ria picked up the torn apart couch and set it on its legs.

“They know you are targeted and do nothing to stop it. It's almost like they want you constantly hunted and hurt to keep you down and depressed.” Ria said and her eyes widened. “That's exactly what they want! When you graduate and become a ninja, it will stop, because they want good feelings associated with your profession!”

Naruto blinked his eyes at her a few times. “But... that... why...”

“If you stayed a civilian, you would stay a huge burden on the civilian population. If they teach you to fight and defend the village, then they control you for the rest of your life and you'll like doing it.” Ria said and sighed as she sat down. “This isn't the first time I've shown up somewhere and it wasn't quite in time to change everything that's happened. All I can do is the best I can do to make things better.”

Naruto saw the determined look in her eyes and he knew that he had that same look when he looked in the broken mirror in his bathroom every morning. He nodded at her and Ria used the back of a torn scroll to write down everything that was damaged and lost. Ria prompted him to add everything, including the food and things lost in previous attacks, and he told her everything.

There was a lot, even more than Naruto realized, and Ria filled the scroll up with small writing. His little mind was almost blown away at everything that he had lost over the years and more tears came to his eyes.

Ria pulled him back onto her lap and hugged him as he cried again. “It doesn't seem like much when it happens, does it? It's not until you write it all down that you find out exactly how much it was and the money you've used to replace it all.”

Naruto nodded several times and wiped at his eyes.

“Don't worry. I'm here now and like I told those animals, no one will hurt you ever again.” Ria said just as a knock came on the apartment's door.

“Don't put me down.” Naruto whispered.

Ria smiled at him. “You noticed that the ninjas didn't want to attack me with you so close?”

Naruto nodded.

“Then you're smarter than most of the civilians.” Ria praised him and Naruto smiled back. She looked at the door. “It's not locked!”

The door opened and revealed an old man wearing weird clothing that almost looked like a bathrobe.

“Hi, Jiji!” Naruto said and waved.

The old man smiled at him and took a single step inside. His eyes moved to the woman that Naruto was being held by and he froze. Her almost bronze skin stood out and her long black hair that went down her back was really distinctive. The problem was, he didn't recognize her or had any hints of her lineage, and he was known as The Professor.

“Do I look that different under the lights?” Ria asked him, clearly poking at the reports his people had brought to him.

She must have known they wouldn't have gauged her correctly. The old man thought. “My name is Hiruzen Sarutobi and I am the Third Hokage of this village.”

“That's the leader, right?” Ria asked and he nodded. “Then this is all your fault.”

“WHAT?” Naruto gasped and Hiruzen sighed.

“He knows whatever secrets that makes everyone hate you. They attack you and he does nothing to stop it.” Ria explained.

Naruto's mouth dropped open and he looked over at his Jiji and saw the sad look on the man's face. “It's true?” He asked and felt like his heart was being squeezed. He thought Jiji liked him.

“Things are not that cut and dried.” Hiruzen said.

“Really? You couldn't have kept Naruto nearby, or in a protected area, and let him live a normal life and not being constantly hunted, robbed, and assaulted?” Ria asked. “The constant glares from the villagers is pretty harsh, too.”

“I didn't want too many people to know how much I cared about him.” Hiruzen said. “My political opponents would have used him against me.”

“You mean they aren't now?” Ria asked and the man didn't answer. “As long as they get their pound of flesh, everything's okay, isn't it?”

Hiiruzen sighed. “Again, it's not that simple.”

“Actually, I think you are too close to the problem to see it for what it is.” Ria said and stood up with Naruto held with one arm to show the old man the extensive list of things that Naruto had lost. “Or you're manipulating Naruto by convincing him that he needs to become a ninja to prove to the village that he's worth something.”

“I need to be a ninja to become Hokage! Believe it!” Naruto said with a fist in the air.

Ria motioned to Naruto and Hiruzen didn't deny the truth, and she hadn't expected him to, not with Naruto right there.

Hiruzen's eyes went over the list and he couldn't keep the surprise and sadness off of his face. The boy was only five and he had lost so much, including his recently bought school things. He had only been at the academy for seven months, from April to October, and had already lost two sets of training things from attacks and tonight would make it the third.

“You have to forgive us for not offering you some tea or something. The place is a bit of a mess right now and the roaches are munching on the tea leaves.” Ria said and waved at the wrecked kitchen.

Hiruzen glanced over and saw the mess. He did his best to not react to the damage and looked back at her. She was being quite effective in rubbing his face in his mistakes and he couldn't fault her for it. He really had messed up and hadn't been watching the boy as closely as he should have been. That was when he noticed the sword on her hip. A very familiar sword.

“One of the ANBU...”

“Condoned the attack on Naruto and stayed to watch and make sure they succeeded.” Ria interrupted him. “It wasn't until I stopped the civilians that whomever it was decided I was a bigger threat than a child and tried to step in. I removed them.”

“The body...”

“Vaporized, as were all of the civilians involved.” Ria said and Hiruzen stopped breathing. “Since no crime was ever committed and all evidence removed, I believe nothing will happen, just like all the other times the ANBU covered up the attacks.”

The dog masked ninja appeared beside Hiruzen with a new mask. “That's not what happened.”

“No? Then were the other civilians ever prosecuted? Jailed? Fined? Given a slap on the wrist? Scolded like school children?” Ria asked and each question made Naruto frown more and Hiruzen felt like he was losing a battle he didn't know to fight. “Right. Nothing was ever done and none of them were ever discouraged to not do it again. After tonight, that is no longer an option.”

“You have no right to...”

“...protect a defenseless child from endless beatings?” Ria interrupted him. “I think whatever you believe no longer matters.”

The dog ninja tensed.

“Please remain calm. There's no need to escalate things.” Hiruzen advised them.

“It's your ANBU that are guilty of that, Hokage. I am perfectly calm.” Ria said and smiled. “I am also telling you that Naruto is under my protection and that your pathetic ANBU are no longer required, since they never did their job anyway.”

“It's not our job to...”

“I just said that, moron.” Ria cut him off again. “Continue to spout stupid things and you will see how useless you really are.”

“That was a direct threat to a village ninja. You are under arrest for...”

*HHHHNNNNN!*

Two beams of bright red energy from Ria's eyes instantly burned through the dog mask's eyes and out the back of the ninja's head. The dead body dropped to the floor with a thump and both Naruto and Hiruzen stared at it.

“As I was saying, the people responsible, both civilian and ninja, will reimburse Naruto for all the things he's lost and everything will be replaced. I do not mean with the cheapest versions, either. He has been robbed enough and he will no longer suffer from the hatred of others. Every mean word will be countered, every glare returned tenfold, every attack with their removal.” Ria said, her voice deadly. “Is that clear, Third Hokage?”

Hiruzen could only nod. His own prodigious skill and reactions hadn't been enough to react to the beams until they had already cut through Dog's head. Even the replacement technique not using hand seals wouldn't have been quick enough to save him.

“I'm going to search for a nice house near the academy, since Naruto is going to be studying there.” Ria announced and neither Naruto nor Hiruzen objected. “I fully expect to be left alone from now on, Third Hokage. If anyone attacks me, my home, or Naruto, they will be permanently removed. Do you understand?”

Hiruzen nodded.

“Naruto seems to like you, so you can visit occasionally. Do not send your other dogs to let us know when that will be. They won't return if they show up unexpectedly.” Ria warned him. “Use a telephone or send a note.”

Hiruzen nodded again and watched as Ria walked out with an oddly pensive Naruto braced on her hip. He didn't even think about not listening to the unknown woman and his eyes dropped down to look at the dead ANBU agent at his feet. Cat, Bear, and Mouse appeared in the room in a swirl of leaves.

“Lord Hokage, we cannot let...”

“Be quiet!” Hiruzen ordered and Bear snapped his mouth closed. “You are to spread the word to the other ANBU. Mouse, inform the regular forces and police. Cat, inform the ninjas of the village. I will tell the village council. No one... I repeat NO ONE... is to approach her or Naruto. I will not have any more needless deaths happening in this village.”

“It will be done, Lord Hokage.” The three of them said.

Bear bent down and easily hefted the body onto his shoulder and then disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Mouse saluted and disappeared in another swirl of leaves. Cat stayed where she was.

“You have a question?” Hiruzen asked.

“Lord Hokage, I volunteer to join the watch to ensure Naruto is safe from...”

A single red beam like a laser sliced through Cat's mask and split it right down the middle. The two halves flopped away and revealed a woman's shocked and undamaged face.

Hiruzen turned to look at the wall and saw a similar slice in the solid concrete outer wall. “I don't believe you need to concern yourself about that.” He said and turned back to see Cat cover her face with a cloth mask. “Not anymore.”

“Yes, Lord Hokage.” Cat said and disappeared in a subdued swirl of leaves.

*

Ria was only a little surprised to see that there were several properties that were empty near the academy. It didn't really make sense, until she asked about them and saw the outrageous prices being charged for them. It seemed like whomever owned them was holding onto them in case the Academy decided to expand their grounds and the land was in a prime location for that.

There were other properties, except they were much farther away and were in worse parts of town. The civilians had made sure there was a distinct divide between where it was acceptable for ninjas and shinobi were allowed within their living areas, so the choices were a tiny house far from the school or a nice two storey house nearby and to pay the outrageous price for the land.

The funny thing was, Ria was getting a green mana and a red mana with each new piece of land she gained control of. Sometimes it was a colorless mana and a red mana and the small park gave her blue, red and green, which was water, fire, and forest. She asked Naruto where they were and he told her.

“We're in the Hidden Village of the Leaf, Konoha, in the Land of Fire! Believe it!” Naruto said, happy to have remembered it after learning it in school.

Ria chuckled at his enthusiasm. “There seems to be a lot of forests inside the city walls.”

“Those are training grounds! Most ninja teams use them to train. I'm going to train in them one day!”

Ria nodded and walked back to the closest property to the academy. She knew that the owner wasn't going to sell just the one property, because as soon as they didn't have it, the entire spread of lots would become worthless. If someone was living on one of the lots, then the Academy wouldn't buy the surrounding properties to expand.

“What do you think we should do with this big ugly house?” Ria asked.

“Big house go boom!” Naruto said and thrust a tiny fist forward as if to punch it.

Ria laughed. “That's a little extreme; but, not a bad idea to change them into lands the Academy can't use. Let's go see if the idiot will drop his price if he knows what will happen if he doesn't sell it to us.”

Naruto beamed a smile at her and Ria carried him over to the land owner. He lived in what could easily be called a mansion on the civilian side of the city. He actually demanded even more money when Ria offered to buy all of the vacant properties instead of just the single lot she wanted.

The man had laughed at the threat of Naruto's idea and said he wasn't going to sell to a ninja because he suspected that the Academy was going to expand and thanked her for confirming the rumors. Now he could charge whatever he wanted and the civilian council would have to pay him.

“Well, we tried to convince him. Let's go have some fun.” Ria said to Naruto and he cheered.

The man stared when she disappeared and then he heard several loud bangs, some flashes, and then nothing. He was worried that she would come back and attack him, so he slammed his door shut and called the council representative to report the incident. He described everything as him being threatened, of course. He wasn't going to admit to his greed or his schemes.

Half an hour later, he was arrested for making a false claim and charged for allowing such prime land near the Academy to become creature infested swamps. They were confiscated by the village council and then sold for a pittance with the reassurance that they would be converted into high quality lands as soon as possible with expensive housing.

Any unoccupied land and houses would be sold back to the village for a reasonable price, assuming the Academy didn't buy it first for their own use. Once the proposed plans for the conversion were discussed with the council and the people running the Academy, they made requests of their own and the swamp owner was given a month to do it.

Genin teams were given high paying tasks to build barricades around the stinky lands the next day and even experienced ninjas joined in, probably because it was the weekend and it was easy money. The task was fulfilled in a single day. No one wanted the swamps to contaminate the surrounding lands and the barricades easily hid what was going on inside.

Naruto had a real home to stay in that very night and had his own room. He had a delicious meal, even if all he really wanted was ramen to eat. When promised he could have ramen as a snack whenever he wanted, he devoured the normal food like a vacuum to make his new mom Ria laugh. When she went with him to his favorite ramen stand, Ichiraku's, she gave the owner a suitcase of money for always being there for him.

“I... I... I can't accept this!” Teuchi exclaimed.

“Your daughter's going through the academy, isn't she?” Ria asked him and the man nodded. “Then use the money for her tuition and enjoy your work for what it is and not as a means for her to learn to defend herself.”

“But, I love my work! Ramen is my life!” Teuchi exclaimed.

Ria laughed. “I got that. You just don't have to work yourself to the bone anymore. Live your life like you would have if you didn't have to pay for her training.”

“But...”

“She's only ten, so she has two more years before she can graduate officially. Consider this an investment on ensuring that my adopted son will always have Ichiraku's Ramen to look forward to.”

Teuchi had tears in his eyes as he hugged the case of money. “Lady Ria, you are an angel sent from heaven!”

“She is! Believe it!” Naruto shouted and raised a fist into the air with his fingers making a 'V'. “I want two of your biggest bowls of miso ramen with extra pork!”

“Right away, Naruto!” Teuchi shouted back, gave him a high five, and went to work.

“I'll take one as well.” Ria said to the man's daughter that had just come out of the back room.

Ayame gave her a wave and put on an apron and hat to help her father.

Naruto sat down on a stool and Ria sat beside him. “Thanks a lot for this, Okaasan.”

Ria put an arm over his little shoulders. “You don't need to thank me for taking care of you, Naruto. You're my family now and it's my job to make sure that you are healthy, whole, and ready to face the world.”

A man walked over to the stand and made a scoff sound. “Hey, Teuchi! Why are you still serving the demon child? You're going to keep losing business...”

His head was pulped when Ria's backhand slammed into the side of his face. The force of the blow sent the dead body flailing through the air and across the street. It landed in a heap and not one single person moved or said anything.

“For some reason, idiots keep insulting my son.” Ria said in a calm voice and turned to look at the civilians trying to glare at Naruto. “Would anyone else like to try it?”

They all shook their heads and backed away.

“I apologize for the mess.” Ria said to Teuchi and used a cloth to wipe off her hand. “You would think civilians would be smart enough to keep a civil tongue in their heads after they've been warned.”

Teuchi nodded several times, because the announcement had been on the television and radio all last night and this morning. He put two bowls of ramen in front of Naruto and Ayame put the third in front of Ria.

“Thank you!” Naruto exclaimed and used chopsticks to dig into the bowl and sucked in a huge piece of pork and chewed on it. “That's so good! Believe it!”

Ria chuckled and tried some of her own bowl. “It really is good.” She said and nodded at Ayame. “I think I'll be visiting here more than I thought I was going to.”

Ayame smiled and returned to the cooking area as if nothing had happened. Teuchi on the other hand, looked across the street at the two policemen and a village ninja talking over the body. All three of them turned to see both Naruto and Ria sitting at the stand, look scared, and the ninja gathered up the body and disappeared. The two policemen ran off, too.

Ria ate at a similar pace to Naruto and she finished off her bowl when he was halfway through his second one. She waited patiently for him and Naruto didn't waste time finishing it off and drinking the last of the broth.

“Let's head over to the library and we can see about borrowing a few books to get you caught up on your homework until the Hokage has your replacement school supplies delivered.” Ria said and stood.

“Aww, do we have to?” Naruto asked with a huge pout on his face.

Ayame giggled and pointed at his trembling lower lip.

“We can come back here after supper for two more bowls.” Ria promised.

“OKAY!” Naruto yelled and held his arms up. “Jump! Jump!”

Ria chuckled and picked him up to hold him close. “How far do you want to go this time?”

“Hokage Mountain!” Naruto said and pointed at the thing that was at the far side of the walled city.

“You're lucky I have tons and tons of mana.” Ria said and both Teuchi and Ayame looked surprised. “Magic user and Chi user.” She said as an explanation. “All right, here we go!”

“YAY!” Naruto said and then he and Ria disappeared.

The two cooks stared at the spot and then leaned out of the stand and stared at the mountain.

“Yaaay!” Echoed through the air and they thought they could see a little orange figure standing on top of the Third Hokage's giant stone head.

“I wanna do that.” Ayame whispered and felt a little envy.

“You only have two more years to learn what you can.” Teuchi whispered back. “I will restrict you to using the stairs until you can learn that swirly leaf thing.”

Ayame gave him a hug. “Thanks, Obaasan.”

Teuchi hugged her back and they went back to work. A few civilians showed up and looked nervous, as if something was going to jump out at them. It made the man laugh in his head that someone was finally teaching the stupid people of the village that if you treated a child like a demon, it would make them become one to spite you.

*

“I can't allow riffraff like that in here. There's no telling what he will do to the village's valuable knowledge.” The snobby woman at the village library's front desk said before she looked up and down at Ria, clearly judging her. “You also don't have permission or are a registered ninja with either the village or anyone else. You are not permitted to take out books or scrolls for either yourself or for... that.”

Ria gave the woman a smile that made the woman very nervous.

“I'm not being mean or vindictive because of the demon child. He is a new student and doesn't know how to treat the delicate things here and you really don't have any standing in the village.” The woman quickly said to cover her proverbial butt. “There are also rare and little known ninja techniques that neither of you are allowed to look at, let alone borrow.”

“I see.” Ria said with a sweet voice and her hands started to glow. “If things here are so delicate and dangerous to handle, perhaps no one should have access to them.”

“Wh-what?” The librarian asked, shocked.

“You can never tell who could damage things and they would be lost forever... like so.” Ria said and aimed at the oldest section of the library. A quick blast caused an explosion that blew out the wall, destroyed all of the shelves, and incinerated every loose scroll and charred every archive book.

“NOOOO!” The woman wailed as the ancient and precious things she was in charge of disappeared.

“It's quite tragic, isn't it?” Ria asked and shot several more blasts to wreck each and every section, even the most modern one that was right next to the front desk. A few more shots ensured that everything was quite ruined. “It seems this library doesn't want our patronage, Naruto. Let's go get more ramen.”

“YAY!” Naruto yelled and hopped into her arms and they popped away.

The librarian didn't notice them disappearing because her mind was full of despair at the loss of all that knowledge. Several ninjas appeared at the entrance and a few at the broken walls. It didn't take them long before they learned that the librarian had been the cause, despite all of the warnings. More drastic measures would need to be taken and the Hokage would need to be told of the losses as well.

*

“Did you really destroy all those books and things?” Naruto asked that night when Ria tucked him into bed. They had spent the evening shopping for clothes. They were actual clothes and not the cheap jumpsuits he usually wore, so he was surprisingly happy, even if some of them weren't orange.

“I destroyed the originals, yes.” Ria said and Naruto looked confused. “One of my powers is to copy buildings and their contents. So, they all still exist and I can recreate them, so they aren't permanently lost.”

Naruto lost the confused look and smiled. “You're teaching them a lesson.”

“Very good, Naruto. That's exactly right. I used being upset at your denial as an excuse, because anyone could enter that library and do what I did and not one single thing was there to either mitigate the damage or stopped it from happening. If anything, they should all be copies of copies, so the information can never be lost.”

“They don't do that?” Naruto asked, surprised.

“No, and maybe they'll consider it, now that it's apparently gone.” Ria said and Naruto chuckled. “You scamp! You just guessed that I'll replace everything as soon as Jiji sends a note!”

“Yup! Believe it!” Naruto said and raised a tiny fist into the air.

Ria laughed and leaned down to kiss his forehead. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Okaasan.” Naruto said and closed his eyes. He seemed to almost instantly fall asleep after the long day he had. Staying excited all the time must have been really tiring for the little guy.

Ria left his room and went downstairs. She would have the barriers around her home removed tomorrow while Naruto was in school and show off the ultra-modern home that was identical to the Cullens and there would be no other home like it in the world. She just had to figure out how to get the power company to run new power and telephone wires.

A knock eventually sounded from her front door and the sparrow scout showed her it was Hiruzen himself carrying the box of school supplies. Just this once, she wouldn't admonish him for not sending a note first. As if he knew what she was going to say, he held up a piece of paper towards the little hole in the door and on it was written an appropriate note.

Ria chuckled and opened the door. “I'll give you credit for the sneaky workaround.”

Hiruzen smiled and handed her the note. “I am a Konoha ninja.”

Ria stepped back and waved him inside.

“I've never seen a house like this before.” Hiruzen said and marvelled at the aesthetics and design.

“It's an architect's nightmare.” Ria joked and he chuckled. “You can put the box on the table. I'll get Naruto up early in the morning to go through it.”

Hiruzen did that and took a few silent minutes to look around again.

“Do you want this to be more formal of a meeting or more relaxing?” Ria asked and motioned to the large wooden table the box was on and then at the couch and comfy chairs in the living room.

Hiruzen looked surprised for a second and chuckled. “Either way, you're going to tear me apart, so I might as well relax while you do it.”

Ria chuckled as well and motioned to the leather recliner and sat on the couch right beside it.

Hiruzen sat down and he let out a sound he hadn't released since his wife was alive. “What is this thing made of? Clouds?”

Ria laughed and pointed to the lever on the side. “Try that.”

Hiruzen reached down and carefully pulled on it, a little unsure if it was a trick or not, and the chair almost folded out into a bed and lifted his legs at the same time. He almost immediately relaxed and dozed a little. The damn thing was so comfy that he was sure he could sleep for a week if he closed his eyes.

“I can have one delivered to the Hokage Tower sometime tomorrow.” Ria's voice said, clearly amused.

Hiruzen jerked and opened his eyes. He really had drifted off and almost fell asleep. “I apologize. I didn't mean to...”

Ria waved his apology away. “I had you sit there on purpose, remember?”

Hiruzen smiled and nodded. “Is it my turn to commend you for the sneaky tactic?”

Ria softly laughed. “If you're not cheating, you're not trying hard enough.”

Hiruzen laughed, too. “That sounds like a great life lesson. Do you mind if I steal it?”

Ria shook her head and pulled her legs up onto the couch and relaxed. “I assume you're here about everything that went on today.”

Hiruzen sighed. “We are trying our best to inform everyone. A lot of people don't believe it.”

Ria had to nod. “They've gotten so used to abusing and berating him to the point it's almost automatic. They can't stop themselves from saying something disparaging, warning or not.”

Hiruzen nodded back. “Please give it a little time. Your examples are being shown and talked about on the television around the clock.”

Ria sighed at the actions she had taken that day. “I do apologize for everything. It took me several hours of introspection to find out what is going on with me.”

“What is it?” Hiruzen asked, genuinely curious.

“I've discovered I have a tiny fraction of something called Empathic Sense. There is so much negativity and hatred in this city towards Naruto that all of my reactions have been unconsciously based off of it.” Ria explained.

Hiruzen's heart almost stopped at her words.

“You've not been around to see the glares of hate or the whispered words and insults when Naruto is seen in public. It used to be shouts and thrown objects, which is why I never let him go anywhere alone. I always go with him.” Ria said. “Now it's sneers and comments under their breath with glares even more intense because of everything that's happened.”

Hiruzen seemed to age several years and he ducked his head. “I knew I was failing him. I just didn't know how much until you showed up.”

“Can you tell me why all of the adults act like they do and why every child in the entire city avoids him like the plague, even his classmates?” Ria asked him.

Hiruzen sighed, almost exaggeratedly. “Since you're providing him houseroom and seemed to have adopted him...”

“I'll be filing paperwork for that as soon as I get some kind of ID from your people.” Ria interrupted and he nodded.

“...it's best that you know. It's an S-class secret and telling anyone about it is an automatic death sentence.” Hiruzen informed her.

Ria huffed. “Most of the civilians would have been executed already if that was true, considering they warned all their children and they call him names and glare, too.”

Hiruzen wasn't sure how to respond to that statement.

“So, what is it? Is he a virus container? A bastard son of a noble? A genetic experiment?” Ria asked.

Hiruzen shook his head. “No, none of that.” Although, those guesses are surprisingly not far off from the truth. “There was a devastating attack on the village six years ago by a gigantic chakra beast called the Kyuubi, or the Nine-Tailed Fox, that killed thousands of people. In order to save the ones still alive after the attack, the Fourth Hokage sacrificed his life to have the chakra beast sealed within a living prison. A baby. Kushina Uzumaki's baby.”

Ria stared at him. “You're kidding.” She said and the old man shook his head. “You're not kidding.”

“Unfortunately not.” Hiruzen said with another sigh.

“So, for the last five years, one of which had a four year old Naruto kicked out of the orphanage and he had to learn to live on his own, the entire population of survivors that knows the beast is sealed within a child, systematically yelled, beat, and tormented that child because of something a baby had absolutely no involvement in?” Ria asked. “Is that what you're telling me?”

“Yes, unfortunately.” Hiruzen said and felt embarrassed by the accusation.

“Tell me why I shouldn't just kill you all for your stupidity and start the village over with people that have some fucking common sense!” Ria almost shouted.

Hiruzen winced at her shrill cry and held up his hands. “Please understand. There was not a whole lot of rational thought going on after the village was almost completely destroyed and we lost hundreds of ninjas and thousands of civilians. It's been years since then and we still haven't replaced all of our numbers on either side.”

Ria reined in her temper and sighed as she sat back on the couch. “You are all very lucky that Naruto is so happy and full of joy that even years of being abused like he was, he doesn't hate you all.”

“I know.” Hiruzen whispered.

“Well, I'm glad I showed up when I did and stopped you all from continuing your stupid mistakes.” Ria said and smiled. “I'm going to keep my word to him and no one will ever hurt him ever again. Not you, not some nameless civilians, and definitely not some stupid ANBU that could have easily protected him and didn't.”

Hiruzen sighed. “The one you killed was a ROOT agent and not just an ANBU.”

Ria barked a laugh. “Wait, you have secret agents inside a secret agency that belong to another secret agency within it? Are you a complete moron to allow that?”

Hiruzen opened his mouth to deny it, then realized no matter how he answered, he would admit to being some kind of moron, either partially or completely.

Ria laughed at the confusion on the old man's face. “Give me the descriptions of these ROOT assholes and I'll take care of them.”

“Excuse me?” Hiruzen asked, surprised.

“They've allowed my son to be abused and hunted for years and they are going to pay for it.” Ria promised. “If you know who the leader is, guesswork or not, I should probably take him out first.”

It took several moments for Hiruzen to realize that this woman was offering to become an agent for the village. “Miss Ria, I would greatly appreciate it if you would work for me and complete that task as soon as I can get that information to you. I will handle the paperwork to get you a valid village identification and I'll personally put through your adoption papers for Naruto first thing in the morning.”

Ria smirked at him. “Then write me up as Ria Uzumaki and have the power and telephone people out here tomorrow. Naruto missed his favorite shows the last two days.”

Hiruzen chuckled at the not so subtle reminder that they were inside a brand new house that hadn't existed the day before. He didn't bother asking how she had done such a thing and pushed the lever of the chair to right the recliner and slowly stood up.

Ria could almost hear his old bones creaking as he did so. She wouldn't offer to heal him yet, though.

“I'll have a word with the civilian council as well and do my best to smooth over the destruction of the library and the loss of so much valuable information.” Hiruzen promised.

“That's nice of you and completely unnecessary. I'll fix it right up and replace everything as soon as you idiots figure out how to stop someone from doing what I did.” Ria told him.

Hiruzen's eyes almost popped out of his head, he was so surprised.

“A ninja guard? Replace the librarian with an actual fighter? Put up wards or barrier walls on the older sections with delicate materials to stop theft? Make multiple copies so that if anything is lost or destroyed, you still have it? You know, common sense stuff.”

Hiruzen almost fainted at her ideas and he wondered why he had never thought of them himself.

“Anyway, have a good evening.” Ria said and led the slightly stunned man over to her front door. “I'll be taking a more extensive tour of the city tomorrow, so if you need me for anything, it will have to wait until after I meet Naruto at the academy for lunch or during supper at Ichiraku's.”

Hiruzen nodded and stepped outside and kept staring at the closed door for quite some time before he decided he needed to get home and rest. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Ria walked up the stairs as slowly as she could and went to Naruto's room. She opened the door and peeked in, only to see Naruto's back and the blanket not quite covering him up, a clear sign of a hasty entrance to the bed. She chuckled to herself and walked inside and over to the bed and carefully adjusted the blanket for him before she leaned down to kiss his cheek.

“Next time when you're listening in, don't giggle when I mention your favorite ramen stand.” Ria whispered into his ear. “We'll talk in the morning about everything and what it means, okay?”

“Okay.” Naruto whispered back and didn't try to keep pretending he was asleep.

Ria kissed his cheek again, pet his hair, and left the room.

Naruto wasn't thinking about all the revelations that he had learned that night, though. The only thing on his mind was his new mother's words. She would kill everyone in the entire village for him, just because they were mean to him. He had never had anyone stick up for him like that, not even Jiji, and he felt a deep warmth inside of his chest that he was sure he hadn't felt before.

As he drifted off to sleep, for real this time, Naruto couldn't help but think that his life was going to be so much better than he ever thought it was going to be.

*

Everyone at the Academy stared at the beautiful and exotic woman that carried the village's shame and most hated figure, especially the teachers. The shock continued when the woman reached the gates of the school compound and she put the well dressed child down.

“Now remember, if anyone gives you grief, it's perfectly okay to give grief back. If they punch you, punch them back twice as hard. If they kick you, make sure you kick them right back.” Ria advised.

Naruto giggled, mischievously. “Okaasan, I can't do that! They'll kick me out!”

“No, they won't. If they did, they would have to kick out everyone else that ever picked on you, wouldn't they?” Ria asked him.

“Hey, that's right! They started it! If they get rid of me, they have to get rid of everyone else, too!”

“Exactly. The only reason you're a troublemaker is because they want you to be.” Ria said and hugged him. “Don't forget to do what I taught you to do when you start feeling bored in class.”

“I won't forget! Thanks, Okaasan!” Naruto said and let her go, beamed a smile at her, and walked with confidence into the Academy's main building like he owned the place.

Ria raised a hand and suddenly there were six weirdly dressed beings around her. “Deliver the chair setup to the Hokage's office and keep an eye on my son. If anything happens, report to me immediately.”

“Yes, my lady.” The six figure said and they disappeared.

Ria gave each and every person there a pointed look, then she smiled and disappeared. No swirl of leaves, no wind, just suddenly gone. Not a single person commented on it, because they were too shocked that someone they were specifically looking at had disappeared with no visible clues.

*

Hiruzen held in his smile as he handed the completed adoption paperwork to his secretary and saw her huge eyes at the names. He heard a door open behind him and turned, only to stare as four oddly dressed people with pointed ears and sheathed weapons carried the extremely comfortable reclining chair, a footstool, and a coffee table past him and into his office.

Neither he nor his secretary said anything to them and waited until they left before their curiosity overrode their hesitation and they both scrambled to go into the old man's office. To their surprise, there was a very nice relaxing setup in the corner of the office with several plants and a few vines for decoration. They didn't even wonder where the plants came from.

“Lord Hokage, I think your enforced breaks are going to be much better for you than before.” His secretary said, clearly impressed with the setup.

Hiruzen couldn't stop his chuckle. “I'm taking a break right now. Ten minutes.” He said and went over to the chair and settled down in it, then showed off the reclining feature. He saw the surprise on her face and chuckled. “You can try it yourself when I go to lunch.”

The woman smiled warmly at him and nodded before she shut his office door.

Hiruzen decided that he needed a quick nap and folded his hands over his belly and fell right to sleep.

His secretary tried to not laugh out loud at the light snoring she could hear and decided that maybe fifteen minutes would be better length for a break. She locked the outer door and went to the records section to copy and file the paperwork and would send the copy to Ria Uzumaki.

*

Ria made quick work of travelling around the entire village of Konoha. The only places she wasn't legally allowed to go into were the marked training grounds. That didn't stop her from putting a finger in through the fences and touching the lands, though.

By the time she returned to the Academy, she had successfully gained all of the lands inside the city walls and the lands with the walls on them, too. When it was complete, she gained a specialty land that consisted of the entirety of Konoha and was quite expensive to cast and it gave her a lot of multi-colored mana. That alone made it worth all the travelling on foot.

Ria held a hand out to an elf that just appeared and accept the two large Bento boxes that she had prepared that morning for her and Naruto. She didn't want to take the chance that someone would have messed with the food or ruined his lunch on him.

“Anything to report?” Ria asked.

“Nothing physical was done to him.” The elf whispered.

Ria's eyes narrowed. “Let me guess. They don't teach him the same things as his classmates.”

The elf shook his head. “His work sheets are more difficult, the questions not covered in class, and the preparation sheet for learning the Academy fighting styles has been altered.”

“Copies?” Ria asked and the elf handed them to her. She looked at them and she was impressed. It took lot of work to sabotage the techniques so subtly. “Who did this?”

“Mizuki is one of the main Academy instructors.”

Ria nodded. “Thank you. I'll take care of it.”

“Yes, my lady.” The elf said and faded away to return to his forest.

Ria tucked the papers away and walked into the Academy grounds with a smile on her face. It was just in time, because the main doors opened and a little blond missile shot out through them and ran right over to her. She tossed the Bentos into the air and held her hands out to catch the happy boy and swung him around, then slipped him onto her back and easily caught the two Bentos.

“That was awesome, Okaasan! Believe it!” Naruto exclaimed.

Ria laughed and walked over to the small park area where there were swings and things for the children to play on. She sat down on the old log with bark on it that was worn down from so many years of people sitting on it.

“I made a bunch of stuff, so I hope you're hungry.” Ria said as Naruto hopped off her back and sat down beside her.

*GURGLE!*

“Only a little, huh?” Ria asked him with a grin and Naruto laughed.

“Stomach-san has been waiting since recess.” Naruto joked and eagerly opened the top layer of the Bento. His mouth drooled over the perfectly formed rice cakes, huge slices of tuna, and dipping sauce.

Ria opened hers and she started eating as she watched him dig into the food. She didn't talk or ask Naruto anything as he pretty much devoured the top layer within only a few minutes and he took off the top layer. He gasped at the moo shoo pork and the delicious smell that assaulted his nose.

“It's a dish from far away from here. I know how much you like pork in your ramen.” Ria said.

Naruto nodded several times before he used his chopsticks to put a large piece into his mouth. The flavors practically exploded in his mouth with the taste of the meat and the sauce and he couldn't stop making happy sounds as he chewed.

Ria felt someone looking at them and she only used a side-eye to check it out. Across the small park and mostly hidden behind a tree, was a dark-haired girl with eyes that had white pupils. She couldn't stop a small smile as she thought of something neat to do and turned her head as she whispered into the air.

The leaves in the tree above the girl rustled a little as a squirrel made its way across a branch and down the trunk. The quiet 'eep' from the girl made Ria hold in a laugh, as did the squirrel chittering at the girl and pointing to Naruto. Surprisingly, the girl accepted this situation and took her time as she walked out of concealment and over to them.

“It seems my scout has found another budding scout.” Ria said with amusement and the girl blushed. “Would you like to have a seat? I have plenty of food to share if you don't have your own.”

The girl was surprised at the offer and her eyes went to Naruto.

“Oh! Where are my manners? I'm Ria Uzumaki and this is my son, Naruto Uzumaki.”

“I-I-I'm H-Hinata... Hinata H-Huuga.” The girl said, nervously.

“Hello, Hinata. Sit, sit! There's plenty of room.” Ria said and moved down just enough for the girl to fit between her and Naruto. She looked shocked and Ria had to hold in her laugh as she eased the girl down to sit and handed her the bottom portion of her Bento.

Naruto made a choking sound at the assortment of desserts.

“No jumping ahead, Naruto.” Ria cautioned him and put the second part onto Hinata's lap and passed her a set of unused chopsticks. “Here you go. Naruto seems to like it, so try it and let me know what you think.”

“O-okay.” Hinata said and did as she asked, then made a weirdly adorable sound when she tasted it.

“That's two successful tests if my cooking won't kill on first bite.” Ria said and both children's mouths dropped open. She laughed and gave Hinata's shoulders a one arm hug and used the hand to ruffle Naruto's hair. “I'm kidding. I promised to never let anyone hurt you, Naruto. That includes me.”

“Okaasan shouldn't be so mean.” Naruto pouted.

Hinata giggled at the look on his face and then she blushed hard. It made Ria laugh out loud, despite her trying so hard to not let the situation affect her. She hugged the cute little girl and then pulled Naruto into the hug and made sure he inadvertently hugged the girl that had such an obvious crush on him. Both kids blushed at the intimate contact.

Ria rubbed their heads affectionately and let them go, which just so happened to leave them hugging each other and no one else. This made their blushes almost glow with epic cuteness and Ria laughed and laughed at her improvised plan working so well.

Hiruzen stood off to the side of the little park and forced himself to not laugh with the new member of the village. His affection for the boy was almost overwhelmed by the explosion of cuteness that he was witnessing and he silently promised himself to ensure that similar events would happen in the future.

The old man chuckled under his breath when the two children realized they were hugging each other without any adult trying to coerce them and they looked close to passing out. The best part was that neither of them tried to let the other go, even though they both knew touching the other was against everything they had experienced in their lives up to that point.

Hiruzen knew at that moment that Ria's influence on the village was going to be a positive one. Despite her violent reactions to what happened to Naruto, her heart was in the right place and she could do what he himself couldn't. She could put people in their places and not suffer the political ramifications that he would for showing favoritism.

He made a small signal and gained Ria's attention, which had her make an excuse to both children about an errand she needed to do before lunch was over. Ria gave each of them a hug and a kiss on the forehead, pretty much giving them her blessing and epic blushes, and she disappeared from where she was and reappeared beside him.

“Did you enjoy the chair even more because you own it?” Ria asked him with a smile on her face.

Hiruzen chuckled. “As does my secretary. She's skipping lunch as she takes a nap, just like I did this morning during my unexpectedly long break.”

Ria laughed at the implication. “She saw you enjoying it, didn't she?”

“No, she heard me snoring.” Hiruzen said with a huge smile.

“Ha ha! She's going to ask you for one.” Ria said and the old man nodded.

Hiruzen opened his robes and pulled out a file folder. “Your house is connected to the essentials, too.” He said and handed the folder to her. “Naruto has been entered into the records as your son and you are registered as a foreign ninja.”

“Ah, thank you.” Ria said and took out the folded papers her elf had given to her. “You need to look at this in exchange.”

Hiruzen accepted them and his eyes quickly took in the information they contained. He was almost instantly angered by what he read.

“Mizuki is responsible.” Ria said and Hiruzen's anger cooled and became directed. “As far as I know, he's only sabotaging Naruto and no one else. The more difficult test results are only tanking my son and the altered techniques will be corrected this evening when I bring it up with Naruto.”

Hiruzen nodded. “Thank you for being this diligent in looking after him.”

Ria gave him a pointed look. “I'm not playing around here, Hiruzen. Naruto is going to be the best ninja this village has ever seen, because that's what he wants. Whether the village deserves him when he's ready is a completely different matter.”

Hiruzen held in his sigh. “I'll try my best to make sure it is.” He said and held out another folder.

Ria took it and flipped through it. She chuckled when she was done. “One of the council? Really?”

“Danzo was one of my teammates and we never did see eye to eye.” Hiruzen admitted. “Our methods for success are... divergent.”

“Then I'll make sure to interrogate him for everything he knows.” Ria promised and the folder disappeared.

“I could provide a few ANBU members to help.” Hiruzen offered.

Ria gave him a crooked smile. “You're assuming the ROOT members are the only ones that want Naruto to pay for the Kyuubi's crimes.”

Hiruzen opened his mouth to say exactly that, then closed it. He couldn't openly lie like that.

“I'll take care of it.” Ria said and the folders disappeared. “Is there anything else?”

“When do you think...”

“You don't have to worry about anything, Hiruzen. I'll have everything handled by the end of the week.” Ria said and patted his shoulder, then she disappeared.

Hiruzen nodded to himself and walked over to the front doors of the Academy and went inside. He walked right to the appropriate classroom and saw Mizuki working on paperwork. A quick jujutsu incapacitated the man and Hiruzen entered the room.

“Did you really think I would let you become a traitor to the village?” Hiruzen asked the shocked man and saw the look of horror on the man's face from being caught. “A few weeks under the Yamanaka's tutelage will let me know the extent of your betrayal.”

The silent scream from Mizuki let the old man know that the betrayal was a lot deeper than only corrupting Naruto's education. He made several hand signals and three ANBU agents appeared. He gave them instructions and then used a jutsu on the one wearing a Snake mask to incapacitate them. His order to add them to the interrogation didn't phase the other two at all.

Little did Hiruzen know that his actions would completely derail the future plans of both ROOT and one of the ANBU agents that was planning on betraying them all for power, Orochimaru. At the time, he was still pretending to be a loyal agent that protected the village while he gathered resources and corrupted people for his experiments.

*

Ria sat at her kitchen table and sent out various orders to her army of elves. The best part about gaining the entire village of Konoha was that it gave her access to summon ninjas that were now teaching her elves. The spells to cast the new elves were more expensive than the basic ones she was normally used to, and she was okay with that. The massive boosts to their stealth and skills was worth it.

That was why she was sure she would have the potential traitors to the village rounded up by the end of the week. Several of her ninjas had mind-intrusion techniques and they had no scruples besides her own, which meant if she ordered them to check everyone for traitorous plans, they would do it. Unlike Konoha ninjas, they were not restricted from using their skills on civilians.

Maybe I should sit in on some of those classes after I go through some of the library I copied. Ria thought and nodded to herself. As far as she could determine, the chakra they used was the same as Chi from the Dragonball Universe that John had visited. That he could teach the techniques to anyone had really changed everything, including her.

Because Ria had been alive for so long, her reserves were huge. Well, they used to be. She had been transformed by that damn magical pony and all of her hard work had been undone until she managed to transform herself back. She had been slowly gathering up energy since then and her reserves would have taken decades more to return to full, except here the energy permeated the air.

Ria knew it was because of all the ninjas and untrained people giving off the energy and she was glad that she had ended up inside the Hidden Leaf village and not out in the woods somewhere. Her thoughts about the size of the Spirit Bomb she could gather made her laugh out loud. She wouldn't even need their cooperation, there was so much external life energy.

With a plan in mind, Ria went out the back door and walked around the nice pool and to a blank area that still had a barrier around it. She leapt over it and touched the ground to recreate the library building. Once inside, she started with the basics and started reading at super-speed. She didn't try anything yet, however. The basic guide said it would take practice, even for experienced users.

Ria knew that was true, because John had told her the same thing. It wasn't like magic where you could cast a spell and have the instant effects happen. It took skill, focus, and desire to have the techniques work and if there was one thing she had learned in all of her time alive, was that patience really was a virtue.

She spent the rest of the afternoon studying and sectioned off a part of her mind to contain the memories of the books and scrolls. She never did manage to get the hang of John's memory halls where he could save groups of memories as a single memory, so she had to do it the old fashioned way. One at a time.

Suppertime arrived and Ria left the library and jumped over the barrier, went through the house, and walked to the Academy. She had a little scamp to pick up and a date with the tasty ramen that her son had pretty much addicted her to. She knew he had done it on purpose with how much he proclaimed its deliciousness and eating there as much as possible, and it had worked.

“Okaasan!” Naruto exclaimed as soon as the front doors of the Academy opened and Ria opened her arms to catch him. She held him by his armpits and spun him around and around, which made him laugh that unrestrained laugh that all children should have.

The other parents gave them a mix of angry and scared looks, which was exactly why Ria had made a show of accepting Naruto like she did. It let them be afraid of her and also see that he was a child and not the thing that was sealed inside of him.

“How can you stand to touch that thing?” A woman with pinkish hair asked with disgust on her face.

Then again, some people are just idiots. Ria thought as a small pink-haired girl with a diamond on her forehead ran over to her mother and hugged her. “Shouldn't I be asking your daughter that?”

A lot of the mothers made surprised sounds, including gasps and sucked in breaths.

“How dare you!” The woman shouted. “Do you know who I am?!?”

“No, and I honestly don't care.” Ria said and she gasped. “Why would I want to know a bigoted and hate-filled woman like you?”

Everyone made surprised sounds again.

“I've lost people. I've lost friends and family. I've had tragedy visit more times than I can count.” Ria said and they all listened, even the children. “Bad things happen to people all the time and everyone knows that. However, blaming a child for it is wrong.”

The pinkish haired woman opened her mouth.

“Did he do it? Did anyone see him doing it?” Ria asked before the woman could speak. “Is all that blood and death to be laid at the feet of an innocent newborn baby, just because you want to blame someone besides those actually responsible? Is it because his birth parents died as well that makes you hate their child? If not, shouldn't you hate every child born at that time, including your own?”

The woman closed her mouth and didn't respond.

“You all need to think about how you treat others and what you are teaching your children. Do you want them to be so blinded by lies and filled with the same hate you have? What will this village become with everyone so twisted? How can you hurt and abuse a goddamn child?” Ria asked them and no one responded. “Where is the wish for everyone to be happy? What hope is there for a bright future if you all have so much hate in your hearts that you can condemn an innocent child?”

A ninja appeared in a small swirl of leaves. “Miss Uzumaki, Lord Hokage wishes to speak to you.”

Ria gave the parents around her a pointed look and hugged Naruto closer as she looked back at the ninja. “All right, I'll meet you there.” She said and disappeared with Naruto in her arms.

The ninja looked surprised and then he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Ria stood beside the Hokage Tower and waited for the ninja to catch up to her. She gave the man a smile when he appeared nearby. He only gave her a searching look instead of asking how she did what she did and led her inside. The secretary waved them into the office.

“Ria, Naruto, it's so nice to see you both.” Hiruzen said and nodded at the ninja, whom disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

“Hi, Jiji.” Naruto said and waved, which made the old man chuckle.

“I saw your little speech.” Hiruzen said to Ria and motioned to a chair for her to sit.

Ria stayed standing as she held Naruto. “Yes, I know she's a member of the civilian council. I was just making a point.”

Hiruzen nodded and folded his hands on his desk. “She could cause you untold troubles if she decided to.”

“No, actually. She can't.” Ria said with a smile. “I have my own money, my own home, and anything that's sold in the village I can reproduce. There is nothing she can do to me.”

Hiruzen gave her a searching look. “The Merchant's Guild...”

“Overcharging a child for almost spoiled food and then only selling him clothing that even your prisoners wouldn't wear? I could easily kill them all for how they treated my son.” Ria said and Hiruzen sighed. “Is that why you called me here?”

“No, my investigation team has discovered something important.” Hiruzen said and glanced at Naruto before he handed Ria a file folder.

“I see. I see.” Ria said as she read it instantly. “My own team has corroborated this.”

“What?” The old man asked, surprised.

Ria smiled as a different file folder appeared in her hand and she handed it over. “You didn't think I could do everything all alone, did you?”

Hiruzen opened the folder and read the details. He made a sad sound when he reached the linchpin of the information. “I had hoped that it wasn't true.”

“As did I, considering they are your main police force.” Ria said. “The leaders of the Uchiha Clan are planning a coup for the same reason the civilians hate Naruto. Unfair association and prosecution.”

Hiruzen nodded. He knew full well that the Uchiha Clan had been blamed for allowing the nine-tailed beast inside the walls of the village, even if it wasn't their fault. There was nothing he could do about it at the time and probably nothing he could do about it now, even if he knew who was responsible for instigating everything.

“When can you handle this?” Hiruzen asked.

“The weekend. After they see ROOT be pulled out by the roots, it might give them a second thought about trying to betray the village. If not, then they will be pulled out by the roots, too.” Ria said.

“One of their geniuses is a part of ANBU, Itachi Uchiha.”

“He's not on the list.” Ria said.

“He's loyal to the village. So far, anyway.” Hiruzen said and Ria raised her eyebrows at him. “I wonder what he would choose if he had to pick between Clan loyalty and the village?”

Ria thought about it. “It would depend on how closely he holds his family's values. Can he choose between saving the people he loves or saving the faceless masses?”

Hiruzen sighed, because he was sure that whatever the young man chose, it would be devastating for the village.

“Don't worry, Jiji. Okaasan will take care of everything. Believe it!” Naruto said and raised a fist.

Hiruzen smiled at him. “Then I will follow your lead and trust her. Thank you, Naruto.”

“Anytime, Jiji!” Naruto said, happily.

Ria hugged him a little closer. “We're heading to Ichiraku's for supper. Do you want to come along?”

Hiruzen looked at the stack of paperwork on his desk and back at their faces. He saw the hope on Naruto's face and chuckled. “Why not? It's not like my work is going to go anywhere if I leave it alone for an hour.”

“Yay!” Naruto cheered.

The three of them started to chat about their day and left the Hokage's office. They were going to eat the best ramen in the world and no one would ever convince Naruto that it wasn't. He was eating it with his almost-grandpa and his new mom, so it had to be the best. Nothing else could ever come close.

*

Danzo sat in his ruined office and stared at the pile of bodies and the wreckage of everything he had ever worked for. All of his plans, secret or otherwise, had been revealed and given to both the Hokage and the civilian council. All of his ROOT operatives, all of his spies, and all of those that fed him information, were dead. Even his secret accounts had been raided and emptied, which left him nothing.

His scheme to corrupt a loyal ANBU operative to do his dirty work, namely to slaughter his clan to get all of those magic eyes of theirs, had also been thwarted by the public reveal of the Uchiha Clan's intentions to betray the trust that the village held in them. It was laughable, since they didn't really trust them and only let them stay as the police force because they had been too strong to do anything against them.

That was no longer the case with that new ninja that took over taking care of the fox boy. Just the rumors of her abilities had people quaking in their boots, as did her utter ruthlessness. No one was safe if she took offence to them, either because of their words or their attitude.

Danzo had no idea how he had somehow come to the woman's attention and it didn't really matter. She had destroyed him and everything he had worked towards during his long decades of life. He looked up when he saw movement and there she was, in all her horrible glory.

“Why?” Danzo asked her, his old voice barely above a whisper.

“You had your operatives rile up the civilians of the village to harass and nearly kill Naruto.” Ria said and the old man blinked his eyes at her. “I mean, I could commend you for being so sneaky to try and pry him out of the Hokage's grasp... if you hadn't been so ham-handed with the execution. Your civilian operatives spilled everything with a bit of money and after a good bottle of liquor.”

Danzo sighed at his whole organization being brought down by a drunk civilian. “Go ahead and kill me. You've taken everything else from me.”

Ria smiled. “If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't have even seen me.”

Danzo blinked his eyes at her again. “Then what do you want?”

“Not me. Hiruzen wants you to see what a village without your schemes looks like.” Ria said and waved a hand at him.

Danzo felt ropes wrap around him and suddenly found himself and his chair on top of the Hokage Tower. His head swivelled around and he stared at the view, mostly because he had never experienced whatever transportation method that was.

“Amazing, isn't it?” Hiruzen asked and Danzo turned in his chair to look behind it. “Don't get up.” He joked and walked over to stand beside his old friend. “Before you get any more ideas about escaping your fate, look over at the lands around the Academy.”

Danzo thought about refusing, except he was pretty much a captured audience at the moment and did as he was asked. His eyes nearly popped out of his head at the futuristic buildings and homes in styles that no one had ever seen before.

“The six storey one is a hospital filled with technology that all of the medical nins are scrambling to learn and use. The smaller building next to it is a facility filled with regeneration pods that can regrow missing limbs and broken spines.” Hiruzen said.

Danzo's mouth went dry.

“The other buildings are something called condominiums and look more expensive than a top clan's main compound, as do the oddly shaped houses. Everyone has petitioned to move into the new upscale neighborhood and the bids for available space are astronomical.”

Danzo forced himself to look away from the new developments and at his old friend. “Why did you want me to see this?”

Hiruzen smiled and waved at the city. “Don't you notice what's not happening?”

Danzo shook his head.

“There's no rioting in the streets and there's no panicking about the corrupted police force. The people fully accepted that corruption has always existed and not one person is angry about it.” Hiruzen chuckled. “Except the corrupted individuals, that is. T&I have been having quite a lot of fun tearing them apart to get all of their secrets.”

Danzo sighed. “Including their techniques for the Sharingan.”

“It's even better than that, my old friend.” Hiruzen said and Danzo's eyebrows rose at his happy voice. “As punishment for their crimes, each of them willingly gave up one of their eyes.”

Danzo's mouth dropped open.

“They won't be blinded for long. Some chose the regen tanks to grow their missing eye back and a few chose the cybernetic eye option, just because it gave them so many more options than a normal eye.” Hiruzen said and Danzo felt a pain grow in his chest. “I can tell you're not taking this well.”

“You... old... bastarrrd.” Danzo whispered and his words slurred.

Hiruzen's smile disappeared as he watched his old friend have a heart attack. He stood there and didn't do or say anything as the old man beside him struggled and gasped for breath for several minutes, then Danzo stilled and his lifeless eyes stared at the new buildings.

“I'm sorry that actually worked.” Ria's voice said from behind them.

“As am I.” Hiruzen said and sighed. “Denying him everything and then showing him his fondest wish being give to others was too much for his old and withered heart.”

Ria walked over to stand beside the Hokage. “Do you want him to have a quiet burial?”

Hiruzen glanced at her and saw she had no opinion. “I think having people see an old man being buried will show them that powerful ninjas can live long lives, too.”

Ria gave him a smile and a nod, then she disappeared.

Hiruzen looked over Konoha and he guessed that this was the start of a new golden age for the village. All of the internal threats to peace had been dealt with, which meant that both he and the forces of Konoha could now start working out how to deal with the external threats.

He wisely decided to let things take care of themselves until tomorrow as his thoughts went right to his very comfy recliner in his office. Yes, a nice nap would be good right now. He made several hand signs and walked over to the roof entrance of the tower. Several ANBU ninjas appeared behind him and took hold of Danzo and his chair, then disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

*

Over the next six months, the boisterous and always loud Naruto Uzumaki, settled down and became a model student. In fact, he was advancing well beyond his fellow yearmates. The supposed most-talented student Susuke Uchiha, and the smartest civilian student Sakura Haruno, were both jealous of the new Naruto for taking their spots.

Naruto was beating both of them in fighting techniques and knowledge, which annoyed them to no end, and it could all be attributed to his adoptive mother. According to the other students, the boy's smugness was even more annoying than his previous attitude had been. His claims that he was learning so many cool techniques from his Okaasan only made them more envious.

The funny thing was that none of them ever asked Naruto for help, to join in his training, or asked the woman herself to teach them separately. They were too proud of their own families and clan techniques to ever consider learning from whom they considered an outsider.

Of course, Ria Uzumaki's complete disregard for Clan rules and procedures annoyed and pissed off a lot of the Clan Heads and Clan members. The obvious lack of respect and deference to their authority was a constant slap in the face for all of them, which was exactly why Ria did it as much as possible. It was one of her minor goals in life to remove the stick from up their asses.

None of them would ever know that Ria had already copied their compounds and buildings with their contents, including all of their Clan books and scrolls that contained all of their secret Clan-Only knowledge. It almost made Naruto giggle every time one of the Clan kids made the claim of their superiority because they had Clan techniques and he didn't, because he had them, too. He also had his own and would never tell anyone about them.

His mother's promise to do everything she could for him had been kept every single day as she gave Naruto lessons on how to really use his immense chakra reserves. She taught him secret techniques, that not even the Hokage knew, to control his energy and they let the boy perform everything from the cheapest jutsu to city-levelling blasts.

Naruto really loved his Okaasan. And ramen. And Okaasan's ramen. She had spent several days learning to make it from Ichiraku's Ramen and Naruto's love for her grew stronger every day, as did his control and his power.

By the time the Academy year was over, Naruto was top of the class in everything. He was offered an advancement to skip the next year and go up a level to join the third years, and he turned to Hinata and gave her a bright smile. The six year old blushed and nearly fainted when Naruto spoke.

“No, thanks. I want to stay in the same class as my future wife! Believe it!” Naruto said and posed.

The rest of the class lost it. Some freaked out, a lot of them shouted and yelled at him, and the rest glared and everyone could see the visible hate radiate off of them towards the laughing blond boy. The teacher let it go on for several minutes before he used a jutsu to calm everyone down.

“Naruto, do you understand what you just declared?” Iruka asked.

“I do!” Naruto said and took in a huge breath. “Hinata has a little sister that can take over being Clan Heir and she won't have to worry about it anymore and she can become my wife and we will restart the Uzumaki Clan and we're gonna have lots of kids and they are gonna be strong and make sure everyone has a peaceful life!” He said in a rush and used up that huge breath. “Believe it!”

Hinata actually fainted after hearing his explanation.

Iruka could only stare at the grinning boy and his outrageous plans... and then he thought about it. What Naruto claimed could really be done. Clan Heirs stepped aside all the time to allow the better candidates to take over and then they could have their own lives and pursued their own interests. He sat down at his desk and watched as the boy walked over to the unconscious girl at the back of the class and he easily avoided everyone's attempts to stop him, be they verbal or physical.

It was stunning proof that he was very far above the other students and that his potential could rival that of the other geniuses that had graduated from the Academy over the years. Iruka smiled as Naruto picked up the girl in a classic princess carry. Hinata woke up with her face bright red and she hugged him around the neck.

“Let's go home.” Naruto said and Hinata nodded.

To everyone's shock, they disappeared. There was no swish of leaves, no sound, no nearby open window, and no wind. They were just gone.

Iruka's mouth dropped open when he realized what that technique must have been. It was the legendary Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze's special teleportation jutsu that took years to perfect, The Flying Thunder God Technique. It allowed instantaneous transportation to anywhere that was previously marked.

Minato had dozens of special three pronged kunai made, marked them, and would scatter them over a battlefield to allow him to teleport to any of them at any moment. It was a devastating technique that easily overwhelmed his opponents, because no attack could hit him and he could counterattack from any direction... and now Naruto knew that technique.

If he could master that ridiculously powerful technique, I think he would graduate if given the final exam. Iruka thought and closed his eyes. He sat there and ignored the class freaking out over what just happened. The Hokage needs to be told as soon as possible.

Iruka dismissed the class and left the room at a fast walk. As soon as he was out of direct sight, he used the Body Flicker technique, Shunshin no Jutsu, and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. He reappeared in front of the Hokage Tower and entered, greeted the secretary, and asked if the Hokage was busy.

“He's taking a nap, so technically he's busy.” The woman said with a wide smile.

Iruka chuckled. “How long should I wait to wake him?”

“Oh, he should have gotten up five minutes ago.” The secretary said with her own chuckle. “He loves that chair so much that I let him lounge around longer than his actual break should be.”

“Understood.” Iruka said and nodded to her as he walked by her desk and entered the office.

“I'm up! I'm up!” Hiruzen exclaimed and hopped out of the recliner in a flash and looked like a kid that had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Iruka had a difficult time holding his laugh in. “I'm sorry to interrupt your important duties, Lord Hokage.”

The secretary's laugh could be heard from outside.

Hiruzen took the high road and decided to ignore the amused woman. He sat down behind his desk and gave an inquisitive look at the Academy teacher. “What has brought you to see me on the day of graduation?”

Iruka thought about the best way to discuss a delicate subject, then chose to just admit it. “Naruto knows how to use the Hiraishin.”

Hiruzen's mouth dropped open and he stared at the man.

“He used it to escape the classmates yelling at him for declaring the Hyuga Heiress would be his future wife.” Iruka informed him.

Hiruzen's mouth had somehow opened even further. Silence fell in the office and neither man tried to break it as the words and implications settled into their minds. It took almost ten minutes before Hiruzen seemed to shake himself and a thoughtful look appeared on his face.

“So, that's how she did it.” Hiruzen finally said.

“Who did what?” Iruka asked.

“Ria Uzumaki. Apparently, she's been teleporting all over the place and no one could figure out how. She even brought Danzo strapped to a chair to me after she took down ROOT.” Hiruzen said, to Iruka's shock. “If she has mastered the same space-time jutsu as Minato and taught it to Naruto, then there's nothing in this world that can stop them from doing whatever they want.”

Iruka was at a loss for words as that realization settled into his brain.

“If you haven't realized the implications yet, it means we need to make sure that no one else angers her.” Hiruzen said with a happy smile. “I'll do up a dispatch to the Hyuga Clan and see about switching Hinata and her sister Hanabi as the Clan Heir.”

“Just like that?” Iruka asked instead of asking how the Hokage had figured it out without him saying that it was Naruto's idea.

“Please refer to my previous statement about angering a powerful ninja.” Hiruzen said with a chuckle. “Thank you for informing me as soon as possible about Naruto. I'll have a talk with both him and his mother to see what else she has been teaching him.”

Iruka nodded and turned to leave, then stopped and looked back at the old man. “I was thinking...”

“Oh, I have no doubt that Naruto could graduate if he was tested.” Hiruzen said and Iruka chuckled at the smartest Shinobi guessing his thoughts. “If he wants to spend his Academy years with his future wife, we shouldn't stand in his way.”

Iruka nodded again and left the office with a light heart and a smile on his face.

*

Hinata couldn't believe her luck. Her crush, the very boy that saved her from those bullies, had stolen her away from school and her harsh family. He provided her a beautiful home to live in, great food to eat, and a guardian that seemed to love her like a mother should. It was heaven.

It had almost come crashing down around her ears that night when a messenger from her clan had delivered an official scroll. Hinata was afraid that her dream would be ending just as it started and then Ria read it and started laughing. She thanked the messenger, gave him a handful of money, and told him she would be more than happy to accept Hinata into her family.

Hinata fainted and Naruto caught her. When she woke up, she saw the official missive releasing her from her Clan Heir status. It had been given to her more talented little sister and she felt nothing but relief. The seemingly endless pressure on her little shoulders had suddenly disappeared and her smile lit up the room.

She didn't care that she would no longer be taught her clan techniques by her father and the other experts. She was also grateful that she didn't have to face the other clan members every single day and see their disappointed faces and accusing glares because she wasn't a prodigy like her cousin Neji.

Then Ria shocked her by asking what she had learned so far.

Hinata stammered and said they were clan secrets and she couldn't tell them to an outsider. Ria laughed and told her that she was an outsider now, too. She was still a member of the clan, except she wasn't bound by their rules anymore. Then Ria showed her copies of the sacred scrolls and books of the Hyuga Clan and told her that she would be kicking Neji's ass in less than six months.

Naruto laughed at Hinata's shocked face and caught her when she fainted again.

Surprisingly, no one mentioned anything when the new school year started and Naruto entered the Academy while holding Hinata's hand. They always sat together inside and outside the classroom and did everything together, like fighting practice, studying for classroom tests, and eating lunch.

Iruka had no problems making sure they always matched against each other when doing the practical part of the class, because he had seen how they brought the best out of each other. It was like they were competing constantly and also had fun, which gave the aged teacher a new perspective on teaching. He was training killers to protect the village and it never once occurred to him to make it fun for them.

*

Time moved on and Ria's prediction of Hinata's skill was proven to be true when Neji was assigned as her opponent in the end of year exams to test her Taijutsu skills. His taunts about her being a useless discard and a coward made Naruto angry while Hinata took it with a blank expression. Neji scoffed at her for not having the courage to fight back and he would tear her apart so she couldn't pass.

As soon as Iruka started the match, Hinata used the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist technique and beat Neji in only ten seconds, then she pounded him into the dirt as she repeated every taunt and insult he had ever given her and punched and kicked him for each and every one. The students and teachers were so shocked that no one tried to stop her or told her to stop.

Hinata finished the beat-down by repeating Neji's last taunt and kicked him right between the legs, making the older and more experienced boy whimper and cry. She stood above the wrecked boy with a blank look on her face and told him how pathetic he was for thinking her destiny was to be weak and for him to be strong, then she shocked everyone by using an unknown healing technique and fixed the boy right up.

“That's my wife! Believe it!” Naruto cheered.

When it was Naruto's turn, he was matched with Sasuke Uchiha and wiped the floor with him. He hadn't been hit once by the clan's latest prodigy, not even when he used an illegal jutsu and blew a giant fireball at Naruto. The boy somehow deflected it up into the air and then pounded Sasuke into the ground for cheating.

Hinata healed Sasuke afterwards, because she didn't want Naruto to get in trouble for hurting a Clan Heir, even if Sasuke's older brother was technically the real one.

Both Naruto and Hinata passed the year at the top of the class, to everyone's surprise. It was only Iruka, Hiruzen, and Ria that suspected it was going to happen.

*

Naruto's and Hinata's summer was the best they had ever had. They learned a whole bunch of cool things, spent a lot of time with their mother, and had a lot of fun. The best part was when she taught them a secret technique called Shadow Clone and it could create a copy of themselves that could learn, fight, and do chores. It was great! They even learned what the clone learned when it disappeared.

Ria had warned them to ony make one for now and learn how to use it properly. When they could handle the extra memories and expanded their chakra control techniques, they could make a second one and learn that much faster.

Needless to say, by the end of the summer, Hinata had the capacity to make two clones and Naruto could make twenty. Relegating most of them to reading the copied libraries so he could concentrate on his chakra control exclusively, had made him into a prodigy that hadn't been seen in decades.

Naruto and Hinata couldn't be touched in school and surpassed everyone. Their knowledge, skills, and abilities were so far above everyone that it completely skewed Iruka's testing scores. It shouldn't have been possible to have someone that wasn't an Uchiha be so talented and Naruto proved everyone wrong. No one was surprised that Sasuke was too arrogant to ask Naruto for help.

The problem arose at the mid-year exams and both Naruto and Hinata proved they were nearing the power levels of graduate students. There was a fierce debate among the Academy teachers to bump them up to their final year and let them graduate with the current class in five months. They all knew the two prodigies were wasting their time in class, since the other students of their year resented them.

When Hiruzen and Ria were consulted, they didn't make a decision and called both Naruto and Hinata into the meeting. This shocked the teachers, because no one had ever ignored them before and asked the students what they wanted to do.

Naruto and Hinata had a quick discussion right there in front of them and made their choice. They would only go up a single year, that way they wouldn't stand out too much. If at the end of the year they still hadn't made any friends, then they would take the graduation exams instead.

To say that the teachers were surprised that the prodigies had only been staying at the Academy to try and make friends, was a severe understatement. It made Hiruzen and Ria smile warmly, though.

Their choice made, their current yearmates were informed and Naruto and Hinata joined the next year's class.

Naruto almost immediately made friends with a boy named Rock Lee, a complete maniac when it came to physical training and Taijutsu. They both enjoyed roughhousing and it was like they had always been friends. Hinata hit it off with a girl named Tenten, a weapons specialist, and the two seemed to be as thick as thieves as they whispered and talked about everything.

Their teacher didn't try to stop them from socializing, as long as it didn't interfere with their classwork or their studying. He would soon learn that they actually encouraged each other to go that much further in everything, especially in their studying and practicals. All four of them excelled, in fact.

By the time the end of year tests arrived, all four of them had picked up new skills and showed them off to the examiners. Rock Lee had somehow performed a transformation jutsu when he had previously had no external chakra capability and Tenten performed actual Taijutsu and didn't exclusively use her weapons like all of her other fights.

Hinata used a custom-made sword made by Tenten and wiped the floor with her opponent using both the Gentle Fist and a sword. It was completely shocking, because no one had ever done that before. Naruto on the other hand, showed that he could tank any hits that his opponent could give and then used the switching technique with a thrown weapon to attack his opponent from behind and won.

The examiners had no way to mark them for their outrageous performances and pretty much made them up. It made the four friends laugh when that was explained and they told the surprised men and women that they were just getting started and had a lot more to learn and teach each other.

Nearly everyone in the Academy talked about them and their results. Gossip was better than chocolate when shared and speculation ran rampant about what else they could do if given enough time. A few of the students resented all of the attention they were getting and were envious and angry about it, especially the more intelligent and talented ones, because they were being overshadowed.

The problem that eventually came up was that there were four of them. Graduating teams always only had three members and the dynamic had been a hard-coded tradition for as long as the village had existed. The four of them were eating ramen at Ichraku's when it was brought up by Akane.

Naruto solved the potential problem by saying he would choose to become a Floating Genin under his mentor Ria Uzumaki, and would assign himself as an addition to whatever team his friends eventually formed. Both Tenten and Hinata kissed his cheeks for that and Naruto almost fainted at how happy he was and his red face was epic.

Rock Lee couldn't resist teasing his best friend and kissed his cheek as well. Naruto yelled in fright, froze stiff as his brain overloaded, and fainted. His three friends stared at his unconscious form on the floor and started laughing. Akane joined in and then her father did as well. Their solution to waking the boy up by pouring is favorite ramen into his open mouth, worked like a charm.

*

Ria felt so proud as she watched her adopted son go through the Academy with his three best friends like a hot knife through butter, while she made sure to teach them everything they needed to know to become the best ninja in the world. She also used as many spells and techniques as she could to fix their problems and ensured they were healthy and happy.

Having great friends made everything so much better and Naruto quickly became an integral part of the group of friends. He was the glue that held them together and gave them common ground, which made all four of them quite happy. They shared interests and hobbies, enjoyed hanging out, and kicked each other's asses on a regular basis to make themselves that much better.

Ria also worked behind the scenes and did Hiruzen's dirty work. She had no problem ensuring that Konoha was safe from everyone else and she tracked down and eliminated any threat that could come after Naruto. It only took her a year to find out about the organization devoted to bring back the embodiment of a previous deity and she destroyed them all.

No one would ever extract and gather together the various tailed beasts to use their collective energies to breach whatever barrier that contained the deity's spirit.

Ria also found several of the other beast containers like Naruto and she saw their deplorable treatment, which showed her that idiots could be anywhere. Why would you torment a being that housed a chakra creature that could wipe out your village? It was insane. So, she killed their tormentors and took them, healed them like she did Naruto, and brought them back to Konoha.

Naruto fully embraced his new siblings, a new brother and little sister. Gaara and Fu were very shy and scared at first, then slowly came out of their shell when they realized that Ria was their new mother and she would do everything to protect them. Hinata, Rock Lee, and Tenten accepted them as well.

It was only a little surprising that the boy named Gaara acted more like Hinata, namely quiet and wanting to be stronger, and the little girl named Fu acted more like Naruto, because she was loud, brash, and liked to have fun. They fit into the family dynamic well and everyone was happy.

*

Naruto, Hinata, Rock Lee, and Tenten graduated with full marks at the top of their class. Like they predicted, Hinata, Rock Lee, and Tenten were formed into their own Genin Team and assigned to a Jonin Sensei named Anko Mitarashi. She was chosen because no one else was willing to mentor the prodigies, as if they couldn't handle them or their abilities. Anko welcomed the challenge.

Naruto did as he promised and formally became Ria's apprentice and then assigned himself to Anko's team as a support unit. Anko welcomed him and the additional challenge, then she gave Ria a surprisingly warm hug, even though they had never met before, or so everyone thought. Anko took out a broken ANBU mask of a snake and thanked Ria for saving her from a fate worse than death.

Ria knew what she meant, because Orochimaru was a horrible man, and she gave Anko another hug. She whispered something in her ear and Anko blushed briefly, laughed, and gave her a brief kiss and said she might just take her up on the offer someday.

Then the training of Team Ten began. It was brutal, difficult, and the most that anyone had ever pushed the four graduates in their lives... and they loved it. They had excelled under Ria's tutelage and now they blew all of that out of the water because of Anko. Their Sensei quickly adapted to training such monsters and she excelled as well.

Anko's own techniques sharpened from constant use and she wasn't surprised that her charges were actually keeping pace with her. The more she pushed them, the more she had to push herself, and they all became better and better as time went on.

Their basic D-Rank missions to practice teamwork and coordination were completed five times every day, shocking the Hokage's secretary as they passed in completion notices constantly. The money they made went into a common pile and new equipment, supplies, great food, and anything else they needed was bought. No one went without and everyone benefited from their work, especially the village.

After two months and 300 D-Rank missions under their belt, they were assigned a C-Rank mission to protect a caravan to the next village and to escort it back. While on the road, the mission was unexpectedly upgraded to a B-Rank, because a group of bandits attacked. They were easily defeated by the powerful Genin Team and captured.

A report of the attack was sent to Konoha, thanks to Naruto popping one of his clones, and Naruto told them the Hokage approved of hunting down the bandit camp and they would be paid a bonus for every head they brought back. It would be their choice to eliminate them first or not.

Anko chose to observe the camp first and they would discuss it. The team agreed and finished escorting the caravan to the next village and backtracked to where the ambush happened, then followed the trails back to the bandit camp. Once there, it didn't take long for them to discover they had captured women and were using them as sexual slaves.

“We should kill them all. Scum like them don't deserve to live.” Anko growled out and her students agreed. No discussion was needed.

It was a complete slaughter. The bandits had relied on fear tactics and overwhelming numbers to defeat their targets and that failed spectacularly against Genin that had been trained by Ria and Anko. The camp was looted for everything valuable and several large sacks had been filled with the evil men's heads while the captured women were freed by Tenten and healed by Hinata.

The freed captives were shown their tormentor's severed heads and most of them were satisfied, while some cried. It wasn't for the men, it was for their own losses and the torment they had suffered. The women were given clothes and brought back to Konoha to make arrangements to return them to their villages or for them to stay in Konoha if they wanted to.

Most decided to stay, because they had nothing to return to and Konoha was much nicer than where they lived. Free housing and jobs were provided by Ria and they all ended up happier than they had been in their old lives.

*

Team Ten performed more C-Rank and B-Rank missions over the next year and their abilities grew at an increasing rate. It made them a very formidable force and they blazed a trail that few others could follow.

No one was surprised when Anko finally gave in to Ria's constant teasing and she moved into Ria's home. Both women were much happier with the new arrangement and all of the kids thought that having two moms to love them was the best thing in the world. The fact that both of them were massively powerful was just icing on the cake.

*

Sasuke Uchiha graduated as the Rookie of the Year and he was depressed about it, because he knew it was only because Naruto had surpassed him years ago and the reward was hollow. The smartest girl in class was a fangirl of his and he hated the attention. The dead last, a boy named Kiba, had a puppy that barked all the time and that was his team.

The Uchiha Heir was sure they were going to fail at any mission they were assigned and he was mostly right. His team was pretty pathetic, even if they did work together well. Neither of the other two trained anything but what they were already good at, so he was the only one that was well rounded in every aspect of being a ninja. Their Sensei was also a lazy screw-up pervert that taught them nothing.

Sasuke Uchiha was really starting to hate his life. He didn't realize how much he did until his team was assigned to escort and guard a civilian to his home and to protect him while be built a bridge. He knew his teammates were not prepared for the trip and their Sensei hadn't given them any training with coordinating a fight and not get in each other's way.

Needless to say, they reached a particular forest a day later and were ambushed by a pair of Missing Nin, ninja that were declared rogues from their previous village. The first one to lose a limb was the pink-haired Sakura. Since she was their medic, her right arm being detached from her shoulder was a sure sign that things were going to be bad.

Kakashi put his Icha Icha book away and started to take the fight seriously, only he was a bit too late to act. Sasuke's Giant Fireball had missed one of the Missing Nin and clipped part of Kiba and his dog and then the technique lit a good portion of the dried out forest on fire when it exploded.

Both Missing Nin were quickly captured and tied up by Kakashi and he used a water jutsu to put out the majority of the fire. He tended to Sakura's wound first and she was unconscious, so he easily applied a sealing technique to her shoulder and bandaged it enough to slow the bleeding. He checked on Kiba next and saw a huge burn along the boy's back and his leather armor had taken the brunt of it and melted into his skin.

Kakashi sighed and applied a Lessen Pain technique and checked on the pup. One of its ears was burned off and its right eye was slightly cloudy, which meant Kiba had hugged the dog to protect it as much as possible and the eye and ear had been above the boy's shoulder when the fireball had grazed them. With a sigh, he applied a bit of cream from the first aid kit and wrapped the dog's head.

With the worst taken care of, Kakashi checked Sasuke. The boy was stubborn and wouldn't admit to any wounds, only Kakashi could tell he favored his left side. A quick finger poke had Sasuke hiss and wince in pain and he revealed a deep slash at his waist from one of the enemy's swords.

The client looked shocked as Kakashi dealt with the wound and patched Sasuke up enough to get him mobile, then the ninja gave the client a piercing look. The man shivered at the killing intent he felt and blabbed that he lied about the danger and that the mission was a B-Rank at least, because a mob boss was after him to stop the bridge construction. He also couldn't pay the fee for a higher rank.

Kakashi sighed and didn't kill the man outright, since that would fail the mission completely, and he picked up Sakura and secured her to his back before sealing her severed arm in a scroll. He ordered his team to return to Konoha at their fastest speed while he ran ahead to get Sakura to the medics as soon as possible.

“You're abandoning us?” Kiba asked, tears in his eyes as he pet his whimpering companion.

Kakashi's anger flared and lashed out with his killing intent before he could stop himself and Kiba flinched and turned away as he pissed himself. The dog did, too. When Kakashi realized what he had just done, he saw Sasuke's betrayed face and recoiled in horror. He didn't say anything to defend himself, because he couldn't, and he took off running at his best speed to get Sakura to the village in time to save her life.

He didn't make it. Sakura had bled out during the rough ride back to the village. The medics took her and her severed arm from him and Kakashi went to the Hokage to report. He didn't see someone teleport into the room with the medics and take Sakura's body.

The Hokage was not happy that the client had lied and it cost the life of a budding ninja and wounded the other two. It would destroy the team and they would either become independent or join the Genin Corps that only protected the village as guards and they almost never improved past their current rank.

“Return to Team Seven and ensure they get back here safely. I'll assign a more experienced team to take over and they will meet you on the way to take custody of the client.” Hiruzen said.

“You're not upgrading it?” Kakashi asked, surprised.

“I am. To an A-rank.” Hiruzen said with a smile. “He might not be able to pay it all right now, so The Village of the Hidden Leaf will own that bridge and the tolls to cross it until the debt is paid.”

Kakashi gave the man a rare smile, nodded, and left in a swirl of leaves.

Hiruzen lost the smile and picked up a phone. He dialed a number he knew by heart. “Hi, Ria. I'm sorry to interrupt. Something drastic just dropped in my lap... oh, you know? What do you meant you're taking care of Sakura?” He paused and listened, then his eyes widened. “No one must know you have that technology.”

The laugh over the phone line was particularly loud.

“All right, I agree. You've kept it a secret for this long.” Hiruzen said. “Are you sure she can come back?” He asked and caught his breath. “She's already back and recovering? How?”

The explanation was a bit long and he didn't look up when Anko and Team Ten appeared in his office with no sound or swirl of leaves.

“I'll release a report saying a new revival technique was tested and Sakura wasn't really dead and that it might not work on everyone, even people recently deceased.” Hiruzen told her. “Anko is here. I need to brief her. Thank you, Ria. This is going to save everyone a lot of trouble and heartache.”

The Hokage listened for another minute and sighed.

“Yes, I'll have Kakashi demoted and removed from all positions of authority. If he is too lazy to teach his team basic defenses, then he doesn't deserve to be at his current rank. I'll even ban him from reading his favorite book series.” Hiruzen agreed and listened for a moment before he chuckled. “No, it won't kill him. He'll wish he was dead, though.”

Anko and her team exchanged smirks at hearing that.

“Thanks again, Ria. Goodbye.” Hiruzen hung up the phone and looked at Anko. “I know you and your team are ready for your first A-Rank, so I have a very important job for you.”

Anko's eyes widened and her team gave a soft cheer. They knew better than to act loudly around the Hokage.

“The situation is dire...” Hiruzen said and briefed them.

*

Neither Sasuke nor Kiba would look at Kakashi when he met up with them. They hadn't gotten far in the last few hours, since they were hurt and the civilian was fairly drunk. He didn't ask where the client kept getting the bottles of alcohol from.

Before the Jonin could explain what happened with Sakura, Kiba's pup had hs sole remaining ear perk up and he barked. His tail wagged for the first time since he had been hurt, too.

“Akamaru! What happened to you?” Hinata's voice echoed from far down the road and then she was suddenly right there and plucked the injured dog from Kiba's firm grip. She hugged the cute pup and snuggled it as it yipped happily. “You poor thing! Your bright white fur is all scorched and your ear is gone! I'll have you fixed right up in a second! I promise!”

Kiba stared as his partner was snuggled to the chest of one of the prettiest girls that had been in school. His mind kind of short-circuited as Akamaru lived every male Academy student's dream. He did not see the injection of blue liquid as Hinata's hand glowed and she performed a healing jutsu designed for animals.

In the next second, Anko and the rest of Team Ten appeared around them and Kakashi, Sasuke, and the civilian were too surprised to do more than stare at them. None of them had seen that technique before.

“Team Ten reporting in to replace Team Seven.” Anko said and handed a scroll to Kakashi. “You'll find instructions inside for what you need to do when you're back in the village.”

Kakashi nodded and didn't bother reading it yet. “How long will it take for Hyuga to heal...”

“I'm done.” Hinata said and handed a disappointed Akamaru back to Kiba, whom put the pup right on top of his head.

“I meant Kiba and Sasuke.” Kakashi said.

“Kiba needs surgery to remove the leather before he can be healed and Sasuke is fine. A clean cut will heal on its own if tended to properly over the next few days and he deserves to suffer for hurting my precious little Akamaru.” Hinata said and the pup barked in approval.

“Hinata.” Anko said in a stern voice.

Hinata made a pout face and huffed. “Fiiiiine.” She said and slapped a hand on Sasuke's side.

“AHH!” Sasuke yelped and then hissed as his wound was forcibly healed. He would find out later that it would scar and he would always have a reminder of his mistakes on his first important mission.

“I love you so much.” Naruto said to Hinata when she was done and returned to his side. “Believe it!”

Hinata blushed and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

Neither team said anything like goodbye or good luck as they parted. Hinata did wave at Akamaru when he turned to bark at her. His wagging tail kept wagging until Team Seven was out of sight.

“Naruto? Can you handle the civilian?” Anko asked.

“Believe it!” Naruto said and made a clone that used a transformation jutsu and became a horse.

“It still surprises me every damn time you do that.” Anko said with a shake of her head.

“Having buckets of chakra and becoming different things is awesome!” Naruto said and flipped the civilian onto the horse, tied him to the saddle, and slapped the horse's butt.

“HEIIIGGHHH!” The horse let out and took off faster than every other horse that ever existed.

“If it wasn't illegal to cheat so blatantly, I'd have your ass entered into every horse race on the continent.” Anko said and Hinata, Naruto, Tenten, and Rock Lee laughed. “Let's go. On foot this time.”

“Treetop exercises?” Rock Lee asked with hope in his voice.

Anko thought about it for a few seconds and nodded.

“YES!” Rock Lee and Naruto shouted and the two of them leapt up into the trees and started running.

“Boys.” Hinata and Tenten said as one, let out matching giggles, and leapt up and ran after them.

“Kids.” Anko said in the same tone of voice, barked a laugh, and followed.

*

Zabuza didn't know what had happened. He had planned the ambush perfectly. The low-ranked Genin Team Seven should have been easily caught in his trap and his water clones were supposed to dispose of the riff-raff while he went after Kakashi... only it wasn't Kakashi he had met. It was Anko.

The worst part was that she hadn't even bothered to fight him. One of her brats with buns on the sides of her head had fought him, sword to sword, and she kicked his ass. Him! One of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist! It was unbelievable!

When his apprentice pretending to be a Hunter Nin showed up to rescue him and wanted to claim the bounty, Anko had blasted Haki with some weird energy beam and revealed the disguise. Now he and Haki were prisoners and his sword had been claimed by that bun-haired girl that apparently loved weapons.

Zabuza's information had been wrong. If he ever escaped, he would hunt down whomever lied to him and he would make them pay. Losing didn't bother him that much, since he would return to reclaim the sword in time. It was that Haki had also been caught and his bloodline power of ice had been revealed. That was a blow to the Mist that they might not recover from.

Both he and his apprentice had ringside seats to the battle for the bridge that Gato had set up. A large group of mercenaries had been hired to control the land of Wave and they all attacked the people working on the bridge. The problem was that not a single one of the mercs made it to the bridge.

A hundred shadow clones of Anko's team met them and easily tore them apart. They were beaten to a pulp and captured, stripped and robbed, and everything was handed over to the citizens of the nearby town where the mercs had been based. Now the entire town loved them and everyone chipped in and the bridge was finished in only a few days.

Konoha Bridge only charged a single Ryo to cross it and the townspeople completely lost it and celebrated for three days. They even tore down Gato's mansion and raided it for the treasure and weapons with the help of Team Ten. Half was given to them and the rest was distributed evenly to everyone that lived there. Wave would forever be associated to Konoha because of that.

Zabuza and Haku were brought back to Konoha and handed over to the Hokage and the ANBU for their Bingo Book bounties. After that mission, Anko and Team Ten would never have to worry about having spending money for the rest of their lives.

Sakura quit being a combat ninja for the village after her ordeal and she joined the medical ninjas instead. With only that to concentrate on, she excelled and learned a lot more than she ever would as a combat med-nin. Her high intelligence was a huge asset and her supervisors made sure to encourage her. She was also shown some secret things by Ria and she adored the woman for saving her life.

Team Seven was disbanded and Sasuke refused to become Kakashi's apprentice. After the betrayal, he wanted nothing to do with the man, even if he was the only one that could teach Sasuke how to use the Sharingan eye technique that he had unlocked after the battle. Kiba went back to his clan and became a normal tracker and hunter, which made Akamaru happy to be among his brothers and sisters again.

*

The Chunin Exams were held in Konoha that year and Team Ten didn't need a recommendation to enter. They had long surpassed the requirements to be Chunin level and the team entered the written exams with confidence. Other teams tried to intimidate them before the exams started and they released their killing intent.

It terrified everyone else in the room, including the teachers, then it was suddenly gone. Not a word was spoken and Team Ten sat down at the back of the room.

It took several minutes before the examiners shook off the immense deadly feeling and they passed out exam papers. Everyone sat and started writing when commanded. There was some blatant cheating and those teams were ejected as a whole and not just the one cheating. It pared the roomful of students down by about a quarter, too.

When the written part was done, they were threatened by one of the examiners that if they weren't prepared to lose their lives or their teammates during the next part, then they better leave. Half of the class chose to leave, some because only one member was too nervous to face the unknown threat.

With only eleven teams left and none of the remaining members refused to leave, the examiner laughed and said they passed. Only the members of Team Ten laughed with him.

“If you can't be brave enough to even scope out an unknown threat, then you shouldn't be here.” The man said and waved at one of the other examiners. “Go ahead and follow Higarashi to the next part.”

Everyone did and the man led them to the forbidden training ground.

“There's a large tower in the middle of the grounds. You will be given a scroll with a random element in it and you have three days to reach the tower and also get a second scroll of a different type to enter.” The man said.

“One of us just automatically failed.” Naruto said and the man looked surprised. “There are eleven teams and you need two scrolls to enter. The numbers aren't even, so someone automatically fails.”

The man let out a curse under his breath. “Wait here.” He said and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Naruto looked at the other teams. “When he comes back, who wants to tell him that if this works how I think it does, potentially only one team will pass and will ruin the next round?”

The other teams looked confused as Hinata and TenTen giggled.

“We are totally doing it.” Rock Lee whispered and the girls giggled again.

The man reappeared in a swirl of leaves. “You will each be given two scrolls of the same type and can only enter the tower with two different scrolls.”

No one spoke up to tell him what Naruto said.

“You will be brought to different spots to enter the grounds and you have three days to complete the task.” The man said and ten other people appeared in a wash of leaves. “The task will begin in fifteen minutes.”

The other teams left and Naruto and Team Ten stayed there with the main examiner. He gave them two Earth scrolls and Naruto handed them to Rock Lee and he tucked them into a pouch.

When it was time, the man waved at the high barbed wire fence and smiled. “Go ahead and start climbing.”

Naruto chuckled and held a hand out to Hinata. “Let's go, babe.”

“Naruto!” Hinata gasped and blushed as she took the hand.

The man kept his face blank, even if he wanted to laugh as well. He needed to at least look professional as he watched them climbing a dangerous obstacle without gloves on. His mouth dropped open when Naruto and Hinata, still holding hands, casually walked up the thirty foot high fence. They reached the top and stepped over, then walked down the other side.

“He's such a show off.” Tenten said with a giggle and smirked at Rock Lee. “Race you?”

“YOSH!” Rock Lee shouted and then he and Tenten ran up the fence side by side as if it was a flat road and then they leapt off the top and soared through the air to land in the trees and disappeared.

The examiner stood there with his mouth hung open and stayed there for quite some time before he remembered that he needed to report back. Boy, did he ever have something to report back.

*

Six hours later, the ninjas in the Tower were shocked when Team Ten showed up, looking as good as they did when they had entered the training grounds, and they handed over two different scrolls.

“What team did you take this from?” The woman asked and held up the Fire scroll.

“One of them.” Naruto said with a shrug. “I honestly can't remember.”

“You can't remember the last fight you were in?” The woman asked, clearly surprised.

“I remember all the fights we did today. I just can't remember which of the teams had Fire scrolls.” Naruto admitted. “Believe it!”

“Wh-what?” The woman asked, her face a little pale.

“We fought all of them and it was awesome!” Rock Lee said as he threw his hand up and Naruto gave him a high five.

“A-a-all of them?” The woman asked, her pale face was now chalk white.

“Yep! Kicked their asses, too.” Tenten said and leaned over to kiss Rock Lee's cheek. “Thanks for the save back there when I was distracted.”

“Meh, it was just a normal sword to the back. Yours hurt way worse.” Rock Lee said.

“Aww, you're so sweet!” Tenten said and planted a kiss right on his lips.

Rock looked shocked for a second and then his face changed to have a huge grin on it.

Tenten giggled and took his hand.

“Y-you can go inside.” The woman said and Team Ten entered the tower.

*

Three days later, none of the other teams showed up at the tower. When search teams were sent out, they found the missing students in relatively the same area and they all said they didn't have any scrolls to fight for. They were brought out of the training area and treated for battle wounds from creatures and each other, given food, and ordered to sleep.

“What are we going to do? They all failed except Team Ten.” One of the examiners said.

“We lie our asses off about who passed and random draw for enough contestants for the round robin fighting tournament.” One of the others said.

“I'm sorry, that's not going to work.” A voice said from the telephone, even though it wasn't being used. “I've already released the results and everyone knows who actually passed and who failed.”

“Who is this?” The head of the examination committee demanded. “Only cowards won't show themselves...”

“I'm the one who can kill you in a second if you dare think you can threaten me.” The voice interrupted and two red energy beams bore through the wall and sliced through the man's headband. It dropped down onto his lap and his face was covered in sweat from how close those intensely hot beams had been to burning through his head.

“What do you want?” Someone else asked.

“Nothing.” The voice said. “With only one team to pass, there can't be a tournament. Team Ten automatically become Chunin and there is nothing else that needs to be done.”

“Team Ten's antics defeated the whole purpose of holding the Chunin exams in the first place!” Another man exclaimed.

“I think you need to look at how you set the thing up before you start accusing someone of succeeding in your biased and skewed survival test.” The voice said and nearly everyone protested. “You morons didn't put any restrictions on the students! Team Ten could have killed every single one of the others and there would have been nothing at all you could do to punish them.”

That shut them up, because there was always a death or two during the exams.

“You're lucky they only took their means to pass and not their lives, or worse, crippled them and let them live like that for the rest of their lives.” The voice said.

The head examiner sighed. “You've made your point.”

“Good.” The voice said and the sealed doors opened without anyone touching them. “Now say hello to the adoring public that wants to lynch you for trying to add stupidity on top of being morons.”

“Oh, shi...” The man said as the room was flooded with angry shouting people.

The voice laughed and ended the call.

*

Anko and Ria celebrated with Team Ten for their achievements and they took the week off from everything to spend time at a hot springs and relaxed before they had to get back to the daily grind.

Anko wasn't out of a job, though. Ria had hired her as a personal bodyguard and she refused to let her get more than ten feet away without suffering penalties. Said penalties were usually slaps to her ass and some enthusiastic fingering when she least expected it. Anko kept breaking the rules, of course.

Life moved on for everyone and Team Ten dominated everthing, despite them not officially being a team anymore. They went everywhere together. On missions, training, living together, everything. Their years together as a team had set them in their ways, so they stayed together and kept that feeling going for as long as they could.

Team Ten eventually became the best ninja team in the history of The Village of the Hidden Leaf. Whenever there was a problem a normal ninja team couldn't handle, they were called in and they handled it. They were supremely rich, supremely talented, and completely unmatched. No one could touch them in sheer ability, especially when they worked together.

Ria continued to work in the background to take care of her family and to keep the village safe from hidden dangers. With her protecting them, Team Ten eventually rose so far up the ranks that Hiruzen chose to retire and let Naruto take over. The old man had several more decades in him, thanks to Ria's medical clinic, and he took over running the Academy full time.

Naruto wasn't stupid, though. He stayed with his team and he split the duties with them, which cut their workload to a quarter of what Hiruzen dealt with every day. The team also did the smart thing and used Shadow Clones to do the drudge work and took care of the village while the real versions went on missions.

It was the most innovative procedure to ever happen to the village and it was eventually written into law that the Hokage could have trusted colleagues to help him and cover for his faults. It also kept him in check and ensured that he would always have the village's best interests at heart.

*

Naruto and Hinata took a year off from active duty as ninjas and performing missions to start a family. Of course, once they did have a child, a handsome little boy named Boruto, it wasn't enough for either Naruto's or Hinata's desire for a family.

That single year turned into three when their daughter Himawari was born. Her name meant 'Sunflower' and she brought so much joy and happiness into their lives that Tenten and Rock Lee chose to retire from active missions to start a family, too.

Ria and Anko couldn't have been happier to have more children to help raise and take care off. Not surprisingly, Gaara and Fu also enjoyed having nieces and nephews to spoil and they took every opportunity to babysit and do just that.

*

Time moved on and years passed. Thanks to medical technology that Ria had introduced, all of her family members lived very long lives and the family grew larger and larger. It came to the point that the Uzumaki's were granted full Clan status and a section of land was set aside for them and an official Clan Compound was built for them.

It was an historic event, celebrated throughout the Land of Fire, and Naruto couldn't have been happier. He had achieved both his lifelong dream and his secret desires, to be Hokage and have everyone's respect and also to have a family big enough to restart the Uzumaki Clan.

Naruto was a hundred and thirty-six when he finally handed the Hokage hat to his grandson Saruto, someone that had the same dream as him to be Hokage and have a big family to keep the clan going. The young man couldn't have been prouder to be chosen and thanked the old man for trusting him.

Ten years later, there was also a celebrated ceremony where Saruto's son was born on Naruto's birthday and the very old man chose to pass on the Kyuubi to the newborn. With Ria's help and supervision, there were no problems and baby Geruto became the new tailed beast container.

Naruto passed away with a bright smile on his face, because he had everything he ever wanted.

Ria waited five years for the new family member to be settled into their life before she decided to move on and faked her own death from old age. No one was surprised when it happened, since she had been around for a very long time, and they celebrated her life and how she had changed things for everyone in the village and especially for their family.

It was the best funeral that Ria had ever participated in since Naruto's own and she used her Chi and Magic to jump to the next world.

*

Gloria appeared on the wrecked bridge of some kind of spaceship. Her eyes flicked around and she saw that she was surrounded by bodies and the tech was fairly advanced. Before she could do more than take a step towards the clearly marked UNSC Autumn nameplate, an automated voice broke the silence.

Reactors destabilized. Meltdown will occur in five seconds.

Gloria cursed and ran for the cockpit window at her best speed and jumped. She smashed through it and hoped she wasn't in deep space because...

Reactors destabilized. Meldown will occur in one second.

*WHABOOOOOOM!*

...she had barely half a second to see the view of something like a ring, kind of like a Halo, and a small fighter-like jet as it tore away from the explosion, then the explosion's blast overtook her and she started to tumble. She had no choice but to activate her power again as she felt the intense heat.

She had never jumped so soon after travelling before and again hoped she didn't appear in space, because she hadn't taken that large of a breath.

*

Ben Grimm cursed the damaged shuttle's systems after that weird wave of energy had hit the ship during a normal experimental space flight. The ship tumbled and he was having a small problem with righting the thing until there was a loud thump that shook the ship and it somehow straightened out.

He didn't question it or asked anyone to check out what just happened. He took the chance the unexpected impact gave him and regained some control of the shuttle. He stabilized the flight path and he cursed again when he saw they were starting to fall from orbit. That was bad. Very, very, bad.

The engines were out and the controls for tilting the ship up and down were wrecked. All he had was steering and that was not going to be enough for them to survive dropping from space. The ship suddenly dipped straight down and Ben cursed again. He tried to yank on the controls and nothing happened.

The cockpit heated up almost immediately as the shuttle entered the Earth's atmosphere at too sharp of an angle and his constant stream of curses did not reassure his three colleagues at all. In fact, they were feeling quite sick and Reed Richards looked across the cockpit to the woman he loved and let her see on his face how sorry he was.

Susan Richards gave him a sad smile back and reached a hand out to him. There was no way they could hold hands in the middle of a crash, since they were about eight feet away from each other. Reed tried to reach anyway.

Johnny Storm wasn't a scientist or even particularly smart. However, he was an adrenaline junkie and the thoughts of going up into space had him too excited to question if it was a good decision or not. Now he was questioning it and he thought back to his life. He was a player and enjoyed his life, even when his sister yelled at him for dating so much. He looked at the fire through the cockpit's window and decided that if he had to die right then, he had no regrets.

Ben struggled and checked everything, even the backup thrusters, and nothing would save them from such a sharp descent. With no altitude controls, they were toast. He didn't give up, though. That was not who he was. He faced everything with his New York gruff and no one, not even fate, was going to make him do something he didn't want to do. Since he didn't want to die, he wasn't going to.

It was a very long and panicking three minutes for the shuttle to pass through the upper atmosphere and for the constant shaking and banging to stop. Ben let out a whoop as he suddenly had the altitude controls back and he yanked back on the joystick and the ship rotated up and they levelled out. There was another loud bang and the sound of tearing metal before the shuttle was suddenly a lot lighter.

Ben checked the readouts and he laughed at not seeing the engines anymore. They were useless anyway, so he didn't worry about it. All he had to do now was land a flying brick without splattering himself and his friends all over God's creation. The ground approached in both slow motion and faster than he thought possible.

“I did... what I could.” A woman's strained voice said from the back of the cockpit. Only Reed, Susan, and Johnny turned their heads to look and see a fairly toasted caramel-skinned woman with charred short black hair and most of her clothing gone.

“Everybody hold on!” Ben shouted as the ground suddenly jumped up in front of the shuttle. It was the side of a mountain and the ship turned just enough to only clip one of the wingtips.

The shuttle shook from the impact and Ben did his best to keep them level as they passed between two peaks and then he tilted the shuttle downwards.

“Ben! Are you nuts?” Johnny almost screamed as they barely passed another mountaintop.

“No, he's... using the terrain.” The woman said and braced on the back of Susan's chair. “Airflow... too rough for normal flight... in a mountain range. You need to... use the thrusters at the next peak.”

“Babe, I'd kiss you if we weren't so close to dying!” Ben shouted and the ship almost flipped as it shifted sideways from a huge gust of wind. He kicked the thrusters and the ship flipped right back up and shot forwards.

“Use the stabilizers... 30 degree down flaps... and aim for the left.” She said and dropped to her knees.

“What's wrong?” Susan asked her, even though she didn't feel good, either.

“Oxygen... deprivation. Need to reeee...” The woman's voice dropped off and she collapsed to the floor.

Before Susan could exclaim or let go of Reed's hand that she was somehow holding, the shuttle dropped from the air and slammed into a rocky outcropping. The sound of the right wing tearing off was just as scary as it sounded and a woman's scream echoed in the cockpit. Reed looked at Susan in surprise and she used a thumb to point at her brother that had just fainted.

The shuttle started to dig into the snow and the bangs from large rocks hitting the underside made all of their spines compress painfully each time and those still conscious watched as a veritable canyon seemed to open up in front of them.

“Everyone hope that the parachutes still work!” Ben said as the shuttle slid off the precipice and he slammed his hand onto the release button. Nothing happened and dread started to fill him, so he made a fist and yelled as he punched it as hard as he could. The shuttle jerked as if it hit a wall and Ben yelled happily as the chutes deployed.

Ben guided the ship to a less rough area and the shuttle hit the ground again and the snow was almost gone. The left wing surprisingly stayed intact, even with the distinctly bowed shape distorting it so much. The chutes worked hard to slow them down and Ben's eyes widened as the shuttle approached a large group of bulbous rocks.

“We're gonna crash! HOLD ON!” Ben yelled and let the useless controls go and braced himself.

Susan had just enough awareness to reach down and used her free hand to grab onto the unknown woman's arm and lifted her up and used her other arm to brace her. Her eyes widened to see Reed still held her hand from eight feet away and she looked over to see an equally shocked Reed staring at his long stretchy arm.

Then everything went dark.

*

“Ugghhhh.” Gloria groaned as she woke up with a splitting headache. Her mind took several moments to remember what was happening before she lost consciousness and it was all hazy. The last thing she remembered clearly was appearing in orbit and tumbled through space. She had used her flight power to right herself and then saw the partially wrecked and modified space shuttle.

Gloria had ignored the damage she had suffered in that last explosion and flew over to the thing to catch it. Space had nothing to stop her movement, so she slammed right into the side of the thing and tore through the fuselage. Her attempts to stop air from escaping were futile as a bulkhead closed in front of her and she only had a half-breath of air before it blew out into the vacuum of space.

She used her x-ray vision to look at the problems and saw everything wrong. She worked as fast as she could, because she knew she didn't have much time as her lungs burned up the last of the air she had. She removed the huge engines and the fuel tank to lighten the ship, then she went back outside and directed the ship down to enter the atmosphere as quickly as possible. Her already existing burns seared from the heat of reentry.

It was a huge gamble doing what she was doing, considering it was her best chance to get air as quickly as possible and also save the passengers. Once the shuttle was in the atmosphere, the securing bulkheads wouldn't stop her from getting much needed air. Her vision was fading, though. She was borderline passing out as she entered the ship again and opened the next area, took several breaths, and her vision cleared a bit.

Gloria worked on repairing the control rods as best as she could with her weakened heat vision, using up the brief radiation she had absorbed in orbit, and she went back inside to make her way to the cockpit. Her vision had wavered and she knew she would need a lot of time to recover from her ordeal, both the explosion that had hurt a lot and not breathing for so long.

She couldn't really remember what she said to anyone and then she had passed out. Now she was... where the hell was she? Gloria slowly moved and tried to not hiss at her wounds. She was snuggled up to a very pretty blonde woman and there were several loops of some kind of rubber tubing wrapped round them. When she turned her head, she saw a man's face was attached to it.

Oh, it's his arm. Gloria thought and lifted her head to look around. They were laying on the side of the cockpit against one of the cockpit windows and the front of the shuttle was gone somewhere. There were small fires all over the place, too. “H-hey, Stretch.” She said and there was no reaction. Her arms were pinned, so she used her only weapons available. Her lips and tongue.

Reed jerked awake when a surprisingly sensual tongue licked his ear. His analytical mind knew immediately that it wasn't his wife's tongue and he opened his eyes to see the caramel-skinned woman smirk at him.

“I've still got it.” She said.

Reed raised his eyebrows at her.

“My arms are pinned and I couldn't shake you awake, Stretch. The only appendage available and close enough to use was my tongue.”

“I understand.” Reed said. “Why did you call me Stretch?”

“Your really long arm is the reason I'm pinned to the gorgeous blonde.” Gloria said. “I'm not complaining, just stating a fact.”

Reed smiled and leaned back. He looked at his arms and he really had wrapped them several times around both women. His mind could feel everything as if they were normal arms and not the rubberized extensions that they currently were. It only took him a few moments to carefully unravel them from the two women.

“Thanks.” Gloria said and carefully sat up. She felt lightheaded and braced herself with a hand on Reed's shoulder. “Whew. I need a minute.”

Reed nodded and he used a normal arm length to check Susan's pulse. “I don't see any wounds or blood anywhere.”

“Good. It would be a shame for such a beauty to be hurt.” Gloria said and rubbed a hand over her own forehead and it glowed slightly. She took in a very long breath and closed her mouth for a second before she let it out. “That's better. Who knew starving your brain of air would hurt so much?”

Reed looked away from Susan and gave Gloria a blank look.

“Yes, it was rhetorical.” Gloria said and looked across the cockpit, only to gasp and point. “The other guy's hand is in the fire!”

Reed moved like a snake and quickly pulled Johnny away from the side of the cockpit that was really the floor and checked the burned hand, only for there to be no damage at all. “Fascinating.”

Gloria saw it was fine. “I wish I had whatever he had. Burns suck ass.”

Reed turned back and saw that she had several that didn't make sense with the current situation.

Gloria saw his questioning gaze. “I was outside directing the shuttle during reentry.”

Reed's eyes widened and he had hundreds of questions fly through his mind in a second.

Gloria chuckled. “Save the inquiry for later, Stretch. We need to go look for the pilot.” She slowly stood and winced. “Goddammit. Burns really really suck.”

“Perhaps you should rest and relax. I'll search for Ben.” Reed said.

Gloria shook her head and bent down and easily picked up Susan as if she weighed nothing. “I need to get outside into the sunlight.” Because I haven't seen Earth's sun in several decades. She thought and walked towards the torn open front of the cockpit. Almost as soon as she stepped out into the bright sunlight, she felt better.

Reed struggled to carry Johnny out of the ship and sat him down a short distance away against a large rock, in case the shuttle decided it needed to explode or something. With him safely out of the way, Reed walked over to the shuttle and examined the landing pattern. It took him seconds to determine what happened and walked at a fifteen degree angle to the cockpit for thirty feet and right over to a pile of rocks.

“Ben? Are you okay?” Reed asked.

“R-Reed?” Ben's rough voice said.

“It's me, Ben. You did it. You got us down and we survived.” Reed praised him.

“Thank god.” Ben said and moved with the sound of rolling rocks, and sat up.

Reed stared at him and was left speechless.

“Sweet Jesus, you're a pile of rocks!” Gloria said and walked over to him.

“Wh-what?” Ben asked and looked up at her.

“Miss, I don't think now is a good time for...” Reed started to say.

“Screw that. We just survived falling from orbit and he saved our lives. I'm not keeping him in the dark about what happened to him.” Gloria said and knelt beside him. “Ben, give me your hand.”

Ben lifted his hand and held it out to her, then he froze and stared at the orange rock covered thing.

“Hmm. I see. You're not rock that's stuck together.” Gloria said and held it steady with one hand and ran her fingertips over the creases and along the palm.

“That tickles, lady.” Ben said.

Gloria gave him a huge smile. “That's great to hear, Ben. You haven't lost any sensations, even though your biological structure has mutated into a rock-like substance. It seems you grew into this shape and didn't just form rocks and things around you to make a kind of armor.”

“How bad does it look?” Ben asked and lifted his other hand to touch his face.

“Many stone and marble sculptors will admire you for the life-like structure.” Gloria said and Ben snorted. “I'm glad you can laugh, because this is a huge change that you'll have to adapt to until I can work out how to fix it.”

“Wh-what?” Reed and Ben asked at the same time.

“You're looking at the pinnacle of biological sciences and healing tech on the planet.” Gloria said and both men stared at her. “If I can't reverse whatever this thing is, I'll build you another body and we'll transfer you out.”

“Miss, there's no need to make such outlandish promises.” Reed said.

“My name's Gloria Hansen and I didn't work my ass off to save you, only to ignore the results from the crash.” Gloria said and Reed couldn't refute her words. “I'll do what I can to help, even if it means months of research.”

“Did you say months?” Ben asked, surprised.

“I'm giving myself some padded time, just in case something weird comes up. If you want out of the current body right away, we could raid a hospital's long term care ward for a brain-dead comatose patient and switch your bodies.”

Both Reed and Ben stared at her like she was crazy.

“What? It's a simple electronic signal switch between an active source of brainwaves and an empty one. That's simpler than growing a genetic clone, accelerating the growth in a maturation chamber for six months, and then putting Ben's consciousness into it.”

Ben's mouth dropped open and Reed looked stunned.

“In any case, Ben is as healthy as a horse right now, so I don't need to heal him.” Gloria said and patted Reed's shoulder. “I'll go see if Susan's awake and then you can call for someone to come and pick us up from wherever we are.”

Reed could only nod and watched as the nearly naked woman walked back over to where Susan rested against the shuttle and she checked her over.

“Reed, is it true? Can she really do what she said?” Ben asked.

Reed looked back at his friend. His orange rock-covered friend. At least his eyes stayed blue. He thought and then sighed. “She seems confident that she can. I didn't detect any lies, even when she said her name.”

Ben looked down at his large rocky hands with only three fingers and a thumb and made them into fists. Despite his thoughts of how weird they looked, they also looked strong. Really strong.

“I'll do everything I can as well.” Reed promised.

Ben nodded and his thoughts went from anger, to hope, to reassurance. He wasn't sure why Reed's words seemed a little hollow, until he realized that he hadn't given him any examples of exactly what he would do to help, unlike Gloria. She specifically told him what she would do if her research to change him back didn't work. She even told him an immediate solution if he wanted to do it.

The large smile on Ben's face let Reed relax and his own worry about not knowing what he could do to help his friend was diminished. Susan's startled gasp as she woke up got their attention and Ben and Reed looked over to see a crying and quite happy Susan hug Gloria tightly. The two men smiled at seeing Susan making a female friend and Gloria telling her that everything was going to be okay.

“I better cobble up a long range radio to call for help. The sooner we can get home, the better.” Reed said and made his way back over to the shuttle and went inside.

*

The trip back to civilization was a surprisingly short one and Gloria saw that it was a modern society and not like it was back in Konoha with the stilted technology. That world had never had an industrial revolution with Oil and Fuel, so there were no cars, plastic, or anything else close to that. It still had a lot of modern conveniences, just nothing that was derived from the oil industry.

“Never been to the big city before?” Johnny asked insensitively with a smile on his face.

“What's a city?” Gloria asked and her face was full of confusion. Her act was so believable that Johnny's face paled in realization of how stupid he was and Susan, Ben, and Reed turned their heads to give her wide eyes. “BAHAHAHA! The looks on your faces!” She pointed right at Johnny. “HAHAHA!”

Ben was the first to laugh and his rumbling chuckle was loud in the back of the large SUV. Susan was next and her soft laugh was a great contrast to Ben's. Reed smiled at the successful joke and Johnny scoffed and crossed his arms and looked out the window of the vehicle.

“I can't wait to get cleaned up.” Gloria said and her hand went to her ruined and now short hair. “I'm really going to miss my waist-length hair.”

“It'll grow back before you know it.” Susan reassured her and her hand went up to touch some of the charred ends. “I'm not sure what hairstyle you can use until it does. It's all uneven.”

Gloria sighed and reached up to take Susan's hand. “I'm tempted to shave most of it off and do the punk look for a while.”

Susan giggled like a little girl. “I haven't seen a twenty-something punk rocker in years.”

Gloria barked a laugh. “Now I'm really tempted, just to get you to laugh every time you see me.”

Susan laughed normally and leaned into her. “As funny as that would be, maybe a rough cut or even a bob? Is your hair naturally straight?”

Gloria nodded. “It would take some serious work to keep the bob curl for any length of time.”

“What about teasing it out? If it's shorter, it might work.” Susan suggested.

Gloria thought about it. “I hope you know an expensive hair stylist to help with this mess.”

Susan's face lost some of the humor. “I do... but...”

Gloria gave her hand a squeeze. “I wasn't saying you had to pay for it.”

“You lost it trying to save us and...” Susan started to protest.

“You don't have to feel guilty about that. I was technically saving myself as well.” Gloria said.

Susan gave her a searching look before she nodded.

“Besides, I'll be renting a room from you for as long as I'm dealing with Ben's mutation.” Gloria said and Reed straightened up. “What's a suite on Park Avenue going for these days, anyway?”

Susan looked shocked at the offer. “Gloria, you don't have to do that. You're helping Ben and the least we can do is offer you a place to stay.”

The looks of horror on Johnny's, Ben's, and Reed's faces let Gloria know all she needed to know about their financial troubles. Despite being successful scientists, they were wallowing in debt and had taken substantial loans to pay for their experiments in space on the modified shuttle and a lot of their work had been lost or damaged from the crash.

“Did I mention I have a Business Accounting degree?” Gloria asked and Susan let out a little squeal. “I'm sure I can take a look at your finances and see what can be done about everything.”

“You'd really do that?” Susan asked, her face full of hope. “Offering to pay rent while helping Ben was bad enough and now you're going to work with us as well?”

Gloria gave her a warm smile. “I know we just met; but, I think we're going to be great friends.”

Susan's smile matched hers and she nodded.

“I can't let a friend's problems go unsolved. That's just not right.” Gloria said and she didn't miss the thankful looks on the three men. “I'll do what I can to help, I promise.”

Susan let Gloria's hand go to wrap her arms around her neck and hugged her. “Thank you, Gloria.”

“You're welcome, Susan.” Gloria said and hugged her back.

The SUV came to a stop in front of the Baxter Building and the four New York natives let out sighs of relief at being home. Gloria held in her chuckle and followed Susan out, then leaned back in to help Ben climb out. He looked surprised for a moment and then laughed because Gloria was able to hold his weight as he carefully climbed out without damaging anything or falling.

Gloria winked at his happy face and turned around, only to freeze when she saw an absolutely gorgeous black woman wearing a stylish outfit that hugged her curves in all the right places. She had long white hair and the contrast to her dark skin made her stand out that much more.

“If you don't tell me you're single, I'll need someone to shoot me immediately and put me out of my misery.” Gloria said and it was everyone else's turn to freeze. She walked over to the tall woman and gave her a smile that should have been classed as a lethal weapon.

The black woman looked quite flattered and everyone knew she was blushing, even if they couldn't see it because of her dark skin color. “I am single.” She whispered and Gloria beamed a smile at her.

“Ahem.” A male voice said and they all looked down at a bald man in a wheelchair. “I apologize for the sudden intrusion to your return home.” He said and then smiled. “My name is Charles Xavier.”

“You run Xavier's Institute for Gifted Children in Salem Center, Westchester County.” Reed said and the man nodded. “What brought you across New York State to here?”

“We came to meet this young lady.” Charles said and indicated Gloria. “Miss? Would you like to introduce yourself?”

“Not to you.” Gloria said without looking away from the black woman's face and she saw the slight disapproval there. “I'm sorry for being brash to whomever that unimportant man is.”

Everyone's eyes widened at her words, especially Charles Xavier's.

“All I care about in this moment is the goddess right in front of me.” Gloria said with conviction and the black woman looked flustered once more. “I rarely find anyone even remotely interesting that I'll be this bold in approaching them, so please forgive me.”

The black woman gave her a searching look. “You judge interest by looks alone?”

Gloria couldn't stop another huge smile from appearing on her face. “Of course not. Your poise, your commanding presence, and your regal nature all scream that you are used to being worshipped. Your demeanor told me that you are deeming others worthy of seeing you out and about and I respect that. Greeting you first was the proper thing to do.”

To everyone's surprise, Gloria took the black woman's hand and did a proper curtsy and placed a gentle kiss on the back of the woman's hand.

“My name is Gloria Hansen and I humbly greet you.” Gloria said and stayed there in the curtsy and bent over.

No one moved or said anything for almost thirty seconds.

“Please rise.” The black woman said and Gloria did so and kept hold of her hand. “My name is Ororo Munroe.”

“Your name is the Kenyan word for beauty? That's wonderful!” Gloria gushed.

Everyone seemed to be stunned by the exchange and Ororo looked flustered again.

“May I have my hand back?” Ororo asked after a moment.

“No.” Gloria denied and Ororo's eyebrows rose. “You came here to meet me, so let's go inside while I clean up and then we can sit and visit, share stories, and afterwards I'm taking you to bed for a day or two.”

Johnny laughed and then coughed to cover it up. Reed looked shocked. Susan blushed and also looked flustered. Ben looked disappointed and then he laughed, too.

Charles just looked amused. “As long as you don't mind me hanging around until I can get someone else to come and get me.”

“Charles.” Ororo said in a flat voice.

Charles laughed. “I'm not telling you to sleep with her as a bribe to talk to me, Ororo. I believe she genuinely likes you and everything else is just wasting her time until you either accept or refuse her advances.”

“It really is all up to you, Ororo.” Gloria said and gave her hand a light squeeze. “Do you find me as intriguing as I find you? Will you join me for a meal, some light conversation, and perhaps at the end you might like to stick around and see if this can be as great as I think it will be?”

Ororo looked deep into her eyes. “You are not just offering a casual thing, are you?”

Gloria stepped close and that lethal weapon smile was back on her face. “If you agree, I will be yours and only yours until you die of old age, or until the end of time. Whichever comes first.”

Ororo had never heard such a preposterous proposal before, and she had heard quite a few of them since she was a teenager. The thing was, she somehow knew that this woman, someone that she had just met, truly believed her offer was genuine... and so did she.

With barely a nod from Ororo, Gloria floated up slightly and wrapped her arms around her neck and then kissed her so passionately that Ororo couldn't stop herself from becoming aroused and she hugged her back and kissed her just as enthusiastically.

Charles felt Ororo's and everyone else's emotions and thoughts as the two women made out on a public sidewalk as if they were completely alone and behind closed doors. His own body reacted and even though he couldn't physically feel anything below the waist, he knew everything still worked. The tent pole proved it conclusively.

“Damn, girls! Get a room!” Johnny said and tried to hide his own tent pole. Two hot women kissing was one of his biggest fantasies, right below him joining in.

Gloria broke the kiss and saw the blissful look on Ororo's face. “We need to go inside.” She said and stepped back before she looked at Susan. “Is there a roof access to the building?”

Susan nodded. “The code to the door is 3356. Guest rooms are on the level below the top floor.”

“Thank you.” Gloria said and held a hand out to Ororo, whom took it and smiled happily as they both lifted up into the air and then they flew up and out of sight.

“Gloria can fly?” Ben asked and then laughed. “Never mind. Come on, Stretch, Flame Boy, and Suzie. We've got some unpacking and cleaning to do.”

The doorman of the building opened the door and Ben, Reed, and Johnny entered the building. Susan had the presence of mind to ignore her envy about wanting to be kissed like that and pushed Charles Xavier's chair into the lobby.

The elevator ride up was a long one, since it was one that had been in the building since it had been built and wasn't modern by any stretch of the imagination. By the time they stopped at the guest floor to drop Charles off in the common living room there, they easily heard the shower. Before they could leave him there, they heard several laughs and then loud moans.

“I'm really tempted to stay here and keep you company.” Johnny said to him.

“Yes, having another man here will make this much less awkward.” Charles said.

Ben laughed and Susan blushed as she grabbed her brother's collar and hauled him back into the elevator.

“We'll be back in an hour, Charles.” Reed said and the elevator doors closed.

Charles waited until the elevator moved before he relaxed. “I think having Miss Hansen here is going to make things a little more interesting.”

The telepathic man would soon realize how much of an understatement that was.