A/N: If you didn't see the note on my profile, my house lost power for awhile, and that set me waaaaay back. Still working on An Untraveled Road, this just came out first. Now, then!

PLEASE READ THIS NOTE, WOULD YOU KINDLY?

Hopefully you can see this chapter? By all means, let me know. Because the site is broken. Yet again! These glitches are just making me depressed...

We can't respond to reviews-though we can see them in our inboxes-chapters aren't displaying properly, and stories are vanishing only to reappear hours after they've been posted. I hate having to rally people like this time and time again, but this seems to be the only way to get things down nowadays. So, lets get on the horn, use the fiction press twitter, and the support email on site, and tell the fine folk that moderate this site, so they can fix it. Hopefully.

Also, I'm stuck in quarantine again. Bloody sickly body of mine. This. Keeps. HAPPENING. WRRRRRRRRRRRY!

Pretty sure I caught something, and I've been ordered to get tested; after said test I was told to stay home until I get my results back. You think I'd be happier with free time. Quite the reverse! I don't know if I'm getting depressed or just losing my mind. To top things off just the other day, I went swimming and a shark tried to take a bite out of me. Scared the shite out of me, right and proper. Thankfully I was able to box the bastard in the nose, hop on my board, and get the hell out of there.

These days, my team and I have been rewriting and repairing a lot of old stories. I know its been awhile, and for that I'm sorry. I've been going back through this, rewriting things and...well. I've come to a realization. Dear god I was crap when I first wrote this story. Thankfully I've matured a bit since then, enough that I'm willing to take a crack at this once more.

So, off we go! REVIEW FOR IT FEEDS MY ENGINE OF CREATION~!

Well, you don't have to of course. It just makes me and the gang happy and warms our souls. Now then, lets get back to it shall we?

*cracks knuckles*

You can tell we had fun writing this. Skyrim's a blast. As ever, we own no references, themes, or memes. And certainly no quotes! Replaying good 'ol Shadow of Mordor/War went and gave me a few ideas...

"Give me all your coin and nobody gets hurt."

"Ohhh, that's just precious."

~a foolish ambush.

Wandering Paths

"Are you perhaps short of a marble?!"

"Really?!" Naruto grunted as he ducked under a blade. "Is now really the time for this talk?!"

"Yes!" Isabelle growled back while she parried an ax and shunted it aside, "We're lost again because of you! This is all your fault! Everything! Every bit of it!"

"Even the bandits?!" He howled.

"EVEN THE BANDITS!"

"To be fair, I might've read the map upside down." someone took that as their cue to rush him and earned a Rasengan that sent him spinning away. "It was an honest mistake, I swear!"

"And you didn't notice until now?!' Sparks skittered from her fingertips and her unlucky attacker dropped with a yowl. "How do you keep doing this?! Are you a bad luck charm or something?!"

As far as insults went, Naruto thought that one was particularly inspired. Downright brilliant, really. He gave it an eight out of ten, though Isabelle admittedly lost some points on the dismount and delivery. For that alone, the Dragonborn deserved a retort of her own. A pun so powerful, a retort so scathing it would strike her deaf and dumb. Pity he couldn't be bothered to think of one at the moment. Still, her snark remark made him smile and lifted him right out of his foul mood.

The men charging him? Admittedly less so.

Batting the bandit's blade aside with his right hand, he stepped into the man's guard and drove his head into the marauder's skull. An ugly crack greeted his ears, but the buffoon somehow managed to swipe at him as he crashed to the ground. Naruto caught him by the wrist, reared back, and ripped the weapon from his grasp. Blue eyes took a moment to inspect the crude tool that tried to take his life. Shoddy work. A wrought iron sword, nearly blunt from use. You couldn't cut butter with this thing. Aela would've scoffed at it. He did so now.

"Really?" he frowned down at the man -a Nord, by the look of him- as the poor sod stumbled upright. "Just how did you intend to hurt me with this? You'd have better luck using your hands. Or running away."

"Screw you!" Instead, the man pulled a knife and tried to leap at him. Tried. Points for moxxy, if nothing else.

Kurama scoffed in the back of his head. "Well, he's signed his death warrant."

"Tell me something I don't know!"

In a single seamless movement Naruto took the knife on a lightly armored forearm and swung the useless bar of iron down on the bandit's skull. Superior speed and strength accomplished what the lack of an edge couldn't. Red spattered his cheeks and he sighed as he wiped it away. Damnit. He'd have to clean his armor again. On some level he knew he should feel guilty for killing the man; but he just couldn't muster up anything more than vague pity where highwaymen were concerned. When his victim slumped, the useless sword joined him.

All to easy. A small part of him despaired at the ease of it all.

Was it so wrong to want a good fight? Compared to dragons this lot was...well. Paltry.

"Die, you stupid piece of shrakh!" Some poor fool leaped onto his back and attempted to drag him down. Points for effort...and points lost for stupidity.

Naruto inhaled deeply, turned his head, and shouted. Right in his face.

That one did not die well.

An arrow sailed over his shoulder as the poor bastard's corpse fell away, its shaft briefly brushing his cheek. With nary a sound he hurled a pair of kunai over his shoulder at the source. A meaty thunk greeted him as the throwing knives found the throat of earnest archer. The man dropped with a wet gurgle and turning, he found himself face to face with another trio of would-be thugs. Such a sloppy ambush; he'd heard them coming ages ago. Were they even trying?

Honestly, kids these days...

"Right, this is the part where you two run away." He clicked his teeth together, lacing his words with a hint killing intent. "Shoo. Now. Get. I promise I won't chase you."

Was it possible for a khajit to pale? Hmm. Naruto honestly couldn't tell under all that fur. The two bretons beside him had gone positively pallid. In the distance he heard the Dragonborn roar. Not a heartbeat later seven ruined corpses sailed over their heads and crashed down the hillside. He watched these three intently, saw the precise moment that their resolve broke, and gave them a push.

"Scoot." he hummed, deepening his voice. "Before I change my mind."

They got.

Credit where it was due, they almost made it; in that they managed all of nine steps before a hail of ebony arrows flew out of the grand melee and found their hearts. Naruto whistled softly. Damn good shot, that. Through and through like nothing he'd ever seen. He'd agreed to let them go, true; but he'd made no such promises about Karliah.

After a moment's thought he risked a glance over his shoulder to make sure the rest of his family was safe.

Britte and Sissel waved back from a safe distance, shepherded by the bemused Nightingale herself. With her hood down, she made no effort whatsoever to hide her smirk.

"Enjoying yourself, are we?" he called out to her.

In response she guided an arrow right over his head to impale an unlucky wood elf that had been creeping up on him. He'd sensed them coming, and his lips puckered in a scowl.

"Hey! That was my kill!"

Another arrow dropped two men through the throat at once.

Naruto fought down the slightest twitch. "That still only counts as one!"

A harsh peal of thunder caught his attention, though it stemmed not from the sky. He knew its source all too well.

Isabelle was absolutely vicious with her wizardy. At some point she'd discarded her weapons and fallen back on her magic; the tide had begun to turn long before this, but her singular display sealed the deal. Fire and Ice howled from her fingers as she levitated in place, ravaging reaver and road alike. In that moment she almost reminded him of an angry goddess. One enterprising bandit broke from his brothers and tried to rush her with his shield; she turned him to ashes in recompense for his temerity.

"Go, mom! Go! Kick his ass!" Sissel's all-too-familiar voice cried.

"Yeah!" her twin agreed. "Fuck 'em up!"

Naruto nearly choked on his own spit. "Britte?! Sissel?! Where did you learn those words word-gack?!"

He was still speaking when a mace shattered against his skull and caused him to bite his tongue. Bits of ruined metal rained down on his head.

Kurama openly guffawed. Naruto...less so.

Blue eyes narrowed as he found the responsible party. A startled Orc balked back at him clutching the ruined haft of his once might weapon weapon. Wide eyes drifted down to the sundered stick in his grasp, then the blond who was even now brushing the last of the sundered steel from his hair. Whatever words the bandit wanted to say died away as those azure orbs burned scarlet.

"Really? Attacking a man when he's talking to his daughters?" Naruto planted both hands on his hips and scowled at him. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

"M-Mercy, m'lord?" the orc croaked the question.

"Hmm." Naruto tilted his head. "Would you show me mercy?"

A bead of cold sweat ran down the marauder's brow. "Well...um...no?"

It was precisely the wrong thing to say; alas, he realized it too late. Much too late.

"Yup." A hand closed around his throat, hoisting him into the air, then higher still. "That's what I thought."

In hindsight, he could've just hit him with a Rasengan or something. But with the girls watching, he felt the need to show off. Just a bit.

It was a good throw all things considered; the orc all but vanished from Naruto's grasp-simply ceased to exist entirely. One moment he was there, the next he was gone, a shrieking green speck on the far horizon. Brittle and Sissel cooed in delight and clapped behind him as he sketched a bow. Not a single bandit came anywhere near him after that. Rather, they didn't have a chance to.

Isabelle never gave them one.

Bright eyes pulsed, glowing impossibly bright as the seething sorceress clenched her right hand into a claw and waved it at the last of the bandits. Belatedly, he noticed the cut on her arm where a lucky blade had bit deep and drawn blood. Ghastly red light bled from the wound trailed in its wake, carving an eldritch swath behind her.

"Enough of this!" she howled! "All of you! Die!"

Remarkably, they did just that; because that ghastly scarlet radiance swooped at the marauders like a thousand ravens and pulled the life from their bodies. As one, the last of them crumpled bonelessly to the soil. Britte and Sissel applauder her, blissfully unaware of what had just happened. They probably thought she'd knocked the lot of them out, not drank their life-force like a glass of wine.

What was she, a blood mage or something? And did she seem pale all of a sudden...?

Kurama pounced on it. "We've seen that trick before."

Naruto grimaced at the sight. That spell...it reminded him of a spell Serana had once used, though not with her own blood. Wait. Did that mean...? Two thoughts clicked together in the back of his head and he ruthlessly shook his head. Nope, he decided. Not going to think about it. Not at all. Not touching that problem with a ten foot pole. It could be a different spell. Perhaps he was seeing things. Maybe it was a trick of the light or just a trick unique to Isabelle herself. Yeah. Had to be.

He had no intention of opening that can of worms.

...remind me to stay on your good side."

The Dragonborn rounded on him with a hiss, and for an awful moment, he thought he glimpsed a desperate hunger in her eyes. But only for a moment. It faded as her feet found the earth once more, and her once pale skin seemed to regain its natural hue as Karliah led the girls over to them. Throughout the exchange, her bright eyes never left his. She looked uncertain. Hesitant.

"Did you-

"Nope." Naruto's smacked his lips with a resounding pop and shook his head rapidly. "I saw nothing, I heard nothing. I know nothing."

"Oh." She accepted the distraction for it was and took it as an olive branch. "Then...thank you." the faintest smiled quirked her lips. "You're still a bad luck charm, though."

"Says the girl with mommy issues." he snarked at her.

Isabelle turned crimson, her earlier fears forgotten. "Y-You take that back! Take it back at once!"

"You promised to write to her, didn't you?" still, he continued to tease.

Her face went positively scarlet. "Stoppit!"

"Never!"

Naruto leaped at the opportunity to fall back into their usual banter as she squawked at him, to talk about something else. Anything else! Whatever secrets this little Dragonborn had, they were hers to keep. If she wanted to speak of...whatever the hell that was, then that was her business. Not his. He was more than willing to listen. Just not now. Not with Karliah and the children bearing down on them.

"That was amazing!" Sissel reached them first and he swept her off her feet onto the back of his neck. "You gotta teach me how to fight like that!"

"When you're older." he promised her. "Much, much older."

She slumped against him. "Awww...

When he looked back he found Britte badgering Isabelle with similar requests; it was almost cute, watching the Dragonborn buckle like that. Who would've guessed that she had a weakness for children. A faint, fond smile light her face as she all but scooped her adopted daughter onto her back, where the little girl latched on like a limpet. Warmed his heart, it did. Made him miss Arwen and Serana, too. They really did need to get back to Whiterun soon...if their luck would just hold!

Karliah reached him a heartbeat later; her hip brushed against his as she rested her head against his shoulder. "Any injuries?"

Was she really that worried about him?

"Just a headache~!" he sang back as she lifted his right arm. "Really, they barely scratched me."

"Yes, I can see that." she hummed, inspecting a faint rent in his armor just below the armpit. Her keen gaze fell to Sissel, still perched atop his shoulders. "Please get down for a moment, dear girl. This won't take long."

Sissel frowned. "Promise?"

"Pinky promise." Karliah held out her little finger and the girl clasped it.

With a long suffering sigh, Sissel slipped down his shoulders and slid to the floor to join her sister. "Don't do anything yucky, okay?"

Naruto absolute did not laugh; though his shoulders vibrated from the effort. "Yucky? Whatever do you mean?"

She screwed up her nose. "You know what I mean...gross things. No holding hands! No...kissing!"

He couldn't help but chuckle that that. "You say its gross now, sure, but in a few years...

"Lalalala! I can't hear you!"

"I do wish you'd be more careful." Karliah returned her attention to him as their ward stormed off, hands clamped tight over little ears. Her smile wormed him more than words. "You were downright reckless out there when you needn't be." Before he could think to argue otherwise, the dark elf drew out a tiny red vial from her flask and pushed it into his hands. "Here, drink this. That knife was coated with a light poison; I know you're immune to most toxins, but I'd rather not take the chance."

Naruto wrinkled his nose as he pulled the cork free from the vial. It smelled foul. "Do I have to?"

She jabbed his chest with a finger. "Drink, or you'll be made to drink."

"Really, you don't have to worry." He rolled his eyes but drank the foul concoction anyway, downing it to the very last drop. "Yuck." Grimacing at its taste, he lobbed the now-empty vial into a bush. "It was just a bunch of bandits. They weren't going to kill me."

"Anyone can be killed, Naruto." Lovely lilac eyes rose to regard him with quiet solemnity. "You'd do well to remember that."

He winced, realizing he'd upset her. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, its alright." Karliah held up a hand to forestall an argument. "We've been on the road for days now and I've become a bit cross because of it. Its not your fault. I just...

Without thinking, he stepped forward and took her hands in his own. It was a simple gesture on his part. Something to show that he understood. That he still cared. Yet her dark cheeks flushed with the faintest hint of pink as he looked on; just a little, just a touch, enough for him to notice. She made no effort to pull her palms away and her thumbs began to trace tiny circles against his calloused hands. As if she were making sure he was an actual person, not some figment of her imagination. Such a small act, but it warmed him more than words ever could.

"We've not have much time together since Winterhold." she mumbled. "You must think me a fool for acting like this."

"Nah." Naruto hummed back. "I don't blame you, we're both on edge here."

"Ugh, sentiment." Kurama sulked. "I'd almost forgotten how much I loathed it. Wake me when you're done mooning at one another."

Naruto ignored him and leaned down to press his forehead against Karliah's, leaving their noses brushing. She stepped closer in response to lean against him. Her scent flooded his nose, bringing with it the faint aroma of wildflowers and leather and the faintest hint of sweat. They stood in comparative silence for a long moment, simply basking in one another. No words were needed.

Without warning, Karliah surged upward and pressed her lips to his.

Her mouth was warm and hot and hungry against his, filling Naruto's veins with fire he'd almost forgotten. He sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth as his hands released hers and clamped down on her waist to drag her closer, even as she flung her own around his neck. So close. Too close. Their armor was a hindrance, a nuisance, one they wanted nothing more than to remove-

"Ugh, really?!" Isabelle made a retching sound in the background. "Get a room!"

"Ewwwww/Yuck!" the twins echoed her not a heartbeat later. "Gross, gross, grooooooossssss!"

Naruto pulled away with a sigh and stilled his impulse to lash out. Karliah bristled in his arms, looking like she might have some choice words for the Dragonborn, but he was quick to still her anger with another quick peck on the lips. They'd lasted this long. They could stand to wait a little longer...agonizing as it might be.

"Later." she mouthed at him. It was all he could do not to smile.

So he patted his back instead. "Alright, Sissel. C'mere, you little imp. Up you go."

His daughter clamored onto his shoulders with nary a sound, and they were off again.

With the bandits dispatched, their little band was free to move on down the road relative silence. No one else dared challenge them.

It gave Naruto a chance to plot his payback against Isabelle as they walked. Of course he didn't truly blame her for that earlier insult; she'd every right to snap at him back there; it was simply the way she'd done it that rubbed him raw and set him in an impish mood. She made it sound like this was all intentional on his part, a deliberate ruse, or an act to have them wandering around the whole of Skyrim. Nonsense!

"Papa?" Sissel asked suddenly from her place atop his shoulders. "What's a marble?"

"Well!" Naruto grinned, his voice adopting a bemused lecturing tone, "Its a small ball you see. One you use to-

Britte chimed in from her own perch atop the Dragonborn's back before he could finish. "So was mama saying you don't have any balls?"

A beat of awkward silence pushed itself between their little family, but only for a moment...until Naruto absolutely cackled. Karliah muffled a laugh behind her palm, bright eyes wide with amusement.

Izzy squawked. "Who taught you to talk like that?!"

"Sorry sweetheart," the wayward shinobi sighed, wiping a mirthful tear from his eye, "I've heard that one before. Remind me to tell you about a man named Sai sometime."

"I still say he doesn't have any." Isabelle snorted.

"He does, actually."

Izzy gagged, tripped over her own two feet, and crashed headlong into an unsuspecting tree. Karliah didn't laugh at her plight. She was too mature for that. She did, however, shoot him a bemused look as she sauntered away from him, not-so-subtly running a hand down her flank through the dark leathers, then over the subtle curve of her behind. Oh. Naruto felt his throat go dry as his heart skipped a beat.

Clever girl, Karliah. Clever girl.

"What's wrong, little miss Archmage?" he pressed his advantage with a knowing leer. "Nothing to say?"

Isabelle's face turned a lovely shade of red as she swiped at him halfheartedly. "I told you not to call me that!"

"You did." his head bobbed as he ducked her grasping hand, "I chose not to listen. Long live the mistress of magic! Long may she reign!"

She snatched a pebble off the road and pegged him in the ass. Naruto chuckled and kept walking. Still, Dragonborn or not, her earlier argument held a nugget of concerning truth.

He was beginning to think he really was cursed or something. You couldn't get lost this easily. It just wasn't possible. Had one of the "gods" done it? A rogue Daedra, perhaps? No matter how he tried, he seemed destined to get lost. It should have been a relatively straight shot to Whiterun from from Winterhold, but somehow, someway, somewhere, he'd managed to lose his way.

Eventually, their path brought them to a cozy little hamlet that wasn't on the map.

Nowhere he could find, at least.

At least Naruto assumed it was a hamlet. He couldn't quite see it over the rise, but he saw the signs of human habitation all the same. His stomach growled treacherously at the thought, hearkening to the notion of a fresh meal. Rations were all well and good when you were camping, but he'd grown tired of eating.

"Perhaps they have supplies?" Karliah suggested. "Or food?"

"Food?" Sissel perked up, eyes regaining their former spark. "I'm starving!"

Britte uttered a jaw popping yawn and slumped against Isabelle's back. "Sleepy...

"And beds." Naruto amended with a light laugh. "A nap sounds lovely right about now."

They met a gruff man at gate.

In hindsight it couldn't really be called a gate at all, more a wooden barrier operated by a crank. The rest was somewhat under construction at the moment, but beggars couldn't be choosers he supposed. Regardless, they found themselves challenged by a soldier clad in a red cloak and dark armor. Unusual, that. He'd not seen someone wearing that kind of attire before. And that beard...by the log. A bird could live in there! A whole flock of them!

"Who approaches the bloody gate?" he challenged them as they drew near.

"The bloody Dragonborn and Dragonbane." Naruto yawned. "With their traveling companions. And you are...?"

"Bjorn." The guard unbent enough to grunt his name, but remained otherwise unfazed. "Hrmph. Dragonborn, eh? Don't suppose you can prove it?"

Naruto cocked his head and his shout rattled the world like a whip, birthing a writhing wyrm of flame that howled up into the clouds. Isabelle answered him a heartbeat later, further sundering the sky with a primal roar of pure force. Sissel and Britte clapped as only children good. When both looked back, the man's tan face had gone pale.

"By the gods." he muttered and made a sign for safety. "My apologies. We don't get many visitors here, not with the Silver-Bloods and Forsworn about."

"We're no friend of those liars and thieves, good sir." Isabelle surprised Naruto then; both by stepping forward and taking the initiative. "We seek only warm beds, good food, and shelter for the night." she actually sketched a bow -an actual bow!- to the baffled guard as he looked on. "We'll be on our way come morning. You have my word."

Britte's head popped over her mother's shoulder. "Pinky promise!'

"Definitely!" Sissel seconded her sister with a cry of her own.

Bjorn's face softened at the sight of them. "They yours?"

Naruto and Isabelle exchanged a bemused look. "Something like that."

"And the elf?"

"Also with us." Naruto clicked his tongue.

Karliah tilted her head, a dangerous look in her eye. "Is there a problem?"

"Nay, far enough. Your business is your own." With that said, Bjorn drew himself up, pulled a horn from his belt, and blew a single note into it. "Open the gate!"

With a weary creak, a portion of the wooden palisade creaked open to grant them entry. For something so recently built, it certainly worked well. That suggested some level of competence at least. Britte babbled a curious query about it, briefly distracting Isabelle and Karliah as Naruto

"Our lord's away on business," the guard informed him as they were admitted. "You'll be wanting his wife, Katria. She and Lara will fix you up right and proper."

Naruto clasped his hand. "Thanks for that. We'll be out of your hair soon. Promise."

"I'll be holding you to that. Don't cause trouble and you won't get any."

Once they entered it, Karthwasten really wasn't much to look at, all things considered; it could only be called a hold-fast in a loose sense of the word. There was a mine surrounded by a few thatch house and a field near the east of the river. Truly it was average in almost every way. A second gate could be seen near the southern end of the village, hastily being built by a number of men and women. Their haste unnerved him, but it was nothing to speak ill of.

And yet there was something about this place.

A faint sense of unease pervaded the air as they made their way down the path. Keen eyes followed them as they walked. Bjorn had been right. These folk weren't keen on the idea of visitors.

"Something wrong?" Karliah brushed against Naruto, claiming his attention.

"I'm not sure," he confessed, scratching at a whiskered cheek as they walked. A stray chicken scuttled by underfoot and he was careful to step over it, rather than around the foul fowl. He'd made that mistake once before. Once. Never again. The last thing he wanted was to bring the whole village down on their heads. Folks liked their chickens.

The inn turned out to be one of the larger buildings in Karth, simple yet homely. A warm hearth crackled within, providing fresh heat against the bitter chill in the air. The twins saw their chance for what it was and all but bolted toward the fire, eager to warm their hands. Naruto watched them for a brief moment to make sure they didn't trip and fall in. Then he heard it.

Footsteps. Rapid ones, slamming down the stairs at a breakneck pace.

"Papa?!"

Scarce had he turned than he found himself gaze down at a gangly girl clad in a red dress. Britte and Sissel perked up -no doubt glad to find a girl their age- but Naruto frowned at this slip of a girl. Her pale features and dark hair seemed almost familiar. More than that, he could've sworn he sensed some semblance of chakra for a moment there. That was absurd, of course. No one had chakra coils in Skyrim. Not a single soul. It must've been his imagination. He was just jumping at shadows.

"No." Kurama reared his head. "I definitely sensed something. There's more to that one that meets the eye. Be wary of her."

Fortunately, said girl drooped the moment she got a good look at them. "Oh. You're not papa."

"I am not." Naruto unbent enough to pat her head. "Sorry about that."

Her dark eyes brightened. "Well, in that case...

Quick as a flash, she changed gears and ohgodswhywasshewasfocusedonhim?!

"Who are you? Where'd you come from?" She latched onto his sleeve and startled babbling. "Where have you been? Do you have any stories to tell?!"

"Don't mind my daughter." a young woman clad in steel armor approached them with a bemused smile. "Lara's been a bit stir crazy since her father left for Markarth."

Isabelle frowned. "He's coming back, right?"

Her laughter surprised them. "He'd better, if he knows what's good for him! You'll be wanting beds then, I take it?"

"Fooooood." Britte groaned and pawed at the air.

"Baaaaaths." Sissel argued. "Please, oh, please, let there be a bath!"

"Aye, we have those if you've got the coin," Katria favored them with a bemused smile. "Why don't you dears go play with Lara." she caught the pouch of coin Karliah lobbed her away with deceptive grace and tucked it into her belt. "I'll have something ready for you in a jiff." Quick as a flash, she snatched up an empty mug from a nearby table, then whipped it across the room at a sleeping man. "Ivar! Wake up, you lazy sod! There's work to be done!"

Unfortunately, that left Naruto with a very energetic girl clinging to his arm...and an eerie thought. "Say...does your old man have a name?"

"Hmm?" Lara tilted her head to one side. "Why?"

"Just," An awful thought seized him, and he gulped. "Humor me. Please."

"Well, alright. Papa is papa," Lara smiled guilelessly, "But mama calls him Madara."

Naruto's world shattered into a thousand pieces.

...excuse me?"

A/N: BEHOLD! THE TIME APPROACHES!

References for days. Also, oh dear. Our boys are close to meeting and it promises to be...explosive.

I feel I should also point out -though its been said many a time before!- Madara obviously landed in Skyrim years before Naruto due to space-time shenanigans. He's been in Skyrim for just about a decade now, while Naruto hasn't even been in Tamriel for a year.

No matter how they might be now, it doesn't change the fact that Naruto and Madara have some bad blood between them. After all, Madara's machinations led to the death of Naruto's parents, while Naruto put up a fight long enough to ruin Madara's plans. Sure, they might get along after they duke it out NOW...

...might, is the key word.

Gods help us all when they finally bump into one another.

But like I've said in the past, reviews are fuel, and they spur me and the gang to write all the faster. AND IT MEANS LONGER CHAPTERS. Think on that for a moment.

So In The Immortal Words of Atlas...

...Review, Would You Kindly? It keeps us all alive.

Without reviews, we wither and die. Sorry, but that's the truth.

Now then, we do hope you enjoy the previews. Read at your own risk, of course:

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

PLOT DETAILS AHOY!

YE BE WARNED!

(Previews!)

"This feels...cliche."

"I'm just washing your back, you louse. Now hold still."

Britte and Sissel splashed about with a laugh.

"Dragon!"

"Mine! I saw it first!"

"Hell no! I'm starving. I call dibs!"

"You're insane. Both of you. Absolutely insane."

"You know what they say, even a broken is right twice a day."

"Then what does that say about you?"

"Oho! Nice jab!"

Naruto blinked rapidly. "So...is there a reason you cornered me like this?"

Serana was silent for a long, painful moment. Then she raised her head. "I...need a favor. But I also need you to calm down."

...where's Aela?

...she's gone." Serana took a quick step back when he hissed. "She was taken."

"By. Whom." it took everything he had to force the words out, to not give into his rage.

His world shattered like broken glass as she told him. A beat of horrible silence fell over the world as he beheld the ruined house. All the while his mind roared. Get her back. Bring her back. There's still time. You can save her. Its not too late. She's still alive. You need to kill them, kill them, kill them...!

"I was traveling like a man." he growled. "Slowly. I wanted to see everything this world had to offer." Blue eyes blazed red. "NO MORE."

R&R! =D