You Have Your Demons and I Have Mine

Chapter 11: The Birds and the Bees

"Where were they seen last?" Corkus straightened involuntarily as Griffith's eyes swept over him. Those were not the eyes of their beloved commander, but of the ruthless mercenary who refused to give up anything in his possession. It was common Hawks knowledge that a quick way to death was to put yourself between Griffith and his goal. The same could be said for getting between Guts and a battle or between Naruto and a… a… well at least Naruto was usually pretty calm about things.

Speaking of the blonde though, "They were last seen at the edge of the cliff where the battle was held approximately when we were rolling up the last of Tudors forces" he reported quickly and concisely. His dislike for Guts and fear of Casca aside, Corkus would be damned if they didn't rescue Naruto as soon as possible. The workload would increase exponentially for the remaining commanders without the blonde there to handle the lion's share of it!

Griffith's response was cut short as a group of Midland army commanders rounded the corner in search of him. "Come now Sir Griffith!" the leader barked, as if talking down to one of his subordinates. "We've all lost subordinates before. Just promote new men up to take their places and let's move on. There is no reason to delay the march for a few soldiers who are most likely dead anyways!"

Corkus cringed as he noticed Griffith's expression, though the white haired young man schooled his features before turning back to talk to his fellow nobles. It was good odds that this might not end civilly at all.

XXXXXX

Casca cursed to herself as she followed the man she detested more than anything else through the woods. Just when it looked like Guts was beginning to understand her and move past being such a clod, he stripped her down and used his naked body to warm her while she was delirious with fever after falling in the river and suffering from previous blood loss!

The irony was not lost on her, considering she had done much the same for him only a day after their first meeting. Where she had acted embarrassed at the situation and sucker punched him in response to his thank you, he had simply treated it like it was no big deal and she shouldn't be embarrassed by it at all. Anger had set in at that point, with her urge to assault him growing exponentially at his blasé attitude. She had started developing feelings towards him that were more than just comradery. To have herself stripped naked and held in his arms, removed all of her protection and left her completely exposed and vulnerable to him... It was not just an everyday thing and he should know it! It was obvious to anyone with half a brain.

The female commander of the Hawks cursed again as she was jarred from her thoughts. She agilely dodged a tree branch that swung at her, the giant having casually pushed it aside with out thought to the person behind him! She shot forward, intent on alighting into him and giving his peabrain a through dressing down when he held up a fist, signalling silence. She froze immediately, swiftly drawing her blade and placing her back against his own to cover more angles for a possible ambush. Personal feelings were put aside in the face of survival after all.

The woods seemed to come alive around them as more and more men appeared. Some wore Tudor colors, but most were dressed as simple mercenaries. The only uniform characteristic between all of them was the look of excitement and promise of violence in their eyes as they regarded what should be easy prey. Just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, a familiar annoying laugh echoed through the forest as a familiar shadow appeared above them on a rock outcrop.

"So you're alive!" General Adon crowed happily as he gazed down upon the two rats caught in his trap… 'Wait' his eyes flew open in panic, 'why was there only two of them?' "You told me that you had them all under watch while we prepared the trap!" he growled, slowly turning towards the commander of the mercenary unit he had hired.

"We did!" the man exclaimed, quick to defend himself and his men. "These were the only two found along the twenty miles of river we searched. You don't get three hostages, but these two should be more than enough for your future plans. The other one most likely drown in the river current"

He was interrupted as a boot caught him in the chest, driving the wind out of him. "Idiot!" the bandage wrapped general screamed. He was borderline hysterical as his head scanned in every direction like a rabbit being hunted by a fox. "You left the Headhunter to recover and begin tracking us. This was probably one of the only times he ever could be taken down after I sacrificed my own health to wound him in the last battle."

"Bullshit!" Guts roared from his spot surrounded by the crowd of mercenaries. All eyes in the forest focused back on him, most of the men having forgotten about his presence in lieu of the impromptu show between their boss and their employer. "I gave you those wounds after beating you in single combat. You shot my brother in the back like a coward while laying in a heap in the mud. Now get back down here so we can finish this fight!" he flexed his muscles as he adjusted the grip on his sword, causing the nearest mercenaries to take a step back in nervousness.

It was a mark of a great general to ignore inconvenient realities for objective facts that could move him towards his goals. Adon followed this time honored tradition once again by tuning out the berserkers challenge as he turned towards his brother, an equally large man in angler fish themed armor with a ball and chain. "Samson, I need them in one piece. Hostages might be the only thing that keep us alive long enough to reach Tudor lines." His brother gave a solemn nod before marching towards the surrounded Hawks.

With the hard work done for the day, the general motioned for the remnants of his army to join him as they left the hundred mercenaries under his brother to complete the capture. "We're going to gather the rest of the men who retreated into the woods. Form up in groups of five and begin to gather as many soldiers as possible for the next two hours. Rally point is where we just left. We need to regroup and move before the Hawks' search parties make it this far out looking for their missing commanders."

"You're sure they'll come this way sir?" one of his subordinates questioned, making what remained of the general's teeth grind together in irritation. "It's only three people and the army needs to keep marching or it loses the initiative it won with the last battle and becomes stagnant. I don't think they'll be willing to wait."

"Trust me" the general grunted, waving the remaining twenty men to follow him as he marched off into the underbrush. He ignored all but the heaviest logs, his thick armor plowing through anything in his way. "The two I just ordered captured lead over a third of the army by themselves. And you can't even begin to put a price on the Headhunter. Now hurry up and get moving. I had to most likely sacrifice those other groups of men just to buy us enough time to hopefully clear the area before we receive a fate worse than death. Let's make sure they don't die in vain."

The soldiers stared at him for a moment before quickly falling in, loyalty towards their brothers only going so far when their own lives were on the line.

XXXXX

A pair of small, dainty feet were the first thing he focused on as his eyes fluttered open. His vision swam for a moment as a sharp pain did a full circuit through his head before fading into the background and allowing him to focus. Once again, the bare feet standing on his chest took hold of his attention. He registered that someone was standing on him, yet he hardly felt any weight pushing down on his body.

Slowly he looked upwards past the pale feet and ankles to where a pair of leather leggings started at mid calf and hugged a shapely, yet petite pair of thighs and hips. A forest green sleeveless jerkin strained to hold in a pair of C cup breasts that appeared huge on such a petite body. Tearing his eyes away from the heavenly view, he finally arrived at a heart shaped face framed with blonde hair in a pixie cut. Dark green eyes stared back at him on an otherwise expressionless face, her full lips not even twitching as he blushed at her beauty.

As beautiful as she was, his trained eye still managed to catch a glimpse of the dagger she had sheathed on the underside of her forearm. The longbow she had stowed over her shoulder was almost as tall as her five foot frame. The muscles in her arms that flexed under her skin as she moved her arms revealed the hidden strength she must have possessed to use such a weapon.

"Did you save me?" he asked in a whisper, feeling as if the moment would be ruined if he grew too loud. She remained silent, head tilting slightly in thought before giving a single nod and crossing her arms under her chest. He blushed again as her actions brought emphasis to her breasts, drawing his eyes for a moment before looking to her face again. He squirmed in the dirt in an effort to adjust a growing problem, to no avail as the cause of the issue had no intention of moving from her perch anytime soon. She swayed with his movement, her center of gravity never disrupted.

The mysterious woman finally showed a modicum of emotion as the man beneath her refused to hold still. A scowl beset her otherwise angelic face, causing him to freeze in place. Her toes flexed before curling around the top of his breastplate, the word 'Mine!' left unspoken yet easily understood by her prey for the night.

Her head snapped to the left, eyes staring at the underbrush at something only she could discern. The blonde followed her line of sight in worry before returning his gaze upwards only to realize that he was alone again. A large shadow flew past him through the tree branches though the night was too dark to make out what it was.

The now isolated man lay his head back onto the soft ground once again as his vision began to blur. He had experienced this before during a spar with his brother when the asshole had taken advantage of his distraction at a nearby serving wench to brain him with the flat of his overgrown blade. The healer had called it a concussion, the blonde had just called it annoying as hell. Advanced healing seemed to be worthless when it came to head injuries and he had to put up with his brain swimming for most of the day before finally healing.

He was pulled from his self diagnosis as a cry of pain sounded from somewhere in the distance to his left. Angry shouts soon followed before another scream rent the night air. He scrambled to his feet, his eyes frantically looking for his lost weapons and gear. Moonlight glinting off of steel led him to where his axe was thrown casually under a bush. A third scream brought his breath short. This one was clearly female and in quite a bit of pain.

With a curse, he pulled his axe from the earth before sprinting towards the sounds of combat. 'Please don't be too late!' he begged to whatever god was willing to listen to his prayer.

XXXXX

Casca panted heavily, desperately trying to regain her breath. Sweat ran down her brow as she leaned on her sword that she had planted in the ground. It felt like the worst of her sickness had passed since the battle the night before, but her body still felt weakened from having to fight off it's invaders leaving her without much energy now. This in no way marked her as easy prey however, as the eight bodies laying in a heap around her could attest to. They had tried their luck while her protector was tied up with the archers, only for her to expertly weave between their attacks, her sword finding the weak points in their armor and cutting them down like training dummies.

She relaxed as Guts retook his place at her back, casually shaking the gore from his sword as he surveyed the eighty some odd mercenaries still surrounding them. The bastard didn't even sound like he was short of breath after cutting down a dozen men! It wasn't fair!

His voice pulled her back to reality from her jealous thoughts, its deep baritone sending shivers down her spine as he spoke softly to avoid being overheard. "When I open a hole in their lines, you are going to retreat. Follow the moon back towards the river and travel along it until you find where our army is camped for the night."

Her eyes narrowed at his audacity. She was not some princess that needed to be rescued. "I am not leaving you to fight so many people alone!" she hissed back, her posture reminding him of an angry cat and bringing a brief smirk to his face. It disappeared just as quickly as it appeared as her stubbornness continued to show itself. "I out rank you anyways" she continued on, oblivious to his growing ire. "I should be the one ordering you to fall back."

"Will you shut up!" he roared out, the mercenaries jumping backwards at his outburst. "I can't cut loose if I have to protect you as well" he tried to explain, mentally sighing as he watched her features tighten up even more. Her pride obviously causing her to take his words differently than he meant them to be. "Look Casca" he said softly, choosing to lay his cards on the table as their time was quickly running out. "I care about you too much to know that you died when I had a chance to save you. So please, do it for me."

Casca stared at his back, her throat suddenly dry as tears barely held back in her eyes. He finally let her know that he cared, yet was asking her to leave him to die! "You better survive this" she ordered softly, her voice cracking near the end. He simply raised his hand over his shoulder in acknowledgement before charging forward at the surprised mercenaries. A wide sweep of his sword dropped three of them in a small shower of gore, his body rotating with the momentum before moving off as the angered men moved to swarm him.

Seeing her chance, the Hawk's female commander sprinted off into the woods as the sounds of death and carnage echoed in the forest behind her. She concentrated on keeping her footing through the underbrush while maintaining her speed. Nothing else mattered besides finding the Hawks and bringing Guts help before it was too late.

XXXXXX

"Don't let her escape!" the mercenary captain shouted frantically to his men as he parried another attack from the berserker. It was taking all of his skills just to remain alive against the overpowering blows of the Captain of the Hawks' Raiders. "The general will have us killed if we fail him!"

A group of eight men broke off to follow his orders, only for their route to be cut off by a large spiked chain connected to a gigantic iron ball that had just hurtled past their heads. Following the chain back to its source found it wrapped around the hand of Samson, the giant's eyes narrowing behind his helmet as he glared at the mercenaries. "You cowards will stay and fight, just like you've been paid to do." He flicked his gaze over towards two of the smallest

men, inclining his head their way. "You two look fast enough. Go and bring her back to me." The indicated men took off at a sprint, glad to be clear of the dangerous man as they went after the easier target.

Samson cut his eyes back towards the berserker, Guts having paused in his attack to stare at the giant in confusion. Waving his hands at the paused battle, he grunted before sitting down on a boulder and taking out a rag to polish his weapon. "What they hell are you waiting for?" he growled at the mercenaries. "He's going to die of old age before you capture him at this rate."

The commander pushed down his fear, turning to give orders to his men when he noticed them stampeding away from him. The world seemed to spin as the ground rushed up to meet him. He unsuccessfully tried turning his head away from where it lay face down in the leaves before the world grew black.

"This is getting boring" the berserker complained loudly as he kicked the headless body ver with his foot. It annoyed him to use his brother's tactics of killing the officers first, but he couldn't argue with the results as he watched the mercenary company begin to fall apart in panic as they tried to come up with a plan on the fly and failed spectacularly. The armored giant who was supposed to be leading them refused to speak up, allowing them to flounder instead.

"Just come at me all at once" he ordered, getting back into his stance and lifting his blade high. "It's the only way any of you have a chance at surviving."

The men paused, listening to the advice even though it was technically coming from their enemy. "He's not lying" the giant's voice could be heard from his spot to the side. "You're all walking dead men unless you charge him enmasse."

The ensuing battle lasted for half an hour. Thirty minutes of body parts flying, men screaming, and the ground growing soft as the blood soaked into it and fed the vegetation. Guts grunted in disappointment as he scanned the area in search of any victims he might have missed. The fight might have been tougher had he concentrated just on strength training, but his battles with Naruto had forced him to acknowledge his lack of speed. Ensuring that he was at least capable of keeping up with the blonde had made the current battle seem as if it was in slow motion.

The sound of creaking armor drew Guts attention towards his audience as the giant leveraged himself to his feet and slowly made his way over to stand a short distance away. The berserker set his sword across his shoulders as he stood in a relaxed stance. Samson matched the posture, arms crossed as the iron ball swung lazily from the chain he kept in his grip. The forest remained silent as the two men sized each other up, the animals easily recognizing the presence of alpha predators in their midst.

"There a reason you didn't help your men?" the berserker asked with a raised eyebrow, his curiosity getting the better of him. "You might have stood a chance if you had them backing you up." He normally wasn't one for pre battle banter, but there seemed to be an underlying story he just had to find out about.

"They would have gotten in the way and you know it" the giant snorted with mirth, slowly shaking his head. "This battle isn't one I want to share with any peons. If I win, I want it to be my victory. If I lose, then I want it to be due to my own failures, not some random idiot."

"I can understand that" Guts sympathized, slowly drawing into a ready stance as he hefted his sword up into the guard position. "But you're also ensuring that your brother isn't going to capture us. Those two you sent after Casca are as good as dead if they ever catch up to her." Why the hell was he talking so damn much before a fight? Since when did he care past the thrill of battle. Stupid Naruto and his stupid books!

"Good" Samson said softly, his voice barely making it to his opponent. "I don't want anything to happen to her if possible." He began to swing his chain whip in a slow circle as he lowered himself into a ready stance as well. "And fuck Adon!" he spat as a frown grew on his face. "I hope the Headhunter finds his fat ass out in the forest."

"The fuck…." the berserker muttered to himself, before frantically swinging his sword to knock back the giant iron ball that had been sent on a collision course with his head. "I don't get it!" he shouted in frustration, the giant's attacks coming too quickly at an almost continuous pace. He was forced to stay defensive as he waited for a chance to start his own attack. "If you hate your brother, then why the hell are you fighting for him?!"

"He's been in charge since we were children…" Samson huffed between breaths, his answers kept short to not throw off the rhythm of his attacks. "He kept me with him when he joined the army…" the chain was sent over Guts's shoulder before the chain was yanked hard. The berserker barely missed the attack to his blind side as he frantically rolled away. "And allowed me to become what I am today. "

Guts found himself eerily enraptured as the explanation continued, the obvious parallels between himself and Naruto compared to Samson and his brother easy to see. "So what the hell is your problem then?" he exclaimed as he swung at the iron ball especially hard, sending arcing away from him. He used the moment's respite to quick draw the small crossbow launcher Rikert had crafted for him and fire at the giant's helmet. The berserker grunted in annoyance as the bolt ricocheted off the helmet, only a small scuff showing for his effort. "You should be ensuring his orders are completed, not sabotaging him."

"I'd tell you if you win, but there's no point" the armored giant countered as he desperately used his flail to keep back the berserker's sword. "I'm fighting to the death so it won't matter either way. You win and I'm dead, or I win and I collect the bounty on you and leave to find my own path." He grunted as his chain wrapped around the sword, allowing him to pull it from this opponents grasp and send it spinning into the underbrush tangled with his own weapon. "It's time to end this" he grunted as he reached for his dagger behind his back.

Guts used his opponent's momentary lapse of concentration, charging forward and shoulder tackling the giant to send both into the ground. The men grunted and cursed as their impromptu wrestling match lasted longer than either expected, both men clearly well experienced thanks to past fights with their siblings. It finally ended as both of the exhausted fighters gave one final push, Guts winning the match and pinning his opponent on his back.

The berserker held his dagger against the eye of the blonde giant, forcing him to freeze lest he drive the blade into his flesh. "Yield!" he barked out, his eyes wild as a trickle of blood ran down his forehead and dripped from the end of his nose. "You're going with me back to the base as my prisoner." He had no idea what was stopping him from simply executing the man, an action he had no trouble performing in the past.

"I'd rather die" was all Samson offered, said through gritted teeth as his whole body screamed in protest at the war it had just endured. This was the first time he had ever been pushed to the limit by someone other than his brother. His captors eyes hardened before he drew the dagger up over his head and slammed it down. Samson reflexively closed his eyes, only to open them in confusion a moment later as he heard the *thunk* of the dagger hitting but didn't feel the expected pain.

The armored giant spied the weapon planted into the earth next to his eye before he saw the berserker grab something off to the side, out of his line of vision. "That isn't your decision to make any more" he heard his opponent ground out before something hard slammed into his head and sent him into unconsciousness.

Guts threw the rock away, sheathing his dagger as he moved to retrieve his blade from it's resting place. He untied the chain from it and stowed it on his back, before looking down at the chain in his hands and then back to his downed opponent.

A fox peaked his head out from under a fallen tree, curious to see if it was safe now that all the loud noise had finally ceased. He cocked his head in curiosity as he watched one large human curse to himself as he pulled an even larger human wrapped up in a chain behind him as he walked away from the field of death. Humans made no sense.

XXXXXX

Bushes snapped and dirt was kicked into the air as a tall blond man hurtled through the thick forest. He had lost his helmet at some point, causing him to raise his armored forearms in front of his face as an improvised protection against the sharp branches as he plowed through them. Unfortunately, this severely limited his sight to what was in his peripheral vision. The unorthodox knight was forced to navigate to his destination by sound. This was easily done though, as the femanine cries had only gotten louder and more shrill as he approached.

Natuto burst from the underbrush in a shower of leaves and twigs, skidding to a halt as he slowly lowered his arms to take in the situation of the small clearing he found himself in. His vision swam for a moment before his eyes refocused, his brain reminding him that he was still under the effects of a bad concussion.

Six Tudor soldiers soldiers stood in the clearing in various poses, all of them looking back at him with mounting terror as they began to realize just who they now shared the glade with. Two of the soldiers stood in the middle of the clearing, half bent over as they examined the bodies of seven of their dead comrades who either had their throats slashed by what looked like a wild beast or had arrow shafts growing out of their heads. It was the other four clustered in a group as they squatted around something on the ground that drew his attention though.

The blonde squinted as he tried to identify the shape, drawing in a quick intake of breath as he saw just who it was under them. The small woman who had pulled him from the river glared back at him impotently from her helpless position. The top half of her body was covered in a net, held tight by two of the soldiers who each secured one of her arms. A third man was crouched over her head, in the process of crude gag into her mouth to muffle her shrieks even as she refused to cease her struggles. This was bad enough but the final soldier's position caused the blonde to see red. The man was crouched between her legs, her clothing torn off leaving her bare to the world as blood ran from shallow cuts where they hadn't been too careful while cutting. His breeches were down around his ankles and he was inches away from penetrating her with his now rapidly deflating cock.

None of the men took a breath as they watched the blonde's ace cycle through various emotions before settling on utter rage. The first to move would surely be the one to draw the Headhunter's wrath. Unfortunately, the choice was made for them as the woman gave a muffled shriek while flexing her legs. Her would be rapist toppled backwards onto his bare ass, unmindful of mud now covering him as he began to scramble backwards on all fours towards his previously abandoned weapons as darkness began to fall on the forest. The Headhunter's eyes almost appeared to flash red for a moment as his marks grew darker, a low growl escaping his lips.

Naruto made eye contact with the girl quickly, a silent conversation happening before the blonde threw his arms forward quicker than the eye could follow. The two soldiers holding her hands went rigid before slowly falling to their sides, the handle of a dagger growing out of each of their foreheads as if by magic. The holder of the gag watched in disbelief before his prisoners hands flew up towards his face, her sharpened nails piercing his eyes even as she gave a screech of triumph as her mouth was now cleared. Her captors dealt with, she surged to her feet as she turned slowly to stare at the man who had thought to violate her. Said soldier whimpered in fear from his sitting position, his sword held out in front of him in a way that looked like it was meant to ward off evil spirits instead of fighting an enemy. He screamed as she stalked closer, her eyes focused on a certain portion of his anatomy that still dangled freely between his legs.

Naruto turned away from the brutality on display, leaving the bodies of the final two soldiers as he removed one of their cloaks and moved towards the creek that ran along the side of the glade. He slowly tore off a few strips of his ruined shirt, soaking them in the cool water before wringing them out and turning back towards the other survivor of the battle.

The woman had pulled away from her last victim, choosing to hunch over in a ball on the ground, subconsciously trying to make herself as small a target as possible. Her breath hitched as the blonde slowly made his way to her, her fight or flight instincts warring with her higher thought processes. He stopped a few feet away, his eyes never leaving her own even as he body was bared for all to see. She flinched as he slowly held out a wet rag, staring at it with confusion before he leaned forward and used it to wipe a trail of blood from one her victims that was drying on her foot. Understanding dawned as she quickly swiped the rag from his hand before scooting backwards another foot to give herself some personal space.

Naruto stayed still as she began to clean herself, unsure of what to do next but aware he needed to show his support one way or the other. His eyes narrowed as he watched her wipe a large blood patch on her thigh, only to flinch as a fresh trail of the life giving fluid began to fall from a reopened cut she had received during her struggles. He pulled another strip of his shirt from the washed pile, before holding it up to her while nodding towards the cut. She grabbed the offering quickly, eyes not leaving his as she tried to tie it off with one hand and failed spectacularly. Frowning, she slowly offered her leg to him, muscles tensed to pull it back in an instant if her made any wrong moves. The knight sighed to himself at her distrust before gently tying off the bandage and backing off again. Satisfied with his actions, she went back to cleaning herself, turning towards him for medical treatment as new wounds were found.

As the moment drew to a close, Naruto pulled the Tudor cloak he had folded under his arm and slowly wrapped it around her shoulders to allow her a chance at modesty again. Her expression remained unmoving as he did so, mimicking the look he had first received as she was perched on top of him by the river. A thud echoed in the distance, followed by the familiar voice that he could recognize anywhere. The grin on his face almost spread from ear to ear as he watched his brother make his way into the clearing pulling a large chain connected to a lump behind him covered in mud and leaves.

The large man grumbled as he began to drag his cargo again before something crashed into the side of his forehead. Looking around wildly, he found a severe head of a Tudor guardsman rolling to a stop at his feet. "You know I fucking hate when you do that you asshole!" he shouted, his voice rough still rough even as his expression was that of joy and relief. The two men hurtled towards each other, armor clashing loudly as they fell to the ground in an impromptu wrestling match. "Where the hell were you?" he asked as he pulled the blonde into a headlock. He frowned as the blonde only was able to give a feeble attempt to push him off, wondering what could have possibly damaged his brother enough to make him so weak.

"Don't look too far into it" the blonde commanded, correctly reading his brother's unverbalized concern as the berserker climbed off of him carefully in the hope of not injuring him further. "I hit my head pretty hard on the way down the cliff. I'm pretty sure it's another concussion with the way everything spins if I move too fast." He frowned as he scanned the clearing, finally noticing the lack of lectures aimed at himself. "Did you lose Casca? Do we have to keep looking for her?"

He couldn't help but notice that the girl he had rescued had also disappeared while he was distracted, along with her bow. From the lack of questions from Guts, it had happened before he had arrived.

"She's probably already back with the Hawks" Gus explained, before watching his brother out of the corner of his eye as he casually delivered the next bit of news. "We were surrounded by over a hundred mercenaries. I sent her back to find the Hawks while I fought them off single handedly."

"Nicely done little brother" Naruto complimented as he held out his fist, receiving a bump from the berserker. "'The Hundred Man Slayer' has a nice ring to it. I bet the noble women will be falling all over you when we make it back to Windham after the war is over."

"I don't want a prissy fucking noble" his brother groused, looking off into the distance in the direction he had sent their femal companion earlier. "I need a woman who can hold her own in a fight and I can trust to have my back no matter what. I already found her too, but I can't make her notice it no matter what I do."

"You might be surprised after tonight's events" his brother observed soto voice before peering at the tied up lump as it gave a pitiful groan. "What the hell is that thing that you've been dragging around?" he asked, curious to know what would make his brother do something so out of character.

"It's an investment" Guts grunted, picking up one of the chains before handing the other one to his brother. "Now help me pull him along. We still have to make it back to camp."

"Him?" Naruto echoed, an eyebrow raised in confusion as he looked back at the now identified as male lump. What was his brother up to?

High above them a petite silhouette could be seen darting from tree to tree as it followed the brothers from a distance. It made no move to draw close or announce its presence, content simply on following them as it watched their movements inside it's forrest. A single large white feather, it's ends tipped in purple, floated lazily down until it came to rest in Naruto's rat nest of a hairdo. It would be unnoticed for a long while before Gus would finally point it out to his brother.

XXXXXX

The Hawks camp was still in party mode in the early hours of the morning. They were set to begin marching again an hour after sun up, but no one was eager to end the celebration when there were so few reasons to celebrate during a war campaign as it was. Three of the Hawks most important commanders had all reappeared and returned to the fold, relatively healthy and hearty all things considered.

Guts had stored his prize in his tent before accompanying his brother to the command tent where Griffith, Casca, and the others awaited them for a debriefing. The legend of Guts, the Hundred Man Slayer began that night, quickly spreading to the rest of the camp and the army beyond as a new Hero of Midland was born. For Guts, it was one of the best nights of his life where he had taken the first real steps towards leaving his brother's shadow and becoming his own man. The fact that he did it with not only his brother's blessing but the rest of the Hawks as well made it perfect. Now for the second step of his plan to develop his own dream. He came back to the present as he noticed everyone at the planning table was looking expectantly in his direction. "Huh?.."

Naruto shook his head in exasperation at his brother's denseness. "He's still preening from having the best night out of all of us," he explained to the rest of the commanders, getting a chorus of chuckles. Turning to his brother, he slowed his voice to what one would use talking to a young child. "What… Did… You… Bring… Back… To… Camp… Dumbass?..." He was nearly bowled over from the punch to the shoulder delivered by the irate berserker, mentally making a note to increase his work out regime before he was left behind.

"I still need to work it out with him, but that's General Adon's brother, Samson." He waited for the gasps to die down before continuing, "and with any luck, my new subcommander for the Raiders if I can talk him into it."

Omake:

The discussion afterwards was lively to say the least, continuing on until right before daybreak when the others were dismissed by Griffith, the Hawks' leader asking for the brothers to remain behind. The three of them found comfortable positions around a private campfire, mugs of mead from Naruto's private stash passed around as the friends took a moment to enjoy each other's company without the extra requirements of leadership heaped on them.

"So what is the real reason you want Samson so badly?" Griffith asked, unable to hold it in any longer. Guts had been acting out of character from the gruff brute that he had always shown to others, showing more insight and less rashness than normal during the meeting. It was almost as it he was interested in the strategic level of the campaign instead of just the order of battles and where he would be fighting next.

"They bonded in the woods in that special way that only man can when it's just the two of them out there," the blonde said with a snicker, neatly dodging a rock thrown at his head by his brother.

"Honestly..." the berserker trailed off, gathering his thoughts as he leaned back to stare at the starry night. You could see so much more compared to trying to view it from near Windham with it's extra light. "Both of you already had giants and I wanted my own." Naruto and Griffith just stared at him, waiting for the big man to elaborate such an asinine comment. "Griffith had Pippin long before we came along and Naruto recruited Tipon whether he stayed on his team or not. I wanted my own giant!... and I bet he could beat the assess of yours any day of the week!"

Such a challenge could not go unaccepted. An ever growing crowd of Hawks found themselves gathering around a makeshift ring as Naruto, Guts, and Griffith stood at the three corners decked out and ready for combat. Money flew between hands as bets were made and remade as what looked like round two of the Hawk battle royal might finally be ready to commence.

Thus the competition's interruptor decided she needed to make an appearance… again… "What is going on here?" Casca screeched as she hopped the logs marking the ring's boundaries.

She was pulled to the side by Naruto, the blonde not breaking eye contact from his opponents as he moved the startled woman behind him for safety. "Just watch" the Headhunter mumbled to her, barely audible over the cheers. "This isn't like the last time. We've come prepared with a plan to avoid hurting each other this time."

The bossy woman leaned back on the post with her arms over her chest and a scowl on her face. "This I have to see."

Naruto raised his fist in the air before pointing it to the center of the ring. "Tipon!" he shouted, his voice carrying above the crowd's "It's time for your battle! Come Forth!" The crowd parted as said giant entered the circle with his axe held above his head. He wasn't sure what this was about, but kew how to ham it up to an audience when needed.

Griffith raised his own fist in the air, refusing to be out done by his friend and rival. "Pippin! Let's show them how a real battle is fought!" A second giant soon entered the ring, his mace resting on his shoulder as he cooly regarded his opponent.

Guts took out a small helmet, turning it backwards before placing it on his head. "Samson" he said in a calm voice, barely suppressing his growing excitement, "I choose you!" A hush fell over the audience as a third hulking brute made his way to the crowd, this one decked out in full plate armor and swinging a huge ball and chain around like it was a simple children's toy.

As the first ray of sun peeked over the hills into the camp, the battle was joined!

A/N: Story isn't dead, just on life support. The more I start to diverge, the longer it takes since I'm not just cutting and pasting manga dialogue in like other authors.

I'm trying to get a new chapter out for each of the stories I have started on . Unfortunately, my brain seems to be set on making new stuff compared to what I already have out there. You would be amazed at the number of concepts I have started, though I refuse to put them out until I finish at least one book.

Thank you again for taking the time to read this and I hope you enjoyed it. If you didn't, leave a review and tell me what you would have done differently. Its what writers need to develop. Now off to drink a Corona and read Solo Leveling while hoping I can put out a story half as good one day.