I don't own Destiny or Naruto.

Hinata couldn't believe what she was hearing... the reef... in ruins?

She looked over to Sasuke who was preparing their ship for their departure. Ino and Sakura were doing the same. Ino had a smaller lilac colored ship, and Sakura had a larger red one. Naruto, Shikamaru, and Gaara were all prepping their own ships as well. "Are you alright Hinata?" Sasuke asked and she frowned as she pulled her eyes from her friends. "I'm worried about Ashura... Petra said she took off." She whispered and he offered her a hand and she took it gently. "How would it make you feel if our first assignment was to find her and bring her back safe?" He asked and she nodded slightly.

Hinata knew the woman was reckless and erratic, but she also knew it was usually within reason. However, the circumstances here were beyond reason for Ashura. "Why do you like her so much anyways?" He asked curiously and Hinata fiddled with her fingers. "She reminds me of Hanabi... in a way." she whispered and he watched her in confusion. "How so?" he asked and she smiled. "I see that... fire in her eyes... the determination and dedication..." She started with a smile, but then the sadness flowed in. "The bravery even when she is deathly afraid. Everything about her feels like my sister, and I know she is troubled. I want to help her." She said and he nodded.

"That's understandable, Hinata." Sakura chirped and Hinata looked over at her. "If anything, I thought she was kinda broody at first, but also her personality felt like my own. I can tell she is scared, and she needs a little help. After all she is part of our clan, and our clan sticks together." Sakura said and Hinata nodded with a smile. "So, are you all ready? Because someone told Naruto that we were going to go show some huge Fallen what for, and now he is rushing the rest of us." Ino said with a laugh, causing Hinata and Sasuke to peer over to Naruto's bright orange ship and shake their heads. He was tapping his foot impatiently with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I'd say we are." Shikamaru sighed as he slung a rifle over his shoulder and made his way into his own ship. "Alright, waiting on your instructions, Clan leader." Ino chirped and Hinata blinked at her oddly. "Uh... move out?" she asked and everyone nodded and entered their ships. Once they all sat in their seats, images of the vanguard leaders appearing on their screens. "We want you all to be careful, judging from what Petra has shown us, things are bad. We are lucky you all returned from your patrols when you did or we would have had to serve another team." Zavala said and they nodded. "However, seeing as the situation is going to need it... Please inform Ashura that she will be the emissary for the tower while she dwells in the reef. We need their help as much as they need ours, so tread carefully." Zavala ordered and they nodded.

Hinata stared out the window of the ship, the bright lights of the stars flying past in a blur due to the speed at which they were travelling. Sasuke looked over at her from the pilot's seat and she sighed as she turned to face him once more. "Why do you think she is the only one who can be the emissary to the Awoken?" Naruto asked over their comms and Ino laughed. "Naruto, are you honestly that dense?" she asked and he was silent for a moment.

"She is in a relationship with the Prince." Sasuke said and Naruto yelled into the speaker. "What the hell Naruto!?" Sakura grumbled. "How the Hell? I thought she was chasing after Sasuke!" he yelled and everyone groaned. "She was." Hinata said softly and everything went silent. "Wait... What?" Sakura asked and Hinata laughed lightly. "She liked Sasuke, it wasn't hard to see." She said once more and Sasuke looked over at her in disbelief. "You can't be serious." Naruto managed and Hinata smiled softly. "I am. She was mean to him because he was mean to her, but she liked him. That was why she was trying so hard to be your friend Sasuke." Hinata said and the Uchiha rolled his eyes.

"What changed?" Naruto asked and you could hear the smirk in Ino's voice. "Have you even seen the prince?" She asked and Sakura snorted. "When someone like that comes your way, you don't pass that up. Royalty or not." Ino purred and Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I see." "There's the Reef, be alert everyone." Sasuke commanded and the comms were silent as they pulled in. The place was bustling with activity as they pulled up. When they stepped out of their ships the first person to meet them was Loki. "Great you are all here. Just who I was looking for. Go see the Queen." He said pointing at Sasuke and Hinata.

They looked to the others who nodded and motioned for them to go. Naruto and the others hung behind to talk to Loki and the other guardians. Sasuke and Hinata made their way past the guards and into the throne room, where an immense energy was flaring around the room. When they stepped in the room, Uldren bumped into Sasuke. "Ah, Princess... Uchiha." He greeted bitterly, not towards them however. Something has set him off. He tried to push past them, but Sasuke placed a hand on the man's chest and halted him in his tracks. "What is going on here?" He asked and Uldren released an irate sigh as his hands fisted audibly.

"Taniks has to be dealt with immediately." He bit out and Hinata tried to reach for him in an attempt to comfort him, but he danced just out of her reach. "He murdered our fallen and Ashura's status is unknown." The Queens voice was filled with rage and it sent a chill down Hinata's spine. "Destroy him." She seethed and they nodded. Uldren turned once more to leave and the Queen narrowed her eyes at him. "Uldren, you are not going." She snapped and he turned to her briefly. "Forgive me for this disobedience sister, but I am going." he said, his tone was smooth and showed none of the sarcasm he was known for.

However, the bow he did before he left was dripping with it. Sasuke and Hinata followed him straight to his ship, which was hovering just beside theirs. They made their way into their ships and just as they were about to take off, the emergency beacon that Mara had given Ashura started going off. Uldren shot off before they even had time to really understand what was happening.

They managed to catch up with him when they saw his ship on radar over the moon. Hinata watched as he jumped from his ship as it was still passing overhead. She couldn't help but worry about him as well. Did he feel so strongly for Ashura that he would be so reckless? Sasuke grabbed their weapons and urged her out as well. She landed softly atop the hill, Sasuke beside her. Uldren glanced up behind him to see them coming his way. He was definitely aware of their presence, not that it was a bad thing.

He lunged up from the top of the cliff and drove a large blade into the shrieker, only to blink out of sight. He then reappeared down below on the ground and dodged the tracking missiles released by it when it detonated. Hinata dove out of sight to avoid the projectiles as well, while Sasuke deflected each with swift swipes of his hunter blade. Sasuke was impressed with the speed of the man before them. He had definitely underestimated the man, seeing as he hadn't seemed to have any special abilities but it seemed the man may yet have some. They rushed into the temple and took out everything in their way as they made their way through, however it was clear they hadn't been the first to pass through.

Bodies of both fallen and hive littered the walkways. Two ogres lay against the walls groaning, unable to see or heal themselves. Hinata watched as Uldren took some sort of mercy on the creatures and put them out of their misery. Even he understood there was no use in letting someone suffer a slow miserable death, enemy or not. They made their way through the temple and up the small walkway that went uphill. Uldren was crouched beside a large mechanical limb, rubbing his fingers over the ground. "She first confronted him here." He said as they walked up beside him. "It seems he tried to intimidate her but she didn't back down, resulting in the loss of this limb." He explained as he stood, the mechanical limb in his grasp. He looked up towards the lift and sighed, only to start walking once more.

Uldren was the first through the lift and he paid none of the fallen at the top any mind because with a few simple words they all cowered away from him. Hinata was honestly amazed at this. When she would go on missions with Ashura, all she had to do was say words in a similar manner and they would either cower away or attack. She supposed the authoritative aura Uldren emanated was more frightening than the small woman was. Uldren stopped only to look behind him as they were hurrying to catch up to him.

"How do they obey you?" Sasuke asked and Uldren smirked. "I will not hesitate to slaughter them and they know this, it seems. That... or there is something about me that they fear. Ashura has pointed that one out to me more often than not." He said and they followed him around the wreckage of the walker. Hinata caught a slight movement from above the doorway, but it was gone almost as swiftly as it had shown itself. The door leading to where the beacon was set off was sealed shut and Hinata frowned as she tried to let her ghost override it, but he couldn't.

Uldren rolled his eyes slightly and shoved his hand into the crevice and shoved lightly, the door crumpling in his grasp and giving way. He could feel their stares on his back and he turned to them and bowed to them sarcastically. "By all means, you first." he said and Sasuke rolled his eyes but didn't move. Hinata made a move to enter first, but Uldren shook his head and slipped through before she could. "Not a situation for ladies first, Princess." Uldren said, and then proceeded to do same with the door at the end of the hall. When he opened that one, Hinata saw his form go rigid. She slipped into the space beside him and her eyes went wide as they landed on Ashura.

She was bloody and bruised, but still standing, although barely. Her helmet was shattered in pieces in the middle of the floor and she was yelling what seemed to be insults at the large fallen. Sasuke and Uldren watched her curiously but what she was saying was more amusing to Uldren. She was steadily taunting the large fallen who was stumbling to try and get to her but she kept ducking under things he couldn't reach under.

"Sasuke, Princess." He called and they looked over at him. "Check on my Fallen. If there are any survivors, get them out. And if they are not clothed in my colors, kill them. Taniks is mine and Ashura's." He bit out and they nodded, only to slip into movement. Hinata looked over at Ashura who was running out of energy, but she wasn't going to give up. Hinata watched as she pulled both knives up in front of her and lunged at Taniks as arc energy surrounded her form. Hinata ripped her gaze from the white-haired woman as Sasuke slipped away from her.

Hinata followed him around the outer area of the room, making sure to take out any fallen not clothed in green. Sasuke grabbed her and yanked her over to the wall, out of the reach of a fallen captain. Hinata barely managed to withhold a scream as a hand found itself on her shoulder. "Krux... did good... Yes?" the Fallen croaked out and Hinata nodded as she grabbed Sasuke's hand to get his attention as she looked over at the injured kell. "Krux... joins Colt and Wolf now?" She asked as she pointed to the Dreg and Captain that were lying in different places. Wolf was crumpled against the wall, his neck obviously broken.

Hinata's heart ached now, this was the captain they had saved when they found Gaara. Hinata made her way over to him to drag him over to Krux. He was heavy, but Hinata was not going to leave him there. She struggled with his weight for a few more minutes, only for him to suddenly become lighter. She looked up to see Sasuke had tucked himself under the Captain's arm as well. She glanced over to Krux and saw that Sasuke had carefully rested the Dreg beside her. Krux placed her hand on the small dreg and began rubbing the top of his head sadly. Hinata felt the tears forming and she bit her lip to try and keep them at bay. It wasn't working.

They placed Wolf beside her and she did the same for him, like a mother mourning her lost children. Sasuke gripped her shoulder softly and she looked up at him and he motioned for her to look over at what was going on in the room. Uldren had decided it was time for him to act. The lights began to flicker as the large fallen sent Ashura flying into the wall once more, where she struggled to get up. Hinata looked around the room in confusion as the lights began flickering more and more. Every step Uldren took was drawing energy from his surroundings and once he got enough built up, the lights dimmed to a dull yellow glow. The small bits of movement began to flutter around her and she realized that these were his mechanical crows.

Visibility in the room was at a minimum as his crows began to gather and spin around him. Hinata activated her Byakugan to try and see what was happening. Her eyes went wide as she saw the change happening in Uldren. Void wings sprouted from his back, only for ebony feathers to coat them, creating black wings that glowed with a purple undertone. He held his hands out in front of him and a long, yet thin blade formed in his hands. It was something similar to the blade Sasuke had carried around at one time, except it was a little longer. Hinata watched as he lunged forwards, vanishing from sight as he hovered through the air.

Hinata watched as he took down the large fallen, Sasuke could see the movement but that was it. Hinata tackled Sasuke to the floor as one of the limbs form the fallen came flying their way. Hinata stood and made her way back over to Krux, who was still pinned against the wall. She looked at the fragmented metal and she could see where it had luckily missed all major organs. She motioned for Sasuke to come to her, and she placed his hands on each side of the wound. "When I start trying to pull the metal out, you pull the sides away from it so I can do as little damage as I can to get it out." She said softly and she looked back down to the wound before she took a deep breath and began to pull.

He did as she told him to and they very carefully began removing the metal. When she had tossed it to the side he held pressure to the injury. She tore cloth from her own armor to press against the wound. She bit her lip as she contemplated using the healing jutsu Sakura had taught her, but she didn't know if it would work for the fallen like it did for humans... She looked up to see the lights returning to normal and she pressed against the wound more. "We have to get her up." Sasuke said and she nodded as they tried to help Krux off the ground. "Krux... Not join Colt? Not join Wolf?" She asked and Hinata shook her head. "No, Krux. Today, you go home." She whispered, but the large fallen looked back down to the two dead fallen on the ground.

"Bury them... Yes?" She asked and Hinata released her ghost to grab Colt, while Sasuke's ghost grabbed Wolf. "Of course... and you can show us where." Sasuke said and Krux nodded weakly as they got her fully on her feet. Hinata looked over to see Uldren lift Ashura into his arms, only for her to start heaving blood once more. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the two of them. The true unbridled fear in his eyes... He genuinely cared for her. Hinata's eyes went wide as the blood started coming out pitch black, such a horrifying color.

"We have to go now." Sasuke said and Hinata nodded. "I'm going to call Sakura." She said and he nodded as he rushed to help her get Krux out of the ketch. When they reached the exit of the ketch, they jumped without thinking too much on it. They couldn't use the lift to get back down, so their ships flew past and grabbed them as they fell. Before they could even catch up, Uldren's ship was gone. Hinata glanced over at Sasuke who was helping Krux get comfortable. She held her ghost out and he watched her in silence. "Can you help her?" She asked and he flew over to scan the fallen. "What she needs is Ether... I can't help her or I will kill her." he sighed after scanning her.

"Father... can help. Then I return." She croaked from the floor and Hinata watched her curiously. "Who is your father?" She asked and Krux shook her head. "Petra keeps secret. Takes to father when hurt." She said and Hinata smiled at her softly. "Ok..."

:-:-:-:

Sakura was caught off guard when the door was kicked open, she was surprised it wasn't knocked right off the frame. She turned towards the newcomer and her eyes went wide. "Set her here." She commanded as Ashura was set upon the bed. She glared at the mechanical limb before she tugged them out of place and tossed them haphazardly onto the operating table beside the bed. She began removing layer after layer of Ashura's armor, only to catch the smoldering eyes of the man who brought her in.

"Is there anything I can assist you with? You aren't hurt, are you?" She asked and he shook his head as he reached to brush the hair from Ashura's face. Ino was getting everything ready for Sakura, seeing as the pink haired woman was preparing in a different manner. "What happened?" Sakura asked, but he didn't utter a single syllable. He wasn't going to talk it seemed. She sighed and began focusing her chakra to her hands as she sliced up through Ashura's shirt. "She's going to be exposed for most of this, are you going to stay or leave?" Sakura asked, and he stood to leave but Ashura's hand gripped his wrist roughly.

She opened her mouth to speak, but more of the ebony liquid bubbled from between her lips. Her fear filled eyes are what forced him back into his seat and he gently pried her hand from his wrist, but he gently held it within both of his larger ones. She seemed to calm down after this and Sakura sighed, it was better having her calm than trying to fight her off. "Ashura, you are sure you want him here?" She asked, just to be completely sure. Ashura nodded rapidly and Sakura offered a small comforting smile as she removed the scraps of her shirt.

She felt her shoulders slump as she looked over the injured woman. Heavy dark bruises littered her form. She was most likely in an immense amount of pain and it wasn't just caused by the battle she had just left. "Kabr." Sakura called and Ashura's ghost turned to face her. "What is this aura under her skin?" She asked as she traced over the waves of black that flickered over her pale skin. "That's the oil... I'm not completely sure what it is doing to her... it is altering her in a manner I can't comprehend." He said and Uldren reached to press gently against the skin above her left breast. Sakura's eyes widened as he did this, seeing as though she could now faintly see the movement of Ashura's heart beneath her skin.

Ashura seemed to panic when Uldren touched her there and then she began to try and struggle when Sakura's surprised gaze landed on the spot. "She knew about this..." Sakura managed, only for her to look towards Ino swiftly. "Ino I am going to need as many bowls of that as you can make. There is a pocket surrounding her heart that has ruptured into her lung." Sakura ordered and the blonde nodded. "Uldren, has she been having trouble breathing lately?" She asked and he thought it over and then shook his head.

"No... She hasn't had any trouble around me..." He said and stood, seeming to understand that this was much more severe than they realized. "Ashura... I need you to nod for me if you have had trouble breathing lately." Sakura said softly as she began setting up a smaller table beside the bed as she moved Ashura closer to the edge. A nod. "Has it been constant?" Another nod. "Is there a reason you haven't told anyone?" She asked and Ashura's tear filled eyes landed on Uldren. "Did you not want to worry him?" Sakura asked and Ashura attempted a huff but Uldren rolled his eyes.

"Ashura... You knew about this?" She asked and the woman hesitantly nodded. Sakura shook her head at this. "How long? A month?" She asked and Ashura held up a single finger. "One month?" She asked and Ashura shook her head and raised a brow at her only to motion with two fingers as to say, longer. She tried to open her mouth to speak, but more of the black fluid rushed from between her lips. "Longer?" Sakura asked and Uldren glared down at the woman. "A damn year?!" He snapped and she gave him a thumbs up. "You foolish-" "Prince... I worked on her before... if she knew about this when I tried to help her the first time... I missed it. This is on me." Sakura said and Ashura shook her head as she motioned for the pinkette to lean closer to her.

"It c-came back..." Ashura croaked out and Uldren crossed his arms over his chest. "Troublesome woman." He growled out but she offered a hand to him and he still took it. "Well... Now I have to take excessive measures. You will have to forgive me." Sakura said and motioned for Uldren to grab both of her arms and hold them over her head. "The only way I can contain it and ensure it doesn't rupture into your other lung is if I pull it from here." Sakura said as she tapped on the bare skin of the left ribcage. "Or from here." Sakura said as she tapped the area on her chest that Uldren had pressed down on before. "The issue with trying to pull it from the chest on the top is the lone factor of I would need you to be face down and you could die that way, and even though you can be revived I don't think your ghost wants to have to use the energy to do so when I can help you." Sakura sighed then looked Ashura in the eyes.

"I can promise that you will want to sleep for this." She said, but Ashura shook her head.

"She wants to watch." Uldren sighed and he gave her a look. "Alright..." Sakura began, only for the Chakra blade to slice across the skin and the inky black fluid to begin pouring out into the bowl. Ashura struggled slightly against Uldren's grasp for about thirty seconds, only to then go limp and Uldren rolled his eyes as he set her arms down at her sides. "Troublesome woman... we know." Ino laughed lightly as Sakura pulled massive clots of the oil infused blood from her side. Uldren sat beside the bed and rubbed his eyes as she worked. It took hours, but Sakura got everything she could find out of her.

She turned to the man with her arms crossed over her chest. She thought back to the other man that had circled the room like a hawk and she sighed. She wasn't sure what it was about Ashura, but she panicked the entire universe it seemed. "Uldren." Sakura called out and he looked up at her with curious eyes. "Would you like anything to eat or drink?" He asked her, but her mind was elsewhere. "You care for her right?" She asked, completely ignoring his question, which didn't honestly seem to bother him in the slightest.

"Yes."

"Then you have to make sure she loses the extra arms. They are doing just as much harm as the previous leg was. There is not a single sign of infection or irritation on this leg." She said and pulled the covers up so he could see the join of Ashura's leg. The soft white skin held a glow that screamed its good health. She could see the relief in his eyes as he looked over the join of her leg."Good... I was trying to perfect it so I could help her." He said and Sakura nodded.

"You have to convince her to lose the limbs." She said and rolled Ashura to the side to show him the angry red of the skin of the join there. He pulled his glove from his hand to run his fingers over the scarred skin of her back only to linger on the surface of the angry red skin where it was burning hot. Sakura watched the calculative look in his eyes before they flicked back up to meet with hers. Those gears were turning full speed now.

"She won't wake up, will she?" He asked as he pulled a pair of her latex gloves on. Sakura shook her head and wondered briefly what he was doing, but her voice caught in her throat when he ripped the connection plates off her torso. Blood burst from the site and her eyes went wide. She rushed to place her hands to Ashura's skin, healing it with almost no scarring. "A little warning would have been nice." She bit out and he smirked at her.

"I am going to go work on recreating these for her." He said and she watched him in confusion. "But... why?" She asked and he held the arms in his hands gently. "She has become so talented at using them while doing other things with her real arms... My specialty here is cybernetics it seems... But deep down I believe she would not have been able to save my life had she not had these arms." He said and she nodded in understanding. She watched as he left and she shook her head with a sigh. She brushed the white hair from Ashura's face and frowned at the woman.

"You'll be ok... I promise." Sakura said as she turned to Ino, who was sitting cross legged on a table, her hands folded in front of her. Sakura sat beside her on the other gurney and placed a hand on her shoulder. "How are they?" She asked and Ino looked over to her with concerned eyes. "Naruto and Shikamaru are tracking Skolas, while Hinata and Sasuke are clearing out the bounties the Queen posted." Ino said and Sakura frowned. "And Gaara?" She asked softly.

"He's on Mars. I'm sure there's a valid reason, but right now I'm not sure what it is." She sighed and Sakura nodded softly. "I hope they are all safe..." She muttered as she looked over to her blonde friend, who was once more concentrating on communicating with their friends.

:-:-:-:

Naruto sighed as he looked around him, this was not as much fun as he had been hoping. He was crouched behind a rock with Shikamaru at his side. "What was the big idea volunteering to track him down anyways?" Shikamaru grumbled as he looked over the rock at the fallen walker that was waiting for them to come out from behind the rock. "Yeah yeah, just gimme a sec and I will get rid of it ok?" Naruto grumbled as he began gathering the energy for a Rasenshuriken.

"I wonder what Sasuke and Hinata are doing right now?" he grumbled as the high pitched whine of his rasenshuriken reached his ears. He slipped out from behind the boulder he had been hiding behind and he launched the swirling blue ball of destruction. It hit the fallen walker and sent it rolling backwards before it burst into flames. "Alright, where to now Petra?" Naruto asked and Shikamaru shook his head as he followed the blonde.

"Keep moving forward, there should be a trail ahead for you to follow."

Naruto nodded and made his way down the pathway. There was a small drop off at the end and he jumped off only for an odd looking servitor to appear before him. Shikamaru took advantage of the shadows nearby and impaled the servitor, only to use his shadows to tear it apart piece by piece. They rounded the corner and their target turned to yell something at them in Eliksni. "Ah... man if only Ashura were here... she could tell us what he said." Naruto grumbled and Petra mused over this slightly before telling him that he had insulted them.

Naruto gave the creature a dirty look before chasing after it, only for it to vanish. They followed the trail into a cavern, dodging exploding and sniping shanks. That was new. They made their way up to where they had seen a flicker of him once more, only for him to vanish into the giant ketch overhead. "We lost him Petra, he hopped on his ship." Shikamaru sighed and Naruto frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Well... I suppose you should come back. Hinata and Sasuke have just taken out the Silent Fang. One win is better than none at the moment." Petra sighed and they nodded as they hopped on their ships.

When they arrived at the reef Petra was there to greet them. Sasuke and Hinata were to her left and she didn't look quite so displeased. "Good news..." She said and they watched her oddly. "We have found the location of three fallen barons that Skolas is trying to take power from. If he gets control of their houses, he will have more fallen than we can handle." She said and Naruto quirked a brow.

"That is good news?"

"Yes. Because I am sending you to kill them." She said with a smirk and Naruto shrugged. "Alright, when?" he asked and She shook her head when he made a move to get on his ship. "First thing tomorrow. "For now, rest." Petra said and made her way to the barracks where the other visiting guardians were staying. Sasuke, Hinata, and Naruto all exchanged glances. "Alright, I guess we can go get something to eat." Naruto said and Shikamaru eyed him wearily, only to offer a wave and be on his way.

He was in no way interested in what the three of them were going to do. The looks in their eyes clearly stated that eating was not their actual intentions. However... It was his. He made his way to where he could sense Sakura and Ino. He could smell the food that lingered so heavily in the air. He peered into the room that appeared to be a small mess hall and he offered a small smirk as he saw the two women. He grabbed him some food and sighed as he thought it over. He missed Choji dearly. He missed his best friend...

He sat beside the two with a small greeting. "Hey Shikamaru." Ino greeted as she prodded at her food. "How is Ashura doing today?" He asked and the two women rolled their eyes. "Angry at Prince Uldren because he removed her mechanical arms." Sakura mused and he nodded silently. "Well, typical her." he sighed and they nodded. They didn't get to go into any in depth conversations because the door to the mess hall burst open and a disheveled Petra rushed in. "Thirty minutes. They lasted thirty minutes before she found out." Shikamaru sighed and the two women looked at him confused.

"They went to the cosmodrome, Petra. They see it fit that the barons die today." He called out and Petra looked miffed to say the least. "Oh, I know. I was searching for you! Why did you let them go?" she snapped and he shrugged. "They said something about food, but I wasn't going to wait on them to get here." He said offhandedly and she rubbed her eyes with an irritated sigh. "Fine. Since they want to leave this afternoon to finish that, guess where you are going first thing in the morning..." She bit out and Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his forehead.

Sakura smiled and shook her head at the two of them. "I will go with him if you would like for me to." Sakura offered and Petra shook her head lightly. "No... I'm sure the Prince would prefer it if you were-" "Were what?" Uldren's voice came from behind her and she shuffled out of the way. "My Prince!" She exclaimed and bowed slightly. He wasn't alone either, he had a giggling Ashura clung to his side. "Petra, you goof." She laughed lightly, only for Petra to look and see the amused look on Uldrens face.

She scowled at them and shook her head. Uldren helped the limping Ashura to sit beside her clanmates. "Ashura, good to see you up and around." Ino said and Ashura offered a small smile. "I wouldn't be if it weren't for you guys." She said and she looked over to Uldren who was watching her intently. "I'm gonna eat jeez." She grumbled and he chuckled as he shook his head. "That was the whole reason I brought you here." he said and she stood weakly.

She managed to make her way over to where they were serving food under Uldren's careful gaze. "Why didn't you walk her over there?" Sakura asked softly and he looked to her briefly. "She would prefer not to be coddled all the time. Either way, I promised her that if she would stay here until things are settled better I would go with her to the tower to present her mentor with the cloak of Taniks." he said and Sakura smiled softly. "She's just like you. A stubborn bothersome woman." Shikamaru cut in and the flash of fire in Sakura's eyes signaled the punch to come, but Ino held her back.

"Forgive them your highness." Ino chided towards the two while looking towards Uldren sheepishly. He shook his head and glanced back over to Ashura who was limping back over to them, although it would still take her a while. "I don't think she was always like this, though... Life is harsh. Especially for a supposed immortal to watch another supposed immortal die." He said softly and made eye contact with Sakura, who looked down in sadness.

"Also... she foresaw your arrival."

The group looked over to see the new arrival to their table, Loki. "Bet you didn't know that did you?" he asked and they shook their heads. "She saw Hinata when she died for the first time after she revived, but it wasn't just her. It was all of you. It was me, and it was our sister Kira as well. She claimed we were all silhouettes and the only color to us were our eyes." He said as he planted himself beside Uldren, who everyone could tell there was a slight bitterness between them, but it wasn't so obvious.

"She had dreams of you all right before you showed up. That was how she knew where exactly to find you." He said and pointed at Sakura. They all watched him with curious eyes as he prodded his food. "Misra should be around here somewhere..." He grumbled as he saw Ashura sit down. "She's with Lion. They are trying to learn hand to hand combat like Prince Uldren taught me." Ashura said as she crammed food into her mouth.

"So, where is Hinata?" Ashura asked and Petra grumbled as she walked by the table. Sheepish smiles found Ino and Sakura's faces and Ashura released a laugh that caught even Loki off guard. "Those guys are going to get her into trouble." she laughed lightly and Loki scoffed lightly. "She wouldnt be the only one who is dealing with a guy who will get her in trouble." He grumbled and the table went silent.

"Is that directed at anyone in particular?" Uldren bit out and Ashura glared at her brother. "Oh, no... Never. I would never say that to His Highness." Loki spat and Ashura stood. "Maybe you should leave." She growled and Loki stood as well. "I am not leaving unless you do." He growled and she nodded. "I see. Well I am sorry it has to be that way." She hissed and turned away from him. She headed out of the room and he made a move to follow, but Uldren shoved him back down into his seat.

"She's the Reef emissary, if you've forgotten. And..." He said with a small sideways jerk of his head. "It is MY job to protect her, as Prince of the Reef." He said and he followed her out of the room. Loki sneered at his back as he walked away. "I thought I could try to like him, I really did. But there is no way in hell." He growled as he shoved himself away from the table and walked off.

"Uh huh... well either way... Sakura... Um... what do you think the others are doing?" Ino said with a small cough. She was trying to change the subject and fast. "Well, knowing Naruto... About now he should be regretting his decision." Sakura mused and Shikamaru nodded in agreement.

:-:-:-:

Sasuke watched as the fallen barons made their way through the tunnels. They seemed as if they had nothing to worry about. He assumed it was because they had no intel of anyone trying to attack them as of yet. Hinata nodded at him from her place behind them. Naruto was up ahead hidden behind a broken down wall, when all of a sudden his face distorted and he looked back at them in fear. He managed to mouth an I'm sorry before his stomach growled loudly.

Hinata released a small giggle behind her hand and Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed as naruto came scrambling towards them. "I told you I was hungry!" he yelped as he rolled out of the way of the wolf baron's enraged swipes. "That is your problem not ours Naruto."Sasuke grumbled as he dodged the barons hit. Hinata lunged forwards and sent the fallen flying with an empty palm to the gut. This was also about the time that Petra's angry tone came in over the ghosts frequency.

"What the actual hell do you three think you are doing?" She snarled, only for Variks' voice to chime in as well once more. He had been talking to them the entire time. "Variks does not apologize. Variks help guardians." He said and Petra sighed as they took out the first baron. "Fine. At least let me know next time." She bit out and Sasuke only smirked as they crept through and saw the other two barons. "Here they are." Naruto said as he rushed into the room to attack one of the barons.

Petra remained silent the entire time they killed the other barons. When they got out of the area the barons were hiding, she finally spoke once more. "Just to let you know, the mess hall is shut down for the afternoon and it doesn't open back up until tomorrow morning. Congratulations. You get to be hungry all night unless you go find food at the tower or something." Petra said, the smirk heavy in her voice.

"WHAT!!" Naruto yelped and Petra laughed. "I tried to tell you there was a reason that I wanted you to rest. Mess hall closes guys. Either way... Once we get more intel on Skolas' location, I will send you after him. However, Shikamaru is going out on Venus intel duty tomorrow. Uldren's crows say they have spotted more fallen there than usual, so have fun. That's where you are going too." Petra said and Hinata smiled over at the defeated blonde beside her.

"That is fine by me. More time to get things done and gather materials." Sasuke said and Hinata nodded. "Alright, good. Either way, I have a reward for you all when you get back." Petra said and they exchanged glances but remained silent. "I promise it isn't bad. So little faith you have in me. I am surprised you have that much faith in Ashura." Petra mused and they could practically hear the smile in her voice there. "Oh we don't. Hinata here worries herself to death over that woman." Sasuke mused as he stepped onto his ship, only stopping to offer a hand to Hinata.

"I see." Petra mused. "Don't worry Hinata, if you would have come with her the first few times she had come to the reef, you would understand why this behavior isnt new." Petra said and Hinata smiled. "Oooh, is it story time?" Misra's voice came over the speaker and Sasuke shook his head. After what sounded like a small scuffle, a distanced yell of, "Ashura kicked the Princes ass!" Was heard and Petra was trying to remove the Exo from the room.

"That woman is weird." Naruto said and Petra laughed. "You're telling me. But yes, if you didn't already know, Ashura did take Uldren down at one point and he was actually trying to be friendly to a guardian." Petra mused and Sasuke scoffed loudly. "Well, other than Ashura and Hinata I don't think that will ever be true again." He muttered and Petra sighed.

"Yeah... he doesn't seem to like anyone but Ashura, Hinata, Sakura, and Ino." Naruto sighed and Petra snorted. "Clearly. I understand why though. Now, hurry up and get back here." Petra demanded and the group sighed as Sasuke's ship took off. When they finally got back within range of sight of the reef, they saw a commotion on the outer deck.

When they got even closer, they saw that it was Prince Uldren and Loki. Naruto stepped out of the ship followed by Sasuke. They just watched as the dark haired men circled each other like wolves. Reflections of Loki moved in sync with the real one and Sasuke was mildly impressed, however what was equally as impressive was the fact that Uldren was making swift work of the reflections. It was clear on who was trained more in close quarters combat, and who relied more on weapons.

"It is no secret I despise you." Uldren muttered as he slung Loki to the ground by his sleeve. "Feeling's mutual." Loki bit out as he rolled back to his feet and sent a warlock melee attack towards Uldren's face, who was hit full on by it but was only mildly shoved. He was more unamused with the situation than anything. "I do not genuinely want to fight you, honestly." Uldren sighed but Loki wouldn't give in. Loki lunged for Uldren and Uldren prepared himself to defend, but Hinata stepped in between and Sakura took Loki to the ground when he slowed himself.

"Your sisters would be ashamed." Hinata scolded and Loki sneered up at her. "What would you know?" He snapped and Hinata frowned at him. Sakura struck swiftly and knocked him out. "Damn hotheaded warlocks." She grumbled and Hinata sighed. "Maybe he needs a nap." Sakura laughed lightly as she slung him over her shoulder. "Anyone else wanna fight? I can make it nap time for everyone here." She growled and the crowd dispersed.

"Petra I can explain." Naruto began and the pink haired woman rolled her eyes. "No need, I don't care. The job was done swiftly and effectively. Now, someone take this one back to the tower for him to cool off. I know, sometimes Uldren is... Annoying." She said with a smirk and Uldren rolled his eyes. "Seems your distaste for guardians isn't one sided." Petra mused as she walked around the taller man. "If the feeling is mutual there should be no reason I can't make swift business of some of them." he grumbled and Petra smirked at him.

"Clearly you can't make it of that one, you will piss off Kira's spirit and Ashura." She mused and he scowled. "A single setback. I can make it an accident." He whispered to himself and Petra laughed and nudged him with her elbow. "Either way." She began and turned back to them. "Follow me." She said and they hesitantly did so. Uldren followed close behind, which made some of them slightly uneasy. Hinata peered into one of the rooms they passed by and saw Ashura working adamantly on a cybernetic arm, much unlike her smaller mechanical ones she prized.

That was where Uldren departed their small brigade, however. When he entered the room, the door closed behind him and both his name and hers were on the nameplate on the door, although Ashura's was carved into the plate underneath his. This made hinata laugh lightly, only for Petra to look back and smirk at her. "Yeah I don't think either of them have realized what I have done yet. I'm honestly proud of myself for not having gotten caught yet." She said as she typed in a code in the keypad of the door down the hall.

When it opened the room was filled with armor and weapons. "This is-" "Kira's armory." Ashura's voice came from behind them and she made her way past them to tap the broken exo awake. "Ki- Madam Ashura, forgive me." The Exo chided himself as he stood and turned to face the group. "Feel free to equip them with whatever you think Kira would want them to have." Ashura said as she made her way back to the room with Uldren.

"Well, I wasn't expecting her to come in here, but that works just as well. Here. Have this." Petra said as she handed them each a Vestian Dynasty. "I suppose i should leave you all to the very capable hands of her custom frame." Petra said as the exo looked over each of the group. "What did Kira make you with. "I am... a Vex frame. She enjoyed experimenting with their technology. Kira was a Exo mechanic in the Clovis Bray facility." the Exo said as he began making them new armor.

When they were all outfitted in new armor, he made his way back to the corner and shut off his lights. Putting himself back into his dormant state.

:-: A week later :-:

"I thought we were done with this place." Naruto growled as he tapped his foot. "Evidently everyone wants to go in here. I can't say I don't blame you for how much you hate this place." Petra mused as they delved back into the Vault of Glass. This was it, they were going in for Skolas now. They rushed through, following the trail of the fallen same as they had done days ago when they were in here. This time though, there was a trail that Skolas had left.

They came up to the point where the Templar had been and they jumped down. "Can't be too far ahead now." Sasuke said as they climbed up into the hole in the wall once more. Although this time when they went through, they needed to climb and they did. When they got to the top of the area, an odd helix was in the hallway before them.

It didn't take long for the Hydra to make itself known either. Naruto took it out and they rushed ahead to find a massive pile of dead vex and fallen everywhere. "Did we interrupt something?" Naruto mused as he rushed forwards and began taking out the fallen, Shikamaru and Sasuke close behind. When the fallen were taken out, Sasuke released his ghost to scan the controls of the lift in front of them. While Sasuke's ghost was trying to figure the thing out, Naruto walked up to it and began prodding at it, despite Shikamaru's advice not to.

Shikamaru and Sasuke exchanged looks when Naruto suddenly yelped and was sucked into the lift. Shikamaru crammed his hands into his pockets and walked over to the lift and into it. It didn't grab either of them quite as swiftly as it had grabbed Naruto, but they supposed it was because they hadn't been right in front of it when it activated. When they reached the top Naruto was staring at the platforms that were appearing and vanishing in front of him.

"Do I have to go through this again?" he asked and they nodded as they jumped from platform. Eventually he caught up to them, and complained about it the entire way. "Hey Naruto, what happened to the overly mature version of you that took down Crota?" Shikamaru asked and Sasuke smirked as he jumped onto the last platform before they would reach the area where Skolas' Ketch hovered overhead. They made their way up to where they saw two servitors in front of a broke down portal.

Skolas teleported down and they started to rush for him, but Petra's voice cut in. "The queen wants him alive." She snarled and the three of them nodded. Sasuke waited until Naruto had chased Skolas into a shady area and lunged for him as well, they motioned for Shikamaru who wrapped shadows around him to immobilize him. "Petra, send in the transmat ship. I don't think he realized we were done playing his games." Sasuke mused and she made a sound of understanding before an awoken ship hovered overhead and transmatted Skolas.

"Alrighty guys, i think it is safe to say our work in the reef is done." Naruto chirped excitedly. It seemed he was ready to get back to the little ramen shop in the lower bazaar in the tower. Sasuke rolled his eyes as they each beckoned for their ships. "Oh, did you think you were done?" Petra mused over the comms.

"Guys... You still have the Prison of Elders to play in."