Chapter 005

"D-damn it all!" she cried, tears trickling down her face. "Let me atleast hold my baby."

Naruko didn't let any argue with the distraught mother as she walked over to the altar, making sure to step extra hard on Minato's crotch. Coming to the altar, she gently picked up the child, inwardly fawning as it made a few agitated noises from being moved. He was a tiny thing with thin red hair and amethyst eyes and three whisker-like birthmarks on each cheek staring up at her with such innocence that she had never seen before. She felt her heart go out to the mother and this child, both victims of one man's petty vengeance.

Walking back to Kushina, she failed to notice the soft, sad smile on Kushina's face as she watched the emotions play across Naruko's face. She knew that was definitely the look of a woman's who has never held a baby of her own; she would know, she had been one of those just an hour ago. She flinched as the anesthetics from KOS-MOS kicked in via a needle to her heart. Slowing the heart down would slow the blood loss. Unfortunately, KOS-MOS seemed doomed to fail as the damage to Kushina was more related to chakra then it was any physical injury she currently had, and the Spectras didn't know how to treat complete chakra exhaustion.

With one more smile to the baby, Naruko laid him gently into Kushina's waiting arms. The baby noticed his mother and cried out in hunger. Figuring what she wanted, Kushina shed a bit more tears as this would be the first and last time she would nurse her son. With a tired effort, and seeing that she was among women (she didn't even know what to call the Death God or Kyuubi), she lowered the top of her hospital gown to reveal a pert tit on a well developed breast. Pressing Naruto's face to it, she guided him until he finally latched on and began sucking.

Softly cooing the baby, she held her with all the warmth and gentleness she could. She looked back up to Naruko even as her vitals slowly faded, signaled by KOS-MOS who began working harder if that were already possible. She had already stitched the wound shut and was recreating Kushina's blood type to restore what was lost but even she knew it was a lost cause.

"Naruko-sama," she addressed tiredly. Naruko was a bit surprised by the honorific but honored none-the-less. "I want to thank you… for everything you did for me and Naruto even though you didn't need to. I won't be able to hold and love my baby soon. I won't be able to nurse him, sing to him, burp him or change his diapers. I won't be there to see his first step, to hear his first words, to see him go to school and make lots of friends either. I won't see him grow up into the wonderful man I know he will be, to have his first girlfriend, or be at his wedding or see my first grandbaby. There are so many memories that I will never be able to have with him."

Those words struck like an arrow into Naruko's heart. They were the exact words that a specific mother had spoken to her, which she repeated to her people after the incident with the child dying. Like long before, she felt some moisture in her eyes but held back any tears.

"I… huff… know I don't… huff… have any room to ask for this but… but could… could you please look after my baby boy?... huff..."

Naruko was stunned and the look of sheer desperation for her child moved even the Kyuubi who had calmed down after the Shinigami's attempt to take its chakra was stopped.

"If… if there is anyone… who I know can.. can protect her… it's you.. If the Shinigami seals Kyuubi into him… and if people found out… they would take their grief and anger on the closest thing there is to the Bijuu… the life of a Jinchuuriki… 'the power of human sacrifice'... is one of loneliness and hardship… to always fight for every bit of happiness… in one's life. The Kyuubi being… a being of hatred… specially towards us stupid humans… didn't make it easy for me. That man…. he truly… hates Konoha… and this world… he will… no doubt come back sometime… to kill Naruto. If you… will do this… one favor… then please… take my baby. You can… Neblade me… so you can… someday… teach him about his clan… and his mother.."

The group, even Shinigami, was stunned by her words. She would do all this just so Naruto can live free from the life of hatred and pain all Jinchuuriki have lived. Naruko felt she was looking at a true angel if one ever existed. Her words were not so different from those spoken to their children before by those who'd offered their bodies to be Nebladed to transfer memories, powers, and emotions.

With a graceful nod, she knelt down and wrapped her arms around Kushina's head, bringing the dying woman into a soft, comforting embrace after she removed her armor, showing a proportional, but understandably large bosom. Kushina's head rested in the valley and felt a nice warmth despite the rest of her body going cold.

"Uzumaki Kushina, I will honor your request and raise your son as if he was my own. From now on he will be known as Naruto Fenris, son of Lunaru Fenris, Queen of all Spectras. He will know the love of the Spectra people as friends and family. His life will be in my hands."

Kushina sobbed and hiccuped briefly before glancing down at her baby boy who was done eating and staring up at her and Naruko with curious eyes. The amethyst and crimson pairs of eyes looked down on him with an untold amount of love. Naruko helped Kushina bring Naruto up to her lips where the mother kissed her baby on the cheek before slowly lowering her arms back to her chest, her eyes never moving or blinking, never more.