A/N: Updating three stories in one day? Been awhile since I did that.

In any case, I'm back.

Apologies for the delay; you see, I had to take a step away and ponder how I was going to finish this story properly. There were still so many questions left unanswered, plot threads left unresolved, and the matter of the final arc. There was a part of me that was tempted to just rush to the finish, to just summarize it all...but that didn't feel right.

Ending this in one chapter, would've felt rushed to all hell.

You, the reader, deserve more than that.

...so we'll be finishing this in the next three. Ergo, there are still two-ish!-chapters left to go, epilogue aside.

Just felt right, given that the anime's finally back.

As ever, we're following the Ember's Rule here. That's no joke. Really, it isn't.

If folks don't like this...if they don't care to read it, well, it won't be continued. Every bit of feedback helps. Reviews are the fuel which keeps me writing in these crazy times. With my tight schedule -two jobs!- I simply don't have time to write a story folks don't like. Without them, my inspiration cannot take wing and I can't write a word. So by all means, speak up!

So. Here. We. Go.

Well, I suppose I've kept you long enough then. Let's get going, shall we?

As ever, I own no quotes, themes, or memes. Not a wit or one.

...onward~!

"One man's good is another evil, I suppose. Has it all been building to this moment, or was it meant to happen?"

~?

Lets Not Rumble (Interlude)

She must keep building.

Build the titans. Repair the bodies. Always. Forever and ever.

She must built. She must repair. The titans were eternal. Her orders were paramount.

So long as white soil covered the ground and the Paths of light manifested in her sky, so too must she obey her commands. She would toil as long as she was required; so long as her descendants persisted. To otherwise was anathema to her. To disobey her orders? Impossible. To escape? Inconceivable.

She was just a soul, after all; this was her life. Her fate. Her destiny.

.

..

...

Until it wasn't.

"Aha!" An exultant voice cried somewhere behind her. "Finally found you!"

Ymir paused. Pivoted.

Because there was a man making his way across the dunes. Slowly but surely, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

Distantly, she observed him.

Fair of face was he, bright blue eyes framed by shoulder-length tawny blond hair, whiskered cheeks, and a sunny smile. Clad in traveling leathers and green cloak so worn as to nearly be a rag, he nevertheless advanced relentlessly toward her. There was a startling spark in those eyes. As if he recognized her. Knew her, despite never laying eye on her. Long strides carried him forward; as he drew near, she saw streaks of white cropping up in his blond hair.

"Feels like I've been walkin' for a year, jeez...

Understandable. Time was different here...and conflicting.

Within a matter of moments he was upon her. He stopped a stone's throw away, considering her was one might a timid bird.

Ymir considered him in turn. Neither moved. Neither breathed. The Paths held its breath.

"Hello~!" His sudden declaration made her jump. "You have no idea what I had to go through to get in here." he crossed both arms behind his head, grinning from ear to ear. "Nice ta finally meet you!"

Ymir blinked once. Nothing more.

"Hijacking the Paths ain't easy, even for me." he looked away, regarding the distant tower of light on the horizon. "Had to get Historia's help to even find this place; from there, Kurama and I had to brute force our way in here. This place really does go on forever, ya know?"

She stared. "..."

"So!" he offered her a hand. "I'm Naruto. You must be Ymir! Heard a lot about ya."

She tilted her head. "...?"

"Nothing to say? After I walked so far, too!"

Irrelevant. She turned back to her task without a word.

A hand snared her wrist, stopping her short. "Now just wait a second!"

She tried to tug her arm free, to no avail. His grip was solid. Ironclad. Stronger than the king's had ever been.

"...!"

"Not a chance." perhaps sensing her intent, He plonked down in front of her, legs folding beneath him as he sat his legs into the sand. "I ain't letting ya go."

The faintest hint of a frown touched her lios.

"I just need a moment of your time." Those earnest blue eyes drilled into her soul. "Now lets talk about how to end this awful curse of yours.

She did not respond. She could not; because she lacked the capacity to. Even if there were words she wanted to say, she could not speak them. Her soul was bound. A shadow of her former self. Still, she recognized him all the same. He was not one of her descendants. And yet for all that, he held her power, a gift he should not have. He was an outlier. An aberration.

The faker smiled. "Can you talk?"

"..."

"How do we set you free from here?"

"..."

"Fair enough." he grunted. "Why did you give me those powers? Can you at least answer that.

"..."

The intruder sighed. "Alright. I can see this is going to be difficult...

Ymir didn't react, even when her fellow blond reached out and laid a hand on her head. Blue eyes met hers. Blue. She remembered that color. His hand tussled her hair, gently massaging her scalp. A strange sensation. An unfamiliar feeling. None had ever done such for her. She did not know what to make of it.

"Now listen here,you! " His forehead touched hers. "I ain't givin' up on ya. I'll come back tomorrow. You hear me?" He gave her a light headbutt for good measure, startling her. "I'm gonna get ya out of this place. I swear. And I never go back on my word. So stay right there!"

"...?"

At length he climbed to his feet. Still gripping her wrist, his gaze seared into her.

"Listen. You don't have to be a prisoner anymore. We're gonna fix this. Eren, me, all of us. Alright?" He looked down, perhaps uncertain of releasing her. "I mean it. I'll bring my students next time. We'll break you outta here and fix all this. Alright?"

"..."

...alright. Silent treatment it is." even in his frustration, he smiled. "Don't worry. We're gonna help ya. And then we'll show Marley what it means to mess with monsters."

With a snap of his fingers, he vanished from whence he came.

Ymir gazed at the cloud of smoke he'd left in his wake. A minute passed. Then another. She gazed down at her arm, frowning at it. Fake. That was all he was. Fake. He was not one of hers. His words meant naught. She'd continue as she always had, as she always would. As she always will. Eventually, she returned to her task.

Much to her surprise, the faker proved to be man of his word.

He would return the next day.

And every day hereafter.

Every. Damn. Day.

Until the end.

A/N: Naruto is, after all, Naruto.

A monster he may be to Marley, but he'll fight to the end to protect those he loves.

Alright, that's a wrap for this chapter. Hope ya enjoyed it!

So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...Review...Would You Kindly?

No previews! Don't wanna spoil things~!

...aaaargh! Can't help myself!

(Preview)

...why?"

"AHA! You can talk!"

"I'm going to free ya."

"Did you really think shooting Sasha would kill her?"

"Owwwww!" she heard the devil whine in the background. "Right in the leg. My knee, too! Hurts like a bitch!"

She...she just picked the bullets out of her thigh and healed. They really were devils!

A hand touched her head, forcing her to pivot.

"Gabby, was it? Lets talk. Or I could squash you like a bug." his fingers tightened around Right here. Right now. Your choice."

R&R~!