Meanwhile, on the bridge of the Blitzwing…* (Play Naruto OST 2 - Fooling Mode)
Capt. Maeko: Alright, everything is ready.
Baron Hampton: WHEW! That was hard work!
Ja'Skaar: *Confused* Hard work? You and your annoying sister spent the entire time literally raising steaks…
Ayumi: Well it can't be helped. You know what they say…
Baron Hampton/Ayumi: *In unison* THE STEAKS HAVE BEEN-
*They are cut off by Ja'Skaar who kicks them both into the wall*
C: Hmmm… If I had to guess, I would say you've made a LOT of people happy just now.
Baron Hampton: Ouch that hurt! What was that for Ja'Skaar?
Ja'Skaar: If either of you says one more thing about "raising the steaks", I am going to off the both of you.
Ayumi: *Gasps* But you can't do that! The world lives for that quality content!
Baron Hampton: Yeah! They need it so much that the creator of this show even allows these hilarious lines. *Pauses time* (Just wanted to take a quick break from this episode to thank everyone for tuning in to another episode! It sure does mean a lot knowing that you all support our silliness so much! Alright, now back to the episode.) *Resumes time*
Ja'Skaar: The creator must be some sort of idiot then, and what kind of person would watch this crap?
Baron Hampton: *Stands next to Ja'Skaar* Don't you see through the screen? There's a viewer staring at us, they're just as funny as we are! *Waves*
C: I'm not sure which concussion you suffered, but we have more important things to do than watch you look at an imaginary screen.
Capt. Maeko: As I was saying, the plan is ready to be put into action. I've gone ahead and called Kira and Zach up here.
*Just then, knocks can be heard at the door. The door opens and Kira and Zach walk in*
Kira: We're here Capt. Maeko.
Zach: What was it that you needed us for?
Capt. Maeko: Good you're both here, the plan is ready for action. It's time for us to set off. I need one of you to prepare the ship for take off, and the other to get everyone back to the ship. Once we're ready, we'll begin departure.
Kira: I'll get the ship ready for takeoff.
Zach: Okay, and I'll go get everyone. I imagine they'd know we'd be leaving at some point, so they shouldn't have gone too far. I'll be back soon.
*Zach goes off to find everyone, while Kira gets the Blitzwing ready for departure. Just then, there are more knocks on the door, it's Fadra and Alex.*
Fadra: Sorry to interrupt, we just ran into Zach in the hallway.
Alex: He just explained the situation to us. Anything in particular you'd like us to do?
Capt. Maeko: Nothing I can think of at the moment, just be on standby in case something happens.
Alex: Understood.
Fadra: Captain, do you think that I could talk to you and Ja'Skaar for a moment?
Ja'Skaar: Huh? What on earth could you possibly want to talk to me about?
Fadra: "The Looming Shadow"...
Ja'Skaar: *Eyes grow wide for a moment before going back to normal* Alright, we can talk.
Capt. Maeko: Don't think I've ever seen you not go against something like this. If you're willing to talk without food, then it must be important.
Ja'Skaar: Yes, but not here. Follow me, I know where we can speak.
*The three of them head to the rear deck…* (Play Naruto Storm 3 OST 5 The Girl's Confession)
Ja'Skaar: Alright, there should be no one within ear shot here.
Capt. Maeko: This seems to get more and more serious with each passing second. Fadra, what did you wanna talk about?
Fadra: *Concerned look* Capt. Maeko, has either Ja'Skaar, C, or Baron told you about what we call "The Looming Shadow"?
Capt. Maeko: "The Looming Shadow"? No, this is the first I'm hearing about it. What exactly is it?
Ja'Skaar: *Serious look* "The Looming Shadow'' is a nickname we gave to a certain entity due to how they came to exist. It happened 15 years ago, during the Norahs Incident.
*Time rewinds 15 years ago, showing a flashback of the events that unfolded while Ja'Skaar, Fadra, and Capt. Maeko talks over it occasionally.*
Fadra: *Concerned look* For most people, it was just another day in their lives. But for me and her, it was the day our lives were changed forever.
Capt. Maeko: You and her?
Ja'Skaar: Her and Roux. You see the two of them are sisters, but not by blood.
Capt. Maeko: What?
Fadra: Roux is my adoptive sister. While it's true that she's older than me, only I was born into our family.
Ja'Skaar: Roux's entrance into that family was due to very unfortunate circumstances.
Capt. Maeko: What sort of circumstances?
Fadra: Roux, as you can see, is not like most of the people here on the Blitzwing. I think the striking contrast between her and myself is enough evidence that she's far more different than what is normally expected. She often appears like she has no life at all, even though she's alive. This is in part due to her cold demeanor, but also because of something else.
Ja'Skaar: *Serious look* This is because on top of everything that's already been said, Roux for the most part, has lost her humanity.
Capt. Maeko: What do you mean? What happened?
Fadra: During the Norahs incident, the Principality decided that in order for them to rule for years to come, they needed to look to the future. And that the future lay in a great power.
Ja'Skaar: You see we Sarlen have been around for ages. While C is older than myself and Baron, the two of us have still been around long enough to see these events unfold.
*Back to the flashback…*
Lady Shirina: Shenrei, I have an urgent matter I need you to take care of.
Shenrei: What is it?
Lady Shirina: Our empire is constantly rising, but we need to ensure the future of the Principality. I believe that our future can be guaranteed, if we can obtain a certain power.
Shenrei: What kind of power are you referring to?
Lady Shirina: Have you ever heard of something called Void Perception?
*Back to the present day…* (Play Memória! Xion's Theme + Vector to the Heavens [Orchestral]
Capt. Maeko: Void Perception?
Ja'Skaar: The power to see the depths of space and time itself. Anyone with this power can see the depths of the void around them, and change reality around them using time and space. Anything and everyone can be seen within a ring around the user.
Fadra: I didn't want to believe such power existed. But ever since I joined the Blitzwing, it's getting more and more difficult to ignore its existence.
Capt. Maeko: So what happened then?
Fadra: Back then, the Principality had heard about some children with incredible power. They began to send people into Norahs to "monitor" for any abnormalities. They had spent years looking into research for this power, when they decided that it was no longer worth the time or the resources to continue research.
*Back to the flashback…*
Shirinan Soldier: Captain Shenrei?
Shenrei: What is it?
Shirinan Soldier: Lady Shirina has requested that we come back to the Norahs Kingdom. Says there's no need to continue this fruitless research.
Shenrei: I see, did she say what to do with the project?
Shirinan Soldier: She says to just discard it.
Shenrei: Then our work here is done, let's leave this place.
Shirinan Soldier: What should we do about the city?
Shenrei: Nothing, no point in being here any longer than needed. But toss the project in the trash. It's just a waste of life anyway.
*Back to the present day…*
Fadra: *Sad look* And then they left, and that was the last we heard of them until recently.
Capt. Maeko: *Angry* That's horrible! That's one more thing that we'll make those heartless bastards pay for. So what happened to Roux after?
*Back to the flashback again…*
Ja'Skaar: Using my powers, I visited Roux in her heart. The experiments they did to her left her brain and heart full of trauma, and her life was slowly going away. With some of my power, I placed a magical barrier around her preventing any harm from coming to her.
Capt. Maeko: So how did you find her Fadra?
Fadra: Well, I remember walking with my parents. We were walking along a street in a market district, when my hat was blown away by the wind. The wind was particularly strong that day, and it carried it all the way to an ancient building in the city. That's when my parents and I had found her, just lying there unconscious. We rushed her to a hospital, but the doctors couldn't do much to help her. That's when we took her back home, and decided that we would nurse her back to health. All of a sudden, the power in the entire block went out, and then Roux started emitting a strange color, and her eyes opened and turned a bright set of colors.
Ja'Skaar: That's when I appeared in front of Fadra and her family. Keep in mind that one seldom gets visited by a Sarlen personally unless it's a very important matter. I was able to neutralize Roux, and then everything went back to normal. But in order to do so, I had to take away her memories of those horrific events. Fadra and her family were rightfully shocked by everything they had just seen. But even so, I couldn't let the Principality get their hands on such power. I asked them to take Roux into their family, and look after her. I assured them that I knew that it was a lot to ask of anyone, but I strongly believed that Fadra and her family were the best chance that she had for surviving.
Capt. Maeko: So Roux has this power within her…
Fadra: Yes, it's something that not many people know about.
Capt. Maeko: Who else knows about this?
Ja'Skaar: All together there's you, me, Fadra, C, and Baron. Roux has no idea about any of this. There's no doubt about it that the Principality is going to go after her again if they ever find out that she has that power.
Fadra: *Sad look* Even if Ja'Skaar hadn't asked us to keep quiet, I don't know if I would've been able to tell her anyway. How can you just tell someone that without having them relive all of that trauma? I couldn't do that to anyone, I just couldn't.
Capt. Maeko: In any case, we should be more careful going forward. If the Principality even suspects that she's hiding that power, then we'll be in even more danger.
Ja'Skaar: Fadra, don't worry about Roux's safety. No harm will come to her, the barrier is still intact.
Fadra: That's good to know, but I still can't help but worry.
Capt. Maeko: It'll be fine, Fadra. And while I normally don't condone keeping secrets from each other, it is not my place to speak on this. So I won't say anything about this until it's okay with you two.
Fadra: Thank you Captain.
Capt. Maeko: Let's head back to the bridge, everyone else should be there. *Stop playing the song*