Naruto Fan Fiction / Crossover With Non-anime Series Fan Fiction / Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Fan Fiction ❯ The False Apocalypse ❯ The Aftermath ( Chapter 28 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

The debriefing after the war reveals the true nature of Zansatsu and the Battousai as well as the creatures that attacked the Zate during the war.

Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction / Crossover With Non-anime Series Fan Fiction / Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Martial Arts / Adventure | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 11.20.2009 | Pages: 6 | Words: 9.2K | Visits: 211 | Status: Completed

The False Apocalypse

Chapter 28

The Aftermath

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

Anakin laid awake in a hospital bed set in a circle around a large room. He was set up looking upon the rest of the Zate in a meeting being held in a special sealed off room of the medical ward. Rei and the others knowledgeable in seals had set up a special short range barrier around the room so that only approved personnel could enter without a continuous electrical shock while inside the room. A most painful surprise to be sure.

“So that's what happened. I was such a fool.” Anakin had just heard what happened after the man now known as `Torment' beat him to a pulp. He closed his eyes, shaking his head in humiliation that he had jumped into such a fight so foolishly.

“Foolish it was not. Fallowed our code you did.” Yoda stated with an affirming smile.

“Master Yoda is correct, you fought valiantly. There was no way we could have known one with such monstrous power existed.” Master Windu added, hoping to cheer up the former Sith Lord.

“So what happened to Naruto, why isn't he here?” Around the room, every living member of the Zate was present with the acceptation of three. Masters Hiko, Naruto, and Nazomishi were dead tired and out of chakra. Even the Shinobi who were pledged to join were present, including Kakashi, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Gai, Lee, The sand Siblings, and nearly twenty others. Any conscious members were wheeled in like Anakin. Lord Hyuuga and several other clan heads were present with interest in creating an alliance with the organization. Several leaders were the most prominent in the large room totaling at just under a hundred present. It was a meeting on the aftermath of the war. The very first order of business was to go over the events of the battle, a topic they had just begun with Anakin's question as to what happened with the monster he fought.

“I am afraid Master Naruto's body had a hard time taking in his fifth tail. He is fine but it will take him a few days for his body to adjust. Nazomishi will have to redesign the boy's swords to permit the absorption of any more tails. At least not without him loosing conscious with every new tail.” Rei Witok said having assisted Nazomishi with the creation of the seal along with Jiraiya and knowing the full inner workings of it.

“I assume Masters Hiko and Nazomishi are in the same condition?” Anakin asked with concern. He had heard what happened to Nazomishi it not knowing their condition troubled him deeply.

“Yes, according to Nazomishi his inner has returned with a vengeance. Master Hiko gave his all to seal him away.” Anakin sighed in annoyance with the situation. “The Akatsuki fell easily enough, even though Nagato and Orochimaru managed to escape. But these new warriors, they were on a completely different level.”

“Pein escaped! But you were assigned to capture his original weren't you Master Yoda?” This was astonishing to Anakin. For Master Yoda to lose a nearly immobile man, something unaccounted for must have occurred.

“Yes, anticipated us and kept a summon nearby to reverse summon he did.” Yoda said solemnly but glad with the ramifications. If Nagato was still alive then they still had a chance to talk to him and hopefully convert him. Besides, now they had his chakra signature and could locate him no matter where he ran. It would only be a matter of time.

“His controlled bodies lost movement when he left. We burned them and have a tracking team attempting to locate his Chakra signature.”

“I see, that is it for my questions…” Anakin ended as Aoshi decided to voice his own concerns.

“There are so many important figures here. The representatives from Suna, The Raikage, so many other important figures…Where is the Hokage? I don't sense his presence in the city.” Jiraiya and Tsunade having already known this hung their heads in sadness.

“I am afraid what you sense is correct Master Aoshi. The third passed last night. The strain from his bout with Pein was simply too great.” Kenji stated from his seat between Kenshin and Kaoru.

“So our presence here was a waste of time…” Another Zate groaned while those outside of the organization held their tongues. They didn't want to get caught in a topic that was not theirs to discuss.

“I do not believe you are correct, Entris. We may have lost a few members and our allies may have lost a few dozen skilled warriors. But allied casualties were only about one percent.

“Correct Bardok is. Though unfortunate and high the casualties were. In our purpose, good or bad, always casualties there will be. This day, in our goal we have succeeded. Still, troubling times ahead I sense.” Yoda concentrated on the events but finally decided to move on to the next topic. “Lady Tsunade, your assessment of Kimimaro?” Tsunade's eyes held some concern for the bone user upon hearing his name. His condition was quite bad, he was quite lucky to have survived as long as he did.

“He is stable. I am afraid we have never found a cure for his condition. He's lucky to have survived this long. I have Shizune searching our medical library for anything on it.”

“What is this condition you speak of? We have several medics among us. There may be some cure in our records.” Rei inquired being one of the Zate's best while looking to Kaoru who was in charge of keeping the medical records for the Zate.

“I have his chart with me. I was actually going to ask considering where you are from. As much as I hate to say it, it doesn't look like there's anything else I can do.” Tsunade stood and handed the clipboard to Kaoru who summoned the Zate's Medical Holocron. Beams of light burst from the softball size object, producing a 3D image that Kaoru started manipulating with her hands. It took her several minutes to enter in all the symptoms but when it was complete she could only squint here eyes in astonishment. It was no wonder he was in such horrible condition.

“It's not good is it?” Tsunade asked, gaining Kaoru's attention.

“I'm afraid it's an advanced and highly deadly form of cancer. It mimics several autoimmune diseases while feeding off the victim's cells. I'm afraid the life expectancy is normally a few months once the first symptoms set in.” She paused for a second, taking another look at the report. “By all accounts the only reason he's not dead is his bloodline.”

“So he's terminal. It's sad.” Tsunade stated as Kaoru shook her head.

“He's not terminal. He will be if he's not treated properly, and soon. Based on this stage he's been suffering from it for over a year. His bloodline probably held back the severity of the first few stages. Master Anakin, have you built any droids yet?” Anakin looked a little stunned by the comment but nodded.

“One, I had a few others but they were destroyed in the battle. It's primarily a combat droid but I could adapt his memory core with the medical Holocron. I will need a few men to assist me though. I don't think I'm in much of a condition to be working on a droid right now.” Anakin said turning his head towards Kaoru, hoping it would be good enough.

“Master Yoda, may we be dismissed from the rest of the meeting, this is urgent.” Kaoru requested.

“Dismissed you are. May the force be with you and Kimimaro as well.” Kaoru and Rei went over to Anakin's medical bed and rolled him out of the room, having him direct them to his droid. If they were to save Kimimaro, urgency would be necessary. Tsunade looked over to Yoda with a stern gaze, about to continue with a slightly more serious piece of information about him.

“I may be a medic and bound to healing him but I still don't get it. His bloodline is a dead one. It was full of fighters and his entire will to live was for Orochimaru. What the hell did you do to convince him to betray the snake bastard.

“The kindness is very influential. Master Hiko built up a friendship with the boy and took him on as a new apprentice. Kimimaro was loyal to Orochimaru because his loyalty gave him purpose, a place to belong. Now he has a greater purpose, friends and potentially the medial treatment to save his life. Should we save him he will also feel indebted to us much the same as he was to Orochimaro.” One of Hiko's subordinates that went with him to Oto stated calmly.

“But wouldn't he still be an emotional slave? It hardly seems right. I wont stand and watch an influential young man be turned to… It…It just doesn't seem right, influencing someone like that.”

“If influence with kindness and friendship is wrong then broken the core of the universe is. Influenced and shaped by many he has been. Always loyal to someone he will be. With us at least, his loyalties well founded will be. Eventually perhaps independent he may become. Until then be friends and allies, all we can do it is.” Yoda stated with authority and wisdom. He could see clearly that Kimimaro would always fallow someone. It was simply his nature and the way he was raised. Changing his ways at this point in his life would be like trying to move a river. At least with the Zate his life would hold a true meaning.

“Can I at least monitor his mental stability? He's obviously been pulled in many directions in his life and I don't want to risk his mind shattering.”

“Baseless your concerns are but permission you have Lady Tsunade.” Yoda turned then to one of the few other blonds in the room. “Lord Yamanaka, what findings have you with Nazomishi's condition?” Something in the Force told Yoda that Nazomishi's battle with his inner had some connection to the powerful foe that showed up. Inoichi Yamanaka stood from his seat, looking as if he had some disturbing news.

“Master, um Yoda was it? Upon viewing his mind I must say I have only seen something like this once before. I am afraid that the seal, though powerful is not strong enough to hold back his Other.”

“His inner you mean.” Kenshin said knowing his own similar problem was at the very least exceedingly similar.

“Sadly no it is far more complicated than a simple multi personality case. This is a case far more similar to Sakura Haruno's inner self. An advanced secondary personality that is fully independent of the host's body. I have heard that some thrown into battle against their original will, have developed such `Others' to take on the guilt of their actions. A coping mechanism if you will.”

“We already know this. I myself have struggled with a similar `Other' that I have.” Kenshin stated from his seat, not believing that they were learning anything new.

“It has attempted a similar escape?” The Yamanaka inquired; intrigued that there was another that had done the same. Such a thing had to be rare but there were two here?

“Yes, it took a great deal of effort to seal mine, before it took over my body. Several others among our ranks have dealt with weaker but similar incidents that they have.”

“I see… Upon some research in our library I found something most disturbing. Apparently all humans are capable of developing such beings. In fact, most have them to some minor degree. Like I said before it seems to be a survival mechanism, a way to take on the events your mind cannot handle and seal it away so you can slowly process it. Unfortunately, when overused the events start to pile up, a bottleneck if you will. Once that happens it doesn't take long for them begin taking on personalities of their own. For better or worse, the stress is slowly diffused over time into the original's mind at a pace they can handle. This is a rare condition spawned when the original mentally suffers at such a high rate that this process can no longer diffuse properly. Things this severe even have an effect on the origional's soul. To maintain the original's sanity the forces of balance come in to play separating a person's soul into two completely independent beings, inhabiting the same body.”

“You mean to tell me this `Other' is actually a soul all together, a whole person inside Nazomishi's body?”

“Yes, much the same as the Kyuubi is within Naruto's mind. Only these are free to walk the person's mind, trapped within the mindscape. According to our records their personalities largely depend on what they were used for. In Sakura's case it has taken on the things she wishes to say to others but knows it would be harmful. In a sense it has become a tenant in the back of her mind constantly ranting about the things Sakura wants to, but refuses to say out loud. At times it can take over when she's in a pinch. She doesn't much realize what it is or that it's anything abnormal but her condition is probably the best-case scenario. If she ever finds out what it is or it tells here they will likely become friends, a little strange but effective partnership for sure. Her family has asked me to keep it a secret for several years. I never expected to see anything like it.”

“And what of those who have taken on murder?” The Yamanaka looked aside, not wanting to look Kenshin in the eye.

“Like yours it becomes violent and uncontrollable. They often take over its host body without the host realizing it or meld into the host, inheriting some of the original's traits as the originals die. Those who resist find themselves with an internal struggle, fighting something as strong or stronger than themselves with the ability to train almost constantly and still gain strength from every traumatic event. I'm sorry to say this but if you don't retire, it will eventually win. As long as it remains in your body it will try again. Even if it is sealed away it will eventually gain the strength to break the seal. These are nothing like Bijuu. Their strength can grow indefinitely and far beyond anything normal beings are capable of. As we witnessed the other day there are some that can become as powerful as the upper tailed bijuu, maybe stronger. Who knows how strong they could become if this kept up.

This Zansatsu… is the most powerful and violent person I have ever met. He crushed Nazomishi's mind like a fly, leaving him beaten and on the brink of death. To crush a soul like that in the owner's own mindscape was until recently unthinkable in my mind. It is my worst fear. I am sorry to say, that those monstrous warriors you fought were likely escaped Others with the intent of doing something to seal away or remove Nazomishi's soul.” Inoichi said blatantly, much to the dismay of those listening.

“This would explain the Master they were looking for and Zansatsu's escape attempt. It would also explain Lady Haruno's mental attack while Anakin fought that creature. If it is true then they may have a mental connection to each other. But what made them too late and have to leave?” Master Windu asked with curiosity.

“I'm afraid I don't know Master Windu. I would like to assume it had something to do with your attempt to seal Zansatsu during his escape attempt. Still we cannot know for sure. Unfortunately the only thing we do know at this point is that Nazomishi's mind is in a very fragile state. Anything to anger him could be just enough to let that thing take over again. I strongly suggest keeping him sedated until his seals can be rearranged and reinforced.” Inoichi finished.

“Lord Jiraiya, have you discovered any way to remove the cursed seal?” Sasuke asked from the back of the room. He knew all too well that it was the cause of this whole mess.

“I have found a few suppression seals that should keep it more or less under control. I'm afraid removing it is much more difficult, even for me.”

“Have you looked into purifying it? Perhaps that is the key?” Master Windu asked the seal Master having noticed a possibility with the Force.

“No…I will have to look at that. It might be possible to use something similar to Naruto's swords. I am afraid though, that Sasuke or Kimimaro will have to be the test subjects. Nazomishi's condition is too unstable to test anything further directly on him. At least not without risking another escape attempt by Zansatsu.” Several leading Zate nodded in acceptance. It would seem that their leader is temporarily out of commission.

“hmmm…Most unfortunate this is. But at this time Nazomishi is unfit to lead. A vote I request. Until such time that Nazomishi be free from the cursed seal, move to strip him of his authority as First Division Captain and for Rei Witok to fulfill her duty as Vice Captain in taking over for him I do.”

“As much as I hate doing this to our founder, I second Yoda's motion as vice captain of the third division.” Windu added after a moment of contemplation.

“Kenshin Himura, Captain of the second division, I third the decision, that I do.”

“All those in favor?” The vast majority was a bit hesitant but it was in the end, the decision was nearly unanimous. Until the seal could be repaired or removed, Nazomishi was no longer a seated member of the Zate.

“Then settled it is, temporarily stripped of his authority, Nazomishi is.” Yoda closed his eyes and tapped his cane on the ground like a gavel, completing the ruling. Under most circumstances Nazomishi would preside over these meetings but with him out of commission Yoda was the best for leading. Kenshin was of course the Second Division captain and though wise himself, never liked such a high position.

The Council of the Zate was made up of its seated members and its captains. Much like the Jedi council they considered themselves equals regardless of rank or division. Still just like the Jedi Grand Master of the Council there must be someone to guide and preside over all meetings and maintain order. Someone the others can look up to for guidance. The captains and vice captains are considered the highest among equals. Still among them the three that stood out as the wisest would be Yoda, Windu, and Nazomishi. Yoda for his age and endless wisdom, Windu for his advanced knowledge of the force and skill with shatter points, and Nazomishi for his strategic ability, skill at understanding situations, and foreknowledge of the worlds they visit. The three would often be the most talkative, leaving their minds completely open to one another so they may continue where another would leave off. Kenshin rarely offered much to the council in the way of wisdom and was never one for politics. Though truly as wise and skilled as any of the other three he often preferred to remain silent and weigh the situations silently, only offering a solution when a better one was available. This was a most traumatic event for the Zate.

Standing once again Inoichi stood to address this meeting. “If I may, There are a few of my clan's specialty seals I would like to try; Once Lady Witok completes the rearrangement of his seals that is. If anything they may offer a way to remove Zansatsu's influence. It's a long shot but with enough research I hope I can find a way to extract Zansatsu without harming Nazomishi's mind. If that can be done then it could be resealed within him with something more on par with a Bijuu seal.”

“Granted, in your hands his fate is.” Yoda gave his permission and turned to Jiraiya the Shinobi cleared his throat to gain their attention.

“If you don't mind I would like to accompany you. I helped design his seal array and am helping Rei redesign it to be more compact and less conflicting with itself. The last thing he needs is clashing seals to make his cursed seal worse.

“I would be honored Lord Jiraiya.” Both men sat and motioned for the proceedings to continue.

“I believe that wraps up everything we are willing to discuss with those outside of the Zate. Lord Hyuuga what is it you wished to discuss with us.” Master Windu said from his seat while crossing his fingers in his lap as he watched the white-eyed man rise from his seat.

“Thank you for the opportunity to speak here Master Windu. I have given your organization a great deal of thought the past few days. Master Yoda was kind enough to supply me with a copy of your laws and rulings. To be blunt I would like an alliance between the Hyuuga clan and the Zate. My daughter as you know is infatuated with Naruto Namikaze and though recent events have kept them apart, it is quite easy to see they will end up together.

“hmmhmhmm.” Yoda chuckled. “Quite true your statement is. Together, bright their future looks.” The sharp teeth of the little green man looked interestingly kind as he gave the short statement.

“I am glad you agree. I know there are many who would protest both in your organization and my clan. However, once I gain approval from my clan I would like the Hyuuga to become a division or at least a branch of the Zate.” Yoda spoke up immediately without even considering the idea.

“Impossible your request is. To one per world our divisions are limited. Only the strongest and most dedicated members serve as such.”

“Even letting you join as basic member of the Zate would prove impossible. You seal your branch family and your council is corrupt. We can all sense this. This is not to say that none may join, but you cannot force anyone to join. It must be done at the free will of each person with the full understanding of what they are getting into.” Windu continued where Yoda left off. “Allying your clan with us and offering each other protection and assistance is possible. But becoming part of the Zate in that manner would be against what we stand for. Loyalty to the authority of the Zate and its purpose must be held above all else for any who join us.

“I see. Then an alliance it is. If there is ever anything we can assist you with, feel free to ask. Forgive me for requesting too much of you.” Hiashi bowed and returned to his seat.

Their meeting continued on for another hour, discussing various alliance possibilities with various clans. All ran into turndowns similar to what Hiashi received. At least for the moment, the Zate were not taking mass applications, under the authority of a single man any time soon. On the plus side Hiashi later asked Jiraiya to research a new seal for their clan. In his mind the council could shove it if they disagreed. There were higher events at play than petty clan traditions.

Hours later the sun was beginning to set as Tsunade exited intensive surgery with Kimimaro. Rei, several other doctors and a droid fallowed her out.

“Quarry: Do you wish me to monitor his condition Lady Rei?” The droid asked in a monotone and robotic voice. The seven foot tall combat droid had done quite well over the past few hours, despite the auditory bug that came about while uploading the medical Holocron into its memory.

“That would be fine Jett. Be sure to check in with Anakin tomorrow so he can repair your communication module.”

“It's good to know that's not normal. I was starting to question the kid's sanity for programming it that way.” Tsunade commented jokingly having initially been quite frightened by the moving humanoid metal heap.

“Disapproval Statement: But I like my current communication module. I see nothing wrong with the way I communicate. It makes me unique. To be without it would be comparable to you loosing your chest melons.”… It was moments like this that made Jett glad he was a droid. Droids were hard, and could be repaired with minimal effort. Though against Tsunade, the strong defense Jett boasted didn't really mean all that much when his head unit went flying across the room, imbedding itself in a nearby wall.

“Has he been hanging around Jiraiya?”

“…uh…not that I know of. Anakin has been stationed in Oto since we got here.” Rei had never really gotten use to Tsunade's super strength. Yes Rei was strong, so were many people in the Zate. But that level of strength was crazy, even if it was Chakra induced.

“Are you ok? You don't look so good. Maybe you should lye down.” Tsunade noticed Rei wobbling a little as they walked through the corridors to leave the hospital. It was now approaching one in the morning and they had been working on Kimimaro all afternoon. I don't care who you are, that much time in intensive surgery will take its toll mentally and physically.

“I'm fine; I just need to get home.” Rei was too tired to notice but Tsunade turned to an open door with the lights still on. So Rei didn't even notice when the old lady stopped to check it out. Nobody should be here at this time of night.

“Yea…you go on ahead, there's something I need to check on.” Having never noticed, Rei just kept on walking, never acknowledging anything Tsunade had said. `Who would be here at this time of night? And why this ward?' She walked down the hallway taking a quick peek in the single lighted room. The light was dim, obviously from a mild lamp as opposed to the standard room lighting.

`Isn't this Naruto's room?' She thought as she turned to enter and noticed a dark haired girl in a white jacket with her head asleep on a golden tail that was sticking out from under the covers, only a foot away from the boy himself. “Oh Hinata, not again.” The black and white lump stirred a bit at the sighed statement of the Sannin.

“Hinata …Hinata you know you're not supposed to be here, visiting hours ended a while ago.” Tsunade moved closer to Hinata about to shake her awake as a hand gently grabbed her wrist.

“Leave them be Tsunade.” The voice was calm and held a tinge of fatigue from the late hour.

“Ji-Jiraiya? What are…Inoichi, Rei?...” She specifically looked at Rei who no longer looked tired or worn out.

“Blood clone…” Rei stated blatantly knowing what was on her mind.

“What are you doing here? Visiting hours ended hours ago.”

“Shhh, hall” Inoichi placed his hand on Tsunade's shoulder and motioned for them to leave the room.

“But what about…”

“Leave them be. Her presence here won't harm anything.” With a little hesitation the blond woman followed the others out into the hall as Rei closed the door behind them, silently turning out the light.

“Nazomishi's room is connected to Naruto's. We've been remaking his seal array.” Jiraiya stated while motioning Tsunade to a bench in the hallway.

“Did it work? The way you talked about it earlier it was going to be difficult.”

“It was much harder than we had originally anticipated, but yes it worked.” Rei commented as Inoichi leaned against a wall. Jiraiya then continued for Rei.

“The odd cursed seal over his seal array was throwing everything off. It was making his chakra unstable and distorting his Force connections and his mental barriers. We've sealed Zansatsu as tight as we can. Purifying Orochimaru's seal might work eventually. But it will be more difficult than anything I've ever done before.” Jiraiya took a moment to catch his breath, sighing before he continued. “It's suppressed with the best thing we could come up with for now and Zansatsu shouldn't be a problem till the first level curse mark is fully released. That in its own right could be a problem but it's what we have.”

“With any luck another escape attempt shouldn't be possible without a full second level release.”

“There's a second level?” Tsunaded asked mostly out of shock that Orochimaru had created such a thing.

“Yes Nazomishi told us before the exams that it came from bastardizing some violent bloodline. Orochimaru has some man named Juugo. This effect is more or less his bloodline. He's normally a peaceful person but the bloodline messes with his mind, making him crave death and destruction. The bloodline is more or less a physical embodiment of evil. The first level spreads the shape of the seal through the body, raising bloodlust and physical power. The second level forces the embodiment of some demonic animal, taking that bloodlust and strength to a new level. The thing is powerful and hard to seal.

“I'm glad you were able to do something against it. That's at least one less thing I have to worry about. How's Naruto doing? His battle was real rough.”

“He's a bit of a different story. His mind's fine but that last tail he absorbed really did a number on his coils. Even with his healing rate it may be a week or longer before he wakes up. A normal man would be dead with that level of damage.”

“WHA!...” Jiraiya slapped his hand over Tsunade's mouth, cutting her off before she could complete the word.

“Shhh, you'll break the link.”

“What the hell are you talking about Jiraiya? What did you do to them? What link?”

“Actually, that would be me.” Inoichi stated with a glair.

“Details…” The blonde's anger was apparent in her eyes as she glared at the others.

“Well Hinata's been very distraught for the past few days and Naruto's mind was in good condition. So I let her enter his mindscape before we started on Nazomishi. I dident expect her to stay this long but with the circumstances I didn't see how it could cause any harm.”

“No harm? Do you realize how many medical laws you've just broken!”

“Actually none. I got Naruto's consent as well as Hiashi's. Since I am the mental expert I count as the expert giving consent. Come on Tsunade, they've been trying to go out for a month now and haven't had a chance. Don't worry everything's under control.”

“It better be…but at this time of night? It's not healthy for her to spend so much time here. And with a boy she hardly knows, this is insanity Inoichi. They could be doing anything in there. You three should be ashamed of yourselves.”

“You haven't sensed their connection. Despite the short time they've known each other their bond is surprisingly strong. The Force user's sense it, as can I. Why can't you?”

“Don't bother Inoichi, she hasn't believed in love since Dan died.” Jiraiya stated coldly having expected her to have moved on long ago.

“Oh and what do you know about love, pervert. Your idea of love is the feeling between your legs when you're screwing a whore.”

“Uh I don't mean to interrupt this wonderful reunion but Master Yoda wanted our report in the morning so I suggest we get some sleep. It is one thirty AM you know.”

“Oh yes, Rei, that reminds me. Anakin's scrap heap is a pervert… FIX IT!” And with that Tsunade stormed out of the hospital pissed off at God's incessant need to surround her with perverts.

Future glimpse: One of the four Major evil forces has begun to reveal themselves. Another shall soon be revealed. What are their plans? Will they join forces? Will they compete for conquest? Only the future will tell. One thing is for sure. This is only the beginning.