"D-damn it all!" she cried, tears trickling down her face. "Let me at least hold my baby."
Yggdra 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. She 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 Yggdra'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 Valkyrians didn't know how to treat complete chakra exhaustion.
With one more smile to the baby, Yggdra laid her gently into Kushina's waiting arms. The baby noticed her 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 daughter. 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 Naruko's face to it, she guided her until she 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 Yggdra 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.
"Yggdra-sama," she addressed tiredly. Yggdra was a bit surprised by the honorific but honored none-the-less. "I want to thank you… for everything you did for me and Naruko 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 her, sing to her, burp her or change her diapers. I won't be there to see her first step, to hear her first words, to see her go to school and make lots of friends either. I won't see her grow up into the wonderful woman I know she will be, to have her first boyfriend, or be at her wedding or see my first grandbaby. There are so many memories that I will never be able to have with her."
Those words struck like an arrow into Yggdra'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 girl?... huff..."
Yggdra 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 her… 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 Naruko. If you… will do this… one favor… then please… take my baby. You can… Neblade me… so you can… someday… teach her about her clan… and her mother.."
The group, even Shinigami, was stunned by her words. She would do all this just so Naruko can live free from the life of hatred and pain all Jinchuuriki have lived. Yggdra 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.
"Kushina Uzumaki, I will honor your request and raise your daughter as if she was my own. From now on she will be known as Lunaru Niril Artwaltz, daughter of Yggdra Yuril Artwaltz, Queen of all Valkyrians. She will know the love of the Valkyrian people as friends and family. Her life will be in my hands."
Kushina sobbed and hiccuped briefly before glancing down at her baby girl who was done eating and staring up at her and Yggdra with curious eyes. The amethyst and crimson pairs of eyes looked down on her with an untold amount of love. Yggdra helped Kushina bring Naruko 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.