Inspired by Datenshi no Uzumaki's Hana Taisen. Though I'll try my best to remain faithful to the elements of both Naruto (character-wise) and Rozen Maiden (concept-wise) in this fusion.

Credits:

Naruto: Masashi Kishimoto

Rozen Maiden: Peach-Pit

Hana Taisen, inspiration: Datenshi no Uzumaki (even if you're not so active here anymore)

This story: Me

Avalon Children: Record de la Grande Guerre des Roses

Acte Une: Rose Azur

Once upon a time, there lived a powerful wizard who traveled the world. He made a living using his magic to help and brighten the lives of the people he met. In his journey, he met and fell in love with a maiden with hair as red as roses. The two of them eventually married and got settled in a cottage by a river just nearby a village. Although they reveled in their wedded bliss and dreams of starting a family, trials were never far behind. It began when the wizard found his wife in tears one day and admitted that she would never be able to bear him any children due to an illness she suffered when she was younger. Despite her confession, the wizard held his sorrowful wife in his arms, telling her that he loves her and will not stop loving her nonetheless. But even with such an impossible obstacle in their lives, the determined wizard set out to fulfill his beloved's dream of a happy family. It was then that he decided that if they couldn't have children, he will make them.

Thus he created the dolls known as the Avalon Children...

~oOo~

Time seemed to run slow for a girl with odd pink hair and green eyes who stared at the front of the class with one hand propping her chin, ignoring the teacher's droning while taking note of important terms written on the board that were most likely to pop up on a test. Today was just any other day for this middle schooler; though sometimes, it could get rather tedious. While life was all good and normal for this particular student, everything seemed to go all the same: wake up, go to school, come home, do homework, eat, sleep, and wake up again to start the cycle over the next morning. She sometimes wished something would come along and spice it up a little, make it a bit more exciting. Weekend and summer trips were good and all, but they only last for so long before going back to being stuck in a monotonous rut.

Though attentive and diligent, she the lessons bored her out of her mind; not just with the teacher's slow sleep-inducing drawl, but with his life in general. Everyday was the same: wake up, go to school, come home, do homework, sleep, and do it all over again the next day. Of course, there were those usual other parts of the routine that came in between, but nonetheless the same. She was stuck in a rut, and she starting to get sick of it all.

RIIIIIINNG!

Finally, time to go home! The girl thought that the day would never end. She wanted to leave as soon as possible today as there was a sale at her favorite grocery shop for a limited time, and she decided to go and take advantage while it lasted.

As she put away her things, a classmate approached her.

"H-Hey, Sakura," said her classmate. The girl turned to him while zipping her bag.

"Yes? What is it, Naruto?" she asked. Naruto, rather flustered, ran a hand on his spiky blond hair and pretended to scratch an itch.

"I was wondering if you're free today," he said. "You see, there's a new ramen house that just opened and..."

"Sorry, I don't think I can go," said Sakura, giving him a sad smile. "Today's shopping day and the grocer's having a sale. I really don't want to miss it."

Naruto gave a wry chuckle. "Oh, yeah. I almost forgot that you live alone. Some other time then?"

"I'll think about it," said Sakura, heading for the door where her best friend, another blonde named Ino, from next classroom, stood waiting. Naruto sighed as he watched her leave; another attempt to ask her out foiled.

~oOo~

"Tried to ask you out again, didn't he?" asked Ino while walking next to Sakura on the way to the grocery shop. "Honestly, Naruto should just give up. Can't he see that you're just not interested?"

"Well, to be fair, I haven't made that clear to him...yet," said Sakura.

"Then why don't you? It's not like you like him like that anyway."

"Yeah, but-" A strong gust of wind blew, cutting off whatever Sakura was going to say. Both she and Ino held on to their skirts to keep them from getting upturned while they kept going towards the store.

"Sure is getting windy," said Ino, who looked up to the sky and saw that the clouds were grey and appeared heavy. "It's looks like it's gonna rain. We'd better get all this shopping over with before it starts pouring."

"Why don't you go on home, Ino? I'll be fine by myself," said Sakura by the time they got near the entrance.

"You sure?"

Sakura nodded, and started to say something else when without warning, a sheet of paper gets blown onto her face, making Ino giggle. The former quickly snatched it off in embarrassment.

"Are you okay, Sakura?" Ino asked.

"I'm fine. It's just paper." Sakura turned the wrinkled sheet over.

Congratulations!

You have been selected as a winner out of 482654 unique candidates!

In order to qualify for your prize, you must answer the following question:

Would you like to play?

Yes No

(Please sign your name in print)

Please put this sheet into a safe place once you're done.

The spirit Charme will take your form into another dimension to be evaluated.

NOTE: Absolutely do NOT peek under any circumstance.

Ino raised an eyebrow as she read the paper over her friend's shoulder.

"What's that?" she asked. "It looks like you've won something, but it doesn't say what it is you've won." Sakura scoffed.

"Pft! No way. This is probably a promotional thing some small-name company is trying to pull to get attention. And they're not even doing a good job. I mean, really, who in the right mind would make these flyers and scatter them around just to make some random people feel special and raise their hopes up?" She read the words once more in disdain. "It doesn't even say what kind of prize it is; and what's with the other dimension thing? Please, only an idiot would fall for this kind of trick."

Ino eyed the sheet in mild interest. "But aren't you curious? It doesn't seem harmful. And it's not like it's asking you to pay or anything. If you ask me, the mystery of it is quite exciting."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah. Though if you're not interested, I could take it off your hands."

Sakura looked at her best friend who was now beaming at her. It was obvious that Ino was interested in the dubious flyer she was holding. However, she had a point; the harmless piece of paper had certainly was making her wonder about the unknown prize. Without a word, Sakura pulled out a pencil from her bag, circled 'Yes' and signed her full name at the blank.

"Hey! I thought you said only idiots would fall for that," Ino whined as the latter folded the paper in half and slipped it in her bag.

"I know," said Sakura, "but with the way you were curious about it, made me curious as well."

Ino huffed. "Well played," she said. "Then I guess I'd best be going. I can't keep holding you back from shopping after all." She turned to leave with a parting wave.

"See you tomorrow." Sakura waved back before entering the store.

~oOo~

The rain fell in a mild shower. Sakura raced the best she could on the wet streets with an armful of groceries in a plastic bag and holding her school bag on top of her head as a crude umbrella. Damn it! This is what I get for pondering too long on which brand of sweet dumplings to buy! Fortunately, it didn't take long for her to get home. Upon getting inside, she shook off her wet shoes and dumped her school bag by the couch on the living room floor. At that very same moment, she noticed something off.

Sitting atop the coffee table was a large box...with a handle?

Sakura gently set the bag of groceries down and approached the box with mild caution. She wasn't into ordering anything off the internet so that speculation was crossed out of her mind. Was is from her overseas-working parents? No, that can't be either. Mailmen never deliver packages inside people's homes; that would be breaking and entering.

A closer inspection revealed that the box was in fact, a case. Sakura ran her fingers on the smooth dark polished surface and the elaborate gold gildings at the corners. A blue glass rosette with golden leaves sat at the very center. Wary, but curious, Sakura lifted the top. Her eyes widened at what she found. A little boy? No... Lying curled up inside as if in a deep sleep was a porcelain doll—one so well made it could be easily mistaken for a small child. Its short dark hair parted in the middle at the front and framed its face neatly, though it got messy around the back of its head where it just stuck a little upwards and straight to the side. Its pale peach skin looked so soft and rosy; Sakura wanted to reach out and touch its cheeks just to see if they feel the same as they looked. Its body adorned in elegant clothing that appeared inspired by the eighteenth century—an embroidered blue formal coat over a stone-gray waistcoat (concealing a tucked-in cravat), which in turn went over a long-sleeved white shirt if the ruffles showing out of the coat sleeves were to go by, and a pair of form-fitting white trousers tucked into a pair of shiny black brown-top boots.

With a little uncertainty, Sakura reached out to pull aside a lock of hair from its face.

"How handsome..." she mumbled to herself, taking in the sight of the peaceful sleeping face. Her hands then went to lift up the doll by the armpits from the soft cushions padding the case. She realized then that it was larger than she thought it would be—about that of a human toddler; no more, no less as it hung limp in her hands. It was also there that Sakura found that the ebony locks at the back of its head weren't the result of laying down too long. The windswept hairstyle actually suits him. She felt her cheeks grow warm, then turned the doll to lay it down on one of her arms and lap with the utmost care she could muster.

"It looks pretty darn expensive. I don't think either mom or dad can afford something like this even with all the money they earn abroad." Sakura mumbled on giving the doll a thoughtful gaze as she felt the softness of its hair brushing against the skin of her bare arm, and the silky smoothness of the skin of its bare hand in her own. "Whoever made this truly put a lot of love and talent into it. It almost looks like it could open its eyes and wake up at any time." She tenderly held its cheek with her free hand and bent a little to examine its face closer...and closer...and closer... If I were to kiss it, will it turn into a prince?

Sakura was just an inch away from having her lips descend upon the doll when her innate self-restraint kicked in and broke her out of her trance-like state. She shot back upright, mortified. What the hell am I doing?! This is a doll for goodness' sake! She sighed, looking back at the doll.

"So, what am I supposed to do with you?" Sakura cast her sight at the padded case and saw a tiny fancy winding key lying near the recess the doll had been. She picked it up.

"If you have this, I guess you must actually do something unlike other dolls," she said in musing. Now, where to put it... She turned the doll over and found a hole on its back—perfect for the winding key to fit. The sound of little gears clicking and clacking broke the silence as Sakura wound the doll up a few times. Then to her surprise, the doll began to twitch and jerk in her hands, causing her to scream and drop it. Sakura jumped behind her couch and watched as the doll seemed to struggle to move as its inner mechanisms worked to help it stand up. It took a few wobbled steps forward then stopped once it became stable on its feet and stood up straight.

Before she knew it, the thirteen-year-old girl found herself being stared at by a pair of large dark coal-colored eyes.

The doll remained standing for a moment before turning to walk around the large piece of furniture towards the still anxious Sakura who slowly backed off as the 'haunted' doll came closer with its sharp piercing gaze fixed upon her.

"S-Stay back!" the girl yelled. "I-I'm warning y-you..." She thrust her arms forward, forming a cross with her fingers. "I know exorcism!" Sakura felt her back hit the wall and began to panic as the doll showed no signs of stopping. Her hands searched around her vicinity in a frantic frenzy to get a hold of something—anything—to use against the little terror. As soon as one of her hands finally got a hold of something, she didn't waste any time hurling it. Sakura knew that she hit her mark when she heard a 'thunk' followed by a 'thud'.

She looked on at the fallen doll as she took several deep breaths to calm herself. It now laid on its back with its eyes closed; knocked out cold from being hit by the decorative saucer she threw at it.

Sakura approached despite being still suspicious if only to make sure that she wasn't dreaming. She nudged the doll with her foot. It didn't respond. It has to be some kind of mistake. Who on earth would send her such cursed thing? She didn't think she had enemies; and if she had, she doubted they would go so far to send her something like so frightening. Sakura mustered a bit of courage and bent down to pick up the doll and put it back in its case and keep it there for good as soon as possible. Perhaps she could give it away somehow, or if not, send it to a shrine to have it purified.

She hadn't expected a tiny hand grabbing one of her wrists the moment she got close enough. Sakura shrieked, but it didn't let go. Instead, the doll used her wrist as leverage to help pull itself up.

"Cease your incessant wailing this instant. You are hurting my ears," came a smooth eloquent voice. It didn't take long for Sakura to figure out where it came from.

"You can talk?!" she asked the doll, who let go of her wrist. It got back on its feet whilst soothing a spot on its forehead that got hit.

"Of course I can," it said, irritated. "Had you not been so busy panicking, you would have found out right away. Seriously, screaming and throwing random objects for no reason; I thought human females were supposed to be gentle and soft-spoken."

Sakura didn't say anything, her mind still reeling from the fact that a doll was talking to her. Has technology already gone so far without her noticing?

"Well then, what is your name?" the doll then asked.

"S-Sakura Haruno," she replied without much thought.

"I see," said the doll, taking note of the girl's pink hair. "That's a nice name. It suits you well."

The girl blushed at the compliment, even if it came from a doll.

"My turn this time," it said. "My name is Sasuke of the Azure. The ninth doll in the series of the Avalon Children." The doll, now known as Sasuke, took a gentleman's bow in front of Sakura.

"Avalon Children?" the girl repeated in puzzlement. At that moment, Sasuke's eyes took on a mischievous gleam as he rose back up.

"And from this day onward—you, Sakura Haruno—are my minion."

Any semblance of being enamored any sort of initial apprehension got swept away in a flash at such a bold declaration.

"Wh-What? Minion?!" Sakura stood up, towering over the toddler-sized doll. "What the hell are you talking about?! There's now way I'm gonna be your or anyone else's servant!"

"I'm talking about Charme's query that you answered and signed," Sasuke said. Though confused at the name 'Charme', at the mention of a query, Sakura remembered the flyer she picked up not too long ago.

"You mean that thing?" At that revelation, the girl immediately went to search her schoolbag. "Where is it?" she said, rummaging through and even spilling out the contents to find the small sheet of paper. "I can't find it. It's not here anymore!"

"It's not there anymore since you already answered and signed it." Sasuke crossed his arms and gave her a pointed look. "Since I'm here, it's obvious that your application has been approved, and by winding me up, you have officially sealed the deal. As reluctant as I am, I don't have a choice other than to follow through."

"But wasn't that some terrible promotional deal or raffle drawing?" asked Sakura, then paused. "Wait a minute, this whole thing has to be a dream." She raised a hand to her forehead. "I must be getting sick from running in the rain. There are no weird sheets of paper or talking dolls."

"What are you babbling on about?" asked a very confused Sasuke who became even more so when Sakura started to pick up and put down the forgotten bag of groceries on the dining table and began to make her way to the staircase nearby. "Where on earth are you going? Don't ignore me!" Angered, Sasuke raced and delivered a swift kick to the willfully ignorant girl's shin, causing her to holler in pain.

"That is no way to conduct yourself before your master," he said while watching Sakura hop around on one leg, howling obscenities whilst clutching her aching one. "It's hard to believe a young human lady such as yourself could have such an appalling lack of manners; and all that foul language isn't helping it either."

"I can't believe something so small could kick so hard," Sakura mumbled while fighting back tears. She had stopped hopping and sank down on the floor as she rubbed the pain away.

"Think of it as revenge for hitting me with a flying projectile earlier." Sasuke huffed with arms akimbo. "Now that introductions are over, let's move on." He turned to look around the entire ground floor of the house, examining and scrutinizing everything in silence.

"What are you doing now?" asked Sakura, standing back up.

"I'm looking to see if this hovel is proper enough for me to live in," he said. Sakura bristled at him insulting her home. "It's only natural since we'll be together for quite some time. Now, do be quiet and let me work."

"Fine, geez..."

~oOo~

At the very top of the Konoha City Mall, a silent lone figure observed the bustling city below with narrow critical eyes as their intricate cerulean dress fluttered in the wind. They usually loathed the sight of humans, finding them pathetic, weak, and at times when awful memories would arise, evil. However, today, their focus was elsewhere.

They raised a small hand to pull one of the petals off the white paper rose nestled in their hair. In a small demonstration of power, the piece hovered above their hand and folded itself into a crane.

"Go forth," they said to the paper crane. "Find the one who bears the face of the devil." With a wave of their hand, the crane flies off to follow its master's bidding.

As for the master, all that is left to do is wait.

~oOo~

Sasuke went around the first floor of the house examining and scrutinizing everything in silence. He even went as far as to rub a tiny finger on several smooth surfaces such as the dining table, the chimney mantelpiece, the coffee table, and even the television, to check for dust. Sakura found all this unnecessary; she just had the whole house cleaned two days ago on a Saturday, which was the appointed cleaning day each week.

"Not bad," she then heard the doll say. "This is decent enough, I guess. While the aesthetics are sorely lacking, it'd have to do."

"If you don't like it, why not leave?" Sakura mumbled, seething. Though Sasuke seemed to have not heard.

"Alright, let's get down to business," he began, but got cut off when at abrupt sound of wood hitting a wall. When both human and doll turned to the source of the noise, they saw the window over the kitchen sink wide open, the curtains beating by the prevailing wind.

"Ugh! I though I had that window locked," said Sakura as she began to head over to close it.

SWISH!

Sakura could have sworn something had zipped past by her just before she could make three steps forward. It had been close enough for her ears to catch the whizzing noise it made.

"What the heck?" she asked, rather perturbed. "Did something just come in?"

"Sakura, don't move," she then heard Sasuke say. Puzzled, Sakura turned to see him looking tense, his body postured in a battle-ready stance. His scowling eyes locked at something behind her, much to her further confusion. The human then felt compelled to turn around to see the reason of his agitation, and let out a gasp once doing so.

Suspended in mid-air, a couple of feet before her, was a paper crane.

~oOo~

Acte Une: Fin

Sasuke's outfit was based on the period costume worn by the character, Robert (Patrick Dempsey), from the movie 'Enchanted'. Shown in the Kings and Queens Ball dance scene.