Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, any characters, themes or pairings affiliated, etc., etc. And this disclaimer covers this ENTIRE story.

This Alternate Universe (AU) story will be written parallel to other stories with "The Ultimate Fairytale:" in the title.

Esperwen: Hello, again! I haven't forgotten about this story, I promise! It's just that I've been wrapped up in university stuff, I had writer's block for a while, and I was really into writing the other fic that I had planned for a while. So, I'm going to do something unusual, for me: I'm going to post as I write; usually, I don't post a story until it's fully written. I will try to update once a week, but I make no promises. My other fic is more than half finished, so that will probably be posted more regularly, but make no mistake: I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE ULTIMATE FAIRYTALE! ...ok, I'll leave you to it!

-Prologue-

"Where is Ari-kun?"

The mother turned away from her sewing to look up at her husband, who had spoken.

"He should be with Yama-chan," she answered, "They're visiting the neighbouring farm all day, remember? You walked them over there."

"I only walked with Yama," the father said, shaking his head, "Ari said he was staying behind with you."

"…Shiari lied," the mother frowned, narrowing her eyes and putting down her sewing. She was ready to exact judgment on her son.

"Calm down, ex-Guardian," the father smiled, putting his hands on his wife's shoulders when she got up from her chair, "He is probably reading in the fields somewhere."

"But then he would've told me he was going to stay home," the mother sighed, "He's up to something, and I am going to find out-"

A slam suddenly came from the couple's front door, followed by quick footsteps. Both parents exchanged looks of chagrin before looking down the hallway.

"Where are you?!" a man's voice called, her tone indicating that he was very, very upset, "I know you're both in here!"

"In the living room," the husband called, taking his wife's hand to prevent her from sneaking off; she glared at him when he did so, basically admitting that sneaking off was exactly what she had had in mind.

The newcomer strode into the room, stood across the room from the young couple, and pointedly lit a cigarette.

"I have a bone to pick with you. Both of you," the man said, staring at the mother.

"…What is it?" the woman squirmed as the older man's eyes bored into her, "Why are you looking at me like that? I have done nothing wrong!"

"Your daughter needs to learn some manners," the visitor said, blowing a breath of smoke at the woman, "And you're her mother. Teach your daughter some manners. Maybe even something about sharing."

"You know I hate cigarettes! Get out of my house!" the mother exclaimed, pointing accusingly at her guest, "Go back to your farm!"

"Shiyama punched Tsubame in the arm, and now my daughter has a bruise," the visitor said, frowning at his two old friends, "And then Shiyama ran into the fields and hid, so I need you to find her and take her back home."

"Yama-chan did that? That…!" the mother's shocked expression relaxed into a defeated one and she sighed, "I'm sorry…is Tsubame-chan all right?"

"She's…yes. Yes, she is," the visitor allowed, nodding once, "She's upset, but she'll be fine."

"Oh, boy," the mother sighed a second time, "That…I'm sorry. Really. Oh, wow…" the mother was speechless with her daughter's behaviour, "We'll take care of Yama-chan; don't worry about it."

"You will?"

"Yes," the mother nodded sincerely, "You just go home and take care of Tsubame-chan. We can handle things here."

"I, uh…All right," the visitor nodded unsurely, a little embarrassed that the mother was being so cooperative, "It, um…sorry about the cigarette?"

"No, no, it's fine," the mother waved the thought (and a wisp of smoke) away, "I'd probably let your chickens loose if Tsubame hurt one of my kids. …not that she ever would," she added, when she saw a look that her neighbour gave her.

"Ok," the man nodded, "I'll be on my way," and after exchanging a few pleasantries about the weather and gardening tips, the farmer left.

When the door closed behind the farmer, the mother groaned.

"Shiyama really has a problem with controlling her emotions," she said to her husband, recalling the many times that their daughter had thrown tantrums, dramatically locked herself in her room to cry for hours at a time, gotten into fights with other children...

"Reminds me of someone I know," the father said blandly, earning himself a punch in the arm.

The couple stood in silence for a moment, before the husband cleared his throat and looked pointedly at his wife.

"Don't look at me; she's her daddy's girl," the mother pouted, poking the side of her husband's head.

"I need to get her?" the father raised an eyebrow.

"If I go, she's just going to run away from me. You know that," the mother said calmly, then grinned, "But she loves you. She'll probably tackle you once she catches sight of you."

"If I am getting Shiyama, then you are looking for Shiari," the husband bargained.

"Fine," the mother agreed, "In that case…maybe he went down to the village to visit your father? You know how much he loves hearing those adventure stories."

"My father left for a quest yesterday."

There was a thoughtful pause, and then the two parents shared concerned looks.

"You don't think-" the mother started to say, a pained look on her face.

The father didn't answer at first; instead, he hurried to his son's room and looked in the closet there.

"…half of Shiari's clothes are gone, and his backpack is missing," the father reported, returning to his wife's side.

"He's gone to catch up with your father!" the mother groaned, and together, she and her husband left their small house to find their children.

()

The father was never a man to raise his voice; he was a skilled tracker and enjoyed having an excuse to practice. As he hiked through the neighbouring fields, searching for his daughter, he made no sound. Instead of calling Shiyama's name, the father let signs such as a trampled weed or broken root to locate his young, eight-year-old daughter.

After less than an hour of searching, the father heard childish singing ahead. After following the sound, he soon came to a small area surrounded by trees. In that shaded circle, a girl with long, dark hair and tanned skin sat on a tree stump with her back to her father, swinging her legs in front of her as she sang. The father couldn't help but admire how much his daughter resembled his wife.

"Shiyama."

Yama jumped to her feet and turned somewhat guiltily when she heard her name. Her dark brown eyes widened into circles when she saw her father standing there.

"Uh…Daddy..." the petite girl half-smiled and waved, "Hi…"

"I hear you had a small fight with our neighbour, Tsubame," the father said in a chiding voice, stepping into the circle of trees.

"It wasn't a fight!" Yama pouted, crossing her arms.

"Tsubame's father said you punched her," the father countered, taking a seat on the boulder.

"…Yeah…" the girl admitted, then burst out, "But only once!"

"Only once? All right, but now Tsubame has a bruise," the father sighed, "Why did you punch her?"

"She stole Hotaru," Yama answered, sticking her lower lip out.

"Is that not the little rag doll with an eye missing and a leg falling off?" the father sounded incredulous, That doll is well past its prime…

"Daddy, Hotaru's my favourite!" Yama exclaimed, jumping into her father's lap, "And Tsubame-oneechan stole her!"

"You mean she took Hotaru without asking out at all?"

"Well…Tsubame-oneechan did ask," Yama nodded reluctantly, "And she let me play with her doll, Mai, when I asked… But…but I didn't want her to take Hotaru!"

"Ya-chan…this has happened before," the father sighed again, "You need to learn how to share."

"Why should I have to share?" Yama exclaimed, tugging on the front of her father's shirt, "Hotaru is mine!"

"And Mai is Tsubame's. If she shared with you, it's only polite for you to share with her," the father pointed out, then added when Yama was silent for a moment, "Even princesses have to share, you know."

"…They do?"

"Yes, Ya-chan, they do. …You don't believe me?"

"Nope."

The father chuckled.

"Well, let me tell you something about two princesses I met, a long time ago…"

()

"Shiari!"

The mother ran out of her mother-in-law's home, calling her son's name as she did so. Apparently, Shiari had left just a few minutes before; the boy shouldn't be that far off.

"Shiari!"

She tried to keep panic out of her voice, but Shiari had always been the twin that trusted her the most. Just as the father was closest to Shiyama, the mother was closest to Shiari.

West…otou-sama started his quest by heading west…Shiari should be that way! the mother thought, rushing down the road out of the village that went in that direction.

"Shiari!"

If something happens to him, I'm never letting his grandfather tell him stories again! Ever!

Faintly, she heard the sound of dragging footsteps before her; in the distance, there Shiari was, walking calmly but quickly with his hands in his pockets. …so much like his father.

Instead of yelling her son's name again, the mother stepped off the road into the surrounding woods, and sprinted forward; she used to accompany her husband on his Guardian expeditions in years past, and she still remembered a few tricks from back then.

I am so going to punish that boy for scaring me like that!

()

It's a really nice day, today, Shiari thought, marching along the westward road, Early spring is great.

The young boy closed his eyes and faced the sky, relaxing as a cool breeze blew past him.

"GOTCHA!"

Suddenly, a blue blur came out of the trees and tackled him down. He never realized what was happening until he felt whatever it was hit him.

"Pain!" the boy exclaimed, upon impact with the ground, more from shock than actual pain.

Shiari felt himself roll off the dirt road and into the nearby forest. He tried to struggle against his captor, but they were too strong, and he was too disoriented from rolling along the ground. When the world stopped moving on its own, the pale, dark-haired boy found himself sitting on the ground, with someone behind him holding their arms around him.

"...Mom!" Shiari exclaimed, turning his head to see who it was.

"Shiari, what are you doing?" the mother asked tiredly, adjusting her son's sunglasses for him; they had gone crooked when she had tackled him.

"I'm...what're you doing here?" the boy asked back, getting up and facing his mother.

"I asked you first," the mother pointed out, crossing her arms, "Talk."

The boy frowned, looked longingly back at the road, then again at his mother. She was trying not to frown, but he knew her well enough to know that she was upset with him. Finally, he sighed, scuffed his foot against the dirt, then answered in a mumble:

"I'm going on a quest."

The mother raised an eyebrow, prompting her son for a more elaborate answer.

"...I'm going to catch up to Grandfather," Ari continued, then added, crossing his arms stubbornly, "It's boring here in the Blossom Country! Nothing happens here! I'm going to find a quest and have an adventure, like Grandfather."

"You don't need to leave home to find a quest," the mother shook her head, Believe me, I would know.

"Sure, if you're a king or a knight!" Ari snapped, "I'm just a villager in a crummy town where nothing interesting happens!"

"Even villagers have adventures," the mother insisted, her voice stern, "Most of the famous stories are about common people like us. Remember the stories about the girl who was kidnapped by a sorceress, or the boy who was enchanted for a year and a day? They were both villagers. Now come on, let's go home."

Shiari had to agree. And those were two of his favourite stories. How could he have forgotten? But just that one point didn't convince him; he still didn't want to go back home.

"Well...Guardians start out as villagers, too, but the only reason they get their adventure, is because they go out to Citadels, looking for quests!" Shiari pointed out, staying right where he was, "I bet their moms let them go!"

"...You know what? That's true," the mother nodded after a moment of thought, "Commoners do become Guardians and search for adventure. And their moms do let them go."

"So why can't I go?!" Shiari exclaimed, narrowing his eyes at his mother.

"Because what if that adventure is the complete opposite of what you thought you wanted, Shiari?" the mother answered sharply, making her son blink in surprise; she hardly ever raised her voice, "Plenty of people go out for adventure. But more often than not, they turn back. They come back home. They realize that an adventure is not all it's cracked up to be."

"Oh, yeah? Give me one good example, Mom!" Ari yelled, frustration obvious in his voice, "Tell me one time that someone really, really wanted an adventure, but then they ended up hating it!"

The mother frowned at her son, but his jaw was set, and he stood straight; she knew that Ari wanted an answer, and if she couldn't provide one, he would run away from home. And even if she carried him back to their house, he would try to slip away the first chance he got.

"...Fine," the mother nodded, then made a waving motion with her hand, "Sit down, Ari-kun, you'll want to get comfortable."

"...You're not stalling so that Dad can catch up, are you?" the boy asked suspiciously.

"No!" the mother huffed, almost laughing, "Your father's taking care of your sister right now; he's busy. And I do have a story to tell. It's a little long, but hopefully when I'm done you'll understand that drama and adventure isn't always something you want."

Shiari glanced back at the road again. He was tempted to simply make a break for it and run. But then he looked back at his mother, sitting on the ground with her back against a tree, waiting patiently. It would be disrespectful to just leave her there, he knew. And he had to admit to himself that he loved her stories about as much as he loved the tales his Grandfather told. Not to mention that she was his mother, after all. Maybe she did have a valid point to make.

Slowly, the boy took his backpack off and sat down on the ground, a few feet in front of his mother. He was ready to listen.

Esperwen: And you had better be ready to wait! I have a paper due tomorrow, so I can't type up that much more...I realize, upon editing, that this chapter is short, so when I type up more story, I will repost this prologue as a longer, hopefully better, pilot chapter. But please be patient! During the whole process of posting this story, I will be editing and rewriting things; I have the plot completely planned, but not actually written out. Later days...