Prologue
Ebenezer McCoy couldn't remember the last time he had felt this exhausted both mentally and physically. The last time this feeling of empty infinity swallowing his chest and soul whole had been almost forty years previous, when his beloved daughter Margaret had poured out her life-force to save her son by sealing away the White King's ability to feed since it was the biggest middle finger she could serve up to the bastard since killing him was unfeasible for reasons as of yet unknown.
He hadn't even known the details of her passing until just a few days ago when the hell spawn's son, correction, his grandson, Thomas,had explained to him the reasoning behind the extensive help they were receiving from Thomas's older sister Laura who was in truth the one controlling the now literal puppet king.
Sighing and rubbing a hand over his balding dome, he made his way from the front pew in the chapel of St Mary of the Angels to the subterranean storage room that Father Forthill had converted into a bunker for just such occasions as this.
Opening the door as quietly as possible, he slipped in and allowed for his eyes to adjust to the meager offering of light from the adjustable lamp set to low. When he could see, his full attention fell on a cot at the far end of the room mostly occupied by an enormous lump off fur.
Mouse, the oversized Temple Dog shot his head up in awareness, but upon seeing him relaxed and glanced down in question.
Ebenezer swallowed and approached slowly till he was standing by the bed. The feeling of choked surrealism rushed back to consume him whole.
He had thought, had been so sure. Harry had been able to take care of himself. He had taught the boy responsibility; never again had he thought he would have to see a child of his own blood suffer for their parent's past.
Fate was never as kind as we would wish.He thought as he slowly reached down to brush away the stray locks of hair but his hand came up short.
The child was too peaceful, too pure for the touch of one such as himself. Her dark hair with it's shallowest of waves, the slender nose, and delicately formed lips were painfully reminiscent of her mother.
But the rest… he swallowed as his heart once again threatened to climb up his chest and choke him. The rest was far too excruciatingly familiar.
The large dark brown eyes with their over expressiveness that screamed a personality of its own, the sharp yet soft angles of her face, and that damn chin with all the stubbornness of her predecessors.
The tranquility was broken by a small cough from behind.
Knowing who it was, the personal aura informing him, he turned to face the second newest addition to his slowly enlarging family.
Thomas nodded respectfully and motioned him outside.
Glancing down to reassure himself the child still slumbered undisturbed; he followed the younger man to the hall, closing the door a fraction to blot out most of their voices whilst being able to keep an eye on her.
"I have the papers." Thomas held up the thick, official looking envelope he had been caring.
"And the family's relatives?"
"The truth. That the murder was perpetuated by parties with a grudge against Susan from her reporter days, which were the original reason for putting her daughter up for adoption, and now Harry has managed to obtain custody on this basis and will be moving Maggie to a safer location. They were too distraught already to put up much of a fight."
"Good." Ebenezer nodded, allowing his eyes to meet his grandson's to convey his gratitude. He could do so without worrying about a soulgaze since they had gotten that out of the way several days previous when Thomas had given his true identity. Of course Ebenezer knew already but he had insisted on seeing the boy's soul to know where they stood.
"Nice of Susan to have the courtesy to stick Harry's name on the birth certificate or it would have been a real headache." Thomas grumbled. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked again. He trusted the man, Harry had and he was their grandfather after all; but this. Was it just a bit much?
McCoy let his head fall to his chest as he stared a hole in the hardwood floor. "We can't keep her." He sighed raising his eyes to rest on the sleeping child.
"So your plan is to dump her god knows where since you won't tell me and pray Mab or someone else doesn't show up for a repeat performance?" Thomas started seething.
"Incase you haven't noticed it's not that simple. After what she's been though do you honestly think she's just gonna adjust back to normal society? You think she's going to forget what she knows and get on with her happy little life like nothing has changed?" By now Thomas was having trouble not yelling at the old man. He hated the way he just stared at the kid like he didn't hear a word.
"This is precisely why I must do what I am about to." Ebenezer said quietly, putting the brakes on Thomas's triad. "I know what Harry meant to you and what Maggie must mean to you; but trust me, this is for the best."
Ebenezer's jaw twitched while he tried not to sigh as he watched his surviving grandson look at the girl in the room with sorrow etching every contour of his face.
"She looks so much like…" Thomas cut the sentence short as he tried to work around his suddenly tight throat.
Ebenezer let it hang. He shared the same sentiment.
It was a face he had known so well in a lifetime past. One that he had hoped to finally have stopped haunting his every dealing with the power that had snatched the last. Yet was now here again, more beautiful and perfect and just as heart warming in a way that blistered old wounds which would never fully heal.
"Trust me boy. This is the best road, for all of us." Trying not to let his emotions roughen his voice too much he turned away and grunted, "Now say goodbye."
Thomas watched the old man retreat back up the stairs before slipping in to sit on the edge of the cot. After offering the mammoth mutt a grin and friendly scratch behind the ears he turned his attention to the subject of last week's hoopla.
Small and thin with hair that had an all to familiar bad habit of getting in her face, Maggie reminded him so much of the first time he had seen her then teenage father. Currently she was asleep curled up in a ball around, not surprisingly, Mister the cat.
It seemed Mouse's human intuition included understanding of the intimate bonds between children and pets, because after relinquishing guard of his late master's apprentice too her family, the dog stayed put in Father Forthill's kitchen only long enough for a quick refueling before striking out to find his wayward feline companion, which he located in an ally near their old home. Between the two of them they had done more to sooth the little girl than anything else their human counterparts had attempted and now she could hardly be seen without them.
Choking back the lump wanting out in his throat, Thomas brushed the stubborn strands from his niece's face before leaning over to plant a kiss on her brow.
However, it seemed he wasn't as delicate as he hoped because she stirred then sat bolt up.
"It's Ok Maggie," Thomas whispered soothingly and rubbed her shoulder to reassure her of such. "I just came to say goodbye."
Maggie nodded. "I know." The small whisper almost breaking Thomas's heart with the brave front she tried to put up, though the quivering lower lip said she was terrified.
"I got you something." He held up the gold box to her and didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry with relief when she snatched it out of his hands and tore at the ribbon. At least she still enjoyed her childish impatience where these things were concerned, that was a good sign, the girl had as much of her dad's resilience as she did his lack of finesse.
Finally untangling her prize from its bindings, Maggie pried the lid off the box and peered in eagerly. "A necklace?"
"A locket." He corrected, lifting the object from the box to show her properly. It was a beautify hand crafted, elliptical adornment of gold engraved with a pentagram on the front with diamond specks at each star tip. Handing it to her he tried not to wince at what the salesclerks would say if they could see its intended recipient clawing at the delicately crafted piece to find which side it opened at. "I had it made for you and there's a picture inside of your family."
Thomas tried not to remember the blood spattered rooms he had passed through to get too the Mendoza family albums. The local police had been forced to call in a team of specialists just to be able to figure out which mangled piece went on which body pile.
"They weren't my family, not really."
Thomas grabbed the quivering chin and gently forced her to meet his eyes. "They were, and will always be, your family because family is not who you are related to, it's who you care about and love. The people closest too you…."
XXXXXXXX
The people closest too you!
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Third Hokage of Konhagakure, stared down at the determined eight-year-old before him.
"And why would you wish to be called such, little one?"
"Because he is my family! Taking this name proves that no matter what, I will stand by what is precious to me even if it means dieing to protect it!"
The old man smiled. In the short months since coming here, the wizard child had smashed through barriers of racial difference, skill, and age. Now she stood before him demanding to be classified with the one thing most others hated more than any enemy army bent on destroying their home.
"You understand of course what this will mean to others do you not?" He looked her dead in the eye with all seriousness.
She stared back unwavering. "Yes," she proclaimed. "It will let them know that there is more to what they may see on the surface." She was almost crying now.
"I don't know much about this land and I don't know why they hate him." She all but sobbed. "But what I do know is he is my closest friend and I will never leave him no mater what. Even if it means I have to become an outcast despised by all!" Now she was screaming, something Sarutobi had not seen since her arrival four months previous.
"I will die before they lay another hand or bruise on him again! I will protect him!
"BECAUSE HE IS MY BROTHER!"
The Third Hokage smiled. Margaret, you would be proud.She is truly of your lineage.
"Very well then." He motioned the now shaking girl forward. "From this day on, he is your responsibility. You two will be family, as you say. If anything should happen to him, it is you who will be held accountable for his life. Am I understood?"
"Yes." Was the determined reply. "I do!"
"Well then," he came around from behind his desk to crouch before her. "I congratulate you on your new family.
"Uzumaki Yuki."
OK, my not so sorry apology to all those who have me on alert. However, none of you were kind enough to take pity on my poor, rambling brain and comment on my last chapter of Shadows of Power sooooooooo, I have caved to the power of the ninja that have been keeping me company on this story concocting spree, even if it was because they kidnapped my plot bunny(ok ok he ran away with them but then with my brain who wouldn't) and started yet another story.
SHOOTING ME WILL NOT HELP! *glares at all the readers dusting off their shotguns* I have been taking sword lessons from Roronoa Zorro of 'One Piece' and can now cut bullets tee hee. So unless you want me to listen to him and join Monkey D. Luffy and crew, YOU WILL COMMENT ON THIS! or any of my other stories, just push that darn button down there already!