TANGLED IN RAMEN

BY NARUTO SON OF ARTEMIS

This is the story of how I died... I mean lived... I mean... oh forget it. But it's actually a very fun story and it isn't even all mine. This is the story about a girl named Rapunzel. And it all starts with the sun.

BOOM!

Once upon a time, a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens. Only a handful knew how and why, but that story is for another time. Now from this single drop of sunlight grew a magic golden flower. This flower was said to have the power to heal the sick and injured.

-It was a dark night as a single flicker of unadulterated light fell to earth. As it hit the ground, the ground began to glow as wisps of light flowed into the soil. Suddenly, a flower with glowing golden petals sprang out of the ground. A passing old woman saw the glowing flower and reached out to it-

You see that woman there? You may want to remember her. She's kind of important. Anyway, centuries passed, and a hop, skip, and a boatride away, there grew a kingdom. The kingdom as ruled by beloved King and Queen. And the Queen... well... She was about to have a baby... but she got sick... Really sick. Even the King's oldest friend, a man said to wield the powers of a god, couldn't heal her. She was running out of time, and that's when people start looking for a miracle. Or in this particular case, a magic golden flower.

-The old woman from before lifted a bush in the forest to reveal the golden flower. She looked at it as if it were a handsome young man that she planned to trick into buying her groceries among other things (Author: jewels, clothes, the power to end mankind, etc etc etc. You know what i mean.) and gave a wicked smile-

Ah ha! See? I told you she would be important. You see, instead of sharing the sun's gift with everyone, this woman, Mother Gothel, hoarded it's healing powers to keep herself young and beautiful for centuries. (Naruto: Wait, did I just say beautiful? Author: Yes, but we know you didn't mean it. Now, GET ON WITH THE STORY! Naruto: Okay, Okay. Sheesh.) And all she had to do was sing a special song.

Flower, gleam and glow

Let your power shine

Make the clock reverse

Bring back what once was mine

What once was mine

-The old woman suddenly grew younger. Her gray hairs suddenly became as black as the shadows surrounding her. Her pale, wrinkled skin became filled with color and life again. She smiled, pleased with the results-

You get the picture: She sings to it, she turns young again. Yet another crazed, greedy, phychotic bitch I have to face. You know: Just another day in the life of everyone's favorite #1 hyperactive, knuckleheaded, jinchuuriki. (Author: Not as bad as Granny Tsunade though. Naruto: Half the strength, but twice the crazy.)

-The woman turned when she heard something. She feared the worst and covered the flower with the bush again. After picking up her strange green lantern (John Stewart: For the record, she isn't part of the Green Lantern Corps. Naruto: Wait, how did you get in here? Author: I let him in. I just needed him to clarify that. Besides, I still have a very special picture of him and Shayera during the Christmas party as blackmail. Naruto: What happened? Author: Let's just say he got more than just a kiss under the mistletoe. NOW GET ON WITH IT!), she turned and ran off, failing to notice that she had knocked over the fake bush. Just as she got to cover, a young man wearing a black and orange tracksuit, a green vest, a black headband with a metal plate baring a mysterious symbol on it, a red fox mask with black lines detailing it's features and a long red jacket with black flames running along the bottom along with an ancient word on the back unfamiliar to anyone else. He stopped and looked at where she disappeared with a set of eyes that had not been seen in a thousand years. Gothel was frightened, but stayed put, watching the man. The man saw the flower and seemed to relax. "WE FOUND IT!" he shouted. In a plume of smoke, 2 clones appeared and gently lifted the flower from the ground. A few seconds later after forming strange shapes with his hands, the man disappeared, leaving a piece of purple cloth on the ground. Gothel got up from her hiding place and looked at the clue. She saw it was purple cloth with a golden sun on it. She narrowed her eyes in anger. The man appeared back in the Queen's room where she kept a special knife in the corner. This man was the King's oldest and most trusted friend. He immediately set to work making medicine like his godmother taught him. Finally, after submerging the flower in hot water and making it into a glowing elixer, which he gave to the King, he finished his part. The King slowly let the Queen drink the glowing elixer-

The magic of the golden flower healed the Queen. A healthy baby girl, a princess, was born with beautiful, golden hair.

-A baby girl with golden hair and beautiful green eyes played with her feet as she looked up at the golden sun above her crib, giggling. The Queen smiled and picked her up as the King stood with her and his friend watched with his masks off. The King chuckled as she looked at him and then giggled in delight as he saw his friend's whisker marks-

I'll give you a hint: That's Rapunzel.

-The princess gently reached out to the whiskered man, who carefully took her from the Queen. The girl smiled, giggling happily as she played with his whisker marks and his golden, spiky hair that felt like soft fur. The whiskered man smiled down at her as his eyes changed from the liquid sapphire blue they were known for to the eyes of a hero thought long dead except for by the King and Queen. He studied her and found something very interesting. However, before he could voice any thoughts, the King smiled and said, "This is my daughter. Keep watch over her and keep her safe. She is under your protection now. I trust you and only you with this honor... Rokudaime Hokage." The man named Rokudaime looked up at the King and said, "Of course, my King. You have my word as a ninja that i will keep her safe. If she is taken, I will find her. If she is scared, I shall lay her fears to rest. I shall love her with my entire being just as you do. And you know that I never go back on my word." The King smiled happily as Rokudaime bowed and replied, "I would hope you would say that. After all, she is your future wife." Rokudaime shot up straight, startling the girl in his arms. However, she just found something that kept her occupied, a crystal necklace around her future husbands neck. Rokudaime's eyes returned to normal as they filled with unshed tears of joy at the thought of someone that would love him unconditionally after all this time. However, he quickly wiped them away as the newly appointed captain of the Royal Guard came in, leveling a glare at Rokudaime as a small spiral about the size of a dime formed on the back of the princess' neck. "My King, it's ready." The captain said proudly. Rokudaime gently handed the princess back to her parents as the King placed a beautiful tiara on her head, which immediately slipped down onto her face, making her smile. The King and Queen took their daughter out onto the balcony where a paper lantern waited to be lit, Rokudaime hot on their heels. Rokudaime lit the lantern as the King and Queen held it and then let it float into the sky with the whole kingdom watching-

To celebrate her birth, the King and Queen launched a flying lantern into the sky.

-The princess waved to the lantern as it flew away and the whole kingdom cheered-

And for that one moment, everything was perfect... And then that moment ended.

-The door of the royal family's seaview balcony opened with a creak. Rokudaime slept in the corner by the princess' crib, intent on keeping his promise. A shadow approached the princess' crib and began to sing quietly-

Flower, gleam and glow

-The princess' hair began to glow as the shadowed figure reached out to it-

Let your power shine

-The figure, Gothel, smiled as she became younger again while touching the child's glowing locks-

Make the clock rev-

-Gothel snipped a lock of the glowing hair with a pair of scissors. As soon as Gothel cut the princess' hair, it turned brown in her fingers, which became old and gnarled like before. She gasped in disgust as she saw herself revert and looked down at the princess as the root the lock was cut from became brown. The sound of the child crying reached the King's, Queen's, and Rokudaime's ears. They moved to check what was wrong and were shocked at what they saw: an old woman with the new light of their lives in her arms and a snarl on her face. Rokudaime's eyes glowed in the darkness as they morphed to a different set of eyes, this pair equally filled with anger as the blue pair. In a second, she vanished. Rokudaime cursed and picked up the lock of hair that had been cut-

Gothel broke into the castle, stole the child, and just like that... gone.

-It was raining as Rokudaime and a white young horse searched for the lost princess in the forest nearby, moving past a rock with foliage covering it-

The kingdom searched and searched, but they could not find the princess.

-Through the foliage and a tunnel of rock, a tower stood in the middle of a clearing. A faint voice could be heard singing-

Heal what has been hurt

For deep within the forest, in a hidden tower, Gothel raised the child as her own

Change the Fates' design

-Inside the tower, Gothel brushed the singing child's hair as it glowed-

Save what has been lost

Bring back what once was mine

What once was mine

Gothel had found her new magic flower

-Gothel became young again as the child stopped singing. Gothel sighed contentedly and continued to brush the child's hair-

But this time, she was determined to keep it hidden.

-"Why can't I go outside?" Rapunzel asked. "The outside world is a dangerous place, filled with horrible, selfish people. You must stay here, where you're safe. Do you understand flower?" Gothel replied with a hint of spite in her voice. "Yes, Mommy." Rapunzel answered sadly-

But the walls of that tower couldn't hide everything.

-The embers of the fire had died out as Rapunzel snuck down the stairs and past Gothel's bedroom, her long golden hair trailing behind the whole way-

Each year on her birthday, the King and Queen would release thousands of lanterns into the sky.

-Rapunzel opened the window to watch small, flickering dots of light float up into the night sky, mingling with the stars. She layed her cheek down on the window sill, smiling happily at the floating lights-

In hope that one day, their lost princess would return.

AND... CUT! THAT'S THE PROLOGUE, PEOPLE! Got a problem with it? TOO BAD! This is one reason the other stories are taking so long, but chapter 2 of Witches, Ninjas, and Demons is on the way. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my latest idea. BELIEVE IT!