Royal Tags

Kitten: It's been to long since the last time I have written this… I want all of you to know that I am looking over this story and editing then writing another chapter. Like I will for all of my stories. I hope this will satisfy all of you!

Prologue

An elderly woman with six children, all differing in age, walked down a dirt path. The woman was wrinkled and hunched over terribly, an old worn out cane shook as the woman shuffled on. Her floppy dog ears were completely sagged, her tail dragged along the almost unused path. A toddler had a firm grasp upon the old woman's hand. The small hand was engulfed by the woman's spidery, age spotted, wrinkled hand. Yet, the toddler was not fazed by this one bit. The toddler had his thumb lodged in his mouth as his large innocent, wondering eyes looked over the scenery. His own dog ears had fluff still clinging onto them, he wouldn't get his adult coat until he matured, which would be in twelve more years. His short fluffy tail was hidden under all the tattered clothing he was wearing. His clothes matched what the elderly she-dog was wore. Two twins walked side by side behind the others, for they seemed to be the oldest out of all of them.

They wore royal colors and high fashion clothing they looked quite off in this atmosphere as though they should be pampered and be riding horse instead of walking. Their cropped red hair and dark green eyes glistened in the light of the morning. There maroon colored cat ears were pricked and taking in everything. While their tails stayed entwined. The little toddler looked over his shoulder and watched the twins, as he stumbled on. One of the twins, the one on the right blinked and gave the little boy the smallest smile before letting his expression become bland again. Out of the three boys, there were only two girls other then the aging woman. They were dressed in rags, however their appearance was way off from an average citizen of the Uchiha Kingdom. They were from another Kingdom, they were the heirs to be the next queens. They had dirtied their golden locks and puffed dust over their pale skin to make them appear raunchier then they really were. Their deer ears and tails were up in curiosity. The last of the six children was a young looking albino bear. His looks were more girly and he nearly could pass by as being ten years old. Even if the twins were the ones who looked older it was the female looking male who was the oldest, being sixteen in all.

They had been walking for hours, it was just becoming noon when the old woman coughed dryly. The twin on the left grabbed the water sack he had around his waist and went up to the old woman and offered it to her. However, with one hand covering her mouth she let go of the toddlers hand, and waved the twin away.

"Child…" she heaved in a cracking pained voice, "Don't waste your water on the likes of me…" She didn't allow the twin to argue she grabbed the eager hand of the toddler's and kept walking. The twin watched her as she continued to walk slowly, dragging her feet causing a puff of dirt to rise. The two other girls walked passed before the other older boy walked passed. The other twin patted his brother on the back and smiled. He sighed and felt angered by the woman's actions. The other twin grinned and whispered something in his brother's ear before kissing a cheek and pulling him with him.

It was nearly two in the afternoon when the toddler squeaked eagerly and let go of the woman's hand before running ahead up the hill, then standing on the top of the hill. The two girls stopped and blinked.

"Is that it?" the sister asked quietly to her sibling. The two sisters were almost alike however the first had blue eyes and the other had green eyes.

"I don't know…" the green eyed sister whispered back. The old woman heaved then cough before she turned and looked at the other five children.

"Come… Just up this hill, you'll be able to see the glow of Uzumaki Kindgom." The twin's eyes grew wide before they both ran up the hill to join the little toddler. When the twins reached the top they both grabbed the toddler's hand and stared out at the heavily packed forest. The two sisters followed the twins, as eager as them. The oldest of the boys walked up beside the woman and looked up at the five children.

"You say it glows." He stated with a low uncaring voice, "But it's been over two centuries since the war… How can it still glow?" His eyes were locked on the hill and the kids upon it. The old woman looked over with her graying eyes.

"Have you forgotten who angered the Uzumaki family?" the woman said hoarsely. The boy's pale yellow eyes seem to flash with anger. He turned sharply to look at the woman.

"Of course I know! How dare you think-"

The woman waved him off.

"The Uchiha family waged the war… The glow of red chakra is the anger of all the Uzumaki's who lost their lives…As long as their souls are still angry, the glow will continue. Until their heirs return, the glow will still be as strong as ever…" The boy didn't seem satisfied.

"But the entire Uzumaki family blood line was wiped out, there are no living heirs anymore!" snarled the boy. The woman did not answer, instead she walked forward to join the five children on the hill. The boy watched the woman stand beside one of the sisters, he was the last to join them upon the hill. He looked over the area and saw no glow. He raised an eyebrow, he looked at the woman who was watching the drooping sun.

" 'Our anger shall forever burn! With my last dying breath I shall smite the world with the burning light of hell!' " The woman quoted. " 'Every sunset the light of hell shall over power the night and you, the ones who have betrayed and slain, shall be haunted by the glow of red!'" The woman was being watched not only by the older boy, but by the others. Only the toddler kept an eye on the falling sun. The girl with blue eyes blinked.

"Wow…" she whispered as the power of those simple words gave her the chills. "Those were the words of-"

"Yondaime's words, yes. 'Until our heirs return, the burning pain of hell shall be exposed for all!' He was angry… With the rest of his strength he put a curse upon the Uzumaki's Kindom and the city." The woman said with a wheeze, but every time she re-sighted the words of the fallen leader her voice became stronger and held pride. The old woman suddenly felt tugging on her sleeve and when she looked down she was face to face with large brown eyes.

"Gramwa, why he angry?" The toddler slurred, when he finally pulled his thumb out of his mouth. The old woman smiled and patted his head.

"That, my child, is a very long and painful story." The woman blinked and looked questioningly at the group. All of them were staring at her with wide excited eyes.

"Oh please tell us!" squealed the two sisters in unison.

"Yes, please tell us. It's been so long since we have heard a good story!" the left twin said with delight. The woman tilted her head in thought. She glanced at the sky before turning her attention back to the kids.

"Are you sure?" All of them nodded. "Oh alright…" all the kids except the eldest boy cheered. "Come… Let's sit under the Magnolia."

~Break~

After everyone was settled the old woman heaved a sigh, smiling at the children around her. The little toddler had taken a great liking to the second emotionless twin, he was now curled up in the twins lap. "Now, where too begin…"

"Why was he angry?…" the green eyed sister spoke up with a gasp of excitement in not only her voice but her eyes were gleaming.

"Ah.. Okay."

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The Kingdom of Foxes was the original name of the Kingdom of Uzumaki's. There castle was one of the greatest in the world. It stood plane but proud. It towered over the town and made the townsfolk feel safe.

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"Why was it called 'The Kingdom of Foxes'? There were other animal folk there that weren't foxes…" Interrupted the blue eyed sister raising her hand up briskly but not waiting to be called on. The old woman looked at her and smiled, her canine teeth rioting out.

"Well, you see, at first there were only fox-folk wondering the streets. So of course other animal-folk started to call it the Kingdom of Foxes." She stated. The green eyed girl rose her hand and just like her sister blurted out what she was saying before being called on.

"So then why were there other folks walking around?" her voice was innocent and eager to find out.

"When Yondaime became king at an early age, he changed all of that." She responded kindly. Both girls had an 'O' shaped mouth and they nodded happily satisfied. There blond deer tails wagged off and on, their ears perked up, like they were ready for the story to continue.

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When the young Prince, Minato, became king, he changed those rules so that now any folk could come into the town and live there, trade, and shop. Minato was the youngest king around, he had already fallen in love with another fox named Kushina. Kushina was said to be the princess of Goddess Lake. For you see she had nine beautiful blood colored tails. They lived in harmony for many years. The neighboring kingdom, Uchiha Kingdom, was an alley of the Uzumaki Kingdom. They were very close and-

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"Can't you get to the war already?" snarled the albino bear. Everyone gave him a look and turned their attention back to the old canine, respectfully.

"I have to tell you how the fight began…" the elder stated, not fazed by the rudeness of the bear.

"We all know that!" protested the bear. "The Uzumaki's said that their kingdom should join with the Uchiha's Kingdom. But the Uchi-" The old woman put up her hand in silence.

"Young one, that is what they," she motioned with her hand towards Uchiha Kingdom. "Say, but… That is not what happened." The bear gave her an odd look. "Little ones, this might make our king sound crud and heartless, but he did what he thought was right for his kingdom." The woman looked down sorrowfully. "Even if it caused an entire kingdom to crumble." The toddler, who was now sucking on one of the tomcat's fingers pulled the finger out of his mouth and whimpered at the old woman. The woman looked up and smiled gravely. "I'm fine, do not worry for me, child." The two sisters looked at the woman and piped up.

"So… What did happen?" the old canine shifted into a more comfortable position and took in a deep breath.

"It was all a misunderstanding… " all the kids looked at her shocked and horrified.

"Yo-you mean that whole entire war was a mistake!" cried one of the twin brothers standing up. The woman nodded.

"How so?" growled the bear getting impatient.

"The Uchiha Queen had just given birth to a little girl. The first for a long time." The woman said wiping her nose on the back of her hand. "The baby was no more than three weeks old, when a robber came in and stole the baby for a hostage." All of them nodded. "Sadly, it was a fox-folk and he ran to the boarder of the Uzumaki Kingdom." The six kids stared awaiting on what happened, wrapped up on every word that came from the elder's mouth. "He ran into the king and the king went to save the child, however the kidnapper killed the child and spattered the king with the blood…. The Uchiha guards came in and saw the king with the dead baby covered in the blood…. That's what happened…" The terror in all their eyes were too much for the old canine. She looked down and with her dirty sleeve she dabbed at the tears streaking her dirty face. She cleared her throat painfully and continued. "After that… There were more and more missing children…. All found in the Uzumaki Kingdom…dead" the old canine breathed in deeply, as the painful memories blocked the images of the landscape and the children.

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The unforgiving wind slapped at the faces of the marching soldiers, their armor two times heavier then themselves. The Uchiha symbol adored the back of the armor. They marched on towards the already burning Uzumaki Kingdom. From the burning castle, mounds of arrows were shot into the air and showered down upon the army. Only a few fell while the others continued on. An armed man on a horse raised his arm and let it fall. Hundreds of armed men ran full force towards the once gorgeous city. The king was on edge trying to keep his people out of harm's way. However, his wife was panicked and nothing seemed to calm her down. As the army pushed through the wall of the Uzumaki army and killed most of the innocent folk that were only trying to escape, Kushina ran out of the safety of the castle and into the blazing streets. Right away the king tried to get her back, but yet again she weaseled her way past and continued to run away in her animal form. Nine brilliant blood colored tails flared out behind her as she ran swiftly through the burning streets. The Uchiha army was hot on her trail. Her first son who was barely two and a half had been hidden away. The king knew she was racing to find him. However, she would never be able to get to him, for the Uchiha army caught her and as the other part of the army surrounded the king. Minato put up a battle, he wouldn't give in… But a sudden cry from the crystal ball he had near his throne caused him to lose his focus. A bat made out of the finest metal slammed into his head, forcing him to the ground. Minato struggled and pushed past the army and rushed to the crystal.

"Show me my wife show me my son!" he cried and the orb did just that. His heart was ripped out of his chest as he saw his wife's lifeless body upon the ground. His son was trying to stand as the Uchiha army surrounded him, they lifted the bat and were about to slam it down upon his head… "NOOOOOO!" roared Minato as new found power surged through his body. His chakra flared and wrapped around his body. His fox form became visible, he was not a human anymore, he was a beast, one with fiery red fur like his wife. He smashed his castle, his form towered over the trees as the castle fell. Large chunks of white marble came crashing down upon the Uchiha army, flatting them under the massive weight. Minato's fur flashed back and forth from red to blond. His eyes were no longer the deep sea blue but a bright fiery white! His tongue laud out of his mouth, he flung his head back and stretched his mouth as far as it could go and let out a dreadful sound. His single tail thrashed wildly and smashed the buildings making them collide to the ground. The sound of wails and sorrow filled the area, a blood curdling screams could be heard from Uchiha Kingdom. Minato only left a single Uchiha solder standing, turning back to his human form he cursed the man with his last breath.

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The children were in complete aw, their eyes twice their normal size. The old canine smiled weakly.

"But that isn't the most painful thing. Even if the Uchiha Queen had lost her child, she never wanted the Queen of the Uzumaki Kingdom to lose her life." The canine reached out towards the smallest child and wiped the unshed tears out of his eyes.

"So the queen of the Uchiha Kingdom was against the war the whole time it was going on?" The green eyed sister piped up. The canine nodded.

"That isn't what tore her highness apart though…." All the kids came forward. The old canine breathed in and out like she was about to cry. "After the last Uchiha soldier came home, he said that the Uzumaki queen had been pregnant…" All the kids mouth dropped. "She was expecting any day from then… Or a month… I'm not sure…" Thecanine sighed.

"I-is that why the queen has been ill these days? Because of the celebration of that day is coming up, from the Uchiha Kingdom winning?" the bear asked. The canine shook her head.

"Children, our queen has been sick since the death of her dear friend, Kushina." The bear blinked.

"Wait, that can't be right… We all saw her three months ago and she looked great." The canine leaned against the mighty magnolia for support.

"What wonders make-up can do these days." she said in a slight daze looking up at the sky through the leaves of the 100 year old magnolia.

~Break~

The sun had finally set and the glow of the chakra was becoming visible over the tree line. From the top of the hill the six children and the old canine woman stood. Everyone, except the old woman and the bear boy, were awestruck. The glow seemed to wave and reach out, as if it was looking for something. It had taken the half of the day to get to where they were now. As they were about to turn away, the sound of hooves on the dust packed ground came to their attention. They turned and saw four horsemen riding up to them. Two of them were dressed as the twins and other two were dressed in royal green and blue like the two sisters.

"Your highnesses!" one called when they got close enough.

"We finally found you!" called the other. "Where have you been?" they asked worriedly.

"And what are you wearing?" proclaimed the other finally taking in their appearance. The two girls glared down upon the two men. The one with green eyes huffed, stomped her foot and stuck her nose up into the air.

"We were listening to stories." She answered rudely. The two horsemen who had been looking for the twins got off their horses and walked up to the twins. They kneeled and took their hands and kissed them.

"Why do you always run away from us?" questioned one of the guards while the other stayed quiet. The quieter twin spoke before his brother, startling his brother and the guards.

"Like what she said," he said looking over to the green eyed girl. "We were listening to stories from Nana." He answered softly. He looked over to the old canine woman, he saw the soft gaze linger upon him before she looked back to the glow of the chakra. The other guard from the twins got to his feet and approached the old woman.

"How dare you take them out here where they could easily been taken and slain!" the other guards ganged up on her.

"Have you no shame!"

"They are worth more than whatever your telling them old hag!"

"This shall be reported to our king and yours that you have done this!"

"You shall be severally puni-"

The blue eyed sister suddenly let out a blood curdling scream. Everyone covered their ears as the sister kept on. Finally her voice cracked and she quieted down. The guards were on the ground shocked to no end.

"Well," huffed the green eyed sister, "now that that's over, we can finally speak." She curtsied towards one of the twins who nodded.

"Nana had nothing to do with this." Began the twin, his ears pricked forward tail swaying behind him.

"We had heard of stories of the red chakra and we went looking for her." The other twin stated.

"We knew that an elderly woman would know something about it and we wanted to see it." The other twin said. One of the twin's guards stepped forward after getting over the shock of the sound.

"What type of stories have you been telling them hag?" His voice was threatening but the old woman did not take any heed to it. Before the old woman even got a chance to speak, the green eyed sister stepped forward towards the guard.

"How rude of you! Respect your elders!" she snapped. She made a movement with her hand and turned her head away from him. "Bow and kiss her hand, it is a rule when you have come into contact with one which is older then you." She said when the guards did not budge. The man's Doberman ears forwarded in anger. He snorted and walked around the sister and bowed to the woman. He grabbed her hand and pecked it quickly. The woman stared blandly at him. The little toddler came up and grasped the old woman's garments and sucked his thumb.

"Nana told us the story of the Uchiha Royal." The voice of the other twin broke in. "We were going to ask her to tell how King Manito met the nine tailed fox and married her… But we never got to get that far."

"Nana tell stories!" slurred the little toddler. The four guards looked at each other and sighed.

"Well that is a good thing then… I guess." One of the sister's guards said as he offered his hand to the old woman.

"A story teller is always good to be around, it's just what they speak of what makes them dangerous." Stated the other guard who picked up the blue eyed sister while the other one hopped up onto Copper, one of the stallions.

"There aren't that many story tellers anymore after the king put that law up." Copper snorted. The sister nodded and patted his side.

"Very sad indeed Copper… Very sad." She smiled and in her green Copper could tell they were hiding something. The old woman went over to the other horse, Bracket and stroked her. The twins were put on the same horse and without even looking back took off. There horse did not like where they were.

"Cobalt has always hated this area." Stated the other guard.

"Yeah for good reason too." The other said before offering his hand to the other guard. The old woman gave them the toddler to take with them back, while the bear and her walked back themselves. Unlike the rest they did not want to ride off.

Kitten: Edited, I didn't add much but there are a few changes here and there! ^^

Tanks to: Purishirakun, Nagaku Tsuzuku Yami, I Said, takuya, Sinfully Addicted, dragonfire04, Shattered Glass Heart, skyinthenightslove, kadnah12, Ilindora, and Makoto-Elena for commenting on my story! It was with your great and inspiring reviews that made me gather up my muse and begin to retype and continue on! Please keep reviewing!

Next Chapter: A Risky Beginning