The Golden Bird, a naruto fanfic

Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, the fairy tales, nor the poems I used in this story.

Note: This story is purely fiction, any similarity in names, places, or people do not share relations to this story. The timeline is set at 19th Century of England, in another word, the Victorian era.

-First time here, yoroshiku onegai shimasu. This two-shot is a prolog.

Part One: The Golden Bird

A Naruto fanfic.

Once upon a time, there was a king who owned a beautiful garden…

A heavy sigh came out of the young Earl's thin lips as he closed the book he was reading before; he was tired from the long journey. He allowed his body to relax against the soft cushion, the carriage's vibration somehow soothed him.

The ball had worn him out; he had crossed several towns just to attend a ball in Buxton. The Duke's daughter had insisted to invite him, and the young Earl of Hampshire was forced to attend, because he knew the Duke well, and refusing an invitation from him would initiate bad relationship.

"Are you tired, Lord Sasuke?" asked a young steward who sat across him.

"Just a bit listless, I guess. Don't worry, Shisui." Said the youth calmly, his eyes were seeing the dark scenery beyond the glass window. He sighed again. "I thought we might find something if I go to that ball, but it seemed I was wrong."

"My Lord…"

"But it's fine. I'll find it next time." The dark-haired young man quickly said, smiling. His deep dark eyes glimmered strange tinges, perhaps it was hope? The Earl himself didn't know. "After all…" He muttered again, turning his deep onyx orbs to a red book on his lap.

"I got a thoughtful gift from the earl; he must've heard I was fond with these things." The Uchiha's gloved fingers embraced the crimson book, then flipped a few pages. He allowed himself a small smile.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, my Lord, but it's already so late. Should I recommend us to stay in the inn?" Asked the steward softly.

"It's alright. Fortunately, I heard Lord Inuzuka's residence was somewhere around the area. He might let us stay a night." The Earl answered, closing the crimson book.

The horse carriage sped, crossing the forest road as fast as it could. Until they arrived in the grounds of an old castle, the driver halted the horses and the coach was stopped. "We've arrived, Lord Uchiha."

The dark-haired Steward descended first, then briefly bowed as his master descended after him. The Earl was astonished by the sight of the grand castle; it was large, with several small towers in each of its surrounding wall, the castle itself, built at the center, was completely made from rough concretes, though he could clearly see that it was centuries old.

It was an amazing castle, yet…

"…" The Earl murmured softly.

"Milord?" His Steward called.

"Never mind," He answered, "Let's greet the Viscount."

"Please wait here for a while; I shall inform your arrival to the Viscount." Said a middle-aged steward, before he closed the door and left.

The Uchiha was left in a large room that seemed like a study. He briefly looked around, the room was chock-full of antique furniture and hunted animal heads were displayed along the upper ceiling as decoration, a well-lit fireplace as the only lighting and two set of leather sofas were near the radiant warmth, there was a veiled painting or portrait of someone just above the fireplace. Eventually, his eyes stopped at the high shelves that were arranged in a row, the shelves were attached to the wall, though the only thing that caught his interest was the impressive collection of books. It made his hands itching to try reading one or two.

The Earl approached a shelf, his eyes trailed the titles of the books. He took off his right hand's glove and put it on a small table nearby, then he reached out for a burgundy book that caught his attention. As soon as the book was in his hands, the Earl thoroughly analyzed it. The book was especially different with the others; it had no title, the only thing he could find was a picture resembling a bird in golden. Curious, the Earl decided to open a page.

As soon as he flipped the hard cover, he saw the book's title written in gold-ink, "The Golden Bird…it's a tale." The Earl murmured. He noticed some lines of word written just below the main title, it was someone's handwriting.

"To my dearest cousin Sarutobi, this book is given to you by the Marquess of Hartington for your twelfth birthday. I hope you'll like it."

Signed,

"…the Marquess of Hartington?" The Uchiha softly whispered. Then he flipped several pages. The book was quite old, the paper had turned yellowish from dirt and some edges were torn, and some of the printed words had blurred, yet the Uchiha managed to read it.

"Once upon a time, there was a king who owned a beautiful garden. In that garden, grew many kinds of rare plants and flowers from around the worlds. The rarest, most precious plant in that garden was an apple tree. An apple tree which bore golden apples…

The golden apples were all in the purest gold color, the king was very fond of them. Thus, these apples were always counted, but about the time they began to grow ripe, it was found that every night one of them was gone.

The angered King ordered the gardener to keep watch all night. But the gardener fell asleep in the middle of the night, and in the morning one apple was gone. The gardener set his eldest son, then his second son to keep watch, but, both too, fell asleep, and in the following morning an apple was gone. However, at last the third son offered to keep watch, as he laid himself under the tree to watch, the clock struck twelve and he heard a rustling noise in the air. And a bird in pure gold came flying and snapped at one of the apples with its beak. The gardener's son—"

Unfortunately, the rest of the paragraphs were blurred and some parts had gone, it was impossible to continue reading. Thus Sasuke sighed and gave in. He clamped the book shut, and returned it to the shelf.

Then the Earl's ears suddenly caught some loud noise of steps from the hallway just outside of the room, gradually becoming louder and nearer. In the matter of seconds, the door room suddenly slammed open, and a form of a young man appeared by the door.

"Sasuke!" Said him in a loud, lively voice. As soon as the said man entered the well-lit common room, the Uchiha immediately turned and smiled.

The lively young man rushed toward the Earl, "How are you?" He grabbed Sasuke's hand and shook it.

"I'm fine, thank you. How are you, Kiba?" Said the Uchiha smoothly.

"Hale and Hearty!" The Inuzuka answered vigorously, grinning widely. "It's no good just standing here, let's have a seat, I'll have the maid get us something to drink. Brandy?"

"No thank you, I don't drink." The Earl refused politely as they sat on the bench.

The Viscount gave him a shrug, "Then tea will do."

A moment later, the maid brought warm tea for the gentlemen. "So, Sasuke. What brings you to such a small town?" Asked the Viscount.

"I was attending a ball in Buxton; Lady Mary-Grace invited me." The Earl explained, "I happened to have a business near the area too, so I figured I'd kill two birds with a stone. I was riding on my couch around the area, it was already so late, so I thought I'll pay a visit and maybe spend a night before I go back to London tomorrow."

"Hmm," The Viscount gave a thoughtful gesture, "To think there was such a coincidence."

The Uchiha raised a questioned glance. The Inuzuka stared back, "Well, you see. I was thinking of going back to Hartington tomorrow, since my mother sent me a telegram telling my sister's getting engaged…And all of a sudden, you came." He explained, glancing at the younger man.

"I didn't know that. I'm sorry for holding you back." The Uchiha said in a guilty tone.

"Nah, 's okay." Kiba gave a nonchalant shrug, he stood up and walked over to the well-lit fireplace, "After all, I'm a bit reluctant to leave this place," He softly said, his dark eyes strolled to the veiled portrait hung over the fireplace. His eyes glimmered flame's reflection, a tinge lingered in it.

"Ah, now that you mentioned it, I do realize you haven't been in the upper class assemblies for a while, so you were here all along?" asked the Uchiha, he didn't see the Viscount's face because the Inuzuka had his back at him.

"Yeah," Came a soft answer, then the young Viscount turned to him. "You knew my grandfather passed away three months ago, right?"

The Earl was surprised by the sudden question, his expression turned hard, dark eyes downcast. "Yes…I heard the news, I'm sorry I couldn't attend his funeral."

"Never mind that," The Viscount gave him an assuring smile, "This castle is given to me by his will." Their eyes met in coincidence, now the Earl could see the lonely expression the Inuzuka didn't bother hiding.

"After he died, he left me with three things; A letter, a key, and the ownership of this castle. The letter told me to come here. So I came." The Inuzuka said, "Actually, my mother suggested selling this place, since it's old and damaged, but I couldn't. Maybe because this place was where he spent his childhood."

"Kiba…" The Earl didn't know what to say.

"What am I saying?" Kiba said, turning to him, "It's not like I'm still mourning over my ol' grandpa's death. Sorry for telling you such a depressing story, it wasn't like me at all, huh?" He crossed his arms and grinned. "Just forget about it,"

Suddenly, there was a clanging sound of bell echoing throughout the castle, a sign that it was already past midnight.

"Ops, it's already twelve." The Inuzuka exclaimed in realization, "Sorry, I lost track of time. You must be tired, right? Your room should be ready by now; I'll have the maid escort you."

The Earl smiled in gratitude, "Thank you." He grabbed his cane and straightened his suit, when he suddenly realized he'd left one of his gloves on a table nearby the book shelf. Sasuke went over to take it back. While the Viscount waited for him at the door.

"…by the way, Sasuke…" He piqued the Earl's attention, "Have you ever heard of 'the golden bird'?"

The Earl suddenly halted his hand that was reaching for his other glove, his body froze in bowing position, then slowly, he turned half-way to the Viscount, glancing at him from over his shoulder. "Excuse me?"

"No, nothing." Kiba quickly said, "You can't possibly know, how silly of me." He laughed nervously, his hand scratching the back of his head. "Well, have a good night sleep, Earl of Hampshire." The Viscount gave him a farewell grin, before he left his range of vision.

The Earl still hadn't move, the white glove was laid forgotten.

The next morning, the Viscount and the Earl had a breakfast together in the castle's dining hall. It was huge, as the Earl had expected, it was a Duke's castle after all, though it was very old and reeked odd scent.

"Kiba," The Earl had called in the middle of breakfast, the Viscount had replied to his call. "I want to ask you something, how about if we talk after breakfast?"

Though the Earl was curious, he was reluctant to ask about the bird which the Viscount had mentioned the night before, there were maids and servants watching them. Fortunately, the Viscount promised to tell him.

So, after the breakfast, they quickly withdrew into a study. Kiba he went to a strongbox revealed behind a painting. "I told you grandpa left me with three things; the castle ownership, a letter, and a box. The letter…is at the top drawer of the desk." He said with his back facing the Earl, in the while, working on to unlock the strongbox.

The Uchiha nodded and went over the writing desk, he pulled the top drawer, and fished out a white envelop laid atop some papers. The envelope was cut apart at a side, the Earl noticed, a seal of a wolf was still perfectly attached. The Earl leisurely pulled out the letter from the wound. He noticed only four words,

"Find the golden bird"

The Uchiha furrowed his eyebrows in uncertainty, he reanalyze it again from top to bottom, and the back. But he couldn't find other words except the four he'd read. The wrinkles between his eyes deepened at his failure.

"Don't bother, I've done it many times, there isn't any more than that." The Viscount said, grabbing his attention. "Piqued your interest, huh? It did the same to me. Look what I've found."

The Uchiha lowered his dark eyes into a small treasure chest residing in the Viscount's arms, it was a normal wooden chest, with the same Wolf emblem. The lid was opened, his eyes grew large when he identified the 'treasure' in the box. It was round and in pure gold, with unmistakably familiar shape he believed anyone would know in a mere glance.

In that garden, grew many kinds of rare plants and flowers from around the world. The rarest, most precious plant in that garden was an apple tree. An apple tree which bore golden apples.

"…an apple?" He reluctantly asked.

"A golden apple." The Viscount corrected, closing the lid back and safely locked it. "A rarity, isn't she? I've never thought my grandpa would inherit something like this. And about the letter, let's talk about it."

The Earl Uchiha took a seat on an armchair just across Kiba's desk, while the said man seated at the other side. "The reason why I came here was because of that inquisitive letter," He started, dipping his chin on a bridge of his entwined fingers.

"When I read it the first time, I thought, 'What the heck, grandpa's last words are these?' it aroused my curiosity, and I decided to come. Then there goes the second 'what the heck'; the apple. I've found it after spending two weeks searching for the key's purpose." He brought the key up and jiggled it.

"It's strange," The Earl commented, furrowing his dark brows. "A castle, a key, and a letter, I get these things as inheritance, but I supposed the common law was to give these things to your father as inheritance by hereditary. Why would he give it to you instead?"

"My father inherited his title and wealth alright, and he doesn't mind I own the castle." the Viscount said, "What I don't get is why he wants me to find something as questionable as a golden bird? Actually, I've searched around the castle for over three months and found nothing more. I decided to give in and go back to Hartington, as I've told you yesterday, but you coincidentally came, so I had to cancel my plan…"

At the last revelation, the Earl's heart rate began accelerating in a muddled pace. Coincidence…was it really just a coincidence? The Earl silently mused, screwing his eyes shut in concentration. The timing was too perfect to be a mere coincidence. He hadn't meant to visit and stay a night at Kiba's place, the thought only crossed his mind once, and he thought it would be convenience.

The Earl approached a shelf, his eyes trailed the titles of the books, while his mind wondered. He took off his right hand's glove and put it on a small table nearby, then he reached out for a burgundy book that caught his attention. As soon as the book was in his hands, the Earl thoroughly analyzed it. The book was especially different with the others; it had no title, the only thing he could find was a picture resembling a bird in golden. Curious, the Earl decided to open a page.

As soon as he flipped the hard cover, he saw the book's title written in gold-ink, "The Golden Bird…it's a fairy tale." The Earl murmured, and then he noticed some lines of word written just below the main title, it was someone's handwriting.

His heart thumped louder. The book, yes, the first book he read in his first visit to this castle. Sasuke remembered the cover of the book, the awfully similar title, and the mention of a golden bird in the fairy tale…why did such a book, of all others, was the one he picked back then? Was it just another coincidence?

"You know there is no such thing as 'coincidence', Sasuke."

The Earl snapped his eyes wide.

Thump.

The Viscount noticed his friend's body began shaking, it gradually became frantic. The Earl had stood and bent his back down in a pained manner, hiding his face and his hand covered his mouth. His fair complexion turned white as sheet, and soft moans came out of his covered mouth. "Sasuke?" The Inuzuka stood, clearly realizing the situation. "Sasuke, what's wrong? You don't look well…"

The older Viscount immediately rushed to his aid, he tried to grasp the Earl's shoulders, but when he touched it, the said man flinched.

"…one…" He muttered incoherently, staggering on his feet. His expression hardened in pain, his dark eyes flashed strange tinges. "…gone…!" Soon, his feet and back hit the nearby wall, where he suddenly collapsed.

"Sasuke!?" Exclaimed the worried Viscount, hurriedly came to the fallen Earl's side. "Sasuke!! Are you alright? Sasuke! Sasuke, answer me!"

But the Earl didn't respond to his question, the Inuzuka gathered the sickly-looking Earl into his arms, "Benjamin!! Call the doctor!! The Earl is unwell!! Benjamin!"

To his dismay, his steward didn't answer his call. The Viscount Inuzuka cursed in his mind; he'd forgotten he had ordered the maids and servants to stay away from the study. Then he quickly brought the Earl's right arm around his neck, a hand supported his slender waist, carefully pulling him up. But a hand on his shoulder halted his intention. The Inuzuka turned and found the Earl had stopped him.

"No need to worry; I'm fine." The Earl moved to detach himself from the Viscount's firm grip.

"You sure don't look like it." The Inuzuka insisted, "Wait a minute, I'll have Benjamin call the doctor."

"I said I don't need any doctor." The Earl said in icy tone, shoving the other man's shoulder a bit roughly. "It's a daily occurrence, I was just tired, that's all. If I take medicine it'll be fine."

The Viscount rubbed his stiff shoulder; he looked at the Earl in odd way. "Are you really sure? Because you're acting strange."

"Of course," The Earl lightly said, smirking assuringly. He straightened his posture and tidied up his wrinkled suit. "Now, please excuse me, I'm going to see my steward and get my medicine." Then he walked to the door to leave.

But before he turned the door handle, however, the Earl halted. "By the way, Kiba…Did your grandfather marry?"

The Inuzuka, who was previously tidying his wrinkled vest, stopped at the question and. "…no, he didn't."

"…I see." the Earl opened the door and left the Viscount.

The Earl was walking in a hallway decorated with portraits of the late Dukes. He saw a portrait of Kiba's deceased grandfather, and a blond man he presumed the late fourth Duke. The Earl began unbuttoning his sleeve. And rolled it up to his elbow, he also pulled at his cravat until it loosened, and then released two upper buttons of his dress shirt. In his way, he noticed the presence of a tall, black haired man in high pony tail, dressed in a formal black suit was standing at the end of the hall.

"Ah, Shisui, there you are." The Earl said, approaching the silent man. "I was just looking for you,"

The steward held his eyes to have a look at his master, it lingered for two second longer than he usually did. Then his eyes grew slightly wide in realization, "Lord Sasuke…?"

"Shisui," The Earl haughtily said. "You have a work to do."

A smirk graced his handsome face.

…and a bird in pure gold came flying and snapped at one of the apples with its beak. The gardener's son shot an arrow at it, but it did no harm; only it dropped a golden feather from its tail and fly away.

"Look for the golden bird?" The Viscount asked, an obvious confused look mixed with disbelief was clearly seen dominating his expression. The papers fell from his hands.

"Correct." The Earl nodded, crouching down to pick the scattered papers.

"Do you understand what you've said?" The Viscount threw him a disbelieving look, "Maybe you didn't know, but 'the Golden Bird' is a tale my grandpa used to tell me before bedtime, such thing can't possibly—"

"…tales, myths, legends, fables, do you mean that they can't be true?" Asked the Earl.

The Inuzuka was taken aback, "What?"

"Just because the story appears illogical, that doesn't mean they don't exist in reality." The Earl held his gaze to the Viscount, who shivered at the sight of two deep dark orbs staring at him, he felt it could through him. Oddly, they seemed flashing red tinges.

"Have you ever questioned in your mind, 'do fairies really exists?' or 'do witches eat children?' when you were a child?" The Earl asked, handed the papers to its owner.

"Did you honestly think there isn't such thing as a golden bird? You've seen the golden apple with your own eyes, you should've felt it too. Such things really exist."

"B-but…how can they be true?" staggered the slightly frightened Viscount, though Sasuke was younger and a bit smaller than him, why did he feel insecure? Something about the boy had sent chills deep down his spine, especially his eyes. Those treacherous black eyes saw him as if they could see everything…

"Then, how can they not?" The Earl asked feverishly, "Because you've never seen it? Or is it because your parents or someone else said they don't exist? Why would you believe what others told you when they didn't have the opportunity to see the truth, while you are blessed?"

The Viscount snapped, "What are you talking about, Sasuke!? I didn't see anything!"

"You did!" The Earl snapped back, his eyes flashed fury. The older man flinched at his rising voice. "You've seen it. With your own eyes. If you didn't, why would you bother spending three months over something you don't believe exists? Don't you remember?"

"I don't know what you are—" His sentenced was cut by a firm grip he felt on his shoulders, Kiba looked up and saw a flash of red, then his head suddenly felt heavy.

The Inuzuka felt his head was hurting, it was as if it would explode. He felt his knees went weak, and he collapsed. His hands tightly grasped his skull. At the back of his head, he could hear voices rang in his mind.

A lot of voices screamed denial of that random accusation. The dominating voices told him that he did it for his grandfather, he tried to search for a nonexistent bird all to favor his grandfather's last request.

Yet...

Another voice objected. It told him it wasn't true, he didn't do it only for his grandfather, but also to satisfy his own curiosity. Yes, he was mad when he read such a demanding, cold-hearted letter his grandfather left him, but it caught his attention greatly. And he knew there must be a reason behind it…

But what was it?

"…ba…"

"Who is it?" The voices were getting louder in his ear.

"…Kiba…"

"That voice…Grandpa?"

The Viscount suddenly found himself in a completely different room. He looked at his surroundings, and noticed he was sitting on a bed. The room looked very familiar; the wallpaper, the bed, the furniture arrangement, the big toy box at the side of his bed, the scattered toys on the floor, and…his stuffed dog toy, Akamaru, which was given by his deceased grandfather.

It was his room.

It was the room he used whenever he stayed over his grandfather's castle as a child, his grandfather had the room specially prepared for him.

"What is this?" Kiba uttered to himself, "Why am I here? This room's supposed to be damaged from an accident…" The Viscount froze when he saw his reflection in the mirror.

He was a child.

"Wh-what's this? What's going on—"

"………………………………………to go?"

Kiba heard a voice he knew well, he suddenly remembered his room was located at the first floor, and was the nearest with the evergreen garden. There was someone at the grounds, he was sure of it, and it was someone he knew. They probably met again tonight.

The Inuzuka suddenly halted. Again…? Who was he talking about? The Inuzuka tried to think, but he couldn't recall.

"………………………—sure, Sarutobi."

His previous thoughts swept away when Kiba heard the last mentioned name. It was his grandfather after all, who was he talking to? Curios, the Viscount got off the bed, approaching the veranda of his room. He pulled the lace curtain apart, just enough space for his eyes to peek out.

He saw the healthy figure of his deceased grandfather not far from his room veranda, as he suspected, the Duke was talking to someone.

"Do you know how serious this is? You could be killed!" The Duke said.

"It's fine." Kiba heard a deep, yet light voice coming from behind the lush bushes. He couldn't see the person. "I couldn't possibly stay here any longer, I can be found any time at this rate. Especially that kid…I remembered that's the way you found out about me too."

"If it's about Kiba, I can tell him to stay in his room at night, or restricted him from going near your place. Isn't that enough?" The Duke stubbornly persuaded.

"It's only a momentary solution," The person said, "Before long, the boy will notice the odds, and will definitely try to find out."

The Duke looked dumbfounded, "I can't say that wouldn't happen, but…"

"You've a family now, Sarutobi," The person said softly, "You have the right to achieve happiness with them. Me, I'm only an eyesore, I'm not fit to your family. I could only make you suffer." He said in such a tone Kiba could only recognized as a mix of sadness and loneliness.

"It's the best for us to part ways—"

The person was cut by something. Kiba gulped nervously. There was a second of silence lingered between them, before the Duke broke it.

"What's wrong?"

"I smell fear."

Kiba felt a sudden sharp chill running deep down his spine as an unknown feeling of insecurity struck at him, cold sweat began trickling down his spine. The person must've known he was eavesdropping.

Then he saw a hand grabbed on the heap of lush leaves, slowly pulling it, revealing his true form. The boy's eyes widened.

"Grandp—!" The Viscount of Hartington suddenly snapped his eyes wide and awaked his body, too quickly that it caused a hyperventilating. He began coughing frantically from the lack of air, his hands grasping desperately at his neck.

"Are you alright?" Asked the Earl softly, holding his friend's shaking body in his arms.

"I-I saw something!" Exclaimed the panicking Inuzuka, his breaths were unstable. "It was him, I saw—Ugh!! …Uhgh, uhgh!" He coughed again.

"Don't exert yourself too much, you're in a shock. It's a normal reaction after you received Sharingan." Said the Earl as he rubbed his friend's back soothingly.

"Sh-sharing…? What's…that?"

"…Nothing. Let's just say it was the only way to show you the truth." He said, "What you've seen just now was just a fragment of memory that was locked in the deepest part of your mind."

Kiba looked at him with a look of disbelieve. "A fragment of…memory?"

"Yes, someone tried to seal off your memory, that's why you couldn't remember until I revive it. I wonder who could've done such thing." The Earl was thoughtful for a short moment, "…I guess I should put it aside for now. How is it, Kiba? Do you believe in me now?"

The man in question flinched a bit at the question, but nonetheless, he relaxed again. "I can't say I didn't believe you, but I'm not sure…"

"I didn't ask you that, I'm asking you whether you need my help or not." Sasuke brought one of the Viscount's arms around his neck, then lifted him up. "If you don't mind, I would gladly help you. I happened to have experiences to this kind of cases." The Earl settled the listless Viscount to the couch.

"B-but…" The viscount looked reluctant. "But how?"

The Earl smiled.

The golden feather was brought to king the next day, and all the council was called together. Everyone agreed that it was worth more then all the wealth of the kingdom, yet the king said; "One feather is of no use for me, I must have the whole bird."

The door clicked shut as the Earl stepped in. Shisui had waited for him inside.

"Milord," greeted the young Steward, bowing his body in respect.

"I had him agreed." The Earl informed, dropping his body onto the soft sofa. He pulled at his tie and sighed, then lolling his head up to his steward's face. "Have you found something?"

The man silently fetched something covered with a cloth, then handed it to the Earl. The said man removed the cloth that veiled it, revealing a jewelry box. Wordlessly, he opened the lid. There was a gold ring.

The Earl picked it and held it high in the direction of intruding sunlight; he saw a crest of a bird at the center. "…what is this?"

"It was owned by the fourth Duke of Hartington during his reign. I found it at an antique shop in the town." Shisui answered indifferently.

"…hmm." The Earl inserted the ring to his middle finger. "Any more?"

The steward pulled out a small book, then he read it aloud. "The fifth Duke of Hartington, Lord Sarutobi, was born as the great-great-grandson of the first Duke. Apparently he was just a plain 'Mr.' before he acceded the Duke title from his uncle, the fourth Duke of Hartington."

"Wait," The Earl interrupted. "The fourth didn't have heir?"

Shisui shook his head. "He was married to a Lady from Gentry class, but after a year, they got divorced. There wasn't any child from the marriage. And the fourth Duke never remarried, so the succession was passed to his nephew, the fifth Duke." The steward answered.

The Earl bent his body forward; his arms were on his thighs, and hands supporting his chin. "So, the fifth was just a 'Mr.' before…" There was something strange, the Earl thought, The burgundy book he read in the library, had a note written on it

"To my dear friend Sarutobi, this book is given to you by the Marquess of Hartington for your twelfth birthday. I hope you'll like it."

Signed,

"…the Marquess of Hartington…"

"Interesting." The Earl uttered softly, his eyes glimmered in excitement. "Very interesting indeed. Shisui, search for the whole family members' background from the original Duke, search every member, don't leave any behind." The steward nodded obediently.

The Earl then settled down. "I'll have my hand on this 'golden bird', and add it to my collection." Then he turned again to his steward, giving him a sly smirk.

"Let the hunt begins."

Thus the gardener's eldest son set out in a journey to find the golden bird, he came to a wood and met a fox. He gave the eldest son an advice to not go in an inn of great pleasant, but stay in the shabby inn, yet the eldest son shot an arrow at the beast, and ignored its advice.

The wind pierced strongly through the lush leaves of the woods, creating faint rustling noises that filled the cold night air. The insects were singing their usual serenade, with the sound of wind and rustling leaves in their company, the night was lively. Within their parade, another neighbor joined them and sang a song.

"Father of our guilt
I rejoice at golden heavens
Bird's eye view to earth
All is mine today

There's no word like hope
As the sun is hidden by the mist
Now the fortune's turning
Mix your gold with ash

Looks around your nation's dead
And God forgot your name
Six feet underground we lie
Strong our faith now dead

Paint with blood on these cryptic walls
Of your forlorn defeat
Bend your knees in prayer now
That is that they're for"

He stopped singing as his ears picked sounds of fluttering wings joined the little orchestra, he looked up to see the full moon, that lightened the night, was covered by passing clouds. And then a bird came flying to him in the veiled moon's direction. The bird flew on his head, making a round pattern, before it descended and settled on his broad shoulder.

"What is it?" Asked him in a gentle tone, as though it understood what he was saying, the bird approached his ears, chirping as if talking to him.

"I see." The man said. "Then let's get ready."

When the cloud had passed by the moon, the light became brilliant. Its ray showered to the man and his blue bird. His eyes reflected the moonlight.

Golden eyes.

The gardener's eldest son, who ignored the fox's counsel, could not withstand temptation then entered the merrymaking inn instead of the shabby one, he forgot about the bird and his country.

TBC…

-I swear Naruto will appear in the next chapter. Comments? )

Next:Part Two: The Wise Fox

Chess