Hello True Believers! This is the start of what I hope to be a four book series called The Eris Sequence. It starts following what is commonly referred to as Sailor Moon R and is based off the manga continuity. Mostly. Vaguely. Yes, it's a crossover with Naruto. No, Naruto won't be a god-mode sue with a senshi harem. Yes, everything will (probably) be explained as the story progresses. Although I'm ultimately writing this for my own benefit, I hope there will be people out there who will enjoy this story. If you are one of them then I'm glad I could brighten your day.

Thank you to my creative writing tutor Zoe and everyone else on the course for giving me the courage to do this. Now for a word from our sponsors:

Sailor Moon and all of its characters, settings, concepts and plot are the intellectual property of Takeuchi Naoko. Naruto and all of its characters, settings, concepts and plot are the intellectual property of Kishimoto Masashi. The following is a not for profit fanwork made out of love for both series.

Now, without further ado, I present Eris Rising: Book 1 of the Eris Sequence.

Chapter 1

The girl ran. She ran in an almost blind panic across the rooftops of an unfamiliar city, disorientated by the vast amount of discordant noise assaulting her from every direction. She leapt from building to building with an ease born from years of training and practice until she came to a rest atop a high rise building, its height providing a slight relief from the sounds of urban life. From her vantage point she spotted the back of a traditional looking building on top of a small hill surrounded by trees.

Desperate for a fragment of relative normality she sprinted towards the building, vaulting over a bus as she crossed a busy road, much to the surprise of its driver. Less than a minute after reaching the base of the hill she was at the top and a single leap took her up to the tiled roof of what was revealed to be a shrine.

There her gaze fell upon a slim figure dressed in the garb of a shrine maiden, whose long dark hair swayed back and forth as she energetically swept the shrine's courtyard, her back turned away from the girl as she hummed to herself under her breath, basking in the illusion of solitude. The girl just stood there, spying on the priestess below, as she tried to collect herself.

She was broken out of her reverie by an attack from a pair of crows. As she dodged the birds, her foot dislodged a loose tile and she tumbled from the rooftop. She had but a second to take in the fine features of the startled shrine maiden before all was black.

The princess dreamed. She dreamed of a sewer-like corridor, bathed in an unearthly light which stained the scene sepia. Tepid water reached up to her ankles, soaking the hem of her previously pristine white dress and, even worse, the ends of her long blonde hair. Sighing and muttering in disgust she randomly picked a direction and proceeded onwards. As she headed down the passage the air became heavy with a sense of dread malevolence which only grew worse with every step.

Eventually the corridor came to an end, opening into a large room bisected by the bars of a giant cage which stretched from floor to ceiling. Inside the cage the princess could see the massive shadow of a monstrous creature which radiated pure hatred and contempt for all lesser beings. Even though she could not see its eyes, the princess knew it was staring at her; she could feel its baleful gaze run across her skin, sending shivers down her spine. But she was a warrior as well as a princess; after only a brief hesitance she stepped forwards to better see what it was she faced. In response the shadowy beast rose up on its four legs, a multitude of tails unfurling behind it.

Drawing close she could see the beast resembled a fox, however its features were twisted enough that there was no chance of mistaking it for a mortal beast even if it was not larger than a house. The fox's mouth curled into a vicious grin and it spoke, to the princess's astonishment.

"Well now. This is a surprise. How many years has it been since I have had any company other than that loudmouthed brat? Don't be afraid girl; come closer."

The princess obeyed, if only out of an almost childish defiance of her own fear. The fox slowly reached out one of its strangely hand-like paws towards her through the bars only to roar in anger as golden chains suddenly sprang out of nowhere and dragged the beast back into the depths of its prison.

"Damn you Kushina!" he howled as he struggled futilely against his bindings. "I will not be denied my freedom!"

A woman, with long hair the colour of a ripe tomato, stepped out of the shadows, clad in the garb of a warrior. The princess knew the costume well; countless times she'd worn similar as she reluctantly stepped onto the field of battle. The warrior walked over to her and dropped to one knee, her head bowed before royalty, unbothered by the standing water.

"Your majesty, forgive my late arrival."

"Who are you?"

"A warrior, who let her guard down when she most needed it. A jailer, who could not contain her charge. A wife, who was blessed to die in her husband's arms. A mother, who was never there for her child. Your servant, who never awoke to her calling. And a woman, wearing a uniform she has never earned." She raised her head and met the princess's gaze. "Soon my child will come to be by your side. Trust and you will be trusted. Protect and you will be protected. Love and you will be loved. Please, your majesty, I who failed you before you were even born have no right to ask anything of you but please look after my child."

The princess's next words spoke of her true nature.

"I will."

"This is not over yet!"

I can and will not make promises as to when new chapters will appear as I am writing the story out of sequence as and when inspiration strikes. (Seriously, I have a chapter in the middle and the epilogue but the second chapter's only halfway done). Once the 'next' chapter is done, hopefully to my satisfaction, I will try to post it as soon as possible.

Reviews, especially ones with constructive criticism, are welcome. I know it's not perfect (there are bits I'm severely disappointed with) and I welcome any chance to improve both chapter and vers... I mean story. I hope together we can build something spendid together.

On that note, I welcome anyone who would like to play the part of beta reader. Feel free to send me a personal message if you're interested. (A warning: I'm British so use British English. I make no apologies for this.)

Finally, I'm considering changing my 'pen name' as I came up with it ten years ago while I was at University. I've grown up a lot since then and am now a little embarrased at calling myself 'Tyrant Pope'. I advise holding of putting me on Author Alert for now. (I'm only planning to write this at the moment so Story Alert will be all you need.)

See you next time.