The Trinity
Chapter 1
Legends speak of thirteen artifacts spread across the continent. It is said that to wield one of the thirteen is to wield power which could rival the gods. Many have sought these ancient artifacts, and many have died because of them. Some were arrogant and thought they could control the power, only to be consumed by it. Some were more controlled by the artifact than they controlled it. Then there are the few who could control the artifact yet not be consumed by the power it gave. Legends are most often spoken about these individuals, for it is also said that to control an artifact means one is destined for great things. Yet like all legends, as the artifacts started to be passed down within families, they faded into history and were soon forgotten by all but a few.
Namikaze Kushina coughed violently, blood splattering the sheets of the bed, her newly born infant son, Naruto, crying next to her. She could feel her life slowly slip away yet even so she reached out with a shaking hand to slowly rub her son's head. Even as her life continued to slip away, even as she kept coughing up blood, still she sang a small lullaby to calm her son. As she continued to sing, images of her son's life, alone without a mother's love filled her mind. She couldn't let that happen; she had to do something… and there was only one thing that could possibly work. Yet it was back at the mansion she shared with her husband, Namikaze Minato, and she had no way of getting there. Since Minato was busy fighting the mastermind behind unleashing the Kyuubi no Kitsune on the village of Konoha, he couldn't help her.
She could get there on her own; she was the wife of the Yellow Flash, or the Konoha no Kiiroi Senko as his enemies liked to call him. However weakened as she was from the day's events, she wasn't so sure if she could make it. Only the thought of her son growing up without her pushed her to stand and take little Naruto in her arms. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the seal array placed inside of the mansion and allowed the sensation of being 'pulled' toward it to envelop her. So focused was she on this task, that she didn't sense a person walk up behind her until a hand was placed on her shoulder, but by then, it was too late and they all disappeared in a flash of red. When her senses returned she found herself standing in the mansion's living room. Then she remembered that someone had joined the ride and she jumped away, turning around enough to see who was with her while shielding her son at the same time.
The first thing Kushina noticed was that the person was female, clad in an elegant crimson kimono, a sword sheathed within the obi. Kushina took note of the long crimson hair and saw the blood red fox-like eyes before her own eyes widened. "Kyuubi-chan?" she muttered as she doubled over coughing with Naruto nearly slipping from her grasp. "Wha-what are you doing here?"
Kyuubi walked over to Kushina, bending down and helping her onto the couch, "Somehow the control that he had over me slipped enough and I was able to regain my senses." They both knew the he that she was referring to, the one who forced Kyuubi under his control and ordered her to attack Konoha. Unfortunately, because Kushina was her container, meant that he had to rip her out of the seal. Normally, when a demon is extracted from their container, the process kills the trainer. Kyuubi wasn't sure how Kushina had survived, but she was glad for it. When the bloodlust disappeared from her mind, she could only assume that Kushina's husband was able to weaken him enough so his control to slip. As soon as her senses returned, Kyuubi disappeared from the battlefield, retaking her human form and searching out Kushina. "Perhaps your husband really is a miracle worker."
Kushina giggled softly, only to be interrupted by more coughing. She gently placed a now sleeping Naruto on the couch next to her, and forced herself to her feet. Unfortunately she was unable to stand and dropped back onto the couch, "Kyuubi-chan, go over to the mantle and bring over the item that's directly under the picture of Minato and myself."
Kyuubi nodded, walking over to the mantle, her eyes widening when she saw the item in question, "Kushina… that's… what I think it is, isn't it?" The item appeared to be a sun dial; yet only the outermost 'circle', the dial and three bands connecting the dial and the circle were metal, while the rest looked like a swirling mass of shadows. "The Wheel of Shadows," Kyuubi muttered, handing the item over to Kushina, before moving her hand over to rest on her own sword, 'The Blood Sword' as it was otherwise known. Kyuubi gently took Naruto and stepped back several feet as Kushina was enveloped in the shadows which radiated from the Wheel.
Kushina inhaled deeply, even as she was lifted off the couch to float several feet in the air, feeling all of her strength slowly return. It was as if time itself was being reversed on her body, as if the past several hours never happened. The Wheel placed itself upon her stomach, as the shadows around her condensed, becoming a part of her just as she was a part of them… part of the Wheel. When it all finished she touched down on the floor, wearing the shadows in the form of armor, almost like a second skin. Her long hair, which retained its length, flowed down her back in thick wisps of smoke-like shadows before receding to form a v-neck, her head and hair returning to their 'normal' appearance. A yellow flash and a body falling onto the floor between her and Kyuubi interrupted any other action Kushina might have taken. As it was she rushed over, immediately recognizing the body of her husband, taking him in her arms and holding him close, "Minato-kun… my love, speak to me."
Minato coughed even as he opened his eyes, his bloodied mouth smiling, "Sorry, Kushina-chan, but he was just too strong." Kushina placed her hand on the wound, intending to use the power of the Wheel of Shadows to heal him, only to be stopped by Minato as he pushed her hand away, "We both know it won't help, Kushina-chan." Minato looked over at Kyuubi, who was busy trying to calm a now crying Naruto, "You keep them safe, Kyuubi-sama." Minato only received a nod in response.
"Minato… please… I can… I can help you," Kushina said, tears pouring down her face and her voice cracking. She couldn't understand why he didn't want her to heal him; it just didn't make any sense. She had used the Wheel to heal his wounds in the past, so why wouldn't he allow her to do it now? Kushina shook her head, trying to rid herself of tears even as they fell from her eyes, this couldn't be happening… not after everything they'd been through.
Minato reached up and cupped Kushina's cheek with a blood stained hand, her own grasping his, "Always remember that I love you Kushina… and take care of our son." With that, Minato closed his eyes, his wounds catching up to him and his breathing stopped… a smile still present on his lips.
"MINATO!" Kushina's shout filled the mansion, burying her head in Minato's chest uncaring of the blood. Kyuubi knelt down, holding a still crying Naruto in one hand and using her other hand to gently rub Kushina's back. As if the heavens decided to weep with her, lightning and thunder roared as rain started to pour and batter the earth outside.
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Kushina leaned back in her chair in the council chambers, slowly rocking Naruto to sleep, Kyuubi standing to the right behind her. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the newly reinstated Hokage, called a meeting to discuss the events of the previous night. Personally, Kushina believed that a meeting wasn't needed; at most they were going to talk about the ninja who had died during the night and plans for repairing the damages to the village. Kushina closed her eyes, trying to relax as she waited for the rest of the council to appear. No doubt Sarutobi would ask her about what had happened last night and about Minato.
She tried to stop the tears at the thought of Minato, yet try as she might; they still fell from her eyes. She still could not believe that he was gone; she had half expected to wake in the morning and find him next to her in the bed. Only Naruto crying for his 'morning meal' kept her from wailing until her eyes dried. That's what she would have to concentrate on, taking care of Naruto, lest she be swallowed up by her sorrow. Kyuubi placing her hand upon her shoulder snapped Kushina back to the present, as Sarutobi seated himself at the head of the council.
"I have called you all here today, to discuss the events of last night. But before that, I have a letter here from Minato that I believe you all should hear," Sarutobi said, holding up a scroll. That got Kushina's attention, Minato never told her of a letter he wrote… unless it was something that he wrote in case something went wrong with Naruto's birth! And because something did go wrong, Sarutobi thought that whatever was stated in that letter was true! She had to stop him before…
"Sarutobi,
I hope it does not come to this, but if you are reading this then I have failed to hold the Kyuubi at bay and it has attacked the village. At this point in time I have no other choice but to use a new born baby to seal it away. I pray that Kushina will forgive me for using our son, Naruto, as the new container and I pray all of Konoha will see him as the hero that he is. Tell Kushina that I love her and tell Naruto that no matter what he does in his life, that I will always be proud of him.
Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato
Minato Namikaze"
Sarutobi allowed a few seconds of silence to reign so that everyone could take in what was just read, before he turned to Kushina, whose hold on baby Naruto had tightened slightly, "Kushina, if I may see him, I need to see the seal."
Any reply Kushina was about to make was cut off as the civilians started yelling about killing Naruto and making sure that the fox didn't threaten them again. Kushina's hold on her son only tightened as she continued to listen to what they were saying, thanking Kami that Naruto didn't wake because of all the shouting. She gritted her teeth in anger, even if what Minato said in that letter was true, which it wasn't considering Kyuubi was still standing behind her, she would be damned if she let anything happen to her son. As her anger continued to grow, her eyes slowly started to glow purple as she unconsciously drew on the power of the Wheel of Shadows. Kushina was about to unleash the power of the Wheel when suddenly a crimson wave of energy cut the table in half, effectively quieting the room and drawing everyone's attention. Kushina turned to look behind her at Kyuubi, the Blood Sword held in her hand, its blade glowing crimson.
"Enough of this foolishness," Kyuubi said, sheathing her katana and taking a step forward, "I can tell you that the contents of that letter are false. However, what remains true is the fact that you no longer have to worry about the fox."
"Just who are you to say such things?" Fugaku, leader of the Uchiha clan and the Konoha Police Force, decided to voice the question that everyone was thinking.
Kushina placed a hand on Kyuubi's own, silently telling the female demon that she didn't have to tell the truth. Kushina knew what would happen, knew that everyone would start to call for her blood. Then they might turn on both Naruto and her, thinking that the demon had 'corrupted' them. Unlike her late husband, she often saw the darker side of people and knew fear ruled people's minds. She knew that people rarely ever thought things over, rather believing whatever was told to them… even if it wasn't the complete truth. Kyuubi took a deep breath, closing her eyes and preparing herself for the backlash that this would cause, "My real name is Benihime, but you all would know me as… the Kyuubi no Kitsune." Once again silence reigned for several moments before everyone started to shout again as they started to back away from the ruined table… this time all of the ruckus woke little Naruto even as several ANBU appeared and surrounded both Kushina and Benihime.
While Kushina occupied herself with calming down her son, Benihime placed her hand on her katana, ready to defend herself and Kushina if need be. Sarutobi stood from his chair yelling "ENOUGH!" Once everything was silent and he had everyone's attention, he continued, "Why did you attack us last night, Benihime-sama?"
"It doesn't matter why," Fugaku said as he stepped forward, his eyes turning red as the sharingan activated, "There's only one way to make sure that demon doesn't threaten us again." With a small jerk of his head, one of the ANBU that had surrounded them charged, tanto ready to pierce Benihime.
Kushina reacted first, appearing in front of the ANBU, grabbing him around the neck with her left hand, her right still holding a now calmed down Naruto. Shadows radiated out from the Wheel even as it appeared on her stomach, covering her in the armor once more. "If any of you threaten Benihime-chan, or my son, again," the smoke like shadows extended to cover the unfortunate ANBU within her grasp and when the smoke receded back, all that was left was a skeleton, "I'll turn every last one of you to dust." As if to prove her point, Kushina dropped the skeleton and watched the bones turn to dust as they hit the floor. Taking one last moment to glare at all within the room, she turned on her heel and heading for the exit.
"Kushina!" Sarutobi yelled, "I need to know what happened to Minato!"
Kushina turned to stare at the old Hokage, her purple eyes glowing brighter as her anger continued to climb, "No, you don't. You lost that right when you decided not to inform me of the letter that Minato left, endangering not only myself but my son as well." With that said, Kushina continued out of the room, calling over her shoulder as she left, "My husband may have forgiven you for that… but don't expect me to follow his lead." As Kushina stepped out onto the streets of the village, the Wheel of Shadows disappeared as she stopped drawing on its power and her appearance returned to normal.
Kushina ignored the villagers as she walked back to the Namikaze mansion, her anger still sizzling inside her. So that's why Sarutobi had called the council to meet, it wasn't to discuss repairs to the village or even about the ninja that were killed… it was to reveal what Minato had said that he might have done if Benihime hadn't completely regained her senses. Then he had the audacity not to inform her so that she could either confirm or deny what was written. Kushina wasn't sure what disturbed her more; the fact that he actually did that or the fact that she could believe that he would do something like that. "The former," she thought to herself without a second's hesitation. Part of her knew that Sarutobi was merely acting as a Hokage should… the safety of the village before anything else. The other part simply couldn't forgive him for recklessly putting her son in danger like that.
What was he thinking? The container of the Kyuubi was always kept a secret from everyone! No one should ever know… such as it was when Mito Uzumaki became the first container of the Kyuubi no Kitsune before she became the wife of the Shodaime Hokage… and such as it was when Kushina herself became the container to replace Mito. The fact that Sarutobi would break tradition like that was not only a betrayal to herself and Minato… it was a betrayal to the entire Uzumaki clan. Her eyes glowed purple as her anger started to mount, and she closed them before a civilian got a glimpse of them. She could feel Benihime place her arm around her waist, guiding her back to the mansion and somehow calming her down. Kushina leaned her head against Benihime's shoulder, not really caring who saw her at the moment. She was just so tired, both physically and mentally… not even a full day has gone by since she lost her husband and already her son was threatened by needless danger.
Kushina sighed as she allowed Benihime to guide her through the mansion and into the master bedroom that she had shared with Minato. She gently lowered Naruto into the crib, wrapping him in the blankets and kissing his forehead. Technically, little Naruto had his own room that she and Minato had made, but for now… after what had happened, she'd rest easier knowing that her son was close by. Ironically, she wasn't worried about enemies from other countries that wanted to get back at either her or Minato… she was more worried about enemies from within Konoha. Kushina threw herself onto the bed, covering her eyes with her arms and tried not to think about anything. She vaguely felt Benihime lie down next to her and draw her into a hug, "Let it out, Kushina-chan… let it all out." With those simple words a dam broke and Kushina buried her face in Benihime's chest and let the tears fall.
Benihime tightened her hold on Kushina, one arm wrapped around the other woman's waist while the other rubbed small circles on her back. Kushina had always held a special place within the vixen's heart, even back when Benihime was still contained within the seal, and it nearly broke her heart to see the other woman in so much pain. Benihime would be lying if she said that she didn't care for Kushina more than a normal friend would… being sealed within a person for much of their life would do that. Benihime had made a promise to Kushina the first time she was visited from within the seal, a promise to always be there for the other woman if she ever needed it. "I'm here for you Kushina-chan; I'll always be here for you." Benihime continued to comfort Kushina until she was asleep, whispering sweet words into the crying woman's ear. Eventually Benihime felt Kushina fall asleep, and one of her nine tails materializing briefly to turn off the lights as she closed her eyes and followed Kushina into the realm of dreams.
From out of the darkest corner of the room, two yellow eyes opened, flickering back and forth to make sure that all was silent and no one would see. As the being stepped out of the shadows a small imp-like body, no taller than a person's knee, could be seen. It was a Darkling, a creature of The Darkness… another of the Thirteen Artifacts… and it was on a reconnaissance mission. It crept slowly, doing its best not to waken the two sleeping Artifact bearers, when it reached the crib it began to climb. Not that it had been worried even if one of the women had woken, the worst they would have done is turn on the lights, which would only cause it to disappear and leave no trace of it being there. The Darkling balanced itself on the edge of the crib, staring down at the sleeping baby seemingly envisioning the boy's future. "Yes," it silently hissed to itself, "You will be a powerful host… a very powerful host indeed." With its mission done, the Darkling melted back into the shadows, disappearing without a trace.
This idea popped into my mind after I started reading the comics by Top Cow. Which are all awesome and you should read them. Now, this is a Naruto / Top Cow crossover, which means all 13 artifacts will be in the story. So, right now we know of three bearers: Kushina having the Wheel of Shadows; Benihime (Kyuubi) using the Blood Sword; and Naruto the host of The Darkness. Who will be the other bearers? Well, you will just have to read and find out.
I hope you enjoyed this and please review.