Hello everyone! This is not my first time writing fiction, however it is my first time writing in this genre. I hope that it is well received, as I have a special attachment to it. I've been working on it forever, really! I am a University student, and life does get in the way. I hope that, by starting to post, any reviews I get and people waiting to read more will inspire me to keep at it with a schedule. I am starting a new chapter in my life in two weeks (I've been accepted into a prestigious program at my University, new living arrangements, ect.), so I hope that won't affect my schedule too much.
Anyways, enough ranting. I hope you enjoy the first chapter. Remember, I do accept all criticisms. I am also looking for a beta for my work, just to keep tabs on my work and to help me when I'd like an opinion. Anyhoo, I hope you all enjoy the first chapter everyone!
A/N: I do not own the main characters. You all know the drill. I also don't own the song this story was named after.
The Sun Princess
*~*When a mission sends Naruto, Hinata and Shikamaru to a deserted and forgotten temple to find a missing archaeologist, they find out that the dark can be a mysterious and dangerous thing. Whoever said history doesn't repeat itself was very wrong...*~*
"It is said that, hidden somewhere in the mountains of the world, there exists a strange yet glorious place that is forever bathed in only the most pure of sunlight. This place came to be known as the Valley of the Cosmos. After a time, wanderers from afar ventured into this place and created a small settlement, which quickly grew into a large and prosperous city. In the Valley of the Cosmos, crops always grew into plentiful harvests, and hunting parties were always successful, while never harming the populations. The land was fully a fully sustainable paradise. The people of the Valley, who simply came to be known as 'Starlings', were finally at peace, and the Valley was in balance.
"However, there were others who lived near the Valley...interlopers who had become lost in the darkness of the mountains and longed to rule the Valley. They declared themselves rulers of the Valley and its people, and started to disrupt the balance of the once glorious sun-filled paradise. They started to overhunt the animals and overfish the lakes. They polluted the farmlands and the water sources. Soon, the large trees and beautiful flowers began to die. The people started to go hungry in drought as the sun seemed to become hotter, and stifling. With the lack of safe water, and the loss of the protection of the trees, the once providing sun became a curse. The land became as a wasteland, and the Valley of the Cosmos stood stark against the mountains once again, naked to the sky. No longer a hidden paradise, but a hell to be seen by all.
"Soon after, the interlopers started to enslave the people to serve their own needs. A great, menacing palace was built into the mountainside at the interlopers' behest, and all the Starlings were put to work to complete it. When the Starlings had had enough, they started to oppose their new leadership, rioting and damaging the palace they were forced to create.
"It was then that the true terror of the interlopers was revealed. Wielding strange staffs, they sent creatures of pure terror upon the people, creatures of pure darkness, to regain total control over the people. Those who still opposed the interlopers were hunted by the creatures of darkness, and were never heard from again. Soon after the dark creatures were summoned, the sun, once a heavenly beacon that never set, was blotted out by dark clouds that emanated from the creature themselves, bringing death and despair. The Valley of the Cosmos was soon covered in a darkness that further destroyed the spirit of the once prosperous Starlings. The interlopers had cemented their leadership, and led a cruel monarchy, as they named themselves ruler of the Valley of Darkness. One particularly strong man whom the others revered and obeyed was named the King of the Valley.
"The Starlings lamented their misfortune, and prayed for a saviour to free them from the horrors of the dark. And one day, their prayers were answered in the form of a beautiful woman. She could produce light from her fingertips, and could see darkness with her pure eyes. She moved with fluid grace and speed, and possessed a sharp but kind mind, and thought only of others. She went forth at the behest of the people to banish the interlopers. Using the powers of light she contained within her, she vanquished her foes and destroyed the creatures of darkness, finally ending with a showdown with the King of the Darkness. She emerged the victor, and expelled the King from the Valley. She succeeded in removing the curtain of clouds, and the sun once more shined on the Valley of the Cosmos, bringing life once more. The Starlings came to view the woman as their ruler, and she accepted the role with grace and honour. Using her great skill in many things, she slowly brought about balance and peace in the Valley, and harmony between the animals, plants, people and the sun returned. This woman came to be known in her reign, for bringing the light back into the lives of the Starlings and the Valley of the Cosmos, as the Sun Princess.
"This is the legend of the Sun Princess, its origins unknown, passed down from mother to daughter so that they may grow to be the beacon of hope that the Sun Princess was to her own people."
Chapter One: A New Mission: The Missing Archaeologist
The day dawned bright in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and beams of light flitted into the high open windows of the Hokage's office. What it illuminated was the seemingly ever-present stacks of papers lying haphazardly across the floor and desk of the blonde woman who now ruled Konoha. The Hokage was pretty, despite her blonde hair and young looks being enhanced through chakra techniques. Her face deceived all, as she was now above fifty years old. Many reproached her messy ways and bad habits, but no one could deny her spirit was full of fire and she was a strong leader. Her brown eyes were now scanning a sheet she had in her hands, her brow furrowed in concentration. Her assistant Shizune stood next to her, looking towards the center of the room at the three shinobi that stood there, all waiting to know why they were called there, but knowing it was for something important. Shizune smiled sympathetically as she turned her gaze to her long time friend. While she greatly respected Lady Tsunade, she knew how frustrating she could be at times.
Suddenly, Tsunade shot her gaze towards the three ninjas standing in front of her. One jumped as the steely gaze fell upon her; the other two looked up lazily. "This season has been very hard on the villages and farms surrounding the Leaf Village." She began, still staring intensely at the three standing in front of her. "There has been a strain of illness hitting the farms, and so Sakura and Ino, accompanied by Sai, are making rounds, tending to the sick."
"Hmm...Ino is happy about that, I bet." Said the ninja to Tsunade's right. He slouched, and shrugged, his hands in his pockets. His dark hair was drawn back with a band, and his narrow eyes viewed Tsunade indifferently. However, Tsunade shot him a dark look, and he shrunk back, with mutters of how much of a drag this was.
"Kiba has been asked by his mother and sister to help train some ninja hounds, and Shino is helping his father develop some new technique involving insects."
The middle ninja, a petite girl, smiled as she heard of her teammates, proud that they were able to use their talents to help their families. She turned her head to her left, where the dark-haired ninja spoke up again. "And what about Choji?"
Tsunade grimaced. "It was his father's birthday yesterday, and they had a barbeque to celebrate it."
He rolled his eyes, sighing in a knowing way. "Oh man..."
A new sound was heard, a loud infectious laugh emanating from the ninja to Tsunade's left. The blonde boy was doubled over, holding his stomach in laughter. "That's Choji for ya! He's probably in the hospital recovering from a stomach pumping!" And he continued laughing. Even the shy kunoichi in the middle had to smile.
Tsunade gritted her teeth at the misfits in front of her. She took her fist and slammed it on the table. "Enough!" She screamed, and abruptly the three ninja in front of her jumped, and got into a line in front of her. As if to further intimidate them, Tsunade stood up from her desk, leaning towards them. "You are the only shinobi I can spare at the moment for the mission that has just came in. It's of utmost importance that we send someone as soon as possible. We have a missing person."
"A missing person?" The blonde haired boy asked. "That sounds important."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Of course it's important. The missing person's partner, an archaeologist, just arrived here late last night after running here from an archaeological site, discovered recently up in the mountain ranges to the northeast. It's a day's run, no breaks."
The Kunoichi looked concerned. "Is the archaeologist okay?"
"He's fine. But he's extremely worried for his partner, who went missing while exploring the temple that was found. The only thing remaining is a brush she used to wipe away dust. And she couldn't have escaped from the temple, because he was working in the main hall. This is an A-Rank mission. You'll need to leave immediately."
The three ninja nodded their understanding, the levity of the situation halting any antics. "Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuga, Shikamaru Nara," She addressed the ninja from left to right, and they nodded, "You will set out for the Starless Mountain Range, accompanied by the archaeologist who asked for this mission, and I expect you to come home with the good news that you found the missing archaeologist. Shikamaru is team leader, so you obey his orders. Understood?"
They nodded. "Yes."
Tsunade smiled. "Good." She looked to Shizune now, who nodded and left the room. As the door shut behind her, Shikamaru stood up straight and addressed the Hokage.
"If you don't mind me asking," He started, "What archaeological site are we talking about? The Starless Mountain Ranges are mountains that are so high that no one has ever been known to climb them and return. A constant mist covers the top of the peaks, so the general area is dangerous and unknown. Where on the mountains was this temple found?"
Tsunade shrugged. "I'm not completely sure. All I know is that this temple is somewhere in the mountainside. It's not all the way up, so it is accessible, but hard to locate, which is why Haruki Kimura will be going with you. He's the archaeologist. What I can tell you is that what has been found in the ruins is very intriguing. I think that you'll be very interested in what's there, Shikamaru."
As she said this, Shizune returned with a man behind her. The man was only in his twenties, with auburn hair and brown eyes. His face was tanned, as if he had spent many days in the sun. He was handsome, yet he had a look of intelligence, and his fitness was nothing to laugh at either. He looked quite capable of handling himself. However, he looked dead tired, and a sense of urgency was visible in his eyes. "And this," Tsunade said, "Is Haruki Kimura. Haruki, these are the ninja who will be accompanying you. Meet Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuga, and Shikamaru Nara." As she introduced the ninja, Haruki took a long glace at Hinata, until she blushed and looked away. No one else noticed the exchange. Tsunade continued. "They may look young, but I have full belief that they will help you find Akiko."
He smiled shakily. "I hope so, Lady Hokage. How long until we head off?"
"In half an hour." She replied, looking towards the ninja. "Go home and get your stuff, meet Haruki at the north entrance, and head off. Go."
"Right." The three replied in unison, and they dispersed as if shadows. Each took off with their own thoughts, Shikamaru's usually bored expression taking on a thoughtful one as he imagined the old ruins, Hinata's elation at going on a mission with Naruto, and Naruto's excitement to finally go on a mission more important than chasing the Daimyo's wife's cat.
"Naruto's late. As usual. What a drag." Shikamaru said as he stood with Hinata and Haruki at the large wooden gates of the Hidden Leaf Village. He hoisted his pack further up on his shoulders in agitation.
"He better get here soon, this is important." Haruki said as he paced back and forth. "We need to find Akiko as soon as we can. Who knows what may have happened to her."
Hinata looked at Haruki sympathetically. "Don't worry, Haruki," She said, her voice soft and consoling, "Naruto will be here any second, and then we can head out."
"I hope so." Said Haruki, sighing in frustration as he continued to pace. His face still showed signs of fatigue, but he looked too worried to be bothered by it. He stopped, however, and fixed his gaze once again upon Hinata. He narrowed his eyes at her, almost suspiciously, but Hinata pretended this time not to notice. Her strange eyes, a well-known bloodline trait that made her family well near nobles of the Hidden Leaf Villlage, were almost pure white except for pale lilac irises, and usually garnered her strange looks from people. She determined that Haruki's staring at her twice like this was simply for that reason. After a few seconds, Haruki resumed his pacing, only to be interrupted again when Naruto was seen running towards them at full pace, shouting some unintelligible to them.
Hinata smiled, seeing him. "See, Haruki? There he comes." Shikamaru and Haruki turned towards the village again, and saw Naruto running towards them...
And then landing flat on his face when he tripped.
Hinata winced, and was about to go and see if he was all right when he righted himself, still smiling. "Hey guys! Sorry I'm late! I just had to run to the store to pick up some food..."
"Yes, yes, you're here now." Haruki said, a frown darkening his features. "Now that we're all here, we can head out now. Just follow me and keep up. We need to cover a lot of ground today if we want to even make it to the bottom of the mountains by tomorrow. And then we have to hike upwards all day." Straightening the pack he had received from the Hokage, he turned away from Konaha and set off at a run angling north-east. His hasty actions caught the three of them off guard.
"Hey, wait Haruki!" Naruto called, as he finally caught up with Hinata and Shikamaru, who were now starting to take off after the already disappearing man. "Man, he's rude," Naruto thought, frowning. "What's with this guy?"
"We need to conserve our energy." Shikamaru said, finally catching up to Haruki, "If we rush like this, we'll be tired before we reach the mountain base..."
"I won't tire," He replied, still keeping up his insane pace, "so it's up to you to keep up. We can't waste any time being slow when Akiko could be in danger."
Shikamaru was about to argue when Naruto bounced in front of him, grinning from ear to ear. "You can bet we won't tire. We'll keep up no matter how long you run, just watch us! Come on guys, let's show him what Konoha shinobi can do!"
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow as Naruto passed him, followed by a patient Hinata. He frowned at Naruto's behavior, but didn't say anything more about the subject, and he knew timid Hinata wouldn't complain. The mission was only a few minutes started and already things were getting out of control. "What a drag..." He mumbled to himself as he chased after his companions, further into the forests that led to the looming shadows of mountains in the distance.
Anyone who wants to apply to beta-read my story can PM me, and I'll get back to you. I hope everyone enjoyed. I shall get a new chapter up in a week. I haven't made an update schedule, so updates may be inconsistent for a while. But I won't make you wait forever.
Also, at the end of each chapter I'll leave a song title that acted as inspiration for the chapter feeling. Maybe it will add something if you listen to the songs while reading? This will start next chapter or so. The song the story is based on is 'The Sun Princess' by Ron Korb, a fellow Canadian. You can look up the artist on youtube, and you can find it that way. It's such a Naruto-feeling song. In my opinion anyways.
Until next time everyone :) I wish you all the best!
