AN: Hi, GeminiNinja along with RiddlesoftheDark, and welcome to my first story that's being posted on fanfiction! May Kami be with you (can you hear the sarcasm?).

Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto... we are too poor and depressed for that... we can only dream. *cries* But we do own the plot line and any original characters that will appear, steal them and you will die *smiles*

Warning: AU, follows Canon up til' the time skip. This story will contain adult themes, het, yaoi, yuri (which means girl/boy, boy/boy, and girl/girl, for all those who are dumb enough not to know that, or those oblivious to the world around them), bloodshed, gore, torture ect. And let's not forget the swearing – lots and lots of swearing thanks to Hidan. There will also be OC's, and they will not – I repeat, NOT be Mary Sues. It may seem like it at first, but they won't be. This will not be your typical Self Insert space/time shift story.

If you do not like this, then don't read it. Don't come complaining to me if you don't like any of the above. And be assured, flames will be used against you should they come my way, and they'll be hotter than Itachi's Amaterasu.

Enjoy...

Of Cat's Claws and Dragon's Wings

Cat's Claw and Dragon's Wing

The goddess sings as her words fly

Asleep she lay as the song is sung

Dreams of truth ignite times passage

And fates lyrics send her on a journey to define her soul's true purpose

Intro – A destiny to fulfil

I stared blankly at the floor, my eyes tracing the knots in the wooden planks – so very familiar... I knew where every twist and turn was. It kept my mind blank.

I could hear them in the kitchen; they weren't exactly being discreet as they argued at the top of their lungs. I didn't even bother trying to figure out what they were fighting over. I didn't care. I'd had enough of it, hearing it happen on nearly daily basis had stretched my patience to the point of braking. Oh it broke alright. It's shattered into a million fucking pieces; and now I knew I wouldn't be able to take it anymore.

Quickly I grabbed my travelling pack and went to my closet, pulling out a pair of worn black jeans, a purple singlet, and my dad's old leather jacket, and dumped them on my bed. After that, I shoved a spare pair of jeans, two t-shirts and an extra jacket into the bag. Looking around my room, I picked out all the essentials I'd need – a hair brush, deodorant, tampons, spare underwear and socks.

Once that was done, I changed into the clothes I had dumped on my bed. I pulled on my old, black combat boots, smiling at the familiar comfort my favourite outfit gave me.

Ignoring the tears that pricked my eyes, I gave one last cursory glance at my room, my eyes lingering on my precious anime, book and CD collection. I wanted so badly to bring them with me, but I knew they would be impossible to carry. Instead, I picked up my laptop and iPod, and dumped them in my bag along with their respective chargers.

With a grunt, I hauled the pack over my shoulder. It was heavy, but I would manage.

I was leaving, and hopefully never coming back.

I snuck passed my arguing parents easily – they never noticed me anyway, so why would they now? Reaching the front door of the house, I gave a deep breath. It was now or never.

I opened it and walked out, not even looking back. I walked as quickly as my feet could carry me until I reached the end of the street, before breaking out in a run. I ran for as long as I could until I was halfway to my favourite haunt – the old, deserted temple.

When I reached the temple it was dark, the moon having already risen and casting its luminous glow on the foliage that flashed passed as I jogged exhaustedly into the entrance.

The temple was old – really old, probably having been built by some of the early Japanese settlers. It was beautifully constructed, even being half destroyed. The red wooden poles and twisted statues of demons and gods could easily be seen in the moon's light.

I slowed to a walk, looking around with weary eyes as I walked down the cleared stone path, taking in the statues. There were nine of them in total; each about as large as a tiger or some other such wild cat.

The first was what appeared to be a racoon dog, its tail raised in a threatening manner, its maw open in a silent raw. On its pedestal was the kanji for 'Ichibi no Tanuki'.

The second was a cat – crouched down, ready to spring with its two tails raised behind it for balance. Its pedestal said 'Nibi no Nekomata'.

The animals continued like that, each of them gaining more tails and getting much stranger in appearance, until I reached the last one.

The snarling fox started back at me, lips pulled back over sharp, pointed teeth, its nine tails spread out behind it like some sort of demented halo.

The Kyuubi no Kitsune.

With a sigh, I walked past it and into the temple. If I wouldn't have known better I'd say the temple was built by a committee of crazed Naruto fans. But I knew it wasn't possible – this place was far too old for that.

The Interior of the temple was smaller than it appeared on the outside. But then again, that might be because of all the broken statues and tapestries that littered the floor and walls. In the centre of the room there was an altar, surprisingly untouched and clean, dedicated to the goddess Amaterasu, and her brother gods, Tsukuyomi and Susanoo. That's where I headed and set my bag down, curling into a little ball and clenching my eyes shut.

I didn't know where I was going to go, there were no friends I could stay with, no relatives. I had no one.

But I decided not to dwell on it. I rummaged through my heavy pack and pulled out my iPod and headphones, turned it on, and let the music lull me into a doze. In the darkness of the deserted temple, under the altar of the three gods with music blocking out all thought, I fell asleep.

oOoOoOoOoOo

It was a weird dream, I decided, staring around at the white that surrounded me. Weird, but peaceful. And safe.

It was also warm. I closed my eyes and sighed, letting myself float in the apparent white nothingness.

"You seem at peace my child." I heard a soft, musical voice murmur.

Startled, I opened my eyes and turned my body in the direction of the voice, disbelief roaring through my mind at what I saw. A woman stood before me, a kind and warm smile on her painted red lips. Black hair pulled in an intricate bun, pale skin, black eyes; the woman was the complete epitome of beauty. She wore a golden kimono, covered in intricate red an orange flowers, butterflies and suns.

"Who are you?" I whispered, taking a weary step back.

Her smile fell and she looked at me with sad eyes as she said, "You do not need to ask child, for you already know." Her eyes softened. "But you may call me Mother."

That was true – I already knew who she was, there was no need to ask, because before me stood a woman who was the exact mirror image of the statue of Amaterasu that stood upon on the altar I had fallen asleep before.

That's right; I was asleep, this had to be a dream. There was no way in hell this was real. Merely hallucinations brought on by physical and emotional exhaustion. A dream. Nothing more.

Amaterasu took a step towards me, and I took another back.

"Has your life been so dark that you do not know how to trust anymore?" She asked sadly, tears in her eyes.

I shook my head, "Dark? No, I love the dark. And why should I trust someone in a dream? Particularly someone who's asked me to call them 'Mother'. I've already had one mother in my life, and she ignored me at every turn, never even deigning to give me a single 'I love you'. So tell me, goddess Amaterasu, why should I listen to a single thing you say?"

Her tears spilled over and before I knew it, her arms were around me and I was pressed against her rather... amble bosom in a warm embrace.

"I am so sorry," She murmured, ignoring my stiff posture as she ran her hand through my thick, curly hair. "I'm so sorry that you have had to live a life so horrible and loveless. If only I had been allowed to interfere..."

Gradually, I began to relax in the embrace, and I closed my eyes. It had been awhile since I had felt so... content. I had never been embraced like this before; I'd never really had any kind touch before. But I felt I could get used to them. This, is what I imagined, is what a true mother's embrace would feel like.

All too soon the goddess pulled away and cupped my cheeks in both hands, bending down to look me in the eye. It was then I realized that she was taller than me, which in truth was not very hard to accomplish. I felt the loss of warmth immediately, and struggled not to bury myself back into a hug.

"My dragon," Amaterasu said in her powerful, musical voice. "Do you know why you're here?"

I looked at her quizzically, "Why I'm here? This is a dream."

She laughed, and I was struck by how clear it sounded, how pure, like the ringing of bells. "Oh child," she chuckled, her eyes brimming with amusement "This is no dream. This as real as it gets, I'm afraid. You have been set a task by the gods."

I stared at her, wide-eyed, and all I managed was to stutter out, "W-what are you talking about?"

"You have been fated to do this. Born to. You are the only one with the power to set things right, to deter them from the paths that would only lead to destruction. And I know you can."

"What's going on?!" I demanded, glaring at the goddess.

"Join the Akatsuki. Save Nagato and Madara from their self destructive paths, stop that man with the false arm and eye before he destroys everything you have and ever will hold dear. It's your destiny." She placed a kiss on my forehead, and I felt the skin grow warm for a moment. She smiled at me, like a proud mother praising her child. "Learn to trust again, my dragon. Learn to love. You will never be harmed again."

Everything faded to white again, leaving me feeling thoroughly confused.

oOoOoOoOoOo

When I woke up, it was to a smoke filled sky, surrounded by battling shinobi, covered in blood with the sound of guitars and drums pounding in my ears.

Tbc...

AN: Well people? Watcha think? Good or bad for the Intro? Constructive criticism is welcome. We will post the next chapter along with this, but don't expect the others unless you review... or we're in a good mood, either way. *devious giggle*

Read and Review!