Author's Notes: Hello friends, I had a brainstorm the other day and this popped into my head. It's a prequel to my other story, The Demon Egg, I figured some might want to see how things started for our half-breed hero Naruto. And so here it is and I hope you enjoy it.
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A jagged bolt of lightning severed the night sky, illuminating the battle below. Over a few miles of land, dozens of bloody bodies lay strewn across the ground. Some of the corpses were human, some weren't.
Thunder roared, drowning out the sounds of human screams, blended with inhuman shrieks and the clashing of weapons.
Roughly a mile away from the carnage stood an impressive castle; Hundreds of Soldiers stood guard at the battlements, weapons drawn as they waited for the enemy army to reach them. The soldiers couldn't hear the sounds of the battle. They were too busy listening to the anguished screams, coming from the castles highest tower.
Inside the tower was a small, round room, lit with torches. In the center of the room was a wood-frame bed. A young woman lay on the bed, screaming in pain. Her mother sat beside her, holding one of her hands. Seven midwives stood around her. And off to the side, the king watched.
The king scowled as the young woman's screams died down to sobs. The torches in the room flickered.
"Shhhh... peace, my dear." said one of the midwives, smoothing the girls red hair away from her tear-streaked face. "T'will all be over soon."
The midwife gazed down at the pitiful looking princess. Her face was flushed; her eyes were swollen from crying.
The girl's mother dipped a cloth in a nearby wash-basin, filled with water. Then she gently ran the cloth over the girl's sweat-soaked brow. "You're doing just fine." The queen said to her daughter. Her voice was soothing and re-assuring. But at the same time, the queen shot a look at one of the midwives, who nodded to her.
"You're highness, may I please speak with you?" that midwife said, standing up and approaching the king. The king nodded and followed the midwife out of the room.
"Tis no good, milord." the midwife said once the door was closed behind them. "The princess is a delicate thing. She'd have trouble with a regular child, let alone a..."
"I understand." The king said sharply to the midwife. "What about the child?"
The midwife looked at the floor for a moment.
"Tis' hard to say, Highness." said the midwife, "But it seems to be alive and well."
The king scowled, "I don't care what it takes!" He swore, "My daughter will live!"
The king looked at the midwife, his eyes narrowed into slits. He glanced at the door to the delivery room as his daughter cried out again. "As soon as that thing is born, you do what must be done. I want it destroyed."
"Yes, my lord." the midwife said, turning and going back into the room. The king stood outside the room, rubbing his forehead with one hand.
"Is it not going well?" asked a familiar voice. The king looked up as his future son-in law appeared from around a corner. Dressed in bawdy garb, as usual.
"Everything is going fine, Prince Awold." the king said. The prince nodded.
"Why so glum?" the prince asked, "By morning this'll all be over. Once the little beast is dead, the grown ones will have no reason to fight. They'll run away, I'll graciously marry your soiled daughter, and you'll gain my kingdom as an ally."
The prince smiled and reached out, resting his hand on the king's shoulder. The king shoved the princes' hand away.
"Don't be acting' like some saint!" The king swore. "It's not like you're taking' my daughter out of the goodness of your heart. I had to triple her dowry before you'd agree to go on with the marriage."
The princes' smile faded. "Can you blame me?" he asked with a look of revulsion, "Don't you know what that girl's laid with? She's repulsive. You're lucky I'm still willing to take her as my own."
The king glared at the prince. The prince stepped past him and opened the door a bit, just enough so they could peer inside. The Princess cried out, her body jerking with another birth pang. A roll of thunder shook the tower, drowning out the girl's next cry of pain. There was a flurry of movement as all the midwives went to work, trying to comfort the princess.
"Where is he?" The princess whispered once she caught her breath again. "Why hasn't he come yet? Minato!?"
The kings face turned white, then red with rage. The prince shut the door slowly.
"See?" Awold said to the king, "Even now Princess Kushina cries out for that monster. You know what I say is true. If she does not wed me, she'll never wed anyone. Anyone human, that is."
The king glared at the prince then looked away with a sigh. Deep down, he agreed with him. "Call for me when the princess is well enough to travel." said the Prince, bowing to the king for a moment. Then he turned and walked down the staircase.
"Go on, princess," one of the midwives whispered her voice urgent. "Push now, push!"
The princess moaned quietly. She squeezed her mothers hand in a crushing grip.
"Push!" The queen said to her. Thunder crashed one last time, merging with the Princess' final scream.
As the thunder died down, the princess sobbed softly. A moment later, her tears of pain changed to joy. She laughed weakly as loud, newborn cries filled the room.
"Is it all right?" the princess whispered, smiling, "Mother, is it all right?"
The girl's mother stood up slowly. She walked over to the midwife, who held the squirming infant wrapped in a bloody white cloth. The midwife was shaking, looking like she was trying hard not to be sick. The queen reached out and pulled aside a corner of the cloth, revealing the babies face. The queen looked at the infant, and then quickly re-covered its face in disgust.
"Mother?"
The queen looked at her daughter. The princess was very pale, and there was a pleading look in her eyes. "My baby, is my baby all right?"
The queen looked at the new born, unable to disguise her disgust. "It's alive." she finally said.
"The bairn's fine, princess. It's a lad." said a different midwife. The queen gave the midwife a dirty look.
"Oh, let me see him." The princess whispered. She lifted her arms, but was too weak to sit up. "I want to hold him."
The queen grabbed the midwifes shoulder to stop her, but the midwife pulled free. She carried the baby over to the princess, laying him in her arms.
Kushina held the baby close to her chest. She smiled softly, running her fingertips over the infants face. If she noticed the strange complexion, the discoloration, and the strange limbs sprouting from the infants back, she didn't seem to mind.
"Minato will be so proud." she whispered. Her eyes were starting to glaze over.
Another midwife stood up and walked over to the king. Her expression was grim.
"You're highness, I'm sorry." The midwife said to him. "We can't stop the bleeding."
The king looked at the midwife, his expression one of pain and rage. One hand clenched into a fist. He looked at his daughter, wanting to rip the thing she was holding from her arms. The queen looked at the king. Her sorrow and rage as intense as his.
Kushina closed her eyes, smiling softly. "If I'm asleep when he gets here..." Kushina said to her mother, "Tell Minato I want him to give our son a name. I'm too tired to think of one right now."
Tears trickled from the queens eyes. She reached out and touched her daughters face. "Yes," she said, "I'll tell him." Inside, the queen was cursing the baby's father.
Kushina looked up at her mother, blinking as lightning flashed. "Why are you crying?" Kushina asked. "My son's healthy... I'm not in any pain at all." The princess looked down at her son. It was taking all her strength to hold him up. "My son." she said again, her voice filled with emotion.
The princess leaned down, brushing her lips over the baby's brow. The infant had stopped crying and was curled up against her bosom.
Kushina closed her eyes. Her grip on the infant grew weak. Lightning flashed.
One of the midwives felt the Princess' wrist. "She's gone." The midwife said quietly. There was a long silence. Thunder boomed, rattling the tower once more. The loud sound startled the baby, and it started crying again.
The king looked at the baby for a moment.
"Drown it." He said.
The queen looked up, hesitating for a second, then she nodded in agreement. Her eyes filled with hate as she glared at the infant.
A midwife stepped forward, prying the infant from its dead mother's arms. The baby whimpered as the midwife gripped it roughly. She carried the baby over to the wash basin, and then gripped it by the ankles. She prepared to drop the infant in.
Suddenly, one of the soldiers outside let out a scream. The sound was choked off, and a dull thud was heard a moment later. Like a body falling and hitting the ground. Lightning flashed, illuminating a huge figure outside one of the tower windows. The women in the room screamed, stepping away from the window.
A shadow stood on the windowsill, its body blotting out the view outside. A silhouette stood for a second, then stepped into the room.
The figure stood tall; its dark hide making him look like a piece of the night, come to life. The figures huge, pale blue wings were spread at its side. Rainwater trickled down its hide, dripping from the edges of its wings and the tips of its polished horns.
The creature's blank, white eyes scanned the room for a moment. It folded its wings like a cloak as it took in the scene. The human girl it cared for was lying on the bed, pale and lifeless. The girl's mother was standing over her. The king had fled to one corner of the room, where he shook in terror. Six of the midwives were cowering as far away from the window as they could be.
The seventh midwife was standing over the wash basin, holding the creature's son. The baby was crying. The creature growled, a red gleam entering its gaze.
"Minato?" The king sounded stunned that he had shown.
"You!" The queen spat out in rage, stepping toward the creature, "What are you doing here!?"
Minato was silent. He stared at the midwife holding his child. Wisely, the woman adjusted her grip so she was holding the baby, rather than dangling it.
"Beast!" The queen said to him, quivering in rage.
Minato ignored the queen. Silently, he stepped forward, moving to the bed. He stood beside the still form of Kushina and gazed down at her.
"See what you did!?" The queen whispered, glaring at him. "You killed her. You killed our only daughter. How dare you show your face here? How dare you!?"
Minato reached out. Gently, he ran his knuckles down the side of Kushina's face. He brushed her red hair away from her closed eyes. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes were filled with sorrow. After a moment, he took his hand away.
Minato stood tall, and then turned to look at the King and Queen.
"I've come for what is mine." he said, his voice rumbled like the thunder outside.
This time, the king did speak up. "What?" he said, "You want that disgusting thing?" Here, the king gestured to the newborn.
"You can't have it." The queen said, glaring at Minato. The king looked at the queen in surprise. He started to say something to her, but she shot him a scathing look.
"No," she said, and then she looked at Minato. "That thing took our child away. Why should we let this half-breed whelp live?"
There was a sound like metal scraping metal, Minato unfurled his wing and lifted his arm. Mounted on his forearm was a heavy, gauntlet weapon. A jagged blade slid out of the weapon.
"That half-breed is your grandchild." Minato said to the queen. He spoke calmly, but he was obviously fighting back rage. "You would kill your own flesh and blood. Your daughters flesh and blood."
"Look at it," the King spoke up, gesturing to the infant. "There is nothing of our daughter in it!"
Minato lunged forward; he grabbed the king by the throat, and lifted him off his feet. The midwives screamed, and the queen stumbled back.
"In my clan," Minato said, "Someone who tries to kill his own is punished."
Minato pressed the blade against the king's throat. The king swallowed fearfully, a drop of blood trickled down his neck.
"If it weren't for Kushina's love for you, I'd remove your head." Minato snarled.
Suddenly, a sharp pain struck his back. Minato glanced over his shoulder in time to see the queen step back, clutching a dagger. His blood trickled down the blade.
Minato flicked his tail, and it knocked the blade from the queen's hand. The queen cried out as a second blow knocked her off her feet. She struck the bed where her daughter lay and passed out.
"Now," Minato said, turning his attention back to the king, "I'll tell you what's going to happen. I am going to take my child. I am going to leave. And you are never going to threaten my clan again."
Minato let the king go. The old king slumped to the floor, shaking. Then, Minato reached down and tore the king's cape off.
Minato walked over to where the midwife stood, holding the baby. The woman gave a soft gasp of fear and shoved the baby at Minato. The action almost caused the baby to fall. Minato had to catch it.
Irritated, Minato growled at the midwife, who fell down in a dead faint.
Minato looked down at the newborn. The baby was a little bit bigger than a regular human baby, but very small for a newborn gargoyle. Carefully, Minato wrapped his son in the king's cloak. Minato held the newborn to his strong chest. He gently stroked the baby's face. After a moment, the infant stopped crying.
Minato looked at Kushina one last time, and then he turned and started back toward the window.
"Minato," said the king. Minato stopped at the window sill and glanced at the king.
"This isn't over. I cannot let my daughter's death go unpunished." The king's expression grew hard, "I swear, if your don't remove your clan from my kingdom, I will wipe them out."
Minato looked at the king, and then he sighed. "This land belongs to my clan. My father was born on this land; I was born on this land, now both my sons were born on this land, and one day it will be theirs. I'm not giving it up."
The king grew pale with outrage. Before he could say a word, Minato had stepped onto the windowsill. He held the small bundle to his chest, using one arm to shield it from the rain. He paused one last time to look at his son.
The baby was wide awake. His eyes were a soft shade of yellow. At the moment, they were wide with wonder as the baby stared up at its father. Minato tightened his grip protectively. Then, spreading his wings, He leaped off the sill and vanished into the night.
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By morning, the storm had passed. The Gargoyle village; a cluster of large, stone huts surrounded by woodland, was bathed in a light gray mist. Most of the clan was awake at dawn.
Not too far from the village, a small tree fell over. An axe-blade buried in its trunk. A young gargoyle warrior stepped forward and tugged the axe out of the wood. Then, he lifted his gaze, scanning the woodland around him. His ears were pricked slightly, waiting for any sound that may indicate his father was returning.
Sauske had been awake for hours, waiting for his father to come back. When the chief didn't return at the time he'd been expected to, his son had started to worry.
A warm breeze whispered through the trees. Sauske's eyes narrowed and he brushed a stray lock of hair away from his face. He wasn't worried about his father's well being so much as he was worried about what the chief was doing.
He growled softly at the thought. Somehow, he just knew. The chief was with that human again. Sauske tightened his grip on his axe handle.
He hated that wench.
About three years ago, the princess had shown up, disguised in male clothing, riding one of the king's finest horses. The stupid girl had waltzed right into the village and had demanded to see the chief. Personally, Sauske thought they should've taken the princess hostage. His father, however, was too impressed with the girl's courage, and had granted her an audience. It was later learned that she believed, falsely, that the gargoyle clan was responsible for a recent battle between the races. The princess had thought she could reason with the chief to stop the fighting. Rather than be angry, like
he should have, the chief had simply told her the truth about the conflicts. Then forgave her for her impudence. He'd actually let her leave the village unharmed!
If that wasn't bad enough, the wench had come back months later, after a human attack on a neighboring clan. But this time, it was to apologize on her family's behalf. After that, she kept coming back to see the Chief. Sauske knew what was going on. At first the two of them would just talk. But after a while, they started taking 'walks' together. The chief and Princess would leave the village, going for long walks in the forest together. They claimed to be talking about negotiations between the humans and gargoyles. Sauske doubted that. Every time they came back, the Princess' clothing would be ripped, and she would be blushing like a milkmaid. The chief would always walk beside her, one wing draped across her shoulder protectively.
However, several months ago, the princess stopped coming to the village. In spite of his clans protests, the chief went to visit the princess repeatedly. He would never say why.
Feeling angry, Sauske lifted his axe and brought it down, cutting the tree once more. He spent the next few minutes hacking at it, turning the wood into splinters.
When his anger was finally spent, Sauske just stood there, breathing heavily. He glared at the pile of wood.
A twig snapped, alerting Sauske. He turned around, muscles tensed and ready for an attack. He relaxed when he saw Minato, approaching him from within a clump of trees. The Chief looked tired. His wings were draped loosely over his shoulders, blocking his front from view.
"Father," Sauske said. He rested his weapon against his chest and inclined his head; a respectful gesture used to address a chief.
Minato nodded. "You're out early," He said to his son. Minato looked at the mutilated tree. "Do we need firewood?"
Sauske didn't answer. As Minato spoke, he'd shifted his wings slightly. Sauske had caught a glimpse of something. A bundle of purple cloth nestled in the crook of Minato's arm. Normally, Sauske wouldn't pay much attention to something like that. But the cloth was moving.
"What is that?" Sauske demanded. Minato paused, and then took his wings away, completely exposing the bundle.
"A newborn." Minato said. Sauske stepped forward and pulled a fold of cloth away so he could see the baby.
"A newborn WHAT?" Sauske asked, his face filled with disgust.
"A gargoyle, of course." Minato said sharply.
Sauske looked at his father, his eyes narrowed.
"A gargoyle?" he repeated. Sauske pulled more of the cloth away. Minato tried to move back, but the infant's upper body was exposed. The infant blinked in the bright morning light.
"A gargoyle without wings?" Sauske said, "A gargoyle with a hide like that?"
Sauske gestured to the babies markings. They cut a striking contrast to the child's light gray complexion. Most gargoyles are born with mud-colored skin that changed when the young one starts developing. They were never born their true color. And never more than one.
This child's hide was the color of stone, not mud. And he was covered in black markings.
"It's a draking half-breed!" Sauske swore.
Minato nodded. "Yes, he is a half-ling." There was no shame in his voice.
Sauske tensed, feeling anger churning in his gut. "Is this," Sauske whispered, "The reason you've been visiting the human's castle?"
"Now is not the time to discuss this, Sauske." Minato said, covering the baby once more. He started toward the village. .
"I knew you were mating with that filthy human!" Sauske snarled, his voice filled with accusation.
Minato stopped. "I never denied we were together." Minato stated, "And do not insult her."
"Why shouldn't I? A human sow who doesn't know which race she belongs to, why not leave the brat with her?"
Minato closed his eyes, drawing several deep breaths. It was taking a lot of will power not to strike out at his older son.
"Kushina cannot care for the child. And her family does not want it as their own."
Sauske looked at his father. "The princess is dead, isn't she?"
Minato looked at his new born. He gently touched the babies face. The baby stopped fussing, and gripped his father's sharp claws. Minato tugged gently, but the baby didn't let go.
Slowly, Minato nodded at his son's statement. Sauske fell silent. He glanced at his battle axe, seeing his reflection in the steel.
Sauske looked at Minato, then at his newborn brother.
"What have you done?" Sauske asked, "If the attacks on the clan were bad before, they'll be hell now. The humans will blame you for the death of their princess, they'll never leave us be, now."
"Then we will defend ourselves, as we always have." Minato said patiently.
"Forget defense!" Sauske said, raising his voice, "They'll send their whole draking army after us now! We should wipe them out first!"
Minato said nothing for a moment. Sauske glared at his father. "Well?" he said, "Answer me!"
"Naruto." Minato said quietly. Sauske blinked, "What?" he said, not understanding. "Your brother. His name is Naruto. It was the name of a human warrior." Minato stated.
"Wait, you're keeping the half-breed?" Sauske said, unable to believe his father's actions.
Minato looked at Sauske, his expression stern. "He has a name. Do not call him half-breed again."
Minato shook his head. He was exhausted, both from traveling and from his encounter with the soldiers at the castle. All he wanted to do was sleep.
"But father," Sauske said, "You can't--"
"This discussion is over." Minato growled his voice stern, "Naruto is my son, and as much a part of this clan as you are."
Sauske gritted his teeth but said nothing. He just looked at his father with disgust.
Minato sighed, and then turned to face his son. He stepped toward him. Minato reached out with his free hand, and after a moments hesitation, he rested his hand on his older sons shoulder.
"Sauske," Minato said, in a slightly kinder tone, "You are my first born; and when the time comes, you will be the new chief. Nothing will change that."
Sauske looked at his father, their eyes met; But Sauske's expression didn't soften.
Minato's smile faded, when he saw his peace offering hadn't been accepted. Minato took his hand away and started back toward the village.
As Minato moved, he glanced down once more at his newborn. Carefully, he adjusted the cloth wrapping, tucking a corner in around the baby's shoulder. No doubt the clan would disapprove of the child, but that did not matter. Minato was chief; his word was law. He made his choices', and owed no explanation.
Minato sighed quietly. He would present Naruto to the clan, but first he needed a long nap.
Sauske watched his father walk away, keeping his eyes on the newborn. In spite of the chief's reassurances, Sauske couldn't shake the feeling he had lost a position he'd never get back.
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Well here's chapter one, what do you think? Love it, hate it? Let me know what you think.
