Thirteen years ago, the Third Shinobi World War ended with the destruction of Iwagakure's shinobi force, leaving the Village Hidden in the Rocks with the lowest amount military strength out of the Great Five Villages.
Eleven years ago, my village, Konohagakure, was attacked by a vicious beast made from malignant and hateful energy, called the Kyuubi. My successor, Minato Namikaze, sacrificed his life and those of his wife and newborn child to destroy the Kyuubi forever. However, coming upon the scene of the disaster, I only found Minato's body, and neither that of his wife and child. It has become my hope that Kushina and their child may live still, in some distant land, far away from the villages.
In the next year, strange happenings began to occur throughout the Elemental countries. Strange people, dressed in strange clothes, wielding strange weapons and techniques, an entire culture with its' own language and history, began appearing out of nowhere.
As the months went by, more and more of these people, calling themselves 'Albionites', began to appear, influencing our culture and ways of life.
One night, a strange black tower rose from the ocean. Rumors sprang up immediately, and several council members called for expeditions to this new structure, but the Albionites shot that idea down very quickly. They told us a tale of a mad tyrant named Lucien, who enslaved thousands of people to build the black tower; which we learned is named 'the Tattered Spire'. They told us of an orphan and his sister, who were taken to a castle and then subsequently murdered by the tyrant. The orphan miraculously survived the experience, but his sister died. They then told us of the orphan as he grew from a homeless child in the slums of a city to Hero King, who ruled over their former world with a firm but kind hand, leaving behind two children when he died, one of which is the new Queen.
Along with this story came another; that of the 'Heroes'. Examining these tales, I've found that these heroes were much like ninja, with abilities that are similar but vastly different at the same time. We heard of their rise and fall, and of one the greatest Heroes they called 'the Hero of Oakvale'.
While these tales were very interesting, they never answered the original question, being 'why is the Tattered Spire here?'
I believe that may have been the point.
Not even a month later, something much larger than a tower appeared on the horizon. It was an entire continent.
Albion had come to our world.
-Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage.
(High in the Mountains, Yama no Kuni)
White wind howled furiously as it screamed over the icy plains of the mountains of Yama no Kuni. Snow whipped through the air violently, tearing at everything in sight. It was in the middle of this storm that a bright flash of light occurred, lighting the air before dying in a second.
Lying in the deep snow, Kushina Uzumaki could only curse herself, her husband and that masked bastard that ripped the Kyuubi out of her stomach. Herself; for being too weak to fight off that masked bastard; her husband for sealing the fox in their son and not letting her help; and that masked bastard for obvious reasons.
As the snow around reddened with the blood seeping from her wounds, Kushina could only cry and rage in her head as her tears froze before they could fall. Damn you, Minato! We should have died together! I loved you and you left me here alone! With sudden clarity, the Uzumaki tried to get to her feet, frantically searching for the small bundle of love that was her son.
The cold overwhelmed her and sapped the energy from her body, and even then, she could not find her son. No! Naruto! My Sochi! No...
As her consciousness faded, a small sound drew her attention. Barely gathering the strength to look up, Kushina found a tall, furry thing standing above her with curious brown eyes before she knew no more.
...
Violet snapped open with a startled gasp as Kushina shot up from her back, throwing the large pile of fur that had been covering her like blanket away. In a blind panic, the red-haired woman felt around her body, checking for any injuries. She sighed in relief when she found none, only a few faint scars denoting her previous wounds.
Having taken stock of her body, Kushina glanced around the room she found herself in. The walls were made of thick logs, and paintings of various landscapes decorated them. There were only a few pieces of furniture, one being the bed she sat on, along with a small couch and a chair, all made from wood and covered in furs. In the back of her mind, the kunoichi realized that her clothes were warm and soft, not at all drafty and stiff like the paper gown that she had been wearing before.
"Ah," a deep voice spoke, startling Kushina, "You're awake. Good, I figured you might wake today."
Kushina gathered the furs around her protectively. "Who are you? What am I doing here?" She shouted fearfully. The extraction of the Kyuubi had drained much of her energy, and it hadn't come back quite yet.
The man quirked an eyebrow at her tone and set the tray of steaming food aside and pulled up the chair. "Well, I found you bleeding out in the snow wearing a paper gown, so I carried you back here, dressed your wounds, got you into some warm clothes and set you in the bed. You've been unconscious for six days now."
He reached out and snagged the tray, setting a bowl of thick, meaty soup in front of Kushina along with a wooden spoon and a chunk of hearty bread. "There's only so much I could feed you while you were out of it. Eat up."
The red-headed kunoichi glanced down at the bowl and then back up at the man suspiciously.
The man sighed and leaned forward, taking a spoonful of soup and eating it. "There, no poison. If I wanted you dead, I would've left you to freeze to death in the snow. Eat." he said firmly.
Giving in to her roaring stomach, Kushina tore into the meal ravenously, uncaring for any sort of decorum, gulping down soup and tearing the bread into chunks with her teeth.
The man watched her eat in amusement, finding humor in the way she ate without any sort of manners. He sat back and grabbed a square chunk of red wood and a small knife, and began to chip away at wood.
With her appetite sated, Kushina breathed a sigh of relief and began to examine the man in front of her. He wore simple, warm clothes made out of leather and thick wool. He had long, shaggy brown hair that blended into the equally shaggy beard that adorned his face. His eyes had small crow's feet around the corners and there was a tinge of grey in his hair and beard, but overall he was an earthly sort of handsome.
"I'm sorry about my attitude before," Kushina said meekly, making small circles on the tray.
The man looked up from his work and gave her a kind smile. "You woke up in strange house, wearing strange clothes and greeted by a stranger. I'm just glad you didn't attack me."
A realization dawned on kunoichi. "Wait, you changed my clothes! That means…you-" She drew the covers up to her chest, leaving only her red face visible.
The man snorted and shook his head. "You don't have anything I haven't seen before on my wife and daughters, girly."
Kushina huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "My name's Kushina, not 'girly', old man!"
The old man chuckled at her indignation. "Fair enough, Kushina. I'm called Sparrow."
The red head in the bed gained a confused look. "Why? You don't look like bird."
Sparrow shrugged. "I was flighty when I was younger, and I don't remember what my parents named me, so I stuck with it."
A comfortable silence fell over the cabin, broken by the gurgling of Kushina's stomach. She blushed, bashfully hiding her face behind her hair. "Umm…could I have some more please?"
Sparrow grabbed the tray and got her some more stew and bread, along with a wooden mug full of rich milk. "So, where are you from Kushina? And more importantly, why were you bleeding out in the snow in the middle of nowhere, half-naked and previously pregnant?"
The red head dropped her bowl, her face paling. "Oh no!" She yelled, "Konoha!" She struggled, weakly clawing at the blankets around her, trying to get out.
A large, roughly calloused hand pushed against her forehead, forcing her down into the blankets as her strength suddenly fled her body.
"What did you do to me?" She asked weakly, feeling as if she would black out at any time.
Sparrow tucked the blankets around her like a straight-jacket, leaving her comfortably constrained. "When I found you, you were missing a lot of blood, and in all seriousness, you nearly died many times over these past few days. I healed you up the best I could, but I'm no doctor. You won't be able to move for awhile."
"I have to get back to Konoha!" Kushina protested quietly, though her heart wasn't in it. "The Kyuubi attacked!"
The older gentleman frowned. "The Kyuubi attack? Kushina, that was more than a fifteen years ago."
The shock was too much for the red-head, and she fell into unconsciousness.
…
When she next awoke, it was dark outside, the wind was lashing against the cabin and Sparrow lay back in his chair, asleep with a half-carved block of wood next to him.
Kushina very stealthily threw the blankets off of her legs, and tried to move out of the bed only to find that her legs would only barely respond. It was like an invisible weight held her down, and she could only call forth the effort to wiggle her toes.
"I'm not trying to keep you here against your will." Sparrow spoke, making the red-head jump in fright. "You were very injured, and it will take a while longer before you can go more than a foot."
"I have to go." She insisted, "I need to find out what happened!"
The older man sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "And would that information matter if you died three feet out of my door? What happened fifteen years ago isn't going to change in the next couple of weeks. What is most important now is your health. Everything else can wait."
Kushina's argument buckled under his logic and she fell back onto her pillow, frowning unhappily. "Alright." She conceded with a sigh.
Sparrow tucked the blankets around her and sat back in chair. "Now, it's far too early to be awake. Go back to sleep."
The red-head nodded sleepily, whatever energy she had gathered now gone. Kushina slipped off into sleep to the sound of Sparrow humming an odd tune to the rhythmic scrape of his knife.
…
Over the next three months, Sparrow cared for Kushina, feeding and cleaning her, much to the woman's embarrassment.
As time passed, Kushina found herself wondering about the stranger who had saved her life. Although he came across as gruff and somewhat cynical, Sparrow was a gentle man who seemed to be very old and tired. When she asked how old he was, the older man surprised her by revealing that he was over eighty years old, despite looking like he was in his late thirties or early forties.
Sparrow enjoyed the time he spent with Kushina. After being a hermit for ten years, the company she provided was refreshing change of pace. She was lively, bright and energetic, and he found himself spending hours simply talking with her, chatting about nothing and everything.
However, she regained strength everyday, and after three months in his care, Kushina was strong enough to start on her journey back to Konoha. She would have to hike down the mountain, through part of Tsuchi no Kuni, through Kawa no Kuni, and then into Hi no Kuni.
Sparrow tied the last strap on Kushina's pack and helped the woman put it on her back. he opened the door and stepped out onto the porch, looking over the mountains he called home.
Kushina faltered next to him, dithering and playing with her shirt. "Sparrow?" She asked softly.
He glanced at her with dark brown eyes. "Yes?"
"Thank you…for everything." She said, brushing a bang of crimson hair away from her face. She quickly reached up and planted a peck on his bearded cheek and ran away, sprinting over the snow with her locks streaming behind her.
Kushina ran quickly, trying to hide the tears streaming down her face. Inwardly, she called herself a coward, deriding her decision to stay silent and not ask the question she wanted to.
She wanted to ask if he would come with her, if he would leave his solitary lifestyle behind and come with her to Konoha.
But she hadn't wanted to take him from his life, to bring him into a world her wouldn't understand.
And so she ran, leaving behind the safe haven that had been her home.
On his porch, Sparrow watched as Kushina left, becoming a red speck in the distance before fading from sight entirely.
He sighed and entered his house, closing the door and pouring himself a mug of warm mead, sitting alone at his table, the house feeling emptier than it ever had.
He glanced up at the mantle of his fireplace, at the small wood carvings decorating the hearth. A small red sparrow, a delicate red rose, and a grey wolf.
Sparrow stood and filled another mug, setting it across from himself. A delicate, wrinkled hand grasped the handle and brought the mug up to her lips, drinking deeply of the warmed alcohol.
"Ah," the woman sighed, licking her lips. "It's been too long since I've had a drink."
Sparrow smiled at the hooded woman sitting across from him. "How have you been Theresa?"
Theresa polished off her drink and sat back, crossing her hands in her lap. "I finally found someone to watch the Spire in my place. I think she will do well." She shook her head ruefully. "Though I now find myself with more time than I know what to do with."
He chuckled and nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean."
Theresa laughed but soon grew still. "We can't go on like this, Sparrow." She said seriously. "Visiting you over the years has been a boon to my sanity, but we are human. No one can live alone forever."
"I know." Sparrow admitted softly, playing with his mug. "But I'm afraid."
She reached across the table and took one of his hands comfortingly. "I know, Sparrow, I am as well. Time has passed us by…but there is no reason we can't catch up." She smiled without humor. "We are immortal, after all."
"The Hero's Curse." Sparrow muttered quietly.
They sat in silence for several minutes, both lamenting their lives. Finally, the man sighed and gripped her hand. "Will you come with me?" He asked softly.
Theresa didn't answer immediately. Pale, glowing blue lines crawled across her wrinkled flesh and faded quickly, leaving smooth skin behind. With her free hand, she pulled her hood down, showing a youthful visage with eyes covered by a red cloth tied around her head. "Of course." She said, gripping his hand tightly. "I never got to experience the life of a Hero. I can think of no one better than you to live it with."
Even though he knew she couldn't see it, Sparrow gave her a thankful smile. She reached over with her free hand and grasped a pendant hanging from his neck. "I'm surprised you kept this." Theresa commented quietly, running her fingers over the grooved metal.
Sparrow chuckled to himself and fingered the thin metal chain. "I've worn it for so long…it's just habit now." He admitted.
He sighed and looked around the cabin, at the empty house that kept him warm…it was time to leave.
Sparrow stood and began to pack. Theresa smiled to herself and joined him.
In an hour, everything of value was tucked away. His fur coat was wrapped tightly around his body, with a Clockwork Rifle strapped across his back in case of an animal attack. Theresa stood next to him, having removed her wooden clogs and replaced them with thick leather boot, supplementing her clothing with a pair of gloves.
As they stepped out into the snow, Sparrow did not look back as the cabin dwindled in the distance.
…
Days later, the duo sat in a cave that had served as their shelter for the night. Theresa ran her hands over a rifle sitting in her lap, slowly cleaning the inner workings and metal of the firearm. Sparrow finished polishing a flat rock and propped it against the cave wall, sitting on a log and drawing a knife from its sheath.
The blind woman looked up from her spot and quirked an eyebrow. "Finally deciding to rid yourself of the animal that has taken residence on your face?" She asked with humor.
Knowing that she couldn't see it, Sparrow still gave her a dry glare. "I think I make the beard work…having said that, it does get itchy." He admitted, before bringing the knife to his face.
He worked for many minutes, sawing away at his thick hair. As lock after lock fell away, the remaining hair perked up, gaining a bit of spikiness. His beard joined the other hair on the ground, leaving his cheeks smooth with a bit youthful roundness to them. Not enough to make his look childish, but more as a young adult.
He stood, satisfied with his looks, and tied his hair into a small ponytail and began to dress. Light pants covered with tough leather plates went on his legs, followed by a pair of sturdy, comfortable boots. A dark green tunic decorated his chest, along with a long dark blue trench coat that swept around the back of his knees with light blue sleeves that melded well with the nimble white gloves on his hands. A tri-corn hat finished off the look.
"Weapons." He said to Theresa.
The blind woman tossed him a pair of blades, both different in appearance. One was a light, curved blade with a long edge, bereft of a guard, instead decorated with a gold and blue hilt with gems set into it. Lightning seemed to crackle along the length.
The other was a little shorter, not by much, and had a straight, white blade that curved at the top, and had a branching basket hilt set with a blue gem as a guard.
Sparrow strapped the katana across his back and sheathed the saber on his belt. The blind woman fumbled around inside the pack and withdrew a pair of pistols. "I did not think they would all be found." She commented, feeling the guns in her hands. "Where did you get these?"
The man shrugged and adjusted the Daichi on his back. "I managed to find the last one on my adventures, and I stumbled on Reaver's stash and stole the other."
Both weapons were beautiful, made from the finest mahogany inlaid with mother-of-pearl and gold, light gleaming off of the black metal barrels. "I wonder how he would react to you finding these?" Theresa muttered to herself, tossing the pair to Sparrow.
The young-looking man caught the pistols and twirled them carefully before setting them in the holsters. "He'd probably laugh, tweak my nose and call me a sneaky little scamp." He replied with a slightly irritated face.
He'd killed Lucien, pulled Albion together into a kingdom and had become the first King of Albion, the first Hero King, in centuries…and Reaver refused to call him anything other than childish names like 'scamp' or 'boy'.
Looking the polished rock that served as his mirror, Sparrow sighed and fingered the necklace, before slowly removing it from his neck. Blue lines spread over his flesh, illuminating the cave with a light blue glow that slowly faded into tattoo-like marks stemming from his glowing eyes, which dulled and left his skin unmarred, but tanner than before as the illusion the necklace produced faded, and his eyes turned back to the natural blue and his hair became blond.
"After ten years of having the face of a stranger, it's odd to see my own visage again." He commented to Theresa, scratching at one of six pale scars on his cheeks.
"I'd assume so," She replied, polishing the metal of a Master Clockwork Rifle with a rag. Satisfied, she stood and placed the weapon on the leather sling on her back and tightened the belt carrying a golden Cleaver that resembled the sun half-peeking over the horizon around her waist and pulled her crimson hood over her head.
"Are you ready?" Sparrow asked gently, laying a hand on her shoulders.
Theresa nodded resolutely and the pair set out into the world.
…
…
A week after leaving Yama no Kuni, Kushina finally made it back to Konoha. She sprinted past the guards, through the village and kicked down the Hokage's door, shouting at the top of her lungs. "Old man!"
She froze when four hidden ANBU surrounded her with blades drawn and three pistols were pointed at her head.
Behind his desk, the Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood quickly, his pipe tumbling from his gaping mouth. "Kushina?!" He gasped in shock.
The supposedly-dead red-head waved at the old man with a subdued grin. "Hey, old man. You look even older than I remember."
Sarutobi resisted the urge to rebut her, but instead smiled and stepped around the desk to sweep Kushina up in a tight hug. She returned the gesture happily as the ANBU faded back to their hidden spots. "It's so good to see you, old man," She said happily. "Where's my Naruto? Has he grown up strong like me?"
Sarutobi stiffened and Kushina pulled back, a puzzled expression on her face. "…he's not with you?" The Sandaime asked slowly, fearing the answer.
She shook her head, a pit forming in her stomach. "No…he-he's not here?"
Sarutobi shook his head slowly. Kushina stumbled to the ground, blood draining from her face and tears beginning to form in her violet eyes.
"Excuse me? Should we leave?" A cultured voice interrupted her bout of despair.
Looking up, Kushina spotted three people, one man and two women. The man wore shiny silver armor with gold inlay with high-quality clothes and a regal bearing that matched his sly grey eyes and slicked back black hair.
One of the women had a similar if more feminine face, with brown hair pulled back into a simple low-ponytail, wearing a dress fit for royalty and light make-up around her grey eyes that looked on the scene with a confused glimmer.
The other female had blonde hair, with bangs that brushed over her forehead and the rest in a multitude of curls that cascaded down her back, wearing a simpler but no-less high quality dress of purples, blues and white with emphatic blue eyes.
Kushina hurriedly wiped her tears and pulled herself, "No, no, I'm sorry, I…I didn't know there was anyone else…in here…" Her voice faded as she stared at the three strangers. "Who are you? And why do your voices sound weird?"
The three traded glances before looking at the Sandaime. He laid a hand on her shoulder and posed a question. "Kushina, what exactly happened to you?"
The red-head leaned against the wall and looked at the floor. "After the Kyuubi tried to stab Naruto, and Minato and I intercepted the claw, we said our last words as he used the Shiki Fujin to seal the fox away…and then this bright light covered everything and I was suddenly laying in deep snow, slowly bleeding out. I passed out after seeing something in the snow…and when I woke up, I was in this cabin. The thing I saw before I blacked out was actually a hunter who lives in the mountains, and he saved me and healed me. I found out that the Kyuubi Attack happened fifteen years ago, but I don't understand how it somehow threw me through time and space. That's not even vaguely included in the formula!"
"Kushina," Hiruzen prodded gently, breaking the Uzumaki from her thoughts.
"Oh, right," She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "The hunter took care of me for three months, fed me and cared for me, all without asking a single thing from me…it was nice." She commented somewhat sadly. "Anyway, after I got all healed, I immediately raced back here."
Hiruzen stroked his goatee. "Hmm, what is this hunters' name?"
Kushina immediately answered, "He told me to call him Sparrow."
The two royals stiffened in both anger and what seemed to be hope, while the blonde looked just surprised. "Are you sure?" The man asked sharply.
She turned a narrow-eyed glare on the stranger. "I think I'd remember someone that nice. See, he even made me this!" She reached into her backpack and pulled out a small pendant made of red wood, shaped into a spiral.
At the sight of it, the royal woman gasped and clapped a hand to her mouth, and the man's eyes went wide. "What?" Kushina asked, sort of disturbed by the tense air.
"Our…" the man seemed to be grasping for words. "Our father was a man named Sparrow…He carved things like that for people he liked…" He slowly withdrew a bear made out of worn brown wood as the woman pulled out a white eagle. "But our father's been dead for twenty years."
Kushina stared at the two. "Who are you people?" She asked in confusion.
Hiruzen sighed and motioned for her to sit down. "The man is King Logan of Albion, his sister is Princess Kayla, Heiress to the throne. The other is her advisor, Elise."
"What is 'Albion'?" The red-head asked, confusion growing.
The Sandaime sighed. "There is a lot you need to know, Kushina."
…
…
A/N: I don't actually have a name for this, just 'Fable Idea'. This is a the rewritten version; the original was just the whole of Fable Two in written form, and was quite boring.
So, this is the first of my Light bulbs, an idea that I had that hasn't really gotten plugged in, as it were.
It should be known that things are different in both canons, but I'm not really saying anything. The whole point of this is to make a place for my spare ideas to stay outside of my head. There's about one more chapter of ideas, and that's basically it. If anyone wants to take this up…No. It's MINE! Get your own!
But seriously, let me know or I'll hunt you down, track across continents, find your name, address, favorite hobby and stalk you until finally…I send you a sternly-worded letter.
Also, in other news, I have something I wanted to put in my last chapter of JotWE:
Originally, my idea for Kiba was for him to be a girl, and the macho-man acts in the chapters would be her trying to be 'manly'. I kind of forgot about it and made Shino a girl instead.
So, my question to you is, would you want to see Kiba as a chick or no? Reasons would help, and just saying 'yes' or 'no' will be ignored.
Stay Awesome.
~Soleneus
P.S.: Having Viral Bronchitis is not fucking fun, at all, for my general health and my career. Sickness can go fuck itself, seriously.