Sound and Fury
-Based upon Macbeth by Shakespeare-

Prologue

The highest point of the world, the mountain known as the Crest of Heaven, is a place very few have tread, and no mortal feet have ever touched that sacred rock. It is a place of convergence, where gods and demons meet, where energy and nothingness combine, and where currently a storm was brewing.

Thunder cracked and lightning flashed the sky, bringing faint bursts of illumination to the dark, irascible clouds that blotted the stars from sight.

There upon the Crest of Heaven, hidden from all yet able to see everything, three figures emerged from the shadows, converging upon a bonfire that lit up the side of the mountain.

The first, taller than the others and imperious in her bearing, was a dark-skinned woman with crimson eyes and a feral face. She wore clothes of tattered animal hides, and behind her swung nine tails of golden fur stained with blood, constantly moving about as if they had minds of their own.

"When shall we three meet again," she purred, "In thunder, lightning… or in rain?"

"When the hell fires have all burned out," the second figure spoke. She was a thin, lithe creature with dark skin, like charcoal yet still somehow pale. She had eyes black as night, with no white visible, and, rather than clothes, billowing flames of dark fire, purple and black, clung to her form and danced across her skin.

"When the battle's won without a doubt," the third figure spoke, stepping into the firelight. This creature was covered from head to toe in tiny, metallic colored scales—copper, gold, and bronze—all of which shimmered in the dancing light of the fire. Her hair was composed of spines, like a porcupine, all layered over one another and hung in a shaggy mane just above her shoulders. She had amber colored irises and her face showed no emotion, harsh and stoic like the statue she appeared to be.

"Where has thou been, Shukaku?" the first questioned, grinning madly.

"Killing swine," the golden woman replied, her voice harsh like metal striking metal.

"And you Amaterasu?"

"None of your business, Kyuubi," the dark-fire woman smirked.

The nine-tailed woman bristled, but her mad smile never faltered, "I ran across a ninja's wife with chestnuts on her lap. 'Give me one?' I asked politely. 'Back off, demon!' that foul-mouthed woman cried."

With her crimson eyes sparkling, Kyuubi stalked around the fire, looking into its depths at something far beyond her sight. "Her husband to the desert's gone… a very important mission. I think some retribution is at hand, if you will lend me your permission?" She cocked her head, eyeing her sisters curiously.

"I'll give you a flame," Amaterasu grinned, holding out a handful of dark fire.

Kyuubi snatched it up, a hungry look in her eyes, "You're too kind."

"And I the sand…" Shukaku whispered. All around her the earth seemed to vibrate and shudder in anticipation.

"The rest I already have in hand," Kyuubi chuckled, holding out a small object in her other hand, her clawed fingers grasping it with surprisingly delicate grace.

"Show me!" Amaterasu looked on with widened eyes. "Show me!"

"Here I have an ANBU's thumb, killed as homeward he did come," Kyuubi tossed it into the flames, "And as my price, I'll take a life… and teach that hag once called a wife!"

"Sister thou art cruel," Amaterasu chuckled, watching as Kyuubi tossed her darkness into the burning pyre, the flames roared growing ever higher.

"That human is nothing but a fool," Shukaku murmured, "Is she really worth the time?"

"Time?" Kyuubi pondered. "Perhaps… perhaps not, but it really matters naught." She crouched, grabbing up a handful of sand from the earthen floor, tossing it to the flames. The fire roared loudly, and then the night went silent. "Peace! The charm's wound up."

Amaterasu cocked her head, listening to a faint noise reverberating in the distance. "Sisters…. I hear drums."

"Yes, Uchiha comes," Shukaku nodded in confirmation.

A/N -

I'm going to keep this short and sweet. For my dedicated readers, my profile has information on all of my other stories (their status, updates schedules, my life choices that affect my writing) and I try to only focus on story info in these notes. So, yes, this is a new nugget of inspiration for me. I am personally doing a production of Macbeth, and while I was running lines... I got this idea for a story. Hopefully people are interested in it.

Things you need to know: This is an AU story, in the sense that certain choices and decisions have altered the ninjaverse. These things will be made clear as the story progresses. Also, so there is no confusion, this is a YAOI story. There will be boy x boy romance. I don't write smut, so you won't have to avert your eyes if that is your fear. This story is also based off of a work of Shakespeare, so there will be times where some things look familiar (if you are a theater/literature buff) but I promise that I have changed the ending. I can't have people going and reading Macbeth and learning what is going to happen (though you should read Macbeth because it is an amazing tragedy). This story is going to be a romance/tragedgy, so... character deaths will happen.

That's about it. I'm putting this prologue out and seeing if I get any sort of reaction. I have a few chapters already written, so I'll post quickly if I get enough reviews/feedback.

My writing is funded by your reviews.