A/N: REVIEW FOR IT FEEDS MY ENGINE OF CREATION~! MORE THAN SIX THOUSAND WORDS FOR YOU ALL!

Seriously, though. It'd help me get through the rough week I've been having. How can a man know if you guys and gals are enjoying something if I don't hear from you?

Sorry for being gone for awhile, I was working on this bad boy!

Now then, onto more serious matters.

First off, there's some cheeky anonymous git going around the site posing as myself, Fenikkusumaru, VFSnake, and others. How can you tell its him? Simple. He only writes in anonymous reviews, uses lots of foul language, and the like. I do NOT, nor have I ever, reviewed anonymously. Nor do I use expletives in my reviews. This is the only account I use to comment or respond to authors. It says as much on my profile. Anyone who says otherwise or claims to be me, is an impostor.

I've been here for ten years, after all.

The troll in question is none other than Doom Marine 54, up to his usual tricks again. Just block or ignore him, its what I do. The only reason I'm out here saying this at all is to warn others so they aren't taken in by his shenanigans. Some people can just be dicks, I suppose.

Secondly!

This chapter is were a few mods begin to come into play. Nothing major, just a few characters, quests and the like. I'm sorry if this offends anyone.

On another note, Skyrim Special Edition is giving me a freaking HISSY FIT. Quests keep bugging out-especially a certain bit regarding Waking Nightmare-and before anyone asks, no, I don't use all that many mods. If anything I'm quite conservative with them. All this is quite strange, especially when one considers I didn't have any of these problems until recently. Its right and properly annoying! How can I be inspired to write a Skyrim story when the game itself is being buggy?!

Happy thoughts! Happy thoughts!

OFF WE GO~!

References for the win XD

And yes, Naruto is cursed; in that he always seems to go the wrong way when traveling. Case in point, here...

...hope you like it~!

Also, its soooo much fun writing Madara while he's trying to be a good dad~!

"Just how many people are trying to get into your...?!"

"Its not my fault, ya know!"

"Shor's bones it isn't!"

~?

Records of Madness

Madara did not emerge from the mine until dusk.

By then the sun had long since reached its zenith-the horizon was darkened to a lovely shade of violet, tongues of fire scrawling across the sky in beautiful relief. Brushing a stray bit of burnt dust from his shoulder, the aging shinobi nevertheless paused at the threshold and took a moment to admire this simple, ethereal beauty unfolding above him. Times like these reminded him to take pleasure in the little things; be it time spent with his family, chopping wood, or simply taking a moment to watch the sun set.

Even the act of cold-blooded murder.

A quiet chill ran through his shoulders, pooling in the pit of his stomach. In the end, his anger won the day. The rage always won out in the end. After all these years he'd thought he had finally managed to master that indefatigable temper of his, only to realize he'd become even more a slave to it than ever. The merest threat against Katria and their daughter was all it took for him to break his promise. He could tolerate many a threat and countless blows, but his family...no. Not them. Never them. Now Atar would never speak to anyone ever again, never utter those oily words, never use that forked tongue in the service of his masters. Lara would never know the peril she'd unwittingly been placed in, nor the butchering that followed.

Was it so wrong that he'd enjoyed his time with the Silver-Bloods; the savage act of slaughtering their mercenaries to a man?

Belatedly, he caught himself wondering if he ought to return to Markarth and pay their masters the same courtesy. The Silver-Bloods had been persistent before but now he'd changed the game; once Atar failed to return that accursed family would no doubt put the pieces together and send a strong force. Worse, they might get it in their heads to wipe Karthwasten off the map entirely. His name might still carry some weight in that cold city of stone, but the Silver-Blood had grown increasingly bold over the last few years.

And who would defend the if it came to that? He was merely one man. Ragnar and Lash could at least fight, as could Katria, but what of the others? If it came to a fight against any sizable force, they'd lose.

Hmm.

Perhaps he should pay Thonar and his brother a visit. Butcther those brats, remind them that he wasn't one to be trifled-no.

With a ruthless snarl, he shook his head and slammed the lid on that thought before it could eel out of his grasp. A vein pulsed in his forehead and fleeting sense of nausea chased it down. What was he doing here? Why pretend to be something-someone!-that he wasn't? Old instincts gnawed at him, stirred by the sheer brutality of his actions here today. The darkness in him had been loosed from its cage at long last, and it did not intend to return quietly. Years of pent up emotions writhed in him like ugly snakes, demanding release, an outlet. Steeling himself as best he could, he moved on.

Ainethach was waiting for him at the foot of the hill, his expression expectant.

Schooling his face into a mask, Madara moved to meet him.

"Well?"

"They won't be a problem anymore." he said, moving past him.

"I thought as much." To his minor annoyance, the Reachman groaned and kept pace with him, his expression pensive as he ran a hand through his fraying hair. "Please tell me you hid the bodies."

"In a sense." the Uchiha tucked both thumbs in the loops of his belt as he replied with an air of frigid menace, "I gave them three chances to walk away; as thanks, they wasted each of them and threatened my family. So I burned them all and buried their ashes in the mine." he plowed onward, heedless of the ghastly look this response earned him. "They want to protect it that badly? They can do so in death. We're better off without their ilk, I say."

A small tremor ran through his aging ally before he reigned himself in.

"Sometimes, I truly wonder who you were...before this."

Something twisted in the old Uchiha's heart.

...better that you don't."

"Fair enough."

It served as a bitter of reminder of what he'd done; that his demons-the sins of his past-weren't something he could simply lock away and ignore. He'd failed. Fallen. Faltered. For all his restraint, when the chips were down, he'd given in to his base desires. To protect his family of course, but at what cost? He could have easily sent Atar and his men away with a simple glance, but in the end, he'd chosen violence. He'd wanted to kill him the moment he had lain eyes on him. Belatedly, he realized he would always choose violence. The shadows pressed in, old ghosts threatening to stifle him with their presence.

A hand settled on his shoulder suddenly, steadying him.

"I hate to trouble you again my friend, but there's something else. Its...well, its about Enmon."

Enmon? He knew the man.

Lara was friends with his daughter, Fjotra.

Ainethach must've interpreted his silence for acceptance; because he continued, heedless of the danger. "Its about his daughter, you see." He ventured haltingly at the latter's blank look. "She's been missing for more than a moon now, taken during that last Forsworn raid, but I think we finally-

A dark brow rose.

"You know where she is. How?"

To his consternation, the old miner's visage turned pensive.

"W-Well," he managed awkwardly, "You see, a courier came through just this morning, said he saw a girl matching her description in the vicinity of Broken Tower Redoubt...

Madara offered little more than a noncommittal grunt.

Inwardly however, his mind had begun to race.

Years of reading people laid the truth bare in an instant; Ainethach was lying to him. Not about the girl or location, but how he'd received the knowledge in the first place. Why? It seemed such a strange thing to omit for Madara. Part of him suspected a higher power at work here. Someone-or something-had granted him the knowledge, and he clearly didn't care to share. Who? Those annoying deities didn't often meddle-much in the affairs of mortals, if they existed at all. A daedra, then? He knew them well enough. More than he cared too. After all...he'd been unfortunate enough to earn the favor of one most foul some time ago...

"Foolishness." Something foul brushed against his thoughts and he nearly stomped it down out of sheer reflex. "If you crave battle, my champion, you need not use this waif as an excuse. Seek it out! Crush the weaklings! Let them be culled before your might as they were before!"

'Shut. Up.'

He roared at the voice and it retreated into a corner in his mind, growling.

That man was dead, sure as dirt. His fighting and pillaging days were over. He'd been gone for a very long time...or so he'd thought. Karthwasten was his home. His duty was here, with his family. If Enmon's girl was still with the Forsworn then she was as good as dead. And if she wasn't...

Would you leave your daughter to such a fate?

Thorns of pride pricked him and held him back.

Damnit.

"I'll do it." his own response startled him.

Ainethach nearly collapsed.

"Truly?!"

Muttering a halfhearted excuse to his ally, the Uchiha stormed back to his house. Old muscles creaked in protest at the sudden movement, a silent reminder that his body was no longer in its prime. His brief bout with the mercenaries had left him sore, but not unable to move. Still, this stiffness displeased him. It mean the was out of practice. He'd have to remedy that if he was to undertake this task. The journey ahead threatened to stir old memories best left untouched. Weeds of temptation seemed to tug at his ankles, threatening to trip him up as he walked.

When he finally reached his humble abode he flung the door open.

Hard.

Katria must've recognized his expression; for she had his armor ready for him almost before he cleared the threshold. She didn't ask where he was going or why; she seldom did. Perhaps she'd been eavesdropping. Perhaps he'd been too loud. Perhaps she simply knew him too well.

Whatever the reason, she met him with a smile.

"I thought you might be heading out again."

For his part, Madara accepted the deadly metal wordlessly and allowed her to aid him in donning it, shrugging it over his shoulders. A ring slid over his finger, sending a fresh burst of vitality coursing through his arms. Another joined it on the opposite hand and the persistent ache left his limbs as though it had never been. She slid a silver necklace over neck and he felt a fresh surge of vitality jump through his veins. While he certainly didn't require enchanted gear, he wasn't about to turn it down on pride alone. While his prime might not necessarily be behind him, he was forced to accept the ugly truth that he'd need to start training again lest he loose what little grasp he had on his strength altogether.

Speaking of strength...

"The Silver-Bloods might try something while I'm gone." he warned, reaching for the staff above the hearth. "If they do, you'll be needing this."

Plucking it from the mantle, he lobbed it at his wife, who in turn plucked the ancient weapon out of the air with an ease born of years on the road. Metal armor reacted...poorly to electricity, much less a staff of chain lightning enchanted thrice over. He pitied the fool who tried to attack her when she was holding that weapon.

"You're giving this to me?" a slender brow rose in quiet bemusement.

"Yes." he retorted gruffly. "Do you dislike it?"

Was that a squeal just now?

"No, no! Not at all!"

As he looked on his wife twirled it with an ease that bellied her skill and in that moment, the faint light of the hearth cast a shadow on the side of her face. Was it his imagination, or had that smile turned a touch feral just now? A quiet shiver shot down his spine at the sight, not of fear, but of remembrance. Oftentimes he forgot Katria wasn't who she appeared to be either; after all, there was a reason she'd managed to snare him when no other could. She'd been an avid warrior back in her heyday, certainly so during their shared quest for the forge. He'd seen what she did to those who crossed her. Taron Dreth had learned that less the hard way. She hadn't been content to prove her former student simply a fraud; after she'd revealed his treachery, she stuck the dark elf full of arrows until he resembled little more than a human pincushion.

Woman could be downright terrifying sometimes.

Rolling his shoulders, he strode towards a nearby chest, pausing just long enough to retrieve a shrouded parcel within. The gleam of sickly green runes roiling against jagged metal loomed large before his eyes as a corner of the cloth came unbound; one he hastily covered before Katria could peer over his shoulder. He didn't fault her for her curiosity, though guilt still clawed at his heart. Part of him wished nothing more than to throw the accursed weapon away, but he simply couldn't bring himself to do it. For all the ill-luck it had brought him it had also helped him to realize who he truly was; what he no longer had any desire to be.

Daedric or not, it was still a wickedly effective tool.

"You're taking that with you?" she was giving him that look again, the one that reminded him why he'd fallen for her.

"I am." the Uchiha replied, placing it in his satchel. "Would you rather I leave it here?"

"No." she huffed, embracing him tightly. "I never liked the ugly thing."

"Ugly, am I? You wound me." he feigned a hurt expression.

She pinched his cheek in response.

"Do try not to die, dear."

"Ha!"

A hoarse laugh burst out of Madara before he could think to hold it back and he realized with a start that he would actually miss her. Somewhere along the way, she'd become the center of his world; he didn't know what he'd do without her. The notion would've startled him once, all those years ago. Now it merely drew a small smile to his lips. Quietly, he resolved to make this quest a short one. If Ainethach had spoken true, he'd be gone for a few days. With luck, he'd be home long before news of Atar's fate reached the ears of the Silver Bloods. It might even behoove him to pay Markarth a visit after all. And if not...

His hands tightened into white-knuckled fists.

'No. Don't think that. I won't allow it.'

"Do you have to go? Papa?"

Perhaps sensing the commotion, Lara had scurried down the stairs to see him off. Nearly half-asleep and eyes watery, she swayed on her feet before him, yet still coherent enough to realize what was happening. Madara felt his heart give a fresh lurch against his chest. The last time he'd left on a journey, she had been five. Old enough to know that he wasn't there, but not why. He'd been gone for months and it had taken many more to mend the rift that had formed between them in his absence. Now, in the face of her sorrow, he found himself faltering. It had nothing to do with her quivering lower lip, he told himself. No. Nothing at all...

"No tears." he admonished her lightly, patting her head. "I'll be home again before you know it."

Her face screwed up, trying and failing. "But you promised to train me...

Sighing quietly, he brushed his palm across hers.

"Perhaps this will tide you over."

"This is...?"

A quick sleight of hand was all it took to unfurl his sleeve and deposit the scroll in her now-startled grasp. Gaping at the worn parchment, she hastily tugged at the leather cord binding it together and peered at the contents within. Her speechlessness was only justifiable, and made the elder Uchiha preen somewhat. It was...pleasing to know he could still surprise his daughter. Wicked smart though she might be, she was still a child and he sometimes found himself forgetting that. Children should be given gifts, shouldn't they?

"A gift." he refused to elaborate, turning his head away to hide his embarrassed expression. "I expect you to have made some progress with it by the time I return-oomph!"

His words warped into a startled grunt as Lara's head collided with his stomach-no small feat given his armor-while her arms wrapped around his waist. For a moment his back stiffened and he found himself unable to respond. Physical affection was...not his strong suit, even after all these years. Katria was one matter, but he still found himself grappling with unexpected displays of empathy. Years ago, if a child had tried to hug him like this, he would've been supremely uncomfortable and pushed them away. Now...

...awkwardly, he patted her head.

A halfhearted smile plucked at his lips.

Shining eyes gazed up at him, wet with unshed tears.

"You'll come back right? You won't be gone for long...this time?"

Part of him was tempted to tell her the truth; to admit that he didn't know how long he'd be gone. Yet he couldn't bring himself to do it; for to do so would hurt her. With luck, his journey would be swift and he'd return unharmed...after he dealt with matters. He liked it not, but the Silver-Bloods couldn't be left alone. Not after this. He'd bring Fjotra back of course, but then he would have to set out again...and the streets of Markarth would run red and silver with blood. The wheel of fate had been set into motion and once more, he found himself caught up in it.

"I'll be home soon."

Instead, the last Uchiha mused her hair and feigned a smile he couldn't bring himself to feel.

Some time later, as he strode down the open road, a bolt of realization struck Madara.

"Would you look at that? Seems I was good for something after all."

(...Meanwhile/Leagues Away...)

"I sense a disturbance in the force!"

WHAM!

Isabelle didn't take too kindly to Naruto's lip; judging by the speed with which the recently repaired Staff of Magnus descended upon his head to produce a resounding crack. It was a very good blow an objective part of him mused-solid, swift, yet not-so-stern as to actually inflict debilitating injury. Even with his superior speed he barely registered it at first. Honestly, he was almost proud of the Dragonborn-if only because she'd genuinely caught him off guard for the first time since they'd met one another. The pain that followed, however...

Yeah, not so much.

Yelping, the whiskered warrior recoiled and sprang back with a startled hiss. Massaging his temples more out of surprise than any real pain, he shot the magus an equally dark glower.

"OW! What the hell, Izzy?! I was being serious, ya know! I swear I sensed something there!"

"No! Absolutely not!"

"Freakin' why?!"

"Because of this!" The Nord flung up her arms to encompass their snowy surroundings, the winds shrieking at them to tear at her words. "The plan was to get these two," an accusing finger cast itself at the girls resting on the blond's broad shoulders, "Back to Whiterun, before we returned to Winterhold! Before! Not after! Now that damn force-field's larger than the town, there's wisps all over the place, and Ancano's been up to Shor-knows-what while we're gone! If I didn't know better, I'd say you were cursed or something! We always go the wrong way whenever you're involved and I am sick, sick, sick of it do you hear me?!"

"Hey, at least we didn't run into a dragon this time." the blond offered with a Cheshire grin.

A stray spark scrawled between her clenched fingers.

"One more word and I'll roast you."

"Alright, alright! Jeez you're touchy today!" casting off the argument as a lost one, the blond rolled his shoulders in quiet exasperation and paced away, careful not to jostle his two passengers. "We'll drop the kiddos off at the inn before we deal with this, then we'll tear Ancano a new one. Does that satisfy you, your majesty?"

"It does, yes." the Dragonborn preened, ignoring the small smile shot her way. "Now, perhaps we can finally get down to business...?"

For their part, Britte and Sissel managed to cling to the blond's broad with an admirable level of strength for girls of their age.

With these words, however Britte wilted.

"Are...are we in the way, mama?"

"Aw, I wanted to watch...

"Of course you're not in the way, sweethearts~!" he soothed. "We just don't want you getting hurt now-ohjustaminute!"

"YOL TOOR SHUUL!"

In hindsight, it was almost startling just how quickly the blond spun on a septim to change his tune. Quick as you please he pivoted and placed a steadying hand upon his charge's shoulders, steadying them against a fresh gust of wind. Even as he spun, he turned and spat a fresh wave of fire toward an encroaching magical anomaly encroaching upon their tenuous position. It was a strange thing seeing a shout from without rather than within, watching the ethereal wisp recoil and shrivel in on itself beneath the force of the Thu'um like a moth drawn to flame.

Uncaring of his destructive display nor the trail of flame, the whiskered warrior flashed a pearly smile at their young charges.

"See, Britte? Once we've gotten you trained you'll be able to just that, but with magic, rather than your voice."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Her sibling cried out in mild dismay. "I want to do that, too!"

"Now, now! I'm sure Izzy will be more than happy to give you some lessons...

And just like that, he went back to consoling them.

"Whipped." the Dragonborn muttered.

"Pssh! Same as you!"

"What was that?!"

"Noooooononono." a scarred hand waved in mild derision. "I didn't say anything. You're hearing things, Izzy."

If the lovable buffoon had been a touch more serious with his tone, she might've considered zapping him. As it stood, she had no time to indulge in such frivolous displays of their power. There was work to be done, and it simply couldn't be put off any longer. Who knew what havoc Ancano would wreak if they continued to delay? Still, she wasn't about to let the blond get the last word. Sparks snarled from her hand as she caught and crushed another writhing wisp in her grasp, leaving naught but a shatter soul gem behind.

...I swear I'm going to cut you one of these days." she allowed herself a rueful smile.

Just like that, the brittle ice between them was broken.

In short order they stowed Britte and Sissel away and set out. Ensconced behind the sturdy walls of the inn, neither offered more than a token protest as their protectors waded back into the storm. Wisps fell like mist before them anomalies toppling against blade and spell alike. In short order they'd cut a path back to the college, where that impenetrable barrier loomed.

Isabelle felt something lurch in her at the sight of it.

"So...how are we going to do this, exactly?"

"That depends on entirely on you." Naruto retorted. "I'm just here to watch."

"What, me!?"

"Yes, you." the blond riposted sharply. "You can either make up with your mother-assuming she's even alive-and save the day, or you can be a stubborn sod and push her away again. If its the latter, I'll just be staying down here. So? Which'll it be?

"Well-

"Waaaaaaaaaitwaitwaitwait!"

A fresh shout caused both dovah to turn as one.

At first they saw nothing in the mist, only gradually did a figure resolve itself.

Stumbling, weaving through the storm, she toppled to her knees before them quivering from head to toe.

"There...you are!" she gasped out, looking as though she might fall over at any moment. "I finally...caught up you! Do you have any idea how long I've been running?! I had to fight my way across half of Skyrim just to get here! Dragons, too! Did I mention the dragons?!"

"Um...?"

To the unassuming eye the brunette didn't look like much; a simple-if shivering-girl clad in simple clothes, from her white blouse to her skirt, right down to the strange goggles hanging from her neck. It was only the ebony blade at her side that lent any credence to her former statement of being a warrior. Isabelle tilted her head a moment, considering the newcomer before them. Even that remark found itself challenged by the girl's slight form and quaking shoulders. Still, under all that snow and ice, she almost looked familiar...

"And you are?" Naruto tilted his head, stifling a small smile. "No, wait. You're freezing. Here, have a stamina potion."

The girl accepted it with a thankful groan, uncorking the stopper with her teeth and all but ramming the bottle against her lips. As the blond dusted the snow and ice from her face with a gentle healing spell, the girl's face finally became visible to the baffled Nord. By way of response, the girl turned a murderous glower upon Isabelle.

"Ask her."

Oh.

Now she remembered.

"Urk." she managed eloquently, forcing a smile. "Hello, Recorder! You're looking...alive!"

"URK?!" the smaller girl all but imploded. "Is that all you have to say, Dragonborn?! You nearly got me killed!"

...sorry?"

"I'm sensing a story there, Izzy."

In a startling burst of speed the brunette bolted forward and latched onto the Dragonborn's cloak with both hands. Funny. One wouldn't think someone so slight would be capable of shaking another person so violently, let alone the Dragonborn herself about like a ragdoll. They'd be wrong.

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA!"

Shor's bones, she could already feel her ears beginning to burn beneath her cowl and Naruto wasn't even looking at her! Shame and embarassment welled up in her in equal measure and the ground suddenly became immensely interesting. Damnit. She could feel him smiling. That blond bastard was enjoying this far too much! He'd rue this day! RUE! Slapping the girl's hand away, the bright-eyed warrior mage took a stumbling step back, struggling to make sense of her spinning surroundings.

"In my defense, I thought you were dead after you fell down that mine-shaft...

"And you're here because...?"

"Well!" the now-named Recorder huffed indignantly, "I'm glad you asked! I was looking for her," she thrust a damning figuring towards an incandescent Isabelle, "And my lost files, besides! I'm sure I dropped one around here, but...oh, this is impossible! Then I found you! How am I supposed to-argh!" In a fit of pique she flung up her arms, nearly braining the latter, "Find anything in this storm! I shouldn't even be here, anyway! Do you have any idea how much trouble she is?! Do you?!"

"I have an inkling, yes." Naruto raised a hand. "Being a Dragonbane does that to you."

The poor girl balked. "Wait, wait, wait! There are two of you now?! What have you been up to while I was gone?!"

To their credit, the pair exchanged something of a bemused look between them.

"We really do attract the oddest of people, don't we?"

Still, Naruto swore he'd forgotten something...

(...Meanwhile...)

Broken Tower Redoubt lived up to its name in spades.

It had been a mighty keep once, a fortress fit for a king. Before something-or perhaps someone-had shattered one of its towers and left it open to the elements. Now it lay abandoned and forgotten; a moldering ruin crewed by Forsworn filth or worse. Still, even its dilapidated defenses were nothing to sneeze at. While he admittedly hadn't brushed up on the lore of this land, Madara knew danger when he saw it. Though the trail had led him here, he found himself in no hurry to engage its defenses. One should never judge a book by its cover after all, and this ruined fort was no exception.

The archers had a fine view of him from the road, so stealth was out of the question.

"Well, then." he rumbled, rolling his shoulders. "Shall we get started?"

It felt...somewhat refreshing to walk through the front door.

Just like old times.

Unfurling a scroll of Detect Life from his pack, Madara felt a rush of warm air stir the wind as he reached for the worn arch. Too little, too late; the unlucky archer never found her mark's neck; instead he contemptuously snatched her crude arrow out of the air and flung it back at her to drill against her throat. The forsworn woman collapsed with a bloody gurgle, clutching at her neck even as she fell. Another raised their bow to knock a fresh shot, only to find a spice of ice lodged against their gut.

Bereft of his balance the forsworn toppled from the parapets to the road below, his body landing in a tumbling heap.

Crimson eyes blazed down at the man.

"I'll say it now; beg all you like...but you won't receive any mercy."

The would-be warrior raised a hand to ward off the ax and found it hacked off with his head besides. By then the scroll had done its work. Heat suffused Madara's active eyes in the form several red blurs registered before his vision. One, small than the rest, lurked at the top of the tower.

'Got you.'

Rather than bother with the door, the old Uchiha chose the road less traveled.

One could even say it wasn't a road at all.

Running at the nearest wall in a dead sprint, he thrust out with his axe, hooking it against the wall with enough force to wedge its edge against it. Metal shrieked against the mortar, but it gave him the leverage needed to fling his legs upward; once they secured themselves against the hardened wall sure as stone. Scarce had he secured himself a foothold than he sprang up the wall itself using his handily created foothold-and a sparse application of chakra-to spin up at another archer before they could draw a bead on him.

He committed their baffled visage to memory, then proceed to hack it off.

Priceless.

Alighting upon proper solid ground that wasn't a wall at last, Madara found himself besieged. He sidestepped the first and opened her throat with his knife, never once missing a beat. By then the second was upon him in a whirl of crude blade, only for one such blade to find itself diverted against his stomach. Gurgling in scarlet surprise, the Forsworn looter forsook his crude axes to clutch at the gaping tear in his belly. No sooner had he done so than a throwing knife slammed home into his open maw, ending his pitiful gurgles forevermore.

"Is that all?" spreading his arms wide, the ancient warrior raised his hands to greet the next assault. "I expected more!"

A bolt of crude lightning arced through the air, only to find itself stifled by a wall of burning blue bones.

Ah, Susanoo.

He wasn't sure he'd be able to rely on it after going without for so long; it heartened the aging warrior to know he wasn't as rusty as he feared himself to be. A thought flicked the skeletal hand outward, crushing two more beneath its rigid fingers before they could escape. He felt nothing for their deaths If anything, their deaths rejuvenated him. He gloried in the combat. All the tension of the last ten years burned out of him as he fought on, ripping and slashing at tearing at anyone fool enough to attack him.

It was enough to make a man laugh, really.

Until the ax broke.

With a shuddering crunch the old weapon finally gave up the ghost as he embedded it in the side of particularly stubborn Forsworn, its hilt shattering against a particularly brutal blow as he crashed. Someone laughed, perhaps thinking that was his only weapon. It wa snot. Regarding the ruined haft with a critical eye, the Uchiha spun and flung the cracked head at the nearest raider. An unlucky woman found herself bearing a skull-full of metal. She dropped like a sack of potatoes. Her companion had half a heartbeat to realize his peril before Madara rammed snatched up a fallen bade and rammed its ruined spoke through their eye.

Sparing a forlorn look for his shattered weapon, the Uchiha shouldered through the next door he found.

Quite suddenly, he found himself face to face with with his objective.

A Briarheart awaited him beyond, looming large before a cage. Though the man's back was turned, he spied the crimson dress of a little girl. Her shriek of fear confirmed his suspicions. Against all odds, Fjotra awaited hm in that cell, one that would likely cost the girl her life if he didn't speak up.

He coughed.

"Let the girl go and I'll kill you quickly."

The poor man spun as though he'd been struck, brandishing a cold of cone in one hand, an ebony dagger in the other. Ah. So that was why she'd screamed. He was hideous even with that hideous hide-helm concealing his visage, a half-stitched wound in his chest exposing his false heart. As Madara looked on it shifted, pulsing wetly in the open wound like a great gaping sore. This was man, this was a product of the Hagraven's foul sorcery, a gross mockery, a parody of all that was holy and good in this life.

"May the gods spit on your bones!" the Briarheart rasped.

Madara sighed.

"That was your last chance."

Thus determined, he discarded his shattered ax and reached for the mace bound to his side.

By contrast to his humble ax, this weapon was an ugly, hideous creature; an aberration of nature born from rotten hate and rusted spite. Made for the taking of life. Lurid green runes seemed to dance and swirl around its jagged edges, rippling now as its master shifted his stance. Hefting the ghastly mace in his dominant hand, he beckoned with the other. Gloved fingers crooked forward in invitation and he thought he saw the hesitation lurking behind the man's headdress. Good. Let him feel fear and know his end was upon him.

"YES! At last!"

A dark, exultant cackle swelled through his mind, loud and large.

The Briarheart stilled at the sight of that mace.

"How did you come by that weapon...?!"

"You'll never know."

They lunged at each other then, trading blows like madmen.

A/N: I AM ALIVE! Nearly had to claw my way back from the grave after a nasty bout of pneumonia and bronchitis but I'm alive and here, wishing you all a Happy July! And to those of you who don't celebrate this holiday, well...HAPPY UPDATE DAY INSTEAD!

In other news, I'm working on an official update schedule. Yes, its long overdue.

So...in the immortal words Atlas...

...Review, Would You Kindly? And naturally, enjoy the previews! There be two this time! I'm sure you'll love both of them! Once again, to those who would misinterpret, I ask you to remember that the second one is written for comedic effect; Naruto is nobody's bitch and if he at all acts like one, 'tis only to humor his poor victims/wives. And if this first preview doesn't make you go "AWWW!" then you have no soul! No SOUL, I say! Needless to say, a TON of stuff happens next chapter!

Now, for your viewing pleasure, a little teaser as well!

(...Previews...)

"...I would very much appreciate if you let me out of this cage, my friend."

"A werewolf? Me, Thanks, but no thanks. The fox is enough."

"Nice crown. Think I'll keep it."

"Have you gone mad?!"

"Just a little."

"Now then, I believe we have some unfinished business with the Dark Brotherhood...

"I swear to Sithis, if I hear that jester cackle ONE MORE TIME...

"This is the worst idea. YOU are the absolute worst."

"Eh, at least the town isn't on fire...

Alduin sneered.

"So you return, mortal!"

"Not alone, bub. I've brought friends!"

R&R! =D