Prologue

Katelyn Dalton, aka Fortuna, was not a happy soul. She was not a happy soul at all. Currently, she was a brooding and annoyed soul. Glaring at the monster known as paperwork on her desk, she sighed, her forehead connecting with her desk with a thump. This would have been a comical scene for anyone that had walked inside to see.

Why, you ask?

Simply for the reason that Katelyn Dalton was a sixteen year old girl who also went by the identity of Fate. Her hair was silver and glowed slightly, an ethereal feel to it, reaching mid back. Her face was aristocratic with high cheek bones and a petite nose. She had a timeless feel to her and was blessed with a figure many would kill for. Her eyes were heterochromic, one a glowing gold, the other a bright blue. All in all, she was a very attractive, unearthly looking woman. Thus the reason her repeated attempts at giving herself a concussion being very comical for an outsider.

As was already established, Katelyn was not a happy person. Really, if you had been killed in a car accident due to Fate getting an idiot drunk in order to run you over at the age of sixteen, you wouldn't be happy either. Especially if you we're only just getting excited about being a god until you realized you had to do paperwork and your predecessor only chose another Fate to dump all his responsibilities on you and happily pass on into the afterlife.

Damn the previous gods for giving everyone paperwork, damn humans for inventing paperwork, damn immortals for adopting paperwork as punishment for not following rules, damn immortals for deciding to be more like humans. And, last but not least, damn paperwork for making life horrible and boring.

No, Katelyn was not happy at all. And she chose this wonderful day to reflect upon this and curse her predecessor to a horrible afterlife, not caring of if it would work or not.

Just as she was about to open her mouth to say something that would have caused sailors to faint if they had heard, the door to her office slammed open, revealing her colleague, Death. She noted absently that he seemed to be angry about something as she turned her head so that she could see him while her face was still against the wood.

Death raised an eyebrow at her position and she gestured towards the small mountain of paperwork on her desk. Death, the jerk, actually smirked at her predicament and forgot his anger for amusement, making her scowl in response.

Damn Death for not having paperwork monsters to torment him. She mentally smirked, planning on playing hooky by dumping her paperwork at his office.

Death then cleared his throat, running a hand through his shoulder length, messy black hair as he became serious again. Fate was intrigued. Death rarely came into the realm of immortals, preferring to watch over the mortal realm. She lifted her face from her desk and looked into glowing green eyes as the other opened his mouth to speak.

"I want the records on the future and past of someone as well as all and any prophecies made about that someone."

Fate raised an eyebrow. Who had caught his attention? "Why?" She asked back, "For who?"

Death sighed, but ignored her questions. "I also need you to help me get a way to be able to stay in the mortal realm," he added.

Fortuna blinked before smirking, fangirlism from her past self resurfacing. "Found someone who interested you, Potter? Is it a guy or a girl? Are they cute? How old are they? I hope it's a guy!" She squealed. "This is going to be great!"

Death, previously known as Harry James Potter, held back a shudder when he realized that his colleague had fangirl tendencies in her. With his ascension to the Master of Death status, which was really just Death's successor, he had become as ethereal as all other immortals. Beautiful, for the lack of a better word, with an otherworldly grace and aura. He was taller than before, much to his delight, and had an androgynous look. He then gave another sigh. "No, I have not fell in love with some random mortal. I need the files on one Uzumaki Naruto. Tell me everything you can about him."

Fortuna was skeptical about his denial and reasons, but shrugged, agreeing to help anyways. As she rose though, she asked, "Why?"

"I just want to know..." Was the distracted reply she got, the raven haired man losing himself in memories. "I think I have found the perfect successor."

The corner of Fate's mouth twitched as she moved into the adjoining room. "Well," she drawled, "Here's my advice, don't plan his death on sight."


"Demon!"

"Monster!"

"Freak!"

It was the tenth of October, the day that Konoha would celebrate the Kyuubi festival. It was also the birthday of a certain young blonde. The night air was chilling and lights lit up the festive streets of Konohagakure as people drunk themselves into oblivion, celebrating the victory against the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Yet, not everyone was celebrating. Ironically, the one in the least festive mood was the birthday boy himself. Although, the reason why was obvious.

Painfully so.

Said birthday boy was none other than Uzumaki Naruto. The young, newly turned five year old was currently trying to get away from the angry mob who, as always on his birthday, was trying to beat him to death. He was running as fast as his short legs could carry him, terrified at the thought of being caught. However, he was only five and could not outrun grown adults, especially when there were shinobi after him, too. Just as this thought emerged, a young shinobi dropped down in front of him, advancing with a kunai in hand.

"Let's kill the demon!"

Naruto turned down an alleyway, avoiding the shinobi, heart pounding in fear. Another dropped in front of him and he came to halt, stumbling back. The ninja's face was gleeful at having caught the young boy. His hand raised as he prepared to deliver the first strike, making Naruto cringe back in fear, falling down and curling in on himself to try and protect himself from the pain.

The words of the villagers came into his mind. Was he really a demon deserving of death? Maybe he was. Maybe he deserved this, too...

There was a moment of silence and Naruto opened his eyes when no pain came. He caught the sight of a mangled body in front of him, the same ninja that tried to attack him, before a hand obscured his vision. He sucked in a startled breath, whimpering in fear, but a voice shushed him. He felt a warm body behind his back, a hand rubbing in soothing motions.

"Calm down little one... No one will hurt you now... It's fine... You're going to be okay..." The voice was musical and gentle and Naruto relaxed slightly, feeling tired. "Get some rest, little one, that must have been quite a scare..." Then, the young boy fell into the arms of sleep.


Death was angry. He wanted to be angry at Fate, but he knew it wasn't really her fault. When he saw the young one, it brought back memories of the past. But this young child had it worse. Not only was he the target of some prophecy that forced him to save the world and bring peace, he was also a human sacrifice who kept the village from danger by housing one of the, if not the most powerful demon of his world. Then, he was treated worse than crap by the very ones he was sacrificed for.

Death sneered in disgust as he looked upon the files Fate had given him.

If he hadn't interfered, the young boy would've become like him, a selfless, self sacrificing weapon for am place that shouldn't have earned the right to demand anything from him. Well, at least The Sandaime wasn't a manipulative old coot. These villagers were the real demons if you we're to ask him. How the Yondaime could've sacrificed his own child for people like this was beyond him. How Naruto could be so pure and nice was beyond him, too. If they weren't demons, they were, at least, stupid. Who would antagonize someone they believed had the power to destroy the village anyways?

Well, no longer would this go on. Because he was going to give this young boy a chance to live. He was going to give him a chance to live the way he wanted to.

Gently, he picked up the small body within his arms and thread a strand of his being into the young one's soul, allowing him a lasting physical form on the mortal plane. He would take care of the boy. He hadn't done anything like this before, even when he saw the similarities between the other children and himself and he was going to repent by taking care of this child. For so long, he had just been a bystander, despite not wanting another child to suffer like him. It seemed, however, that humans would never change.

Cradling his precious bundle carefully, Death walked, floating, up into the sky to find a secluded place to raise his child, his heir. Of course, he didn't forget to disillusion them with his magic.

As he walked through the air, he quickly searched for a suitable place to nurse his heir back to health. It wasn't long before he found the perfect place. Turning on the spot, he apparated with an audible crack, not bothering to dim the sound as there was no one there to hide it from.

When the two reappeared, they were in the middle of a forest. A giant snake that was nearby froze at the sound of apparation before it fled as soon as it's eyes fell on the glaring figure that had suddenly appeared. Harry looked around and grinned in satisfaction. He had heard that this place was called the Forest of Death. It was, apparently used a one of the training grounds in Konoha and perfect for him. It was named after him, after all. Even though it wasn't very private, being a part of Konoha and all, he knew that people rarely came here and that his presence would give them a reason to avoid this place. He was Death after all...

A cackle came out of his mouth followed by an evil smirk before he blinked out of it and sighed. Being more or less immortal really does take a toll on your sanity.


Kurama, AKA the demon fox, the Kyuubi no Yoko or Kitsune (either works for him), could tell, despite the fact that he was buried so deeply in the brat's mind that he was practically completely separated from it, that something had happened. Or maybe someone. All this time, he had felt sleepy and heavy while being trapped in here, which, he knew, meant that he just wasn't close enough to the surface of his container's mind to make a difference. And, though that weariness was wearing off, the most he could do was access his host's memories. However, right now, he felt energized.

It was the pain and desperation from his host that had made him stir, but that was followed by an aura of pulsing energy that had woke him up fully. His eyes narrowed. What could've happened? Here, behind these bars, he could see the boy's mindscape. It was odd, to say the least. There were winding pipes overhead and water on the ground. It looked weird, but Kyuubi had seen weirder.

A gasp brought him out of the careful scrutiny he was giving his surroundings and made him look down. In the doorway of his... Room... There was a young boy with blinding yellow blonde hair and clear blue eyes. Ah... His host.

"Wh-what are you?" were the first words out of the brat's mouth. Kyuubi shifted into a more comfortable position and grinned maliciously at the child. To his credit, the child didn't even flinch; he merely narrowed his eyes and crept closer.

"Ah... Brat. You've finally come to visit?" The fox demon asked, his grin widening.

"Visit?"

"I've been getting lonely..." Kyuubi crooked a finger, beckoning for the child to get closer. And, out of childish curiosity, he did. "I need someone... To join me!" With that, he lashed out at the child, claws gleaming, and the child's eyes widened, arms raised in an attempt at self defense. He won't be surviving this one... the Kyuubi thought, grinning.

"Stop!" The voice startled both fox and child and they realized that another had joined them. The man had merely put up a hand and Kyuubi had suddenly froze, unable to move.

Kyuubi snarled, face contorting in anger. Who was this person and how dare he stop him, the Kyuubi, from playing with his prey!? "Who are you!?" He asked, growling menacingly as he retracted his hand.

The man, though admittedly enchanting, actually dared to ignore Kyuubi and turn his back, facing the child instead, who was looking at the man with wide-eyed wonder.

"Are you alright?" The man asked, making the brat blink out of his stupor, ignoring the growling fox behind him all the while.

Then the brat gave a wide grin. "Yes, thank you, pretty nee-chan!" He chirped, seemingly forgetting about the giant, deadly, and very much pissed fox demon. Said fox demon couldn't help but give a snort at the brat's response. Couldn't the brat tell that it was a male who had saved him?

The man chuckled. "I'm a guy."

"Eh!?" Came the ever so eloquent and incredulous response, "But-but you're more prettier than the girls I've seen, nee-chan! You can't be a boy! It's not possible!"

"Well, I am an exception. I am simply a guy that is very pretty," the man said patiently. Kyuubi, however, did not possess the same patience the man did and was getting very, very impatient.

"Don't ignore me, human!" He snarled, claws lashing out to strike at the man that seemed to be mocking him...

Only to be shocked by what seemed to be high voltage electricity when he got near.

Kyuubi howled with pain, reeling back, tails trashing around. "You..." He growled, "I'LL KILL YOU!" He gave a threatening roar that made the brat edge back, arms raised as it whipped up a strong wind. Kyuubi glared at the man, staring him down, but the man just looked back at him with an indifferent expression on his face.

The expression made Kyuubi's blood boil. He snarled and growled when, suddenly, an aura flared around the man, an aura that he recognized. He paled beneath his red fur and flinched back, trying to get away from the oppressing aura to no avail. Oh crap. Why was this... Person here of all places!? Why was he here anyways?

As if answering Kurama's unspoken question, Death spoke.

"Kyuubi no Yoko, Kurama, I'm here to make a deal with you..."


Naruto was waking up. He knew he was waking up, yet he somewhat didn't want to. He knew, when he woke up, he would wake up to white sheets, a white ceiling, white everything. He always woke up in the hospital after a run in with the villagers, but this year, the villagers hadn't been very harsh, so it didn't really make sense that he'd be in a hospital... Oh how he hated the hospital.

He groaned, wondering if the Hokage was going to be there when he woke up or not, before suddenly realizing that he wasn't on a lumpy hospital bed, but a soft, silky one. He snuggled further into the covers, loving the way they felt around him. So soft... He had never felt a bed like this.

He opened his eyes reluctantly and braced himself for the pain that was coming when light would make contact with his eyes. To his surprise and immense confusion, however, the room was rather dark and large, probably around the size of his apartment, but cosy.

He could hear the crackling of a fire and see the light on the ceiling, which looked like black stone. He sat up and realized that he was on a large, four-poster bed with dark crimson silk sheets, emerald-green curtains and what looked to be trees winding up the posts. Now that he looked, there were a lot of plants on his side of the room, he realized, reaching up to the ceiling, and a fireplace on the other side, built into the stone wall. The walls were, unlike the ceiling, a light, beige color and the floor, he realized after close inspection, was made up of... Grass? And flowers... A couple of pictures of people and odd creatures hung on the walls. There were also a vast amount of pillows in dark colors on his bed as well and he immediately snatched one up, hugging it to his chest as he wondered where he might be.

Naruto then suddenly remembered the dream he had. He frowned. It was a very weird dream. He dreamt that someone had saved him, then he had met a giant red... Fox? Cat?... Something in a place that looked like the sewers. Then, a man, a really pretty man that he accidentally called nee-chan - he blushed when he remembered his mistake - had saved him from the fox and began talking to the giant creature about something... Then, he had woken up.

He lifted the sheet and, taking off the silk pajamas he had been given, looked himself over. He was healed. Any bruises, cuts, and whatnot he previous had on his body were gone. He blinked and relaxed, feeling refreshed and safe for the first time in weeks. Whoever had him had taken care of him. Maybe... Just maybe he could be safe here?

There was a creek and Naruto's head snapped around to look at the door he had previously thought was a painting. The man from his dreams, or maybe it was really real, walked inside and Naruto watched him, wide-eyed as he walked over, smiling kindly.

"I'm glad to see that you're awake, child," the man said, moving closer, "How are you feeling?"

"Great!" Naruto managed, beaming, "Thank you for asking, pretty nee - I mean, nii-san. Where am I though? And who are you?"

Death smiled indulgently before answering the question with a question of his own. "Why don't you tell me your name first?"

"My name's Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto!" The young boy grinned widely when introducing himself, giddy at finding someone else that seemed to be sympathetic towards, or even like him. The older man's expression was serene and he wasn't glaring. His eyes were warm and amused and he was smiling - smiling! - at him, even though he accidentally called him nee-chan. Naruto blushed slightly in embarrassment at the thought. "Can you tell me your name now?"

"Me? I am Death."

There was a period of silence as Death watched Naruto's expression change from one of giddy happiness to shocked, and possibly frightened, awe. Of course, being the child that he was, Naruto was inclined to believe him.

"Death!?" Naruto squeaked, "D-does that mean I'm d-d-dead?" His voice was embarrassingly small and sad as he gazed up at the being that called himself Death with wide-eyed horror.

Death just sighed through his nose, smiling. "No, Naruto, you aren't dead."

The young boy sighed in relief before his expression became confused once more. "Then... Why are you here? And where is here?" He became scared again and tensed suddenly, curling up. He flinched when Death narrowed his eyes. "Are you here to kill me? Are you here to do what the villagers have always wanted to do? Am I too much of a demon to live anymore? They always said I was a demon, that I deserved to die."

Death didn't reply, instead, he got up, earning another flinch from the Jinchuriki, and hugged the young boy to his chest, much to Naruto's shock.

"No, Naruto," Death murmured as he rubbed the boy's back soothingly, "I'm not here to kill you. Or hurt you. You don't deserve everything that had happened to you. You aren't a demon and you don't deserve death. Those villagers are stupid bas - er, people, who can't see how great you are. They are the ones that don't deserve to live. They are the real demons." Death said this with such conviction and passion that Naruto couldn't help but believe him. He then realized that he was crying. No one else had ever said something like that to him, not even Hokage-jiji. He relaxed into the older man's arms and cried, feeling grateful when the other just continued to hold him, not even complaining about the tears.

Eventually, Naruto calmed down and pulled away, blushing in embarrassment at crying. Ninjas were strong and did not cry. How could he be a ninja if he was so weak? How would he be able to get the acknowledgement he desired from the village he loved like this... But... now that he thought about it... Perhaps he didn't love the village. The villagers were all mean to him and the only two people to have ever shown him affection were Hokage-jinni and Death. He felt warm and safe here with Death, much like how he would imagine being with his father would feel like. He already liked Death more than anyone else he had met, even Hokage-jiji, despite having only met him twice and talked to him for a little while. Death had just given him comfort like he saw mothers and fathers giving when their children tripped or something. Somehow, he felt a connection to Death, an understanding.

"You... You won't kill the villagers, will you?" He then asked, staring up into Death's green eyes.

Death's eye twitched and he forced a smile. "If you don't want me to then I will leave them be, even though they have hurt the one I think of as a son."

Naruto's eyes grew wide. "C-can I stay here? With you?" He asked, suddenly feeling extremely shy.

"Of course. That's what I was hoping you would say."

Naruto broke down again.


The Hokage was not a happy soul. No, he wasn't a happy soul at all. He was old and, like Fate (not that he knew), he had to deal with a lot of paperwork. He sighed, eyeing the piles of paperwork piled up on his desk wearily. He sighed again. Not only did he have to deal with paperwork, but the past month didn't go so well for him. Exactly three weeks ago was the Kyuubi Festival and, as always, he had his crystal ball out to make sure that Naruto was alright. As soon as he had seen the boy running, he knew what was happening and immediately called his ANBU to go and help the young boy. He had been prepared to set off as well, until something... Strange happened. The crystal ball showed a picture of the mangled body of some poor shinobi before it went blank. And that was when problems started.

When he and the ANBU got to where he had last seen the Jinchuriki, all they had found was an empty alleyway and the horribly mangled corpse of a ninja of Konoha. He grimaced at remembering the corpse. It looked as if it had been skinned and it was already rotting when they got there. Naruto, on the other hand, was no where to be seen. And they hadn't seen him since.

Of course, he, as Hokage, had immediately sent search parties to try and find him as well as used his crystal ball, but every search turned up blank. They had even tried searching around the village.

He massaged his temples, sighing again.

He had failed his successor, the Yondaime, in protecting his child. He had failed to protect Minato's legacy. He frowned, beginning to panic inwardly. What if someone kidnapped him? No, the everyone who knew the truth or part of the truth was forbidden by law to speak of it. What if he was dead? No, he didn't find a body, so he had absolutely no proof that Naruto was dead. But, then again, the crystal ball wasn't working... No, the Sandaime shook his head, he wouldn't think such depressing thoughts.

His mind wandered to the next problem. Recently, the animals of the Forest of Death had taken to mauling anyone who got inside. They hunted intruders down and attempted to kill them, usually in groups. It was really odd and two jonin had already been fatally injured. A weird, black, crystal-like dome had also also appeared in the middle of the forest. Something strange was going on in there, but, so far, no one had managed to get to the dome yet. The entire forest seemed to be rebelling, attacking and lashing out at intruders. In fact, a giant willow tree had almost ripped someone apart just yesterday. How that was possible was beyond him.

The Sandaime sighed. He was getting too old for this...


AN: Since my laptop's in a jam, I might as well use the iPad to write a new story. Since my iPad has some problems with FFN, too, the info about this fic isn't in my profile yet. BTW, I'm really bad at the mushy emotional crap, so cut me some slack when reviewing.

Please read and review, maybe my laptop will be cured of its uncooperativity if you do. Thanks.