My name was Fai. I used to be alive...until I sacrificed my life in order to free my twin brother Yue. Because we were twins, we were condemned to live in hell for the crime of being alive. Our mother committed suicide because she had given birth to two sons instead of just the one.

In that kingdom, there could never be twin princes. Our powers would become too great together and would overpower the King. And for that, we were sent to live in a place that only the most heinous of criminals would be cast. It was a place called Gehenna, Hell on Earth. Time did not flow the way it did outside.

When we were still young, innocent people began to fall into that pit. My brother Yue was the one to read the notice that the King blamed us for his madness. All because we would not condemn the other to death.

Finally, the King himself fell into that pit of hell, cursing us both just for being alive.

It was clear that we would die if we did not escape. But we were separated by the tower and pit. There was no way for us to join hands and overpower the curse that bound us there.

Then a man came. He offered to free my brother in exchange for my life.

I gladly sacrificed myself to free Yue. Sadly, this did not mean that I had ended my existence. For five long years I followed my twin as he learned magic in hopes of reviving me. Unseen by anyone, I studied magic with him.

Where Yue, who had taken up my name so that he would never forget it, studied medicine, I studied how to protect others. He would be the healer, I, the fighter. Never again would I allow someone to hurt my brother the way the King had when he cursed us.

After I had read the last book in the library, which had taken six long years since Fai had come to that new world, I felt a pull. Originally I fought it, but it wouldn't be denied. I gave my twin one last sorrow filled look before I vanished.

I didn't know that my brother sensed my departure, or that he was inconsolable for months after.

When I next awoke, I found myself inside a womb. Clearly I was being given a second chance at life. But I wasn't alone in that stomach.

There was something in that body with me. A presence which was both foul and powerful. I didn't sense the presence of another twin. This wasn't human in origin.

Tentatively, I made contact with my magic.

And found myself sharing the space with a massive Kyuubi no Kitsune. A beast I had only heard myths about.

"I don't know who you are, and frankly I could care less. Unless you give me a good reason, I might just eat you."

"...How about a decent conversation?"

"Hah! I know you're not my accursed jailer brat. So how did you end up here?"

"Apparently I was reborn in the body of the infant your jailer carries now. Which meant I had a way to come here. She does not know her son has the soul of someone who died in another world."

The fox's eyes glinted.

"So you are aware of the other worlds. I assume you know about the Witch as well?"

"The Time Space Witch, the Dimensional Witch Yuko. I know about her. You wish to make a deal with her in exchange for your freedom?"

"Me and my kin. I am tired of being used by these damn humans. I want to be free of their seals, and I suspect the others would say the same."

"How about this then? If I am still alive when my magical core reaches the proper size for a dimensional jump, I'll try to bring you as well."

"Knowing my luck, my current jailer will be killed and her husband will seal me in you."

"Then we could work together. I see no reason to join forces when it would prove mutually beneficial for both of us."

The Fox debated. It was a reasonable offer. And unlike the other humans, this one treated him with the proper respect and didn't once consider him a beast.

"You have a deal brat. Though I would advise hiding now. My jailer is aware that I am talking to someone."

"We have an accord. It will be interesting to see how this goes, Kyuubi-san."

"What name do you go by?"

"Seeing as how I have lost my own, you may call me Yue."

Yue vanished right before his 'mother' appeared demanding to know who the fox had been chatting with.

For the next six months, Yue and the Fox became something akin to friends. Yue spoke of magic and his past, the fox explained a few things to the misplaced mage. Since he was being reborn, his magic levels were low for him. Though it was still high for a child not even out of the womb.

Kyuubi had a plan once he had his own body again. He would sacrifice a few tails in order to gain the power to jump worlds and turn into a human. Hopefully Yuko would accept his payment for his siblings. If she did, then they would no longer be bound to serve humans as batteries for their jutsu.

And as an added bonus, the Juubi would never again be assembled. With the removal of the tailed beasts, the ten tailed demon that their father sealed away in the moon would never be freed.

Finally, Yue could feel that his body was about ready to be ejected from the womb.

Kyuubi was eagerly awaiting the birth of his new partner. Yue was a surprisingly good conversationalist, and he hoped the link would remain even if the body was no longer in direct contact with his container.

Finally, the day came. Yue was going to be reborn.

He could feel the walls around him start to close in and push downwards. The process was painful for females he knew, and to be honest it wasn't that pleasant for him either. Finally his head pushed through the tiny opening and he let out a loud cry of relief.

His eyes weren't ready to open just yet, as the chakra fueled air could easily damage them. However his ears, once he got over the pained sounds of the woman who had given birth to him, worked just fine. In fact, they were better than he remembered during the first go around.

He listened as a man came, one who was interested in freeing the fox. He heard the scream as the fox was literally ripped from his mother's body and a roar of rage.

He finally opened his eyes to see his mother's face. She was a beautiful woman with crimson red hair and green eyes.

"I love you, my Naruto."

'Fishcake? Who the hell would be sadistic enough to name their son fishcake?!'

He heard a rumbling chuckle in his mind, and realized the link between him and the fox was still there.

"I can't believe they went through with that damn name. It's supposed to be Maelstrom by the way."

"Still, fishcake? Why are you attacking that village?"

"! #$%^&*() Uchiha used his Mangekyo Sharingan. I hate that stupid eye bloodline!"

"Can't you stop it?"

"The damn thing is a weaker version of the Rinnegan. And the Mangekyo sacrifices sight to insure full control. The damn thing is too strong, even for me."

"...What about both of us? Didn't you say a foreign presence breaks most...what did you call it again? Genjutsu?"

"Yes, but how do you plan to do that?"

Yue concentrated his magic, and sent it through the link. His mother, who he learned was named Kushina, felt something, but didn't understand what. She held her new son all that much tighter as a result though.

The Kyuubi's roar of annoyance was heard throughout Konoha. The Genjutsu was broken, but he still had to deal with pissed off Leaf nin because of Madara's stunt.

Minato, wondering why the fox had suddenly stopped attacking, went to get his son. He would have to seal the fox inside Naruto, since Kushina was too weak to handle the upgraded seal.

The Fox was pissed, but once he understood what Minato intended to do, he didn't try to fight the sealing that much. If he had calmly allowed it the man would have been suspicious, so he put up a little struggle.

However, out of those there, Gamabunta was the only one not fooled in the least.

"What are you up to Fox?" the toad boss asked in a low rumble.

'Your blond summoner is doing me a favor sealing me in the brat. We've already struck up an accord. Once his reserves are high enough he'll take me to the Time Space Witch.'

"Her? She's just a myth!"

'She is as real as you or I, Toad. The problem is the price. I will let the woman live, if only to keep the boy from becoming an orphan. But the man will die by Shinigami's Hand.'

"MINATO! Are you an idiot boy?! I will not allow you to use your soul to seal the damn fox away! You're the only summoner who hasn't pissed me off yet!"

Suddenly Madara appeared again, and used his eye on the Fox once more. He wanted Minato dead so he had to use the fox.

He found out the hard way someone was supply foreign chakra to the demon to keep a repeat of what happened when the fox first came out.

However it did have an unexpected side effect of him attempting to regain control. Many shinobi saw someone on the fox's nose, and from the tone of the Fourth, the man was the enemy using the fox.

Which meant the Fox hadn't attacked at random at all. Someone had turned it on Konoha.

The Fox, in a fit of rage, sent a tail at the man. He dodged the blow...only for it to go through Kushina.

Minato used what was left of her chakra and merged it with his own to seal the fox inside his son. Shinigami took both of their souls, but a good portion of their spirits remained in the seal.

And so the Fox was gone, as was the mystery man who had used it in the attack.

Some would blame the fox for killing their hero, but most would blame the man who no one got a good look at. They had survived an attack...but it would be years before the village fully recovered from the loss of their hero.

Naruto got out of bed. Today was the day he entered the Academy. Like always, he felt a pang of loss as he looked around his empty apartment. The only other living things there was the litter of foxes that lived with him, since he had rescued them from some drunken shinobi who had gotten pissed and tried to kill them.

They were barely babies, and the man had tried to kill them. Naruto loved animals, so he kicked the guy in the nads and ran with the infants. Their mother and father were already dead from kunai wounds.

Soon they would be big enough to live on their own. He had already shown them how to kill the rodents and other vermin that thrived in the hell hole that was his home.

Many people hated him for something he didn't understand. Most called him demon brat and monster.

For some reason he never took it personally. Most people would have retaliated for the abuse they heaped on him, but he never did. The only time he did react was during the birthday mobs.

He would take the kits with him to hide inside the Hokage's office, where the mobs never dared to besiege because it would bring the ANBU down on them in a heartbeat.

While on his way to the Academy (insuring the foxes would survive until he returned) he found an odd-looking feather on the ground. It was pure white and had strange markings on it. He put it in his pocket, unaware of what it would do later.

"You sensed it as well, didn't you?"

"The amount of power this thing has is ridiculous. It's a good thing we found it before one of the fools in this village did."

"Are you going out again tonight?"

"You know as well as I do that we need a firm power base to work off of if Naruto wishes to become Hokage. By befriending those orphans and those poor children brainwashed by the one called Danzo, we'll at least have some people who won't treat him like scum and will work with him."

"I still can't believe you hide behind this personality just to avoid suspicion."

"People would ask the wrong questions and cause more trouble than it's worth if I didn't act like one of the parents. The woman's wild personality felt easier to drop into...and it provides a good cover in case things go bad."

"Plus you get to cause trouble without people questioning it. But why the obsession with ramen though?"

"I swear that HAS to be inherited. Either that or it has unhealthy amounts of some additive which makes it addicting."

"I vote inherited. Both my former container and her husband were absolutely in love with the stuff."

"Huh...I'll see you in the morning Kurama-san."

"Night. I'll keep the brat alive until you get back."

Yue had a self-imposed mission. He would reach out to all the orphans in the village and keep them from being tainted by the adults towards Naruto.

So far he had managed to succeed with a few children no one even paid any mind.

A boy with strange eyebrows, a girl with a passion towards weapons, a child with a blank stare and no name of his own.

Naruto had run into two of the three, and they had immediately become friends despite being in different classes.

Soon the first chance to graduate would happen in the next month. Naruto was eager to get out of the Academy and prove his worth to an uncaring village.

He knew there were voices in his head that actually cared, because occasionally he heard them talking while he pretended to sleep.

One was a nice male voice named Yue. The second was a grumpy voice who was called Fox something or other. Both of them usually shut up the second it seemed like he was listening in. but from what he knew, they didn't seem to think he was a monster at all.

In fact they were trying to make sure he had friends to talk to.

He just wished that they would talk to him sometime too.

Five years after Naruto found the odd feather, several things had changed. For one, he finally got to talk to one of the voices he knew was there. It usually hid itself whenever the Yamanaka clan did the yearly evaluation of the student's psyche. They couldn't let someone clearly insane (and not in a good way) graduate to become a ninja.

Naruto had a few people he could tentatively call friend, but he wasn't close to any of them. None of them knew that he had voices in his head that he could chat with. Yue often made things clearer for him when he couldn't understand. He encouraged the boy to read.

And with the ability to change his appearance, Naruto often used the henge to go into stores without getting price gouged. Today was his last chance to become a ninja.