Spark of Creation

A/N: IMPORTANT – THIS FIC IS VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL TO CHAPTER 24 OF MY OTHER FIC 'WIN SOME, LOSE SOME'!

After receiving some constructive feedback saying this work was a little too long for a single chapter as well as being more MTG than Naruto, I've decided to republish it as a multi-chapter crossover rather than a standalone piece. Hopefully this'll make it easier to read and enjoy; I've also rewritten minor bits to make it flow better and aside from that I only just realised I've currently got 13 published stories; I'm superstitious, so sue me!

Hope you all enjoy this piece but I've been away from the site a while; if you think I should delete this as a chapter from 'Win Some, Lose Some' please let me know ASAP; last thing I want to do is tread on the moderators' toes so soon after a long break!

For Reference:

"speech."

"bijuu speech"

; thoughts;

"telepathy and/or emphasis and/or technique name."

Enjoy the multi-planar show!

XXX

Chapter 1 – Fortune Bears Fruit

Kyuubi's last action was to notice the ripple.

All was going dark around him, the chakra he'd forced into his idiot host nearly extinguished. Snarling, the bijuu braced himself to send another pulse through the iron-hard seal when the water before his cage suddenly shook, a single ripple spreading outwards in the water beneath him. Dismissing it and setting himself to preserving both his (and, unfortunately, his hosts') life it happened again, and again, the humans' mindscape shaking. Impossible; he wasn't dying, he better than anyone knew the Shinigami's touch; what is this? And what...; the water, tears his mortal bearer had never cried, was draining away as impossible, unearthly light shone from beneath it.

Scrambling backwards the giant fox heard his cage creak, felt rumblings beneath and tensed to spring – whatever this mental earthquake was if it weakened or broke the hated blonde humans' seal he'd take his freedom like a shot – before the floor below him pitched. Stumbling, Kyuubi was left aghast as the floor beneath his paws crumbled, the light below it thrashing like a pinned worm; suddenly fearful he jumped, as high as he could, trying like his host to avoid the inevitable but unable to stave it forever. The light reared up and by its touch the false veneer was stripped away, the truth was remembered and the final step in a plan eons long was completed, sheer chance at last reaping rich rewards. The Kyuubi ceased to be and its progenitor quickly opened the gate, dragging itself beyond the veil and into the forgotten, a place the one it had found would soon begin to undo. Its arrival did not go unnoticed and soon the shadows conversed, their whispers heard by the one brought into this unreality as the boy dreamed of what had been.

The search was over, the rebuilding was nigh; after an instant and an eternity of travelling with strangers and wandering alone a new pair of eyes opened, saw the debris and began the long, laborious task of both setting thing right in the present and sowing the seeds of a better future. Heeding the shadows of what had been he gave form to the shapeless, speaking where words were needed and making bargains where possible but always with one eye upon the future, both of his work and those he had journeyed with unseen.

As the first strands of insanity were dragged into the material world and set in their proper place, as deals were made, an old friend of the child's tracked down and plans formulated, the first step upon an impossible trek was taken and a desire eons old finally approached fulfilment...