The Flower in the Snow

Summary: What if Naruto had a twin? What if, when she returned from the land of Snow, she told him of their origins? Kyuubi's a girl? What's up with Sasuke? Naruto X Fem. Kyuubi, Sasuke X OC [no lemons

This story diverges from the actual story just before the Chuunin Exams, when Hana makes her return to Konoha.

Do me a favour and go easy on the flaming, ok? This is my first Naruto Fic, after all…

Oh, and btw: Rangiku:- her name comes from the Bleach character, but everything else to do with her, including appearance, is something that popped up randomly in my head. I mention this so that no-one puts in a review saying things like 'You're using a Bleach character! She's not yours!', because I know I'm not Kubo Tite, and it is NOT MATSUMOTO RANGIKU that I'm using. Thankyou.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the familiar characters, but I do own Rangiku and Hana.

OOO

The Flower in the Snow: Prologue:

The sun rose over another new morning in Konoha. The pale amber light filtered over the village, flooding it with light. The Hokage tower was a brilliant red normally, but it redefined the colour on mornings like this. Enter the one problem that spoiled near-perfection: The Kyuubi was fast approaching, and the village Ninjas were truly very active on this morning in particular:

October the 9th.

Kyuubi was getting very close to Konoha, and wasn't showing signs of stopping. The demon fox just kept on coming no matter how many Ninjutsus or Genjutsus were thrown at it, and Taijutsus and most Kenjutsus were dead in the water, as no-one could get close enough.

Another matter didn't help: the 3rd Hokage and the 4th Hokage were frantically searching for more ways to defeat the demon, and had had minuscule successes, which had managed to irritate the demon, but nothing came up strong…

Until they looked at one of the last options left to them: a Seal.

The problem was that it required a massively powerful seal to seal away Kyuubi, the nine-tailed fox demon. The kind of seal one cannot place on an inanimate object without daring it to shatter into thousands of fragments and risk releasing what it contains. It would require a willing animated object with a long lifespan to seal away Kyuubi.

"A child would do it…"

"Arashi, are you mad!?! You are a Hokage! You have a responsibility to these people! All of them!"

"Don't you think I know that!?! If we don't do this, hundreds may die! The village could be completely destroyed!"

The 4th Hokage, the man called Arashi, paused to let this sink in, and then he continued:

"… I don't like the idea of this any more than you do, but we've tried everything else we could find available to us… and almost nothing has worked at all…"

"And what if we can find another way? Would you give up on this idea?"

"I would, but it's fast becoming the only way…"

"Do you even have a seal in mind, anyway?"

"Long ago, my clan invented a seal which, to this day, has only ever been used once. I found out about it only recently…" He pulled out a scroll and opened it before continuing:

"… It's called the Shiki Fuujin. It was designed for sealing powerful beings within other living beings, but from its' first use until now, its' use has been strictly forbidden by the clan heads. It is believed to be dangerous and unstable because it uses the sealed being's chakra to imprison itself, along with another method of releasing that chakra over time to make the sealed being weaker by using the host's chakra as a filter. 27 generations ago, it was used to seal Orochi, the snake demon, away for an entire generation, but sadly, it didn't kill him: he simply lost four of his 10 tails, two of which he has never recovered, and probably will not for quite some time to come."

"10 tails?"

"Yes. Compared to Kyuubi's nine."

"But it only works for a generation?"

"Longer if the Host lives longer. If we were to modify the seal, then it is possible that Kyuubi will be imprisoned for long enough to lose all nine tails-worth of power."

"Modifying a forbidden seal is dangerous, Arashi…"

"But think of what it could achieve if it works…"

"If the demon awakes-"

"It won't awake without reason."

"Reason?" Arashi shifted around slightly so he could better face the 3rd.

"The Shiki Fuujin has two more facets to it."

"Two more functions?"

"Yes. If the demon attempts to break free, it will have to fight its' own chakra, so if it tries too hard it will kill itself. The demon is only as powerful as the host and the seal allow it to be."

"… And the other facet?"

"The demon's pride is at stake even when trapped, so it will try to keep its' prison in top-of-the-range condition."

"… So…?"

"… So it will also heal the host at an incredible rate, and might also provide a surge of chakra when needed. It's all dependant upon how proud Kyuubi is as to whether the host will get this treatment, but there is a big probability that they will."

"… That is… IF we DO decide upon this."

"Even my Rasengan is useless against Kyuubi: no-one can get close enough. I doubt there's enough power in any long-ranged jutsus you could find, even in the Uchiha vaults, to get rid of Kyuubi. Sorry Professor…"

"So… We don't have a choice?"

"Unfortunately… we don't. I will need your help to modify the seal, as well."

"And what of the Child? We cannot just ask a villager to give up their child even for the sake of ridding the village of Kyuubi's threat, Arashi…"

"I have discussed this with a woman who is willing to see the reasons clearly…"

"There is someone in this village? Who?"

"My wife."

"You're married?"

"I married Rangiku in secret. I am aware I have made many powerful enemies, and I don't want them targeting my family. Surely you understand that, right?" the 3rd nodded once. Arashi had made a good point about his enemies.

"What else is there to think about with this… Shiki Fuujin… before we could use it?" the 4th looked downwards slightly; he didn't want to say this part.

"It will kill the one who places it."

10:37 pm; October 10th

The 3rd and 4th Hokages were reluctant to sacrifice anyone for the Shiki Fuujin, but in the end they had few other choices, and they had to do it. They had spent the entire night and the entire day afterwards modifying and then re-perfecting the Shiki Fuujin Seal so that it wouldn't rampantly overpower Arashi's child's Chakra reserves, and added another feature of security: an extra chakra link. Now if the host died, Kyuubi would die with them. This turned the Shiki Fuujin from a method of temporary imprisonment into an almost inescapable and slow death sentence for the nine-tailed fox. They also designed it so that eventually it would act similarly to the normal Shiki Fuujin in that the host's chakra would filter out the demon's, but would at first only be released very, very slowly through the seal instead. This lessened the strain on the host's Chakra coils at first, and gave the child the chance it would need to grow into at least a teenager before the seal stopped filtering out the demon's chakra for them completely. Now only one piece of the puzzle was missing: Arashi's wife was expecting, but hadn't given birth yet. Time was running short: the nine-tailed fox had almost reached Konoha.

"Arashi!"

That was good news from his friend.

"Hokage sir!"

That one was very, very bad news from an ANBU.

What it meant was that his child was right on cue, but unfortunately Kyuubi had made it to Konoha's protective wall earlier than he had been hoping for. Time would now be of the essence. He hurried to the wall to help see off Kyuubi's attacks until word was sent to him that everything was ready. He was thinking the entire time about what his child would be like when they were older. He might not ever know for sure, after all…

He got to the wall to find it filled with hairline cracks. He could hear Kyuubi's unceremonious slamming and the screams of the Ninjas the demon was killing like flies.

"This is getting serious… even these cracks in a wall like this…"

A/N: His point is true: Konoha's protective wall is at least a METRE thick and God-only-knows-how-high. Anything which can even crack it must have some serious power!

"Arashi! I've brought them!"

The 3rd was already back, carrying two bundles.

Wait-'them'? And two bundles? It couldn't be…

"Twins?" the 3rd nodded once again. Then…

"How's Rangiku?" the 3rd's slightly cheerful disposition fell, and he shook his head. He handed the children to the 4th.

"Are they named?"

"The girl's name is Hana, but the boy hasn't been named yet. Rangiku thought it would be best for you to name him."

"A name… what about Naruto?" The boy who was in his image smiled and giggled, and Arashi was somewhat reminded of Obito Uchiha by him. His sister was sleeping, and looked an awful lot like Rangiku: she even had her snowy white hair, although right now it was tufty, and her slightly fluttering eyelids showed that she was dreaming deeply. Arashi wondered if she had her mother's Chestnut eyes as well…

"She's more like her mother than she'll probably ever know…" Arashi mused, smiling sadly. He missed Rangiku already.

"Really…?" Arashi smiled and chuckled.

"You could put all the alarm clocks in Konoha by her bedside, but Rangiku wouldn't hear them. I remember doing that once…"

"All of them?" the 4th simply chuckled some more and nodded once.

"She didn't take too kindly to the fact I'd done it when she found out, but it's a true story."

"Hokage sir!"

Arashi cursed the world-he'd hoped to have a chance to spend more time with them, but Kyuubi wasn't going to stop for a simple family time. Damned fox.

"So which child?"

"Hm?"

"Which child will get-"

"I wish I'd thought about this sooner, actually… Hana would certainly have many problems if the idea of the Jinchuuriki being viewed as heroic backfires on us, but Naruto would also have his share of troubles… Damn, this is difficult! Sarutobi, may I have your word as Hokage that you will take care of them?"

"You have my word."

"Can you… take care of Hana for the moment?"

"So, you will seal Kyuubi into Naruto?"

"Yes."

"Shouldn't I do it? You are more capable of defending the village if it comes under attack again, and these two will need a parent or two…"

"If I'm not around, then your knowledge is the only evidence other than their genes that links me to them. They're safer that way, and besides, you didn't get the title of Hokage for nothing-that much I DO know about you Sarutobi… You'll do fine!" And with that, the 4th handed over the newborn girl.

"Well… I guess this is it…"

"I'll probably join you inside 20 years, Arashi. Suffice to say I'll have something new to say to you about your kids by then." Sarutobi smiled at Arashi, a reassuring smile.

"Just remember… I told you the plan, right?"

"Yes. They will not learn of their lineage until they can fend off the vast majority of your enemies. On that I give my word as well. They shall go by their mother's maiden surname."

"Thank you…" And with those two words, Arashi, the 4th Hokage, left to seal the Kyuubi into Naruto using the modified Shiki Fuujin seal.

11:17 pm; October 10th

"VICTORY!!!" one of the guards atop the wall shouted.

The 3rd smiled as well, but he knew the real cost of this victory. Konoha would tomorrow mourn its' 4th Hokage, and Sarutobi would have to introduce Naruto and Hana to the village tomorrow, as well. He hoped that Arashi's plan for his children would work, especially in Naruto's case, as it wouldn't do to have him be picked on…

Summary of the next 12 years:

Sadly, Arashi's wish for his son to be seen as the hero and not a demon, like the one imprisoned in him, would not be granted tomorrow, or even for another 12 years. Sarutobi's pleas to the general populous to be kind to the boy went largely ignored. His sister Hana was nearly raped at the age of 5, just because she was his sister, and Sarutobi was forced to separate the twins to help Hana. He ordered a special Joinin instructor to take her to the land of Snow, where he knew she would be relatively safe, and teach her the ways of the ninja. Hana had, at first, refused point blank to leave, as she didn't trust anyone except Naruto, their guardian, and Sarutobi himself, after her near-abuse and the trauma it caused her. But, she did eventually learn to trust people again, and went with the woman. Naruto would then spend the next 7 years tuning into the familiar blonde, blue-eyed, hyperactive, orange-jumpsuited prankster Ninja we all know and like; the one with the 'special' jutsu that even floored the 3rd Hokage. And Hana? We're about to find out…

A/N: You all know the 'special' Jutsu I mean.

OOO

Please review. I'd like to know if anyone does want me to continue this. It wasn't easy to think of things like how the Yondaime might have discovered the Shiki Fuujin seal, and how Naruto might have been born, as I've only got a few clues being only as far into the story as the third part of the Chuunin exam, plus quite a few blurted spoilers from my friends at school (Stuff like the Yondaime's name).

Anyway, please let me know what you think. I'm a little nervous this didn't turn out right…

blazeflare01