Bones, Chapter Two: The Tale Retold

When Naruto awoke, it was to the sallow face of Abraham Crane. “I’m sorry about using the Four Souls Barrage on you, but I was in a hurry. I brought you back here to your apartment. I got the job.”1

“I can see, Abe.” The new headband was apparent. Crane wore it around his waist as a sash, and had two swords and the thick-bladed knife stuck in it.2

“Don’t call me Abe. My friends back in Sleepy Hollow called me Brom, Brom Bones.”3

“Brom Bones? I can see the Bones part; you’re like a skeleton with a skin on it, but Brom?”4

“Short for Abraham. I was named after a family friend. He died in a very tragic manner, shortly before I was born.”5

“I’m sorry. Hey, I was wondering, where’d you come by that horse? He’s huge!”6

Abraham grinned sardonically, and said, “Well, I suppose you ought to know. After all, I will be on your team. But what I am about to reveal must never be uttered, do you understand. No one beyond this room must know of it.”7

“You’ll be on my team! Sweet! I won‘t tell anyone.”8

“Back to my story. It begins long ago, long before I was born, with a war. In it, my country fought to gain independence from a ruthless tyrant. The king hired mercenaries to come and help his army squash the rebellion. One of them was a horseman, a man known only as the Hessian, as he was from the province of Hess. He rode a huge black horse named Daredevil, and was the most ferocious warrior in battle. He rode across the battlefield like lightning, cutting off heads left and right. His downfall came in the winter of the year the war ended. He was on his way to the field when a musket ball hit Daredevil, killing him. The Hessian found himself chased by Continental soldiers, all bent on revenge. They cornered him, and cut off his head with his own sword. It took place in the woods west of my hometown, a little place called Sleepy Hollow. But the Hessian was so fierce that Hell itself could not hold him, and he rose from the grave as a demon, riding a demon horse, and killed again, and again.”9

Naruto gulped. “ A headless horseman?”10

“Yes, headless. Shortly before I was born he killed her friend, the original Brom Bones, cut him in half at the hips. My mother finally defeated the horseman. She could not kill him, so she sealed him.”11

“You have the horseman sealed inside you?”12

“No, of course not. Mom sealed him inside his sword! Whatever gave you that idea?”13

Naruto looked serious. “What I’m about to show you is known only to the adults of this village and me. It mustn’t be told to anyone.” He lifted his shirt, revealing the seal on his belly. “Years ago a fox demon called the Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked the village. The Fourth Hokage, not being able to kill it, sealed it within a newborn child. Me. I have a demon sealed inside me.”14

“I can’t say that I have a demon sealed within me, but I am tied to a demon, besides the horseman. On Daredevil’s left hip is a brand, a heart bound in chains. On my side is the same, with the chains encircling my torso.” Brom lifted his shirt to reveal it. “It seals the demon horse Daredevil to me. Bound in flesh, bound in spirit, bound in soul. If I die, so does he. If he dies, so do I.”15

“Whoa.” Naruto was speechless.16

“If you believe that to be amazing, I have one more piece of news. The Hokage pored through the ancient records, and your line and my line are related. We are family!”17

Naruto was truly speechless this time. After all this time, he had a family. He wasn’t alone anymore. He lay down on his futon, the thoughts racing through his head.18

The next day Brom and Naruto were at the training grounds early. they’d found a notice on Naruto’s door that Team Seven had a new mission, and was to meet at the training field at seven. As the two walked up, Brom astride Daredevil, they saw Sasuke and Sakura, Naruto’s teammates, waiting. “Sasuke, Sakura! Good morning!” Naruto bounded over. Crane dismounted and led Daredevil over. Sasuke scowled at him. Something about the new boy and his horse just didn’t feel right. As Sasuke was preparing to challenge Brom, their sensei Kakashi showed up. It was seven A.M. on the dot.19

“Hello, students. I see Naruto brought our new arrival with him. I’m Hatake Kakashi, the Jounin instructor for Team Seven. This is Haruno Sakura.”20

“Ah, a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” Sakura blushed.21

“And this is Uchiha Sasuke.”22

“A pleasure.”23

“Your name?” Kakashi was waiting.24

“Abraham Van Brunt Crane, at your service. You may call me Brom Bones. And that is Daredevil.”25

Kakashi cleared his throat. “Brom will be joining us as the newest member of Team Seven. Please make him feel welcome.”26

“So, Sensei, what’s our mission? Better not be something like pulling weeds or walking dogs,” said Naruto.27

“It isn’t. It’s an A-Rank mission, eliminating a group of bandits that have been preying on travelers between Fire and Wave Countries. It should be easy, but rumors are going around that some of the bandits know ninjutsu.”28

Brom grinned. “Alright, then, let’s saddle up.”29

As the team went along, Brom and Sakura talked. “So, Brom, where are you from?”30

“A little town called Sleepy Hollow. My father is a constable.”31

“I’ve never heard of a village by that name. I haven’t heard of any clan named Crane, or Van Brunt, either.”32

“My father’s family name is Crane. My mother, before her marriage, was a Van Tassel, and her line stretches back many generations, all the way back to here. I’m distantly related to Three different clans here. I’m a Third cousin twice removed to the Inuzuka, a third cousin four times removed to the Hyuuga, and a Second cousin once removed to your very own Naruto.”33

Sakura didn’t know whether to be impressed or disgusted. Impressed that he was kin, even distantly, to the Hyuuga, or disgusted that such a charming man was related to Naruto, of all people! “That’s quite a kinship.”34

“Thank you.” Brom would have said more, except his thoughts were interrupted by Daredevil.35

“Boy, I smell them. They’re up ahead, and blood has been spilled.”36

“Then let’s go.” Brom drew a sword, a long cavalry saber, and dug his spurs into Daredevil’s flanks. The great black steed reared, then tore off down the road. He blew past Sasuke so fast he was a blur, but he managed to shout to Sasuke that the men were just ahead. Sasuke activated his Sharingan, and nearly drowned in the chakra. Underneath the waves of it rolling off of Brom’s left side and his horse, the Uchiha detected the chakra of the bandits. He took off as well.37

When Sasuke arrived, he saw Brom’s first charge. The bandits were huddled in a knot around the bodies of two travelers, and as the horse barreled toward them they saw him and drew swords. As he passed Brom’s hand flashed, and one of the bandits fell dead. He pulled up, wheeled Daredevil around, and spurred him back into the fray. This time the bandits were ready, but it was to no avail. Another two fell, victims of the boy astride the horse. However, Brom didn’t ride Daredevil out of the crowd of thieves. He stood, tapped Daredevil with his spurs and dismounted. Brom was a whirling vortex, an inhuman fighter, his sword flashing again and again among the ill-fated thieves. Daredevil reared and plunged, his hooves caving in skulls and crushing limbs.38

By then Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi had arrived. They hung back from the fight, at once appraising the boy’s skill and finishing off the bandits that managed to escape either Brom’s saber or Daredevil’s crashing hooves with a well-aimed kunai or shuriken. As all the bandits fell, Naruto and Kakashi walked over as Brom was wiping the blood from his sword. Sakura excused herself, and the four heard the sounds of her being violently ill behind a bush. Kakashi turned to Crane. “Mister Crane, I must applaud your skills. I’ve never seen a battle go so swiftly. How did you know that they were here?”39

“Daredevil smelled them. But one thing troubles me. You said that some of the bandits might know ninjutsu. I just have a bad feeling.”40

“So the rumors were false! Big whoop!” said Naruto as he searched the dead. He was focused on Brom, and didn’t notice when his still-proving hand met something sticky. He looked down, and his hand was in a bandit’s bloody grip.41

“He-Help me, please,” he wheezed, and Naruto examined his wounds. He was relatively unharmed, but was missing his left arm to the elbow.42

“Hey, guys! I’ve got a live one here!” The others rushed over, save Brom, who was dragging the bodies off the road. Once the dead were off the road and in the trees, he set to work.43

Naruto was impressed by both Sakura and Kakashi’s medical skill. Even though Sakura had lost her lunch she dove readily into the bloody work of keeping this man alive. She bound his wounds, put a tourniquet on his severed arm, and rummaged through her bag, but came out empty. “Kakashi-Sensei, do you have any morphine in your bag?” The silver-haired Jounin tossed her a box. She pulled out a small syringe. It went into the bandit’s arm. His face sagged into blissful inattention.44

Sasuke was hanging back, keeping an eye out for possible bandit backup. He noticed a slight flare of chakra from where Brom was, then the boy came walking out. What were you doing?”45

“Giving the bandits a proper burial. I used a Doton jutsu to bury them.”46

“Then tell me what’s inside your bag, that reeks of blood.”47

“Trophies. I lifted some hair, but only the brave ones. I won’t lift a coward’s scalp.” He opened his bag, displaying five wet, bloody objects. “When we get back to Konoha, I’ll use them in a ceremony that an Indian named Three Knives taught me. It appeals to the spirits of the dead to forgive me, and to let go of any anger they may feel at being killed.”48

“Rubbish.”49

“Not so, Uchiha. The dead are all around us, closer than we think.” Brom closed the bag, performed a jutsu, and the smell stopped. He remounted Daredevil, and trotted over to Sakura. “Care to ride?” Sakura slid up into the saddle behind him, and Daredevil disagreed. He expressed this disagreement by bucking. Sakura went flying, and the horse stopped. “Give me a minute, Sakura. I need to work the kinks out of him.” He spun the horse around, dug his spurs deep into his flanks, and Daredevil took off at a gallop. He raced back and forth, going in and out of the trees, over logs, rocks, and bushes, through a stream, and around in different patterns. He did figure-eights, circles, and spins, and finally had enough. Daredevil swallowed his head, and quit the earth. He started to buck with such energy that it seemed he was trying to chin the moon. He high-dived, crow-hopped, and belly-rolled. Daredevil reared and plunged, stood on his head, jack-hammered and went ape.50

All the while Brom sat upon him cussing. Foul words rolled out of his mouth in a blue cloud, and you could hear the air around him sizzle. “Damn you, you rat-tailed, ewe-necked, sway-backed, crowbait son of a Malaga jack-ass! I should’ve sold your miserable hide to an Inuzuka!” He was going to say more, but at that moment he blew a stirrup, and Daredevil threw him. Brom sailed through the air, forked-end up, his legs kicking like a migrating bullfrog. He landed on his head, and leapt to his feet.51

“Okay, Daredevil. Point taken,” grumbled Brom. “Sakura, I guess you’ll have to ask Daredevil. He has a mind of his own.”52

All the while, Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi were watching. None said a word. Sakura walked up to Daredevil slowly, and reached out a hand. She stroked the horse gently on the muzzle, and said, “May I please ride you, Daredevil?”53

“You may, young lady.”54

Brom was listening. “He says you may. He started to climb up ahead of her, but Daredevil shied away. “What are you doing, Devil? Let me up.”55

“No, you get to walk. I only have the strength to carry one person back to town, and you pissed me off. So start hoofing, Abraham.”56

“Damned horse. Sakura, I believe I’ll walk. I need to speak with your teammates anyway. Don’t worry, I’ve worked it out with Daredevil. He won’t throw you.” Daredevil started to trot away.57

Sasuke was the first to speak. “When you rode past me and I activated my Sharingan, I could barely sense the chakra of the bandits over your chakra and your horse’s. Explain.”58

“I suppose you deserve an answer. The reason is that Daredevil isn’t a regular horse. He’s a lesser demon. His previous master was also a demon. The two of them used to be mortal, a warrior called the Hessian and his horse. They were killed, but rose again as a demon horse and a headless rider, and terrorized my village. My mother managed to defeat the Horseman by sealing him inside his own sword. But she didn’t know the repercussions of her actions. When it happened she was pregnant with me, and when I was born, there was a mark on me. This.” He removed his shirt, and displayed the mark, black as night against his skin. “The heart, bound in chains. At the sound of my first cry, there came a clattering from outside, the sound of hoofbeats on the road, stopping in front of my house. My parents rushed to the window, and there in front of the house stood Daredevil. He’d disappeared after the Hessian was sealed, but reappeared that night. He stood there, as if waiting, and then my parents saw it. There on the demon horse’s left hip was a heart bound in chains, branded into his skin!”59

“So you two are bound by these marks. I see,” said Kakashi. “Are there any side-effects?”60

“Few, but some. If I die, so does Daredevil, and vice versa.”61

“I see. Well, let’s get this guy back to Konoha,” said Kakashi, pointing to the still-unconscious bandit.62

“I’ll carry him,” said Brom. He picked up the bandit, and began to run back to Konoha.63