Chapter Text
I woke to an unfamiliar and yet familiar ceiling in an unfamiliar yet familiar room. I sat up on the equally unfamiliar yet familiar bed and looked around. The first thing I noticed was despite my lack of glasses, I could see perfectly fine, which was strange in and of itself. The second thing I noticed was the rather large black bird sitting on the bedside table. I blinked dazedly at it, tilting my head to mirror the bird’s movements. It hopped onto my knee, staring at me. Whoever’s bird this was, it obviously wasn’t scared of strangers.
Oddly enough, the bird (crow, my brain supplied), like the other things in the room, was both recognizable and strange to me. I reached out gently, slowly, to pet the soft feathers on the bird’s head.
“Hi, pretty birdy,” I greeted, my voice decidedly deeper than I thought it should have been.
“You’re not Kou-chan!”
I jumped back, my head throbbing painfully as I slammed it against the wall. Kou-chan. That’s what the crow had called me (I wasn’t going to bother trying to wrap my head around the fact the bird had TALKED at this point). But that wasn’t my name. That definitely wasn’t my name.
“If you’re not Kourubi then who are you?” the crow demanded, hopping up and down on my knee in an agitated fashion. The crow was female; at least that’s what her voice suggested.
I shook my head, trying to keep my brain from going fifty different directions at once. I had to focus on the important things first, dammit! Who WAS I? I had a good idea of who I was in a fairly broad sense. I was a library aide, recently graduated from college. I’d studied abroad in Italy and had fallen in love with the little Tuscan town I’d lived in (especially the food). I had a mother, a father, and a little brother who wasn’t so little any more. I could tell you about my taste in music and what I liked to read and even a little bit about what I looked like (though that last one was fairly hazy). But my name.
I couldn’t remember my name.
“I…I don’t know,” I admitted to the crow. “I don’t remember my name.”
The crow frowned…at least I assumed she was frowning.
“Where am I?” I asked, looking about the room. The persistent déjà vu I was feeling was starting to scare me. “I…last thing I remember was going to bed.”
The crow remained silent for a while, as if debating whether or not she should tell me anything.
“Why don’t you go to the window and find out?” the crow suggested, her voice soft, almost as if she pitied me.
I moved slowly, giving the crow plenty of time to hop off my knee as I twisted to set my feet on the cool wood floor. I frowned at that. My room had carpet…didn’t it? The room I fell asleep in was most certainly my room. But…wasn’t this also my room? I rubbed at my temples as they throbbed, trying to reconcile the two lifetimes of memories in my head. The ones that told me the room was right and familiar…those weren’t mine. And yet everything screamed at me that they were.
I hobbled over to the window, which was more like a sliding glass door that opened to a small balcony, and opened it. The bright morning sunlight blinded me for a moment as I walked out on to the balcony but, I could make out a large town just over what looked like a low wall.
As my eyes adjusted to the light, I could see more and more details. The wall I saw went around the building I was currently in, along with several other buildings, none of which went above my line of sight. That meant the building I was in was the tallest in the area. Beyond the wall was a hodgepodge of buildings of various colors and shapes and heights.
And at the farthest point, where the town ended, was a large cliff. Upon that cliff were four faces. Four faces that were familiar to both sets of memories.
I was staring at Hokage Mountain.
“No fucking WAY!” I yelped, stumbling back into the room. I tripped over something and landed rather painfully on my ass. But I wasn’t in the right mind to care about that.
I, some how some way, had ended up in Konoha.
My mind was racing. There were so many questions. How the hell had I ended up here? How did this place even exist? When in the timeline had I arrived? Who was the person I had taken over for?
What had happened to that person?
I felt dizzy. I was shaking. I couldn’t breathe. Oh god, I was gonna hurl.
“Kourubi?”
I turned at the soft voice. The crow was staring up at me again.
“I’m not…”
“No, I suppose you’re not,” the crow agreed, hopping up on my knee once more. “Or, I suppose more accurately, you weren’t.”
“What?”
“No matter who you were before, you are Kourubi now. You have inherited her life, and you must live it from here on out,” the crow stated plainly.
“But…”
“Do you have her memories?” the crow asked, interrupting me.
“I think so?” I answered, racking my brain. The best I could dig up from under my own memories where images. A man and woman I assumed were Kourubi’s mother and father. The other members of Kourubi’s three-man team. People she had seen before and places she had been. Things like names, how she’d felt about things, her reactions to events; these things were beyond my reach.
“Then you are Kourubi,” the crow asserted. “Memories, experiences, those are what make us who we are. You just happen to also be someone else.”
Her logic was certainly flawed, but I couldn’t find a decent argument against it. If I told everyone I wasn’t Kourubi, but someone else who had somehow had switched places with her consciousness, they’d probably lock me up. Pretending I was Kourubi…that didn’t exactly sound appealing either. Kourubi, from what I could piece together from her memories, was a ninja. A genin. There was bound to be things expected of Kourubi that I couldn’t do.
I sighed heavily, leaning back until my neck rested against the edge of my bed. What was I supposed to do in this situation?
“I’m Mori, by the way,” the crow introduced herself, and somehow when she said it the memory came flooding back to me. Of course this was Mori. I…Kourubi had known Mori since she was a small child. But if Mori was here, where was…?
“Kou-chan! Rise and shine! Up and at ‘em!” another large crow flew in through the open balcony door. He stopped short of landing on my other knee, staring up at me.
“You’re not Kou-chan.”
“Well, not entirely, no,” I admitted. I turned to Mori. “I’m going to have problems if everyone can tell what’s going on as easily as you two.”
“Gan and I have always had a special bond with Kourubi,” Mori said, a fondness creeping into her voice. “We were born for her, you know.”
“I do,” I assured, reaching out to pet Mori’s shiny black feathers. And I meant it. The more I talked with her, the more of Kourubi’s memories bubbled to the surface.
I remembered the day Kourubi met Mori and Gan, many years ago. I remembered the contract, sealed with blood. I rubbed my thumb over the tip of my index finger, where my (Kourubi’s) father had pricked it. I remember holding the two tiny, fluffy baby birds in my hands. I remembered the surge of joy and wonder.
I took my hand back, realizing it was shaking.
“Ah, you remembered.” Mori smiled. “I’m sure the more you experience of this life, the more memories will come back to you.”
“Hard for them to come back to me when I didn’t make them in the first place,” I muttered.
“Shush,” Mori admonished, slapping at me with her wing. “They are just as much your memories now as they were hers.”
The way she said ‘hers’ made my stomach sink. The question remained.
“What…what do you think happened to her?”
Mori ruffled her feathers in a way I assumed meant she was shrugging. “If you are here, then she must be there.”
“Then she has a much harder time than I do,” I joked. “She won’t have any talking animal friends to guide her.”
Mori tilted her head again, and a fond look entered her eyes. “You may not be her, but you are very much like her.”
“Good, should make things easier.”
“This is all well and good,” Gan interrupted. “But Kou-chan has training today.”
Oh shit.
I scrambled up from my sitting position, causing Mori and Gan to flutter wildly to keep from falling to the floor. I searched the room wildly, shuffling through drawers until I found suitable clothing. I struggled to remember whether Kourubi showered in the morning or at night. I end up turning to Mori and Gan, who were sitting on my bed.
“Do I need to…?”
“You showered last night, Kou-chan,” Mori informed me kindly, as if speaking to a small child. That should have rubbed me the wrong way, but right now I was in too much of a rush to get offended.
I grabbed randomly at articles of clothing. All of Kourubi’s clothes seemed to be in shades of grey, with the occasional black or white. I end up settling on a pair of black pants that fit tight against my skin and a thin, dark grey, long sleeved shirt with a strange, feather like design about the shoulders. Best part: the shirt had a hood. That was cool. I had always wanted a shirt like that, but I’d never been able to find one my size. Kourubi was much smaller than I had been, at least width wise. I supposed it made sense. She’d been training to be a ninja most of her life, that was bound to keep you in shape. I was especially impressed with my arms, the muscles distinct even under the sleeves of my shirt. My legs were damn fine too, if I said so myself (and I did).
My eyes scanned the room, finding her headband atop the dresser I had pulled my clothing from. The metal was a sort of brushed steel, less reflective then the ones I had seen at home when I went to conventions. The metal plate had been set against black fabric, instead of the standard blue. I traced the leaf symbol with my fingertips. Fond memories of Naruto the story flooded back. I hadn’t watched it in years. Well, that was a lie. My little brother (I couldn’t remember his name either, and that made me much sadder than the fact I that I couldn’t remember my own) had wanted to watch it, so we had sat down one weekend and marathoned the first arc of the show, up to the very start of the Chunin exams.
A sudden surge of determination filled me as I thought about my situation. In all likelihood, I wouldn’t be able to change much of anything, but I could at least give Naruto a friend. I could certainly be a better friend then Sasuke at any rate (not that that was hard).
I inhaled deeply, set in my goal, and slipped the headband on under my bangs, tying it tightly at the back of my head. With Mori and Gan’s help, I also managed to find my weapons pouches and put those on too.
I thundered down the wooden stairs of the house, letting instinct guide me towards the main living area. I could smell breakfast in the air and my stomach growled loudly. I paused at the archway into the kitchen, taking in the sight.
A woman in a knee length, poppy red sundress was setting the table. Her mahogany colored hair was pinned up in a large bun at the back of her head. She had tucked two black feathers into her hair like I remember seeing girls at school do with pencils…or disposable chopsticks. She hadn’t seemed to notice me yet, leaving me to observe as much as I liked. Her name still escaped me, but this was definitely my mother (Kourubi’s mother, the line was already starting to blur). She had been an instructor at the Academy, my instructor.
When she finally looked up and saw me, her face broke out in a bright smile, brighter than any smile I remembered ever seeing on my own mother (then again, I was already starting to forget my real mother’s face). Her eyes were a warm, earthy brown and something inside me told me I could trust those eyes.
“Good morning, Kourubi-chan,” she greeted cheerfully. “Do you have time for breakfast before you head out?”
“Of course she does,” Gan answered for me, startling me as he came fluttering down to rest on my left shoulder like he belonged there. “I always wake her up in time for breakfast!”
My mother reached out to stroke Gan’s pretty black feathers. “You’re so good to her, Gan. I don’t know what she’d do without you!”
“Use an alarm clock?” I suggested, a playful lit to my voice.
My mother giggled, shaking her head fondly. Good, it seemed Kourubi was as prone to sarcasm and jokes as I was. That would make things easier.
I slid automatically into the chair closest to the archway. I glanced around at the table, noticing one of the places had been left unset. I frowned, recognizing that as father’s place. Why hadn’t mom set a place for dad?
“Go ahead and eat, Kourubi-chan.” I turned to my mother, who was scooping rice into a bowl. “Your tou-san was called away on a mission early this morning, so there’s no use waiting for him. Wouldn’t want Noboru-sensei mad at you for being late.”
I nodded wordlessly and picked up my own bowl of rice, quickly shoveling the sticky white grain into my mouth. I wasn’t used to having rice for breakfast…or fish…or soup, but the food was delicious nonetheless and I was starving. I finished my food as quickly as possible and moved my dishes to the sink before bolting for the door. I slid my black sandals onto my feet, called a farewell to my (Kourubi’s) mother and slipped out the door.
It was pleasantly warm outside, unlike the unbearable heat I was used to back home. A breeze blew though the air and ruffled my hair. I combed a hand through it, taking the time to actually look at it. It was a lighter brown then my hair from before, about the same length though. It was soft and silky and I kept playing with it as I trotted down the cobblestone path that led from the front of my house to the gate that opened out into the village proper. Kourubi must have been a member of a pretty important clan to live in a walled compound like this.
Mori and Gan joined me shortly into my walk, landing delicately on my shoulders.
“So, I’m still kinda hazy about a whole bunch of shit,” I said quietly, trying not to catch the attention of the civilians I passed by. I was simply letting my legs carry me to where I needed to go. Even if I couldn’t remember anything, muscle memory would serve me well in this kind of situation.
“We will help you however we can, Kou-chan,” Mori insisted.
“I assume I’m part of a pretty important clan,” I started. “Tell me about them.”
“You’re name is Karasuno Kourubi,” Gan announced proudly. “And you are the daughter of Karasuno Isamu, clan head.”
Clan head? I was the daughter of the clan head? Well, if that didn’t put a whole new pressure on me to keep from appearing suspicious. Shit, now I was nervous. Well, more nervous.
“Enough, Gan, you’ll scare the poor thing!” Mori chided. Her tone was softer when she addressed me. “Don’t worry, Kou-chan. You’re doing fine.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, not entirely believing her.
I paused briefly to glance into a storefront window, and was startled by the reflection I saw there. I looked much like I did before, short brown hair, olive skin tone; even the face shape was fairly similar. But my eyes. My eyes were totally different. They used to be a rather plain, dark shade of brown. But now, they were more red then brown. Not Sharingan red or anything, but red nonetheless. I pretended to fuss with my hair so no one passing by would think anything weird was going on and quickly moved along.
“Tell me more about…her,” I requested. “I know I’m a genin, but…at my age shouldn’t I be a chunin?”
“Most would be, but Noboru-sensei is a cautious man,” Mori explained. “He spent more time on your training then taking you out on missions. Wanted you three to be prepared for anything. He didn’t nominate you for the chunin exams until you were 16.”
“How old am I now?”
“18,” Mori informed me. “Noboru-sensei wanted to wait another year before nominating you again after your team failed.”
I hummed, the memories starting to bubble up again. I could even feel Kourubi’s disappointment at the memory of my team’s first failure. New concerns were starting to dance around my mind. I had a basic idea of how chakra and jutsu worked, but I had no practical experience. Kourubi did, of course, but I wasn’t (totally) Kourubi. I was just some weird Freaky Friday case gone interdimensional. Would I be able to rely on muscle memory and instinct like I was with getting to the training grounds? I’d probably have to.
I passed breezily through the main part of the village, drinking in the sights and sounds and smells. Everything was so colorful! The buildings, the clothing, the awnings that hung over the doors of the shop. I almost forgot I was in a ninja village. The grey-scale of my outfit made me stand out far more than an orange jumpsuit ever could (even if I looked far less ridiculous). I breathed deeply, the air was fresher here than back home. It smelled like trees and a little bit like fresh rain, even over the delicious smell of food that wafted out from open doors. It was a noisy village, too. People chattered as they wandered about the streets; children screamed and laughed; merchants shouted praise for their wares and complements to the ladies passing by with shopping bags. Normally, I would have tugged my headphones on and drowned it all out with whatever song I felt like listening to a hundred times over. But my headphones were gone, and so was my music. Oh…I think I made myself sad. I loved music, always had. I was going to miss it. I’d have to find a way of getting it back somehow. Nothing was impossible for ninja, right? Right.
I turned instinctively off the main road towards an area less densely packed with buildings and people. The few shops scattered about advertised weapons and weatherproof clothing instead of toys or food and drink. This was definitely the shinobi district. I found it a little odd that the Karasuno’s lived in the civilian district, seeing as they were obviously a ninja clan. But, perhaps, the Karasuno’s had been there first and the civilians just built around them. I’d have to see what sort of books I could find back home about those kinds of things.
I crossed a small, wooden bridge over a tiny stream, and was met with a loud, very personal greeting.
“KOURUBI!” a tall, teal-haired man nearly bowled me over as he ran into me. “Mai’s being mean to me again!”
“I am not!” a young woman with golden-blonde hair tied back in a tight braid scowled. “Kourubi, tell Ryou he’s too damn sensitive to be a shinobi if he can’t take criticism of his damn katas!”
“She told me I moved like a noodle!” the man, Ryou, protested.
This…this was starting to feel familiar. Of course it was familiar, I’d been dealing with these sorts of shenanigans for years. No, no I hadn’t, Kourubi had. But I was Kourubi. No I wasn’t! Ugh, I was getting a headache again. Mori cawed sympathetically from the bridge railing, where she and Gan had taken up residence so as not to get caught in Ryou’s ‘greeting’.
“You are a noodle!” the woman, Mai, argued. “And what kind of ninja is always changing their hair color! It gets more ridiculous every time!”
“Hey, this way enemy ninja won’t recognize me!”
“Oh my god, it’s too damn early for this,” I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose like that was going to help.
“I agree.” I turned to see another, older man crossing the bridge I’d just come over. “Ryou, let go of Kourubi, please. And Mai, stop insulting Ryou. Honestly, how do you have this much energy every morning?”
“You’re the one who set the training time, sensei,” Ryou reminded, finally releasing me. “Don’t blame us if it’s too early for you.”
“Shush,” our sensei (Noboru, my memories provided) snapped half-heartedly. “Or I won’t tell you the…well I guess you’d think it’s good news but it’s giving me a heart attack already.”
Mai was next to me in a second and Ryou’s pressed against my other side. I could feel him practically buzzing in his skin. What sort of news could be this damn exciting? Wait…what time of the year was it? It was fairly warm, so it had to be either late spring or early summer. What happened in the manga around that time? God it’d been years since I’d read it.
“I have officially nominated you for the chunin exams,” Noboru announced.
….fuck me.