This is going to be apart of a series of OC/SI as twin fics for different fandoms. One of which is Echoes of the Heart and Soul, which has been deleted as I haven't outlined it and I know the chapters I posted will be different once I do. That should be repost soon along with the first chapters of two other fics. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story!

Thanks for reading. Now onto the story.

One

endings and beginnings

"Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides."
-Lao Tzu

Being reborn is a lot like waking up after a deep sleep. It's not like people wrote in the those stories I read a lifetime ago. I do not remember my birth which I am beyond thankful for. I do not remember much of my infant years. My brain wasn't developed enough for me to be aware like I am now. I still was aware, and I do have impressions of things, mostly people from that time. The best example I can give is that I do not trust most of the primary caretakers for infants and toddlers in Konoha's Red Tree Orphanage because I have negative impressions of them from when I was an infant. It was literally like I just woke up one day shortly after I turned three and I was aware.

I found myself lying in a small cot, like the kind you would find in a hospital. There was a warm weight wrapped around me, and a fuzzy warmth inside me that moved from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet like my own internal river. The cot wasn't quite comfortable and I did not feel like I was safe at home but I was content. I shifted and the warm weight shifted too, and a child with the remnants of soft baby hair moved so they were laying with their head on my chest instead of wrapped around my slightly smaller form. I was both surprised that I was a child and not. The memories of this life were clearer and I was more this child than I was the woman in the memories of before. Those memories of before were foggy and it felt more like they belonged to a character in a book than they belonged to me a lifetime ago. So it was easy to accept that I was no longer that person from before, and even easier to accept that it was okay to not put too much into my before and focus on who I am now. Though I had less memories of now as I was younger, those memories held much more in them, the memories brought back back phantom senses, like a small warm hand in mine, and the comforting smell of smoking tobacco. I knew from these memories that I was three years and two months old. I was a sister, and there was no one more important to me than my brother who I was cuddling with right now. I knew that while I could not read or write yet, I did have a good grasp on speaking for my age because the caretakers never spoke to my brother and I in baby talk. There was a bunch of other little things I knew about myself now, but none that felt as right as my name.

Minako, meaning beautiful child.

I lay there in my bed, running my fingers through my brothers blond locks and mouthed my name. It made me feel giddy. I must have been lost in my thoughts for a good while because suddenly light peaked through the small window to the right of the cot we lay on. It gently touched the side of my face and highlighted the blonde of my brother hair. I could feel my own brothers warmth, it felt much like my own but more free, like a summer breeze. It was comforting and the love and affection for this person laying with me swelled up in my chest until it was overwhelming. I shifted careful as to not wake my twin so I was sitting and his head lay in my lap. I leaned down, ignoring the vivid red hair that tumbled over my shoulders as I kissed him on his cheek. It was only a few moments later when I was absentmindedly stroking the whisker like markings on his cheek when it clicked exactly where I was.

I was in the Naruto-verse. The only reason I knew this was because my best friend before was obsessed with it. I never did watch or read it but I knew the gist of the plot because she would talk to me about it. Part of me felt like I should be freaking out about being reborn in a world that was once fiction but I just could bring myself to do so. This was my life now, my world, and I could not rely on the knowledge I had from the before. There was no telling if it would even be accurate outside a few things. I knew that at least the bare bones of the plot, which was a little less than what I remembered, was accurate. Beyond that I couldn't trust the before knowledge. I myself was proof of that. According to the before knowledge I shouldn't exist since Naruto never had a twin sister. So, I decided right then, that I wouldn't much stock on any of the before knowledge outside of a few things which I was almost absolutely sure were the same. Which amounted to all of two things really. One was the identity of my parents, because you could look at me and my brother and see both Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina in us. The other was that my brother has the Kyuubi sealed inside of him, I knew this simply because of how most of the caretakers treated him.

Silently, I made a vow right then and there to do my best to forget the before. It wouldn't do for me to dwell in a past I could never return to. It really should have hurt more but most of the before was distant and out of touch emotionally already. So the before was shifted to the deepest parts of my mind and essentially forgotten.

Learning to read and write was a pain. This was mostly because Kaito, the caretaker that was in charge of teaching me and Naruto did not like my brother. So he would do the bare minimum in regards to teaching him. And like most of the people who did not like my brother, mostly because they feared what was sealed inside of him, he did his best to try to separate me from Naruto. Which in turn made it so he was not really doing much to teach me as well.

Before lessons started, Naruto and I knew how to speak. Our vocabulary was limited but we got by. After lessons started we trailed behind our peers. Learning the alphabet, which was very similar to Hiragana was tricky for us because our teacher wasn't very attentive. If we wanted to catch up to our peers we would have to learn on our own. How, I wasn't sure and this frustrated me greatly.

Two weeks in I was ready to kill someone. Most likely Kaito, the little bitch. If he said one more thing about my brother I would stab him. I don't know with what, but I would find something.

The lessons were held in the dining hall as it was the only space really big enough to have all of us children in one room. There was about fifty kids all together in our orphanage. Out of that fifty about twelve were learning to read and write. We were split into three groups. Two groups of five and a group with me and my brother. Each group had it own caretaker assigned as a teacher. Though both of the bigger groups sat at one table. My brother and I were sat at a smaller round table in the corner of the room away from everyone else. I was not surprised that my brother and I were isolated from the rest of the kid our age as it was normal. This though only made it harder to find a solution to the problem. By the end of today's lesson I was at my wits end. I was glaring as hard as I could at Kaito. I wasn't sure how effective it was as it only made him coo at me like I was a puppy or something as he patted my head and walked off to meet with the caretakers in charge of the other two groups.

"Mina-nee, come on!" Naruto whined, having too much energy to sit still for so long. "Let's play in the sand."

I frowned, looking down at the worksheet left on the table before letting him pull me outside and to the small playground in the back.

"Don't get sand in my hair again." I muttered grumpily as we settled down at the corner of the sand pit.

"I won't!"

"You better not. Let's make the Hokage Mountain."

Naruto nodded, shifting the sand into a pile in front of us. I started pressing the sand down into a vague headlike shape for the First Hokage when we were interpreted by one the caretakers. She looked frazzled, there was red blotches on her cheeks and her hair was half out of her pony tail. Her dress had a large stain down the side and she smelt like shit, literally. She was a new caretaker, and only been working at the orphanage for about a month. I didn't think she would last another. I almost felt bad for her. I would have if she wasn't one of the people that hated my brother, and not from fear but because she actually saw him as the Kyuubi. The idiot.

"You two have a visitor. He is in the meeting room." She said sharply, and turned on her heel and went back inside not even sparing us a second glance.

"Gramps!" Naruto cheered, jumping to his feet and running towards the backdoors. The motion destroyed our sand mountain and flung sand all around. More importantly all over me. I hated sand, it got everywhere but since he loved to play in it and admittedly so did I, I didn't mind as long as we were careful.

I made a high pitched noise in the back of my throat and screeched in rage and pushed myself up to my feet. I ran after him, not sure what I was going to do when I caught up with him but planning to do something at least.

"Naruto! Stupid brother!" I yelled as I pushed open the back door.

I ran through the dining hall, into the hallway and slammed open the meeting room door, ignoring the calls of a caretaker about the sand I was tracking into the building. Gramps was seated in the middle of the couch facing towards me, Naruto in his lap. I ignored him, my sight set on my brother.

"Mina-nee!" He cried out in fear. "I'm sorry!"

"You!" I bit out angrily. "Sand!"

"Minako-chan, it's good to see you." Gramps greated, smiling in the face of my fury. "Please wait to murder your brother until after my visit."

"Gramps!" Naruto whined.

"Hi gramps." I said as I flopped grumply on the table right before him, laying on my back almost hanging off the table.

"Naruto was telling me you guys are learning to read and write."

"Bah, Kaito is stupid!"

"Mina-nee, was giving him her glare of death today."

"It's 'cause he deserves to die for being stupid!" I mutter angrily, followed by a few similar comments under my breath.

Gramps laughed, patting my hand gently. "I am guessing your lessons are not going well?"

"No. I don't wanna learn anymore!" Naruto answers, smashing his face in gramps side. "Kaito hates me anyway!"

"If I could practice more I would be awesome." I added.

"Is that so." Gramps muses before changing the topic. "What had you ready to murder Naruto-kun, Minako-chan?"

"He got sand in my hair!" I cried, only realizing how dramatic it was in the silence that followed my statement.

Gramps laughed, deep and rich, and it made me feel a hundreds times better. Feeling giddy and happy with my two favorite people in the whole entire world beside me, I felt at peace. I was probably smiling like a loon I was so happy. Naruto and I would spend the next hour with gramps before he had to leave.

By the end of the night there were two sets of writing utensils and workbooks on our cot.

Learning from then on was easier. Now that I was able to practice more, I was able to help Naruto to learn. This was because he refused to learn from Kaito, not that I blamed him. Once we got into the swing of it, and mastered the alphabet and started writing and reading sentences Naruto actually got better at it then me. Since he actually enjoyed reading, the heathen, he eventually was the one to help me get better at both basic reading and writing.

When we got to learning the kanji like characters it became obvious that Naruto was not someone who learned very well auditorily. I was much better at processing information that way and I once again had to find a way to teach him. After some trial and error we found a way that suited his more kinetic and visual brain. As soon as he got it, my brother ended up memorizing and understanding the characters better and quicker than me, partly because he was more motivated. Eventually he was the one teaching me. I wasn't too jealous though as his handwriting was atrocious, unlike mine.

Shortly after our fourth birthday we were kicked out of the orphanage. Well, my brother was anyway. I am not sure what their excuse is for kicking us out, and I don't care. What I care about is making them pay for it. While I had never wandered around Konoha proper by myself, I was sure I would be able to steer us in the right direction.

I reached out to grab Naruto's hand, and pull him after me. His right eye was already swelling and turning a ugly purple. My lip was split and I was sure my cheek was bruising from when I took a hit for my brother. The caretaker who had been hitting my brother look appalled when he saw he hit me. It only made me angry. What made it okay for him to hit my brother, but not okay to hit me? I may have knew the reason, but it doesn't mean I understood it.

I was so angry, I wasn't really looking where I was going. Yet for some reason I didn't run into anyone. Instinctively I was aware of where people were. Objects, like benches, not so much. I ended up sprawled awkwardly over the side of the bench. My right leg must have smacked against the side of the bench because it was throbbing and bleeding.

"Minako!" Naruto cried, looking at me in horror. "You keep getting hurt because of me!"

His eyes were dark, and he was clenching his fists tightly. He was half frowning, half sneering and if he wasn't a child the expression would be terrifying.

"It was my fault," I muttered as I picked myself up. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"If you say so…" Naruto said mulishly.

"I do." I agree. "Let's find gramps, he'll know what to do."

"Do we have to?"

"Yes, we have nowhere to live Naruto."

He glared at me, and angrily stated, "I'm not weak!"

"Asking for help doesn't make you weak. Don't be stupid Naruto." I replied harshly. "Working with others, trusting others, never makes you weak."

"Okay." He said after a moment. "Let's find gramps."

We started walking again. We knew what the Hokage Tower looked like but we had never been. Despite it being distinctive it took as awhile to find it. We got turned around a few times, since we never been in Konoha proper by ourselves. It was just after lunch when we were rudely kicked out of the orphanage. It was past dinner and the sun was starting to set by the time we made it to the tower.

"Do you think he is still in there?" Naruto asked, looking up at the building.

"I hope so."

I nodded sharply, and stepped forward to push open the door. I didn't know where to go from there. There was a stairway in front of us or a few doors spaced evenly along the hall to the left and around the circumference of the building. Naruto made the decision for me and started up the stairs. There were two large doors across from and to the left of where we were and a reception desk to the right. There were seats lined up against the left wall for those waiting to enter the office.

"What do you brats need?" A large white haired man asked from where he was leaning against the reception desk and leering down at the woman seated behind it.

"We wanna see gramps!" Naruto answered, glaring at the man. "What's it to you?"

"Sorry for my brother!" I said, pushing Naruto's head down into a bow when I caught sight of his forehead protector. "But he's right, we just want to talk to gramps."

I tried to smile cutely, but it only made my split lip bleed again. We must have looked like quite the sight. Me, with my split lip and bruised cheek and bleeding knee and Naruto, with his black eye and the bleeding nail scratches on his arms. (Which I had just noticed right then).

"Fine come on brats," The man gestured widely, making the light glit off the metal on his forehead protector drawing my eye to the odd symbol etched into it. "Let's talk to your gramps."

"Thank you!" Naruto chirps, smiling widely up at the white haired stranger. "Oil-man, you're actually pretty cool!"

"Oh! That's what that means, thanks Naru-Naru!" I said under my breath, but just loud enough for my brother to hear, or so I thought.

"Naru-Naru, huh, what a cute nickname." Oil-man said, stressing the u in cute.

My brother responded, though I didn't hear it over the sound of the wood door hitting the wall. Tension filled the room for a brief moment making it hard for me to breathe before disappearing in the next. Gramps hadn't even looked up at the rude entrance to his office, he just continued reading the paper in his hand. His assurance that he was safe and that he could handle anyone who would attack him was just a bit awe inspiring. Part of me wanted to learn that type of quiet confidence in myself and those around me. Gramps really just got that much more cooler.

"Jiraiya, I'm surprised you didn't spend more time stalling with my pretty receptionist." Gramps teased the man, not bothering to hide his smirk. "Of course it must be because of your two tagalongs."

"Gramps!" Naruto cried, running forward and around the large paper covered desk separating gramps from us.

Gramps caught Naruto who leapt at him and set my brother onto his lap as he simultaneously set down the paper he was reading onto a tall stack on his desk. His eyes fall onto my brothers black eye and then moved down to the nail scratches on his forearms. His eyes then moved to me, taking note of my own injuries. Something changed in his expression but I couldn't see it clearly as suddenly I could not breathe. I must have passed out briefly, because the next thing I knew the white haired man was holding both my hands in one of his as his other arm supported my weight.

"You okay kiddo?" The man- or Jiraiya I guess, asked and let go of my hands.

"I think so." I answered, not really sure if it was the truth.

I wasn't sure what happened, why I suddenly couldn't breathe while everyone else was okay. Whatever the cause it wasn't that important. At least not compared to the reason we are here in the first place. After taking a moment to mentally compose myself, I leaned away from the white haired man's arm and looked up at gramps.

"The assholes kicked us out. Not before trying to give Naruto a shitty moving away present." I told him, then added. "They were quite horrified when I stepped in, like I would let them hurt my brother without doing anything. Idiots!"

Naruto because he was a little shit, commented, "Mina-nee was super cool, jumping in front of me like that, like a warrior princess."

"Then I ran into a bench." I added dryly. "All other warrior princesses would be embaressed by me."

Naruto shrugged, then pressed his face into gramps neck. He looked sleepy, so I figured he would be out in a few minutes. We have had a long day. I was also tired, but since I didn't know what was going to happen to us I didn't dare go curl up on the couch that was in the corner of the large office and sleep. I had to make sure Naruto and I would be okay, then I could rest.

"Minako-chan, let's get you patched up. Then we will talk about what's going to happen next." Gramps bargained and stood up and moved towards the couch to set down my sleeping brother.

"Okay." I agreed.

Jiraiya moved one of the heavy chairs in front of gramp's desk and pointed at it as he said. "Sit down kiddo, I'll patch you up while sensei figures stuff out."

I looked at him warily for a moment before I moved to sit down. The chair was uncomfortable, it's leather padding was too stiff and hard to make it any better. I was so tired though, that my body sunk into the chair like it was the most comfortable chair in the world. I was falling into a light doze when Jiraiya placed a wet towel on my knee. It was cold and it startled me awake. I muttered an insult under my breath but didn't truly complain since I didn't want to sleep yet. He cleaned the gash on my knee and covered it with a bandage so quickly it looked practiced.

"You have kids." I went to ask but it came out more of a statement.

The white haired man laughed, it rang as loud as he was big. "I've had students."

I smiled up at him sleepily. He gently ruffled my hair with one of his big hands. I blinked and shook my head when my eyes started to close on their own accord. I tried, I really did, to stay awake but ultimately I fell asleep.

I awoke only a few minutes later; I was always a light sleeper, even if I could fall asleep just about anywhere. So it wasn't all that surprising that when gramps had tried to move me to the couch where my brother was laid out on I woke back up easily.

"I always forget your not as a deep sleeper as your brother." Gramps commented as I squirmed out of his hold.

"Good!" I said as smartly as I could despite my drooping eyelids. "Not gonna sleep until I know we're good…"

"Is that so, Minako-chan?" Gramps asked cheekily.

"Yep." I said just as cheekily.

Gramps looked at me quietly, looking for something but I am not sure what. He must have found it though.

"Okay. I hadn't planned to move you from the orphanage for another couple years, but I did have a place set aside for you when I did. We are going to have to wait until tomorrow to get you and your brother settled in though Minako."

"Sounds good." I said seriously. "Thanks you, gramps."

"You're welcome." He replied, and ruffled my hair. "Now go ahead and sleep, tomorrow will be a busy day."

I nodded, and I was asleep only minutes later.

"-on Sensei, you saw her, she wouldn't have that much of a reaction to killer intent, especially some as controlled as yours unless she was a sensor. That's a medically recognized sign of potential sensor ability. Her father was a sensor himself, and if you also consider her Uzumaki heritage, it shouldn't be all that surprising." The slightly raised voice of Jiraiya woke me up from my sleep sometime later.

"Did you test Minato?" The nonsecular seemed to throw Jiraiya off, just as it had me.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I will need a clear reason to test her for sensor abilities, outside of her reacting to killing intent. If you tested him then I would have a justifiable reason to do a test, which I must remind you can be invasive to a sensor." Gramps explained patiently.

"Yes Sensei, I had him tested. I wouldn't bring it up with you if I wasn't sure about it…" I didn't hear the rest of Jiraiya's response, as I fell back asleep halfway through it.

This conversation made a few things clear. For one, being a sensor actually made a lot of sense now that I thought about. I guess that's hindsight. I mean I was highly aware of the warmth, or I guess the chakra in most people and myself. It also made it clear why I hadn't ran into anyone last night when I pulled Naruto throughout Konoha proper. For two, I know knew what that weight was, the one that made it so hard to breathe, it was killer intent. Again, hindsight. I'm glad I learned this now though, instead of a fight. Something to think about fixing later.

The apartment that gramps had set aside for my brother and I was not too far from the Hokage Tower. It was much nicer than the one that Naruto had in the anime. Which was something that despite not really putting much stock in my before memories that I couldn't seem to forget. I was glad that we would not have to share the small one room apartment from the anime. I might adore my brother, but I would need my own space. I know it would be the same for my brother. Our new apartment would be a bit big for us right now, as it had three rooms, two bathrooms, a large kitchen and living room area and a small laundry room. I knew that it must have cost a lot of money, and despite already really liking the apartment I was worried about where that money would come from.

"Now, Minako and Naruto, for the next few months I will have someone come by frequently to help you get used to living on your own. They will also continue teaching you what you would have learned at the orphanage this year." Gramps had said after we had explored out new home for a bit.

Gramps was sitting in the middle of the large blue couch in the living room with me and Naruto curled up next to him on each side. I was fiddling with a tattered green throw blanket when I realized why the apartment seemed a little familiar. It was our parent's home. I would guess that we would only really being paying for utilities, groceries and possibly damages. I wasn't sure though as I hadn't seen the leese. Or the deed since I knew that apartments could be brought out right, It had to do with the ninja force, which might explain why anime Naruto's apartment was so crappy, if Naruto had paid for it out right. Food for thought, I guess.

"Until you are genin, or otherwise able to attain an income I will be paying for your utilities. You will be getting Konoha's monthly orphan stipident to use for your food and for anything else you wish. Ultimily how you use that money will be on you, be responsible please." Gramps said, then continued on for quite a bit about what was no expected to us. It was only after we had met with our new caretaker, an older lady who I could tell used to be a shinobi. It was all about how she carried herself despite definitely being around or older than gramp's age. She was the first person beside gramps who really looked at us. Though I don't think she really liked us, but I don't think that was personal. I don't think she really liked much of anyone or anything anymore. Her name was Rio and we were to call her Rio. She didn't stay long, just only long enough to cook us both lunch and a dinner we could warm up in the microwave, before she left with promises to be over tomorrow morning for our first lessons. Gramps himself didn't stay much longer after that either. He shared lunch with us, wished us well in our new home and left. Leaving our large new apartment to feel empty and lonely. Not even the realization that it used to be my parents could make it feel more like a home. Honestly it just made the aching loneliness worse.

Despite having the memories of before, of having parents. Even though I had my brother, who I loved more than anything, I still sometimes wished for parents that loved me. I still ached for family. Truly, I'm a greedy person, wanting more than all the love my brother gives to me.

On our fifth birthday gramps brought us take out and a shopping bag of sweets for each of us. He didn't stay long, only long enough to have lunch. The day was truly not that remarkable, maybe something I would remember for a while but it would eventually be swallowed up by something more memorable in the future. The only memorable part of the day was about a five minute conversation we had during lunch.

We were sitting in the living room, Me and my brother were on our knees at the end of the rectangular wood coffee table and gramps was on the couch. I was sipping the broth from the ramen takeout bowl, more focused on not spilling a single drop then on the coversation when my brother said:

"I want to be a ninja gramps!"

I spilled a little broth down my front in surprised. Not so much at what was being said more about how sudden and random it seemed. I had not had an inkling that my brother was even thinking about becoming a ninja yet. I mean I figured we both would become a ninja eventually, I was even excited about it, but I hadn't known he was thinking about. I could help but wonder why he hadn't brought it up with yet. A little hurt too.

"You are the right age for the academy, and there will be a new class starting in a few months." Gramps mused, before zeroing in on my brother. "Are you sure that is what you want Naruto?"

"Yes, I wanna be a ninja so I can be strong enough to protect Mina-nee, and you, and Rio and everyone." Naruto said resolute.

"Okay, you can go to the Academy Naruto." Gramps said with a smile and a hair ruffle.

My response was obvious. There was no way I was letting Naruto go alone. Not when he could die, not when I could stand by his side and fight for what I care about.

"I want to be a ninja too!"