WARNING!

This is just a test story and I may remove this from the archives if I deem that it is not desirable or if I have lost the motivation to continue it. So please continue to show your support by giving this story your favorites and follows. Please tell me if you want to see this story becoming a permanent one by reviewing, other than that, same rule as usual.

Uzumaki Naruto dreamt. However, there was one major thing that made his dreams so different to others out there. Unlike others, who may or may not be aware of their dreams, who may or may not remember their dreams when they woke up the next morning and who may or may not enjoy their dreams… he, on the other hand, was forced to live his dreams, remember them and deal with them whether he wanted it or not. He never told a single soul about this condition of his, not even the Hokage who is like family to him, and not even the Ichiraku father and daughter. Most importantly, he did not even tell his teacher Iruka about this.

Maybe it was because he did not want them to know in the first place or maybe it was because he was afraid of them getting the idea if he was crazy or not… maybe both. However, in reality, he simply did not want people to know his dreams. He did not want people to know about the stuffs he dreamt about every damn night. Yes, every night. It was a futile thing to resist the urge to not dream; he did not know that it was possible to not dream in the first place! Every night, whenever he slept, his dream will happen.

At first, it was scary. He woke up in a forest, dark and always night. There were stars in his dreams, just like there were stars in the real world. There was the moon and everything felt so real. Then it started to get worse, at first, it was just the feeling; then came the real deal. Monsters. Monsters… yes, monsters. What better way to describe them? Some came in beast like forms, while others were like ghosts; intangible even invisible at most times. After many times of dreaming the same thing, ending up in the same damned forest, encountering demons or monsters like creatures, he came to realize that this was not just a dream.

This was as real as reality.

Yes… he had gone mad! Him! A ten year old boy, who had not even graduated from the academy, had gone mad! Now he knew why people out there called him a freak… but was he the one at fault here? Because if one were to give it a real thinking, he was some sort of victim to this weird condition, right? He never asked for this?

And that was when he realized, not all choices required choosing.

When Uzumaki Naruto met Hakurei Reimu, he was being chased by a horde of monsters in the dark of the night. He remembered the scene of him being saved by the unsociable girl quite well, after all, it was a rather 'hard to forget' moment. It was night, as always, and he had realized that he was dreaming at that time. He, being used to the misfortunate situation he had been put with unwillingly, made shelter a number one priority. However, as always, that plan would always fail due to monsters suddenly appearing and attempting to eat him. How was he so sure that they were attempting to eat him, tell that to their salivating mouths. Anyway, that day was unlike any other day for him—or night really. Because whenever he would be in that kind of situation, he would just woke up as if a nightmare had happened.

But at that time, nothing worked. He tried to force himself to wake up, but to no avail. Then came the miko in red white clothing, saving him—the damsel in distress—from trouble. The miko came in like a literal wrecking ball; she suddenly had these multiple ying-yang orbs floating around her which started shooting out pellets of some sort. He did not see any of the monsters being killed or anything, it was just that he blacked out when he saw her swooping down from the sky. And after that, he woke up in his bed as if nothing had happened. Later that night, when he dreamt again, he woke up at the familiar forest, alone. However, during that time, he had the objective of finding the girl.

Long story short, he made his way to this abandoned looking shrine and turns out, Reimu was a shrine maiden working—though mostly living—there. He talked to her, asking her questions that he had desperately needed. She answered him with all of his required questions, politely too. But if he were to point out one thing that seemed rather off about her, it would be the fact that she was the definition of poverty itself. Seriously? How could someone live in such… poverty? Was this not a shrine? Were people supposed to not donate as charity? Apparently, after seeing Reimu's condition, no. He was willing to bet that people did not even know that this shrine existed in the first place.

But back to Reimu, she was so… thin! Yeah, not in a way to insult her or anything, but… just look at her! Her clothes were…fine… but they were basically uniform, not her clothing… well it probably was since he had always seen her with it every time he visited. Look at the shrine too, it's like a graveyard or something! Anyway… she was kind enough to give him the answer he needed. Turned out, he had been in a completely different world all this time. This place, or world, excuse him, was Gensokyo. Now don't bother asking him how you would write that in Kanji because he knew nothing of a place named Gensokyo. He was smarter than he was younger, so he quickly adapted to the fact that he was in fact in another world instead of his original one.

He explained to Reimu everything about him. About him and Konoha, ninjas and chakras—or at least what little facts he knew about chakra—everything. Unsurprisingly, Reimu accepted his explanation as quickly as he had accepted hers, now that he had thought about it, it was not that odd. She, Reimu, told him that it was not strange for something like to occur. But what was strange was the fact that he came in here in through a dream instead of crossing something called The Great Hakurei Barrier or something like that. He remembered her asking him if he told anyone else about his experiences, but he retorted saying 'do I look like I want to be labeled a crazy to you?' he also remembered she saying yes but he was sure that that was one of her ways to mess with him.

From that point onward, Reimu became some sort of… dictionary and encyclopedia for him to Gensokyo. He was clueless about Gensokyo…

But that happened some time ago…

Now… he had gotten used to Gensokyo.

Even if things were completely illogical over here.

"Kaji-san, I'm done with preparing the shop. Do you want me to leave the keys on the counter or inside the drawer?"

"Just put it above the counter."

"Alright!"

He did as the voice instructed. He placed the keys on the counter before leaving for the Human Village's busy morning street which was and always been crowded by its human residents. Naruto pursed his lips in mild irritation over the heat that was currently basking the entire village. Not Konoha not here… the weather will still find a way to mess with him. He used the upper side of his arm to wipe the sweat that had been gathering on the surface of his forehead swiftly. It was a good thing that he left his stuffy jacket back at Reimu's today, otherwise he'd melt already.

That jacket may be cool but it will not fit well with this type of weather.

"Oookaaay… now that I'm done with helping Kaji-san and his store, where should I go next…?" more like 'who should he help next'. Reimu told him that in order for him to survive here, he must at least have a few of this world's money. But before he start further, he'd like to remember one interesting thing. It seemed that he will bring whatever thing he had in his person before he went to sleep to Gensokyo. Yes, this was surprising. He had Gama-chan with him one time, but people won't accept his money. So, he became a freelancer. He'd do jobs which people are too scared of doing. Things like delivering supplies to the more isolated villages and remote civilization outside of the Human Village and things like that.

Speaking of the Human Village, this place is huge. Maybe as large as Konoha.

"Oh yeah, Midori-san asked me to walk her kids home today!" the blonde made the face of someone who had forgotten a very important task given to them, mainly because that was what he was having right now. "Dammit!" he turned towards the direction of the school, the main school. This large village is not a village if it lacked a form of education, right? He meant, who's going to deal with all the politics here? There is a school in this village, almost all of the children in the village goes to school there. He's glad to know that the children here are educated in a way. Well, this coming from someone who still goes to school himself was probably not as convincing as it may sound… but it'll work.

Anyway, the school was big. Huge, in fact, you could fit two Hakurei Shrines there; no offense to Reimu or any of her ancestors. He'd walk kids home several times, walked some of them to school too. This made him very popular or at least well known within some of the adults and kids. He's popular with the kids, he played with them a lot in the playground, and he was most definitely not using this chance as a way of replacing his dark and lonely childhood… okay, maybe a little. So the kids loved him, parents trusted him, this place was not as cruel as Konoha, that's for sure.

He ran with great speed to the school, passing by some familiar faces.

He was much more appreciated here instead of his original home, and he was troubled on whether that's a good thing or not. Regardless, this place was not bad… one thing was for sure though, Gensokyo—the Human Village if he were to be specific—was already some sort of second home to him, a place that existed in his dreams. The people were friendly, both types were. And that brought another topic for him to touch. Just what types of people were there in Gensokyo? Well, before he said anything, he'd like to suggest two things.

One, people who are about to hear this must throw all sense of rationality and logic out of the window.

Two, know that every question will have an eighty percent chance of being answered with the word 'magic'.

That's all. Now, where was he, yes, humans are not the only type of species to live in Gensokyo. The monsters he encountered during his first time being exposed to Gensokyo? They were actually Yokais. Now don't let him get into detail what Yokais are, it'll take four times the length of his days in the academy. But basically, Yokais are creatures different yet similar to humans in a way. Some possess traits that were are quite unique and different to humans, yet some had no problem blending in with the humans. For example, there are these famous and friendly Yokai species called the Tengu. They are human like Yokais with crow wings, there are two types of Tengu—if he still remembered what Reimu told him—the Crow Tengu and the White Wolf Tengu. Again, he won't go to details about them but that's basically it.

However, one small but important thing he noticed was the fact that both species are capable of co-existing well. They were able to get along so well that some of the Yokais are allowed inside of the village, some even went to the school he was currently heading to! So amazing ain't it? If only people back home could share the same kind of mindset here… what's more, people back home are all humans. Not all Yokais are allowed inside though. Yokais are still, for the lack of better terms, beast like creatures to the human mind. And there was also one thing that made this statement on such a high alert in the humans' mind.

Most Yokais consume humans. Yes, even the Tengus.

Consume as in they eat humans. He was a hundred percent sure that Reimu was shitting him, but she managed to convince him otherwise. Right now, he's nearly at the school's gates. Looking at the sun, it's almost dismissal time too. Huffing to catch his breath, Naruto then leans his back on the school's front gate when he had finally reached it. His short height, a fact that he had chosen to wisely ignore, made his body circulate faster, meaning blood pumps faster than all of those stuck up tall daddy long legs. He easily regained his breathing, not like he's easy to get tired in the first place.

"Oh, if it isn't Naruto-kun." Some ladies gave him a wave of their hands when they walked pass the school's gate. He responded with a similar smile and wave, still not used to that kind of attention, he did so awkwardly; getting to laugh at the sight.

"Man…" he sighed. "I can't get a break now can I…?" he said out to no one particular, simply because he was not talking to anyone specifically. The blonde haired teen, who happened to be in his thirteen years of age, rarely wondered or dozed off like what he's doing now. Maybe it had something to with Gensokyo being so peaceful? Anyway, it's fifteen minutes until dismissal hour, he got some time to kill… but by doing what exactly…? Oh yeah, chakra control exercises maybe? A simple leaf cutting exercise will do. Yup. Naruto, being someone who visited the school occasionally, found it natural to enter the school's ground and enter the playground. Before school time or after school hours, this place will be packed with kids; he shat you not, children will crowd this place like a adults crowding the markets.

Walking into the sand filled ground, Naruto observed his surroundings. The facilities were the norm even in this world. There were swings, a slide, monkey bars, a see-saw and similar sights. All in all, he's currently getting a cold splash of nostalgia hitting him right on the back of his spine. "Gaaah… look at me speaking as if I'm an old man already…" well he couldn't help it, he never really got to play a lot during his younger days so this happened. Grabbing a leaf from a nearby tree, Naruto prepared himself to do his objective in mind. A simple leaf cutting exercise… just apply chakra and then stick the leaf to his forehead.

"Yatta I did it!" he cheered at the small success.

He ceased supplying chakra to the lead, causing it to fall off his forehead with a small flutter. Naruto allowed himself to bask in pride, since this was really an achievement. He trained hard just to do that, he even asked Iruka for some extra lessons! Imagine the surprise on the man's face when he heard him said that he needed extra lessons… but seriously though, he thought Iruka was going to die from either a heart attack or happiness, maybe both. Anyway, now that he's done with his only objective, he was now left with nothing to do again.

"Hm…" he reached a hand to his pouch. He got a special permission from Iruka, the man said that he could get his ninja pouch early because he needed some extra practice with his throwing skills. To his delight, of course. The boy took out a kunai, a standard kunai still in factory condition. He rarely used these, honestly speaking, due to the fact that he'd been so occupied with his 'other' life in Gensokyo instead of practicing in his home, so… sorry Iruka. What he was about to do might be considered dangerous to people who'd never seen ninjas, some ninjas may even consider it dangerous, but he had little difficulty when it comes to doing fancy tricks with a kunai. He was the type of person to get bored easily, so doing things like twirling, throwing and even juggling his kunais were more like idles to him.

He twirled the kunai with his finger, said finger inserted to the ring on the bottom of the blade. He then launched the blade to the air, catching it with his finger again without looking. He began to do fancy tricks, occasionally using different fingers to twirl the blade with. All the while doing this, he was sporting a rather bored and stoic expression. It's a rare expression to be seen on one enigma such as Uzumaki Naruto. He'd only show this kind of face when he's either bored or tired, but mostly the former since he was not the type to get tired easily. Now, it's only a matter of time.

Speaking of time… the doors to the school were opened and kids started to storm out of the school as if it was vacation the next day. Naruto pocketed his kunai once again, just in case. He walked over to the group of kids, a smile on his face.

"Ah! It's Naruto-niichan!"

"It's Nii-chan!"

"Oh Naruto-nii!"

Yeah… kids loved him here.

Naruto was suddenly approached by a crowd of kids, some shorter and taller than the other. He waved hello at them, his friendly smile sported brightly on his face. "Hello guys! Say, have any of you seen the Kashima siblings?" he asked, leaning down to their level… not that he's that much taller than them in the first place.

"You mean Sachi-chan and Yo-baka?" one girl asked back.

"Yes, Sachi and Youtaro. Are they still inside?"

Another girl spoke this time. "Keine-sensei is probably still scolding Yo-baka for breaking that window with his ball earlier today." The young girl huffed. "Sachi-chan is unfortunately stuck with him."

Naruto frowned. Now that's not a strange scene… if he were to look back at his own history. "Is that so? Any chance that I could bail them out from their trouble? Their mom asked me to walk them home you see…"

"Aww really? That's no fair Nii-chan!" a boy whined. "I want you to walk me home too; we could catch some beetles on the way!"

"Hehehe, better ask your parents first kid. Anyway, can I bail the both of them from this Keine-sensei?" he asked again.

"You can, probably. Just tell Keine-sensei that they have to get home early today Nii-chan, Keine-sensei will understand… probably."

The blonde teen nodded his head, he then proceeded to ruffle each of the kids present here on the head. "Thanks guys, see you soon! And don't talk to strangers on the way home, okay?"

"Okay Nii-chan!" he received a chorus of reply from the kids.

God… maybe Iruka was rubbing onto him in some way… sheesh. After departing with the kids, Naruto entered the school through the entrance. This was his first time entering the school since he would usually pick them up from the front gates, so he was quite nervous. The school looked larger on the inside than it was from the outside, it's also neat too, despite being traditionally made. Wooden walls, ceiling, oil lanterns as lighting, bulletin boards from soft wood and straws… all in all, everything here were completely and legitimately traditional…except for that mini refrigerator, radio and heater. He remembered Reimu telling him that Gensokyo was linked with worlds and things like that, and that things or junks from other worlds may end up here on random occasions.

As he ventured deeper into the school, he started to notice a voice, someone… someone scolding somebody?

When he heard it, he knew that he's going somewhere.

"Youtaro-kun, do you know what you did was your fault alone?" a strict female voice asked in a demanding manner.

"…Yes Keine-sensei." A boy's voice, small and apologetic, was the answer.

"I am not mad because you broke the window, I'm mad because you tried to blame it on your sister!" the voice, definitely belonged to this Keine-sensei, increased in volume.

Naruto listened in on the conversation, and his ears picked up the sound of a little girl sniffing… crying. Naruto hid himself behind a wall, his back glued to the wall.

"Apologize to your sister, Youtaro-kun… I know that you're a good boy." Keine, her voice, had gotten softer. It was then when Naruto noticed that Youtaro had begun crying too. The sound of clothing rubbing suggested that Keine had embraced both children to muffle their crying.

Naruto hid himself well behind his cover, secretly being reminded of Iruka and the Hokage. They, aside from the Ichiraku family, were the only who ever showed him affection. Iruka would always scold him for doing pranks and foolish things, the old man Hokage was kind to provide him with allowance and the Ichiraku folks made him his very first ramen which had grown into his most favorite food. Before he knew it, he found himself smiling. Not to interrupt the moment, Naruto decided to retreat back outside until both kids were dismissed properly.

"Naruto Onii-chan!" the girl, Sachi, shouted in what seemed to be joy when she landed her eyes upon the older boy. Her brother joined in on her too, she got the opportunity to latch her form into the blonde's chest while the boy was openly marveling the blonde's goggles which he had fixed on his forehead. "Nii-chan, you're here!"

"Hey now little tykes, hold your horses." He lifted the shorter and smaller girl to the air in his arms, getting her to laugh and giggle merrily. He set her down to ruffle the older brother on his head, much to the boy's content. "Hope you two behaved well in school." He said with a knowing smile.

As expected, both of their reaction to his statement was as visible as day when they flinched. Naruto laughed at the sight, so similar to himself in many ways. "Well anyways, your mom told me to take you two kids home." He looked up, reading the sun with eyes squinted. "It's still not that late… why don't we play around for a bit?"

At this, both kids were instantly sparkling. "Really Naruto Onii-chan? We can play?" the younger of the two, Sachi, asked. Her brother joined in too. "Really? You're the best Nii-chan!"

Naruto watched as the two brothers and sisters ran toward the playground to join the other kids to play. He felt a tingling feeling inside his chest, a sensation he could not quite describe. It's a mixture of jealousy and happiness at the same time. When he saw those kids running toward the playground, he felt this something in him.

"Excuse me; are you perhaps, Uzumaki Naruto-kun?"

Startled, Naruto nearly tripped on nothing when he heard someone speaking right beside him. The blonde was now facing the school teacher, Keine-sensei. Upon further look, it seemed that Keine-sensei is beautiful… no, she was beautiful. But too bad… the hat like thing on her head was just so out of place. "Is there something on my face?" at being caught staring, the young teen blushed.

"N—No… it's just that, you're… you're very pretty…" the boy took a moment to realize what he had just said, and he's flailing his arms around after fully realizing his words. "I—I didn't mean it like that! Well, you are really pretty but, no, just… gah!"

Keine let the boy shook his embarrassment off for the moment and thankfully, he was quick in doing so.

"…I'm just making a fool of myself aren't I?"

She had to say yes there.

Naruto coughed, obviously trying to try for a better introduction. "Yes, I'm Uzumaki Naruto. You must be Keine-sensei right?" he paused, thinking. "Sorry… I kind of called you sensei on impulse."

Keine gave him a smile of understanding, her head shaking. "It's okay, I get that a lot. In fact, I'd be surprised if someone didn't." the both of them shared an awkward laugh. As both of their laughter died down, Keine did a silent inspection of the boy in front of her. Appearance wise, he's properly dressed, but a little rugged-ish on the sides. She got a feeling that he's a troublemaker, but that's probably her teacher's instincts flaring wild. "So Uzumaki-kun," she settled on calling him that. "are you here to take those two home?"

By those two, she obviously meant Sachi and Youtaro. The blonde nodded, seeing as there was nothing to hide to her. "Yeah. Their mother asked me to take them home." He explained shortly. "Since… you know… their house is kind'a far from the school, yeah?" he laughed wryly.

Keine did not know why, but she found the expression he's currently making quite adorable. "Of course, Uzumaki-kun." She giggled before responding. "It seemed that you are quite popular in the neighborhood. Strange though, considering that I haven't heard a lot about you. Tell me, Uzumaki-kun, are you perhaps an outsider?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the term she had just used to refer him as. It's not that he did not know what the term meant, he's just surprise to know that out of all of the people he'd met, Keine was the first one to vocally acknowledge him as an outsider. An outsider was a term used by the people of Gensokyo, human and Yokais alike, to refer to people who were not born or native of Gensokyo. Like him. However, his circumstances were a little bit different… okay who's he kidding with, he's definitely a special case.

Naruto visibly frowned, his head slightly lowered while his hand reached up there to scratch on a specific spot. "You could say that." Keine tilted her head at the uncertainty she detected in his voice. "To honestly tell you, I'm actually dreaming right now… Gensokyo, you and the children and people here exists only as a dream to me… but all of you felt so real. So yeah, I'm an outsider and the only way for me to enter Gensokyo is through my dreams, or in other words, sleeping."

Keine found herself slowly nodding to his explanation. To be honest, she had heard weirder things than this. But she did find it strange… what exactly, the fact that Naruto was an outsider that only appeared recently. Recently, there had not been any outsider who had happened to stumble or purposely found their way to Gensokyo. Not that it was a bad thing or anything; it's just… different in a way. She confirmed things with the Hakurei shrine maiden a few weeks back and nothing seemed to be wrong with the border or anything. It's also not that she's looking to get outsiders into Gensokyo, because she knows that Gensokyo could be a scary place and a dangerous one too.

"Really? I see…"

"What about you Keine-san, are you originally from here?"

Keine smiled, a little bit glad that he was interested in her history. "Yes. I've been living in Gensokyo for a very long time."

Naruto blinked. 'So she's a…'

Keine noticed the look he's giving her. "Oh but I'm not really a Yokai, no. I'm a… half, actually. Half human, half Hakutaku." Her revelation was clear. "My job, aside from teaching here at the school, is to protect the village from Yokai attacks." She revealed yet another part of her which was publicly known by people.

Naruto, after hearing the last piece of information, reacted positively. "Protector? You mean like a leader of this village?"

Keine had to wonder if it was interest or glee in the boy's tone when he asked her that, maybe it's a mix of both. She shook her head in negative. "No, that is the job of the village's chief to lead. I simply teach and keep this village from Yokais who want to harm the people in it, is it weird?"

He shook his head so fast, as if he was trying so hard to deny her question. "NO! Oh no! It's cool, in fact, similar to what I wanted to be later when I grow up." He told her, smile wide. "You see, in my home, we live in a village as big as this. Though unlike the Human Village in Gensokyo, our world is ruled by… a military type of government you see. I want to be the head of my village, the guy who wears the hat and get to protect his people and friends! I'm still attending the academy though, but I'll graduate soon and I'll be one step closer to become Hokage!" he almost cheered when he said this.

Keine, slightly taken aback at his cheerfulness, had to ask. "Hokage… what's that?"

Naruto sheepishly smiled. "Oh… sorry, I got a little too excited. Anyway, a Hokage is the title of our village's ruler. He's like the village's chief except he's also the supreme commander of the military in our village. A Hokage is called a Hokage, meaning fire shadow because he's like that unnoticeable shadow that appears whenever a fire is made, it's a fancy shmancy quote or something but if I remembered correctly, it has something to do with looking over us younger generations or something. But what's cool is that a Hokage is the most respected person in the entire village! A Hokage must be strong too; I'll be strong so there's no doubt that I'll be Hokage."

The boy's enthusiasm was contagious; Keine could not help but smile alongside him. She got the feeling that he was a trouble maker, but maybe he's a cheerful little bundle of trouble. Looking at the boy made her feel so happy; perhaps it had something to do with him being so cheerful and the way he spoke. Yes, that had to be it.

"Well then Uzumaki-kun, I hope that you'll become Hokage sooner or later." The boy beamed at the kind words Keine said. "Right now however, I think that you should get Sachi-chan and Youtaro-kun back to their home." She told him in a reminding manner.

Naruto jumped in realization. "You're right! Midori-san will get mad at me if they got home late!" he was about to turn and run towards the playground to retrieve the two brother and sisters, until he remembered whatever little bit of manner he got in his heart. "Thanks for the talk Keine-sensei, see you!"

Keine waved goodbye at the running boy, her smile still present on her face. She saw him retrieving Sachi and Youtaro, who then gladly accepted his company home. She smiled wider at the scene.

"Something tells me that he'll be in trouble sooner or later…"

Oh well, she's not always right.

"Here you go Midori-san, two little boy and girl arriving home safe and soundly after school!"

Kashima Midori smiled when Naruto entered her house with her two children on his back. "Hahaha, indeed they are Naruto-kun." She watched as her children hopped off the blonde outsider's back to the floor. She was rejoined by her children who ran to her as soon as they'd seen her. Her sides were quickly embraced by both of her children.

"Mama! Naruto Onii-chan let us play before going home today!" Sachi told her mother energetically, unable to contain her childish excitement. Her older brother was also there to share her enthusiasm. "That's right mom! He even let me use his goggles on the way home, it's so cool!"

Midori gave the blonde a smile of gratitude. "Thank you for always taking care of my children Naruto-kun."

The blonde had the decency and manner to react from the thanks, something that was still quite new to him. "It's nothing Kashima-san, they're still kids after all."

"Uwaah, just you wait Nii-chan, when I'm older, I'll show you!"

"When I'm older, I'll be taller than Naruto Onii-chan!"

The last one hurt him the most but he's not going to show it, obviously.

Midori watched as her children interacted with the blonde, a sight she had come to enjoy. The Uzumaki had become someone she considered close in such a very short time. She remembered the first time she met him, so confused and lost. At that time, she instantly knew that he was an outsider. It was such a sad thing to say that outsiders weren't really taken care of in a place like Gensokyo. Even if this was the Human Village, it could still be dangerous for an outsider to roam around without knowing what to do or where to go. Midori felt nothing but pity for the boy when she first met him five weeks ago. Now, that changed. She had nothing but respect for the boy. She could tell that the boy had been through a lot despite his young age, yet he's still able to smile and be so cheerful to a point where it would influence others.

"Now, now you two. Let Naruto-kun rest, he's tired after all the things he'd done today." At hearing their mother's words, the kids let go of the blonde, much to their displeasure. From her small satchel which was tied around her waist, Midori pulled out a small sack. "Here you go Naruto-kun, this is for today and yesterday."

Naruto received the reward with great thanks shown on his face. "Thank you so very much Midori-san!" he bowed to express his joy and gratitude. "Thank you very much!"

The woman nodded; her smile serene and genuine. "Of course, Naruto-kun."

The Uzumaki truly felt happiness. It seemed Gensokyo will have a place quicker in him than he'd thought it would be. It may have been only a few weeks since his first discovery of Gensokyo, but this place was already in his heart. He bid his farewells to the Kashima, he also paid his respects to the small shrine they have for display in the living room. Apparently, the Kashima used to be a family of four consisting of a mother, father and two children. However, the father was no longer alive. The least he could do was to pay his respects like he always did.

Now walking through the streets in the evening, Naruto had one objective in mind and that is to return to Reimu. Since he had no permanent or even temporary residence in Gensokyo, he asked Reimu if he's allowed to make the shrine as his home whenever he would appear in Gensokyo. He offered payment of course, much to the girl's delight. So it became like this; whenever he'd need to crash in the shrine, he'd offer some money on the donation box. He asked Reimu about the box's name supposed to be an offering box, but she insisted.

The way from the shrine to the village's not that long… just need to walk through the forest. That's where he's worried about. The place, the forest itself, it wasn't normal… as if everything in Gensokyo's normal but this forest was scary. It's as if it had a mind of its own. The forest was also the same place where he'd find himself be whenever he woke up in Gensokyo. So due to that unfortunate fact, he was forced to know and remember the forest's route. But not that well though, both for his own safety and so that Reimu won't have to drag his dead ass back to her shrine. He troubled the poor girl enough already, there's no need for him being an even bigger bother for her. Still, he's not looking forward on going through that forest… but it's a must since he can't fly.

Flying…

Apparently, most people in Gensokyo could fly. Heh, he won't be surprised to know if Keine-sensei could fly.

"Yo Reimu, dropped a coin in the box!"

"Yeah, yeah… come on in."

He allowed himself in as per his hostess's permission. The back of the shrine is where he and Reimu lived at. Reimu slept in the room near the corner, while he was satisfied with the tatami mats and the cushions in the living room. Again, he would not want to trouble the poor girl so he'll just had to sleep with whatever little facility this place had to offer. Upon entering the back of the shrine, Naruto was greeted by the sight of two girls. Yes, two, instead of one. His defensive nature kicked in, causing his eyes to be fixed upon the stranger immediately. Said stranger noticed him too in return. The first thing Naruto noticed from the stranger was her ridiculously large pointy hat colored in black with white frills, her matching attire with the white frilly apron and dark blouse, as well as the broom that really seemed out of place leaning on the corner of the room.

"Hello there! You must be the kid Reimu's been telling me about, ze!"

Naruto blinked to register the fact that the girl was greeting him. He then snapped himself out from his surprise, quickly replying. "A-Ah… hello to you too, my name's Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo."

"Ooh! Kid's got a certain gleam to him ain't he, Reimu?"

Reimu, looking as distant and bored as she always does, sighed while not really paying the girl beside her any attention. "He's still a kid nonetheless Marisa, I had you figured for a shotacon…"

"What?!" the blonde girl with the weird hat shouted in… outrage? "I'm no shotacon! Besides, you're the girl living with a kid here!" Reimu ignored the accusing finger pointed her way by simply taking a sip from her mug.

"Hey! I'm not a kid you witch!" Naruto shouted in outrage. He's annoyed at how easily this girl was calling him a kid.

Marisa took a moment to stop her bantering on Reimu to comment on the boy, giving him a look. "You're short so you're a kid! Beat it, kid!"

"Why you…"

"Stop!" both blondes turned towards the one who had just shouted, stopping whatever advances they were making. Reimu, who was pissed but who only looked slightly annoyed, slammed an empty palm to the surface of the table; silences both blondes ultimately. "Listen here you two, I don't need two noisy blondes fighting over something stupid." She gave the youngest in the room a nasty glare, one that made him flinch. "You, you're still a kid. Face it." She then moved towards the older one. "And you. If you're older than him, then at least act like it."

"Yes Reimu…"

The shrine maiden sipped her tea, her shoulders shrugging. "Meh." Was all she said. "Anyway Naruto, I told her about your condition. About how your connection with this place is and things like that."

Despite the woman's lazy way of telling him, he understood. Naruto shrugged, finally finding a seat opposite of Reimu and the new girl. "I don't mind, I'm getting kind'a lazy of explaining anyway." He eyed the witch carefully. "Speaking of explaining… mind telling me your name, witch?"

"Heh, name's Kirisame Marisa, don't forget about it kid." At seeing her unoriginal smirk and wink, Naruto repressed the urge to openly roll his eyes. He may find her annoying, but he'd at least try not to show it. "So you're actually dreaming eh? That's cool. Never heard of someone with that kind of git before." Marisa, now that he'd known her name, turned to Reimu. "Hey, you think that Yukari has something to do with this?"

Naruto blinked, now that's a name he'd never heard before.

Reimu waved Marisa's question off lazily. "Nah, not possible. Woman's taking her beauty sleep early this summer… even if she did have something to do with this, she'd be giving subtle hints about it to me already by now." From the way they were speaking about this Yukari person, Naruto assumed that they're all close. Very close. While the two girls were having their conversation, he better put his free time to good use, and by good use he meant polishing his kit.

Taking out his pouch from its stationary position behind his waist, he brought it in front of him. He began emptying his utility pouch contents, carefully placing his kunais, shurikens, roll of titanium wire, exploding tags and storage scrolls. He's still thankful to Iruka for allowing him to get his ninja gear early. Well, it's not like he's the only who's allowed to get them early; everyone could but only with the permission of their sensei at the academy. He really needed it especially when he had a permanent condition where he'll be transported to dreams where you'll live and spend all your sleeping hour there.

The gears, the kunais especially, were really cool. He would always polish them in his free time, both in Konoha and Gensokyo. But that did not mean that polishing his kunai was the only thing he would do to pass time in Gensokyo. He'd explore some of the safer parts of the forest, help people, do chores for Reimu and help people. Okay, he really had nothing to do here other than helping people. But that's fine, it's not like something bad could happen from helping people… as long as he helped the right ones. Looking at his now polished kunai, Naruto came to a decision.

It's time to return to Konoha.

"Reimu, I'm sleeping."

"Meh. Oh and bring some of those tea leaves that you have with you when you return."

"Yeah, yeah."

Waking up, he was now awake. The first sight he saw was his ceiling, the ceiling of his apartment room in Konoha. He peeked outside the window, cringing slightly when the fresh morning sunlight hit him in the eye. Yawning and stretching at the same time, he then walked out of bed, tidied it and finally going to the kitchen to prepare himself a small breakfast. And by breakfast he meant ramen. He made quick work of breakfast, since he had no plans on getting scolded by Iruka again. The other day was enough; he didn't want to wipe every available window in the academy. After a small and short shower and a quick change of clothes; he's ready to go.

On the way to the academy, everything's going as usual. Still the same looks given by the people around him, the whispering, the hateful glances and most importantly, the avoiding of people who was in his way. Naruto is not blind. He knew that people hated him, but for what reason, he didn't know. Not that he's saying that he's not curious as to why it's like that; he just didn't want to waste time where he could improve and train harder in order to become a strong ninja. If the people hate him, then let them hate him. Because one day, he'll be Hokage and they will respect him.

This train of thought caused a smile to form on his face. That morning, Uzumaki Naruto ran towards the academy with a huge smile on his face.

I had the fortunate opportunity of being introduced to this legendary fan base or series called Touhou Project. You can thank my friends for that, I'll even tell them for you.

Anyway, I got curious, so, I got a copy of the 6th installment of Touhou Project: The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil. Upon playing, I was greeted by something that I had not seen for quite a long time. A scroll shooter game! Wow, I knew that I'll suck at this… and I was right. The fact me playing it on Easy and was still not able to beat the very first boss, Rumia, is just so embarrassing.

But my nonexistent skills aside, I was awed, fascinated, amazed and other similar words to these, upon seeing the gameplay. The patterns of the 'bullets' and the way they are coming at you with the intention of messing you up seven ways till Sunday never ceases to impress me. I've played the game for a while now, now I'm close on getting to Patchouli Knowledge. (DAMN YOU FLYING TEXTBOOKS!)

But the most fascinating and mind boggling thing was the music. They're awesome. I knew about Touhou when I stumbled upon this catchy sounding music called 'U.N Owen was her?' And from that point begins my exploration of something new, something entirely different. It surprised me greatly upon learning that Touhou is in fact a game, a scroll shooter game and not something like RPGs or something similar. I asked around, receiving a lot of flames for my lack of knowledge in the process, but I was able to get the glimpse of what Touhou is.

For me Touhou is the prime example of why you shouldn't fuck with the wrong pussy.

That is all from me.

This is me, signing out.

In all seriousness, I will need to ask you guys to voice your thoughts about this, so would you kindly do that by giving me a PM? Otherwise, this will forever remain a oneshot.