Welcome to the world of Doragon Odori, my second fanfic ever. As with Kyouran Kakyoku, if you want to know what the title means, go to an online Romanized Japanese to English dictionary, as I've found that translation websites tend not to work. Also as with Kyouran Kakyoku, rated T just to be safe.
Again, Naruto does not belong to me. Duh.
She woke to birdsong, small yellow sploshes like musical notes flashing across the backs of her eyelids in time with the little bird's tune. She smiled and rolled over, fingers skimming the floor beside her mattress until they found the familiar shape of her hitai-ate. Tying it firmly in its usual place, she found an outfit – one of three outfits, all of them clones of each other – that was reasonably clean and changed quickly. Her shirt was brown, several shades lighter than her dark pants. Both were made out of thick, sturdy cloth; a habit she'd quickly formed while she lived in Iwagakure was to wear clothing that didn't tear easily. Iwagakure had a lot of jagged rocks, and she hated sewing with a passion. Pulling on her black ninja sandals and fingerless gloves, she rolled off the mattress and promptly whacked her head against the window sill.
Grumbling and rubbing the sore spot, she stood and walked around the perimeter of the room to the door, her right hand dragging along the wall, her other hand running through her longish white hair. As she twisted the doorknob and pulled the door open, she heard the light red rustle of Kurasu's wings.
"About time you got here," she groused as the crow landed on her shoulder.
Dull grey-brown patches appeared as he croaked, "Well, excuse me for wanting some free time."
She sighed. "Karasu, I just got here yesterday. I don't have a clue where anything is and even if I did I would still need help."
The crow shuffled his wings irritably. "I still wish you hadn't moved," he croaked. "At least back in Arashikawa you could ask someone else for help."
She chose not to reply, instead saying, "I need to find somewhere to eat breakfast; I don't have any food." She hadn't brought much of anything with her from Arashikawa – just a backpack with some clothes, enough food for the journey, and some money. Most of the clothes were still in her backpack, and the only other things in her one-room apartment were the mattress on the floor, a few basic appliances, and some empty cupboards.
The crow sighed. "I saw a ramen bar on the way over here. You still like ramen?"
With Karasu cawing grey-brown instructions in her left ear, she set off.
A while later, Karasu said "All right. Two more steps forward, and then stretch your arm out." She did so, and felt a wall in front of her. "One step left and duck your head before you walk forward. We're here."