Introducing Team Thirteen
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This is my fifth, well, I suppose you could call it 'dairy'. In my first life, in what I have personally dubbed 'The Real World' as all the worlds I've been reincarnated (or at least I am choosing to believe that its reincarnation because if I think about this all being a coma dream-) into have been forms of entertainment in that world, I had always pulled faces at the thought of writing a diary. Though, I suppose, I have had many of them in that life- it was a popular present (along with stuffed animals and figurines) until it switched over to books and just plain money- but they weren't ever really used in ways that could be considered a diary (if one defines a diary as a notebook used to write about your day, feelings and just life in general) as more often then not they were filled with doodles, interesting quotes I'd heard, story notes or ideas, songs or movies or shows or games or books or anime to look up later and, occasionally, the odd 'code'.
I kind of regret that now- because if I had written a diary then there would have been something of me left behind for my family rather then just the things (no matter how adored) that I'd left behind.
My second life brought my first diary, though it didn't start off like that.
In my second life, I was female but I wasn't human- I was an elf (yeah, culture shock from going to RW to my next reincarnation was kinda big until my fourth life where I'd become rather resigned- we humans are rather adaptable). My name had been Astraea, then I'd had white hair in what was referred to as a 'wolf-cut' and blue 'cat-eyes', in that life I, well, woke at age ten.
[ Waking is what I call the first time I, myself (in all my reincarnated glory), became fully conscious in my new life. Wakings have all been different though they have a similar pattern; my second world was 10, third was 8, fourth was 6, fifth was 4 and my current life woke me at 2. It's my hope that I manage the requirements of moving on (more on this later) in this life so I don't have the potential of waking as I am being born.]
Astraea's life was a short one- my shortest one actually as I'd died at age thirteen there, I only lived for three years there- but a very interesting one. Full of skills and talents to learn, monsters and dungeons to conquer, quests and jobs to complete along with pets, money, items and homes to acquire. See, the thing about Astraea's life is that it had taken place inside of a video game that I'd played in the Real World (which I am stubbornly not taking as evidence of being in a coma dream).
Anyways, back to the original topic. Astraea's life was an adventure so it was only natural to keep a record of all the (interesting) things I came across that progressed into writing of my day when the urge came which morphed into occasionally writing about everything . It had been relieving to get everything out, even if it wasn't spoken, and comforted me to know I'd left something of me behind for my companions. Which was why I'd kept up with it in my following lives- even if I never got into the habit of writing in it daily.
I suppose since I put Astraea here I should have a bit on my other lives also?
Kyle Moore was a human male with dirty-blond hair and green eyes, that time I'd raised by my godparents- the world I lived in had been a TV show and I died, a rather gruesome death, at age 20. Aaron Faulkner was a wizard with red hair and odd blue-green eyes, that time I'd been raised by both parents- the world I lived in had been a book series and I died, my 'easiest' one, at age 17. Runa was a human female auburn hair and green eyes who'd been raised by my uncle- that life was a movie, I died (in a rather spectacular blaze of fire) at age 14.
Now, I said I'd get to the 'Requirements of Moving On'? Well, here I am- getting to it.
In my first life, 21 had been the age of when you were considered an adult around the area I lived and I had died before that age. Apparently, the universe runs on the belief of Infant Immortality or, maybe more accurately, Only Fatal to Adults - it doesn't like those whom aren't 'adults' (though this is rather fluid from what I've noticed during my time between reincarnations, the 'adult age' seems to vary to what the person whom died believes is an adult age) to die. When a child (because we are all children until we're not) dies, the universe mourns then summarily shunts the child off into reincarnation (newborns through seven year olds can be reborn into the Real World but any older has you drafted for an Other World, though the system is kind enough to put you in one you have knowledge of) with this;
"Children are precious, children should not die. Live out your second chance and this time come back when you're old enough- we will settle your afterlife then."
So. I can't move on until I reach 21 in one of my lives (Kyle's death had been horrid, I'd been so close - I was a week from meeting my requirement). I am pretty sure the universe is exasperated with me but, well….sixth time's the charm?
- Kimura Koharu : August 17, Age 3.
"...that's not how you're supposed to do this." Tokuma-sensei declared after a moment of silence where the Hyuuga just stared at his youngest student.
"There's no rule against it." Koharu stated then patted the Inuzuka dog closest to her, "And they didn't seem to have a problem with it- I think they're curious how it'll turn out."
Shiho pushed her glasses up a bit, "Where'd you even get the dog harnesses from? And the right sizes? We only just got the mission and you didn't have any time to pick them up."
"I wanna know about the...wood?" Makaro asked, the Akimichi fumbling a bit over what to call her ride.
Which, well, the sled wasn't her best work. It wasn't her fault though, relearning skills from a previous life took time and her ninja training took up basically all the time she had. On the other hand, she was a lot better at sewing then she'd ever been given all the holes she'd closed.
"First, I've heard stories about the Inuzuka Dog-Walking mission (and the Tora mission but that's neither here nor there at the moment) and decided that I didn't want to be dragged along the ground so I thought of this and bought the harnesses in preparation. I bring them (and a variety of cat treats) everyday. Also, the harnesses aren't the exact sizes, they're larger ones but they are capable of being tightened so it works." Koharu paused then turned to her male teammate. "Remember that mission we had building fences? I used the extra wood to make a sled."
"...that is not a sled." Shiho shook her head, blond hair flapping about. "That is plank of wood."
Koharu scowled at her, "I only had kunai, alright? After we get paid I'll go and buy some proper carpentry tools."
"Sounds like a plan." Tokuma-sensei said, butting in before it could degenerate further. "Let's finish our mission first, hm?"
"Yes, Sensei." the three chorused, all of them grabbing their dogs' leashes.
Koharu stepped on her sled (which was more then just a plank of wood, Shiho ) and used chakra to make sure she was anchored on before calling, "Go!"
That was a questionable life choice.
The two large Inuzuka dogs darted off at a run, sending people rushing to the sides of the road and out of their path, her being dragged along behind them- it reminded her a bit of that one Pokémon episode where the trainers were being pulled on skateboards for a race, except with a lot more cursing. Things got better and worse once they got off the road, there weren't people diving to the sides in attempts of not being ran over but the uneven ground had Koharu off balance, making her almost run into things- especially when the dogs decided to take a turn- and then they decided to cross Naka River.
The situation just deteriorated from there.
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"Team Thirteen reporting a successful mission, Hokage-sama." Tokuma-sensei said, studiously ignoring the looks the chūnin were giving his team.
The Sandaime Hokage gave a cough, "Did your team have any...difficulties?"
Both of Koharu's teammates twitched towards her but managed not to actually look at her, though Makaro's shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. All of Team Thirteen's genin were dirty but where her teammates only had leaves and the odd twig on them, Koharu was dripping wet and mostly covered in drying mud that had odd bits of grass, leaves and flowers stuck in it.
Tokuma-sensei, because he's awesome , adopted a politely puzzled expression. "Of course not Hokage-sama. The mission was completed in record time and to the client's satisfaction."
There was no mention of how the Inuzuka whom paid for the mission had taken one look at her and dissolved into laughter, or how the dogs whom had been pulling her had barked something at the Inuzuka whom near about collapsed with the amount of laughter that came out of him.
"...I think we might pass on another mission, though." the Hyuuga said. "It might be prudent to...clean up a bit first."
And, since Koharu had awful teammates, both Shiho and Makaro finally burst into the laughter they'd been attempting to contain.
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Basically I've been reading too many SIOC stories to not get an urge to write one.
I wanted to do it in 1st person since that seems like a rather common theme but it's not my favorite way to write so thus the diary was born. The other past lives were because, well, I was already writing a reincarnation- why not have more then the one? The things about the past lives are pretty random (except the game and book series chosen) with the help of I chose the order of the worlds, the family, gender, age of death and all that. The same site also helped with Koharu's family situation, birthday, where in canon she was born (time and place), that she's in fact a girl, elemental affinity and summons.
The previous lives will have an impact on Koharu's life (some more then the others), like how Astraea learned the carpentry skill letting Koharu make a (rather dismal) sled. The book series will have a rather large impact on what she summons- I'm going to have fun with that.
[Tokuma, Shiho and Makaro are actual characters for anyone whom didn't know- just minor (really minor in Makaro's case).]