Chapter 1
The rain came down in large, heavy waves crashing into his face. The water mixed with his sweat and dripped into his eyes causing him to squint in irritation. He looked down and saw the bright orange jumpsuit he was wearing was completely soaked through, clinging to his body. He suddenly realize his legs seemed to be moving on their own accord, taking one step after another to an unknown destination. Concentrating to the sensations in his legs he willed them to stop.
Raising his head slightly he peered into the wall of rain and took in his surroundings. It was night time and the clouds covered the moon, but even without the moonlight he could see the tree line surrounding him. He was on the side of a road that stretched into the darkness for what seemed like forever. There were no signs or markings around that could help identify his location.
Wiping rain from his face, he looked into the forest on his left searching for any signs of life. Where am I? he thought as he took a few steps forwards. How did I get here… I should be home in bed sleeping! He froze as a thought popped into his mind. Where is home? As he ran his fingers through his hair he tried to recall a memory of his house, or even his own bedroom. But nothing came to his mind; it was as if he had no home. Blinking water out of his eyes he focused hard on his past, trying to remember something- anything that would tell him who he was or how he got here.
Suddenly a blanket of light illuminated the road. Spinning around he saw a pair of lights speeding down the road, were reminiscent of cat eyes glowing in the dark. But they were far too bright to belong to any cat, and the sounds the beast made were completely alien to him. It was giving off a constant low hum that was far off from any animal he had heard before, the rhythmic thumping of feet against the dirt was missing too. In seconds the lights had traveled a vast distance, it would be upon him in a second
There was a crack of lightning and a quick flash illuminated the beast that was a mere five yards away. Blinking, he could see that whatever was moving on the road was definitely not an animal; it was unlike anything he had seen before. The rumble of thunder silenced all other sounds as the object moved closer. As it slid to a stop in front of him he was surprised to see that it resembled a cart of some kind. Normally carts were wooden but this was anything but. It stood on top of four small black wheels, at the four corners of the vehicle were skinny white poles that held up the roof. Sitting inside was rather plump man in a yellow poncho, his head almost touching the roof. Past the man he could see the skinny face of what looked to be a woman staring over at him.
"Hey dude," the man called out over the roar of the wind. "What are you doing out here in the rain?"
He squinted at the man, trying to get a good look at his face but the rain was blurring his vision. Suppressing his shivers he shouted back.
"I'm lost! I d-don't know w-where I am, can you p-please help me?" The pair looked at each other and hesitated. The large man shrugged and leaned over to whisper in the woman's ear. After what felt like hours the two people nodded before looking back at him.
"Yeah dude I think we could help you out. You can just hope in the back, it will be a little cramped but it should work." He signed in relief and stepped towards the back of the vehicle but paused when the man pointed at him. "Don't forget about the sword on your back!"
What sword? he thought and looked over his left shoulder to see an astonishingly long blade resting on his back. The blade itself was a very long and wide and the metal was a dark grey except for the edge which was a bright silver. There was a brown strap that crossed over his left shoulder and across his chest with a buckle directly in the center. He could tell the blade was easily four feet long. Glancing to his right the handle of the blade if he stood it up it would be taller than him.
Lightning cracked overhead and in an instant the rain started coming down harder than it before. Wasting no time he ran to the back of the vehicle to an open seat next to a large brown box. He grabbed the handle with his right hand while his left played with the buckle, the buckle popped off and the strap fell from his shoulder. Swinging the blade around he sat back in the seat and rested the blade across the box.
"Alright let's hit the road!" He heard the man called out as the vehicle lurched forward before picking up speeds. He stared down at the wheels of the cart in confusion. Normally carts where pulled by horses, but this cart seemed to be moving completely on its own. The ride was surprisingly smooth, smoother than a normal cart ride. They rode in complete silence for about five minutes, only interrupted by the occasional bolt of lightning. Woman in the vehicle gave small cough and he turned his head to the front to see her smiling at him. She was a pale girl with a few freckles on her cheeks and long red hair.
"Introduction time! My name is Wendy and this here-" she nodded in the direction of the man. "-is Soos. I've got to ask, what are you doing out in the rain all by yourself?"
"And with a wicked sword on your back!" Soos chimed in making Wendy chuckle. His looked down at the back of Wendy's seat and frowned. With the little time he had to think he was still no closer to remembering anything.
"I honestly have no idea…" Wendy raised an eyebrow at his statement. "I don't have single idea of how I got out here. All I know is that I'm here - in the rain - with a sword on my back. I mean I don't where I am or who my family is – If I even have and family. I don't even have a clue where my home is!" He let out a deep breath he didn't know he was holding. Panic began to rise in his chest and his heart was beating so hard in his chest he felt it would pop out any minute. Wendy's brows were knitted together in a frown but he didn't see anger in her eyes, it was concern.
"Dude it sounds like you got the Amnesia!" Soos commented never looking back.
"The-what-now?" He asked wide eyed
"Not helping Soos." Wendy scolded
"My bad!"
Wendy sighed and swiveled fully in her seat to look back at him.
"So, you may not remember everything but we gotta start somewhere." She bit her bottom lip in contemplation before continuing. "Let's see – can you remember your name?"
"My name… my name?" He tore his gaze away from Wendy and stared out into the dark sheet of rain. He couldn't remember his home or his family, how could he know his own name?! His own name? His name. Then out of the blue two words appeared in his mind, as if someone flicked on a light switch in his brain.
Naruto Uzumaki
"It's Naruto," he looked back at Wendy to see her raise an eyebrow. "Uh Naruto Uzumaki."
"Wicked name dude!" Soos said giving him a thumbs up. Wendy gave him a large grin and two thumbs up.
"See that's what I'm talking about dude, progress! The rest of your memories will probably come back to you in no time!"
Naruto couldn't help but smile back and a wave of release washed over him. Wendy's encouragement seemed to make the world of difference for him. Progress was definitely a good thing. There was another flash of lightening and Wendy twisted back in her seat facing the road again.
"Don't worry too much man, I know two people who can probably help you out." Wendy said without looking back.
Soos nodded "Yeah the Pines twins can figure this out!"
Naruto stared out into the darkness and tried to calm his nerves. He wanted to jump out of the vehicle and run; run for his life. But he squashed the urge. These people- Soos, and Wendy were currently his only hope of remembering his past, and how he got here… wherever here happened to be.
"Where am I exactly?" Naruto asked.
"Gravity Falls, Oregon!" Soos called back and snap the wheel and they took a sharp right turn. The box slid over and rested on Naruto's shoulder the hilt of the blade smacking into his cheek. "Sorry!"
"Gravity Falls? What kind of a name is that?" Naruto grumbled, pushing the box away.
"I dunno, some smarty face thought they were being clever when they named it." Wendy said shrugging. "I don't mind the name too much, especially since it's the least strange thing about this place."
Raising an eyebrow, Naruto leaned forward so his head was level with Soos's headrest.
"The least strange thing about this place?" Naruto questioned looking between Soos and Wendy. "How weird does it get here?"
"Oh- dawg, I had a computer program fall in love with me, then it possessed all these animatronics to kill me and my date."
Naruto frowned over at Soos with only one thought in his mind. What the hell is a computer?
"Oh you can't forget about when we went in that bunker, like I wrestled against myself! So not chill." Wendy commented.
"Uh," Naruto started not really sure what to say "Sounds like a fun place to live." Wendy shrugged nonchalantly.
"Yeah I guess that's one way to describe it… to be honest it is terribly boring most of the time. I don't mind the occasional adventure."
Looking around Naruto began to notice the forest began thinning out. He could see the distant glow of lights through the branches and a large clearing with puddles from the rain scattered around. The torrential downpour from just a few minutes ago had become a slow drizzle of rain, and the moon finally peaked around a column of clouds to bath the road in a pale glow.
"Yo dude, we're here!" Soos called out.
Squinting his eyes Naruto peered into the darkness ahead to see a large house looming in the distance. The house was in hidden in shadows broken by two illuminated windows on the second floor and he could see large words on the side of the house. As the cart got closer he could see the words clearly.
"The Mystery Hack?" Naruto asked, he glanced at Wendy when she chuckled in response.
"It's called The Mystery Shack," Wendy said, looking back at Naruto with a small grin on her face. "At some point the S fell off the sign… it seems as if the house has a sense of humor!"
The cart came to a halt five feet away from the door. Soos and Wendy slid out of their seats flipping their yellow hoods over their heads. Naruto hopped out right after them, as he hit the ground his sandals sunk into the ground. His face scrunched into a tight grimace as cold mud slid between his toes. He pulled a foot out of the mud and stared down at disgust at the dark blue sandals he wore. Trying his best to ignore the cold mud surrounding his foot he grabbed the hilt of the blade with both hands. With loud grunt he pulled it off the box and let the flat end of the blade rest on his shoulder.
Wendy lifted the box and the three of the marched towards the front door. Soos slowed down to keep in stride with Naruto and looked down at him.
"A'ight, here is the four-one-one dude. The owner of the place is Stan Pines." Soos said gesturing towards the Mystery Shack. "He is also our boss. He has his great niece and nephew staying with him, Dipper and Mabel Pines. They are cool little dudes, 'bout your age I would say."
"And Dipper is the one who can be the most helpful with your memory situation." Wendy said nodding in Naruto's direction. "But first we gotta convince Stan to let you stay."
"Will that be a hard thing to do?" Naruto asked.
"Eh probably, Mr. Pines is a really cool guy… once you get to know him" Soos said as the reached they front door. "Uh you might want to leave that outside." He added pointing at the sword Naruto was carrying.
Naruto blinked before realization dawned on him. "Oh right, uh…" he slide the blade off his shoulder and let it rest against the door frame.
Soot took the lead and pushed the door open wide allowing Wendy to walk in first. Naruto walked in quickly behind her with Soos taking up the rear.
"We're back Mr. Pines!" Soos called out shutting the door behind him. Surprisingly there was no reply.
Naruto spun around taking in the room they were standing in. The room was incredibly large with every inch of it filled with some kind of merchandise. Racks of clothes and statues of bizarre animals littered the floor. The walls were lined with shirts, snow globes, and small animal figurines. At the very back of the room he could see the foot of some stairs leading to the second floor, and right next to that was a purple curtain that separated this room from the rest of the house. On the curtain was a large sign that said Employees Only in red letters. Wendy walked over to a counter to their left and carelessly dropped the box on the surface causing a loud clatter from inside the box.
"Hey, hey watch the Merchandise!" Came a loud rumbling shout from behind the curtain, an instant later an old man pushed aside the curtain and hurried into the store.
The man was old, though Naruto couldn't tell just how old he really was. He was in a white tank top that barely covered his pot belly and red shorts with large fluffy blue slippers on his feet. He had a large jaw with grey stubble covering it and an equally large pink nose. Perched on the bridge of his nose was a thick pair of glasses with intense beady eyes behind them. The man's gaze drifted from Wendy to Soos before landing on Naruto. The man visibly flinched and recoiled in disgust.
"Oh God it's an orangutan!" he shouted out. Naruto just stared at him in bewilderment, before looking over at Soos.
"Wh- what did he just call me?" Naruto asked.
Soos scratched his stubble before replying. "I think he called you an orange monkey or something." Naruto's cheeks turned a bright pink as he glared daggers backs at the man
"Who are you calling a monkey old man?!" Naruto shouted back "Who are you anyways?!"
"Who am I?" the man retorted as he stood straighter and puffed out his chest. "Stanford Pines! The man of the house, what's it to you shrimp?"
"Stan?" Naruto repeated, his eyes widened and he spun towards Soos. "I thought you said he was a cool guy?!"
"Hey, hey I don't need to be cool!" Stan snapped back pointing a finger at Naruto. "Being cool doesn't make me money!"
"I think Mr. Pines is plenty cool…" Soos said shrugging.
"That's debatable." Wendy said. She was leaning back against the counter her arms crossed. "Anyways- Stan we have a favor to ask of you-"
"If it's about a raise, forget it!" Stan interrupted, his eyes snapped back to Naruto "And what'1s he doing here?"
"That's what I'm getting at. We picked him up on the way back standing all alone on the rain. The kid can't remember a thing except for his name."
Stan's eyes widened as he stared at Naruto. Wendy sighed as she ran her hand through her hair.
"Stan, the kid needs a place to stay. Now I understand if you can't take him in, but my house is far too crowded to have some else stay. I'm not sure if Soos has room either."
Soos shrugged and gave Naruto a small sad smile. "I don't have a free room or anything, the only couch we have has a bunch of junk on it to."
Naruto felt a familiar trickle of panic rise in his chest again. It had just dawned on him there was a possibility of him being homeless after tonight. He would be alone in a place he did not know as, well as having no idea of his own background. How would he survive… could he survive? A sudden feeling of regret washed over him as he recalled how he had yelled at the older man certain he had sealed his own fate. Looking back at Stan he was surprised to see the previously proud, defiant man was replaced with a sad, tired looking version of himself- he was hunched over once again with bags under his eyes.
"Kid, this place isn't a homeless shelter." Stan started with a deep sigh and Naruto's heart sunk. "But I don't think I could live with myself if I kicked you out with no place to go."
Stan paused and rubbed his forehead. Naruto just stared at him, he didn't even realize he was holding his breath. Soos and Wendy stayed silent their eyes glancing between Naruto and Stan.
"Alright…. Here's the deal, I'm going to let you stay." Naruto's face broke into a grin that went from ear to ear. "But!" Stan added quickly "I'm not going to let any freeloaders stay under my roof! You're going to be working in the store to pay off your rent! Tomorrow morning Wendy and Soos are going to give you a crash course on what happens around here. I don't want to hear any complaining or whining! If you start making trouble you're outta here!"
Stan's tone was very stern and he let the threat linger at the end of his statement. Naruto couldn't bring himself to care though, excitement was bubbling in his chest and he nodded his head fervently. Stan gave him a small smirk just as the sound of footsteps sounding from the stairs. An instant later two kids appeared on the landing behind Stan, both dressed in what looked to be sleeping wear.
At first glance Naruto could tell that he was the same height as the other kids, they could be the same age too. The kids were a boy and a girl, each one had light brown hair- the girl's hair reached all the way down her back. They both had the same chubby cheeks and round button nose, except the boy's nose was slightly pink.
They are the twins! Naruto thought as he realized the two were almost identical. They looked as if they had just woken up. The boy rubbed his eyes and let out a long sigh, the girl on the other hand had her eyes glued on Naruto with one eyebrow raised.
"What's going on Grunkle Stan?" the girl asked.
"Ahh good timing kids!" Stan said spinning to look at them. "Meet your new roommate, Freeloader!"
"Freeloader?" the boy questioned raising an eyebrow at Stan. The girl had a completely different reaction. She was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet with a giant grin on her face, seemingly ecstatic over the prospect of having another roommate.
"My name is actually Naruto…"
"Freeloader!" Stan continued as if he was never interrupted. "Meet the twins, Dipper," he gestured at the boy. "-and Mable. Kids would you show him to the free room we got, also, find him something to change into, he is getting water everywhere!"
Naruto blinked in surprise and looked down to see the orange jumpsuit he was wearing was still completely soaked and a small puddle had formed around his feet. In all the excitement he had totally forgotten that he was in the rain only a half hour before. He felt his cheeks heat up as Mable giggled.
Naruto took a few nervous steps towards the twins but was caught off guard when Mabel suddenly reached out and grabbed him by the wrists. Her smile had reached to both ears and there was a sparkle of happiness in her eyes.
"Come on New Guy!" She shouted pulling him toward the stairs. "I'll show you your new digs!"
She half pulled- half dragged him up the stairs followed closely by Dipper. Stan, Wendy and Soos watched the stairs till the sound of footsteps faded away. Stan released a loud sigh and looked back at his employees.
"I'm really getting to old for this." Stan muttered and he took a long sip from his mug. His eyes darted back to Wendy and he raised an eyebrow. "So what exactly is this Kid's story?"
"It is pretty much what we already told you" She replied with a shrug. "We ran into him on the way back, soaked to the bone and asking for help. When we asked him who he was or where he came from, he kind of gave me this blank look and said he had no idea."
"And you don't think he was lying?" Stan asked.
"The little dude was panicking pretty hard" Soot chimed in. "He may be a really good actor but I doubt it."
"He could just be a run away!" Stan pressed on "Living his life one day at a time, lying to a vulnerable old timers like me to get by!"
"Vulnerable old timer?" Wendy echoed incredulously. "Yeah, as vulnerable as a bear…"
"Hey! An old bear… with a hat and a green tie!"
"Yup that's much better." Wendy said rolling her eyes.
"Back to the kid." Stan said waving his free hand. "Why exactly did you bring him here instead of like a homeless shelter?"
"The city doesn't have one of those Stan."
Stan blinked at Wendy in surprise. "It doesn't?"
"Anyways, we thought Dipper would be the best person to help him."
"Dipper…" Stan started slowly as if figuring out a mystery in his head. "The kid that made zombies rise from the grave… is the Blondie's best hope?"
Wendy and Soos shared a quick awkward look. "Yeaaah."
"I'm pretty sure it's more dangerous here with Dipper and the book then out in the wilderness."
"Hopefully we can restore his memory in a couple days." Wendy said. "If that fails then we will wait for the missing child report in the paper…"
She flipped the hood on her poncho back over her head and turned towards Soos as he flipped his hood up. Stan looked between the two before staring at Wendy in confusion.
"How are you getting home Wendy?"
Wendy gave a small shrug and gestured towards Soos. "Soos is giving me a ride home, I left my bike by the door."
Stan grunted as is employees turned and walked towards the door. He wanted to find out more of the boy he just let stay in his house but he had the feeling he knew everything there was to know. The sound of the door clicking open brought him back to the present.
"Drive safe you two!" He called out "There's supposed to be a bunch mud slides out there!"
Wendy waved her hand without looking back. "See you tomorrow old man!" She called out just as they walked out of the house, the door shutting behind them.
Stan stood in the lobby of the mystery shack, eyes shut in a grimace as he rubbed his forehead. The silence was broken by the laughter of children up stairs.
"What did I get myself into?" Stan grumbled as he turned and walked through the purple curtain into the rest of the house.
"This will be your room!" Mable said as he threw the door open with a flourish.
The room was small and quaint. A large bed was pushed against the opposite wall with a rose patterned comforter with fluffy pink pillows. A small wooden two drawer dresser sat to the right of the bed, and a large pink rug covered the ground.
"Do you like it?" Mabel cooed and flashed Naruto a big smile.
He stared at the pink bed in bewilderment. "Why is it so pink in here?"
"I actually have no idea." Mabel admitted. "Stan won't say why it's like this. But I bet it was a secret mistress that he had hidden away!"
"Then where did the mistress go?"
Mable's smile dropped a bit as she tapped her finger against her chin. "I haven't thought that far into it yet."
The sound of footsteps drew their attention back out the doorway. Dipper appeared an instant later carrying a pile of folded clothes in his arms. They parted, letting Dipper walk through.
"So I found some stuff for you." Dipper said as he dumped the clothes on the bed. " I don't wear these anymore"
He picked up a shirt from the top of the pile and unfolded it revealing it to Naruto. It was a grey shirt with a picture on it that vaguely resembled a seal; it was grinning and giving a thumbs up. The top of the shirt read You get my Seal of Approval! "I'm pretty sure this could fit you!"
Naruto gave Dipper a large smile. "Thank you, I really appreciate it."
"I don't want to be rude," Dipper started looking at Naruto curiously. "But who exactly are you? Stan didn't really tell us much about you."
"Dipper!" Mable snapped.
"What? It's just a question!"
"Well uhh, I'm Naruto Uzumaki." He interrupted quickly before Mable could retort. "And I honestly don't remember much more than that. The last thing I remember is waking up in the forest, in the rain, then Wendy and Soos picked me up shortly after that and brought me here. They said that you guys could help me get my memories back."
Dippers eyes went wide as he stared at Naruto bewildered. "W-well I really have no idea how to get your memories back." Dipper stammered as he scratched his neck nervously. "I'm more about the supernatural stuff then medical."
Naruto couldn't help but let out a disappointed sigh. He knew it was a long shot, but hearing the truth first hand really brought his mood down. He bit the bottom of his lip and screwed his eyes tight in frustration. He couldn't let negativity bring him down, he had to keep fighting- keep searching for the truth. But… did he really want to know the truth? There may be a good reason he had lost his memory, to leave a terrible past behind. He felt a hand rest on his right shoulder pulling him away from his thoughts. He looked over to see Mable looking back at him, her usual smile had vanished, replaced by a small frown.
"Don't get all down in the dumps already! We just need to find a way to dig up those locked up memories of yours, they are in there!" Mable flashed him a bright smile and gave him a thumbs up. "Head Doctor Mable is in the house to jog some of those memories of yours!"
Mable gave him a look over, starting at his sandals and ending at a spot on his forehead.
"Okay, so you have this head band on." Mable said pointing at his forehead. "It kinda has a symbol on it of a fallen ice cream cone! Does that remind you of anything?"
Naruto's hand shot up and felt around his forehead. His eyes widened in surprise as his fingers rubbed across a metal plate. Sliding his fingers past the plate he felt a soft piece of fabric attached to the metal. The fabric wrapped all the way to the back of his head where it was tied in a knot. How could he not have notice the headband he was wearing? Quickly he undid the knot and let the headband fall into his hands.
The symbol on the metal plate was facing up towards Naruto. The symbol had a strange design to it, but something about it felt familiar. He stared down at it, waiting for some memory to click on, an epiphany of some sort. But nothing happened. His eyes traced the lines of the symbol, following the indentation spiral out from the center before connecting to a triangle that pointed towards the bottom left corner of the plate. He had to admit that Mable was on to something, it did kinda look like an ice cream cone, or maybe it was a leaf.
Naruto sighed and let his hands fall to his side. "I got nothing!" he muttered glancing over to Mable "It feels… familiar, but besides that nothing."
Mable didn't say anything right away, she just stared at Naruto quizzically.
"Well, what about those whiskers on your face?" Mable questioned
"Well- Wait what?"
His hands shot up to his cheeks and almost instantly felt the grooves Mable was staring at. As he dragged his fingers up and down his cheeks he felt three different lines on each cheek. He could imagine that to strangers he would look like some kind of cat.
"They must be birthmarks." Naruto said with a shrug.
"I wonder." Mable said with a large smile. "If someone rubs them would you purr?"
Naruto's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You wouldn't dare."
"For science!" Mable shouted and lunged, fingers aimed at his cheeks. He dodged to the right and ran towards Dipper with a giggling girl close behind. Slipping past Dipper, Naruto turned his head just in time to see Dipper snag Mable in a bear hug, her arms outstretched clawing at the air.
"Okay, enough of that." Dipper grunted out over Mable's giggles. "Time to go to bed!"
"You can't stop science Dipper!" Mable shouted out her arms flying around comically. "The people must know the truth!"
Dipper slowly dragged his sister towards the door and he nodded in Naruto's direction. "I'm staying two doors down and Mable stays in the attic." He said. "The bathroom is next door, there are towels and washcloths in that pile. Uuh if you need help or anything don't hesitate to ask!"
Dipper struggled to hold on to his sister and open the door at the same time; Mable meanwhile was just standing there wiggling, making everything harder on her brother. Their antics were entertaining, Naruto could feel his grin stretch from ear to ear watching the twins tussle. For a split second his eyes locked with Mable's and he scrunched up his face and stuck his tongue out at her. Mable returned the favor with a loud raspberry.
Dipper finally managed to drag his sister outside, as he shut the door Mable sang out "The world will know the truth Naruto~!"
Even though the door was closed Naruto couldn't help himself but to yell back. "Over my not-really dead body!"
"Is that a challenge?" He could hear her shout out on the other side of the door.
"YEAH!"
"OKAY THEN!"
There was a pause before there was a sound of muffled talking and footsteps. Naruto sighed as the feeling of solitude settled over him, and he suddenly felt tired… very tired.
As quickly as possible he stripped out of his soaked jumpsuit and threw it in the far corner of the room. He dried himself with a brown towel he found at the bottom of the clothes pile. He took a few more minutes to search through the pile till he found a pair of sweatpants; these were his new pajamas.
He dumped the remaining pile of clothes unceremoniously into the dresser, flipped off the lights, flopped down on the bed and stared up at the dark ceiling. He relaxed for the first time that night, the weight of apprehension on his shoulders lessened. His thoughts drifted to what the next day would bring, what would it be like to work in the Mystery Shack? What exactly would he be doing?
Soon his daydreaming becoming a blurry and incoherent mess as sleep slowly overtook his body. His eyes drifted from the ceiling to the only window in the room. It was at the very top of the room closer to the door. It was an odd triangle shape with a circle in the center. The triangle felt… familiar to him, but he couldn't place where he saw it before.
As the dark blanket of sleep took over Naruto stared at the window, and he could've sworn it stared back.
Khoor olwwoh rqh, zkdw duh brx grlqj rxw khuh dorqh?