Crosspossted from AO3, with some notes missing.

Hope you enjoy.

Secrets of the Soul Spiral

Chapter VIII

(Don't) Listen to Your Elders

Uzumaki

"That's it?" I asked, blinking a few times.

My mouth might have hung slightly open as I processed what was happening.

"Yes, Naruto, you're free to leave the hospital now," the old man said. "You can drop the Transformation jutsu, too."

I grimaced at that, and kept my appearance as it was. "What about keeping the misdirection going? What if the traitors attack again?"

"A repeat attack is quite unlikely at this point."

"I see."

"You're upset about something," the old man said. "What is it?"

I hesitated for a brief moment.

The Hokage looked at me - I understood that he did care about me, and yet…

"Maybe you could call me Haruko?" I asked, my voice unsure. I was not at all hopeful - the last time I requested something similar, the old man had changed the topic. This time, I had just officially spent a few full days as Nara Haruko and had loved it, even when confined to the hospital as I was. He had to say - something - about it.

"While Shikaku-san's decision to ensure your safety with a fake identity was within his authority, I cannot share your enthusiasm about this deceit, Naruto."

"Why not? Why do we need Naruto, anyway?" I couldn't keep the bitterness away from my questions. "I heard you had someone playing him already - so maybe you can keep doing that, and I would go to academy classes as Nara Haruko? They're going to shuffle students around in the academy - I could slip in without anyone noticing? Wouldn't that be like the coolest mission to pull off?"

The Hokage sighed. There was something strange in his expression. Unfamiliar.

"Please?" I tried again.

"You are an Uzumaki," the Hokage started, his voice soothing and soft, which clashed with the way his words tore my hopes into pieces. "You might not have gained that name in a usual circumstance, but it is a great privilege and a heritage that's important to the village. The Konoha Council has granted you this honor, and it would be against their will to strip it away for a passing whim."

"It's not a whim," I said quietly. "Who even cares what some council says, aren't you the Hokage? Couldn't you overrule them?" I pushed again, louder than before.

"The Hokage has to work in tandem with his advisors, to remind the village our will is one and the same," the old man said. "Unity needs to be demonstrated, especially in times of strife. Their recent injuries in service to Konoha make it difficult to deny them support in this matter."

"Hey - hey," I bristled at this. I didn't know much about the Council, only that they were old classmates or teammates of the Hokage, but that was about the extent of my knowledge. "Some old grouches care so much about my name? If they got injured in the attack like me, shouldn't they want to help others with the same fate?"

"This isn't just about you, Naruto," the Hokage said. "Both Nara and Uzumaki are shinobi clans sworn to Konoha. There are rules that govern those clans and regulate the use and transfer of clan-names. One thing is to bend them like Shikaku has done... Letting you use the Nara name without a good reason would set a bad precedent."

I shook my head.

"It would be best if you let this matter go," he said. "You wouldn't want to give Shikaku more troubles, would you?"

Had I really been causing trouble for Shikaku-san? Was me running around, feeding into people's rumor that I was a half-Nara a mistake? I clamped down on the spark of guilt. Shikaku didn't seem to mind it that much, besides being annoyed at his jounin.

"I have a different idea - what about becoming Uzumaki Haruko, officially?" I suggested, instead of dwelling on the half-Nara question. "Doesn't Naruto technically count as a clan head? Maybe I could get adopted into the Uzumaki clan twice? What's adding another orphan in my clan? This way, no clan loses anything - that's a clever idea, don't you think?"

"That would break several rules at once," Sarutobi said, tapping at his beard. "Why is this so important to you? You seem to have given these ideas much thought."

Of course I had - there was not that much to do inside the hospital, but wait and think (and read a little, but I had already finished the gifted manga three times and didn't want to start a fourth read-though yet).

"I don't want to stay as Naruto," I said. "People hate him for something I had no part in doing. It just feels wrong to be a boy when I could simply be Haruko all the time..." I trailed off, because I felt something shift in the air.

The Hokage didn't look angry, but his eyes suddenly seemed even older and more exhausted than I had noticed before.

I stiffened.

It felt like I could taste the disapproval in the air, almost like whenever I entered a civilian shop as Naruto, or mentioned wanting to become a ninja to the teachers at St. Gregory's.

I swallowed.

I must have said something I shouldn't have.

Before the old man even said anything, I could imagine him forbidding me to ever be myself - or-

"Calm down, Naruto," the man said, stopping my spiraling thoughts. "I simply fear that you will make a choice that you'll come to regret. I had never imagined that the distrust of civilians would ever push you this far.

"Civilians are the kindling to the burning Will of Fire," the Hokage continued. "In spite of that, they are often overcome by fear and bitter memories. Sometimes, the common man seems like a blind fool, clinging to the old memory of hate and cowardice... I, too, find myself blinded by those very same flaws sometimes."

His expression steeled into a more distant one. "Some mistakes demand a heavy price, Naruto."

"I don't understand," I said slowly. "What is this about?"

"Let me answer with a short cautionary tale," the Hokage said. "One of my former students was different from the others... He thought in ways that no one else could even guess at, he was a genius by all accounts, a gifted prodigy that took to every subject he tried...

"For all his intelligence and skill, he had a fatal flaw - he ignored the civilian opinions completely. He even had little care for the shinobi of Konoha, except, perhaps, for his own teammates. He behaved as he desired to, ignoring the consequences. The civilians learned to distrust him, and he grew even colder in response.

"The only thing he truly cared about was himself, and perfecting his physical form. His idea of perfection was - different," the Hokage said, his words dripping with disappointment. "He performed experiments on himself, and, in pursuit of more knowledge, on the enemies of Konoha. Then, there came requests for bodies of deceased allies, and after he was denied that avenue, he still chose to betray Konoha for his ambitions. He has escaped to places unknown, and no doubt seeks to shed even more of his former physical form - because that was the one thing that mattered to him."

"Are you talking about Orochimaru?" I asked, the name easily coming to me because Shikako mentioned him only a couple days ago. There can't have been more students of the Hokage that fit the bill.

"You have heard of him - good - that makes this easier to explain," the Hokage said. "When he was still loyal, we kept having the same quarrel, again and again. His disdain for the civilians and insistence to stay away from them was something I hoped to change. I tried to convince him to make public appearances whenever their team returned victorious from a particularly difficult mission, but he did not listen to me.

"His indifference also extended to his own appearance. When he became a Snake sage, he did not cover up his snake-like features at all, earning himself even more ire. His - eccentricities - compounded and alienated everyone again and again."

The Hokage paused.

"After the fourth died, our last conversation was about his wish to become the Hokage," the old man said, bitterness evident in his voice. "I tried to explain that the civilians would never accept him unless he changed himself. He called me an old fool that cares about the opinion of sheep. We nearly came to blows that day.

"We didn't talk for months afterwards, and then his secret labs were unearthed and the true darkness of his heart was bared for all to see."

The Hokage fell silent, as if some bad memory was preventing him from continuing. I couldn't imagine the lengths a mad genius could have gone to, and I hoped I wouldn't have to see such.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked. "Was Itachi like that, too? Uncaring about the civilians?"

"No. This is not related to Itachi." The Hokage towered above me, his grandfatherly expression clouded by the shadow over his eyes. "This is a caution for you."

I stared at the man, confused. "Er... What?"

"Your disguise is not going to fool the civilians forever," he said. "Especially after this stay in the hospital, the fictional Nara Haruko now has a paper trail, and it's only a matter of time before someone makes the connection and finds the evidence for her existence lacking. Creating shinobi that do not exist is a lot harder than making them disappear - you're bound to slip up eventually."

I flinched.

"I never wished for their distrust to fall upon you, Naruto - but should the civilians see through the disguise, their fears will grow rapidly. Your way of using Transformation jutsu is unique - and will draw all kinds of unwanted scrutiny. The only one to keep a similar constant-Transformation is Tsunade, and her changes are - weird, but understandable. Your case is not - acceptable enough - to be easily forgiven as a quirk, unless you're already a high-ranking, popular shinobi. You should work on earning acceptance through diligence and honesty - not deception."

It felt like there was a huge, empty pit under my stomach, and the hospital air was suddenly bitter to breathe through. I dug in my heels and straightened myself, narrowing my eyes.

"I am not deceiving anyone," I said firmly. "I just want to be Haruko. I'll earn back whatever respect I need when I become the best kunoichi in the village!"

"Even if the civilians come to dislike and distrust you again - just for your choice of disguise?" the Hokage asked. "I only wish for your safety and happiness, and I don't want you to get hurt by tricking yourself into a false sense of security. It would be one thing if you occasionally used the Transformation jutsu chasing better prices at shops, creating a new boy-identity for each interaction, but now you've built a huge story for the half-Nara academy student Haruko. People have learned of your disguise now, and the rumors are out of our control. They're going to keep guessing at your parentage and origins, and it's a matter of time until the whole story comes crashing down. It will hurt you if you continue, Naruto."

"I-" My breaths hitched. My chakra felt a bit strange, as if a deep flame of anger was simmering in hidden depths. I pushed it down, and rubbed at my face instead. "I have my friends. They know the truth and they do not care. Why should I? I won't change who I want to be just because others don't understand or disapprove," I echoed something Shikako had said to me once.

I took a step closer to the old man, stopping the ground heavily. "This isn't a disguise," I said. "This is how I want to be."

"And what if you come to regret it?" The Hokage sighed. "I will not stop you from trying, but I won't help you forge a fake identity, either."

There was a long pause as we stared at each other.

"It's Naruto who's a fake," I said. "I am Haruko. Believe it, old man."

At first he said nothing, just looked at me intensely.

For a moment, I felt really strong, challenging the old man like that.

It didn't last.

"I suppose this is not directly your fault," he said slowly. "Your newly remembered friends in the past-life seem to be at fault in keeping this - obsession - going. Maybe one day you'll remember something more useful than glimpses of techniques we cannot replicate."

I swallowed heavily.

"Your unique transfiguration skills from that world seemed to be what influenced your early mastery over the Transformation technique here," the Hokage continued. "It is good that your dreams seem to have solidified more - maybe you'll remember them more accurately in the future."

"Er-" I was thrown a bit off balance by the last remark. "What do you mean, more accurately?"

"Your struggles with the technique of that world - you seem to have subconsciously translated them into failed ninja-training in the dreams, clearly drawing inspiration from the academy classes. Now that you remember the truth, it is my belief that other aspects of the dream-world will reveal their true meaning as well, without the current experiences clouding the truth."

I shook my head. It made - some - sense, but I was not so sure that the Hokage was correct in this - especially when he was so wrong about my true identity.

In the end, I realized that the Hokage wasn't nearly as invested in all of these things as I was. For me, it was a key part of my life - my life as Haruko and my dream-world both - instead of understanding the importance of it all, the old man just saw an unruly child with unreliable memories of their past life.

I wasn't going to convince him.

That understanding burned deep and bit hard.

I looked down.

"Was there anything else?" I asked, barely moving my mouth, teeth almost clenched. "You said that I can leave the hospital. Can I go? Now?"

"You can."

I huffed, turned on my heel and stomped heavily towards the door. I understood that it was not helping to dispel the image of a capricious child, but I didn't care about how it looked. Not now.

"Naruto," the man's voice caught me as I was stepping through the door, and I stiffened again. "You must understand that I care about you and your safety. You will be protected, even if the civilians turn sour."

I nodded, but I still held onto the handle of the door, mid-step towards the corridor, looking at the Hokage over my shoulder.

"There are important village matters that I need to take care of - especially in the aftermath of our grave loss. I do not know if I will be available again in a few weeks or even months, but we will speak again, over a bowl of ramen, I promise you. Consider what I said until then, would you?"

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled, a promise of ramen doing little to lift my mood up. "I get it, Old Man. Later. Don't forget the ramen."

I closed the door behind me and ran.

Potter

Dumbledore took a while longer to return from France than we expected. It had been a couple of days and we only got a written confirmation that he got our messages and would be coming back soon. By that point, Mr Tonks had declared my recovery complete, with a standing order not to try and create any chakra, but free to use my metamorphmagus' abilities.

On the day of Dumbledore's promised arrival, me and Tonks were in the kitchen, making lemon cookies. Well, I was doing most of the work - Tonks was lazily sprawled on a wooden chair, paging through a thick, old book for her summer homework assignment, only verbally participating in the process so far. She had made herself taller so her legs could comfortably reach the table, and was barely holding the balance.

I was furiously cutting a thin slice of lemon peel into tiny little pieces.

Tonks glanced up from her book after a particularly loud chop of the knife. She pointed at one of the cupboards "Do you know that there's a fine grater you could have taken?"

"Yeah, that would work, but this," I replied, slicing off tiny pieces with a vengeance. "This will be perfectly fine."

I pushed the tiny lemon bits into the mixing bowl, and peeled off another thin slice of the peel, placing it on the cutting board.

"You want this to take longer than necessary? Looking for busywork?" Tonks asked, surprised. "Is that why you asked to help with breakfast, too?"

"I don't care how long this takes, I just want a menial task to take my mind off things," I snapped back. "I actually enjoy cooking, so maybe this will help my mood."

"Sure, sure," Tonks laughed. "Did I do something wrong? Is this about the bare feet on the table? I just took a shower, mom, they're as clean as they can get, and they're nowhere near food."

"It's not you," I grumbled under my breath.

"What was that, Hazel?"

"Nym-" I almost said her hated name before I realized what I was doing and stopped. "Why does your mother keep calling you with the name you dislike? Why doesn't she use Dora, at least?"

Tonks swayed slightly on her chair. "Habit?" she said. "She really liked the name, so she can't live without it in her life? I don't know Hazel, maybe it's because her old-school pureblood is showing sometimes. What brought this on?"

"Doesn't it hurt you?"

Tonks put her book down on the table. "Something's clearly bothering you about this. What happened, Hazel?"

I continued demolishing the lemon peel into little tiny bits. "Nothing. Does it bother you when she ignores your requests to stop?"

Tonks sighed. "Fine. I'll bite. I don't like it, but she's still my mom. I love her despite all of the little annoying flaws she has - and with Hogwarts, we have only a few months together, so we don't get on each other's nerves too much. People ain't perfect, Hazel. Is someone being an ass to you in the ninja-world?"

"No."

She raised an eyebrow.

I took a deep breath.

"Yeah," I admitted.

"Someone you care about?"

"How did you-?"

"You're not that hard to read, girl," Tonks interrupted my question and grinned. "If it was someone you didn't care about, you'd be done with lemons already. You want to talk about it, I'm here."

"It's my old man," I grumbled. "He keeps secrets from me, and he doesn't like my new name for some reason."

"Ah, that." Tonks tried to put her legs down, but her chair creaked with the quick movement, and started tipping backwards, her legs shooting upwards instead.

Tonks' eyes widened, and her hands swayed in the air.

I let go of the knife and quickly grabbed at her arm, catching her at the last moment. The knife clattered harmlessly on the table.

Tonks dragged herself closer with my help, and soon her chair was once again firmly on the ground, same as her feet.

"Nice reflexes, thanks," she said with a weak smile. "I wanted to say - whatever you do or don't do, there's always going to be people who support you - and those that hate it. And, most importantly, there's a whole bunch of people who are gonna fall somewhere in-between. In fact, that's the biggest group. Some of them won't ever think twice about you, even."

"Yeah, I get it," I said. "But what do I do?"

"I don't know," Tonks shrugged. "Do your friends still care about you? If so, maybe you don't have to do anything in particular? Just be yourself. Or do you want to somehow fix it with your grandfather? That can be a tall order - I tried to talk with mine once, and I was lucky Cygnus didn't hex me into next week. And that was only because we were in a busy street - he would have been caught red-handed."

"First - your grandfather sounds outright horrible. Second - the Hokage isn't my actual- You know what, nevermind that." I sighed, and felt myself rambling, but couldn't stop the words from flowing out. "I don't know how to try and fix it, but I've been asking and asking - and I know he's, like, super busy and everything, and there's a whole village that he has to take care of, and I'm just another orphan, but he still finds time for me - he even let me live on my own when I asked for it. Got me my own place and everything..."

I glanced at the two carefully peeled lemons and the small pile of tiny bits of the peel inside the mixing bowl. It was probably more than enough.

I placed the knife and the cutting board into the sink.

"He's been good to me so far, but now, he just doesn't want to allow me to be myself," I said. "He thinks that when people find out, they will turn horrible again."

"Again?"

"Yeah, they never liked me as a boy - and I have no idea what caused it. It's as if my parents had done something-"

I paused. Pondered it for a second.

"Oh no-" I said. "That might be it."

"What?"

"I think I know what's happened," I said, frowning. "My parents might have been traitors to the village - like Itachi or Orochimaru. The old man kept talking about Orochimaru so much - maybe there's something there? He didn't want me to tell because my parents were some kind of monsters?"

It was a terrifying thought.

"Er- I didn't get all that, but..." Tonks began. "I know a bit about being a white sheep of the black family. My mother's family has a long standing tradition of raising dark wizards and witches. One of my aunts is in Azkaban, for multiple violent crimes - and 'grandpa' Cygnus... Well, he banished my mother for marrying a muggleborn. Burned her name of further inheritance, pretends she never even existed. Would hex my father given a tiniest excuse to do so. I must have told you a bit about it."

"It came up," I said. "I remember."

"It's very easy to blame someone for the sins of their family," Tonks said. "Hard to prove that you're different when there's expectations to the contrary. Sometimes I think about what would have happened if I had to go to Hogwarts as a Black, you know. Getting into Hufflepuff would have been a scandal - not as big as Sirius Black in Gryffindor, but still. I might not have made friends as easily. Now, as Tonks, barely anyone knew of my family - I got to start with a clean slate. There still were a few weird moments when people found out about my mother - but nothing to write home about, you know?"

I nodded, even though I felt like I was missing some minor details, for example, I had no idea who Sirius Black was.

I opened the large bag of almond flour. "Is this really better than regular flour? We don't grow almonds anywhere near Konoha."

"For cookies - yeah," Tonks said. "Put the whole pack in. It's gonna taste great, you'll see."

I nodded, pouring the almond flour and the ground sugar in copious amounts. Tonks' smile was infectious, even if I was still miffed about the conversation with the Hokage.

"I get it, I get it," I said, returning to the original conversation and started to wash my hands. "People can be dumb and loving at the same time. But what if the old man was right? I could just show up at the academy as I usually am, but everyone with half-a-brain would realize that it was me coming in as Naruto before - and then, they might start to hate my true self, too."

"Talk to your friends," Tonks advised. "I have no idea how your academy would react. I don't even know how it would be in a muggle school - it's very much different in every place. I don't have that many muggle friends to really know for sure, but I've heard some horror stories... At least some places must be decent, though."

"What about Hogwarts?" I asked.

"If I were to come for lessons in the shape of a boy?" Tonks taped at her cheek, shortening her hair and adding a few sharper lines to her face as she thought. Her hair darkened considerably, too, into a deep, dark violet. Her voice also changed slightly, becoming deeper, rougher, matching that of a teenage boy. "I did that a few times already. Sometimes I get into a very boyish mood for the day, or I choose to pretend to be another Weasley when I hang out with Charlie - he's my friend from Gryffindor…"

"And?" I said, mixing the dough with my bare hands. It was still very much a powder, because I was yet to add in the eggs.

"Since I'm a metamorphmagus, everyone already expects me to be different, so there's little grumbling and no one tries to stop me from doing what I want with my appearance... But when I go boy for more than a few hours, I do get some odd looks… Never wanted to keep it longer, maybe things would change."

Tonks picked up the eggs and I nodded, so she cracked them into the edge of the bowl and poured both the yolk and the white into the mix, while I continued mixing it by hand. The dough stuck to my fingers and clumped together under my hands.

"I know that the people that matter, my friends, they wouldn't care much, boy or girl or whichever," she continued. "You can't win over everyone, but you hardly ever need to chase every single person's approval. Take what you can - try to not get burned chasing the blessing of someone who doesn't really care."

"I guess," I said slowly, glancing down at the almost perfect looking dough. "Did I remember to add a pinch of salt?"

"Don't think so," Tonks said and raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Should taste better with it - there's time to add it. Could you..? "

Tonks sprinkled a tiny pinch of salt, and I finished kneading it in silence.

I went to wash my hands again, this time leaving them slightly wet. Tonks watched me roll up a ball in my palms, and then I flattened it onto the baking paper onto the tray.

Pressed in a couple of small dimples with my fingers. It looked alright, if a bit boring. I considered changing the main shape and started experimenting a little bit.

"Want me to help?" Tonks asked, catching onto my indecisiveness.

I considered it. I was still angry at the old man, but I didn't want to keep hogging the fun part of the cookie process all to myself. "I've got this... unless you want to make a few shapes of your own."

Tonks nodded to herself, and joined me.

"Feel any better?" Tonks asked as she carefully shaped a cookie into a little heart on the tray. "Hey, if you want, I could badger dad for some transfigured ninja-stars or something. There's an old makeshift target somewhere in the shed at the back, too. What do you think? You could teach me to throw them, maybe? Looked cool in the movies - I've always wanted to try it."

I considered it.

"I would like that," I said, and tried to shape a cookie into a simple four-pronged shuriken, poking a hole in the middle. It was a bit uneven, but good enough. "I haven't held any half-decent throwing knives or shuriken here," I admitted. "I'll need to figure out how to aim them with this body, too"

Struck by that little idea, I kept forming the remaining dough into little cookie shuriken, too.

Soon, we had three full trays of oven-ready cookies and Tonks poured even more powdered sugar on top, just before we put the trays inside.

I raised my eyebrow. "Might be a bit too sweet."

"No such thing," Tonks said and chuckled.

We placed all three trays into the oven, and set to waiting.

Later, we used some of the same lemon cookies to bribe Mr. Tonks to join our scheme - which he turned out to be quite enthusiastic about.

He even spelled the transfigured shuriken to bounce off people - a precaution that proved a very good idea for when Tonks did her first few throws.

Myself, I proved better at it than I feared, but there were still ways to go to match my accuracy as Haruko.

It was a good day, and it passed by us quickly - and Dumbledore had promised to come over in the evening.

Potter

For all their similarities, and a preference for what could feel like half-truths, Dumbledore was very much different from the Hokage in one key area.

"You'll want to attend Hogwarts as a witch?" Dumbledore repeated my question back at me, in a soft tone that held such genuine surprise at the question, as if I had just asked him if water was actually wet. "Of course, Hazel. Forgive this old man for assuming, but I had already made some arrangements about this matter. The castle is old, and sometimes it struggles to recognize metamorphmagi... I already took the liberty of taking some precautionary measures to prevent any future issues - you could say that I adjusted the Castle's vision for when it comes to recognizing you. All should be well by the time you start the classes."

"Thank you," I said and smiled. "I just- I thought-"

His gaze was piercing. My conversation with the Hokage swam back into focus for a brief moment. It pained me to think about it, so I looked down at the floor.

"There's so many differences that it seems insane to think so, but I feel like there's... things that feel incredibly similar, too similar to be a coincidence…"

Dumbledore said nothing, waiting for me to finish.

"My parents are dead - here and in Konoha... maybe there is something more that my lives have in common?" I paused and looked up. "Am I making sense?"

"History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme," Dumbledore said. "Perhaps that is how it feels to you, because we people are one and the same, be it past, present or a distant dream-world?"

I nodded slowly. "Do you believe me when I say that this is a dream-world? Or was it just a turn of phrase?"

"Might as well," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles. "A better explanation is yet to reveal itself. There are questions your dream-theory does not explain - especially the strong feedback loop effect."

"What's that?"

"Your experiences clearly influence each of your lives in both directions. I possess only a limited understanding of your true world, but what little I glimpsed through you - this dream has shaped you very much into who you are there and vice versa."

"Oh," I said, looking up. "I see."

The stars were already visible in the sky - Dumbledore had arrived very late, and we had gone outside to talk, walking in the sparsely lit Tonkses' garden.

"I only wish my past choices wouldn't have caused you strife," Dumbledore said. "I had a fool's hope that familial connections would prevail over prejudice - and now you're a young wanderer without a home."

"I have your tent," I said. "Do I really need anything else?"

"What about a family?" Dumbledore asked. "A proper place to call home?"

"I-" I looked at the wooden villa, and noticed Tonks watching us through a window. She waved at me. I could also see the distant silhouettes of her parents, still up and about, even this late into the night. "It's a nice dream, but..."

"Understandable," Dumbledore said. "You do not wish to commit."

"I don't know," I said honestly. "Commit to what, exactly? I already promised I'd give Hogwarts a chance - especially if you offer broomstick riding classes."

"We do - for first year students," Dumbledore said. "But there's still the question of ensuring your safety - should you wish to remain on the road… Maybe an additional misdirection could be in order."

"What are you saying?".

"Just an idle thought." Dumbledore said and glanced at the villa. "We should get back inside," he suddenly suggested, and started slowly heading towards the villa. "That's a topic that includes the Tonkses."

"I thought you wanted to speak in private?" I was confused. Why had the old man taken me outside in the first place?

"We're in a safe place, there's no immediate danger of any kind. The way this - attack in your home village - has spilled into our dream is a cause of concern, but we cannot create a strategy to deal with it on such a short notice." Dumbledore opened the door, letting me in first. "There's no need to conspire in the dark."

There was a sweet smell of baked goods in the air - and not only the remaining lemon cookies we had baked with Tonks - there was something even sweeter in the air. I didn't recognize the scent completely, beyond the smell of chocolate.

"Truth be told," Dumbledore continued. "The only reason I took you outside was to not spoil the small surprise that was prepared for you."

As I entered the living room, there was a fresh-smelling chocolate cake on the tea-table that hadn't been there when we left for the short walk.

There were eight candles burning on it. Mr Tonks and Mrs Tonks were standing on the opposite end of the table, and Tonks was just bounding in place, right to the side of the cake.

I froze in place. Wait, what day was it today? Had I missed-

"Happy birthday, Hazel," Dumbledore said. "We might be an hour or so early, but I hope you won't deny us an early piece of cake. I have prior engagements for tomorrow - so it works out for the best if we mark the occasion today."

"I-" I rubbed my hands together, feeling slightly out of place in this warm villa, and yet- "I don't know what to say."

"You can try - 'what's this, another birthday, I've already had one'," Tonks piped in. "And then I could have answered - 'what about a second birthday, aren't we proper brits?' Or does that only apply for breakfasts?"

I chuckled, surprised.

"Nyphmadora," Mrs Tonks admonished, but there was no real bite in the way she said the name.

Tonks giggled.

"Technically…" I made a short dramatic pause. "I did get my gifts in Konoha, but I skipped over the celebration itself - which wasn't my fault at all."

"Even better," Tonks said. "Well, no - it's bad that you didn't get one, but good that you get a chance to do so here."

"It was a bit short notice," Mr Tonks said. "But we are glad to have you over with us, and want you to feel welcome."

Mrs Tonks exchanged a longer look with Dumbledore.

I moved closer to the table.

"Thank you," I said. For some reason my cheeks felt slightly wet. "It's been a very - I -" I swallowed. "I needed a day like this today, but I never expected-"

"Take your time," Mrs Tonks said calmly. "Breathe, girl."

I took a deep breath and let it out.

"I'm sorry - and - thank you!"

It took me a minute or two to calm down, before the conversation resumed.

"There's still one important question to consider, before we move on to the short celebration," Dumbledore said. "Andromeda, would you like to field this one?"

"Forcing me to stand between a girl and her cake, how devious," Mrs Tonks said with only a hint of a mocking tone. "Fine, I'll be brief - the question is very simple at its core. Hazel, would you like to stay with us on a more permanent basis? It would be easier to keep the Ministry off your back if we create an adopted muggleborn Hazel - and a lot safer. Of course, such a manufactured identity would only hold until it's time to attend Hogwarts. Unless you actually want the attention the Potter name has, but that's a whole new discussion, especially where it concerns your safety."

"Misdirection is the best strategy we have," Dumbledore added smoothly. "Parents of a metamorphmagus adopting an orphan muggleborn child with the same gift wouldn't be questioned. No one would be better suited for it."

I hesitated.

The cake looked delicious.

The villa was a nice place, with the forest begging to be explored in more detail.

The Tonkses were great - and they really did seem to care about me.

And yet, after escaping the Dursleys, I didn't want to get tied to a single place. Hoewer nice the place looked.

For a moment, it felt like I had been brought here to choose this very moment, or they would take away the cake, hide their smiles and-

"We understand if you need time," Mrs Tonks said, interrupting my rising anxiety. She was looking past me, staring directly at Dumbledore. "It could even be adoption-in-name only, if you still want to be a free spirit. No need to decide right now. How about some cake, instead?"

"Are you sure, Andromeda?" Dumbledore asked. "That's a very open-ended offer. Should anything happen to Hazel while she's not in your sight, the Ministry-"

"I've seen enough. She needs a family, but forcing one on her is not what we'd agree to," Mrs Tonks said, interrupting the old man. "The Ministry could be misled for a while longer even without your creative bureaucracy, Albus." She turned towards me and smiled. "We can take you in, Hazel, and our door will always be open in either direction, whatever you choose to do, but that need not be a question for tonight," she finished in a firm voice that rang with steel, not leaving room for further argument or discussion.

"Thank you," I said, because there wasn't anything else to say.

"How about that cake, everyone?" Mrs Tonks offered, gesturing for us to sit down. "It's made with hazelnuts, I thought it was fitting."

His joke ran a bit hollow, but I couldn't help but break into a biggest smile. I wasn't exactly faking it, but I certainly gave it extra effort.

I wasn't sure what exactly had happened between Andromeda Tonks and Dumbledore, but I couldn't help but feel oddly at home with her presence - however scary she could be if she wanted to.

Uzumaki

I had taken a short nap on top of the Hokage monument, almost right after that disastrous conversation with the Hokage.

I had a clever plan, to spend a day in the dreamworld, taking my mind off things, but it had backfired a little. Instead of just worrying about having to keep pretending to attend the academy as Naruto, I now could also worry about my future in the dream world.

I couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the uncertainty in both worlds. I wanted to talk to Ino about it - or maybe Nara-baasan would be better?

Dumbledore had nudged me towards staying with Tonkses, and they seemed to be warm to the idea. Had this offer been genuine? I hadn't asked about it again before going to sleep... I should talk to Mrs Tonks again.

Or, instead, I needed to pack up the tent and run away again. I knew that Fawkes might still find me, but having learned the trick to my Transformation jutsu I had a chance to disappear.

I shook my head and started on my way down from the mountain.

I slid down on a more risky path, glad to have something to take up my full attention for a while. I weaved between the rocks, leaping between them with practiced confidence.

It didn't take long for me to reach the bottom, with but a few minor scrapes as my footing slipped a little - or from when I held onto a sharper rock. Still, I was down, and I could head straight home.

Home, shower and then Nara-baasan, I decided. Maybe my stay at the hospital had earned me sympathy points and an excuse to ask about Uzumaki Kushina?

I reached my apartment building quickly, and yet, I couldn't help but feel like something was wrong.

Maybe it was just my nerves acting up. Konoha had been deemed safe, and I had just gone for a short nap in a remote location - and nothing had happened.

I still stopped to take a long look at my surroundings.

It was already past regular Academy hours, and there were students walking the streets. Konoha felt a bit - muted - but otherwise nothing seemed out of place.

Still, someone might have been watching me.

I couldn't tell if I was imagining things.

Maybe I had noticed the presence of the shinobi-guards? Konoha should have been on higher security - maybe that was it, some guard lingering close to my apartment that caused me to look around? The Hokage had promised to protect me, so maybe that was one of the protectors at the edge of my awareness?

I was pants at sensing others' chakra when it wasn't right in my face, so I couldn't just tell what was up.

None of the academy students I could see looked worried. I even glimpsed at a pair of shinobi passing overhead, leaping over the rooftops - they didn't seem at all concerned, either.

Resolved that it was nothing, I ran up the stairs of my apartment building, the old wood creaking and shaking on my heavy steps.

The apartment looked like I had been here yesterday.

My plants were watered, my cupboards were stocked up with fresh produce, and there was a bit of the usual mess, but no dust anywhere.

That was nice of the Hokage to take care of.

I headed for the shower straight away. I needed one.

My time there was cut very short by a knock on the door.

"Give me a moment!" I shouted out loudly, and quickly rinsed myself, throwing on the orange jumpsuit as I stumbled towards the door.

The knocking repeated, and I tore the door open.

"What's up-" I expected any of my friends, perhaps Ino or Shikako, or maybe a messenger from the Hokage if not the old man himself would come to apologize. The last one was quite unlikely, but a girl could dream.

Instead, an unexpected, but familiar face from my class showed up to stare me down.

Sasuke's hair was messier than usual, sticking back even more wildly. His face looked harsh, distant, but determined for - something.

"Sasuke-" I mumbled. "What-?"

He kept glaring at me as if he wanted to pierce me with his gaze. He didn't say a single word, just kept on staring - and then, he pushed forward, trying to barge inside.

I crossed my hands over my chest, but didn't try to block him.

His pushing still led to him bumping his shoulder into me. I swayed back a little bit, my long wet hair raining down little droplets of water.

I frowned. "What's going on?" I asked again.

Instead of answering Sasuke was looking around the room, as if checking if there were other, hidden people inside.

I sighed and took a short peek out to the corridor before closing the door. I still had no idea what he was here for, and there didn't seem to be anyone following him either.

"Are you hiding from someone?" I asked.

"No," he said, while looking out of my window. First word since he'd arrived. Probably a lie, too.

Not the best start.

I clicked my tongue, thinking.

He was staring at me again. Silent.

"Itachi," he said suddenly.

I couldn't help it, I twitched a little at the name. Still keeping my arms crossed, I gripped onto them with my hands, keeping myself grounded that way.

"What about him?" I asked, trying to pretend that the question didn't take me as off balance as it did.

"Why?" Sasuke asked.

"Why what?" I glared at him. "You barge in here and expect me to know something about - Itachi - that you don't already know?"

"Why did he attack you?" Sasuke's eyes all but burned with determination. "They didn't tell me - enough."

I took a step back and released the death grip on myself. This was so stupid-

"You're an ass," I said. "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, that's all."

Sasuke took a step closer, ending up a drop closer than before.

"I don't know why he did anything," I said and shuffled in place. "What more do you want me to say? They obviously didn't want me to raise an alarm, so I was knocked out and left to be found."

"Is it true that he was injured?" Sasuke pressed on.

"Yes?" I said and hesitated. "Maybe. What are you talking about, exactly?"

"Nak- they said he's missing an eye. Is it true?"

I took a step back.

He matched me, keeping the same distance, a bit too close for comfort.

I could feel his uneven breaths on my face. He was taking short, quick breaths, his eyes looked strained and he was clearly hoping for something - something I didn't really have.

"One of his eyes was closed shut," I said, shuddering from the memory. I looked slightly away from Sasuke, so I wouldn't see his dark eyes. "It was - strange. That's all I know about the eye."

I took a deep breath.

"I smelled blood before I saw him," I said, the memory of the night rising up in my mind. "I should have ran and never looked back, but I wanted to help - and then I saw him leaning into a wall. He might have been injured, or just tired - but there were marks of blood on him."

I paused again.

"His ally sneaked up on me - I don't know who." I recalled the name Sakura-chan had mentioned "Maybe Yashiro, maybe someone else. I heard them, but before I could even see what was going behind me-" My voice cracked.

I fell silent.

I didn't feel like repeating myself again and again with the details of the attack. Even without saying it out loud I could perfectly remember just how Itachi crossed the space between us in a blink of the eye. How strong his grip had been.

I looked at the floor.

No blood.

Impatient, Sausake pulled at my sleeve, trying to turn me towards him. I flinched.

His move had been too fast. Not nearly as fast as Itachi had been, but he still had grabbed onto my arm - or thereabouts.

Itachi's attack was too fresh on my mind- without fully realizing just what I was doing, I jumped forward, my knee aiming for his stomach.

Sasuke redirected the blow, making me miss the solar plexus, the kick only brushing at his side. Not enough strength to even stagger him.

His counter attack followed - trying to get me into a bind by pulling my pinned hand down - at that point instincts and panic took over completely. I was too into the fight to realize that this wasn't an actual attack at the time.

It was as if I was an unwilling observer of the exchange of blows and not a conscious participant.

I growled and swiped wildly at his face with my left hand, nails aiming right at his eye - he put up a block, but I quickly changed the avenue of the attack, aiming a strong kick at his shin instead.

To evade the kick, he released my sleeve, and jumped up. My arm no longer pinned, I overcommitted to the kick.

He landed directly on my foot, pain shooting up my leg. Once again, I was pinned, my opponent having the upper hand - or foot, in this case.

Sasuke would usually win our spars in the academy, but this wasn't exactly a spar. Instead of trying to retreat, I ignored the pain in my foot and leaned forward. This time, I was the one grabbing onto him - and he hadn't expected me to initiate another grapple. We fell down - Sasuke backwards, slamming into the wooden floor of the apartment with a dull gasp. I must have twisted my foot in the process, but I ignored the pain, and continued struggling.

I could see his eyes widening - and behind his dark irises, there was the very same animalistic fear I felt, reflected back at me. Neither of us was fully aware of just what exactly was happening.

I do not remember much of the next few exchanges of blows, but when one of his arms was too close to my face I used the opportunity to bite into it.

There was a swirl of wind and chakra.

Suddenly, we weren't the only ones in the room.

I felt a strong force pulling me backwards, and then I came to a stop mid-air, upside down. I tried and tried to get away, but the grip was too strong, and I couldn't gather enough strength to kick at the hand holding me - but I still tried.

"Neither of you two two should be fighting outside the academy," a silver-haired man announced. He was clad in a standard jounin uniform, but his face was almost completely covered by a dark mask, and his forehead protector was pulled down low, covering one of his eyes.

He was holding us both by our legs, one child dangling awkwardly in each hand. My hair was reaching the floor as I swayed back and forth, completely confused.

Sasuke didn't look any more coherent than I was.

"Calm down and I'll put you down." The man's single visible eye betrayed a drop of amusement, same as his tone. "Wasn't your clan head asking around for you, Uchiha-kun? You should still be resting, isn't that right?"

I had no idea who the shinobi was, but he didn't seem like an enemy. I tried to calm myself down - which was difficult, with my wet hair distractingly brushing at the floor.

Sasuke, it seemed, hadn't gotten the message.

"She's not my clan head!" he shouted at the man, and attempted a high kick into the hand that was holding his left foot.

Suddenly, I found myself placed on the nearby kitchen table, and the man was now holding Sasuke on the scruff of his clothes, his impromptu attempt at escape thwarted in a blink of an eye.

"Not what I heard," the man said, shrugging. "Maybe you should ask her again. Make sure you're both on the same page."

I blinked. Since he wasn't holding me, now there was some kind of a book in his other hand. He was literally turning pages while holding onto Sasuke like handling an unruly cat.

"She's barely an Uchiha," Sasuke complained. He didn't attempt to escape the grip this time. "She doesn't even have a sharingan!"

"Sounds like a fun internal clan issue," the man said and there was a mock yawn that he hid behind the face mask. "I'm sure you'll sit down and figure it out someday, like proper adults." He turned another page in his book, not even looking at Sasuke or me.

Sasuke fell silent, hanging limp, his arms and legs swaying a little bit, the fight completely out of him.

The shinobi then turned to face me, his one eye still occupied with reading, but I felt like he was judging my state at the same time. Somehow.

I was still sprawled on the table, staring back at the man. I could feel my lip twitching and swelling, and there were a few new bruises I didn't have when I left the hospital this morning, but nothing serious.

The shinobi must have come to the same conclusion.

"I'll return the Uchiha heir to their clan's lost and found," he said in a bored voice. "Don't get into more trouble, girl."

And he was gone in a quick body flicker, taking Sasuke with him as if they never were here. Even my window was once again closed.

What.

Uzumaki

There was a light pull on my hair as the ancient woman worked to untangle the mess the wind had made of my hair while running here. We both knew that I could fix it with the Transformation jutsu, but this was way more pleasant.

It was unusual to have Nara-baasan fussing over me. She had been worried - which was in some ways unexpected, but also, made me incredibly warm inside.

"I don't know if Dumbledore did it on purpose," I continued my retelling of the latest dream. I couldn't keep mild irritation from my voice even as the strokes of the wooden comb were soothing. "I was off-balance, and at that time, it felt like refusing would mean having to never see them again or something... Hadn't Tonks-san stopped me, I might have said yes then and there. I don't understand if it's really that dangerous that I need protection - they must think I'm still a little child."

"You are a child, silly girl," Nara-baasan said. She didn't stop brushing my hair while she spoke. "You have more memories than others, but it's silly to think that makes you a grown up. Don't give up your childhood when it's peacetime. A stable family would be good for you, even one from a dream."

"You mean I should have said yes?" I shifted in place, and let out a short, awkward chuckle. "What if it's a mistake?"

"Then you'll learn from it," Nara-baasan said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Everyone makes mistakes, and childhood is a good time to get your blunders out of the way. Let the adults take care of things for a bit."

"But- but- what if the Old Man is so disappointed with my decisions that he forbids me from being Haruko?"

"Hiruzen will do no such thing," Nara-baasan said and patted my head between the strokes. "He won't judge you for any true or imagined failures in your dream-life. After all, he believes the events there are already set in stone - for him, your dream-world is a non-issue, a misremembered interpretation of your past life that comes to you in a dream. All that matters for him is how it affects your mood and performance here."

"Oh," I said.

We fell silent for a single stroke of the wooden comb. I still fidgeted nervously.

"What if-" I began slowly, before getting interrupted by Nara-baasan sighing.

"The Hokage can't actually forbid you to use a Transformation jutsu," she said. "We elders think we can tell the youngsters to do anything, but you're always an unruly bunch, completely out of our control. Have I ever told you how Shikaku was disinherited from the succession, and almost thrown out of the clan - twice?"

"What?" I said, turning around, mouth gaping, eyes wide.

Nara-baasan let out a cackle.

"He was such a stubborn young man when it came to marriage," she said, and pushed my jaw closed with the comb, placing it into my hands afterwards. "I was there when the first betrothal was proposed - and the match made sense for everyone except Shikaku and would be betrothed. They already spent most of their free time together - and her chakra and mind were deemed a great boon for the clan - among other things."

Nara-baasan made a short pause. I could feel that there was something else that she deliberately omitted, but I didn't press on it.

"They went against the clan's elders' wishes and got Uzumaki Mito to veto the proposal before it was even put to writing." Nara-baasan shook her head. "The elders were furious - they pressured Shikano so much, that he confirmed Shikaku's younger brother Ikoma would be heir - unless Shikaku made amends - and Ikoma was barely starting the academy at the time.

"Shikaku had to promise to marry a young cousin from one of the offended elder's line to appease them. He was betrothed for quite a few years when he met Yoshino and broke his word. He even moved out of the Nara compound for a while - all the while Elders were discussing throwing him out of the clan..."

"Who was Uzumaki Mito?" I asked, still lingering on the name - it was an Uzumaki name that sounded vaguely familiar. "She must have been important to get a say in this?"

"She was the wife of the First Hokage, and the oldest Uzumaki in the village," Nara-baasan explained. "The Second Great Shinobi War devastated a lot of minor villages, including Uzushiogakure. When the home of the Uzumaki was destroyed, there were barely a couple of them left. Mito was the only one to come with a proposal such as ours, and we weren't the only clan attempting to negotiate a betrothal agreement. Mito passed away before anyone got what they wanted."

"Only a couple of Uzumaki?" I echoed her words. "Was Kushina one of them?"

Nara-baasan's hand twitched at the edge of my vision.

"Yes," she said after a short pause. "She was."

"She was Shikaku's childhood friend, the one that died," I guessed - it was the only thing that made sense. "Habanero-chan, you called her once? You and the other Nara elders wanted her and Shikaku to marry? Because they were friends?"

"Could you heat up some water for tea, Uzumaki-chan?" Nara-baasan asked suddenly, and sat back in her usual rocking chair. "The details of that failed betrothal are not something you should share with everyone."

"Sure," I said, standing up. "Can I tell Shikako about it, though? She has Kushina's old journal - that's where I saw the name first. Will you tell me more about Kushina? Did she die during the Second War?"

"Of course he'd give it to Shikako-chan," Nara-baasan muttered under her breath and sighed. "You can let Shikako know if you want to. I'll tell you what I can - which won't be that much."

I nodded, and dashed into the kitchen, returning as quickly as I could.

On the table, right before Nara-baasan there was an old black-and-white photograph. There were a handful of pictures with unknown people all around the house, but I hadn't seen this one yet. She must have held it somewhere else, and fetched it while I was preparing tea.

There was a small girl with her hair tied back up - there seemed to be a lot of it, even when tied down - sitting on a larger-than normal deer, and a half-blur of a slightly older boy with pineapple hair, which the photo had caught mid-falling down.

I chuckled.

"She had bright red hair, a lot lighter than your usual shade," the ancient woman said, tapping at the black-and-white picture. "She was very peculiar about it. She hated having long hair, but kept saying that cutting her red hair short would be an unforgivable crime. She would often get into fights in the academy about a lot of things, including her hair. Habanero-chan was what the other academy kids called her, because of her angry bouts and haircolor, and the name stuck."

I took the picture into my hands. It was old, and it was hard to make out the face of the girl - but she was certainly laughing at Shikaku's fall. The deer must have been a summon.

"She wanted to become the Hokage," Nara-baasan said. "She didn't spend as much time in the Nara compound after she graduated from the academy - she was never outright banned from coming here, but - we didn't treat her with the dignity she deserved after the betrothal fell through. They would still meet up from time to time, Shikaku and her."

"Was she a good kunoichi?" I asked. "Did she have a real chance to become the Hokage?"

"She was a fearsome, ambitious kunoichi with a rare blood limit. Many Uzumaki before her had a well-deserved reputation of seal mastery, and she certainly was a master of the field. Had she not spent as much time playing with prank-seals or other weird experiments, she would have had a decent shot at the position on the merits of sealing alone."

I nodded. "What got in her way? Did she die young?"

"She survived the Third Shinobi War only to die during the Kyuubi attack, still very young," Nara-baasan said, her voice distant. "But she wasn't even considered for the position when the Third stepped down - another genius of her generation proved a superior candidate."

"The Yellow Flash." I realized.

"Correct, Uzumaki-chan."

"That still sounds like big shoes to fill," I said, crossing my hands behind my head and leaning back a little. "The Uzumaki all seem like such big-shots. Even when I only got the name, it sometimes feels like I have to become worthy of it."

Nara-baasan crackled with short laughter. "Someday," she said. "Someday a little boy or girl will be saying the same thing about you, Uzumaki Haruko. Who is to say, maybe you have some Uzumaki blood in you too - their clan intermarried with Konoha a fair bit - but even if you don't, I'm sure the Habanero-chan I knew would approve of you inheriting their clan name."

I beamed at her.

"I'll become Hokage one day, show them all what I can do," I said firmly. "A first Uzumaki Hokage. Believe it."

"I can see it, if you truly set your mind to it."

Potter

"I don't believe you," Tonks said, shaking her head. "That's just weird."

"It was all super - super - awkward," I said, trying and failing to convey the uncomfortable feeling of wrongness that I had felt at the time. "She's like, I don't even know, twenty-ish, supposed to have graduated at twelve, but still only a genin. That's just so unusual."

"That's the lowest ninja rank, genin?" Tonks asked, taking a bite out of an apple.

"Yeah, right after finishing the academy - I didn't even know you could stay a genin for such a long time after graduating. I hope I never get stuck as a genin for that long - I'd never have a chance at becoming the Hokage if that happened. But she's now the highest ranking Uchiha in the whole village - a temporary clan head of a dozen survivors."

"But you had to go and meet her, why?"

"No, no, Uchiha Nakano came to the Nara compound herself - get this - to apologize to Shikaku about Sasuke's behavior, on behalf of the whole clan. It just happened that I was visiting at the time, so I was roped into participating. She's treating it like there was a whole serious incident between the Uchiha and Nara clans - and all of the Uchiha are walking on their toes when it comes to other clans for some reason."

"Sounds very strange," Tonks commented.

"You're telling me," I complained, "I had to sit there, motionless, and wait until she finished apologizing again and again. I don't care that much that I got into scrapes with Sasuke, I mean we're academy students, I've been in a bloodier fights with Kiba, but she turned it into this whole thing, so I know it's going to be super weird when I see Sasuke again."

"He's still not back to the Academy?"

"No," I replied. "Hopefully next week? Ino's been climbing walls since she heard that we fought - and that Sasuke barged into my home uninvited. I don't know what she's going to do when she actually sees him."

"Hug him or punch him or both?" Tonks asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't think he's going to be up for hugs from anyone, but it's a good guess as to what Ino is thinking," I commented with a sigh. "Still can't wrap my head around what happened to the Uchiha in the first place. And how I got hit in the crossfire."

Tonks shook her head. "I'm still processing the violent magical ninja village existing in the first place," she said. "Everything feels equally impossible from where I stand."

"I know," I exhaled slowly. "Thanks for listening."

"I'm always up for tales from another world, sis," Tonks said, slightly cheekily.

I pinched her.

"Hey, hey, watch it, you little-"

I pinched her again-

She pulled off and threw the apple stalk at me, which I ducked under, evading the tiny harmless projectile. I needn't have bothered because it landed nowhere even close to me.

"No respect for your elders," Tonks complained. "What will the neighbors think, little Miss Tonks?"

"If there were any neighbors they'd agree that you need to learn to aim better," I retorted. "You're practically throwing my lessons away."

Tonks grinned at that. "I'm so glad you've decided to stick around."

"Me too," I said. "Me too."

Notes:

This update concludes the as-of-yet-unnamed-first-arc about Haruko's/Hazel's earliest childhood, and hopefully answers most of the major conceits of this AU.

The twist of this story is that it was actually eight chapters of excuses to just include a small lemon cookie recipe, like true cooking blog should:

1 lemon worth of yellow lemon peels, grated or sliced into tiniest bits possible, 300g of almond flour, at least 200g of sugar for the mix, a pinch of salt, and two eggs. Sprinkling more powdered sugar on top is optional, but the cookies will look more exotic and have cracked crust after taking them out. Depending on the oven, keep it at 180-200C until they look done. Regular cookie shape will get you a softer middle.

I haven't actually tried to turn them into shuriken-shapes.

More seriously, very much thanks for sticking with me for this long. Eight chapters in roughly eight months. That's a lot, especially for me. I hope I can continue creating at the similar pace moving on.