Haru's stomach growled.
She clutched a hand to it.
She looked at the clock.
Shit, it was way past dinner time.
Haru looked at the scrolls scattered on the floor around her. She had gotten so absorbed in studying that she forgot to eat.
She went to look into her fridge. Nothing but frozen cheeseburgers and pizza.
Haru grimaced. She loved cheeseburgers and pizza but she was starting to get tired of eating them almost every day.
Her diet needed some more variety. She needed to quit using the microwave so much and cook something other than eggs and rice.
It's time that she looked at the recipe book her family left behind.
Haru picked up the recipe book and flipped through it.
Inside were pictures and descriptions of different types of phở, bún, and other foods.
Wait...these were Vietnamese dishes.
Haru turned to the front page of the recipe book. Scrawled on it were Vietnamese names and Japanese names with the family names of Chi and Kuzumaki.
So she had Vietnamese ancestry in this world.
It wasn't so out of place that there were more than just Japanese people in the Naruto universe.
Lee, Gai, Neji, and Tenten were Chinese or at least, heavily Chinese-coded.
There were also Black people in Kumo.
And there must be an entire world out there beyond the Elemental Nations too.
Haru's hands shook as she put down the recipe book.
Maybe it was a small mercy from the cosmos that she still shared some part of her past life's heritage.
Going through the recipe book again, Haru focused on a single page.
Bún, Vietnamese white rice noodles with grilled pork for tonight's meal, it is.
Haru made a quick trip to the grocery store to buy the ingredients she needed.
The grocery store workers refused to make eye contact with her. The expressions of disgust on their faces were quite obvious.
Haru didn't look at them either. She just bought what she needed and left as quickly as she came.
Once Haru finished setting the table with a drink and her bowl of bún, she placed her turtle plushie, Mr. Tortimer, in the chair across from her.
"So, Mr. Tortimer, you think the food and drink look good?"
Mr. Tortimer, being an inanimate plushie, did not respond.
Haru laughed mockingly at herself. "Ha...Look at me, I'm talking to a plushie."
But Mr. Tortimer didn't judge her, didn't look at her with absolute hatred or disdain. Just a loving smile forever sewn on his face.
Haru sat down and placed her palms together. "Thanks for the food!"
Using chopsticks, she put some bún noodles into her mouth.
This dish…just like Mom used to make.
Fuck. She couldn't get tears all over her food.
Haru practically shoveled the bún into her mouth.
It tasted so damn good…
Then Haru took a sip out of a glass of lime soda.
Ah. Soda chanh. Vietnamese lime soda. Just like Dad used to make…
"Are you enjoying your meal, Hanh?" A kindly woman's voice came from Haru's side.
Then came a man's boisterous laugh. "She must be! Look at how enthusiastically she's shoving food into her mouth! Your cooking is delicious as always, dear!"
Haru lifted her head.
The room was empty.
No. Her parents weren't here.
She was still in this dingy apartment.
Eating alone with no one but a plushie for company.
Another day of class went by as usual.
A lot of ninjutsu training.
A lot of crying.
A lot of avoiding Naruto and those bullies who beat her up.
So far, so good.
As Haru walked home, she heard strange sounds coming from nearby.
...Was that someone crying?
Haru stepped gingerly toward where the crying was coming from. She cautiously peeked out from behind a wall.
There, crying by the side of the road, was Sakura.
Haru quickly hid behind the wall again.
Ok. No need to interfere. Ino should be here any second now. Sakura will be fine.
A couple of minutes passed.
…
Way too many minutes passed.
Haru fidgeted. - Sakura's still crying! Ino, where the hell are you?!
Shit. If Ino wasn't coming, Haru needed to reassess the situation.
Just as Haru peeked out from behind the wall again, Sakura looked up.
Both Haru and Sakura froze.
Well...this was awkward.
Sakura had already spotted Haru so she couldn't just walk away now.
Damn it! How could she just leave after seeing Sakura's pitiful eyes?
The loneliness of being singled out by your peers. - Haru remembered how that felt when she was a kid the first time around...
Haru sighed. She moved away from the wall and walked toward Sakura.
Sakura did not move, continuing to sniffle as she stared warily at Haru.
Haru did not pat Sakura's back, not knowing if she was comfortable with being touched. So Haru opted for having her hand hover near her instead.
"Um...There, there."
Haru took out a handkerchief from her backpack.
She'd had to use that handkerchief to wipe her tears plenty of times in the past anyway.
Right now, it was freshly cleaned from the laundry for Sakura to use, at least.
Haru held the handkerchief out to Sakura. "Here."
Sakura hesitated.
"Go on. Take it."
Sakura timidly grabbed the handkerchief and wiped her eyes.
Now. What could Haru even say to comfort a crying child?
Haru pointed at Sakura's forehead.
Sakura flinched, her eyes filling with fear.
"Big forehead. Big brain. Very smart." Haru was just repeating the words one of her friends from her past life used to describe Sakura.
(How was her friend doing? How did they react once they learned that she was dead and gone?) - No. She shouldn't think about that right now.
Haru stepped back from Sakura. She'd already done enough here.
"Uh. It's getting late. I gotta get back home! Bye!" she said in a rush.
With that, Haru ran and took off.
A/N: The Vietnamese name "Chi" means " tree branch". Some Vietnamese names could be used as either a given name or a surname. In real life though, "Chi" is normally a given name, not a surname. But I'm using "Chi" as a family name in the Naruto world for narrative purposes.
Yes, I'm aiming for a plant theme with Haru like Naruto with whirlpools and swirls.
Naruto's given name and his surname Uzumaki are associated with the ocean.
Haru's given name and surname Kuzumaki are associated with the earth.