Disclaimer: Though I think of owning Naruto in my dreams, it has not become a reality…yet. Watch out, Kishimoto.
She regained consciousness behind her closed eyelids. The sensation throughout her body was warm and pleasant, similar to that of a hot bath.
She heard a woman's deep voice say, "I have done my part, she is now conscious."
Then she heard a deep man's voice say, "Thank you, Tsunade-sama."
Kaori's eyes fluttered open, and she heard the woman's voice gasp. She saw a lady, perhaps in her mid-twenties at the very most, standing by her side. The lady wore a grey and green robe. She had big brown eyes and sandy blonde hair tied to two pigtails. On her forehead was a lavender mark in the shape of a diamond. The lady is beautiful, there is no doubt. There was only the lady in the room, and she must therefore be Tsunade-sama.
There was a man in the room, the only man. He had very light blondish hair (which was what had made his hair seem silvery in the moonlight) His eyes were a light chestnut brown. His skin, in contrast to the light colouring of his hair and eyes, was tanned, but not very deeply. He had a slender, muscular frame. On his forearm there was a tattoo, one that seemed familiar, and yet annoyingly could not be placed in her mind. She was slightly disturbed by all the lapses in memory she seemed to be having—it made her feel insecure.
He noticed her…observing him. She was alien to social etiquette, and considered it quite acceptable to give someone a scrutinizing stare.
"My name is Ryu. Homare Ryu. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."
Dragon. Honour. How very cliché. She studied him gravely, and considered not answering. But this would be an unwise move in unknown territory. And she replied, "My name is Uzumaki Kaori."
"I thought so." Tsunade-sama spoke at last. Her eyes traveled over Kaori's face, scanning every detail. "You are quite like our own Naruto. But you must explain- how did you come, to quote Ryu, 'appear in but a puff of smoke, and fall to the ground unconscious'?"
Ryu seemed to be unabashed by this rather indirect tease.
"I-" And for once in her life, she stopped her sentence midway. She noticed that Tsunade-sama had the same blue aura that she had. And it absolutely stunned her for a minute.
Tsunade, who seemed to notice the abrupt stop in her speech, looked at her concernedly.
"You have…" and again her voice trailed off. This was proving to be a night of surprises.
Tsunade looked at her hand. "Oh, you mean- chakra?"
Kaori's head hurt. They had managed to give it a name. But by her voice she did not seem very concerned about it.
"I have it too." She held out her hand and focused. As the aura- no, chakra accumulated in her palm, the force of it managed to rustle up a gentle breeze.
Tsunade examined it with a critical eye. Certainly, there was the strength, but she obviously hadn't been thought the basics. They could use the talent she had, so it would be good to assign her a teacher…
"Until we can get you a place to stay, you will be having a temporary residence in the shelter. We could possibly lodge you at some in, but the hour is late and there us no use spending the money when it is only momentary. I have no doubt that it will be uncomfortable, but this will only be very temporary. One night at the most."
Despite herself, Kaori was impressed. Tsunade-sama proved to be more efficient than most hotels.
The shelter was as promised- uncomfortable. She was only provided with a thin mattress, which was no better than sleeping on the floor. She wasn't sure about the pillows, which was lumpy, threadbare, and bloodstained, so she went without. There were no blankets. Kaori tried to get a few hours of sleep. She was normally lucky if she could get more than 3. Making a mental note of the shade of the sky, she fell asleep.
When she woke up again, the sky was the slightest bit lighter. That was good. She had slept for more than 2 hours. Although not feeling altogether refreshed, she climbed the window frame to take a look at the village that she was now residing in.
It was a fairly large village. There were various buildings, including the one that she recognized as the…village leader's building. Perhaps the village, which name she did not even know, had a special name for their leader.
It is strange, she thought, as she looked at the village with her head rested on the window frame, but I feel more at home that I have ever felt. There's something so irritatingly familiar about this place. The thought of being comfortable is one quite hard to handle.