Operation: Make Yourself Invisible was a go.
I tried my best to hide myself behind a random classmate I didn't remember from the series, making a beeline for the seat right by the window in the front row. No one significant ever sat in the front, right? All the biggies sat near the back. That's what cool kids did.
Pressing myself against the wall and shrinking into my seat, I tried to assess the situation. So I was stuck in the class, and my memories were slipping more and more. I needed a solution, and I needed it fast. The dreams were no longer coming to me on their own. Wasn't there something I could do to recall the knowledge I should have still had from my other life?
A teacher that wasn't familiar to me walked in, a scroll in hand. His sudden appearance shook me from my thoughts, and I came to the realization that the class had filled up without me noticing. As luck would have it, it appeared nobody wanted to sit next to the girl that an Uchiha boy randomly called out from the second floor, and the seat next to me was empty. Casting a quick look back at the rest of the class, I saw a group of girls whispering while looking towards Sasuke, who sat a few rows from the front looking a tad nervous—a far cry from the aloof boy with girls falling at his feet he would become later on.
The teacher gave us a welcoming smile and opened his scroll on the podium before him. "Well, class. Welcome to your first day at the Konoha Ninja Academ—"
Bam!
A yellow blur burst through the classroom door, panting heavily. "I'm here!" Naruto declared, looking up at the teacher with a hand on the wall for support.
The teacher's eyebrow twitched, and he regarded Naruto with a nonplussed expression. "Right. Go take a free seat, quickly. And try not to make this tardiness...a habit."
Didn't he mean take the free seat? The seat next to me was the only one empty in the entire class. Behind me, I heard some kids mumbling. I couldn't pick out what they were saying exactly, but I heard the phrase that kid and I tensed with irritation. Naruto scurried into the seat, giving me a grin in welcome. I waved quietly back and tried to pay attention to the lesson and push the voices of the kids around me out of my mind.
"Wait, what happened to your arms, Futaba-chan?" Naruto stage-whispered, breaking me out of my concentrated state by gesturing to my bandaged arms.
Trying to end the conversation as quickly as possible so not to get called out by our teacher on the first day, I muttered under my breath, "I'm accident-prone."
Naruto gave me a confused look. I ignored it, opting to pay attention to what was happening around me for once in my life and listen to the teacher.
"So, as of today, all of you have begun your journeys to becoming real ninja of Konohagakure. Well—almost all of you." The teacher threw a not-so-subtle glance at Naruto as he said this. Naruto scowled and threw his head off to the side. "Introductions are in order, though. I am Watabe Hyouroku, and I will be one of the teachers accompanying you on your road to success." Hyouroku looked down at the scroll. "Let's do roll, quickly."
He began calling out the names of the children around me, some recognizable, others not. My name was fairly early in the list, and I answered with a brief "here!" when the time came.
After the last here had been uttered, Hyouroku continued into our first lesson—the Will of Fire.
I was aware of the ninja world's strict sense of nationalism beforehand, so I mostly found myself fighting the urge to zone out throughout class. No, Futaba—be attentive for once! You have no advantages in this body, and you can't remember anything useful anymore, so you better damn well make use of your wit!
Naruto wasn't quite as determined, seeming to be a step away from drooling onto the desk. The class had started less than ten minutes ago; I wasn't sure how he did it.
I had even taken out a notebook to feel just a little more studious, but it ended up being for naught, because most of what Hyouroku was saying was pure shinobi philosophy. I set the pencil down beside my notebook uselessly.
Even within the setting of a classroom, I couldn't find myself able to relax completely. The events of earlier today still crawled at the edge of my mind, echoing in my ears every once in a while. The bandages itched on my arms whenever my train of thought drifted onto what had gotten me so worked up in the first place.
The fact was, I was becoming useless.
I huffed a sigh subconsciously, scowling at nothing. Even in my past life, without having watched the show in more than a couple years, I probably would have remembered more about it than I could remember now. Something about being here was making me forget faster.
But how could I trigger more dreams? Would I have to ask Enma for help? No, he'd probably just say stupid mortal, you're already pushing your luck by being alive right now. Which was true. But I wasn't in the mood for an Enma-style lecture, so he was out of the question.
A thought struck me. What if the reason I couldn't remember as much as I normally would have about the show was because those memories were...tied to my past life? Maybe my soul had managed to hold onto my life memories to an extent, but as I spent more and more time away from the body those memories were stored in, my ability to access those memories became weaker and weaker.
It may have been a shaky theory, but it was the only one I had at the moment. I couldn't help but sigh, burying my hands in my hair. Vaguely, I registered Naruto stirring next to me, but the teacher thankfully hadn't noticed my miniature crisis and continued droning on about Konoha history. Sorry, Hyouroku-sensei, I'm more concerned about my own history at the moment.
There was this one dream I had had at one point—a dream of me confined to a bed in a hospital. That dream had stood out from all of the other memories I'd dreamt for a few reasons, one of which being the fact I had absolutely no recollection of this event beforehand, and a gut feeling told me this wasn't one of those forgotten memories. Another reason was the fact that I couldn't move. In my other memories, I may have had no freedom of movement, my body moving according to how my memories dictated it, but in the hospital dream I had wanted to move, yet I couldn't. It was such a strange situation, and Enma had mentioned that I was technically still alive in two worlds, and that's why I was a problem to his reincarnation business.
So if I was still alive in my other life...wasn't there a way to cross back into it, if just for a little bit?
There were many things I had to consider about this. Most significant was the fact that I had to be in the hospital for a reason. My last memory before this second life ordeal happened was falling asleep the night before my birthday, but something had to have happened to me that made Enma mistake my death and allow me to reincarnate.
But I didn't need long, I just needed a few moments in my other life, just enough to access my old memories. It seemed like my best option at this point.
I shut my eyes and dove deep into my mind, tuning out the teacher's voice. Past life, you in there?
Maybe I had to clear my mind or enter a meditation state or something. How did people meditate again? They cleared their minds, first of all, and then...
Deep breath in…
Deep breath out.
In, out.
In...out…
In…
Out.
With a sensation like taking a breath after a desperate swim back to the surface of a pool, I came into consciousness. I could see nothing but white ceiling, hear nothing but lifeless beeping. The air smelled sterile, and that's when I knew I had somehow made it back.
Holy shit, I'd actually done it! I had no idea that meditation stuff would actually work!
But for how long, I wasn't sure. My body was once again motionless, and weirdly, I could feel my eyelids shut against my eyes, but I was still able to see my surroundings. My parents weren't here with me this time. I ignored the wave of emotions threatening to distract me from my goal—to remember what I'd lost.
So taking a deep breath—mentally, because I had no control over my body functions here—I delved into my mind.
The faces of my friends I'd let slip from my mind came back to me as I dug deeper. So did a myriad of memories, like me falling off my bike and skinning my knee deeply. Or like me getting stung by a bee and having the sting swell to the size of a ping pong ball. Or like—finally, here were the anime phase memories.
Naruto, a series by Masashi Kishimoto. Started a long time ago, before I was born. Hadn't ended yet.
Protagonist was Uzumaki Naruto, container of the nine-tailed fox demon, wanted to be the Hokage of Konoha…
Ended up with teammates Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke…
Uchiha Sasuke.
Uchiha.
Sasuke was part of a prestigious clan, renowned for their power and special ability—the sharingan. Their presence in Konoha was huge. Their home was a city within cities.
But didn't Sasuke live alone in the anime?
Suddenly, I felt an indescribable pull, like a tugging at my consciousness. I tried to push it away, but it got stronger, and suddenly—
"Futaba-chan!"
I slammed back into reality with a gasp, and it immediately came to my attention that the world was shaking. Then Naruto let go of my shoulders, and it stopped. Blinking disorientedly, I tried to focus my bleary vision on Naruto.
He looked at me curiously, big eyes round. When had he woken up? Wait, when had the class become so quiet?
At the sound of someone clearing their throat, I turned away from Naruto. The teacher stared down at us both, looking less than impressed. "So, what do we have here? Two sleepyheads?" I couldn't do anything but stare up at the teacher, sputtering. "Well, I'll let it pass just because it's the first day. But don't let this become a habit. It would do you well to show your instructors some respect." He narrowed his eyes at Naruto and took his place back at the podium.
I shrunk in my seat, trying to ignore the feeling of the eyes on me. Naruto seemed relatively unbothered, scowling at the teacher's back.
That aside, what had I just witnessed? Through my dream-slash-meditation state, I'd managed to cross back for just a little bit. I just knew I'd get an earful from Enma later…
"Oi, you're a really deep sleeper, Futaba-chan," Naruto said to me in his stage-whisper. "Not even Hyouroku-sensei could wake you up. He called you a few times."
I scratched my cheek, trying to look nonchalant. "I—I guess I am."
For the rest of the day, I still found myself unable to concentrate. I kept my eyes fixed on a spot above the teacher's head and stewed over the little piece of information I'd gleaned during my brief time in my old world.
Sasuke was alone during the main series. Meaning, he had been the only Uchiha. Which was odd—and I could swear I remembered him being very angry about something. Were the two correlated in some way?
What had happened to the Uchiha clan?
It felt like one of those situations that would occur during a big exam, or something similar—you'd see a question and you would just know you saw the solution to it in your notes, but you just wouldn't be able to remember it, no matter how hard you tried. The itchy feeling of familiarity without any resolution.
Eventually, by the time pretty much everyone started to get a little yawny, Hyouroku closed his scroll. "That's all for today, class, but tomorrow you will have a full day of classes. Come prepared."
Kids around me leapt from their seats, stretching and murmuring to friends. Naruto jumped up with an energy that, even in my youthful physical state, I would never be able to muster mentally. "Ah, finally! I thought that geezer was gonna talk forever, 'ttebayo!"
I was slower to get up, disappointedly realizing Shuu would still be in class and I'd have to make the trip home alone. Well, at least I'd have some more time to think over what I'd learned.
My eyes followed the back of Sasuke as he quickly made his way out of the classroom, the image of the red-and-white fan crest burning itself into my mind. What was it about that clan that was giving me so much anxiety, and what would happen to them?
I grumpily wandered back my apartment building, my visions inspiring more questions than they were answering. I had even lost my appetite, so I had turned down a meal with Naruto—I'd never had much of an appetite whenever I was anxious about something.
Swinging the door to the apartment open, I announced my presence. "I'm hooome…"
"Welcome back, Futaba-chan!" Imiki chirped, sitting at the table, except I quickly noticed that she was in fact not alone. Across from her was that guy with the light hair and strangely calm demeanor, who gave me a neutral smile when I met his eyes. The expression was unsettling to me for some reason, and I looked back to my aunt, who seemed to finally realize she'd forgotten to introduce her guest. "Ah, you remember my teammate Waki, right, Futaba-chan?"
No. "Sure..."
"He's just over to discuss some things with me. Some important things." Imiki seemed to be hinting at something here, but I was too caught up in my own thoughts to care.
"Okay," I replied blandly, trudging past them and making a beeline for my closet. I would be able to brainstorm better in the privacy of my own little room.
"A—ah, Futaba-chan, wait!" Imiki exclaimed. I halted in my steps, frowning in confusion. "Where's Shuu-chan?"
"My class was dismissed early today, but Shuu is still at school. I'm tired," I explained, wanting to get out of range of their scrutiny as soon as possible.
"Oh…" My aunt trailed off, looking stumped. Unsure of what her deal was, I merely turned around and started to continue on my way.
Then an unfamiliar voice joined our discussion. "Futaba-chan, why don't you have some tea before you go?" Waki offered, expression looking entirely kind.
I stared back for a few moments, wondering what it was about Imiki's behaviour lately that was throwing me off and whether or not the sudden introduction of her teammates had anything to do with it. Then, I realized I had been trapped into saying yes out of polite obligation, and I begrudgingly murmured a sure and sat down next to Imiki, diagonal from Waki and as far away from him as possible.
Waki got up to start making the tea, leaving just Imiki and I sitting at the table. "How was your first day, Futaba-chan?"
"Alright," I answered, for lack of a better response. Deciding to test something, I turned to Imiki and asked, "Hey, Imiki-nee, can we train together after tea?"
Imiki flinched minutely, but covered it up. "Sorry, Futaba-chan. The things I have to discuss with Waki can't wait. You can go on ahead and train on your own, though!"
I pouted, noting her reaction and response in the recesses of my mind. "That's no fun...I'll just stay home and rest."
Imiki drummed her fingers against the table, another show of nerves uncharacteristic of my energetic and eccentric aunt, until Waki returned with the tea. "I hope you enjoy it, Futaba-chan," Waki said to me with a calm smile. "My grandparents were known for their tea-brewing skills. I took great interest in it when I was very young, maybe around your age." He handed me a cup, and I blew on it carefully. Its smell reminded me of the jasmine teas served in Chinese restaurants back in my other life.
Other life. That reminded me, I had to think over what I had remembered as soon as I was finished here.
"Drink quickly, now, Futaba-chan. Don't be rude," Imiki urged. She cupped her hands around her own tea.
I could sense that they were both waiting for me to leave so they could talk about whatever important issues they found so important that I had to be absent to discuss, so I tried to drink the piping hot tea as quickly as possible. Ow, ow, ow—my poor tongue—
"Done," I declared, setting the cup down. I grimaced faintly, the last bit of tea was always the bitterest. "I'm going to my room."
The two adults bid me goodbye as I left, my steps feeling heavy as I trudged towards my little closet. The closet just got smaller and smaller each year, but a part of me wasn't ready to give up my Harry Potter-esque living conditions even if the cot I used now took up most of the space I had. I had insisted on having my own space, after all, and this was all that the apartment had to offer.
But today, I didn't need much from my little closet. I just wanted a place to sit. I plopped down onto my cot, dragging out some pencils from underneath it and ready to brainstorm.
"Uchiha clan," I murmured to myself. I penciled in a crude drawing of the fan-crest on my blank wall. "Sasuke." A duck-butt boy with an angry face. "Naruto." Further away from the Sasuke caricature and Uchiha symbol, I drew a head of spiky hair and a face with whiskers. Then, I frowned. A name kept popping up in my mind, a name that belonged to a face that had always instilled a feeling of faint anxiety in me for reasons I couldn't pinpoint.
"Itachi."
I tried to draw the somber-faced boy somewhere between the Uchiha fan and Sasuke. But as I did, I found my fingers getting heavy, feeling like lead. The pencil became hard to hold up in my hands and my hand suddenly went completely lax.
I felt so...tired.
I frowned. Why was I so tired? I had to get to work as soon as possible, but I just wanted to...sleep.
Sleep…
It wasn't even dark yet...light was still streaming through the tiny slit-window near the ceiling of the closet. My eyelids drooped, suddenly tripling in weight, and I sighed before falling onto my side on my cot. No matter how hard I willed myself, which admittedly wasn't that hard, because my will was...slowly going, too, I just couldn't move…
My eyes slowly drooped until they closed, and everything went black.
haaa uni is already kicking my ass and i've caught a cold ε=o(´ロ`||)
stay healthy, guys! see you next week!
