Okay, I must admit that I got a lot more reviews than I expected and quite a few interesting questions and suggestions.

So, here are some answers:

To kksambo: I tried to imply in the first chapter that the eye-color was a result of some sort of mutation or maybe a recessive gene (I've never been very good with biology) that makes it unlikely she'll develop the Sharingan. I'm sorry if it wasn't very clear. Yes, Itachi will be born and yes, Meika will be his older sister.

To Anime Princess: Yes, she will get the Sharingan (It would be kind of pointless to make her an Uchiha otherwise, wouldn't it?), but I think it will be much later.

To FlawedMortal: You have some really interesting ideas. Yes, I was thinking about trying to recreate spells, but more along the line of really powerful genjutsus and compulsions than anything else. And your idea about Meika being immune to compulsion based genjustus does have merit. It would be very in character for Harry/Harriet. Even in canon he resisted the Imperius. About the affinity - you'll just have to wait and see.

Lot of you asked about magic. No, she won't be getting it. I think that it would make her seriously overpowered, and while I like to read fics like that when the mood strikes me, I don't intend to write one right now.

About the pairings: I had a few ideas, like Kakashi and Gai (If only for the sheer comedic value; imagine Fugaku's reaction, or, better yet, Kakashi's!), but my current favourite is Shisui. The only problem is that I can't find anywhere how old is he and, more importantly, how closely related they are. If anyone knows, I would really appreciate the information.


"Come on, sweetheart, we're going to visit Kushina."

Slender, strong arms gripped her tightly and she found herself in a familiar, secure grip of her new mother. Meika reflexively relaxed in her hands, burying her head into a pale neck, inhaling the familiar scent of wildflowers and steel.

A year.

It had been almost a year since her birth, a year in her new life and she was finally getting used to it. The powerless, helpless feeling had abated somewhat with her newfound ability to walk, even if she fell on her backside more often than not. At least she could move, and the sheer exhilaration she felt every time she took an unaided step often took her by surprise. After months and months of being confined to her crib and the hands of whatever adult wanted to hold her next, the ability to move freely (or as freely as a small child was allowed to) was a privilege she will never again take for granted.

She was still weak of course. Her muscles were feeble, her body was delicate and easily hurt, but she was getting better, stronger every day and the possibility of improvement made her feel more comfortable, more satisfied with her new life.

She was learning to speak too. She didn't know exactly when small children were supposed to say their first words, but she intended to be on the safe side and say hers somewhere around her first birthday (which was in a month and a half, according to the strangely excited Mikoto). Until then Meika practiced her vocal chords, trying to speak English, making sure to sound like she spoke gibberish. She had varying degrees of success tough, certainly not as much as she wanted.

But for all of the drawbacks of her situation, there were quite a few of advantages too.

The most useful one was underestimation.

Nobody pays attention to the babies. What was the point? They usually don't understand what adults are talking about and they certainly won't remember it later. No one minds their words around small children, no one even thinks that it would be better not to disclose confidential information in the presence of one.

Meika had managed to learn so, so much.

She learned that she now lived in a military society, were killing was an acceptable career choice. She learned about ninja ranks, about ANBU and Hokage and the Clan Heads. She learned about the other Clans, about the hidden justus and kekkei genkai. She learned about other villages, about unfamiliar countries and foreign nobility.

She learned that she will likely never develop her own Sharingan, the Uchiha bloodline limit.

She also learned that she will be ostracized, ridiculed and dismissed for it.

She shared her mothers opinion about it, truth be said.

But the most important thing she learned was not about her Clan, or village or any kind of politics (although it will be incredibly useful when she grows up; Mikoto and Kushina had some truly beautiful blackmail material about several prominent figures).

The most important thing was about chakra.

This new world did not have magic. Meika had realized that on her first day here, when she recovered from her hysterical crying. There was a distinct lack of barely-leashed pulsing just beneath her skin, an emptiness in her chest where there should've been a tempest of wild power that could not be tamed. She had always been able to feel her magic, the vast force she commanded so easily in her first life. The lack of it, the lack of familiar warmth and comfort was... startling and just a bit devastating.

Then Mikoto mentioned chakra in passing and her hope rekindled.

It took her almost two months of patient meditation, of looking for something unfamiliar inside of her, to find it.

The difference between magic and chakra was staggering.

When she had been Harriet her magic was wild. It was fierce and untamed and it reminded her of a tempest, an unrelenting storm that raged inside her chest, pulsed beneath her skin, just waiting to be released. So much power contained in such a small space always left her with a jittery feeling if not spent in her classes or practises, made her unable to sit still before using it first.

Chakra was... a part of her, fused with her body in a way that magic had never quite managed, too wild to be contained. This new power was different, calmer and she could feel it in every single part of her, in every cell, vein and muscle if she concentrated enough. It was somehow both cool and warm at the same time, smooth, and it flowed like water, far more orderly than the unrestrained magic she was used to.

Meika still hasn't decided whether she liked it or not.

The other advantage, and one she treasured most, was something that no other would pay attention to. But Meika – Harriet – had been an orphan once, without family that cared about her, and she knew its importance.

She had a family now.

Fugaku was still distant and she doubted that he would ever be any different. She suspected that it was his normal behaviour so she was ready to forgive him for being reclusive because she could see that he tried. He visited more often, stayed longer and even attempted to talk to her sometimes, without much success. But it was the thought that counted, and while Meika was sure that she would never see him as a father, a slightly distant relative was becoming more and more possible.

He never looked her in the eyes though.

Mikoto continued to be the perfect mother as before, making sure that she had everything she needed and more, and Meika could now safely say that she loved her as any child would love their own mom. She fed her, played with her and seemed to enjoy dressing her in cute dresses and pretty slippers and brag about her to her friends. Meika would've usually been resentful at the dress-up, but Mikoto was always so proud, her smile bright and happy, her onyx eyes alight, that she couldn't bring herself to trow a tantrum.

So here she was, dressed in an admittedly very lovely, grass-green dress, paraded around the village in the hands of a proud parent.

Meika could admit, if only to herself, that she was as excited to be outside as her mother. This was the first time that she was allowed outside of the Uchiha Compound and the difference was... interesting.

The Uchiha were a traditional clan, their streets were almost quiet, their clothes monotone and their behavior was, well, stuffy. For a girl who had grown up in a bright, colourful Gryffindor alongside the Weasley Twins the atmosphere of the Clan was quite stifling. Konoha, in contrast, was heaving with people, lively and loud, filled with smells and colours and sounds unlike anything she'd ever seen. From the merchants haggling at the market to the shinobi rushing along the rooftops, everything was new, interesting.

Meika liked new her new home.

It took them about fifteen minutes to arrive to their destination, a small apartment building in a quieter part of the village, and as soon as they entered they were greeted with a loud laugh and a mane of bright red hair.

"Meika-chan!" Kushina shouted when she saw them, stealing her from Mikoto's hands with an enormous grin on her lips and promptly plopped her in her own lap as she sat in a brightly-lit kitchen of the apartment. "Came to see your Aunt Kushina, did you? Ooh, we're going to have so much fun today, dattebane! I've just made some ramen."

Meika gurgled happily, always glad to see one of her new favourite persons in the world. Kushina was a breath of fresh air after dealing with her arrogant Clan. The woman was full of life, vibrant and unstoppable in a way that only Fred and George had ever managed. With her ruby red hair, her large grin and mischievous eyes she reminded her of twins in a way that sent a pang of nostalgia in her chest every time she saw her.

It was not necessary a bad feeling. Meika missed her friends and every reminder of the good times spent together was welcome.

Mikoto seated herself across from Kushina, a smile dancing on her lips, her eyes soft and exasperatedly fond in a way that only the redhead could elicit. "She made her first steps just a few days ago, Kushina. I was sad that you couldn't be there."

Kushina's smile dimmed in disappointment, and she hugged Meika's body more tightly. "Aww, come on, Meika-chan! I thought we had a deal. I allow you to eat ramen and you allow me to see your first steps! We both agreed!"

Meika would like to beg to differ, considering she couldn't even talk, but Kushina was never one for logic, so trying, even if she could, would be useless.

Instead, she just murmured something incomprehensible, and pulled at the bright red hair harshly before she stuck it in her mouth. That would distract her for sure.

"Hey!"

Meika giggled.

Yes, there were quite a few benefits.


"The Elders are pushing for an heir."

Mikoto paused in her movements momentarily, a slight lapse almost unnoticeable to even the most well-trained ninja, before she continued to brush her hair steadily. The mass of raven-coloured silk fell around her shoulders, caressing her neck, and she could feel her husband's eyes on her, watching her half-hungrily, half-indeferently.

Fugaku never could make up his own mind.

"We already have an heir," she made sure that her voice was soft and respectful, that no trace of her anger could be heard. If her hand clenched tightly around the brush, if her knuckles whitened with the force, well, he certainly couldn't see it from that angle.

"No, we don't, and you know it, Mikoto. Do not play obtuse," he snapped harshly.

"Meika is our eldest child. She's our heir," Mikoto claimed steadily, confidently.

Fugaku made a sound of frustration, his fists clenching and a grimace twisting his face. "Meika will never be my heir!"

Mikoto stopped every movement, her body going predatory still for a smallest second, before she calmly put the ornate brush down and stood up gracefully. She tried to stay collected, tried not to show her rage, but something must've shown on her face or in her eyes because Fugaku took a sudden step back.

"Why?" The word was bitten out, abrupt and sharp, a thousand accusations in only three letters.

Fugaku took a deep breath. "Because the Clan won't respect her. They won't listen to her. They won't allow her to lead them." It was a simple answer, a short explanation, but implied much, much more.

Mikoto moved then, stalking to his side, smooth and graceful, the very embodiment of a kunoichi, despite not lifting a weapon for over a year. She placed her hand on his arm, and he stiffened abruptly. "They won't respect her?" she purred. "Because she's a woman? Or because she won't have a Sharingan?"

"Both," he answered bluntly.

Mikoto's nails dug into his flesh, before she let go and retreated a step back. "Not good enough," she hissed.

Anger twisted his features, and this time it was Fugaku who reached out and grabbed her hand in a vice-like grip. "Not good enough?" he growled, every word twisted with the force of his rage. "How about this then? She could become my heir. She could inherit the Clan. But what then? She would be in charge of hundreds well-trained, power-hungry shinobi who do not respect her, who do not care about her and who would certainly not hesitate to rebel. She would inherit a disobedient, broken family, and she would break herself trying to fix it! Did you even think about that before you started to feel indignant?!"

Mikoto stared, wide-eyed and stunned, never before seeing him lose control so much. He was panting, out of breath, red-faced with feverish eyes, gripping her hand almost painfully.

It took him a moment, but he calmed down, releasing her hand. "I will not have my daughter, my eldest child drive herself to her breaking point over something that could easily be avoided," Fugaku said, calmly, but forcefully. "Meika will not be my heir."

Mikoto nodded, almost dumbly, her mind racing and coming to the only possibly conclusion. "Very well," she said, and tried not to feel like she was betraying her own child.