Hey there! This is a soulmates AU of my ongoing story, The Last Princess of Whirlpool. I'm going to keep it a oneshot for now, but I might come back to this later. Hope you like it!

"To someone who doesn't know you, this would look much like Tobirama's," Kairi says as she looks down at the kunai in front of me.

"I still think he was a paranoid bastard," I say before I take one last breath of smoke. I cough for the first time when I hear Kairi's next words.

"You say that, but I'm sure if you were born in another time you'd end up with him instead of Shikamaru."

"What?" I cough. Kairi cackles.

"You have a type, mija."

"He looked nothing like Shika!"

"Suffering geniuses with zero emotional intelligence," she deadpans.

"You're so mean to me," I whine as I stand from my place at the fuinjutsu table. I rest my pipe on the table as I grab my newly finished kunai. There's no point in arguing with Kairi.

Especially when she's right.

I walk out of the tower with Kairi cackling on my shoulder as we walk down one of the main streets of Uzushiogakure. I stop at the first training grounds, a small clearing with a creek running on one side and trees surrounding the other sides.

"This is either going to go great or horribly wrong," I say as Kairi flies to one of the low hanging branches.

"I believe in you, Kiku-chan," Kairi says. Her voice is warm, a tone she rarely uses. Warmth fills my body at her confidence as I look down at my kunai. I take a deep breath, channel chakra through the kunai, and throw it at a tree across the clearing.

Everything moves too fast and all at once.

I'm surrounded by darkness for a moment, it reminds me briefly of shadow walking. I feel like I'm flying. But then there's a bright light and I'm suddenly hitting the ground hard. The world spins around me as I open my eyes. It's blurry, but I can see that I'm across the clearing from where I was a second ago.

I did it.

"Uzumaki Kikuko, what have you done?" Kairi says when I open my eyes. I'm not in the training grounds anymore. I'm in a hospital.

"Oh no, Kisame is going to murder me," I groan as I throw my arm over my eyes.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about him, mija," Ichika growls. I peek behind my arm and see an amused woman with bright red hair standing beside Ichika. She has violet eyes that are strangely familiar.

"Wait," I whisper. She looks exactly like the pictures we have of my grandmother Kazumi. "A cousin? Is the barrier down?" The woman's eyes fill with grief at the mention of the barrier.

"Not a cousin," the woman finally says. Her voice sounds similar to Kahana's.

"I know mom didn't have more kids," I mumble as I rub my forehead.

"You're being a stupid genius, Kikuko," Kairi says. I finally look at her. Like, really look at her.

"Mendokusai," I whine.

"Took you long enough," Ichika says as I feel a weight on my legs. "Only you could manage to send yourself back in time while trying a new seal."

"It could've been worse," I say as Kazumi walks over to my bed and hovers her hand over my head. "I could've gone forward in time."

Kairi deadpans and I wince.

I didn't do it.

It's bittersweet.

The village is loud, much louder than it's been in my time. People fill the dirt streets as I walk a familiar path through the village towards the Uzukage tower. They weren't even trying to hide my story in Uzushiogakure. Sealing incidents happen all the time.

The only thing we're hiding is the destruction of the island. As far as the village knows, I was born in Konoha in my time and was never able to come back to Uzushiogakure.

"Hola mija," a now familiar voice says as I walk into the office. I've been awake in the village for a few months now. Kahana couldn't visit me too much in the first few weeks, but she did whenever she had free time. I've spent all my time outside of the hospital in the Uzukage tower. Either making seals with the chunin or up in the office working on things with Kahana.

"You're just a few years older than me, ya know?"

"No matter what dimension or time we're in you'll always be my mija~" she sings and the Nara sitting at the other desk in the room snorts as he turns a page in his book.

"You know, you'd look a lot more dignified doing that if I didn't know you were reading porn," I tell the man. His eyes flick up to me with a glare as Kahana laughs freely.

"It's not porn."

"It is."

"It's romance."

"Is that what they call shitty vanilla porn in this time?" I turn to ask Kahana who almost falls out of her chair. "I mean honestly," I turn back to the Nara with a bright blush across his cheeks. "You could at least read something with some bondage, you're a Nara and you're married to an Uzumaki."

"Kikuko!"

"Oh come on, you know you've thought about using your shadows to-"

"Kikuko!" He growls this time.

"Oh, he hasn't thought it," Kahana cuts in before she takes a sip of her coffee.

"Oh really?" I ask as I turn to her. She nods sagely.

"Kahana!"

"Yes my love?" She softens her eyes as she turns to the Nara who huffs and turns back to his book.

"How did it-"

"Kikuko!"

"Yes, my favorite Nara of this timeline?"

"Oh my fucking kami I'm going home," he says as he shuts his book and heads out of the room. I raise an eyebrow before turning to Kahana.

"It's too easy."

"Mmhmm. I think I'll take an early lunch," she says as she looks around me to watch Shinya walk down the hall. I knew Uzushiogakure was more open about sex than Konoha was, but I didn't realize how openly it was talked about.

It does kinda make sense. Especially since the wars between clans have finally started to settle down. It's time for the post war baby boom to begin before the First Shinobi War really picks up.

"But back to why I called you here," Kahana says as she claps her hands. "You've been using the Hiraishin, correct?"

"I have been," I say as I fidget in my spot. I've tried it countless times, hoping I'd end back up in my Uzushiogakure. But it never worked. I only stay in this time.

"You're not going to be able to go back to your time if it still hasn't worked," Kahana says gently.

"I know."

"So it's time to fuck the timeline up," she grins.

"What do you mean?"

"I think it's time we had a woman take control of the clan in Konoha over Ashina." Her smile is feral. "And I know you are just the person to do that."

"Mito could-"

"Mito is pregnant as hell. I know she could kick his ass but Hashirama would start a war if one hair on her head is misplaced."

"That would be a lot of paperwork."

"So you're going to kick his ass and tell the Hokage everything."

"And I guess I leave as soon as I pack my things?"

"Oh mija, you know me so well."

My heart feels like it's going to pound out of my chest as I walk up to the gates of Konohagakure. It's been years in my time since I've seen them. They look much more new now. They still tower over me like they always have.

The sun sets along the horizon behind them. The streets are practically deserted, only a few people mill about. It's so weird seeing the older clothing that they're wearing. It wasn't so weird in Uzu because their style didn't change much in the time between now and when Uzu fell.

The reminder makes my heart ache.

"Hello?" A man asks. I look up to see a man in traditional clothing from just behind the gate at the check in desk. "Are you coming into the village? We're about to close up."

"Yes, I'm sorry!" I squeak as I move forward quickly, almost tripping over my feet. I see the man's lips twitch as he turns back to the desk. For a second I question how trusting he is of me, but then I remember the forehead protector that's tied around my head.

The symbol of Uzushiogakure sits proudly on the center of it.

I quickly sign in at the desk before I make my way towards the Hokage tower. It's easier to see it in this time. There's not as many buildings as there were in my own. The streets feel familiar but different. Safer without the threat of Root.

The Nidaime still reigns at the moment. And while I wasn't a fan of his paranoid and militant methods, this may be the one time I'm hoping he follows them. There's a chance to save Uzushiogakure, to save my island. I'll do anything so another child in this timeline doesn't have to repeat the burden I still carry with me.

"Oh, hello. Was Hokage-sama expecting you?" The man sitting at a desk at the top of the tower asks. I shake my head.

"No, I'm sorry for the intrusion. Uzukage-sama sent me at the last minute and I would have gotten here before her letter arrived." The man raises an eyebrow and I force myself not to kick his ass. Uzushiogakure has always treated kunoichi with respect.

Konoha struggles with that in my time.

"Just a moment, what is your name?"

"Uzumaki Kikuko." The man nods before he turns and disappears behind the doors to the Hokage's office. I wait for a few minutes before the man returns. He keeps one of the doors open and motions me through. He shuts the door behind me.

As soon as he does, I feel seals flare and all the Anbu that were once in the room are gone and a silencing barrier activates. And I can't move my body.

"I knew you were a paranoid bastard but I didn't know you were this bad 'ttbane," the words slip out before I can stop them.

"Well, at least you're not lying about being an Uzumaki," the man in front of me says. I feel my cheeks heat up and hate that I can't look away.

My breathing starts to grow uneven and he raises an eyebrow. I close my eyes to try to stop the tears but the memories of being attacked by Root agents fills my vision. Suddenly I'm able to move and I fall to the floor. I flinch when a chakra signature flickers in front of me.

"Sorry," I croak after a second. "I was attacked with a poison that had similar effects to that seal a few years ago."

"A poison?" Tobirama asks. "Konoha isn't aware of a poison with those effects. Uzushiogakure normally sends unknown poisons to us."

"Well, that's kinda why I'm here," I finally open my eyes and feel heat spread across my cheeks. His face is much closer to my own than I thought it would be. "I may or may not have fucked up Hiraishin and ended up in either a different dimension or in the past?"

He blinks. I pull one of the kunai I made from a pocket and hold it out to him. He looks from me to the kunai and then back up at me.

"What is the seal for?"

"It's to tie you to your dimension and time, like the blood of a summoner ties their summons to them." He nods before looking back down at the kunai.

"Are any of these symbols connected to a person who is currently alive?"

"Well, there's connections to my summons-"

"Your summons will come with you in any timeline, unless you're in a different dimension."

"They recognized me, so I'm in a different time, then." He raises an eyebrow as he looks down at the kunai and I follow his eyes. The other symbol connected to a living person was the antler for the Nara, but Shikaku isn't alive yet, either. Team twenty is definitely not alive. The wind and water are my elements. The smoke-

"Hokage-sama?" A familiar voice asks outside of the sealing barrier.

"Mother-"

"Everything is fine, Hiruzen," the Hokage cuts me off as he pulls down the sealing barrier. "You may give your report in the morning."

"Yes sensei," the much younger man says.

The sealing barrier goes back up and Tobirama looks at me much like Shikaku when he was trying to figure something out.

"He taught me everything he knew about fuinjutsu, he always smoked a pipe during our sessions. I put it as a reminder of the foundation of my fuinjutsu knowledge."

"You did not learn in Uzushiogakure?"

"Konoha betrayed Uzushio." The man's eyes fill with anger.

"Tell me everything." It's not a suggestion. It's an order.

"You die in the First Shinobi War on a mission with your team, Danzo, and a few others. You act as a decoy for them to escape. Don't do that this time 'ttbane."

"If it means they live-"

"You pass the hat to Ji- Hiruzen. Danzo craves power and creates an underground organization called Root. Root leads the destruction of Uzushiogakure."

"Fuck," he whispers and I feel my lips quirk up. "How are you smiling?"

"It was kinda cute," I shrug.

"Kinda cute?" He asks. "You're thinking about things like that after telling me about the destruction of your village?"

"When the village fell, the Uzukage activated a barrier that covered the entire island. It preserved all the bodies. Only a descendant of the island could bring the barrier down," I say as I look down at the kunai in my hand.

"I buried my entire village when I was eleven years old. It was my duty as the last princess of Uzushiogakure," I finally look up at him again. I see something flash in his eyes before I'm pulled into his chest. My kunai drops to the floor and I tentatively raise my arms to wrap around his back.

"You couldn't be the last," he whispers. I feel grief roll through his chakra and I remember that Mito was a princess of Uzushio from another Uzumaki line before she came to Konoha.

"I can't go back to that time," I murmur. "Unless things change I'll be the last."

"Things will change," he says firmly as he tightens his arms around me. I close my eyes and relax in his arms. This hug is different from the ones I had back in Uzushiogakure. I don't know if it's because I'm back in Konoha. Or if it's because Tobirama is the only one who has probably thought about the possibility of being thrown into a different timeline.

"Was Root behind you being poisoned?" He asks a few moments later. I nod against his shoulder before I rest my head on it, suddenly feeling exhausted.

"My brother was the jinchūriki. Danzo wanted to control us. If he could control me he could use me as leverage against niisan."

"Was your brother trained by Mito?"

"Our mother was. She died the night we were born. Someone pulled Kurama from her and made him attack the village."

"I'm sorry," he says. He's quiet after that. The silence stretches, but it doesn't feel awkward.

"While Hiruzen is alive, I don't think that is the tie that brought you here," he finally says. "I think it was you that brought yourself here."

"Huh?" I ask, pulling away from his shoulder to look up at him. His hand comes up to my shoulder and moves a stray piece of hair away from it. I look down at where he's looking to see a small mark by my scar from the encounter with Root. "That's just a birthmark," I roll my eyes.

He hums as he moves one of his arms from around me to his shoulder. I hate the feeling of loss at the movement. He moves his white fluffy (and very warm) pelt from his shoulder before he moves his shirt.

He has a matching birthmark.

"What the-"

"Kikuko-chan," he chides. His voice sounds so warm. Like home. I feel his lips press against my temple and almost swoon. He chuckles in my ear as he moves his shirt and his pelt back into place. "Why do you think many shinobi wear extra shoulder protectors, hm?"

"They don't wear them in my time 'ttbane."

"The belief in soul mates has already begun to fade in this time," he murmurs. "I would have probably joined them if I did not know of my brother and Mito's marks."

"This is so weird."

"Hm, you seem comfortable enough."

"Asshole."

"And yet you already like me anyways."

"Let me correct my last statement. Know-it-all asshole."

"You can continue to call me names but your chakra doesn't lie, Kikuko." He says. I feel him smile in my hair. "Especially when I call you by your name."

"Stupid geni-"

He cuts me off with his lips pressing against mine. I gasp and he uses that to his advantage, his tongue runs along my bottom lip before he starts to explore my mouth. It feels awkward at first.

But soon I'm kissing him back. One hand tangles in his messy white hair and the other rests on his shoulder, just above the mark he showed me.

He eventually pulls away. At first only slightly. He pecks my lips slowly a couple of times before he pulls his mouth away and rests his forehead against my own.

"I thought you were supposed to be a suffering genius with zero emotional intelligence," I say. Pouting when I realize how breathless I sound. His lips twitch into a smile.

"I think the universe knows that a relationship can handle only one of those," he says. My mind is still fuzzy from the kiss. It takes me a second to realize what he means.

"Hey!" I almost yell. He laughs openly now, leaning back with ease as I push against his chest. I fall forward on top of him, straddling his waist. I move my hands to mess with his hair but he pulls me down to kiss him again instead.

I bite his bottom lip and he groans.

"Oh!" A voice squeaks. Tobirama sighs as he pulls away, his head thunks back against the floor as he closes his eyes. I cover my mouth to try to hide my giggles but I can't as I turn to see the Shodaime looking at us with wide eyes.

"You find this amusing?" Tobirama says, his voice sounding bored. I smirk at him and shift my hips slightly. His eyes snap open and I force myself not to laugh.

"You were the one to imply that I was the one with zero emotional intelligence in this relationship, dear."

I hear a woman cackle and see a very pregnant woman with red hair holding onto Hashirama for dear life as she laughs. I feel Tobirama sit up and wrap my arms around his chest, as something settles in my own.

I felt so empty when I realized I couldn't go back to my own time. So afraid that while I would have family here, that I wouldn't feel like I was at home somewhere again. But this moment takes away that fear. Especially as Tobirama starts to rub my back slowly as Hashirama laughs along with Mito, holding her close to his chest.

"Welcome home," he murmurs against my neck and I smile into his shoulder. "We'll make the world a safer place for them."

"We will."

"And our children," he says before he kisses my shoulder over my birthmark.

"You've got to at least take me out for taiyaki first before you try to get me in bed 'ttbane!" I hear a squawk, a thump, and a shriek of laughter as I tighten my arms around Tobirama.

Yeah, I can get used to this.